Former Northeast, Tennessee football star Jalen Reeves-Maybin carves out niche, Pro Bowl spot
In the beginning, Jalen Reeves-Maybin was his own niche.
Reeves-Maybin starred in every phase of the game at Northeast from 2009 to 2012. As a dual-threat quarterback, he compiled nearly 8,000 yards of offense and more than 100 touchdowns. As a linebacker, he racked up 234 tackles in his junior and senior seasons combined, earning All-State honors in both.
But as versatile and all-encompassing as Reeves-Maybin's skill set was, his coach, Isaac Shelby, would remind the four-star recruit that showing value to colleges didn't always have to come through doing everything.
"Sometimes, one of the best things you can do on a high school tape is block a kick," Shelby said. " . . . If you end up going to college football, a lot of times, (special teams) is the first thing you do."
Reeves-Maybin, a seven-year NFL veteran, was selected to this week's Pro Bowl in Orlando, earning the NFC's special teams spot, though he won't be able to play because of an injury. His Pro Bowl selection — and second-team All-Pro recognition — comes after he helped the Detroit Lions to the brink of the franchise's first Super Bowl.
A decade after he was tasked with doing everything a football player could do, the former Tennessee star and Clarksville high school legend has firmly found his professional role.
"He's got a great feel for the game, high character on and off the field, he's really smart, he's going to know exactly what he's supposed to be doing," said Mark Elder, Reeves-Maybin's special teams coordinator with the Tennessee Vols from 2013 to 2016. "He's going to be very well-prepared every single week. Those are a lot of the things that have allowed him to play at such a high level and continue to be successful in the NFL."
Reeves-Maybin led the Volunteers with 11 special teams tackles as a freshman and blocked a punt against Georgia, which led to a touchdown. While his playing time on special teams dipped as he became a starting linebacker in 2014 and racked up 227 tackles in the next three seasons, Shelby was prescient: It was Reeves-Maybin's special teams ability that allowed him to make an immediate impact in the SEC.
Elder remembers Reeves-Maybin, listed by the Lions at 6-foot, 226 pounds, as a talented natural athlete with solid size, if maybe not a "Greek god chiseled out of granite." Instead, Reeves-Maybin used his craftiness, spatial awareness and overall football intelligence to get on the Vols' special teams units. He played on kickoffs, punts, field goals and extra points early in his college career.
"In special teams, your assignments are drilled down just a little bit," Elder said. "There's a ton of space, so guys that have a great feel for things and just naturally make a lot of very good split-second decisions, they tend to thrive."
Reeves-Maybin has been an on-and-off starter at linebacker during his seven years in the NFL. While he didn't start a game for Detroit this season, he tied for the league lead with 14 special teams tackles, and also served as the Lions' punt protector. It's a role that, according to Elder, is the most mentally demanding special teams spot, requiring a burst of split-second decisions.
"All the checks that you might need to make on what they're showing, as far as the pressure look is concerned, he's got to be able to do these things," Elder said. "He also has to be able to block, so he has to be physical and stout.
"He's a quick thinker and able to process what the best move would be in a quick amount of time. There's not much difference between being a Pro Bowler and a guy getting cut."
Reeves-Maybin also converted a pair of fake punts this season. In the Lions' season-opening win over the Kansas City Chiefs, he took a direct snap and powered ahead for a 3-yard gain and a first down. In a December loss to the Dallas Cowboys, he threw a 31-yard pass to Khalil Dorsey to keep a drive alive.
When Shelby watched those plays, it brought back memories of Reeves-Maybin doing everything in high school.
"He was a really good overall player," Shelby said. "He wasn't one of those guys that was just good at one thing. He could do a little bit of everything."
Jalen Reeves-Maybin is first Pro Bowler from Clarksville
The city of Clarksville has produced just a handful of NFL players in history. Clarksville High and Tennessee alum Harry Galbreath made 131 starts as an offensive lineman from 1988 to 1996, while Bob Rush, who played at Northwest and then Memphis, played from 1977 to 1985 and was named an All-Rookie lineman.
Reeves-Maybin is the only Clarksville native currently on a roster. He's also the first from the city to ever be named a Pro Bowler.
MORE: Ranking the top 15 Clarksville-area high school athletes over the past 15 years
At the high school level, Clarksville teams have had limited success. No team from Clarksville has ever won a TSSAA championship, and only six have even reached the state quarterfinals. At Northeast, Reeves-Maybin was part of two of them.
For Shelby, watching his former player's success gives hope for the city's potential.
"I think it's good for the community," he said. "It's good for the young kids to look up and see what they can do."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Jalen Reeves-Maybin: Detroit Lions LB, Tennessee star to miss Pro Bowl
