LB Jason Reynolds II commits to Northwestern: 'I'm just ready to work'
Northwestern secured just one player on National Signing Day: Class of 2022 LB Jason Reynolds II. The Eagles Landing Christian Academy senior (McDonough, Ga.) is the 16th member of Northwestern's Class of 2022.
Reynolds received a last-minute scholarship offer from Northwestern linebackers coach Tim McGarigle on Dec. 30. Reynolds was in Houston visiting Rice University when he received a text from McGarigle asking Reynolds to give the coach a call.
"Coach just popped up with the scholarship and we hadn't talked about anything like that before," Reynolds said in an exclusive interview with Wildcats Daily. "I was actually committing to another school as we were talking. As soon as he called, I knew I had to make a decision."
Northwestern originally offered Reynolds a preferred walk-on position, and the young player said that a scholarship was never brought up through his recruiting.
"A spot opened up and [McGarigle] told me they had a full scholarship open. I was just shocked and excited," Reynolds said.
Reynolds had to hang up the phone with McGarigle to call his parents.
"I wanted to talk as a family with my mom and dad to see what they thought," Reynolds said. "They were just as excited as I was."
Reynolds said that Northwestern was his dream school and that he's most excited to see how his recruiting class develops over its four years in Evanston.
"I think we have a great group of guys," Reynolds said. "Coach McGarigle always talks about having the same type of guys in the locker room. Guys like me. Guys that just want to work. I'm just excited to grow these relationships and see what they're all about."
Northwestern's team culture begins with its coaches, which the future Wildcat saw first-hand during a visit to campus on Jan. 14.
"Everyone is so welcoming," Reynolds said. "They have a great coaching staff. Coach Fitz and Coach [Bryan] Payton were really welcoming people. I appreciate that about them and value it. And they were diligent in the recruiting process about building relationships."
Reynolds thinks that his leadership both on and off the field will help him find his niche within the Northwestern team.
"I think my best quality is leadership," he said. "Not necessarily through words, but through actions and experience. That's really what I want to strive to be as a linebacker — the leader of the defense."
When it comes to on-field performance and style of play, Reynolds looks to Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith for inspiration.
"He's a hard hitter and great defensive player and I strive to play like him," Reynolds said.
Reynolds is already thinking about what he wants to achieve in a purple and white uniform and beyond.
"I'm just trying to get on the field," Reynolds said. "That's my short-term goal for my first year of college. Long term, I want to make it to the NFL. That's every football player's dream. I think I do have the potential to make it."
Reynolds finds motivation through his teammates, and said that he already believes his recruiting class will push him to be his best.
"They're doing the same work that I am," Reynolds said of his teammates. "It pushes me to work harder and work as a team. I think my personal goals are easier to meet when I'm working together with my team."
With lofty goals and a fully developed work ethic, Reynolds is ready to hit the ground running with the Wildcats.
"I'm just ready to work," he said. "That's been my mindset all throughout high school. That's what my coach has encouraged the four years I've been with him: you've got to work day by day and get better and better."
As for the biggest adjustment Reynolds says he'll have to make when he arrives in Evanston: "I honestly think it will be getting used to the weather."
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