RECRUITING UPDATE: Eric Reid

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Dutchtown’s Reid follows in his father’s footsteps to LSU

By RICHARD FISCHER
Tiger Rag Recruiting Contributor

From the moment Dutchtown standout Eric Reid attended his first LSU game at age two, he knew he was destined to play in Death Valley.

“He wanted to play football for the Tigers even before he knew he was good enough to do it, so it was always his first choice to come here,” said Reid’s father.

But even after an impressive high school career, the four-star safety will have a tough time living up to his father’s athletic legacy at LSU. In 1987, Eric Reid, Sr. won the national championship in the 110-meter hurdles for the Tigers, and he was inducted into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

Along with a scholarship offer from LSU, the younger Reid received others from North Carolina State, Stanford, Tennessee, and Tulane, but the elder Reid said he did not try to push his son to choose the Tigers. Instead, Reid, Sr. only advised his son on the recruiting process from his own experiences.

“I went though a lot of the things he’s going through now, so I explain things to him,” said Reid, Sr. “I know what to look for when we go on recruiting trips plus I know how to deal with the coaches as far as what questions to ask and things of that nature.”

Boasting a 4.3 GPA, Reid, Jr. looks to bring both athleticism and academics to the Tigers.

“He’s an all around type of player with academics and with athletics, and I think he’s going to be a new type of athlete as far as him being very smart on and off the field,” said Reid, Sr.

But this isn’t just the sentiment of a proud father. Dutchtown High School head coach Benny Saia agrees.

“I think he’s got a chance to really be special,” said Saia. “He’s big and strong and can run. He’s very intelligent and a hard worker. He’s the whole package.”

Reid was a terror in his junior year at Dutchtown with 78 tackles, nine sacks, and four interceptions. Reid added two more interceptions in his senior season including one off Thibodaux quarterback and current Auburn recruit Trovon Reed.