Catching up with Dominique Reese
Dominique Reese lines up opposite Steve Smith. AARON MAY/SPORTS SPECTRUM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dominique Reese lined up against Steve Smith, one of the NFL’s premier wide receivers, ready to show what he has learned.
The first time they matched up, Smith caught a short pass that Reese couldn’t have stopped. The second time Reese covered his man (albeit Smith was wearing sneakers) he forced an incompletion.
Reese was one of several NFL draft hopefuls, including former Georgia Tech teammate Joshua Nesbitt, working out with current and former NFL players in Charlotte, N.C.
“I’m just trying to learn as much as I can,” Reese said.
After playing safety as a sophomore and junior, Reese moved to cornerback last season and led the team with 10 pass break-ups. Though his agent, Robert Walker, said Reese could play either in the NFL, Reese said he’s enjoyed focusing on cornerback during this training camp, which started the second week in January and will end the first week of March.
“It’s been a huge help,” Reese said. “I’ve been taking some of the stuff coach Groh taught. He taught me so much in that one year. I’m thankful for him. He coached in the NFL, so he knows what they are looking for.”
Reese wasn’t invited to any of the senior games or the NFL combine. His best chance to catch a scout’s eye will come at Tech’s pro day in March.
“I expect him to run around 4.4 40 [yard dash],” trainer Darin Tyson said. “He’s one of the guys that wants to do the right thing, he’s easily coachable. You just have to slow him down [sometimes] to put him in the right position.”
Helping his training has been that he’s finally healthy. He played with a shoulder injury that so bad he couldn’t bench when he arrived in Charlotte. After working with their medical staff, he said he’s now throwing up 225.
Reese graduated with a degree in management. He wants to play the professional football so badly, he turned down two job offers so that he could come work out to give it a shot.
“It’s always been a dream, always been a dream,” he said.
– Doug Roberson, AJC
Note: I apologize that I haven’t had a new blog in a few days. On Wednesday I drove to Charlotte to interview Nesbitt first thing Thursday morning. When I arrived, there stood Reese. Thursday afternoon was spent driving back, and then I came down with a nasty sore throat and body ache that forced me to bed for the past two days. Sitting in my hotel in Durham, N.C. Sunday afternoon was the first chance I’ve had to work on stuff with a somewhat clear mind.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
80 comments Add your comment
Modern Era
February 20th, 2011
7:45 pm
Since Bobby Dodd left Tech , Tech has won 53.2 % of its football games (269-236-8) , Participated in 1 major bowl game, have had mores season with 4 or fewer wins than 9 or more wins. Won 2 conference titles.and shared 1 national title has participated in only 21 bowl games (9-12 in those games)There have been some fine players that have played at Tech, but football tradition is about wins, championships, major bowls, finishing in the top 10. Tech had a rich football tradition that began waning in the mid 60’s. since Dodd’s exit at the end of 66 Tech has a record of 12-32 against UGA It does hold a slight edge over Clemson 22-17-1. Since Dodd left Techs been mostly bad. On a brighter note it does lead the nation in moral victories.
5150 UOAD
February 20th, 2011
8:12 pm
I know it is early, but Tech is leading DUKE. We are actually making some shots.
George Stein
February 20th, 2011
9:33 pm
That has to be one of the dumbest comments ever, Tech Forever. You don’t even give criteria for what would reflect a poor or strong performance at their pro days.
You’re just a UGA fan posing as a Tech fan. Creative, because no one ever does that!
KillBuzz
February 20th, 2011
9:49 pm
You guys SUCK at basketball (and football obviously)
Biff Pocoroba
February 20th, 2011
9:59 pm
At least Hewitt won’t ever have to play another game at Cameron.
George Stein
February 20th, 2011
10:36 pm
Pretty sure that sucky football team has beaten your boys 6 of the last 8, KillBuzz. But, please, don’t let facts get in the way.
No disagreement about the hoops team. I would assume Climpsun is the expert in crummy hoops teams though.
KillBuzz
February 20th, 2011
10:47 pm
Didn’t Climpsun beat Tech twice this year in hoops?
weird.
surfrider
February 20th, 2011
10:54 pm
2000 Tech Beats Ga. for the 3rd straight year and Fridge goes to Maryland. Donnan gone and Richt comes in and they are 9-1. The Dawgs don’t want Tech to get the upper hand and so does’nt VT, MIami, UNC, etc…so we have our work cut out but are in a strong position. Defense needs to improve and so does offense particularly scoring and passing. Good luck to Reese, he has the ability.
@surfrider
February 20th, 2011
11:24 pm
unfortunately Tech had to cheat to compete, originally the NCAA sanctions Tech was to vacate wins from from those years. Remember the NCAA investigation and the NCAA penalties that were enforced in 2005 and 2006?
George Stein
February 20th, 2011
11:27 pm
That would be awesome trash talk if I cared about hoops, KillBuzz.
George Stein
February 20th, 2011
11:28 pm
Tech never vacated any wins, @surfrider. Do your homework.
@surfrider
February 21st, 2011
3:55 am
Stein, I never said they did. I said the originally the sanctions. assumed Tech fans would know what the penalties were.
Dawggie
February 21st, 2011
8:27 am
Congrats on Jarred Jack’s drunken rampage through Gwinnett County. What a Thug!!
gt
February 21st, 2011
8:36 am
Jackets don’t leave much change on the table. I got a feeling you could find some dawgs under coached with talent, toughen them up and have a diamond in the rough but Tech gets a lot more juice from its players and if they have not been noticed they probably are not going to be. Dyer the ACC player of the year barely made it last year, all this talent Gailey was suppose to have recruited must have been using the same rating service as Georgia, they are not that good. I think most of these guys going to Georgia come out soft. They have talent but are not tough enough. At Tech they are not talented enough.
dawgfan
February 21st, 2011
9:21 am
“Tech gets a lot more juice from its players…”
Just went 6-7. Have only beaten Georgia once in 10 years. Haven’t won a bowl game in 6 seasons. Haven’t won a major bowl game in almost 60 years. Haven’t finished anywhere near the Top 10 since 1990.
Techies, all I’m saying is this. You sure are quick to pop off at the mouth and criticize other programs. It isn’t just Georgia. You clowns run your mouths about everyone. The second anyone criticizes yours you run and hide behind academics, Florida, or some other irrelevant issue that has nothing to do with your pile of crap football program. You’re just a joke. That’s all I’m saying.
Thanks.
if my dream team center piece was
February 21st, 2011
9:26 am
a guy named crowell i would keep my trap shut.
he is the reincarnation of ‘pacman’ plus and will lead t he dawgs to another fulmer cup.
the fulmer cup will be the only thing their dfream team will win over the next four years.
dawgfan
February 21st, 2011
9:44 am
What about the Governor’s Cup big mouth? Does that count? I bet Crowell will score a few of those. Of course, the game doesn’t mean anything if Georgia wins it according to Tech fans. I guess big mouth has already decided that Crowell will be winning 4 Governor’s Cups since he didn’t even bring it up.
roughrider
February 21st, 2011
10:01 am
How many bowl games has Tech lost in a row?
dawggie
February 21st, 2011
10:30 am
dawgfan speaks the truth.
@gt
February 21st, 2011
1:10 pm
How many games you think PJ would’ve won without Gaileys talent? From and NFL prospective Dwyer would have been much better off transferring as well as Nesbitt. Which player has PJ developed into a game changer since her arrived? Who has he recruited? Tech fans dismiss that in 2005 and 2006 recruiting Gailey was saddled with probation. Went to ACC championship in 2006 and made the most of it signing what is probably Techs highest ranking class, What did PJ do with success Zero. Its funny that most Tech fans blame this year on losing players early to NFL which is partially true,then a fool like you comes on and says what did Gaileys recruits. By the Way UGA has 42 players on NFL rosters, has been to 3 BCS bowls in past 10 years, thats that 2 more than Tech been to since 1968. Won 2 of those which ties UGA with the entire Acc in Bcs bowl wis,UGA had a bad season,will be back.PJ not bring anything back but the losing seasons.
WnE
February 21st, 2011
2:32 pm
If coach Kung Fu Panda is such an Offensive genius AND Nesbitt was a 3-yr. Starter at QB in Coach Po Johnson’s “genius System”, then WHY is Nesbitt having to learn to play a new Position?
In 4 or 5 more yrs. this will be you Vad Lee looking to learn a new position in order to have any shot at getting invited to an NFL Training Camp, getting drafted won’t even be an option.
Teflon-CPJ costs College players money when they try to go to the NFL, “the League” won’t get scammed by unprepared players coming from a HS System anymore after the way that Bay-Bay played for Denver.
I wonder what Stephen Hill and his parents think about GT & CPJ now that they see their chances slipping away from a lack of player development due to playing in an out-dated HS Offense.
I think that ALL HS RECRUITS should talk to Nesbitt before they think about signing on to play for CPJ, aka Coach Kung Fu Panda.
Green Bay Victory
February 21st, 2011
2:39 pm
to WnE
I wonder if Morgan Burnett likes the look of his new Super Bowl Champ ring? Also, wonder if Anthony Hargrove still wears his after winning the Super Bowl last year with New Orleans?
Green Bay Victory
February 21st, 2011
2:40 pm
to WnE
Take a look at the 1st picture posted at
http://www.playatgatech.com/blog/blog.php
WnE
February 21st, 2011
2:53 pm
Morgan Burnett was fortunate enough to have played Defense at GT, and at least one of those yrs. was under CJT.
Hargrove never played for CPJ, so why mention him?
Q. Please list all the Recruits that Coach Kung Fu Panda has signed that show the same NFL potential that M. Burnett did as a TRUE FRESHMAN?
Ans. NONE!
That is all you need to know.
Look at a projected starting line-up for Sept. 2011 and you’ll see a team with likely ZERO future NFL players, with a high of one or two if they develop beyond all expectations, even in a best-case scenario next yrs. GT team has 1 or 2 NFL players on its starting line-up.
In a BCS conf. that leads to a 5-7 to 7-5 record even in a crappy ACC.
GT fans that don’t realize the harsh facts are delusional.
3 Super bowl MVPS
February 21st, 2011
3:40 pm
UGA leads all university’s with 3 super bowl MVPs , Jake Scott, Hines Ward, Terrell Davis.
DawgsRenvious
February 21st, 2011
5:04 pm
Seems many Dawg fans are envious that a Tech grad has job offers that aren’t Walmart or Tyson Chicken Plants. Get over it…and go back to trashing your campus, St. Simmons Beach or urinating off the upper deck.
3 Super bowl MVPS
February 21st, 2011
5:05 pm
Dawgs also lead in Fulmer Cup arrests and least number of national championships by a major NCAA power.
Tech Forever
February 21st, 2011
10:26 pm
Not much to say positive about Tech sports!
ace jacket
February 21st, 2011
10:37 pm
WnE: You failed at persuading Vad not to come to Tech, however you still show up to display your ignorance. Such a homer for UGA, you have no concerns about who you are loyal to. It borders on sicking. Send some more messages to prospects who appose your school. You are a sad and sick person.
ace jacket
February 21st, 2011
10:47 pm
Not to confuse issues, but Hines Ward is the best football player ever to come out of the state of Ga. Mr. Walker you were great, but Hines is still catching footballs and does not appear to be tired yet. He can also play defense.