SASKATOON — Trevor Reid has impressed the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ coaching staff and, moreover, ESPN.
On July 10, 2020, his gravity-defying athleticism was celebrated by a video that was posted on espn.com with the caption: “Watch 6-foot-6, 320-pound Louisville lineman Trevor Reid execute a backflip to perfection.”
The Roughriders’ coaches may be inclined to perform cartwheels if Reid, Jacob Brammer, D’Mitri Emmanuel or Jordan Tucker can secure an open spot at offensive tackle and reliably protect the blind side of starting quarterback Trevor Harris.
Reid enjoyed a strong rookie camp and has carried that level of play into main camp, which began Sunday at Griffiths Stadium.
Since first donning green and white, Reid’s priority has been to execute the offensive scheme, as opposed to a backflip, but gymnastics remain in his repertoire.
“Anything any guy around here can do, I can do it,” said the former Louisville Cardinals standout, who hails from Griffin, Ga.
“It just came from flipping down the hill.”
Football coaches love downhill runners, but a downhill flipper is rather novel.
Just imagine the possibilities. It isn’t uncommon to see a running back or receiver performing a backflip after scoring a touchdown — Hugh Charles and Lucius Floyd being two examples from Roughriders history — but an offensive lineman?!
“If they call a play where I catch the ball, you’ll all see it,” the personable Reid promised.
“If I catch a touchdown pass, I’m doing a backflip.”
What if he makes a robust block on a running play and turns would-be tacklers into dominoes? Would that provide sufficient cause for a backflip?
“Naaah,” Reid responded. “We’ve got to keep running down the field.”
The primary goal for Reid is to keep alive his dream of playing professional football.
Saskatchewan is his third gridiron stop since graduating from Louisville — a noteworthy accomplishment, as you will soon see.
He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and subsequently spent time in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons before signing with Saskatchewan in December.
“It’s an opportunity to play football,” Reid said. “Any opportunity to play football that God blesses me with, I’m taking it.
“I’ve got two kids and I’m just trying to provide for them.”
He speaks proudly of Trevor Jr. (who is three years old) and Trenton (seven months).
“Fatherhood is a blessing,” Reid said. “Today, it kind of hurt me, because (Trevor Jr.) called me and said, ‘Dad, when are you coming home?’
“I said, ‘I’ve got to provide for you, man. I’ll be home in a minute but, hey, I’ve just got to do this.’ ”
Reid has done — and overcome — a great deal to even be in this position.
“Coming out of high school, I wasn’t doing the right stuff that I needed to be doing,” the 24-year-old CFL newcomer said.
“In high school, I had a 1.3 GPA and I wasn’t going to class and I was doing stupid stuff.”
But it was a very wise decision to enter Georgia Military College, where he was quickly introduced to the wakeup call that only an early-morning bugle call can provide.
“That’s the first thing you hear,” he said with a laugh.
“The military kind of molded me into a young man who needs to be disciplined. It turned me around to want to care and to want to graduate and to be something.
“Be something — don’t just be a regular.”
Reid evolved from what used to be his regular routine and earned a degree in criminal justice from the University of Louisville.
“It’s an amazing feeling, but I’m not done yet,” he stated. “I still want to get my master’s and I’m pushing toward that.
“I want to show my two boys that, ‘Hey, you can do it. You’ve just got to want to do it.’ ”
That will happen in due time. For now, Reid is immersing himself in Coors Light Riders Training Camp and devoting every day, every effort, to making the final roster.
Suffice to say that the backflips, as much as we are itching to see them, are also on hold.
“Right now,” he said, “I’m just working on my kick-step to protect Trevor.”
