RB Hayden Reed: Making His Return To The Army Progam
The Black Knights close out this week with some very good news from a personnel perspective.
Junior and former Rivals 2-Star RB Hayden Reed who had a solid sophomore season until being injured is back with the program, after stepping away and missing spring training camp.
Needless to say, the 6-foot-0, 215-pounder will add solid value to the backfield, which already has solid returners such as sophomore and former Rivals 3-Star RB Kanye Udoh and others.
Last season Reed finished third in rushing behind QB Bryson Daily and Udoh, but he has just half as many attempts and less than half as many yards as Udoh. Reed was the No. 4 B-Back (fullback) in his freshman season behind Tyson Riley, Jakobi Buchanan and Markel Johnson.
Welcome Back Hayden
The spring roster was noticeably short on experienced running backs; so the Army fan base is happy to see Reed’s name listed once again this week. The junior running back will be entering his third season at West Point.
Reed played in 8 games as a plebe with 139 snaps and starting assignments at B-Back against Wake Forest and Colgate. He had 37 rushing attempts for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns for a 5.1 average per carry and a career-long of 45 yards. PFF graded him at 67.0 overall with a grade of 69.6 running the ball, 59.2 on run blocking and a rather poor 35.5 on pass blocking that year.
Last season Reed appeared in 9 games with starts against UTSA and Boston College. He played 195 snaps at RB and had 50 rushing attempts for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns along with 4 receptions for 29 yards. PFF rated him a 61.6 overall and a 61.8 running, with an excellent 75.0 as a pass blocker but only a 50.9 as a run blocker.
Where Will Reed Fit In?
A team that likes to run the ball as often as Army does requires quality depth at the running back position, and Reed provides that depth. He’s not likely to be the short-yardage power runner that Buchanan was. The role is likely to fall on the shoulders of the 267-pound rising sophomore Jake Rendino this coming season. Reed has decent speed, but he’s not in the same class as Tyrell Robinson or Noah Short when it comes to turning the corner on the perimeter. He and Udoh share similar all-around running back styles, although Udoh is clearly the better ball carrier at this point.
Although it is too early to tell, we would not be surprised to see his initial role as the primary backup to Udoh at the B-Back/RB position or when the play calls for a good pass blocker in the backfield. However, we look forward to his progression during fall, but either way, his return is a huge plus for the Black Knights' offense.
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