Battle is on for Standout Canadian Offensive Tackle Albert Reese
STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State is looking for some help from the Great White North again, but this time on a detour through the "Sunshine State" as third generation football player Albert Reese IV is high on the Cowboys list. Currently, Mike Gundy and company can brag about All-American running back Chuba Hubbard from near Edmonton and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga from near Calgary. However, it was just a few years ago that the Cowboys had offensive tackle Shane Richards, a 6-7, 330-pound big man that wound up being the first pick overall in the CFL (Canadian Football League) draft.
Reese has made his family name proud becoming a standoput offensive lineman at Harry Ainlay School in Alberta, Canada. On video you can see he is raw, but is progressing with his footwork and he is tremendously strong, especially in the upper body and he often overpowers and tilts the defensive target he is blocking.
"They say muscle weighs more than fast and I do have a fair amount of muscle content than some other people my weight," Reese said with a laugh when speaking with John Garcia and the folks at SI-All American. "Maybe some people are more compact.
"I definitely have the measurables and I'm eager to get better," he continued talking from his senior season high school home of Clearwater International Academy in Florida. "If I have one good practice I'm not going to dwell on it the next day, I'm going to move on and keep grinding to have an even better one."
Now, Reese is currently committed to Rutgers, but doesn't talk like a prospect committed. He is looking for more offers and more interest. He will be getting some attention when the Kings season starts as Clearwater International opens their season on Sept. 18 and Reese will be blocking for SI-All American's No. 8 running back in Brendon Barrow.
Reese's father, Albert played his college football at Grambling State and then went on to play in the NFL before coming to Canada and helping the Edmonton Eskimos to a Grey Cup Championship in the CFL.
Rutgers has a commitment from Reese, but he is being pushed by Oklahoma State, Michigan State, and others. He has 21 offers that include Ole Miss, Iowa State, Kansas, West Virginia, Arizona State, Central Florida, and South Florida. He told SI-All American that he was hearing from Oklahoma, but we're convinced he meant Oklahoma State. He took a virtual tour online with the Cowboys and met with head coach Mike Gundy, offensive line coach Charlie Dickey, and offensive line recruiting analyst Robert Luce.
"I've done a lot of Zoom meetings, mainly on the weekend with football and school," he said. "I've done a lot in the past with virtual tours or maybe get up with a coach to talk about technical, O-line things."
Again, Reese does not sound like a recruit that is through.
"I'm keeping my options open," Reese said. "If I can get as many universities as I could to really be sure where I want to go, obviously I'm going to do so. I'm treating it as though I'm not committed anywhere, in terms of how I'm talking to the coaches.