Mike Elko defends Marcel Reed, wishes fans would ‘appreciate’ Aggies QB more
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Mike Elko knows what he has at the quarterback position in the dynamic Marcel Reed, who led Texas A&M to the College Football Playoff last season and led the 8th-ranked Aggies to a season-opening blowout win over Missouri State on Saturday night.
Reed finished 21 of 30 for 233 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in the 50-0 whitewashing of the Bears at Kyle Field. He also ran for another 20 yards.
So, what gives with the support or lack thereof of Reed in College Station? Elko shined a light on that and sent his own message to Aggies fans during his session with reporters on Monday.
“I’m very supportive of Marcel, because I wish people would spend more time studying him, watching him and seeing how good he really is. … I wish people would appreciate who he is a little bit more,” Mike Elko said.
Elko went a little further with reporters in talking up and about his standout quarterback’s decision-making in the Week 1 victory.
“They were a couple throwaways that I thought were good throwaways. (There were) a couple balls that he wishes he threw a little bit better, a couple decisions in the pocket where maybe wish the ball would’ve gotten out a little bit quicker,” Elko said. “Couple times where he made things happen when really most quarterbacks would have been sacked. I thought there was a lot of progress in him going through progressions and reads. I thought there was a lot of progress in the timing and how the ball came out of his hands. … It was a really good performance for game one.”
With Reed at the helm, Texas A&M has a chance to do major damage again this season, with many victories in the offering. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about that potential Aggies win total for 2026:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
