At 5-foot-10 and about 160 pounds, it's easy to write off the possibility of having college football success for Colorado's newest 2021 commit, Nikko Reed.
Reed himself had those thoughts and for awhile thought that his frame would prevent him from playing football at the Power Five level.
He recounted some of those insecurities shortly after Colorado offered him back in April.
"I used to tell all my friends that I’d never get an offer, that I wasn’t that good and this and that," he said. "I was serious about it, too. They’d tell me to just be patient, to be humble about it and that it was going to come. Sometimes I’d come to reality (and think) that I was never going to get this offer or that offer. When (Colorado offered), it was surprising. (Despite) all that stuff I used to to think about myself, I stayed patient and (offers) came.”
Brian Michalowski was the CU coach to offer Reed and in time, Demetrice Martin and Darrin Chiaverini got involved, as did Karl Dorrell.
Reed did and does a little bit of everything at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward, Calif. — playing on both sides of the ball, at WR and CB as well as handling a lot of kick and punt return duties.
He was recruited to Colorado to play corner and he'll likely receive consideration to continue his return responsibilities in Boulder, too.
While 5-foot-10 is on the shorter side for a Pac-12 cornerback, Moreau Catholic head coach Rob Gatrell has no doubt Reed can handle the demands of the position in college.
“He’s very instinctive, he studies his opponents and he’s very explosive," Gatrell said. "Despite his size and not being that stereotypical mold or frame that most coaches want to see, he’s very physical and I think that’s what stands out. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in there, he’ll stick his hands on you and he’s very physical, even if a guy thinks he’s catching a pass, he’s going to do everything he can to rip it out of his hands. He gives maximum effort in everything he does.”
Reed last year caught 32 passes for 661 yards and scored 10 touchdowns on offense. He had impressive stats in the return department, as well, racking up 299 on kicks and 220 on punts, giving him 1,328 all-purpose yards last season. On defense, he had 31 tackles and five interceptions.
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Reed, who has played varsity for Moreau Catholic since he was a sophomore, backs up his versatility with dedication in the film room.
“He’s got great athletic ability, has good vision and patience — he studies," Gatrell said. "He pays attention to the scheme and the game plan. It's hard to get high school athletes to understand: ‘what’s the big picture and what are we trying to do here?’ He pays attention to it, he asks a lot of questions and he’s a student of the game."
"He really pays attention to the little things and that’s what sets guys apart at the Power Five level. A lot of people are athletic and have ability, but he has that “it” factor. He has a great work ethic."
As Reed said during the first time he was interviewed for a CUSportsNation story, he's OK with being an underdog.
Expect him to have no qualms about working hard when he does get to Boulder, where he'll have to fight for every and any opportunity to see playing time.
“He’s a very humble young man and very smart," Gatrell said of Reed. "He has a great work ethic and is involved with a lot of promotional things for us as a private school. I call him the poster boy of our school. That’s just the type of kid he is. He comes from Oakland and gets up every morning — we do our workouts before school to free the kids up for academics after school — and he rides a train in every morning and is there every day for 6:30 a.m. workouts.”
