J.R. Reed building his own reputation, growing out of father’s shadow

For Georgia safety J.R. Reed’s entire life, evidence of his father’s NFL career has surrounded him. The younger Reed has the jerseys of Hall of Fame wide receivers Randy Moss and Cris Carter. Game balls and helmets are numerous in the house he grew up in. Reed’s bedroom at home could be considered a small museum dedicated to the 1990s Vikings.

“I got everything you could think of,” Reed said.

Reed’s father, Jake Reed, played wide receiver in the NFL for 12 years, including 10 with the Vikings. When Reed was about 3 years old, Jake Reed would bring him to watch game film at the Vikings’ facility. Reed’s parents didn’t push their son to play football, but that he would want to try was almost inevitable.

For a long time, J.R. wanted to play wide receiver like his father. But when Georgia plays its season opener, J.R., a sophomore, has a good chance of starting at safety. It would be his first collegiate start.

J.R. wasn’t recruited to Georgia out of high school. He transferred from Tulsa last summer. When he did, all linebacker Roquan Smith knew about him was J.R.’s cousin is Deangelo Gibbs, a five-star defensive back the Bulldogs were recruiting at the time.

“I didn’t know what we were getting,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “He has turned out to be probably the best decision we’ve made from a standpoint of transfers.”

Jake eventually told his son he didn’t have to play receiver. He didn’t have to wear his dad’s number, 86. J.R.’s father had to tell him to “be his own man.” When he did, the younger Reed’s goal shifted away from being a carbon copy of his father.

His sophomore year at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas, J.R. realized he was better in the secondary. He likes contact, he said, and playing defense increased the likelihood he would be involved on every play. It also wasn’t the position his father built a life on.

“For him to finally see he was as good or better on that other side, he used that as a path to make a name for himself on the other side of the ball opposite of his dad,” Prestonwood secondary coach Verone McKinley said.

During his final high school game, J.R. tore his ACL returning a punt. He wasn’t heavily recruited anyway, and any chance at signing with a program in a major conference evaporated. He accepted an offer from June Jones at SMU to gray shirt. When Jones resigned, the Mustangs hired Chad Morris in November 2014. Morris didn’t honor the gray shirt, Jake said, so Reed went to Tulsa.

J.R. made 13 appearances during his one season at Tulsa. He recorded five tackles and a pass breakup. After spring practice concluded in 2016, J.R. decided he wanted to transfer. One day near the end of final exams, J.R. called his father.

“I’m going to transfer,” Jake’s dad remembers his son saying.

“Where are you going?” Jake said.

“I don’t know. I’ll go walk-on somewhere. I don’t want to be in Tulsa no more,” J.R. said.

“Hey, they said you’re doing well. You’re probably going to be the starter,” Jake replied

“I don’t want to be the starter here,” J.R. said

J.R. had decided he wanted to play at a bigger school. He believed he had the talent. After his final exam, he and his father went to tell head coach Philip Montgomery of Reed’s intentions to transfer.

“I think he wanted to be in a place where he was going to be pushed,” Prestonwood athletic director and football coach Chris Cunningham said. “That was everything about him. He wanted to be pushed everyday.”

As Reed looked for a school to transfer to, the family realized the possibility he and Gibbs could play together.

Gibbs’ mother, Karen, is Jake’s sister. The families vacation together. Every summer from eighth to 12th grade, Gibbs spent time in Texas training with Jake. Growing up, the cousins often imagined playing together one day.

“They’re like brothers,” Jake said.

As J.R. pondered a decision, his family “kind of knew” where Gibbs was going, Jake said.

On June 23, 2016, the day Georgia dismissed freshman defensive back Chad Clay after his second arrest, news broke that J.R. had transferred to Georgia. He sat out the 2016 season because of NCAA transfer rules. While he did, he pitched the school to Gibbs.

“Hey man, you come here, we do good things, we work hard, we could have our own 30-for-30 one day,” J.R. said he would tell Gibbs. “Come on. Come on to Georgia, man. I’m here. You got what you need. Coach Smart’s a great coach. You could really help us out.”

On Jan. 1, Gibbs committed to Georgia.

On the high school level, J.R. was known for delivering violent hits, Cunningham said. He hasn’t established that reputation at Georgia yet, but Smart said J.R. is fast, intelligent and physical. His presence also provides Georgia with depth in the secondary, a position group Smart has criticized this preseason.

“I think he’s stepping everyone’s play (up),” defensive lineman John Atkins said.

As J.R. establishes himself at Georgia, he moves further away from his father’s long shadow. In his room in Athens, J.R. has a Vikings team photo, game balls and a picture from when his father was honored as a former team captain, he said, but the mementos are a way to think of home — not provide an example to copy.

“You have to build your own reputation because it always will be ‘former NFL player Jake Reed’s son,’ ” J.R. said. “Now, I’m ready to start building my own reputation.”

This story was originally published August 18, 2017 at 11:45 AM with the headline "J.R. Reed building his own reputation, growing out of father’s shadow."