Arvell Reese Emerging As Leader For Buckeyes

If you are going to be the starting middle linebacker of a football team, you better be able to lead. That is the situation that Ohio State junior Arvell Reese is now in as he takes the helm and replaces the departed Cody Simon.

A year ago, it was Simon who not only led the Buckeyes in tackles, but also led the Ohio State defense as a whole. As the quarterback of the defense, he got everybody where they needed to be and he communicated constantly.

Reese was Simon’s backup a year ago as a sophomore, learning on the fly, but also producing when given an opportunity. He finished with 43 tackles, but more importantly, he was on the field regularly as the Buckeyes’ third linebacker.

That experience has allowed him to hit the ground running towards being the leader the Buckeyes need this year.

“I think with ‘Vellie,’ a lot of it is just preparation,” explained linebackers coach James Laurinaitis. “I think when you’re a young player, there’s so much to learn. And sometimes it just goes back to habits. We talked about it a lot last year, and he got way better as the season went on, but it’s habits. Then it’s leadership. I think what we’ve seen so far in the winter is him taking a more active leadership role.”

Former Ohio State cornerback and 2008 Thorpe Award winner — and Laurinaitis teammate — Malcolm Jenkins talked to the team last year and one of his messages was that everyone should want to be the leader of their respective classes. It’s a message and mindset that Laurinaitis has passed on to each of his players.

It also fits the position and the role that Arvell Reese is going to have this season.

“If you’re a linebacker, you just naturally have to be a leader,” Laurinaitis said. “You’ve got to communicate so much. So it’s getting him to get out of his shell, which he did last year. And I, on purpose, roomed him with Cody Simon on the road for multiple reasons: to make sure that he was awake and coming to meetings on time, but just there was a maturity, obviously, that Cody had, having gone through it and pairing him with Vellie. But he’s had a phenomenal winter so far. And I’m excited to see him compete here once we get back.”

One of the other messages that Laurinaitis has for Reese is that he doesn’t have to be Cody Simon. Simon was a great leader, but he did it in his way. If Reese tries to lead like Simon, his teammates will see right through it. There are different ways to lead. Reese just needs to be comfortable enough in his job that his leadership style is authentic to himself and his personality.

“AJ Hawk was a great leader,” Laurinaitis said of his former OSU linebacker teammate. “AJ barely said anything when we were at practice. But then when AJ spoke, you’re like, ‘Okay.’ You know what I mean? But he was quiet. He did everything right. He worked his tail off. So there’s ways to be a leader and to encourage guys.”

The good news is that the lessons and messages have been working, and not just from Laurinaitis, but from the other linebackers as well.

Now that Arvell Reese is an upperclassman, it’s time to show that he is ready for everything that the middle linebacker position brings.

“Right now, he’s locked in. He’s done a great job becoming a leader, coming out of his shell,” Laurinaitis said. “I think for Vellie, it’s all about consistency and preparation. I’m proud of Arvell. Through the season, he got way better at a lot of the little things. Just note-taking and stuff. To get out a pen and paper, and you hear things, and immediately, ‘Oh, yeah, I got it.’ Well, you do until you’re dog-tired, and then you forget because you’re tired. You know what I mean? But when you really understand it, you’ll play faster, and he got so much better through the year.”

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