Aggies land their 2023 QB
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Texas A&M has been in dire need of a quarterback for the 2023 recruiting class for months. Two days before the early signing period, they got him.
Nashville Montgomery Bell Academy dual-threat QB Marcel Reed, a longtime Ole Miss commit, changed his commitment from one SEC West school to another Monday night. Just an hour after announcing his decision to de-commit from Ole Miss, Reed announced his commitment to the Aggies.
Reed is the first commitment, but likely not the last, from A&M's big recruiting weekend that just concluded. Recently named Tennessee's Mr. Football for 2022, the 4-star recruit had his production skyrocket during his senior season. He completed nearly 59% of his passes for 2,198 yards, 27 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions; he also rushed for 944 yards on 146 carries (6.5 YPC) and 15 TD.
Reed's commitment gives the Aggies some needed depth at the quarterback position, joining incumbent starter Conner Weigman and veteran Max Johnson.
Reed is A&M's 14th commit overall and the third from out of state. He joins a fellow 4-star, RB Rueben Owens, as the two skill position players in the class.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
This may make some people angry, but I swore I was watching a slightly shorter version of Vince Young. The build, the throwing motion, the running style..the whole shebang.
First, Reed can chuck it. He's got that arm strength you want as cornerstone of any quarterback. He's making throws in his highlights where he's falling back, falling out of bounds -- and the ball is still humming. He's got to have one of the strongest arms in this class. Jimbo Fisher likes quarterbacks with big arms, and he's got one here.
And let's not overlook the fact that the kid can flat out fly. He's like Vince, Reggie McNeal and Johnny Manziel in that he can take off running and it just looks effortless. He's also get that natural ability to elude tacklers. I also like the fact that he's not afraid of contact; he'll put his shoulder down and try to run over someone. THAT, I'll bet, gets coached out of him very quickly.
Reed has tremendous physical abilities, but there's still some work to be done. You can tell he really believes in his arm, and passes he can complete against Tennessee high schoolers are going to get picked in the SEC. Two of A&M's more recent quarterbacks can attest to that (and both are gone). So he'll have to learn some discipline and some consistency with his throwing motion. But if the Aggies get the same results out of Reed that Texas could out of Vince, they'll be extremely happy.