Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed levels up his NIL – taking awareness to a new level
Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed signed a groundbreaking NIL deal with ENG Aviation earlier this summer. Now, the sophomore signal caller is using his platform to make a difference where it matters.Reed will partner with the company and use his platform to advocate and educate about organ donation. Steve Hoffman, president of ENG Aviation, […]
Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed signed a groundbreaking NIL deal with ENG Aviation earlier this summer. Now, the sophomore signal caller is using his platform to make a difference where it matters.
Reed will partner with the company and use his platform to advocate and educate about organ donation. Steve Hoffman, president of ENG Aviation, was inspired to make a difference via awareness after losing his father at a young age.
“Over 90 percent of Americans support organ donation and transplant, but less than 60% of Americans are registered donors, and so we want to play a part in bridging that gap, and that’s really what we’re focused on,” Hoffman said. “We just saw an opportunity to really change how NIL deals are done and use these athletes’ breadth and reach to promote things that are for the greater good.”
ENG stands for “earned never given.”
Hoffman was adamant about finding the right face for the NIL deal. He landed on Reed who he feels embodies everything the company represents.
“We ultimately just went with ENG just because of their story and their mission, what they wanted to do and how they did their things,” Reed said. “I wanted to be a part of that.”
Reed’s reputation is well-known around College Station after he arrived and eventually took over at quarterback as a true freshman.
“He’s kind, he’s respectful, he’s mature,” Kalee Blythe, director of ground transportation at ENG Aviation, said. “He has huge goals and he wanted to do something that mattered.”
Marcel Reed’s handling of adversity in 2024 was a big reason ENG Aviation immediately knew he was the one.
“It was no secret what Marcel did last year where he earned the starting job and kept it and just really fit in a symbiotic way with who we are and how we believe that we’re supposed to act with other people around us and just thought it was a really good fit,” Hoffman said.
Earlier this summer, Reed traveled to Houston Methodist hospital where he met with donor families and recipients in order to educate himself on organ donor awareness. Reed got to meet former Texas football player Peter Mpagi, who received a successful heart transplant in 2022.
“Just meeting Peter and seeing how it goes for everybody, even people who have futures, bright futures in athletics, their life can be flipped like that in a change and so, I’m glad he’s still here with us,” Reed said. “He got that organ and yeah, it’s a special story for sure.”
The significance and exclusivity of being part of ENG Aviation is not lost on Marcel Reed.
“I find it really cool that you know I’m one of probably 4 or 5 people who have that deal, but I find it even more cool that I’m able to kind of have that story behind it and the mission that you know we’re going with the purpose.”
Reed is back in 2025 and is set to be under center for the Aggies once again. He threw for 1,865 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He also added 547 yards on the ground and seven more scores.
