“ It is like God is writing the most beautiful story , and I am the main character in it . It is just crazy as I look back on everything ."
“ It is like God is writing the most beautiful story , and I am the main character in it . It is just crazy as I look back on everything ."
Reddick ’ s knee eventually got better . However , he still wanted to play college football . Coming off another injury , though , he was not recruited and did not receive a scholarship offer . His parents were going to do everything they could to make sure he still attended college .
“ My mother is the reason why I was even in school ,” he adds . “ I did not think I could play football without a scholarship , and my mother was the one who told me I was going to go to school to get an education . My father was finding out how I could get on a team . He looked at the staff to see who my coaches would be .“
Haason was able to get a look from former Temple defensive back coach Francis Brown , who got Reddick on the team as a preferred walk-on as a cornerback . He made the team and was redshirted his first year . Then in 2013 , a new coach took over at Temple . Reddick ’ s speed and athleticism caught the eye of the coaches , and Temple head coach Matt Rhule , who is now leading the Baylor Bears . Rhule saw something in Reddick and moved him to a different position .
“ Once Coach Rhule had gotten the coaching job , I moved to linebacker . By the end of the 2013 season , I had transitioned to defensive end . For the rest of my time there I played defensive end . You do not have too many guys going from corner , to linebacker to then defensive end . It ’ s just not natural . It ’ s hard to imagine . I just wanted to do whatever I could to stay on the field . I wanted to play football wherever they put me at .”
As a 6-foot-1 , 225-pound defensive end , Reddick tallied 2.5 sacks his first two seasons at the position . As a redshirt junior , he became a starting defensive end and had five sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss that season . Then during his redshirt senior season , he took his play to a new level . He was disruptive as a pass rusher and helped with the run defense . His 10.5 sacks
Hasson Reddick at Pro day
and 22.5 tackles for a loss helped earn him first team All-AAC honors . He also was invited to participate in the Senior Bowl .
“ It was fun ,” Reddick says about the event . “ It was one big job interview meeting with all those different teams and getting to meet the players . Anyone who is invited is considered one of the best in the country , so I got to meet good players , and I got to meet a lot of teams .
Reddick , who had the chance to speak to all 32 teams in the league , excelled in individual drills and the game . During the practices , he was practicing at both the outside and inside linebacker positions . Being that Reddick has played different positions in the past , it did not affect him .
“ I do not have a preference . I feel like playing outside linebacker is more natural for me because I played defensive end in college for three years and outside linebacker in the league is similar to the defensive end-type player in college . However , I can learn quickly so I would be okay with inside linebacker .”
Coach & Player Magazine • Spring 2017 11