Reed takes 'next step' at QB as Elko eyes culture shift and transfers rank in SEC top 25

Texas A&M redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed has taken another step in his development through the first 11 practices of preseason camp, head coach Mike Elko said Tuesday, with the signal-caller displaying sharper footwork, quicker decision-making, and improved accuracy. Reed, who threw for a career-high 3,169 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions during the 2025 season, enters his second full year as the starter with the Aggies ranked eighth in both the AP and US LBM Coaches Polls.

The Aggie media team captured a notable moment from Saturday's closed scrimmage when Reed connected with Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton on a 30-plus-yard reception. New offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, elevated from wide receivers coach this offseason, is expected to better utilize Reed's dual-threat ability after predecessor Collin Klein drew criticism for leaning too heavily on 12 personnel and asking Reed to make difficult throws into tight windows against elite defenses.

I think you can see a lot of things in practice. I think you can identify a lot of things just from years of experience doing it and knowing what it should look like. The biggest challenge you always have in fall camp is there's not a lot of relative comparison that you've played with on a field in SEC football. We've got two groups battling that are all relative unknowns. I think until you get to September 5 and start rolling it out there against competitive people, it'll be a little bit of a wait-and-see.

— Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko, on Tuesday

SEC Transfer Rankings and Roster Overhaul

Elko's comments extended beyond Reed to address an offensive line that has been almost entirely remade after four of A&M's five 2025 starters were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft — part of a program-record 10 Aggies taken in that class. Transfers Wilkin Formby, Tyree Adams, Coen Echols, and Trovon Baugh are competing alongside returning senior center Mark Nabou to fill out the starting rotation, though Elko cautioned that meaningful evaluation awaits live competition.

Three of those newcomers have drawn national attention ahead of the opener. Athlon editor Steven Lassan ranked former Northwestern edge rusher Anto Saka, Horton, and Formby — all Alabama transfers in the latter two cases — as the 12th, 13th, and 16th most impactful transfers in the SEC, respectively. Saka and North Carolina defensive tackle C.J. Mims are both in line to start on a defensive front that must replace unanimous All-American edge Cashius Howell, who led the SEC with 11.5 sacks in 2025.

On3's Crain & Cone podcast weighed in Tuesday on the broader culture shift under Elko, who led the Aggies to the College Football Playoff in his second season. Host Jake Crain contrasted Elko's fundamentals-first, 'blocking and tackling' approach with the tenures of predecessors Jimbo Fisher and Kevin Sumlin, crediting the change in philosophy for back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes and the No. 1-ranked 2027 cycle. Texas A&M is scheduled to open the 2026 season on September 5.