Texas A&M football's recent struggles at quarterback have sparked much controversy over the last two weeks, including the discussion of the Aggies' lack of depth at the position.
In his third season at the helm, Marcel Reed ranks among the bottom half of the Southeastern Conference in almost every statistical category. In Texas A&M's 35-6 loss to LSU, Reed threw for just 106 yards and one interception. He led the Aggies to produce under 200 yards of total offense for the first time since the program was upset by unranked Appalachian State at Kyle Field in 2022. His lackluster performance against the Tigers on Saturday led to Mike Elko pulling Reed for backup Brady Hart, who entered the game and threw an interception on his first pass from scrimmage.
Back-to-back weeks of embarrassing performances from the offense, where it was outscored 66-27, has sparked much conversation about where Texas A&M goes from here at quarterback. Despite all of that, Elko remained firm on his stance that Reed will be the quarterback.
According to Elko, it has also become nearly impossible to recruit quarterback depth in the transfer portal in this era of college football.
Mike Elko on recruiting QB depth in the transfer portal: "It's impossible. I don't think anybody anywhere is recruiting depth out of the portal. I don't think people in the portal go where there is an established starter."
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 28, 2026
However, that is not the case. One example is former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, who transferred to Oregon, despite Dante Moore being the solidified starter. After Moore suffered a major concussion against the USC Trojans, Raiola's number was called and he stepped up massively, became the hero the Ducks needed and secured a huge Big Ten road win.
Another impressive story to point to is Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss. The Ferris State transfer sat behind Austin Simmons through the first couple of the weeks, before his opportunity came and the rest of the story is history. Chambliss became one of the top quarterbacks in college football, while leading his team to the CFP semifinals last season.
Regardless of Elko's comments, the main issue at hand is Texas A&M's major quarterback problem, which has not seemed close to being solved through the first four weeks of the 2026 season.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: 'It's impossible': Mike Elko on recruiting QB depth in the portal
