Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko has had much to deal with this week. He had to deal with safety Bryce Anderson, who suffered a terrifying injury during the Aggies’ 41-40 win over Notre Dame.
He also had to address criticism of the Aggies’ quarterback, Marcel Reed, who has been labelled a running quarterback in light of A&M’s poor performance in 2024. However, things are different this year, as the Aggies are 3-0 and ranked 10th nationally.
How Did Mike Elko Set the Record Straight About Marcel Reed?
Elko spoke to the Houston Touchdown Club on Wednesday and explicitly supported his quarterback. Reed ranks 15th nationally in passing yards (869) and is tied for third in passing touchdowns (nine), with just one turnover committed.
Elko noted: ‘The reality is Marcel Reed was a top ten guy in QBR and nobody talked about it. For whatever reason the narrative created about him was that he was just a running quarterback, but he’s never just been that. He got so much better last year throwing the ball but so many people missed it because we were losing games. We saw the growth, but a lot of people missed it.’”
Mike Elko at the @HoustonTDClub: “The reality is Marcel Reed was a top ten guy in QBR and nobody talked about it. For whatever reason the narrative created about him was that he was just a running quarterback, but he’s never just been that. He got so much better last year…
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 17, 2025
Elko also updated the status of Aggies’ safety Bryce Anderson.
Anderson took a vicious hit to the head while trying to tackle Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon. He lay motionless on the field and had to have his face mask, helmet, and uniform taken off before he was fitted with a neck brace and carted off the field. However, he was able to fly home with the team on Saturday and hopes to return to the field sometime this season.
Elko said on the SEC Teleconference: “It was great that we kind of skated through what could have been a really, really bad situation. (Anderson is) still in the process of recovering, so it’s hard to gauge at some point right now, but we do expect to have him back at sometime this year.”
Mike Elko on the SEC Teleconference: “It was great that we kind of skated through what could have been a really, really bad situation. (Anderson is) still in the process of recovering, so it’s hard to gauge at some point right now, but we do expect to have him back at sometime… https://t.co/2HRrNUDHro
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 17, 2025
Elko’s Aggies are currently 3-0 on the season, including their 41-40 squeaker against Notre Dame, which came into that game ranked 8th in the country. The Aggies have a bye this week, and their next game is at home against #22 Auburn, who will visit Kyle Field on Saturday, September 27, at 12:30 p.m. ET.