Texas A&M OC Collin Klein 'Proud' of Conner Weigman's Handling of QB 'Controversy'

Texas A&M Aggies offensive coordinator Collin Klein had nothing but good things to say about his quarterback Conner Weigman on Monday.

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) runs the ball in the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Before the Texas A&M A&M Aggies took the field against the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, an argument could be made that red-shirt freshman Marcel Reed gave his team the best chance to win.

After all, he had just led the Aggies to a 3-0 record in the absence of starter Conner Weigman, who's only previous appearance so far this season had left much to be desired.

However, the Aggies coaching staff's confidence in Weigman never wavered, and the minute he was ready they did not hesitate to put him back in the starting role. That confidence paid off, with Weigman leading the Aggies to a dominant 41-10 win over the Tigers.

But more importantly than his performance on the field Saturday, what impressed Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein the most about his quarterback was the way that he handled the distraction of the so-called 'QB controversy'.

"You talk about a roller coaster of emotions for the team, both of those guys," Klein said Monday. "Again, credit to them, credit to Conner. I was very proud of his maturity, of his toughness, and being able to keep his feet on the ground and put his nose down and try to get himself healthy and block as much of that out as possible and keep the main thing, the main thing."

It wasn't the easiest thing to block out either.

When he got his opportunities Reed was electric, completing 54.5 percent of his passes for 585 yards and six scores, and rushing for another 226 yards and two touchdowns - all while leading the Aggies to a 3-0 record and two SEC wins.

To many quarterbacks that would cause a bit of anxiety or fear of losing their position. Instead, Weigman's leadership qualities broke through, and he became Reed's biggest cheerleader.

And when Reed was back on the sideline, he reciprocated that support for Weigman.

"There was not a happier guy a couple of weeks ago for Marcel than Conner Weigman," Klein said. "Then after this last week, there wasn't a guy with a bigger smile on his face that gave Conner any bigger hug than Marcel Reed. That was something that is extremely important to me."

There is an old saying in football coined by the late great John Madden: “If you've got two quarterbacks, you have none.”

Well, the Aggies more than disproved that theory on Saturday against the Tigers.

Will Weigman be the starting quarterback going forward? Conventional wisdom says yes. He has more than earned the right to hold on to his job, and he is a main leader in the Aggies locker room.

That said, Reed will remain ready, because he is just one play away from being called on to keep Texas A&M's playoff hopes alive once again.

"It's going to take all of us. I don't know exactly what that's going to mean," Klein said. "I don't know exactly how that's going to go. It's important that all of us are at our best. When our number is called, they're able to answer the bell and block out all the dynamics or what anyone thinks or says or thinks they know about a situation or thinks they don't. We're not in a position we are in right now if both of those guys don't do that well."