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11/18 12:51 CST Marcel Reed's leadership and talent propel No. 3 Texas A&M to
1st 10-0 start since 1992
Marcel Reed's leadership and talent propel No. 3 Texas A&M to 1st 10-0 start
since 1992
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) --- Marcel Reed wasn't always a quarterback.
He got his start in Pee Wee football as the team's star running back. But it
quickly became clear he could throw better than anyone on the team, so they
implemented halfback passes for the young Reed.
That wasn't nearly enough to showcase his athletic ability and by fifth grade
he moved into the position that made him a star.
He knew it was where he was supposed to be all along.
"It just felt natural, just because obviously I got to touch the ball every
play," he said. "So, who can complain about that?"
Years later, Reed has developed into one of the country's top quarterbacks and
a Heisman Trophy contender as he's led the third-ranked Texas A&M Aggies to
their first 10-0 start since 1992.
?The charisma and the character' Aside from his physical gifts, Reed's rapport with his teammates has helped him and the Aggies make a big jump in his second year as Texas A&M's starter. "I have the charisma and the character just to be able to lead people," he said. "I tell people a lot that the way I lead is kind of connecting with all of my teammates, not just on a football level, but just kind of understanding them." To that end, he made it a priority to know the names of everyone in the locker room from the stars to the walk-ons. And he's not simply memorizing names. He works to establish a relationship with each player, something he learned from his father Rod Reed, a former Tennessee State coach. "I try to make it known who I am as a person, not just a football player," he said. Teammates often rave about Reed's leadership and credit him for much of Texas A&M's success this season. "Marcel has turned around this program for sure," said linebacker Taurean York, one of the team's three captains. "He's the leader on the forefront of it and he's out there playing his best in the biggest moments and that's something that you can't measure." He's also impressed those who have been in his shoes in the past. Jerrod Johnson, the QB at Texas A&M from 2007-10 who is currently the Houston Texans quarterbacks coach, said Reed is everything you want at the position. "Just his command of the offense, he just looks like he's in complete control," Johnson said. "You can see he looks a lot more comfortable. You can see his anticipation is a lot better than last year. But just big picture wise, man, you can see he's a leader of that team." Johnson, whose late father Larry Johnson also played football at A&M, knows the pressure of leading a major college team and can only imagine how much more difficult it is in the current landscape of college football. "It's a privilege to play at Texas A&M," Johnson said. "I was two generations at it and I never took the opportunity to run out in Kyle Field and lead the Aggies lightly. And I can tell he cares about Texas A&M, he cares about his teammates and he has a sense of appreciation and importance of the position he's in. Being the starting quarterback for Texas A&M is a huge deal and he's making the most of it and we're all rooting for him."
Making a name for himself Reed made a name for himself as a dual-threat quarterback after throwing for more than 6,000 yards and 62 touchdowns, while rushing for over 2,000 yards and 38 more scores in high school. Last season, he threw for 1,864 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions and added 543 yards rushing and seven TDs. When the Aggies struggled down the stretch last year, losing three of their last four games to fall out of contention for the College Football Playoff, many criticized Reed for not being a strong enough passer. Though he said the criticism didn't bother him because he knew what he was capable of, he spent much of the offseason working on improving his passing skills and it's clear his hard work paid off. This year, he's thrown for 2,632 yards and leads the Southeastern Conference with 22 touchdown passes. Reggie McNeal, who threw for 6,992 yards and ran for 1,889 yards for the Aggies from 2002-05, sees many similarities between himself and Reed. Though McNeal finished his A&M career before Reed was out of diapers, Reed named McNeal as one of the Aggies' former quarterbacks that have inspired him. "What he's probably got more of than I had was the shiftiness," McNeal said. "I made people miss but he's more shifty than I am. ... So, it's a joy to watch him play and it's so similar to the things that I used to do back when I played. And the offense that he gets to play in is top notch and it fits him perfectly." McNeal has been impressed with how Reed has developed as a passer. "Each week he's gotten better," McNeal said. "You hear people talking and he is quieting all the talk down week by week. ... So, I mean the kid --- he's a player."
