Marcel Reed didn’t have to do much last week with his Texas A&M Aggies beating down lowly Samford 48-0. 120 yards and three TDs on 10-for-15 passing was all that was required from the 21-year-old. But it still kept Reed in the mix for the Heisman Trophy, as his team maintained its perfect 11-0 record.
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Reed’s Aggies are one of three undefeated teams at the top of the AP poll as we come down to the end of the college football season. They are 11-0, but ranked No. 3 behind Indiana and Ohio State. Despite that, Reed has one of the strongest voices in college sports behind him: Nick Saban.
Saban is now largely focused on his ESPN duties for their College Gameday show on Saturday mornings. But he’s also still an Alabama advisor two years removed from his final year with the Tide in 2023. And Reed revealed that during that final recruiting circuit in 2023, Saban actually tried to get the Heisman hopeful to come to Tuscaloosa. Unfortunately, two things were working against the legendary head coach on that one.
“Coach Saban recruited me a little bit when I was a sophomore and junior in high school. I didn’t really have them in my top schools. The reason being because, 1. my sister went to Alabama, and I didn’t wanna go to the same school as her. (Laughs) And 2. I just had other and better interests than going to Alabama,” Reed said on Up & Adams.
Nick Saban has compared Marcel Reed to Lamar Jackson and tried recruiting him to Bama… here’s why Marcel went to A&M instead@Marcel10Reed | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/lq00x2ycFn
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) November 26, 2025
Despite being spurned by Reed, Saban has continued to gush about the Aggies QB, who has thrown for 2,752 yards and 25 TDs while rushing for 395 and six scores through 11 games this year.
“I think this guy has got special talents, man. He’s improved as a passer, he’s got better receivers, he’s got better skill guys to play with him outside, they can run the ball a little bit,” Saban said.
“And this guy can beat you with his feet. This guy is an unbelievably talented athlete, when you talk about this guy playing basketball and what a good basketball player he was, and they’ve got the skill guys now,”
Saban even went so far as to make a generous comparison between Reed and another very successful dual-threat quarterback, who has torn up the NFL over the past decade (if not so much in 2025).
“This guy (Reed) reminds me of somebody that plays for the Baltimore Ravens that has turned the National Football League for several years now (Jackson), and I think this guy has the same kind of qualities.”
That’s high praise both for the person suggesting the comparison and the guy Reed is being compared to. The Aggies QB said the comparison felt “amazing” and was “an honor”. However, Reed didn’t let the praise go to his head, admitting that the comparison was apt, but that the two-time NFL MVP was “a little bit more explosive” than he was.
Jackson also won the Heisman Trophy back in 2016, so if Reed can do the same, the comparisons will be even more deserved. At the moment, Reed sits in fifth on the Caesar’s odds table with +1,300 odds. Ahead of him are Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza (-105), Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love (+375), Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (+400), and Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia (+600).
Reed is a long shot, but he’s got a chance.
