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Virginia Tech Football: Justus Reed Looking Chance in the NFL

By Kayleigh Toney

Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Reed Justus (49) stretches during practice at Saint Thomas Sports Park Thursday, June 10, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn.Nas 0610 Titans 008
Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Reed Justus (49) stretches during practice at Saint Thomas Sports Park Thursday, June 10, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn.Nas 0610 Titans 008 /
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Former Virginia Tech football star, Justus Reed enters the NFL landscape looking for a chance as a free agent.

Journey to Virginia Tech football

Coming out of high school, Reed was a three-star recruit by 247Sports out of Florida in the class of 2014. He was also the 119th ranked recruit out of Florida and ranked 33rd in his positional group. The defensive linemen committed to Florida out of high school.

In 2014, Reed redshirted and didn’t see action with the Gators. In 2015, he played in nine games and registered nine tackles. The next season, he only saw game action in two matches, Reed struggled to stay healthy throughout his college career and was sidelined for most of 2016.

After three seasons with the Florida Gators, he transferred to Youngstown State in 2017, where he would spend three years. In 2017, he played in seven games, registering 15 tackles, five sacks, and 5.5 tackles for a loss, he also returned a fumble for a touchdown that season. The next season saw him sit out with another injury before coming back for a big 2019 season. During his last season with Youngstown State, he had 42 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 13 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

He transferred to Virginia Tech for his final collegiate season in 2020. With the Hokies, he played in 11 games accumulating 28 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks on the season. His best game for Tech came against NC State where he had five tackles, two tackles for a loss, and two sacks.

Path to the NFL

Reed signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent after the 2021 NFL Draft. On June 18th, he was waived by the Titans, making him a free agent. He has a lot against him as a 25-year-old rookie and a ton of injury concerns, but his upside could be high if he can stay healthy.

Reed could land on a practice squad and earn his way onto the 53-man team roster on many teams in the league. He is highly athletic with a lot of experience and determination to be great, Reed needs a chance to prove himself on-the-field.

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