Kirk Herbstreit talks about Texas A&M’s backup quarterback ahead of a possible start against Florida

Texas A&M may have to play its first away game of the 2024 season without its starting quarterback.

Conner Weigman struggled with an upper-body injury last week, which meant he was unable to play in the Aggies’ game in Florida on Saturday.

A&M obviously wants its starting quarterback healthy and ready to play, but if the Aggies have to choose backup quarterback Marcel Reed, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit doesn’t think the deal is all that bad.

“I happen to know the boy behind [Weigman]…Marcel Reed. I almost think that could be OK for Texas A&M,” Herbstreit said Saturday morning on College GameDay. “If A&M gets a chance to unleash Marcel Reed, he can create, he can make plays with his arm. That could actually be a good thing for them.”

Herbstreit, along with Pat McAfee and guest picker Dawn Staley, South Carolina women’s basketball coach, picked the Aggies to win away against Florida. The GameDay panel was divided.

As a true freshman, Reed saw limited action during the 2023 season until Jaylen Henderson, the Aggies’ third quarterback entering the season, was injured on the opening play of the Aggies’ Texas Bowl game against Oklahoma State.

The four-star recruit from Montgomery Bell Academy in Tennessee took over and had a solid night, completing 20 of 33 passes for 361 yards and scoring a rushing touchdown.

Reed has a strong arm and is very good in the running game, making him a good addition to offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s run-heavy offense.

It’s likely that the offense will be driven by running backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels, regardless of who is at quarterback.

A quarterback who is more dangerous in the running game could make them even harder to defend.

Whether Weigman is ready to play will likely be determined during pregame warmups. The former five-star recruit played in just four games last season before suffering a season-ending foot injury.

The Aggies look to end a 10-game losing streak against the Gators on Saturday. The game starts at 2:30 p.m.