J.R. Reed proves himself as Georgia team rep at Media Days after being ‘passed up’

Georgia defender J.R. Reed strutted into the Omni Hotel dressed fittingly for SEC Media Days. He sported a bow tie, suspenders, and added some flair with a pair of aviator sunglasses.

On each hand, there was plenty of bling, too. His left hand featured his SEC Championship ring, while the other wrist rocked a studded Invicta watch.

As he went from room-to-room, Reed showed a swagger. It was almost as if he was preparing to star in a feature film.

“007, starring J.R. Reed,” he said as Georgia senior Jonathan Ledbetter took a microphone from the WTVM station in Columbus and began conducting an interview. “New James Bond, it’s me. … Reed, J.R. Reed.”

Reed and the Bulldog representatives were having fun.

“How much do you think it’ll gross when the movie drops?” Ledbetter asked.

“$150 million,” said Reed quickly. He never cracked a smile and attempted to pull it off as a serious matter.

Reed appointed Ledbetter as the villain and wide receiver Terry Godwin as the “guy who gives intel” to the up-and-coming Bond. Godwin begged for a bigger spot, but it wasn’t to be.

“That’s messed up,” he said.

The lighthearted exchange about movies and attire was one instance of many. It didn’t seem as if it were Reed’s first SEC Media Days appearance, as any jitters were unnoticeable. He was confident and knew he had reached a milestone — long-awaited recognition.

Nearly a year ago, Reed was entering his first season of eligibility at Georgia as a transfer from Tulsa. There were questions from the media and his own coaching staff in regard to his capabilities at the SEC level.

A lack of assurance was justified for a lone reason — Reed had a small sample of work. In his freshman season with the Golden Hurricanes, his only recorded stats were five tackles in 13 games.

“We didn’t know for sure how good of a player he was, but we were going to invest a scholarship in him to transfer,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “We thought he could be pretty good, but we didn’t know what we had coming in.”

So, when he transferred to Georgia on June 23, 2016, there were two story lines.

The biggest narrative was about his cousin, Deangelo Gibbs, who was a five-star prospect out of Grayson for the 2017 recruiting class. The second was about his father, Jake Reed, a former NFL wide receiver from 1991-2002.

Either in the headline or the first few paragraphs of initial stories regarding Reed, the chatter was about Gibbs, who was a four-star prospect and the sixth-ranked recruit in the state of Georgia, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings.

In what would eventually become the top-ranked class nationally, Gibbs was expected to be within the group’s core, and Reed’s family connection raised the thought that he could help land the highly-touted prospect.

It turned out to be the case, as Gibbs signed with Georgia as the New Year’s Day splash. But Reed saw the chatter time and time again.

“That’s why I have a chip on my shoulder, because of you guys,” Reed said. “There was talk about I was only brought in for recruitment.”

Since his first game of action at Georgia against Appalachian State, Reed has shown to be far more than a recruitment tool.

In fact, it could be argued that Reed was the Bulldogs’ best defensive player last season, second to linebacker Roquan Smith — who was selected eighth overall in the NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. Reed had the second-most tackles (79) and second-most forced turnovers (two interceptions and two fumble recoveries).

But when he signed with Tulsa, he was a three-star prospect, and according to 247Sports.com, he was ranked as the 1,856th-best player in the nation.

“I’ve always been passed up since I was little,” Reed said. “It makes me play harder. If they keep missing on me, that’s fine.”

He’s passed up no more.

Reed bet on himself by transferring from Tulsa and wanting to play against better competition. It paid off. After his 2017 season and receiving glowing remarks from Smart on his leadership, Reed was chosen over established teammates such as senior defensive back Deandre Baker to represent Georgia at SEC Media Days.

Both Baker and Reed were recognized among the best in the conference Friday by both being named to All-SEC defensive preseason first-team.

The collegiate careers of Reed and Gibbs have turned in different directions. While Reed has seen on-field success, Gibbs has been fighting to stay on the Bulldogs’ roster, and playing time has been scarce.

Georgia is hopeful for Gibbs to return to the rotation and contribute this season, but it’s dependability is in Reed. He was able to check the media event “off the list” and received recognition with an opportunity to rise to stardom.

“We really are blessed (to have Reed),” Smart said. “We fell into that one.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2018 at 12:47 PM.