Tampa, January 31, 2019– The red and black Patriots have a versatile one in the 813, and it’s no surprise the familiar Florida surname is making its headline return. Here’s another BCP E7 camper feature for your chilly Thursday, with some insight on his father, a former Gator great and the deets on this young, special athlete, following in his father’s footsteps.
The first apparent trait on the highlight reel Reidel Jr showcases is his uncanny triple-threat ability to perform at a high level on both sides of the football; contributing at cornerback, running back and wide receiver. He can change direction on a dime with his bursts of acceleration and deceptive agility, complimented by his breakaway speed right out the gate. Anthony’s overall field awareness aides most in his traffic-weaving efforts and ball hawk coverage capabilities.
In 11 games played according to MaxPreps, the junior by no means devoted his talent to one single job, registering 216 receiving yards on 15 catches, averaging 14.4, and posted a pair of receiving scores. Anthony’s elusive ground game racked up 148 yards on 29 touches, averaging 5.1 YPC, 4 TDs and accumulated 555 all-purpose yards, including 70 kickoff yards on 6 returns and 86 yards on 3 punt returns- one being a 73-yard TD, just like his not-so-old man. Defensively, he had 16 total tackles, 8 solo and assisted, and tallied 2 INT’s, bringing back one for 35 yards.
At 5’7” 140 pounds, he plays with a much greater intensity than his build depicts; possessing impressive text-book wrap up skills and impeccable hand-eye coordination he also so competitively put on display throughout camp day. Once he breaks through that first hole, the only thing you’ll be touching is the grass chunk on your helmet; whether it be in the offensive backfield or on the scrimmage line, he’s untouchable in his relentless quest to find the end zone.
As far as his Pop’s pigskin accomplishments go, Reidel Anthony senior’s 24.8 kickoff return yards per return in 1995 ranked him first among the entire Southeastern Conference, and his 18 receiving touchdowns in the 1996 National Championship-winning year was good for #1 in all of the NCAA. The 5’11” 180-pound wide-out amassed 2,274 yards on 126 receptions, averaging 18 YPC and posted 26 receiving touchdowns; on the ground he ran it 8 times for 56 yards, hauling in a rush TD. On kickoffs, he demonstrated his long, lightning-quick strides with 812 yards on 35 returns and housed one for a TD in 95’; bringing back punts, he scrambled for 258 yards on 23 returns.
The prestigious University of Florida All-American wide receiver was drafted 16th overall in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft, making the All-rookie team that same year I might add and spent the entirety of his five-season professional career close to home as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. In that timeframe of 73 games, #85 collected 1,846 yards on 144 receptions, averaging 12.8 with 97 total first downs, recorded 16 TDs and rushed the rock 13 times for 151 yards. He was also awarded First-Team All-Pro honors and selected to the Pro Bowl.
Reidel continues to make an impact on the sport and Tampa community, coaching up players anywhere from youth to the professional level, as Director of Athlete Relations at The Performance compound. Some pro household names include Kansas City Chiefs’ WR Sammy Watkins, 2018 Super Bowl Champion and Eagles’ WR Nelson Agholor, Chicago Bears’ WR Allen Robinson, Detroit Lions’ WR Bruce Ellington and Redskins’ WR Jamison Crowder who are all currently NFL actives.
Vaughan Sixbury, BCP Contributor