Steve Spurrier Believes Marcel Reed Is 'Much Better' Than Conner Weigman

The Texas A&M Aggies might have a quarterback controversy on their hands, and The Ol' Ball Coach believes the choice is simple.

Sep 14, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators defensive lineman Desmond Watson (21) attempts to tackle Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

College football overreaction season is officially here, and this past Saturday provided ample ammo for just that.

With Texas A&M Aggies starting quarterback Conner Weigman sidelined with an AC joint injury in his throwing shoulder, redshirt freshman Marcel Reed got the first start of his young career.

And of course, he dazzled, completing 11 of 17 passes for 178 yards and two scores, including a beautiful 73-yard strike to Cyrus Allen. He also added 13 carries for 83 yards and another touchdown on the ground.

So like clockwork, a quarterback controversy has emerged - at least in the eyes of the media - with many clamoring for Reed to take over the starting job.

The latest of which, is none other than The Ol' Ball Coach Steve Spurrier, who not only thinks Reed should start, but that he is a 'much better player' than Weigman.

“(Mike) Elko, luckily, his starter got hurt because the other kid is a much better player,” Spurrier said on an episode of Another Dooley Noted Podcast. “My grandson is an assistant quarterback coach at A&M. His fiancée, she was happy that the backup quarterback got in there instead of the one that was the starter the first game. So maybe they’ve learned a lot in their third game.”

Obviously, this is a bit of a hot take for multiple reasons, beginning with the fact that he says the Aggies are 'fortunate' that Weigman got hurt.

But in terms of analyzing each player, Weigman's resumé in comparison with Reed speaks for itself.

He has had multiple elite-level games against much better teams than what the Aggies faced on Saturday - including setting an Aggies freshman passing record vs. a top-15 Ole Miss team in 2022. He also led the Aggies to a win over a top-5 LSU team that same season, and was on his way to a stellar season in 2023 before getting injured.

Of course, he has not shown that same production thus far in 2024, and Reed deserves to be in the conversation after what he did on Saturday.

But to proclaim that Reed is 'much better' than Weigman after one start is a bit premature, we believe.

As of now, Weigman is still listed as the starter on the depth chart released by the Aggies on Monday, but time will tell if he is ready to go on Saturday when the Aggies host Bowling Green.

If he's not, Red will get another chance to shine, and increase the noise around the conversation.