What 'elite' quality is Texas A&M lacking to contend for an SEC Title?
Texas A&M 's 2025 football team will need to answer several burning questions before the season begins, but if we're being honest, nothing matches the need for redshirt sophomore starting quarterback Marcel Reed 's need to improve as a pocket passer to pair with his already elite skill set as a runner.
This is both an internal and national perspective, as nearly every one of us who covers the Aggies knows that outside Reed's development in the passing game, Texas A&M's roster is talented and deep enough at nearly every position to contend in the SEC in 2025, but as we all know, quarterback play usually determines every team's success, and entering his second year at the helm, head coach Mike Elko OC Collin Klein are under pressure to get him up to snuff.
In a recent article by Bama Hammer, author John Mitchell listed Texas A&M as one of four SEC teams that are considered contenders, but lack one elite quality, including LSU 's offensive line, South Carolina 's running game, and Ole Miss 's new quarterback, Austin Simmons . For the Aggies, it's no surprise that Mitchell mentioned Marcel Reed's pocket passing as the weakness that could result in Texas A&M finishing 8-4, or worse next season.
"Texas A&M ran out of gas down the stretch last season, but Mike Elko seems to have the ball rolling in the right direction in College Station. Like Ole Miss, 2025 will depend a lot on what they get out of the QB position. Marcel Reed is one of the most dynamic running QBs in the country, but has he grown enough as a passer to maintain offensive balance? He should have plenty of help at WR as the Aggies added NC State's KC Concepcion and Mississippi State's Mario Craver in the Transfer Portal. We know Elko will field an aggressive defense, but if the Aggies want to be a legitimate threat in the SEC, Reed will have to make that leap."
Leaping a passer is never guaranteed for some dual-threat quarterbacks, but Collin Klein's system, built around the run game, play action, and the intermediate passing game provides Reed an easier pathway to gaining a rhythm in the pocket during the first two games of the season before taking on Notre Dame on the road in Week 3.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Will QB Marcel Reed's passing prevent Texas A&M from success in 2025?
