D.J. Reed

Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics

Photo by: Cooper Kinley | K-State Athletics

K-State's D.J. Reed (Scott D. Weaver/K-State Athletics)

Position:
Defensive Back
Height:
5-9
Weight:
188
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Bakersfield, Calif.
High School:
Independence
Prev School:
Cerritos College

CAREER HONORS
• 2017 Second Team All-American [kr/pr] (Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America)
• 2017 Second Team All-American [db] (Pro Football Focus)
• 2017 First Team All-Big 12 [db] (Coaches, Associated Press, Phil Steele)
• 2017 First Team All-Big 12 [kr/pr] (Coaches, Phil Steele)
• 2017 All-Big 12 [kr/pr] (ESPN.com)
• 2017 Second Team All-Big 12 [all-purpose] (Associated Press)
• 2017 Honorable Mention Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year (Coaches)
• 2017 Bednarik Award watch list
• 2017 Bronko Nagurski Award watch list
• 2017 Jim Thorpe Award watch list
• 2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list
• 2017 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Central Arkansas, Kansas)
• 2016 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year (Coaches, ESPN.com)
• 2016 First Team All-Big 12 (Coaches)
• 2016 Second Team All-Big 12 (AP, ESPN.com, Pro Football Focus)
• 2016 All-Big 12 Underclassmen Team (ESPN.com)
• 2016 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (Texas Tech)

CAREER: A community-college transfer prior to the 2016 season who became a starter at cornerback in addition to picking up return duties as his two-year career progressed... Finished with a 32.2-yard career kickoff-return average to rank second in school history... Helped 2017 Senior Class earn a 32-20 record, four bowl berths and two bowl victories.

2017: Played in 11 games – all starts at cornerback – while also handling a majority of the return duties en route to being named a Second Team Walter Camp All-American... The third Wildcat kick returner in the last four years to earn All-America status (Morgan Burns in 2015, Tyler Lockett in 2014)... Averaged 34.2 yards on 17 kickoff returns to rank third in school history and fourth in Big 12 history, while the mark was second in the nation and tops in the Big 12 during the 2017 season... Held a 14.9-yard average on punt returns to tie for sixth in school history, rank second nationally and lead the Big 12... Ranked 13th nationally and second in the Big 12 with 835 combined kickoff- and punt-return yards... Finished sixth on the team with 47 tackles to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble... His four interceptions ranked second in the Big 12, while he was third in passes defended (13) and tied for first in fumble recoveries... Had 11 of his passes defended in Big 12 play to lead the conference... Tallied 181 combined return yards and a punt-return touchdown in season opener against Central Arkansas, while he had 189 yards and a kickoff-return touchdown at Kansas en route to Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors both times... His combined return totals in each game were the top two marks in the Big 12 in 2017... His 152 kickoff-return yards at Kansas was the top mark in the Big 12, while his 189 combined yards against the Jayhawks tied for the 13th-best mark nationally... Became the first Wildcat since Terence Newman in 2002 to return have a kickoff-return touchdown and a non-blocked punt-return touchdown in the same season... Voted a team captain for the 2017 season.

2016: Played in all 13 games with 12 starts, tying for second on the team with 75 tackles to go along with three interceptions and a Big 12-leading 19 passes defended en route to Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year accolades from the league’s coaches and ESPN.com... Also a First Team All-Big 12 pick from the coaches and a second-team selection by the Associated Press... Became the first Wildcat first-year defensive back to earn First Team All-Big 12 honors since Nigel Malone in 2011... Tied for third in school history and fifth nationally during the 2016 season in passes defended... Tied for team-high honors with three interceptions, a mark that tied for seventh in the Big 12... Returned one of his interceptions 35 yards for a touchdown against Texas Tech to earn Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors... Collected a season-best four pass breakups at Baylor and came back with three the next week against Kansas... Also had two breakups against Texas... Recorded a season-best 14 tackles at Iowa State, while he had nine at TCU and eight against Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl... Returned kickoffs over the final four contests, averaging 28.3 yards on nine attempts, including a season-long return of 76 yards at Baylor... Totaled 80 return yards against Texas A&M, the fifth-most in K-State bowl history... Named to ESPN.com’s All-Big 12 Underclassmen team.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Played in 11 games in 2015 at Cerritos College under head coach Frank Mazzotta... Totaled 42 tackles, three pass breakups and two interceptions on the year... Carded a season-high eight tackles at Orange Coast and backed that up with seven stops against Fullerton... Recorded first interception against El Camino, while he finished his year with a 74-yard interception return touchdown against Long Beach City... Helped lead the Falcons to a National Division Northern Conference championship and berth into the Southern California Regional Playoffs... Played with current Wildcat defensive tackle Ray Price.

2014 (at Fresno State): Redshirted the 2014 season at Fresno State under head coach Tim DeRuyter.

HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Independence under head coach Sean McKeown... Earned all-league honors for two-straight years... Totaled six interceptions and five forced fumbles, while he amassed 1,150 total yards and 13 touchdowns on offense... Became first person in school history to earn team MVP honors in both football and basketball.

PERSONAL: D.J. Reed was born November 11, 1996, in Bakersfield, California... Son of Linda Reed... Has two siblings, Florence and Tyson.. A history major.