Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed might be the sneakiest Heisman contender of the season. And he won’t be flying under the radar any longer with a stellar performance against LSU.
The No. 3 Aggies head to Baton Rouge on Saturday night to face the No. 20 Tigers in a game that will have significant ramifications for the College Football Playoff and the SEC title race. The undefeated Aggies will have a clear path to the playoff with a victory. After LSU, A&M plays No. 15 Missouri, South Carolina, Samford and No. 22 Texas. Going 2-2 in that stretch would likely be enough to make the 12-team field.
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LSU, meanwhile, may need to win out to have any chance at the playoff. The Tigers fell to 2-2 in the SEC with their 31-24 loss at Vanderbilt in Week 8. LSU still hasn’t scored more than 24 points against an FBS opponent. Maybe that will change against an Aggies team allowing 23.4 points per game.
As the Heisman conversation has been dominated by Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson and the recent emergence of Ohio State QB Julian Sayin as a legitimate contender, Reed has worked his way up the board. Entering Week 9, he’s the No. 4 Heisman favorite behind those three QBs. Mendoza, Sayin and Simpson are each at +300 at BetMGM. Reed’s Heisman odds are 10-1.
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed had four total touchdowns against Arkansas in Week 8. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
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Reed’s odds got significantly better after A&M’s 45-42 win over Arkansas in a game that coach Mike Elko said was his QB’s best of the season. Reed was 23-of-32 passing for 280 yards and threw three touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 55 yards and a TD.
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Last season’s LSU game marked Reed’s college football emergence. As the Aggies trailed the Tigers at halftime, Elko replaced Conner Weigman — now at Houston — with Reed. The then-redshirt freshman proceeded to run for three touchdowns in a nine-minute span to turn a 17-7 LSU lead into a 28-17 advantage for the Aggies in A&M’s 38-23 victory.
From there, Reed never rescinded the starting job.
This season, Reed’s stats aren’t eye-popping like those of the top three Heisman favorites. His completion percentage (61.9%) is over 18 points lower than Sayin’s, and his pass efficiency rating of 156 is 35 points lower than Mendoza’s 191. And his four interceptions are three more than Simpson has thrown all season long.
But Reed been the integral part of the Aggies’ success in 2025. Though his rushing stats aren’t enormous either, he’s run for a TD in three straight games as A&M navigates life without leading rusher Le’Veon Moss for the foreseeable future.
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LSU’s defense had issues containing Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia and Reed’s ability to keep plays alive with his feet could also give the Tigers fits. A massive game in a raucous environment against a desperate LSU team could turn what’s currently a three-man Heisman race into a four-person party.
Here are other players we’re watching in Week 9.
Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia (11-1): Pavia is just behind Reed and the No. 5 favorite in the Heisman race. Can he do to Mizzou what he did to LSU? Pavia’s stats weren’t exceptional; he threw for 177 yards with an interception and rushed for just 24 yards. But he continuously kept plays from turning disastrous by escaping the LSU pass rush. Missouri’s pass rush is pretty good, too. If he can make them look foolish and help push Vanderbilt to 7-1, Pavia is going to continue to play a factor in the Heisman race.
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Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss (30-1): Chambliss had a fourth quarter to forget in the Rebels’ loss to Georgia. After Ole Miss was unstoppable through the first three quarters, the offense couldn’t get a first down when it needed to in the final period as the Bulldogs took over. Week 1 starter Austin Simmons is no longer on Ole Miss’ injury report. Will he see playing time at Oklahoma on Saturday? A strong performance from Chambliss will only solidify his grip on the starting role.
Miami QB Carson Beck (40-1): Beck tumbled down the board after his disastrous four-interception performance against Louisville on Friday night. But he still has half the season to get back in the conversation as Miami has already had its two bye weeks. The Hurricanes host Stanford on Saturday night. It’s a prime opportunity for Beck to throw four TDs. If you still believe in Miami, it’s a good time to buy low on Beck.
Georgia Tech QB Haynes King (50-1): King does everything for the Georgia Tech offense. And the Yellow Jackets should keep winning, too. He’s probably not going to win the Heisman, but 50-1 feels about the longest his odds will be this season. King has thrown for just four TDs all season long but he’s rushed for 10 scores and has at least one TD on the ground in each of the six games he’s played this season.
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