Change doesn't change Albert Reese
Change is something Albert Reese has learned to take in stride.
A native of Alberta, Canada, Reese took the voyage from the Great White North several years ago to Clearwater, Fla. The 6’7, 300-pounder loved the game of football and growing at a rate that it was evident that he had a future playing it.
After prepping at Clearwater Academy, the college scholarship offers came and more change was coming as he moved to Mississippi. Entering year for at Mississippi State, Reese has now played in three different schemes for three different head coaches and offensive line coaches.
Every offense and every coach has been looked at as a new challenge for “Big Al”. This one under Jeff Lebby is just another chance for him to prove himself.
“I’m very excited. Change is always an interesting thing,” Reese said. “It’s a fresh start to determine your future. I think it will allow us to do a variety of things on the field. It’s well-balanced with passing and running and a lot of interesting plays.”
Reese stepping into big role in 2024
Reese has been looked at as an NFL prospect since his high school playing days. He has the body, the skill and the mind to play football for several more years and 2024 is his chance to take that next step.
Lebby noticed that Reese had a different kind of look to him right when the coach arrived to Starkville, but it’s been Reese’s consistency at the facility and his leadership that has impressed Lebby the most.
“Here’s a guy that earned a starting job through spring, through toughness and through this competitive spirit of just getting better every single day. Albert is a guy who embodies exactly what we want in offensive line play and leadership inside that unit.
Here’s a guy that’s a college graduate, he’s from Alberta, heads to Tampa, now he’s made his way to Starkville, Mississippi, and he’s creating this great life for himself because he invests in himself every single day.”
While there are still fall camp practices to play out, Reese has just about locked himself in on the offensive line.
The big, agile blocker has shown versatility up front in playing just about every position on the line. Prior to this season, most of that time has come at right tackle, but Reese is now looking to be a guard for the Bulldogs this fall.
New line coach Cody Kennedy has been instrumental in preparing Reese for that opportunity. Having played for Mason Miller and Will Friend in his first three seasons, Reese said that Kennedy brings a different kind of energy and teaching style.
“Everybody really likes him. He’s a great coach and has done a great job teaching us all of the new plays since it’s an entirely new offense,” Reese said of Kennedy. “Every coach is different and coach Kennedy is different than any other coach I’ve had.”
In the coming weeks, Reese and his teammates will make the final push for the 2024 season as they gather for training camp. That doesn’t mean that preparations haven’t already been ongoing, as the Bulldogs have been working incredibly hard this summer with strength coaches Shaud Williams and Jaworski Beckham.
Reese has seen improvements, physically, in most of his teammates. Those improvements don’t exclude the offensive line as that group has grown tremendously in the weight room and on the field, but Reese has seen even more growth in the comradery.
With a group that is going to be almost entirely new on game one, that is crucial. Reese is excited about what that unit has in store.
“We’ve really come together more this summer,” Reese said of the offensive line. “We needed to pay more attention to spending more time with each other instead of just when it was mandatory.
“When I was first coming into the spring, I didn’t know how long it would take everyone to get used to each other. I was pleasantly surprised that we did it so quickly.”
