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The college football season is just over one month away! With the off-season quickly coming to an end, Building the Dam is unveiling their top 30 most valuable football players for the 2018 season. We’ll countdown by previewing one player at a time until it’s almost time for some Beaver football.
#26: Jeromy Reichner - Defensive End
Jeromy Reichner is a 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive end originally from West Philadelphia. He walked on at Temple and then attended Los Angeles Valley Community College in 2017; with the hopes of proving himself and earning a Division-I scholarship.
Reichner tallied 35 tackles, added five for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception and two blocked kicks. He was named All-Conference in 2017 and was rewarded with scholarship offers from Oregon State and Rhode Island.
He now finds himself in the mix for a starting spot at the Beavers thinnest position group. Jonathan Smith and company, quickly moved him into the first unit during spring practices and the coaching staff has been thrilled with his effort and production.
A redshirt junior, Reichner will has two years of eligibility remaining. Oregon State is needing an immediate contribution from him on the defensive line. The Beavers struggled to stop the run and develop a pass-rush last season and that was before they lost a plethora of seniors to graduation.
Oregon State’s success with recruiting junior college defensive lineman has been hit-and-miss in recent years. The Beavers have finished last in the Pac-12 over the past three seasons and will hope a defensive line led by Kalani Vakameilalo and Elu Aydon can help fix their pass-rush issues.
Jeromy Reichner obviously will need to get a better grasp on the playbook. But he gets off blocks very well and has the passion and underdog mentality that every good defensive player needs.
The list so far:
#25: Jeromy Reichner - DE
#27: Isaac Garcia - DE
#28: Shemar Smith - LB
#29: Shawn Wilson - CB
Our countdown continues tomorrow with the 24th Most Valuable Player for the Beavers in 2018.