Virginia Tech will serve as the new home for one of the rarest species in college football: a seventh-year senior.
Friday, Justus Reed announced that he will be transferring to Virginia Tech and continuing his football career with the Hokies. According to 247Sports.com, Reed had set up official visits to Tech, Baylor, Florida State and Texas Tech prior to the NCAA banning in-person recruiting. Trips to Boise State and Boston College were also possibilities.
What’s good Sacksburg?? 🦃 #FL2VT #GoHokies pic.twitter.com/EbVYj9UTYh
— Justus Reed (@justusreed4) April 17, 2020
“It just feels right,” the defensive end told the website. “Without going to visit anywhere, I got the best feel from them. I have developed a good relationship with the coaching staff and just think it’s the right place for me. I think I will fit in really well and will help contribute and win a lot of games and, ultimately, an ACC title.”
Reed was originally a member of Florida’s 2014 recruiting class. Yes, you read that correctly. The Gators’ 2014 class. The lineman was a three-star signee coming out of high school in Clearwater, Fla., that year.
Reed took a redshirt as a true freshman. The next two seasons, he played in a total of 11 games, with a one injury sidelining him for most of the 2016 season. In April of that year, he opted to transfer from the Gators.
After leaving Gainesville, Reed landed at Youngstown State. An injury sidelined him for the entire 2018 season. Another injury kept him off the field for half of the 2017 season. Healthy for all of 2019, Reed totaled 19 tackles for loss and 12½ sacks.
Because of all the injuries, the NCAA granted Reed two additional seasons of eligibility last year. That means the 2020 season will be the graduate transfer’s seventh year of eligibility.
Based on our research, we can find just four other examples of that happening since the turn of the century:
- Running back Deontae Cooper (Washington/San Jose State)
- Offensive lineman Tony Morales (Texas Tech)
- Linebacker Bryton Barr (Towson/UMass)
- Running back Darryl Poston (Utah)