Class is in session with Professor David Reese
GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- David Reese hears his phone alert him to a new text message. He isn't surprised. The Gators linebacker knows exactly who it is - it's game day after all.
"Justin loves the Gators," said the Florida senior. "He will text me before every game and tell me to do good out there or give some words of motivation."
Justin is just another of Reese's pupils. You see, the Michigan native is not just known as the "professor" in the film room, he also helps teach high school students.
"I just helped doing school work or just helping the kids out," explained Reese. "I have a lot of relationships with the kids there. Whenever I can, I try to to stop by."
This fall Reese interned at Gainesville High School along side the school's Athletic Director, Cindy Boulware.
"It will be different every day," said Reese. "Some day it will be eligibility forms or talking to the kids that are not eligible or are missing something in order to be eligible, doing background checks on that. Or sometimes I'll go to the special-ed department, and we will draw or play basketball or talk to those guys. It's different stuff everyday."
Teaching is something that comes easy for Reese. Known as "Professor Reese" around some members of the team, the Gators linebacker never sways away from helping the younger linebackers and defenders adapt.
"He’s in the front of the film room coaching us up sometimes," sophomore linebacker Amari Burney said. "Coach will stop talking and just ask David Reese to tell us what we got and things like that. He’s a big help.”
"Everything he tells us, we know he’s right. We don’t second guess him or anything like that. Whatever he tells you, that’s what we’re playing.”
"Just by his presence he seemed like a guy that is already very mature," said safety Donovan Stiner. “That is a big part of him. I see that every day. We have a lot of young linebackers so when they ask him a question, he’s helping them with their plays."
However, it's not just the defensive players that are taking a few tips from 6-foot-1, 239-pounder.
Josh Hammond and Reese have been roommates since their freshman season. So when Reese has an itch to head to the film room, Hammond is never too far behind.
"He has definitely helped me understand defenses a lot because he is the Mike, so he is kind of the guy that puts a lot of people in positions to allow them to be successful," said the senior receiver. "So the calls he makes and why he makes them, the defense we check to depending on the different formations and things of that nature, which helps me understand on the offensive side of the ball, because I understand why they are doing certain things, which will help make me more successful because I understand why they are doing it, and what we are going it."
His leadership and passion for the game is simply contagious.
"Going out against David Reese, as the Mike linebacker, the one that is in charge of the defense it is a great mental challenge every single day," center Nick Buchanan said. "He is trying to figure out what we're doing, we are trying to figure out what they are doing. He is the best at just disguising where they come from, where the blitz is coming from, where they are not coming from, and who is dropping."
Reese has certainly led by example this season for Dan Mullen's team.
He leads the team with 83 tackles, while recording 4.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks and one fumble recovery. During his Gators career, he has made 310 tackles, 118 of them solo.
"Hard-nosed," defensive line man Jonathan Greenard said. " I remember watching David when I was at Louisville. Always knowing No. 33 is out there at linebacker. He's an old-school, downhill linebacker. He's going to come hit you. Very physical, very smart. Lot of people don't understand that. He's one of the smartest guys on the team."
"He's a hard worker. He kind of fits what we want in the program as a guy that works, gives you everything he has and shows up every day to be his best," said the Gators head coach. "I mean, he's a lunch pail guy; he's going to come to work and give you what he has every day."
Although Todd Grantham has only coached Reese for the last two seasons, the Florida defensive coordinator wished he was able to coach him for all four years.
"I recruited him," said Grantham. "I knew what kind of player he was. I knew the kind of quality he had."
According to Grantham, it's not hard to see his passion for the game.
"He came up and worked out for me like twice," said Grantham. "You could tell he liked football, you could tell he was passionate about the sport, you could tell he had a certain physical presence to him and all of that has kind of played out throughout his career.”
That passion has led him to teaching.
Although Reese says he wants to see how far his football career can take him, he always knew he would eventually go into coaching. That calling was affirmed when he walked through the halls of Gainesville High School.
"I wanted to try to do something better in my life and just try to have an impact on somebody else - that's why I really want to get into coaching," said Reese. "You take kids from different backgrounds, lets say me from Michigan, everyone at Florida here has changed my life and set me up to be successful in other ways. I have learned so many life lessons from these people, and I just want to give back."
Reese may be playing in his final home game for the Gators, however, kids like Justin will never be far from his mind; his teammates will never be far from his mind.
"I am trying to make them [the linebackers] into better people and football players," said Reese. "I am trying to help them out with whatever they need.
"Anything they need, I got them."
