Texas A&M came out of its sixth fall camp practice on Wednesday with the buzz centering on two players drawing plenty of attention: quarterback Marcel Reed and Northwestern transfer defensive end Anto Saka.
Reed, now entering his third season as the Aggies’ quarterback, has apparently taken a noticeable step forward as a passer this offseason. He has also protected the football through fall camp so far, a point he made clear when asked about his early work.
“I've not turned the ball over. I think I've done a really good job at that,” Reed said. “I've done a really good job at game managing (and) making sure everybody's on the same page, that we get plays off and that we're all doing the same thing and know what our assignments our.
Reed said his growth has come in part through his work with quarterbacks coach Joey Lynch, especially on the details that make an offense hum.
“I've grown a lot. He's been able to help my stuff mechanically and help whether it's a deep out-route or short out-route (and) just getting my feet matched up with concepts,” Reed said. “We've had a lot of time in the film room together just watching stuff, going over protections and understanding what different people are going to do and game planning for other teams.”
He also pointed to the way Texas A&M is handling the heat during camp, tying that daily work to what the Aggies expect once games begin.
“Just making sure the energy is up every day. It's hot out here sometimes when we come out in the middle of the day to practice, but we're going to be out here in the heat on these 2:30 games, especially when we play Arizona State coming in, we're going to have some heat. Just getting everybody's focus on that and making sure that we're practicing (and) pushing through it.”
With Holmon Wiggins now in place as offensive coordinator, Reed said the system has not changed dramatically, but it has opened up.
“There aren't too many differences, but Coach Wiggins has kind of expanded it a little bit,” Reed said. “He was at Bama and one of their pass-game coordinators a little bit while he was over there.
The guys we have know, we can do a lot of different things. We can move the pocket, we can reset our throwing lanes and stuff like that.”
Reed also said one of his personal goals before the season starts is becoming even more vocal in his role as a leader.
“You can always grow being a leader and making sure the team respects you and understands that your voice carries, to make sure that I represent the captain patch as much as possible,” Reed said. “I think that's one of the biggest things that I'm still trying to take another step on because they're going to need me throughout this entire season.”
He closed by talking about wide receiver Terry Bussey’s progress this offseason.
“I think what was holding him back was he kind of came in and they were playing him both ways when he first got here and he was still a little banged up, but now, the dude's healthy, he's stronger, he's faster (and) he's moving great.”
Saka, meanwhile, said his adjustment to defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill has gone smoothly.
“Coach Hemp is a great guy... real energetic, real passionate,” Saka said. “(He's) easy to talk to (and) knows ball. Any questions that I have about the scheme (and) of me being the new guy trying to learn multiple positions, he's been really helpful in helping me transition as easy as possible.”
He also addressed his place on Bruce Feldman's 2026 Freaks List with a simple line: “They have a science here, and it works,” Saka said.
Asked why he believes Texas A&M has the best defensive unit in the nation, Saka pointed to the depth and edge across the line.
“We've got a lot of guys who can rush the passer, we've got a lot of guys that are gritty (and) a lot of guys that want to go out there and show they're the best at their position,” Saka said.
And when the topic turned to defensive lineman Marco Jones, Saka made it clear he has been one of the camp standouts.
“One of the guys that I really feel like put on a highlight tape was Marco,” Saka said. “The other day Marco brought out a fake spin and I'd never really seen that in person.
The way he executed it... I'm excited for Marco Jones (and) y'all should be excited for Marco Jones.”
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For A&M, the lack of an All-American selection simply adds another layer to a season that will be judged on more than reputation alone. Plenty of ranked teams were overlooked in the APs lists, and the Aggies will spend the fall trying to prove they belong among the sports most complete groups even without much preseason individual spotlight. [Read more 🡒]