Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed was a four-star prospect when he committed to the Aggies on Dec. 19, 2022. He played his first season in 2023 under former national champion coach Jimbo Fisher and was a fourth-string quarterback behind Conner Weigman, Max Johnson, and Jaylen Henderson.
Reed was promoted to second-string behind Henderson when Weigman and Johnson were injured, and he played in three games as a backup. During his freshman season, Fisher was also fired after the Aggies finished 6-4. The former national champion coach received a $77 million buyout after leaving Texas A&M.
Marcel Reed Shares His Thoughts on Jimbo Fisher’s Departure From Texas A&M
Reed was a guest on the “Glory Daze” podcast with 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel on Wednesday, where he was asked about his reaction after learning Fisher was leaving College Station. The 6’1″ quarterback explained that he was surprised when he walked into a team meeting and found out the longtime Aggies coach had been fired.
Fisher’s firing came after Texas A&M’s 51-10 win over Mississippi State on Saturday, and Reed was woken up by calls asking him to attend an urgent team meeting about the head-coaching situation.
“It wasn’t on the schedule, but there were still like 15-20 people that were answering calls and just now getting on the way because nobody knew about the meeting, but you know they informed us that Jimbo was getting fired,” Reed said.
“It was a crazy event just because you’re a freshman and it’s your first year at college. You don’t know how to treat all that stuff, and now you’re going to have new coaches coming in.”
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Texas A&M, under interim head coach Elijah Robinson, finished 1-2 following Fisher’s departure, losing its last two games, including the final regular-season game against LSU and the Texas Bowl versus Oklahoma State.
During his six seasons with the Aggies, Fisher achieved a 45-25 record. His firing came in the second year of a 10-year contract extension, which was scheduled to end in 2031. He was guaranteed $95 million, leading to a roughly $77 million buyout when the program dismissed him.
In a statement, Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said he decided to end Fisher’s contract because he believed the Aggies were stuck in neutral during his tenure.
“The assessment that I delivered was that we are not reaching our full potential,” Bjork said at a news conference. “We are not in the championship conversation, and something was not quite right about our direction and the plan. We should be relevant on the national scene.”
Reed played more games in 2024 mainly because of the injury Weigman suffered during the season. He appeared in 11 games, completing 61.3% of his passes, and totaled 1,864 yards with 15 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. The quarterback also ran for 543 yards and scored 7 rushing touchdowns.
Last season, Reed was a full-time QB1 and played all 13 games with the Aggies. He completed 62.1% of his passes for 3,169 yards, threw for 25 TDs and 12 INTs, and rushed for 493 yards and 6 TDs. He led Texas A&M to an 11-2 record, which qualified them for the 2025 College Football Playoff, where they lost in the first round to Miami.
