ATTN: AWK

[AUChizad]

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2013/08/auburns_trovon_reed_out_to_pro.html

Auburn's Trovon Reed out to silence critics who think he doesn't 'exist anymore'

Auburn's Trovon Reed feels ready to finally live up to his billing in his fourth year on campus. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)
 By Joel A. Erickson
on August 04, 2013 at 1:45 AM

AUBURN, Alabama -- Trovon Reed has seen every word written, heard every criticism, felt every indirect blow in an offseason filled with questions about who will emerge as Auburn's go-to receiver.

Sometimes it's the silence that hits the hardest.

Auburn wide receiver Trovon Reed has read and heard every word questioning whether or not he'll fulfill the fanfare he brought to campus as a highly-rated recruit, and he's heading into his fourth season on campus with a chip on his shoulder.

 Reed has been called injury-prone at best, at worst a bust, a sparkling recruiting prize who lost luster and collected a few dents long before he had a chance to shine.

Now he's out to prove anybody doubting his ability wrong.

"A lot of people think that Trovon Reed don’t exist anymore," Reed said. "I read a lot of stuff, hear a lot of stuff. That’s all motivation, you know. I still believe in myself. I know what I can do."

Reed is Auburn's most experienced returning receiver, a rotational player who has 30 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown in his two years of competition.

But many Tigers fans have always expected more than simple contributions out of Reed, rated as one of the nation's top receivers when he signed with Auburn in the 2010 class.

Reed admits he expected more out of himself.

"I thought it was going to be just like high school. I thought I was going to come in and just take over, you know," Reed said. "Injuries came with that. I mean, obstacles came with that."

 Handed a chance to be Auburn's Wildcat quarterback as a true freshman in 2010, Reed only got two carries before a knee injury forced him off the field, onto the sidelines and onto the redshirt list.

Reed came back to earn the No. 2 receiver job behind Emory Blake in 2011, only to suffer a shoulder injury that opened the door for Quan Bray to emerge in the slot, and he never found a fit in Scot Loeffler's offense.

"They were looking for big guys at receiver – big, physical guys," Reed said. "That’s just not my role. So being in this offense with Coach (Gus) Malzahn with the speed and all that, I feel like that’s my role."

When Malzahn was hired, Reed was so ecstatic that he called his former offensive coordinator right away. After all, the Thibodaux, La., product had been pried away from in-state favorite LSU largely because of a chance to play in Malzahn's hurry-up, no-huddle offense.

All of a sudden, Reed felt like he had a new lease on the life of his college career.

After spending last summer bulking up in an effort to compete in an offense that required size, Reed dropped back to 185 pounds, streamlining his body to be the versatile player Malzahn always envisioned.

"Trovon's one of those guys that he knows this offense. He knows all three receiver positions, and really even four, counting the slot to the boundary," Malzahn said. "Really looking forward to him contributing and making plays.

The combination of Reed's knowledge of the offense and his time in the program made him a natural leader for the wide receivers this offseason.

But Reed has been helping lead his teammates for years. When Bray arrived two years ago  shortly after losing his mother tragically, Reed took the kid under his wing, even though Bray was brought in to compete for Reed's job.

The two receivers were mirror images, both on the field and off. Neither player had a strong father figure. Both players lost their mothers tragically right before making it to campus. Reed's mother died of stomach cancer in 2010, and he still wears the No. 1 because it's the first number she ever chose for him.

Bray has leaned on Reed's guidance ever since.

"When my mom died I just wanted to give up on everything, football and everything. Quan was basically the same way, he was having all kinds of problems," Reed said. "I just had to sit down, tell him and have like a grown-man talk with him. ... I'm holding him accountable to it every day."
 
 That kind of strength has earned Reed the respect of his teammates, who put him in charge of the receivers over the summer and saw a receiver finally coming into his own.

Reed, who made his debut mostly as a player who caught bubble screens and short passes into the flat, has become a crafty route-runner.

"He sets his routes up really good," Tigers defensive back Josh Holsey said. "When he's going out, he really sells it. He's really been working hard."

No matter what his teammates are seeing, Reed still faces criticism from the outside, from observers who wonder if he'll ever live up to his former billing.

That's what drives Reed right now.

A chance to prove himself and shed the labels he's heard all offseason.

"That’s in the past. What happened, happened. I’m just looking at everything going forward," Reed said. "It’s motivation. Growing up, I was always the smallest on the field. Everybody always said I couldn’t do this, couldn’t do that. I defeated the odds. So I feel like I can do it now."

[GH2001]

Awk says.......

[wesfau2]

Two seasons?  He's really only been here two seasons?

[AWK]

[Saniflush]

Two seasons?  He's really only been here two seasons?

No doubt. I thought he was on the Danial Cobb program.

[Jumbo]

Maybe he'll have 10 catches this year.

[Token]

Damnit. I thought this was gonna be a "Taint Watch" thread.

[The Prowler]

Maybe he'll have 10 catches this year.

Championship

[Jumbo]

Championship

That's all we need.

[Townhallsavoy]

Two seasons?  He's really only been here two seasons?

Three, right?

He was supposed to be the wildcat qb in 2010.

[Buzz Killington]

Next season will be HIS season!