Texas A&M's CFP hopes hinge on Marcel Reed avoiding 'mental mistakes'
· Yahoo Sports
Texas A&M's national title hopes hinge on redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed taking the proverbial "next step" in his development after throwing for a career-high 3,169 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions last season, thanks to transfer wide receivers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver, who combined for nearly 1,900 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season.
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Helping lead the Aggies to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, back-to-back losses to Texas on the regular to end the regular season, and the 10-3 first-round home loss to eventual national runner-up Miami, was partially due to Marcel Reed's poor play, which included a combined four turnovers in both losses.
Still, the Tennessee native proved that he is capable of leading the Aggies to greater heights, and despite his late-season struggles last fall, Reed is not dwelling on the past, focused on making it back to the CFP and getting out of the first round. This week, the Texas A&M signal caller sat down with On3 reporter Pete Nakos to discuss all things Aggies football, mainly the program's championship hopes during coach Mike Elko's third season.
While Texas A&M has not won or competed for a national title since 1939, Mike Elko's culture shift and focus on mastering the fundamentals directly translated into last season's 11-2 finish, which included the Aggies' first 11-0 start since 1993.
Reed's close relationship with his head coach is one of the primary reasons he's continued to play with unfettered confidence, while his offseason workouts with private QB coach Jeff Christensen have reportedly been "basically perfect," including a focus on "limiting turnovers in critical situations."
“The biggest thing for me is limiting turnovers, especially in critical situations,” he said. “That’s the first thing on our championship execution board: win the turnover battle. Eliminating those is going to be crucial for us to win games this year."
For most Power Four quarterbacks entering their third starting season, the game begins to slow down thanks to experience against a plethora of defensive schemes, and fixing mechanical issues takes less time to refine, which has been the goal for Reed since the 2025 season ended.
Texas A&M's CFP loss to Miami could, and should have ended differently if severe winds and better play from Reed and the run defense came to fruition, but the game that still keeps Elko and his starting quarterback up at night continues to be the road loss in Austin to the Longhorns. Throwing two late interceptions, re-watching the tape, Reed did not look relaxed after his brief injury scare, forcing bad throws and staring down receivers, which led to both picks.
Reed stated to Nakos that nothing had changed from a mentality standpoint before facing the Longhorns, but in a rivalry game, weird things happen, and Texas QB Arch Manning exposed the Aggies' leaky run defense to place a dagger in the road team's hopes late in the fourth quarter.
Texas A&M's 2026 schedule includes road games vs. LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama, and Oklahoma, and for the Aggies to have any shot at finishing 3-2, or, at best, 4-1 on the road, Marcel Reed must eliminate the "mental mistakes" that will result in disaster, especially in close games. In the end, it's all about doing the "little things" correctly.
“Just going in and doing what we’re supposed to do. Executing, not making mental mistakes. There are a couple of times we made some mistakes in the game, where it’s like, if that never happened, we could have had a big play. But it only takes one. When you mess up that one opportunity, it could change the whole game. Just going in and doing a little thing the right way.”
Texas A&M's 2026 roster is stacked with talent, including 17 transfer portal additions, while the return of star wide receiver Mario Craver provides Reed a go-to option on every down, and Alabama transfer wideout Isaiah Horton's 6'4" frame and playmaking ability make him the final piece to the offensive puzzle.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M's CFP hopes hinge on Marcel Reed avoiding 'mental mistakes'