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, who was already one of the Nittany Lions’ leaders, that he was going to have to take his leadership “to another level. You have to bring guys with you.
Your role is now going to be magnified.” Reed has sparkled in the spotlight, leading Penn State in tackles and making several game-changing plays. He’s a chief reason why the fourth-ranked Lions (12-2) are in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals playing ninth-ranked Boise State (12-1) in the Fiesta Bowl Tuesday night at 7:30 (TV-ESPN).
“He’s made the key interceptions and the key tackles at the critical times,” Allen said Friday. “He’s one of those guys who 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’s going to have my back and get the job done.” Reed stood out from the beginning of 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 delivered 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-winning drive in a game the Lions won in overtime.
Against the Badgers, he returned an interception 19 yards for a third-quarter touchdown for the go-ahead sc.
