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Freshman CB John Reid brings focus, maturity with him to Penn State

By Audrey Snyder/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 8 years ago

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State teammates and coaches say freshman cornerback John Reid is a good kind of different.


Penn State freshman cornerback John Reid (right) watches camp with teammates Friday night in State College. (Audrey Snyder/Post-Gazette)

In a day and age where recruiting announcements are live streamed and a kid picks one of several college hats off the table in front of him, Reid didn’t want any of the attention. A little more than a year ago the consensus 4-star cornerback from Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s Prep tweeted that he was going to Penn State and promptly shut down his recruitment. He did few interviews and was locked into his senior season, one where the Hawks won back-to-back PIAA AAAA championships in 2013 and 2014. 

Come signing day, Reid inked his National Letter of Intent, tweeted that it was time for the next chapter and that was it.

“You go to talk to his coach, his high school coach says, not only is this guy one of our best players, he's one of the best people in the school,” defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said at the team’s media day in August. “So here's a guy who's not just a talented guy, but the right guy for Penn State.”

Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith called Reid a “fundamental technician” when he assessed the team’s depth at corner during a May coach’s caravan stop. Smith also said Reid already knew Penn State’s system at that point.

Penn State needs to find a fourth corner during camp where Trevor Williams and Grant Haley are penciled in as starters, plus sophomore Christian Campbell is in the mix as the third corner. Reid, fellow 4-star freshman Garrett Taylor and redshirt freshmen Daquan Worley and Amani Oruwariye are among the young crop of cornerbacks who could grab hold of that fourth spot this season. James Franklin said redshirts haven’t been determined for anyone yet and won’t be until closer to the season.

Like freshman running back Saquon Barkley who impressed since his arrival on camps in late June, Reid’s maturity and attention to detail were praised by several of his new teammates and coaches.

Prior to Reid’s verbal pledge last August he visited campus for the team’s summer Lasch Bash recruiting event. It’s a time for players to mingle with the staff and meet their potential future teammates, but Reid had a different idea. Instead of the planned lawn games and the pie eating contest, Reid asked if he could duck inside and watch film with Shoop. Players rave about Shoop’s work in the film room and how he helps them learn how to watch film and what tendencies to look for.


Freshman cornerback John Reid helped lead kids through a clinic at Penn State's Lift for Life even July 11, 2015 in State College. Reid and the rest of the 2015 recruiting class arrived in late June. (Audrey Snyder/Post-Gazette)

“You spend just a handful of minutes with him, and this kid has got maturity beyond his years,” Shoop said. “I did my research, and every camp he went to he was the DB of the camp. He and I developed kind of a unique relationship that we just started talking football.”

It’s no surprise then that seemingly whenever Penn State held one of their one-day prospect camps this summer Reid was often there, just hanging out and observing. He could’ve been doing anything else, especially because camps were often on Friday nights or Saturdays, but he’d take a knee and watch drills, sometimes with his teammates, other times taking it in by himself. One afternoon he watched the offensive and defensive linemen go back and forth in one-on-one drills by himself, just locked in on what was unfolding in front of him.

Teammates say he just can’t get enough of the sport.

“He’s just a football freak,” senior safety Jordan Lucas said. “He loves football. I’ve never seen a freshman come in and just be so anxious and so ready. … He likes to watch film. I’ve never seen a freshman come in and want to watch film, to be honest.”

It’s too early to say if Reid, whose Penn State bio says he intends to major in computer science, will be a factor this year or not. Haley and Campbell played as true freshmen last season, but whether Reid ends up as the fourth corner remains to be seen. Regardless, Penn State doesn’t appear to have a lack of young talent in the secondary in the coming years.

“He’s a really smart kid both on and off the field,” said Haley, who is Reid’s roommate for camp. “He’s very eager to play this year and he just gets things fast. His technique is really sound. He’s a solid corner already coming in. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to be like to help this secondary out in the future.”

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @audsnyder4