From Walk-On to Single-Digit: Reddick Adds Killer Instinct, Experience to D-Line

The dangers of a quarterback's blind side are well versed within modern culture and around the football community. From a hit movie preaching the importance of its protection to last year's Super Bowl MVP — Denver's Von Miller — consistently exploiting it week-in and week-out, the sport understands the critical nature of the blind side.

In steps Temple's Haason Reddick, a speed rusher who has developed a penchant for pressuring opposing quarterbacks. Standing at 6'1" and 235 pounds, the redshirt senior jumps at the opportunity to make competing signal callers uncomfortable in the pocket.

Due to the nature of his freak athleticism, Reddick has made multiple positional changes over the course of his collegiate career. Entering the program as a cornerback and moving over to linebacker early on, the Camden native found his way to defensive end late during his sophomore season, a job he never imagined falling into.

As such, most of Reddick's inspiration regarding his relatively spartan skill set derives from the professional level. Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned Miller's magnetism as a pass rushing guru and versatile edge athlete captured the senior's attention from the get-go.

"Von Miller is definitely a guy I look up to with his technique, just to see what he does," Reddick discussed. "He's a vicious pass rusher, and a great NFL player. I watch him to see what I can learn from him, and try to steal some of his moves. I try to imitate his game. I watch film on him, and any moves he does one-on-one, I try to transition to the field. I watch Von the most out of anybody."

The most valuable lesson learned from watching the NFL, though, is simple: focus on developing abilities based on natural talents. As a converted defensive back, the answer for Reddick came easily — speed.

"Everybody has their own set of tools," Reddick stressed. "Being 235 pounds at D-End, I understand that power isn't my thing. My gift is speed, so I have to utilize my tools the best I can that way I can play up to my standard."

Veteran at Every Level

Notable variance in physical nature between athletes serves as a foundational cornerstone of football, as the large and small, slow and fast, are all equally valuable somewhere on the field. And nowhere is this variance more evident than on the defensive side of the ball.

The fastest take up residence at cornerback and safety, utilizing their unnervingly quick reaction times to keep up with precision receivers and accurate quarterbacks. Meanwhile, the largest, most powerful athletes operate in the center, occupying two (possibly three) offensive linemen at a time, sacrificing their bodies to force chokepoints and bottle up decisive ball carriers.

As one might expect, few can compete at both ends of the spectrum — not to mention within the middle at linebacker — due to the intertwining nature of physical limitations and the shifting mental requirements necessary for each position.

And while the shock of the reveal may have been given away by this point, Haason Reddick has been there, done that.

But that's not to say the movement up and down the depth chart hasn't been difficult.

"It was hard transitioning a lot going from defensive back to linebacker and then going to defensive end, it was just a lot because it seemed like every year I was learning a new position," Reddick pointed out. "So while I'm trying to learn this position, and I'm having trouble doing so, all of a sudden I'm getting moved to a new position and I'm starting all over again. Without the stress of reading plays on my mind, it allows me to be out there and freely play, just use my athleticism and talent to freely play."

While the tenuous changes have certainly provided a few challenges along the way, Reddick now looks back on his positional shifts as an advantage. The deep knowledge of how the entire defense functions, not just a single component, adds to the senior's seemingly endless skill set.

As a former linebacker, he pointed out just how crucial it is for him to reach his gap in order to force the running back into the teeth of the defense. In the passing game, any pressure a lineman provides makes the jobs of the defensive backs exponentially simpler.

And while any defensive lineman can learn these concepts, Reddick has experienced them firsthand. He knows the frustration of missing a tackle or seeing a pass completed because the defensive line came up slightly short.

"The blessing of playing at every level of a defense, just being versatile, it does help me understand better," Reddick said. "Playing at every level on defense has made me into a smart player, in terms of knowing things and understanding why. When I understand why I have to do it, it gives me more motivation when I'm trying to do it."

Whereas the motivation and mental understanding of the defense derives from Reddick's experience, his physical imposition on offensive lines stems from the coaching staff.

