Todd McShay didn’t sound like a guy doubling down on an old opinion when he talked about Marcel Reed. He sounded like someone who had just seen enough to rethink it.
That matters because Reed has never been short on discussion at Texas A&M. Through his first two seasons as a starter, he’s 15-6, matching the best start through that many games since Johnny Manziel and helping lead the Aggies to the College Football Playoff.
The results are there. The debate around him hasn’t gone away.
And for plenty of Aggie fans, that debate has been frustrating. Reed has taken heat from opposing fans, sure, but also from people in his own fan base.
For a quarterback with that kind of record, it hasn’t always felt like the support should be up for discussion. Yet it has been.
McShay, one of the more recognizable voices in NFL evaluation, offered a different tone after seeing Reed at the Manning Passing Academy this past week. On the most recent episode of “The McShay Show,” he said Reed looked “better than [he] expected,” and that alone should get people’s attention. McShay has been among the harsher evaluators of Reed as a passer, so hearing that kind of shift is notable.
The change in his view seemed to come from more than just a casual glance. McShay pointed to Reed’s accuracy, the work he’s put in physically, and the confidence he carried. At one point, he said he had to remind himself this was the same quarterback he had watched last year.
That’s a pretty strong endorsement from someone who clearly wasn’t handing those out before.
Of course, not every Texas A&M fan is sold on the idea that Reed is suddenly poised for a major jump. Plenty believe he is what he’s shown so far. But there’s a real case for expecting growth now that he’s entering his first offseason after serving as the full-time starter for an entire year.
If McShay’s read is right, Reed already made that step at the Manning Passing Academy. And for the Aggies, that would be the kind of development that changes the conversation fast.
In Other News...
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The early shape of Texas A&Ms 2027 recruiting class is enough to turn heads on its own, and Mike Elkos staff has done the kind of work that keeps the Aggies firmly in the national conversation. Eight top-50 recruits already sit in the mix, a group headlined by five-star linebacker Kaden Henderson and built around the sort of high-end talent that suggests this cycle could become one of the programs strongest in years.
There is still plenty of runway left, which is why the next stretch matters as much as the momentum already built. Recruiting can change quickly once flip season arrives, and a lot of the finish depends on whether Texas A&M can keep this group together while the current class continues to separate itself from the old comparisons that always seem to follow Aggie recruiting. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M May Be Closing In On A Massive Secondary Piece
Texas A&M has already added a pair of future playmakers to its 2027 class with commitments from wide receivers Damani Warren and Eric McFarland, but the bigger secondary prize still sits in front of the staff. Five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson has become the focal point, and his combination of speed and athleticism has made him one of the most watched defensive recruits in the cycle as the Aggies continue pushing to strengthen the back end of their future roster.
Dobsons decision is coming soon, with Texas A&M among the schools he has taken a close look at during the process. He has also visited Michigan and South Carolina, giving the race a national feel, but the Aggies are still very much in the mix for a prospect who could reshape the outlook of their cornerback group if he lands in College Station. [Read more 🡒]