2022 LB Tre Reader High on Notre Dame
The Reader family has become a fixture around Tampa for athletic achievements, food and hair. (We'll get to the hair part a little later)
2022 Berkeley Prep (Fla.) linebacker Tre Reader has flown under the radar until this week as Michigan and Notre Dame offered preferred walk-on spots.
Former Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston surprised Reader with the opportunity to go to Michigan on Monday.
"I was a little shocked by that," Reader told ISD. "Coach Elston was helping me a lot with this whole process. When he went over to Michigan, he reached out to me and I thought that was pretty special in itself. I was really surprised and pumped."
Reader visited Notre Dame in October for the North Carolina game and left feeling like the opportunity would come. He stayed in contact and on Wednesday, Chad Bowden delivered the good news while making a stop at Berkeley Prep.
"It really became a reality," Reader stated. "It's funny because I've always loved Notre Dame and it's like a dream come true.
"It's not every day you get an opportunity to go somewhere like Notre Dame - and not even just for the football aspect, but everything that Notre Dame brings to the table. I think that it's something truly amazing and it's really humbling."
Reader is more than familiar with Notre Dame as his younger brother, Troy, is a 2023 Irish baseball commit and his good friend, Keon Keeley, is a 2023 football commit.
On Wednesday, the Berkeley Prep locker room hosted a special moment as Reader broke the news to his brother and Keeley.
"It was awesome," explained Reader. "Right after I found out, we were in the football locker room and some of the guys use it for PE. It happened that Troy had PE that block after I talked with Coach Bowden.
"Troy came in and gave me a big hug. He was fired up. Keon walked in and he was loving every second of it. It was really special. I look at Keon as a brother and to have the opportunity to go to college with those guys and play sports at a university like Notre dame is really special."
During their fall visit, Notre Dame's football staff went above and beyond, which included a special photoshoot involving the entire Reader family and Keeley.
"I thought that was really remarkable," said Reader. "I had no contact with Notre Dame before that visit. To see how they took care of me when I was with Keon, it really left an impression on me. It really made me feel great about the staff they have up there."
Reader has seen firsthand the power of culture and networking as his father, Nick, worked for the Buccaneers and Lightning before becoming the CEO of PDQ.
The chance to be part of Notre Dame's football program is special, but Reader knows the networking opportunities are endless.
"I feel it's the culture," Reader said of what makes Notre Dame special. "The energy on campus and the connections you can make with the people are valuable. That really stands out the most to me."
On the field, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder is a classic linebacker. Reader will find a way to get the job done and punishing opponents comes naturally.
"I feel my biggest strength is I'm a hard worker," Reader said. "I give everything I have every day. I feel that ability has helped me craft my game. I'm always trying to improve hip mobility and side-to-side movement, which is huge as a linebacker.
"I'm an old-school, blue-collar guy and give everything I have and then do it again the next day."
One player who knows about Reader's old-school style of play is 2023 five-star quarterback Arch Manning. Reader sacked Manning in a 49-24 win over Isidore Newman and it's a memory he won't soon forget.
"That definitely is up there," laughed Reader. "It's not every day you get to sack Arch Manning. That's a story I'll have for the rest of my life. That trip was amazing and it was great to do it with some of my closest friends."
Columbia, Fordham and Stetson have offered Reader and he'll now weigh his options as he hopes to make a couple of visits before February's National Signing Day.
"I'm still trying to figure dates," stated Reader. "I've talked about it. I'd love to get up to Notre Dame and we talked about maybe getting up there next weekend.
"When looking at this scenario, I'm blessed to talk to all the schools because they're all prestigious academic schools. I feel Michigan and Notre Dame bring something truly special, especially Notre Dame with the alumni base. It's just hard to beat that."
As for the hair, Reader feels his family has the best hair in Tampa and it's not close.
"We have the long hair," laughed Reader. "I didn't ever give in on the long hair until 10th grade. Troy convinced me and my dad grew it out with me. Ever since then, we pride ourselves with our hair. We feel we have the best hair in Tampa."
Senior Highlights