Michael Reeve standing tall for Columbus Lions

“He’ll be a household name in this league.”

That’s what Columbus Lions coach Jason Gibson said of wide receiver Michael Reeve prior to the 2016 season, their first back in the American Indoor Football league.

He may not be a household name around the AIF just yet, but after two dominating performances in the Lions’ first two games this year, he may very well be a name both revered by Columbus players and fans and cursed by the Georgia Firebirds’ and Central Florida Jaguars’ defensive units.

Reeve took home Offensive Player of the Game honors in the Lions’ season opener, hauling in three touchdowns passes and 114 receiving yards in an 88-0 rout over the Firebirds on March 20.

As if that wasn’t eye-popping enough, Reeve raised the bar last weekend. In the Lions’ second straight blowout victory, a 90-42 gashing of the Jags on the road in Lakeland, Fla., last Saturday, Reeve had a whopping five receiving touchdowns.

Unlike the PIFL, the AIF does not have a repository of individual statistics available on their website. However, it’s a near certainty Reeve’s eight touchdown receptions so far this season tops the league in that category. Reeve isn’t satisfied, though, despite the gaudy total.

“I’m definitely headed in the right direction,” Reeve said. “There’s some little things I need to fix. I feel like I could have had more than eight, honestly, but that’s what film is for.”

Reeve starred as a wide receiver at Western Oregon University and made his way to Columbus last season.

“I finished my last season at Western Oregon, and I wanted to keep playing,” Reeve said. “I talked to one of my old roommates who played overseas in Poland, and he told me about a website called Europlayers. I went on there because I wanted to travel a bit. (Lions’ director of player personnel) Clayton (Banner) messaged me, gave me his number and said to call him. I had never heard of Columbus, Georgia, at that point. I kind of blew it off in the beginning, but he called me again and offered me a contract. Everything sounded good, so I took a chance on it.”

However, once he arrived in Columbus, Reeve separated his shoulder in training camp and was sidelined for the majority of the season. Gibson retained him, however, believing in the talent he possessed.

“I was on the bubble (due to injury) and kind of scared; I didn’t want to go home or get cut,” Reeve said. “(Gibson) had faith in me, kept me around, and I got to play the last three games last season. I showed what I could do, and it was good to have his support and him believing in me.”

Reeve was projected to join returning wideouts Jarmon Fortson and John Harris to create a three-headed monster, filling the void left by Terrence Ebagua, the 2015 PIFL Most Valuable Player now with the Arena Football League’s Tampa Bay Storm. While that may play out to be true by the end of the season, Reeve is currently the leader in the clubhouse as the top receiver on a loaded Columbus offense.

“We complement each other well,” Reeve said. “John’s running as fast as he’s ever run, so it’s hard to guard him. (Jarmon) can pretty much do anything on the field; he’s Mr. Everything. It’s real hard to pick and choose.”

One advantage Reeve has over the others is one that cannot be taught: size. At 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, Reeve towers over the vast majority of defensive backs against whom he is matched up. It has made his receiving game look almost like a game of pitch and catch at times with quarterbacks Casey Kacz and Mason Espinosa.

“I always attack the ball at the highest point,” Reeve said. “Most of the defensive backs I’ve seen are at most 6’2”, so there’s definitely a size mismatch there. I’m working on being more physical, too.”

The Lions almost assuredly won’t be able to keep up their 88 points per game pace so far in the young season, with games coming up against quality AIF opponents. To Reeve, however, it’s been fun to suit up for Columbus as they have made their mark in the league in just two games.

“It’s definitely been fun,” Reeve said. “It’s always fun when everyone is scoring and contributing to the team. All the hard work we put in the offseason and training camp with two-a-days, it’s nice to see it finally paying off.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Michael Reeve standing tall for Columbus Lions."