2018 Gameday Program Senior Feature - Antonio Reed

Senior safety Antonio Reed hails from the birthplace of rock and roll, and just like the popular music made its name known worldwide, so does the Memphis native want to make his name known for the Cornhuskers as he finishes his Nebraska career this season.

Reed came to Nebraska from Southaven High School. Reed’s standout performance as a senior led his team to an 11-3 record, providing them a trip to the semifinals of the Class 6A state playoffs. That year, Reed made 19 tackles, including a tackle for loss and added an interception.

When he arrived at Nebraska in 2015, Reed earned instant playing time as a true freshman. He played in all 13 games. One of the highlights of his first season was in the bowl game against UCLA, where he posted four solo tackles and forced a fumble against the Bruins.

As a sophomore, Reed played in the last 12 games after missing the season opener. Reed helped the Huskers receive the opportunity to return to his home state where he earned his first career start against Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.

As a junior, Reed recorded a career-high four starts, resulting in his best season with 24 solo tackles and 42 total tackles. He also recorded his first two career tackles for loss, his first career interception and one forced fumble.

Now in 2018, Reed has a new coaching staff, but it didn’t take long for him to get their attention.

“I think he’s the best one,” defensive backs coach Travis Fisher said. “Antonio can give you so much. He plays safety — the physical part of the game, he has it. He’s very smart. He also can go down and give you reps at other positions. He’s that ‘Honey Badger’ type guy. He can give you a lot.”

Reed earned his first season-opening start this year against Colorado and recorded four tackles. Against Troy, the 6-2, 215-pounder had five tackles and helped the Blackshirts hold the Trojans to just 110 passing yards.

And while Reed has been making a name for himself, his goals since fall camp have always been team oriented.

“My goals were more kind of group goals,” Reed said. “Whatever the group accomplished, I felt like I did good that day. If the group did bad, I feel like I did bad.”

In his final season, Reed wants to leave it all on the field. For him, this is it in the Scarlet and Cream jersey and he wants to make his last season at Nebraska count.

“It’s now or never,” Reed said. “That’s my mindset.“