Countdown to Kickoff: Senior RB Albert Reid

Class: Senior
Position: Running Back
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 215
Hometown: Washington, DC
Twitter: @_reidboy2

The Virginia football team underwent serious changes this off-season under new coach Bronco Mendenhall. But it’s tough to argue that anyone has had a bigger off-season than senior running back Albert Reid. Yes...Reid changed his number from #5 to #2 in the recent jersey draft. But more importantly, the former Maryland transfer became a father to a baby boy named Ayden on May 30.

"I knew it was going to be a lot of work," Reid told ESPN a couple of weeks later. "It's a lot, but it's nothing I can't handle."

Below is a picture of the two of them from June 3.

It’ll be hard for Reid’s senior season to match the excitement of becoming a dad, but he’s poised for a big autumn nonetheless. The Washington, DC native joined the Cavalier roster after graduating from Maryland in 2015. He played two seasons as a Terp and received a medical waiver when an an injury sidelined him early during the 2014 campaign. His addition in 2015 gave Virginia a “big back” to compliment featured back Taquan Mizzell.

Reid’s presence has paid significant dividends. He finished rushed for 360 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2015, and he’s listed as the first “big back” on UVA’s depth chart for the 2016 season opener. Reid broke off a 71-yard run against Pitt in Virginia’s road loss last October. But his biggest highlight last year came on a 57-yard touchdown run against Virginia Tech in the season finale. He rushed for 103 yards that game, which marked the first 100-yard game of his career. That highlight can be seen at the 2:00 mark in the video below.

The tempo and mindset of the new offense will—hopefully—give Reid plenty more chances to punch it into the end zone for Virginia in 2016.