Bringing an edge to the Aggies In addition to the other qualities that have elevated the quarterback this season, Reed has helped bring an edge to the Aggies that they lacked in recent years. He ruffled some feathers after Texas A&M cleared out the stadium with a 49-25 rout of LSU last month when he said Death Valley "didn't do much to me." Reed doesn't care if people were bothered by his comments. "If it does, then do something better so it don't irk you," he said. "That's not my problem." Last week, Reed was asked about past Heisman moments as he enters the final two weeks of the regular season as A&M's first contender for the trophy since Johnny Manziel won it in 2012. He mentioned Cam Newton and Manziel. Then on Saturday, after the Aggies fell into a 30-3 hole to South Carolina at halftime after three turnovers by Reed, it looked like his Heisman hopes and possibly A&M's chances to make the playoff for the first time were slipping away. Instead, Reed had what could be his Heisman moment by spearheading the biggest comeback in school history in a 31-30 victory. He finished with a career-high 439 yards passing, including 316 yards and three touchdowns in the second half to earn Associated Press player of the week honors. "That probably should hold a lot of stock with Heisman voters, I would hope," coach Mike Elko said. "He has elevated himself week in and week out. When we've needed him to step up and make plays to win football games, he's done it. There's been a lot made of some other people across the country when they've had opportunities to step up and make plays, and they were rewarded for it. I'd like to see our quarterback rewarded for it the same way." Reed is happy to be gaining more recognition as the Aggies chase their first national title since 1939. But he's far more focused on helping Texas A&M continue its perfect season and setting an example for those who come after him. "It's cool to be the person that you always dreamt of being," he said. "I wanted to be a college football player and succeeding at the highest level. And there are people before me who I looked up to, so it's just great to be in this position and have other people look up to me. And I try my best every day to go out there and put on a great example for the younger ones." ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
?The charisma and the character' Aside from his physical gifts, Reed's rapport with his teammates has helped him and the Aggies make a big jump in his second year as Texas A&M's starter. "I have the charisma and the character just to be able to lead people," he said. "I tell people a lot that the way I lead is kind of connecting with all of my teammates, not just on a football level, but just kind of understanding them." To that end, he made it a priority to know the names of everyone in the locker room from the stars to the walk-ons. And he's not simply memorizing names. He works to establish a relationship with each player, something he learned from his father Rod Reed, a former Tennessee State coach. "I try to make it known who I am as a person, not just a football player," he said. Teammates often rave about Reed's leadership and credit him for much of Texas A&M's success this season. "Marcel has turned around this program for sure," said linebacker Taurean York, one of the team's three captains. "He's the leader on the forefront of it and he's out there playing his best in the biggest moments and that's something that you can't measure." He's also impressed those who have been in his shoes in the past. Jerrod Johnson, the QB at Texas A&M from 2007-10 who is currently the Houston Texans quarterbacks coach, said Reed is everything you want at the position. "Just his command of the offense, he just looks like he's in complete control," Johnson said. "You can see he looks a lot more comfortable. You can see his anticipation is a lot better than last year. But just big picture wise, man, you can see he's a leader of that team." Johnson, whose late father Larry Johnson also played football at A&M, knows the pressure of leading a major college team and can only imagine how much more difficult it is in the current landscape of college football. "It's a privilege to play at Texas A&M," Johnson said. "I was two generations at it and I never took the opportunity to run out in Kyle Field and lead the Aggies lightly. And I can tell he cares about Texas A&M, he cares about his teammates and he has a sense of appreciation and importance of the position he's in. Being the starting quarterback for Texas A&M is a huge deal and he's making the most of it and we're all rooting for him."
Making a name for himself Reed made a name for himself as a dual-threat quarterback after throwing for more than 6,000 yards and 62 touchdowns, while rushing for over 2,000 yards and 38 more scores in high school. Last season, he threw for 1,864 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions and added 543 yards rushing and seven TDs. When the Aggies struggled down the stretch last year, losing three of their last four games to fall out of contention for the College Football Playoff, many criticized Reed for not being a strong enough passer. Though he said the criticism didn't bother him because he knew what he was capable of, he spent much of the offseason working on improving his passing skills and it's clear his hard work paid off. This year, he's thrown for 2,632 yards and leads the Southeastern Conference with 22 touchdown passes. Reggie McNeal, who threw for 6,992 yards and ran for 1,889 yards for the Aggies from 2002-05, sees many similarities between himself and Reed. Though McNeal finished his A&M career before Reed was out of diapers, Reed named McNeal as one of the Aggies' former quarterbacks that have inspired him. "What he's probably got more of than I had was the shiftiness," McNeal said. "I made people miss but he's more shifty than I am. ... So, it's a joy to watch him play and it's so similar to the things that I used to do back when I played. And the offense that he gets to play in is top notch and it fits him perfectly." McNeal has been impressed with how Reed has developed as a passer. "Each week he's gotten better," McNeal said. "You hear people talking and he is quieting all the talk down week by week. ... So, I mean the kid --- he's a player."
Bringing an edge to the Aggies In addition to the other qualities that have elevated the quarterback this season, Reed has helped bring an edge to the Aggies that they lacked in recent years. He ruffled some feathers after Texas A&M cleared out the stadium with a 49-25 rout of LSU last month when he said Death Valley "didn't do much to me." Reed doesn't care if people were bothered by his comments. "If it does, then do something better so it don't irk you," he said. "That's not my problem." Last week, Reed was asked about past Heisman moments as he enters the final two weeks of the regular season as A&M's first contender for the trophy since Johnny Manziel won it in 2012. He mentioned Cam Newton and Manziel. Then on Saturday, after the Aggies fell into a 30-3 hole to South Carolina at halftime after three turnovers by Reed, it looked like his Heisman hopes and possibly A&M's chances to make the playoff for the first time were slipping away. Instead, Reed had what could be his Heisman moment by spearheading the biggest comeback in school history in a 31-30 victory. He finished with a career-high 439 yards passing, including 316 yards and three touchdowns in the second half to earn Associated Press player of the week honors. "That probably should hold a lot of stock with Heisman voters, I would hope," coach Mike Elko said. "He has elevated himself week in and week out. When we've needed him to step up and make plays to win football games, he's done it. There's been a lot made of some other people across the country when they've had opportunities to step up and make plays, and they were rewarded for it. I'd like to see our quarterback rewarded for it the same way." Reed is happy to be gaining more recognition as the Aggies chase their first national title since 1939. But he's far more focused on helping Texas A&M continue its perfect season and setting an example for those who come after him. "It's cool to be the person that you always dreamt of being," he said. "I wanted to be a college football player and succeeding at the highest level. And there are people before me who I looked up to, so it's just great to be in this position and have other people look up to me. And I try my best every day to go out there and put on a great example for the younger ones." ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
