omg half-shirtless
While teammate Aubrey Solomon's commitment came as a pleasant surprise, four-star Leesburg (GA) Lee County S/OLB Otis Reese had already declared Michigan his leader heading into this weekend before pulling the trigger yesterday. Reese put Michigan on top as soon as he added an offer in April; two subsequent first-hand interactions with the coaches, first at the Leesburg satellite camp and then at this weekend's Under The Lights camp, proved enough to earn his commitment:
"I think this was a pretty easy decision for me," he said after pledging to the staff. "The coaches here have treated me like family since they offered and spending time with them when they came to our school gave me a great foundation to build off of with them. Once I got here and experienced things a little bit more, I wanted to make it official."
Reese is the fourth commit in the 2018 class, joining Springfield (OH) teammates Leonard Taylor and Antwuan Johnson and fellow Georgian Jalil Irvin.
GURU RATINGS
| Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
| 4* S | NR S | NR S |
4*, 92, #11 S, #117 Ovr |
4*, #11 S, #117 Ovr |
Only 247 has released ordered 2018 rankings, and they have Reese sitting just outside their top 100. At worst, Scout has him in the same range—they've given early four- or five-star ratings to 122 prospects in the class. Rivals didn't include Reese in their initial, unordered top 100, which came out in mid-April.
Reese is listed by all four sites at 6'2" and 190-195 pounds. While he's regarded as a safety prospect, he's got the frame to play outside linebacker, and according to 247's Steve Lorenz Michigan plans to use him in the same role (well, defensive role) Jabrill Peppers will play this fall:
While he's currently listed as a safety in our database, we're told that Michigan actually likes him at the SAM linebacker spot and that both Don Brown and Chris Partridge love his game. Remember, Michigan held a satellite camp at Leesburg early on in the month, so they were able to get a great look at Reese and reportedly loved what they saw out of him.
As you'll see on his film, Reese already plays a similar role in high school; he spends a lot of time playing in the box or over the slot.
SCOUTING
Most of what's out there on Reese comes from Scout's Southeast analyst Chad Simmons. Reese's Scout profile features an extensive sophomore evaluation:
Evaluation
SOPHOMORE EVAL: Reese is a physical football player. He played varsity as a freshman and has improved regularly since. His size has stood out from the beginning, and by the time he reaches college, he may be playing inside the box on a regular basis as a linebacker. He is a real field general and he is used in coverage, in run support, and he blitzes off the edge as well. He is a little tight in the hips and he can improve in coverage. At his best when coming down hill in attack mode. He can close well and he makes solid tackles.Strengths
- Blitzing Ability
- Closing Speed
- Frame
- Size
- Tackling Ability
Areas to Improve
- Backpedal Quickness
- Hip Flexibility
That sounds like a player tailor-made for the SAM in Don Brown's defense. Simmons added some more details following Reese's commitment:
What Reese is, is a versatile football player. You will see him in coverage one play, then he is lined up in the box chasing a running back down backside, and on the next play he is blitzing the quarterback. He is a football player who has been on the Scout radar since his freshman season. He has a great frame, and he is still growing, so projecting where he ends up playing at Michigan could go back and forth between safety and linebacker. He has a nose for the football. He is exceptional in blitz packages and he loves to come downhill and play physical. He looks most natural when moving north-south and when playing inside the box. In coverage, he is solid, but that is an area he can improve on. Reese can improve his feet, hips and reaction to receivers when asked to cover. He has a great body, great frame and the best football is ahead of him. He loves to compete, he loves to learn, and he is going to play hard on the field.
In addition to sounding like a Don Brown SAM, he sounds like a Harbaugh guy.
Back in February, 247's Kipp Adams identified Reese as one of the top underclassmen in Georgia, and included a freshman and sophomore stat lines that show Reese's versatility:
The next big prospect out of Lee County is 2018 hybrid safety Otis Reese. Reese, at 6-2, 195, reports offers from Troy, Central Michigan, and Louisville, with interest from Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. He had 55 tackles, four sacks, five tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries and four pass breakups as a freshman, and 52 tackles, six sacks, and seven tackles for loss during his sophomore season. Over the next two years, Reese should grow into a stout strong safety who can enforce the middle of the field.
That's impressive all-around production for an underclassman.
OFFERS
Reese holds offers from Central Michigan, Louisville, LSU, Troy, and UCLA. He camped at Alabama and Georgia but hasn't landed offers from them yet; several other top programs, including Auburn, Clemson, and Ohio State, showed interest. Michigan got a big leg up in his recruitment by being the first major program to offer him.
FAKE 40 TIME
None listed.
VIDEO
Sophomore highlights:
Freshman highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
At the moment, it looks like Reese will have a clear path to the field at SAM as soon as he steps on campus. Jabrill Peppers will almost certainly be off to the NFL by the time Reese arrives in 2018, and if Khaleke Hudson is needed at strong safety—which looks to be the case—then there isn't another player on the roster who fits the role as well as Reese. Of course, Michigan hasn't come close to wrapping up the 2017 class; safety commit J'Marick Woods has a similar build and the coaches are expected to take a couple more safety-types. It's hard to imagine Reese won't have some competition by the time he gets to Ann Arbor.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
It has four players in it, and will presumably add many more. Here's the class, which is now fourth on the 247 Composite team rankings, as it currently stands: