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out with 20-year-old adults doing speed and agility training," John Sr. recalled. "That's when he realized, this was what we'll do." Now a 19-year old sophomore-to-be at Penn State, Reid has parlayed his uncom- mon sense of purpose into a key role in the Nittany Lions' secondary, having es- tablished himself as one of the team's fastest-rising stars. Playing in all 13 games last season, just a few months into the start of his career as a Nittany Lion, Reid immediately made his mark. He started in the season opener opposite Trevor Williams, filling in for an injured Grant Haley, and would go on to make 29 tackles while tying Haley for the team lead with two interceptions. Adding five pass breakups, seven passes defended and a forced fumble to his stat line, Reid immediately justified his position as one of five players in the true freshman class to see action in 2015. Described by head coach James Franklin as a playmaker with uncanny maturity, experience and a history of individual and team success, Reid came to Penn State last year amid expectations that he would make an early contribution. "He's just kind of a unique, different guy," Franklin said. "He's just a very focused, driven guy on school and football and re- ally those two things alone. He's been that way from the beginning, so it doesn't surprise me." Reid grew up in Mount Laurel, N.J., just east of Philadelphia, where the in- fluences of his family and friends helped foster his inquisitive nature. John Reid Sr. and his twin brother, Billy, were them- selves gifted athletes growing up, and they sought to create an environment in which John Jr.'s interests would be en- couraged and enriched. He took readily to their show of support, analyzing and dissecting the traits that lead to success. His analytical nature helped him under- stand both his strengths and weaknesses, and helped him resist the temptation to simply rely on his athletic ability to set himself apart. "I always wanted to be an athlete who was very talented naturally, but I wanted to be far above that in my knowledge of everything. I was never a guy who wanted something that was just naturally easy. I wanted to take the God-given talents that I've been given and work a lot harder to improve those," Reid said. "I was never satisfied with just getting things. I wanted to have it and then build upon it and keep working on it." That mindset explains why Reid is unable to pick out a best or worst play from his debut season as a Nittany Lion. His 44- yard interception return in Penn State's Big Ten opener against Rutgers would fig- ure to qualify, or maybe his 19-yard return of a fumbled ball in the same game. But Former Penn State coach Bill O'Brien had high praise for star pupil Christian Hackenberg at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. But if O'Brien, now coach of the NFL's Houston Texans, is think- ing about drafting Hackenberg, he's under- standably keeping his plans to himself. "First of all, he's a great kid, comes from a great family," O'Brien said. "We enjoyed recruiting him. I've known him since he was 17 years old when he was at Fork Union. So I've known him a long time, know his parents, his brothers. He's a humble kid. He's talented, smart, a good guy to be around, and I enjoyed coaching him his first year at Penn State. "I know him. I've been around him a long time, and some of these other [combine quarterbacks] I don't know. So naturally, I know him a little bit better. It doesn't mean I evaluate him any differently, it just means that I've been around him a little more." The Texans need a quarterback, making Hackenberg an intriguing name in Houston as the draft approaches. And the former Nittany Lion QB is an admirer of O'Brien after excelling un- der his guidance as a freshman at Penn State. "I think he really helped me develop a good base just in terms of football knowledge, defensive knowledge, and it's something that I've tried to con- tinue to expand on," Hackenberg said. "I think having to change systems [with the arrival of a new coaching staff in 2014] was huge for me as well, just being able to pick that up and translate things and see what crosses over. So I think overall, the entire ex- perience was really a huge positive for me. There are a lot of things that peo- ple look at as adversity, but it's stuff that you're going to deal with at this level. You see it year in and year out, changing systems, new coaches, new personnel. "So I think it was a great experience for me, and having the opportunity to do that at 18, 19 years old and go through that experience at that age, I think it's only prepared me for the rest of my career." Four Lions work out for scouts at NFL Combine P E N N S T A T E S P R I N G F O O T B A L L

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