Making his first collegiate start, Marcel Reed had a gargantuan task ahead of him. Replacing the injured signal caller Conner Weigman, Reed was thrust into action in front of 89,993 fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 14, 2024.
Facing a Florida defense that had surrendered 41 points two weeks prior to Miami, Reed looked like a seasoned veteran.
The Nashville native tossed two touchdown passes and added a score with his legs while totalling 261 total yards. The performance not only gave the Aggies a crucial 33-20 road victory, but solidified Reed as the present and future quarterback for Mike Elko’s program.
Now, just over one year later, Reed again faces off against UF, but now, he lines up against a defense ranked in the top 25 in scoring defense and yards allowed per game.
"I think he's gotten better and better,” Billy Napier said. “That was his coming out party last year. He was kind of an unknown going into the game, and then he played really well. I think experience matters, and he understands what's required to win.”
While Reed has shined in the No. 5 Aggies’ 5-0 start, Florida’s defense has applied pressure to multiple highly-touted quarterbacks throughout the season.
UF held LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to a season-low 15 pass completions on 27 attempts, good for just over a 55 percent completion rate. He was also intercepted for the second time all season.
Against Miami, quarterback Carson Beck was held under 200 passing yards for the only time in 2025, falling way short of the mark with 160 yards. He was also held out of the end zone.
Then, on Oct. 4, the Florida defense had its best performance of the season in a 29-21 win over then-No. 9 Texas. Texas quarterback Arch Manning was under duress all afternoon and eventually sacked six times while facing 34 total pressures. He also threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
“I mean, we went through a lot of tough opponents, but it's always about getting better,” said Gators defensive lineman Michai Boireau. “If you play tough opponents, you get used to it, you can see where you have problems at, where you can improve on. And once you get those improvements right, you see it pays off."
One area the UF defense has struggled with, however, is keeping signal callers in the pocket.
On the box score, Manning was held to 37 rushing yards, but broke free for a 36-yard gain in the fourth quarter.
The Florida defense also failed to contain South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown in the Bulls’ 18-16 upset over the Gators Sept. 6. Brown ran the ball 17 times, gaining 66 yards to pace USF on the ground.
That could spell trouble for UF. Reed, who ran for 547 yards last season, has had a slower start with his legs this season, but he still has 38 carries through Texas A&M’s first five games this season, racking up 149 yards and two scores on the ground.
His rushing acumen, paired with the dynamic running back duo of Le’Veon Moss and Rueben Owens II, has bolstered an Aggie attack that averages 195.4 yards per game on the ground.
“They’re big, physical, and they have elite finishing speed,” Napier said. “So you’ve got to bottle them up, gotta play with edges, gotta gang tackle, gotta wrap up. It's going to be a critical part of the game."
The threat of Reed’s legs and the Aggies’ electric ground attack have allowed the redshirt sophomore quarterback to make strides in the passing game.
Reed has completed 33 of 45 play-action pass attempts for 504 yards and 5 touchdown passes in 2025, earning him a 75.8 Pro Football Focus grade on those attempts. Last season, he only completed 38 of 68 play-action attempts for a 51.3 PFF grade.
“What really sticks out with him is his talent to run the ball,” UF linebacker Myles Graham said. “He's a great passer as well, so I remember him last year making a lot of plays. He's an electric player. I'm excited to play against him.”
Where Reed has struggled, however, is when he’s thrown the deep ball. On 28 attempts of 20 or more air yards this season, he has only nine completions and has thrown two interceptions.
As Florida looks to earn its first ranked road win under Napier, there is an obvious avenue for success: keep Reed in the pocket and out of the end zone.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is in his sixth semester at The Alligator and now serves as The Alligator's Football Reporter and is a junior sports journalism student. He previously served as The Alligator's Sports Editor, and served as reporter for women's tennis, volleyball and lacrosse. He also has made multiple appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. He wants to shoutout his cats, Scooter and Zoe, and also loves niche professional athletes (shoutout Tomas Fleischmann).
