North Carolina Central’s Malcolm Reed treads the path of walk-ons turned starters

The first time North Carolina Central defensive back Malcolm Reed walked into the Eagles’ locker room, he didn’t have a scholarship, a name on the depth chart or even a guarantee he would make it onto the field.

Four years later, Reed’s name is on several preseason award watch lists, including for the Aeneas Williams Award, which is given to the best defensive back in Division I football at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

“I had a lot to give back to Central because they took that chance on me. Coming out of high school, I wanted somebody just to give me the opportunity so I can prove what I could do because I already knew I could do it,” Reed said. “I just needed a platform … and now I’m here.”

Reed is a vital piece of a defense determined to carry North Carolina Central toward its first Celebration Bowl title since 2022. The Eagles’ pursuit of another championship will begin Saturday when they open the season against Southern in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta.

As a freshman walk-on in 2022, Reed saw action in just six games as he transitioned to college football. He was sitting behind starting safety Khalil Baker, who finished the season earning FCS All-America first-team honors and was the inaugural Aeneas Williams Award winner. During the season, Reed studied Baker, taking notes on his technique work and communication. A season later, Reed even changed his jersey number to No. 20, which was previously worn by Baker.

“He set the tone for being a safety here at Central, so I knew what I wanted and I knew what it took,” Reed said. “I knew what it took to get there because I saw him do it and I saw the work he put in. So it wasn’t anything that was new to me. I just walked the path that he walked and I made it my own with the opportunities that came my way.”

Although they didn’t get to share the field often, Baker remembers seeing Reed’s growth, transforming from a shy freshman into a leader on the defense.

”His confidence in himself is what stood out to me. His leadership skills got better as his role on the team grew,” Baker said. “He’s able to cover a lot of ground, and he’s a competitor. He also has a lot of knowledge about the defense they run, and studying film allows him to play fast and fly around the field.”

Reed credits North Carolina Central strength and conditioning coach Thomas “T.C” Carroll as a crucial part of his development, both physically and mentally. From the moment Reed arrived as a freshman, Carroll guided and supported Reed, he said.

“[T.C.] has been that chip on my shoulder when I need it, staying in my ear when I need it because he can read you better than anybody else. So that’s definitely my guy. He knows how to push me the right way,” Reed said.

Reed’s freshman season ended with the Eagles hoisting the Celebration Bowl trophy. He said that although he wasn’t much of a factor during that title run, he knows what it takes to win a championship.

“I can’t take any responsibility for that Celebration Bowl season. It was all the guys that was ahead of me, the great offense that we had, the great defense that we had,” Reed said. “They set the standard. So I knew what I wanted the rest of my three years to be here at Central. I didn’t want anything less, so that’s what I strive for every year.”

In 2023, Reed’s sophomore year, his hard work began to pay off. He earned more trust from the coaching staff and appeared in 10 of North Carolina Central’s 12 games that season, tallying 30 tackles. Head coach Trei Oliver believes the time Reed spent waiting behind upperclassmen helped him in the long run.

“[Reed] was in a couple of our [defensive] packages, but he got an opportunity to watch and learn,” Oliver said. “Some guys get disgruntled and frustrated, but he was a guy that sat over there and got mental reps and prepared like he was a starter. So when his name was called, he was ready.”

In the spring of his sophomore year, after being called to the coach’s office, he got the news every walk-on dreams of hearing: Oliver offered Reed a scholarship at Central.

“As soon as I got out of that office with Coach, I called my mom,” Reed said. “I had to let her know that her baby made it. … That was my one and only goal. I just wanted to take the load off my parents so they didn’t have to keep paying for college, so my education could be free.”

By earning a scholarship, Reed followed in the footsteps of several North Carolina Central standouts who started as walk-ons. Former running back J’Mari Taylor began his collegiate career as a walk-on at Central before transferring to play for Virginia. Buffalo Bills cornerback and return specialist Brandon Codrington also began his career as a walk-on at Central.

Reed played with Taylor and Codrington and said the mindset of a walk-on player is different than that of players on scholarships.

“The walk-ons here, we have a lot to prove, not just to ourselves but to those people who doubted us, who didn’t give us that chance, who didn’t throw us the scholarship at the beginning,” Reed said. “Now all the walk-ons that you hear about, they’re balling. … Instead of just being blessed with money, we had to earn it.”

Last season, Reed started every game and recorded 60 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions, doubling his stats from his sophomore season.

After winning a championship as a freshman, Reed and his teammates have fallen short the past two seasons, finishing second in the conference standings. Now in his senior year at Central, he feels the weight of potentially finishing his collegiate career back in Atlanta.

“We came up short. But this year is personal because for me and my brothers out there with me, this is their last year, too,” Reed said. “So if I’m not doing it for me, I’m doing it for them, too.”

Eagles linebacker Max U’Ren describes Reed as a leader who sets the tone in the locker room through his actions. Reed isn’t the type to yell or shout at teammates, U’Ren said, but his teammates strive to match his work ethic in practice. In fall camp, Reed encourages younger players to be comfortable within many uncomfortable game situations. When Reed makes adjustments to the defense during games, his teammates don’t question the decision, and when others make adjustments, Reed is supportive.

“Playing with Malcolm – it’s awesome having somebody who’s one of the smartest football players I’ve played with right behind me,” U’Ren said. “He’s taken on his role as a free safety where his communication is very, very good, so I’m not even having to say as much. I feel like it’s having a coach on the field.”

Oliver is counting on players like Reed and U’Ren, who were underclassmen on the 2022 national championship team, to set the tone for the new players this season.

“Those guys won a championship, so it’s kind of like they help the coaches explain to the young guys work ethic, the discipline, the commitment that it takes day in and day out,” Oliver said. “It’s much better when it comes from your players because they hear the coaches all the time screaming or whatever. But when you have players on your team that are leaders, they can help echo the head coach’s message in the locker room.”

The Eagles are returning to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge for the first time since 2021, when they defeated Alcorn State. The team is staying grounded in the present and taking the season one game at a time.

“When we get to Atlanta, it’s gonna be about us. We just have to play at a high level, and Eagles can’t beat Eagles,” Oliver said. “So it’s gonna be about us executing more than what Southern University is doing. So we just have to play our brand of football.”