Georgia Football: J.R. Reed, from relative unknown to UGA team leader
J.R. Reed is one of the feel-good stories of the Georgia football program. A kid most didn’t even look at as a potential college starter is now a possible first-round pick.
There are some incredible stories for players on this Georgia football roster. Tae Crowder going from a 3-Star running back commit to being one of the best linebackers in the nation. Rodrigo Blankenship went from walk-on kicker to not only someone who is on scholarship, but one of the most loved players on the team and one of the best kickers in all of college football.
Another story that may be the most impressive out of them all is the journey J.R. Reed has taken to get where he is now. Back in 2014, Reed was considered the nation’s 1,856th best player and the 267th best player in the state of Texas, per 247 Sports composite rankings. He was that middling prospect most big programs didn’t even give a second look.
The 2-Star safety committed to Tulsa and became a Golden Hurricane on January 13th, 2015.
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Reed would, later on, make his transfer to Georgia in 2016 when Kirby Smart took over the reins of the program. From that point on the rest was history. Reed made his debut with Georgia in 2017 and had a career-high 79 total tackles on the season, 2 interceptions, and a sack on top of that.
Since his first year wearing the red and black, Kirby Smart has referred to Reed as a team leader. Playing safety is a very important part of the defense as they are your last line of defense and hold the job of preventing the homerun play.
Reed has been everything that a coach or fan could ask for is now being considered as a potential first-round pick in the NFL draft. He has also been a big reason why the Bulldogs are boasting one of the best defensive units in the entire nation.
While the season is far from over, Reed is continuing to put together an impressive stat line as he always has, totaling 43 tackles, five pass deflections, and an interception.
It is not very often that a 2-Star prospect becomes a potential first-round pick, but workers like Reed don’t come around very often either.
There is no doubt that number 20 will be missed dearly by the bulldog faithful but is because of stories like Reed’s that kids are itching to come to Athens and play for Kirby Smart.