When the senior transitioned to defensive end, he initially struggled grasping the position at its core. A new hire at defensive line coach — Elijah Robinson —began to turn things around quickly, as Reddick gained weight and created his own identity at his new position.

"After Coach Robinson came in, that's when my game really matured," Reddick recalled. "It really took off from there. He helped me understand D-End and everything I have to do, and he incorporated that from linebacker. I know there were a lot of people who didn't think I could play D-End, especially being underweight, but I always want to prove people wrong."

As for why Reddick was asked to move in the first place, the answer always circles back to a combination between his freak athleticism and the program's talent reserves.

According to defensive backs coach Fran Brown, the notable talent at cornerback — Reddick's initial position — placed a ceiling on his prospects to earn playing time. Due to his unique body type and football aptitude, though, the staff felt confident they could find a fit for him somewhere on the depth chart.

The key, per Brown, was putting the best talent available on the field at once, and Reddick's versatility granted them such an opportunity.

"He was fast enough to play corner, but Tavon Young played here and then Sean Chandler came up," Brown pointed out. "It was a question of, 'do you want to be the back-up or do you want to have an opportunity to start?' With the talent that we have, it was about putting him in a place so that we can have all that talent on the field. You want to keep all that talent out there."

The Road Less Traveled

As a senior who has earned the respect of his teammates, the attention of the media, and a role on the defense, Reddick has generated a certain level of star player authenticity. However, the defensive end's story with Temple certainly didn't start on such solid ground.

Instead, it all began with a dream to play collegiate football and a walk-on who would not be denied that opportunity. Reread that last sentence again…Reddick, arguably Temple's most effective defensive player through seven games, entered the program as a walk-on.

The Camden native had some true talent during his high school years, but a few unfortunate injuries sidelined him a majority of his final two seasons. As such, many major programs were forced to pass despite seeing flashes of his talent at summer camps and combines.

At the time, Brown served as a graduate assistant on former head coach Steve Addazio's staff. The former, having known Reddick and his family for some time and understanding his situation, convinced him to join the team as a walk-on the fall of his freshman year.

"There were a lot of ups and downs coming in as a walk-on," Reddick said. "The other staff really didn't give me much of an opportunity to develop, I didn't really get any opportunities to play and show what I can do. The thing that helped me the most was my competitiveness and my willingness to work. I always wanted to show people that I can do this even though I was a walk-on. [Head Coach Matt] Rhule has a saying, 'the more you can do, the more you can do,' and once they saw what I can do on special teams, I started to get a little playing time at linebacker."

On top of Reddick's insatiable competitive nature, the senior has never struggled to find his rhythm in the classroom. Due to his initial status as a walk-on, the defensive end had no assistance earning his acceptance to the university and, until the program offered a scholarship, paid his own way.

"He was always really smart in school," Brown added. "That's what a lot of people don't really know about Haason, he's a bright kid. He's always wanted to go to college, and he always wanted to play football."

The initial status as a walk-on has not to impacted Reddick's locker room reputation, as he has carved out a genuine leadership role on the defense. The aforementioned repertoire culminated into something concrete this past offseason, though, as the team voted Reddick the honor of donning a single-digit jersey for his final year.

Taking over the No. 7 jersey, the senior recognizes the tradition as the most significant distinction he's received during his five years with the program. Stats and wins aside, Reddick views the single-digit custom with a reverence only reserved for a former walk-on.

"That's probably the biggest moment of my career here was being voted to be a single digit, mostly because it came from my teammates," Reddick said. "That lets me know they trust this tradition with me, and not only that but they see my hard work. They see what I'm doing and what I put in. When the team recognizes what you do, it matters. Coming in as a walk-on, who would have ever thought it would be something that would happen? I was ecstatic, and it was just a blessing and an honor."

When asked why No. 7, Reddick discussed his desire to "write his own story with his own number," seeking to create a identity within the single-digit corps.

In any story about Reddick, though, competitiveness would be near top the senior's list of noteworthy qualities. The desire and passion he constantly utilizes creates an environment where the end result of any play is more about will than strength, a positive for a slightly undersized defensive end.

