Stanford transfer Gabe Reid explains his decision to join his brother Karene and the Utes for the 2022 season
While the 2021 Utah football season was full of several accolades and accomplishments for the Utes, it was a bit of a nightmare for the Stanford Cardinal. Not only did they finish dead last in the Pac-12 North with a 3-9 overall record, but it was there worst season since 2006 when the program went just 1-11.
For fifth-year senior Gabe Reid, he refused to let this be the end of his college career. Rather than electing to give the NFL a shot, Reid weighed his options and decided it was time to come home and join his brother, alongside the reigning Pac-12 Champion Utes in Salt Lake City.
"I was kind of on the fence in terms of, do I shoot my shot and go to league? [Do I] Declare for the draft? Or [do] I put my name in the portal and do one more year? I think for one thing, I didn't want to go out the way that I did last year. I'm sure Utah fans know from our game last year, Stanford versus Utah, that's not who I am and that's not how I do things. I didn't want to end with that bad taste in my mouth, so I decided I wanted to end my college career out on a high note," Gabe Reid said.
"That was a big part of me deciding to come to Utah," Gabe continued. "Obviously its home for me and I think looking back at when I made my decision in high school, if I were to not have ended up at Stanford, I would've come to Utah."
In addition to wanting to finish his career on a high note, Gabe also recognized the opportunity to develop his game and join a defense that currently, is far superior to Stanford's. With his skill-set and Utah's scheme, Gabe feels he can truly shine before taking his shot at the NFL.
"Utah is a defensive school," Gabe said. "Obviously the offense is great, but when I think of Utah, I think of defense. Like, nasty, playing hard, and I think of sacks, dudes getting after the quarterback. That's something personally that I love to do...and I didn't get to showcase that last year...so I am excited to get after the quarterback...and Utah is going to be the perfect scheme for me to let loose."
Looking back at last years stats, Reid was still a menace on the defensive end as he finished with 62 tackles (fourth most on the team), 33 of which were solo. He also had a team-high 10 tackles for loss and managed to secure one interception.
Not only does Gabe's performance speak volumes for the type of player that he is, but as someone who played with Gabe from the time he could walk, Karene knows exactly what his brother brings to the table.
"I think the beauty of playing with Gabe is that I won't have to worry about that side of the field. I think an advantage that he is bringing as well is that he's played linebacker. Even though he's playing defensive end, he understands whats going on behind him. So to add to nasty, he's a smart player. He's going to make up for the mistakes of those around us and like he said, he plays with a chip on his shoulder. He's always got something to prove," Karene Reid said.
"To be more specific, I think things that have always been his strengths are his get-off the line," Karene continued. "You guys are going to see a really quick step off the snap and somebody that knows how to use his hands."
For more exclusive FanNation AllUtes content, including more from the Reid brothers, individuals can check out the links below to the listen to the first episode of the Karene Reid podcast.
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