Marcel Reed is 'absolutely' a Heisman contender in Collin Klein's mind

Click HERE to view Texas A&M’s Monday press conference.

About this time 13 years ago, Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein was a leading Heisman Trophy contender.

As a quarterback at Kansas State, Klein passed for 2,641 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 920 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2012.

He eventually finished third in the 2012 Heisman voting to Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.

Clearly, Klein knows a Heisman candidate when he sees one. He sees one every day in practice when he works with A&M quarterback Marcel Reed.

In a Monday press conference, Klein simply responded “absolutely” when asked if Reed is a Heisman contender.

Rusty Burson, 12th Man Magazine

Collin Klein (left) at the 2012 Heisman Trophy ceremony with Johnny Manziel and Manti Te’o.

“First and foremost, it is a team award,” Klein said. “You’re not even in that conversation unless you’re winning big football games, and that’s a complete team deal, right?

“Credit to everyone on the offensive side of the ball for making it all happen around him. He knows that.”

Quarterbacks of national championship contenders typically emerge as Heisman candidates. A&M certainly qualifies. The Aggies are 8-0 and ranked No. 3 in the nation.

Reed’s candidacy is built on much more than just A&M’s lofty ranking, though.

He’s having an outstanding year. Through eight games, Reed is 19th in the nation with 2,321 yards of total offense. He has passed for 1,972 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has rushed for 349 yards and six touchdowns.

Reed has been exceptional as of late. Two games ago, he passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown in a 45-42 victory over Arkansas.

Callie Garner, TexAgs

Collin Klein is in his second season as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator, and his unit currently ranks 21st in total offense (459.2) and 14th in scoring offense (37.8).

Last Saturday, Reed passed for 202 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 108 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-25 win over LSU. He was ultimately named the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

According to Fox Sports, Reed (+600) has the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza currently has the best odds (+260), followed by Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (+360) and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (+380).

So far, Reed has produced more yardage than the other top contenders. Simpson has 2,184 yards of total offense, while Mendoza has 2,119, and Sayin has 1,889 in seven games.

Also, Reed is the main big-play threat. He, Simpson and Mendoza all have 31 pass completions of at least 20 yards (Sayin has 19), but Reed is a much more explosive runner.

Mendoza and Simpson both have run for a 20-yard gain. Sayin’s longest run is 12 yards.

Reed has runs of 46, 41 and 24 yards. His 41-yard run resulted in the first touchdown vs. LSU. That was one of two major "Heisman moments" for Reed.

He also threw an 11-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining to lift Texas A&M over Notre Dame, 41-40.

Reed could make a Heisman push with a strong showing in November. The Aggies have upcoming games against No. 19 Missouri, South Carolina, Samford and No. 20 Texas.

But with each game, the pressure to win a championship and a Heisman intensifies.

Klein is well aware of that. He said guidance from former Kansas State coach Bill Snyder and support from his parents helped him stay focused in 2012.

“Marcel is very, very blessed in that same way,” Klein said. “His foundation, his core, his wiring is right.

“He cares about doing not just the right thing, but doing it the right way and all those things. And really just trying to block out the noise. It’s a one-play-at-a-time mentality, a one-game-at-a-time mentality.

“Let the chips fall where they will.”