"I don't care who you put in front of me…he could be the biggest guy, the smallest guy, I just want to play and dominate you in any way that I can," Reddick stressed. "Even though I'm undersized, most of the O-Linemen are slower and my speed allows me to play past them, especially with that fact that I think I'm stronger than most guys my size as well. The speed just must be blazing for them, and that's what allows me to play so well with line movement, coming off the edge or trying to make a tackle from the backside."

Understandably, that level of passion and commitment to the position has earned Reddick the respect of his teammates, especially those on the defensive line.

Fellow senior and defensive tackle Averee Robinson identified Reddick's consistency as what makes him so dangerous to opposing offenses, as he never takes a play off or shuts off for a series.

"He's so fast just getting around the corner," Robinson said. "There aren't many I've seen consistently block Haason Reddick, especially when he's throwing his fastball and using his speed. I think he adds that 'it' factor to our D-Line. He's probably more athletic than any athlete I've ever seen, and I've played with a lot of good athletes. Some of the things he can do are just…abnormal."

Life Off the Field

Most families can point to a group activity, hobby or pastime they all share an interest in or enjoy getting into during weekends off. For some, it's board games. For others, perhaps it's a day at the ballpark.

Reddick's family, though, goes in a completely different direction, turning to an ancient sport still finding ways to steal the spotlight: boxing.

"Boxing is a fun thing for my family, just growing up with my father, my grandfather and my uncle…those guys are big, tough guys," Reddick discussed. "They're big competitors. I love the one-on-one thing, where it's man against man, it's pure domination, it's me against you. There's nobody else in there, and if I win I'm better than you, and if you win you're better than me. I like competing against people. It's a fun hobby, and it disciplines you."

Unfortunately for Reddick, his time in the ring was limited early on, choosing football over any other sports around the age of four. The lack of opportunities to compete professionally failed to slow him down in terms of passion, as the senior made it apparent he still not only benefits from, but also enjoys boxing as a hobby and training regimen.

"I played football since I was four so I didn't really have time to take it on as much as I really wanted to," Reddick explained. "I did incorporate some training since I've been here at Temple, and I went back into a boxing gym. Last summer and the summer before that I was working in some gyms just for hand and feet coordination."

In fact, Reddick preached just how invaluable his boxing activity has been when it comes to building his skill set at defensive end, generating better hand-eye coordination and a more disciplined footwork.

"You have to have hand, eye and feet coordination, and boxing really helps me work my hands for my pass rushing moves and things like that," Reddick continued. "Plus, it just brings the competitor in me out. When a bigger guy, an offensive lineman, lines up in front of me, I look at it like, 'I don't care how big you are, I'm going to try to dominate you as best as I can.'"

The payoff has led to a more effective athlete when it comes to rushing the passer, a talent Temple head coach Matt Rhule identified as potentially eye-catching to NFL scouts. With players like Von Miller now showing they're capable of scoring Super Bowl MVP honors, the face value of the position has skyrocketed.

As a former professional assistant coach himself, Rhule clarified in no uncertain terms where he thought Reddick might fit in at the next level, pointing to his work ethic and competitiveness as advantages.

"Haason will play at the next level," Rhule said. "I'm not a GM but I certainly think he is an NFL football player. There is really no one to take credit for Haason's development beside himself. He has worked extremely hard. The one thing Haason has really done well that some seniors don't is he has realized he has this year to play. He has realized that if he goes out there and just plays really well changes will come. He just isn't getting caught up in all of the drama. The one thing he can control is how he plays."

From Reddick's perspective, joining the ranks of the NFL would mark a dream realized, especially considering where he started with the Owls five years ago. The professional level accepts only the best, and the senior feels he has the ideal combination of will and talent to generate serious consideration from the league.

"The NFL has been a dream I've had for a long time, ever since I learned about the league," Reddick said. "I want to go to the next level, and I want to play there for as many years as I can play. I never had any doubts that I wouldn't' go, but it's a hard business. A lot of guys don't make it, but if I get a shot, I'm going to do the best I can do and give it my all."

Temple University Athletics

From Walk-On to Single-Digit: Reddick Adds Killer Instinct, Experience to D-Line

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