Jan. 20, 2011
="" alt="Knight Head" border="0" class="imported"> Read John Denton's Knights Insider | ="" alt="Twitter Logo" border="0" class="imported">Follow us on Twitter | ="" alt="Facebook Logo" border="0" class="imported">Get social with the Knights on Facebook
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The thought had already crossed Jah Reid's mind several times in what was his last year of college football, but being surrounded this week by some of the nation's most elite players, the offensive tackle can't stop thinking about how far he's come as a football player.
Once 370 pounds and at best a project as a collegiate player at UCF - the only school to offer him a football scholarship - Reid worked tirelessly for five years to dramatically change his body and develop his enormous skills. These days, the 6-foot-7, 325-pound Reid is a legitimate pro prospect likely to be selected in the spring NFL Draft and to play on Sundays next fall.
``I know now that this is a great opportunity that I have been blessed with,'' said Reid, a two-time first-team All-Conference USA performer at UCF. ``With my size and physical abilities, I just need to keep working every day and getting better. I'm just so thankful for all the blessings that I've had along the way to get me to this point.''
This point is a spot in Saturday's 86th annual East-West Shrine Game at the Florida Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando. Reid is on the East roster along with UCF standout defensive end Bruce Miller. A redshirted player in 2007, Reid never played in the Citrus Bowl when UCF used to play games there, but he will wrap up his collegiate career in the aging downtown facility before 30 family and friends in what will be a fitting finish.
``I've been in here during games, but I never played here. It's kind of neat to end where I started,'' said Reid, a native of nearby Haines City. ``I guess this is my last game as a collegiate player and it's neat that it's in Orlando and in the Citrus Bowl and a lot of my friends and family can come and watch me play.''
Long-time NFL coach Dan Reeves, the head coach of the East squad, has been watching Reid play this week in practice and he's been impressed with the right tackle's combination of size and athletic ability.
``He's really big and that's the first thing that you've got to have,'' Reeves said. ``He's done well this week in practice. He's got a real chance at the next level because of his size.''
With his massive frame, his basketball player-like footwork and enormous wingspan, Reid is, in many ways, a prototypical right tackle. Of course, that wasn't always the case what with Reid badly out of shape and somewhat of a finesse player upon getting to college. But UCF coach George O'Leary said that Reid made as much progress as any player he's ever coached, going from project to projected NFL tackle.
``He's like an offensive linemen that you would build in a factory,'' said Miller, who has worked at defensive end and linebacker this week during workouts in front of roughly 50 NFL scouts and personnel. ``Jah is big, he moves his feet so well, he keeps his head down, he doesn't ever fuss about anything and he really likes to block. The coaches and scouts out here love him and for good reason.''
Reid and Miller, two of UCF's captains on their Liberty Bowl-winning squad this season, missed each other in workouts early in the week, but were matched up several times on Wednesday and Thursday. Miller has raved at how some of the nation's best defensive linemen, such as North Carolina's Marvin Austin, have struggled to get any push at all against Reid in workouts.
Reid said he is looking at the workouts ``like a job interview,'' and this is his chance to show scouts that he can help a team with his ability to move well enough to pass block while also being powerful enough to run block in the trenches.
``Bruce and I have been going against each other quite a bit, more than I expected really. It's kind of like UCF practice out there and not a lot of fun going against Bruce,'' Reid said with a laugh. ``But we're all just trying to do what we can to get better and show what we can do.
``It's good to know that I have a chance and that I have people looking at me,'' Reid continued. ``I hope they see that I bring something to the field with a lot of athletic ability and I just want to show them what I can do. Hopefully, I've done a good job showing the scouts this week.''
Following Saturday's game (kickoff is at 4 p.m.), Reid said plans to spend the weeks before the NFL Combine and NFL Draft in Kansas City working with former Pro Bowl lineman Will Shields. Reid feels that all of the growth that he made at UCF will show NFL teams that he is a willing worker who will come intent on getting better every day.
``I'll just go out in the game and have fun. This is neat, this last hurrah and it's for such a great cause,'' Reid said. ``What I did at UCF will definitely help me. I can take some hard coaching after what I went through at UCF and I'll be ready to come to practice and work hard every day.''
=====
Click here to receive the Knights Insider via email
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.