Reed, Craver Land Maxwell Award Preseason Nods as A&M Opens Camp With Key Unknowns

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed and wide receiver Mario Craver were named to the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List on Monday, the latest recognition for two veterans expected to anchor the Aggies' offense when preseason camp opens Wednesday ahead of a Sept. 5 home opener against Missouri State at Kyle Field.

Reed enters his second full starting season having posted career highs across the board in 2025, throwing for 3,169 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions across 27 appearances and 21 starts. His 452-yard performance in a comeback win over South Carolina — with Texas A&M trailing 30-3 at halftime — stands as his single-game best. Craver, meanwhile, caught 59 passes for 917 yards and four touchdowns after transferring from Mississippi State, earned a spot on the All-SEC Third Team as a wide receiver, and was named an All-SEC First Team all-purpose player. He was also a 2025 Biletnikoff Award semifinalist. A 207-yard effort in a road win over Notre Dame highlighted a stretch that included three 100-plus-yard receiving games.

Camp Questions for Elko's Third Season

The Maxwell Watch List honor arrives as coach Mike Elko, entering his third season in College Station, prepares to address local media Tuesday before the first practice. The roster has been substantially reshaped following a record 10 players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, though 65 percent of the 2025 roster returns. The Aggies have added 17 transfer portal players and a full recruiting class, bringing the total number of newcomers to more than 40.

Reed will operate behind an offensive line that lost four starters to the draft. Texas A&M responded by signing four transfer portal linemen, all starters from SEC programs, to compete alongside returning senior center Mark Nabou. LSU transfer tackle Tyree Adams carries an injury history that could complicate the left tackle competition, while LSU guard Coen Echols and South Carolina guard Trovon Baugh are considered front-runners at their respective interior spots. Former five-star tackle Lamont Rogers is among the younger players pushing for a starting role.

The backfield competition is similarly unsettled. Elko said at SEC Media Days that the race between redshirt junior Rueben Owens and rising sophomore Jamarion Morrow remains open heading into camp, with Tiger Riden and freshman KJ Edwards also in the mix. New offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, a wide receivers coach by background, is expected to shift the Aggies toward more 11-personnel groupings featuring three receivers — a departure from former coordinator Collin Klein's heavier reliance on two-tight-end sets — though Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton, listed at 6-foot-4, gives the receiving corps added size alongside Craver and Ashton Bethel-Roman.