Marcel Reed Named To Preseason Watch List for Quarterback Award

Tuesday morning, the Golden Arm Foundation announced their preseason watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and sure enough, No. 10 found himself on that list.

So far in the preseason, Reed has also been named to the preseason watch lists for the Manning Award and the Maxwell Award, given to the best quarterback and best overall collegiate football player, respectively.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, named after the legendary Indianapolis Colts quarterback, is annually presented to the top upperclassman quarterback. The award acknowledges field performance and also values character, citizenship, integrity, and those that truly honor the game of football.

Reed is looking to become the first quarterback out of Texas A&M to be honored with the award.

In 2024, the quarterback was one of 16 quarterbacks in the country (one of five in the Southeastern Conference) to pass for more than 1,850 yards and rush for more than 500, scoring 1,864 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, with his ground attack producing 547 yards of 116 carries and seven touchdowns.

After leading the monumental comeback against the No. 8 LSU Tigers in late October of last year, he was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week and the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week, and was also named SEC Freshman of the Week twice over the course of the season.

After sporadic starts and now about to begin a full season of starting, Reed is ready to lead the Aggie team to new heights, and head coach Mike Elko and his two coordinators are confident that the sophomore is capable of doing it.

“He’s a lot more comfortable going through the progressions,” Elko said. “Are the eyes getting to the windows the same time as the routes getting to the windows? That's how we're going to improve our passing game. That is coming. You're seeing that get better each and every day. You're starting to see it click a little bit more from him every day."

Offensive coordinator Collin Klein has also been very vocal about his quarterback's development and love for the game.

"He comes from a football family and has been around it his whole life,” Klein said. “He has a love for the game and a passion for the game. The Lord has blessed him with some really good physical tools, and that's a good combination."

Even defensive coordinator Jay Bateman has spoken on Reed's progression and how hard he's been to defend for A&M's defense.

"The team believes in Marcel,” Bateman said. “Our kids have a lot of faith in him. As a coach, the decision-making... It's faster decisions. He's hard to defend. He runs like a running back. He throws like a really good quarterback."

Reed and the Aggies begin their 2025 season with a home game at Kyle Field against the UTSA Roadrunners on August 30.