Player Spotlight: Jay Reed

JAY REED’S

TIME IS NOW AT LAFAYETTE

By JAKE THOMPSON

Lafayette is known for producing some of the top running backs in the state and Jay Reed is ready to join that group.

After a breakout sophomore season in 2020, Reed is primed to be the Commodores leading threat on the ground.

Success was something Reed’s coaches saw in him last season and he proved it on the field. Now, Reed has shown what he can do and will not be under the radar of opposing defenses.

“We told him last year (he could be special),” said Lafayette head coach Michael Fair. “There’s some pressure on that group. Lafayette, long before I got here, they’ve been known for these really good backs. To see all these big and strong kids that get the job done and he’s another one of those. He takes a lot of pride in it. He wants to be great and that’s what sets him apart from a lot of those others guys out there.”

Last season, Reed rushed for 1,249 yards and 10 touchdowns on 198 carries for an average of just over six years per carry. He was the Commodores leading rusher by nearly 800 years as quarterback Tyrus Williams was the next closest with 462 yards.

In order to continue that success, Reed hit the weight room and changed his body. In 2020, Reed was playing at around 240 pounds and is already under that weight entering this season. Despite Reed getting slimmer, the junior is still going to be looked upon “His body’s changing and he’s starting to mature as a young man. But he’s built for durability. Even in the Columbus game last year where we had to come from behind to win the game and he had about 25 carries. Well, his 25th carry was better than his first carry. So, that’s the kind of back he is.”

to convert those short-yardage downs in the trenches.

“His body’s changing and he’s starting to mature as a young man,” Fair said. “But he’s built for durability. Even in the Columbus game last year where we had to come from behind to win the game and he had about 25 carries. Well, his 25th carry was better than his first carry. So, that’s the kind of back he is.”

Reed will be relied upon more this season than originally planned after the offense suffered a setback in the offseason. Williams underwent surgery to repair an injured shoulder that will sideline him for the entire season.

With the second-best rusher not returning, there is more of a sense of responsibility put on Reed to contribute more than he did a year ago to help get the Commodores where they expect to be come the first weekend in December.

Despite being a junior, Reed is ready to be a locker room leader according to Fair and he has already taken those steps throughout the summer.

“Any returning starter, of course we’ve got several coming back on offensive line, Kylan Vaughn at receiver and of course Jay takes a new role now in a leadership position,” Fair said. “There’s going to be a lot falling on this guy’s shoulders as far as being a leader.”

Another motivating factor this season for Reed and the rest of his teammates is how last season ended for them. The Commodores clinched a playoff berth but never took the field after the regular season due to a COVID-19 outbreak throughout the team that caused their season to end prematurely.

Having their season taken away from them by something out of their control has Reed and the rest of Lafayette ready to hit the field in 2021.

“I think it made us want to work harder,” Reed said. “I worked on my speed and tried to catch the ball better.”