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Jayland Reed has developed into more than just a playmaking safety for the Troup football team, he is a leader and a veteran on a team that is full of youth. It has been a long time coming for Reed, who has sat behind and played alongside some of the very best defensive players in Troup history. 

“It’s a good feeling to be able to lead these guys,” Reed said. “I had guys like that when I first started and a lot of these guys I’ve been playing with for a while, so it makes my job easier.

“Seeing what they did and how they had an impact on the team, their leadership, that’s what I look forward to doing with the team we have now.”

The senior defensive back began to put things together during his sophomore campaign in 2022, registering 26 tackles and a forced fumble as he was a key player on a team that made the 4A state semifinals. 

“I got my first start against Hardaway my 10th grade year and from there I was playing for the varsity team,” Reed said. “I was a little nervous at first. You know, I’m not gonna say I wasn’t ready, but I had to get ready quickly. They put me in that fight at a young age and it helped me to develop.

This set the table for a breakout junior season in which he led the team with two interceptions and tallied 28 tackles.

“I have played offense a little bit, but defense is more fun,” Reed said. “There is nothing like getting an interception.”

Despite missing a game this season, Reed is up to 16 tackles, and an interception and a fumble recovery.

“My goal this season was to show improvement from last year,” Reed said. “It is not all about the stats.”

Growing up watching his brothers play on the gridiron for Troup made him ever impatient to suit up in the blue and gold himself.

“Seeing my brother play was inspiring, so I decided to start playing in the second grade,” Reed said. “One of my brothers started at LaGrange before coming here and my other brother played here for four years, so it’s special to be playing here.

“Both of them played linebacker, but I ended up playing defensive back.”

In middle school, Reed played linebacker like his older brothers, but that all changed when he got to the high school ranks and made the shift into the defensive backfield.

Reed is hoping that this will not be the final run on the football field. The senior aspires to suit up and play at the next level in 2025. 

“Recruiting is starting to pick up and hopefully as the season continues it will continue to pick up,” he said. 

Regardless of what happens in the future, Troup football has made an indelible impact on Reed.

“It is a brotherhood, a family,” Reed said. “We have become really close because a lot of us have been playing together for so long.”