'Weight' & See: QB Marcel Reed tasked with adding mass to his frame

Trimming fat is the rage across the nation. Except for College Station, where adding fat is a goal.

The feeling is with a little extra girth Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed could be a trump card in the Aggie offense.

It’s all just a matter of weight and see.

Last season, the 6-foot-2 Reed played perhaps a few pounds under the listed 180. He figures to need extra weight to withstand the inevitable hits taken over the course of a season by SEC quarterback — even one as elusive as Marcel.

Rod Reed, Marcel’s father and the former head football coach at Tennessee State University, acknowledged that Marcel played “at between 177 and 181 (pounds)” last year.

Rod is also confident his son will add the needed weight.

“He’s getting his weight up where he needs it to be,” he said. “We’ve got a target goal of 190, 195 pounds. We all wish he was bigger. His frame will take a while.

“There’s no doubt he’ll get there. I’ve got a huge side of my family.”

Rod played linebacker at Tennessee State back in the 1980s. His father, Robert, was an offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins in the ‘60s.

But Marcel’s mom is rather petite, so you never know for sure.

What is for sure is that Marcel will go into spring football next month knowing that he is A&M’s starting quarterback.

Of course, last season, Conner Weigman’s injuries and inconsistency thrust Marcel into the starting lineup for eight games.

He finished with 1,864 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. He also rushed for 543 yards and seven scores. That included a memorable 62-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance when he came off the bench to rally the Aggies for a 38-23 victory over LSU.

I believe that’s the proverbial tip of the iceberg for Marcel Reed. He flashed the ability to eventually become one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. Maybe even the nation.

Sure, he’s got to get better. Interceptions must decrease. He threw seven last season.

He also has to improve on reading defenses and finding the open receiver. He also needs a better understanding of when to use his explosive running ability.

“Sometimes you have to use that athletic ability God gave you,” Rod said.

Improvement in all those areas typically comes with more reps and experience.

Marcel will get that. As the starting quarterback, he’ll get more reps and have more responsibility.

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

Listed at 180 pounds, Marcel Reed appeared in 11 games for the Ags in 2024

“I think he’s excited about it, to say the least,” Rod said. “He knows a couple of things he wants to get better at.

“He’s taking it very seriously. He wants that responsibility.”

Marcel will direct an offense that returns its offensive line, has a group of running backs as good as any in the country and has added speed at receiver.

But for A&M to make a vast improvement, offensive coordinator Collin Klein should design the system to take full advantage of Marcel’s ability. Marcel has different skills and strengths than Weigman, so it would make sense the offense would be different, at least to some extent.

Offenses are typically tailored to fit their quarterback and best utilize the talent around him. Klein would figure to do the same — even with a 180-pound quarterback.

“I don’t know what Klein will do,” Rod said. “It’s only natural they’d put more on (Marcel’s) plate.”

That would be on the field and in the dining hall.