Reece talks about the future

The NFL Combine took place last weekend and nary a Washington Husky was on-hand to ply their wares in front of NFL coaches and scouts. On March 14th, the Huskies will hold their pro day and a player who will do his best to impress those in attendance is Marcel Reece. Dawgman.com caught up with the big-play receiver earlier this week and he talked about his future and a rumored position change...

"I’m still working out as a receiver, I’m still able to play receiver," Reece said with a laugh when asked about being listed as a fullback in some NFL Draft databases. "They’ve been talking about different positions like tight end, they’ve been saying that my whole career, they’ve been saying H-Back which they don’t list as a fullback, but to be honest I will play anything they want me to play, anything that’s going to help the team just like I came in with the same mindset I came to U-Dub.

"It’s just whatever will help the team and what’s going to make me a better player and a better person that’s what I’m going to do. I pray that it is wide receiver so I can play outside, but if it isn’t then it’s just ‘I want to play football’."

Reece turned down offers from Kentucky and Utah to come to Washington and when he stepped on campus in the summer of 2006, he was bigger than expected weighing in at an estimated 250 pounds

After working hard all summer to get connected with then-Husky QB and current Dallas Cowboys WR Isaiah Stanback, Reece only made an impact in two games -- versus Fresno State and Washington State.

He was expected to be the big-play reeceiver the Huskies needed in 2007 after the graduation of Sonny Shackleford and finished second on the team with 39 receptions for 761 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns.

Reece noted that not attending classes and working out to get in the best shape possible before pro day has been a big change for him.

"Surprisingly to me it’s been more of a transformation from what I thought it was going to be," Reece noted. "I always try and work my hardest, especially in the offseason, but with what’s coming up this offseason has just been so demanding on me and I feel great.

"It’s just about getting into even better shape than I’ve ever been in. It’s staying in the best physical condition possible and having my mind right, that’s a big thing coming up with the Draft is just being mentally strong and able to take anything from criticism to the praise as well."

He went into detail on his training regimen and, just reading it, one might need to take a breather.

"Basically I can say, with my pre-Draft training, I’m in the gym six days a week," Reece said. "I work out two times a day, sometimes three, and in the morning it’s running and sprint technique and in-between that I have some conditioning and extra cardio for myself and after that it’s hitting the weights and trying to build even more lean muscle on my body to not only look great and feel great, but play a higher caliber of football.

"There are times when you’re driving home where you catch a cramp from doing so much work in a day and there’s days when you wake up and you don’t feel anything. But on Sunday, when you’re not in the weight room and you’re not on the field working that morning you feel great from a long week of work and that’s what keeps you going."

Reece's agent is Michael Hoffman with Premier Sports, the man who represents Stanback and former Oregon State and current St. Louis Rams RB Steven Jackson.

"I'm still on the same team with Isaiah," Reece said with a chuckle. "It's been a good relationship with my agent and getting things set up for March 14th."

With Reece missing the combine, it's safe to say he was a bit concerned with his exclusion, but the young man from southern California said he's not going to worry about things that he can't control.

"That was a question I had to ask myself," Reece said. "Why wasn’t I there? That’s something that’s out of my control; it’s out of the Husky fans’ control; it’s out of coach Willingham’s control.

"Everyone gets their chance and it’s about what you do with that chance. I’m sure that everybody is like me and watching the combine. I’m happy with my chances and what I can do."

And he'll get that chance on March 14th.