Signee Breakdown: OL Masai Reddick
The early signing period is officially in the books, and Josh Heupel's program signed 20 players on December 15th. In this series, the Volunteer Country on Sports Illustrated staff share their full breakdown of each player, complete with bio, former Tennessee player and/or current NFL player comparisons, and what the Tennessee coaches had to say about each respective signee. Please keep in mind the NFL player comparisons are just a fun look at the potential upsides of each player and are not meant to set unlofty expectations or indicate a career trajectory.
Bio
Masai Reddick
Cass Technical (Michigan)
Offensive Lineman
6'5 325 pounds
What the Coaches Said
Alex Golesh: "Masai's an interesting one because Masai, unlike Addison, didn't have just a ton of pub early. Masai went and earned it, went to every camp, clinic he could find. I talked to a buddy of mine in Michigan that said, 'Man, every time there's a football somewhere, Masai's showing up.' That's what we were looking for. Uber-competitive, another really, really, intelligent young guy. Again, to play in our offense with the speed the way we play at, you've got to be able to process, you've got to be able to play fast. Masai can process, can play fast. Big ol' smile, big ol' glasses, just absolutely such an attractive personality he has. He's an energy-giver anywhere you go with him. He's ginormous. Big hands, big legs. Just a ginormous human being. The film was good. The workout was really good. Senior film was elite. I think his future is so bright. I think he's a perfect example of don't always look at the recruiting rankings. Really dive in and look at the human being, look at the football player. Our expectations of Masai is that he's going to play here for a long time and help us continue to change the culture within the offense, continue to change the culture within the program. He's a winner. Cass Tech produces winners. That's an incredible place and Tim Banks is from Detroit, helped Glen, helped our offensive staff with him. We felt like our inroads there were really good. We knew what we were getting when we offered Masai."
Glen Elarbee:
Volunteer Country's Take
Reddick is a very large young man at 6-foot-5 and 325-pounds. The height isn't the eye catcher but the weight and how it is distributed throughout his body is. Glen Elarbee described him as "girthy" with wide hips and shoulders. Checking the tape through the high school career you can verify that he is a utility guy that can line up at all five positions and be key. Reddick is able to drop in his hips to play at a good level but is also physical at the point of contact and has the ability to bury the man in front of him. The depth that comes from a prospect like Reddick is unparalleled in the sense he adds depth at all five offensive line positions. Having the sheer size and physicality, even if the starting line-up is not cracked by Reddick, the other guys will definitely be able to get better working with and against a prospect of this nature.
Current NFL Player Comparison- Tristan Wirfs
Both, Reddick and Wirfs are identical in height and weight but let's take a look at the play styles. Displaying some physically dominate frames, both guys have the ability to anchor the tackle position down. Wirfs only being one year in the league, has much he can grow into and develop as a player. Stood out among his peers in his pass blocking and if he adapts and evolves his run blocking could turn heads and become one of the leagues youngest and overall best tackles. Reddick is very similar in the sense that he has already played many positions across the line. As his collegiate career begins, he may very well get reps that help him evolve at all line positions before the NFL is even in sight. While Wirfs developed into an eventual first round talent, this is not suggest that Reddick will make those advances during his time at Tennessee, more than it is to suggest that both players evidence desirable developmental traits with high upside and a mean streak in run blocking that any college coach would be excited to have the opportunity to develop.