4'5", 95-Pound RB Adam Reed Won't Let His Size Keep Him from the Game He Loves

Earlier in the spring, Adam Reed admitted he thought of quitting the football team at American Heritage (Florida) High School.

While he’s not one of the stars of the Patriots’ nationally ranked squad (via USA Today), the 4’5”, 95-pound running back has been praised by head coach Mike Rumph as being one of the team’s best examples of leadership.

Reed has been at Heritage—which is a K-12 school in Plantation, Florida—since the third grade, and he’s played football in the Patriots program since middle school. But when he failed to move up to the school’s varsity program after last season, he questioned whether he wanted to continue playing.

“I was like, 'Dang, I’m not feeling football,' ” Reed told Bleacher Report. “But I’ve never quit anything in my life. I knew then I had to keep pursuing it because that’s what was in my heart. This was after my second season on JV. People in my grade moved up and people under me moved up, but I still stayed there, so I was like the oldest one left. That was tough. But I toughed it out and finally got brought up to varsity.” 

Rumph said that while he doesn’t cut players, Reed earned his spot through hard work and displaying a commitment to the team in summer workouts. 

“Whatever we were doing, he did everything we asked him to do,” Rumph said. “He earned my respect really fast this past summer. Ever since then, he’s been a part of the varsity program.”

It’s not every day you see a football player Reed’s size playing high school football, much less at a program such as Heritage. As noted by Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald, the Patriots have won back-to-back 5A state titles in an area widely recognized as one of nation’s top hotbeds for high school football.

Reed has dealt with questions about his size, or lack thereof, for many years. However, his love affair with the game began as a youngster growing up following local powers such as the Miami Hurricanes and the Miami Dolphins.

“My mom is a huge Dolphins fan,” Reed said. “I always grew up watching the Dolphins, and Sunday nights are a big thing at my house. Then, the Hurricanes too. It just developed from there. I love it, man.”

He started out playing flag football due to size restrictions, but finally strapped on the pads beginning in the sixth grade.

Given his diminutive stature, Reed has heard the chatter and jokes about his size through the years.

But if you’re expecting it to faze him, think again.

“I don’t worry about it. It doesn’t bother me because I expect that,” Reed said. “Some people would be like, ‘Oh man, that’s rude. Why would you say that?’ I’m like, 'Nah.' It’s logical. I know. But my love for the sport, nothing can break that.”

It’s certainly not an issue with his teammates at Heritage.

Rumph, who was a former star defensive back at Miami and a former first-round NFL draft pick, said his players treat Adam no differently than anyone else.

“He’s a Heritage veteran, so people look up to him and they respect him for his abilities and what he brings to this team,” Rumph said. “So it’s almost the opposite case with him where they accept him as a friend and a teammate so well, they don’t see why it’s a big deal about what he’s doing. That’s because they have been around him so long.”

“On the field, we work with our position groups,” Reed said. “So I’m always one of the guys. We go through the same process. They have always been supportive of me. They have never left me out of the group or nothing like that.”

He did see the field over the last two seasons playing on the junior varsity squad, but his playing status on varsity remains unclear for a few reasons. 

For starters, Rumph said he has had discussions with Reed and his mom about player safety, and Reed understands that he may not get to see the field much, if at all. Reed told Rumph that he just wanted to continue to be a part of the team and the Heritage family.

Another reason is that the Patriots backfield is loaded with talents, such as 4-star junior Kyshaun Bryan. 

However, Rumph said that because Reed has been so selfless and continued to flash his abilities in practice, he wants to find a way to get his senior leader on the field this fall.

“Now, with how he has done in practice, and the good things he’s been doing, he’s been a lot better than what we originally thought,” Reed said. “He hasn’t missed one day. We are trying to figure out ways to get him the same opportunity as any other kid that is on the team. Whether that is getting him on the kickoff team or getting him on the goal line to run a one-yard touchdown, we are going to find a way to get him out there and get him on the field. Because, he has actually been more of a nonverbal leader for us this year. We fully understand what he has been through in his life.”

Reed knows his playing career is likely to end after this season. Still, he said he’d like to find a way to be involved with football in the future.

“I’d definitely like to stick with the game,” Reed said. “Maybe not on the field, but I’d like to find a way to be involved with the game. It’s taught me about becoming a man. Working hard and not taking anything for granted. Coach Rumph is really big on everyone becoming a good man. So he’s really stuck on doing the right things, not taking anything for granted and things like that.”

Rumph, who joked Reed could also try acting because of his personality, said coaching him has taught him valuable lessons about being able to reach his players on and off the field. 

“When he came to American Heritage in the third grade, I’m sure he got teased and dealt with all kinds of jokes. But throughout all of that, he remained who he is. He’s adapted and he’s become a varsity football player at one of the top programs in the United States of America. For someone to sit back and make fun of him for his situation, I don’t have any patience for that because Adam Reed is a person who has shown that you can do whatever you want to do as long as you work hard, stick with it and remain focused.”

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani