Texas A&M's 2026 season is spiraling out of control after the Aggies endured their second blowout road loss in SEC play in the span of three weeks, falling to No. 14 Missouri 27-6in Week 6, and will enter the final six-game schedule at 3-3 and 1-3 in SEC play.
While third-year coach Mike Elko's comments regarding TexAgs' message board contributors took up most of the post-game oxygen, the play of redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed, who passed for 126 yards and two interceptions and averaged 4.1 yards per completion, will be an ongoing topic for the rest of the year after Elko indicated that he will not make a change.
QB 1's struggles truly began during the Aggies' loss to Texas in the final regular-season game in 2025. Marcel Reed has thrown
just six touchdowns to 10 interceptions and hasn't thrown a touchdown against a top-25-ranked opponent since the Aggies' road win over Missouri in November of last year.
These numbers speak for themselves, and Marcel Reed has shown no improvement, while first-year offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins has done a poor job designing an offense that covers Reed's deficiencies, unlike former OC Collin Klein, who did a stellar job over the last two seasons.
While Mike Elko feels that backup quarterback Brady Hart won't help the Aggies move the ball compared to Marcel Reed in his current state, freshman QB Helaman Casuga is the other name that should at least get a shot to see the field if the wheels completely fall off, as the Aggies will host The Citadel on Saturday afternoon.
Both young quarterbacks deserve a shot to show the coaching staff what they can offer as a potential future starter or key reserve, especially Casuga, who has intriguing dual-threat traits that deserve time on the field amid three losses and virtually no shot at making it back to the College Football Playoff.
Starting Marcel Reed for the rest of the year is truly futile and will likely yield similar results. I mean, how bad are Brady Hart and Helaman Casuga anyhow?
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Why Texas A&M must rethink its starting quarterback decision
