Kirk Herbstreit reacts to Marcel Reed performance vs. LSU, Aggies win

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko made the bold decision to bench quarterback Conner Weigman for Marcel Reed while the offense was struggling against the LSU Tigers. The move worked and the offense was sparked to pull out a massive win.

Following that win, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit took to Twitter/X. There, he reacted to Marcel Reed’s performance, praising the young quarterback.

“Known @Marcel10Reed since his Fr year at @MontgomeryBell where he played with my sons,” Kirk Herbstreit posted. “The guy is the real deal. Can run it..can spin it..he’s intelligent..can improvise to throw or run..has awareness..and he’s a leader. He’s just scratching the surface of what he’ll be. His insertion into the @AggieFootball lineup tonight was a game changer and ultimately will impact the Aggies long term goals this season. What a night to be an Aggie!”

The LSU game wasn’t the first time fans got to see Reed at quarterback this season for the Aggies. He previously relieved Weigman when the Texas A&M quarterback was dealing with an injury earlier in the year. He played well, but Elko turned back to Weigman once he was healthy.

Only throwing the ball twice, Marcel Reed completed both passes he threw for 70 yards. That surpassed the 64 yards that Weigman threw for after completing six of 18 attempts. He also ran the ball nine times for 62 yards and three touchdowns.

After making the change at quarterback, Mike Elko explained the logic behind making a switch at the quarterback position.

“We needed the running threat back there with the way they were playing us,” Elko told the broadcast ahead of the fourth quarter. “We’re having a hard time in the pass game and Marcel’s dual-threat ability is what we needed right now.”

Marcel Reed came to Texas A&M as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the 19th-ranked quarterback and the 328th-ranked recruit overall in that cycle after playing his high school football at Montgomery Bell Academy in Tennessee.

For the season, Reed has completed 55.6 percent of his passes for 655 yards and six touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 288 yards and five touchdowns.

Next week, Texas A&M travels on the road to South Carolina. For a team in Texas A&M that is now firmly in the College Football Playoff hunt, making sure the quarterback position is stable moving forward is going to be vital.