Shortly after KJ Winston suffered a season-ending injury in September, Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen met with Jaylen Reed, another veteran safety on the team.
Allen told Reed, already a leader of the Nittany Lions, that he was going to have to take his leadership “to another level.” You have to bring guys with you. Your role will now be amplified.
Reed shined in the spotlight, leading Penn State in tackles and making several game-changing plays.
That’s a big reason the fourth-ranked Lions (12-2) are in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals and face ninth-ranked Boise State (12-1) in the Fiesta Bowl Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. (TV-ESPN).
“He made the key interceptions and the key tackles at critical times,” Allen said Friday. “He’s one of those guys that texts me, ‘Hey, Coach, put this on me.’
“He wants to be the guy. He wants me to know that I can count on him and trust him. He will support me and get the job done.
Reed stood out early in his second season as a starter. He made nine tackles, broke up two passes and recovered a fumble in the opener at West Virginia.
In October, he made big plays in road games at USC and Wisconsin. He intercepted a pass in the final minute of regulation to stop the Trojans’ potential game-winner in a game the Lions won in overtime. Against the Badgers, he returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter for the go-ahead win in a comeback victory.
“He makes our defense better by the way he controls the secondary,” linebacker Kobe King said, “how smart he is, how he communicates, how he facilitates once he gets on the field.
“It’s just the way he brings other guys to his level. A lot of guys have certain characteristics in their game. There are certain things they do, good or bad. He wants guys to be like him.
Allen initially played Reed at the Lion position, a hybrid between a safety and a linebacker, in his 4-2-5 sets. But when Winston, who was playing defensive back, was injured against Bowling Green, Reed returned to replace him and played superbly.
“I feel like Jaylen Reed is one of the smartest guys on our team,” linebacker Dominic DeLuca said. “The way he understands the game is crazy. He knows the play before it is even performed.
“We communicate a lot about what we see from different angles. We communicate and improve each other. We get played faster. It’s huge.
Reed was disappointed he didn’t do better than second team All-Big Ten, then with the defense’s performance in Penn State’s 45-37 loss to Oregon in the conference championship game.
“With that type of game and that type of environment, I definitely took it personally,” Reed said. “It was the Big Ten championship (game). It’s something I’ve been waiting for. We ended up failing.
“We had to regroup and refocus to play SMU (in the first round of the CFP). We took it upon ourselves to express our anger against them. Nobody likes to lose. We must continue.
With his eligibility exhausted, Reed hopes to play in the NFL next year. He should be a third day draft pick. He’s already improved Penn State’s legacy of safeties after learning from older teammates Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown, who are playing in the NFL.
“These guys text me all the time,” Reed said. “They tell me what I did right and what I did wrong. It’s just the tradition we have here at Penn State. I feel like I meet the standard well. I just do it my way and go about it my way.
