Texas A&M’s 2025 season hinges on quarterback Marcel Reed. Taking over full-time after sharing duties with Conner Weigman in 2024, the former four-star recruit boasts dazzling athleticism. However, his inconsistency—brilliant plays followed by frustrating mistakes—leaves fans and analysts uncertain about his passing abilities. Will he deliver consistently, or will the erratic play continue?

This offseason, everyone’s watching how Reed develops as a passer. Texas A&M significantly improved its receiving corps via the transfer portal, adding KC Concepcion, Mario Craver, and Jonah Wilson—three ready-to-play receivers who should help Reed’s inconsistent play. The Aggies’ strong running game, a team staple, is intact thanks to the return of hard-hitting senior Le’Veon Moss. With Mike Elko bolstering the defense, Reed doesn’t need to be perfect, but he must improve his accuracy if the Aggies want to surpass their eight-win season. Last season he threw for 1,864 yards with 15 TDs with a completion rate of 61.3% and 6 interceptions.

And that might be a concerning factor for Mike Elko and his team. That’s exactly what John Miller on Locked on LSU is highlighting, saying, “I feel like every week I gave up on Marcel Reed, he would have a good game, and then I’d start to buy in, and then he would prove the previous opinion right. So I just need to see some consistency from him before I totally buy into Texas A&M this year.” That can be a legit concern. As once opposing defenses dug into Reed’s film, they sniffed out his weaknesses through the air. Defensive coordinators played it tight, daring long throws, which he couldn’t manage. According to PFF, he had an inaccurate long pass completion rate and approximately ten turnovers.

But his game has improved pretty well this spring season. Despite missing starting linemen Trey Zuhn II and Ar’Maj Reed-Adams, Reed excelled as the QB1. He threw for 213 yards, completing 18 of 28 passes while calmly overcoming pressure and one interception. Reed’s performance showcased his reading skills, pocket presence, and impressive running ability. Taking full control of the offense this fall shows his improved composure and significant progress. Even Mike Elko sounds encouraged by Marcel Reed’s growth, though he’s still waiting for that final breakthrough.

The head coach didn’t sugarcoat the challenge ahead, saying, “Yeah, I think the challenge for Marcel is he wants to take the next step as a passer, and we want him to take that next step because I think that’s what we need to do offensively to get ultimately where we want to go and what we want to be. But you’re not doing that at the expense of his ability to make plays and create. When he’s not live, you’re just taking away his ability to create.” In short, Elko sees the upside—but wants it to click without muting Reed’s natural playmaking instinct. But looks like Miller isn’t fully buying the entire Marcel Reed’s improvement stance.

Mike Elko’s $664k regret?

Last season was a wild ride for Mike Elko and the Aggies, especially at quarterback. The $664K investment in Conner Weigman looked promising, but his rollercoaster performances cracked the door wide open for Marcel Reed. After Weigman went down early, Reed stepped in and didn’t just hold it down—he lit it up, even leading a gritty comeback win over LSU. Despite Weigman returning later, Reed’s steady hand kept him in the driver’s seat.

Even before he was benched, Weigman’s play was erratic. He started poorly against Notre Dame, completing just 12 of 30 passes for 100 yards and two interceptions. After a good game against Missouri, he threw two more interceptions in a loss to Mississippi State. His struggles continued against LSU, where he completed only 6 of 18 passes for 64 yards before getting pulled. However, it looks like Mike Elko should have trusted his guy.

John Miller of Locked on Mizzou questioned Elko’s decision to bench Weigman for Reed. “I wonder what it would have taken for A&M to have kept Conner Weigman around, who ends up at Houston. Obviously a really highly touted player coming out of high school, he had his moments last season. Heck, he started against Missouri, and you guys mentioned they were 7–1. I think that was probably their high point of the season there, coming off a big win against my Tigers. And like you say, it just—they kind of—you know, Weigman got hurt a little bit,” Miller said. Despite Weigman’s occasional pretty tough performances, like against Missouri, Miller questions whether the Aggies’ low-key made the right choice or not.

Sure, Conner Weigman was explosive against Missouri last season, where he completed 10 of his first 12 passes and finished the game completing 10 out of 22 passes for 276 yards. But he had inconsistencies, too.

However, John Miller is still not buying the idea of taking him out of the picture. “But man, I just liked when they had both of those options as opposed to one. You see all the money that’s thrown around in College Station; I just wonder what it would’ve taken to keep him around. And did they keep the right quarterback, quite honestly?…I honestly don’t know. I don’t want to be dismissive of Reed, because there have been times when he’s been surprisingly good. So I don’t want to just completely dismiss his abilities.” Now, even though Miller doesn’t want to compare them, there’s no doubt that Weigman is sure making a splash in Houston.

Since transferring to Houston, Weigman now leads a rebuilding program. The Cougars recruited him for his stability and experience, addressing inconsistencies with their previous QBs, Donovan Smith and Zeon Chriss. Sure, he is a killer deal. At A&M, he threw for 2,694 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, hampered by injuries. This spring, he stayed healthy and excelled in Houston’s practices. “That’s the biggest part of it for Conner, just the health part of it,” said coach Willie Fritz. “It’s hard to be your best when you’re banged up.”

Bottom line? The Aggies are betting big on Reed—and time will tell if they made the right call or if that $664K “regret” in Houston comes back to haunt them.