OL William Reed Decommits from Cal, Headed to Ivy League Instead

Offensive tackle from Washington makes his announcement six days before the early signing period

Six days before the early signing day for college football, one of the players who had committed to Cal for 2021 announced on Twitter Thursday that he has decommitted from Cal.

William Reed, an offensive tackle from Sammamish, Wash., announced in July he was committed to Cal, but on Thursday he announced he will not sign with Cal and will be applying to the admissions process at Princeton instead.

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Change Of Plans 🧡🖤 pic.twitter.com/I5N6eaXJJd

— William Reed (@WillReed44) December 11, 2020

Reed posted a 3.8 grade-point average and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Reed talked about his choice of Cal in a Zoom interview with me during the summer:

His Thursday twitter announcement reads as follows:

After many conversations with my family and looking at what is most important to me, I have decided to decommit from UC Berkeley. I have nothing but love for the Cal Family, the coaches, and everyone who welcomed me with open arms. Cal has treated me well throughout this whole process and I wish them nothing but success. Again, a huge thank you to all the coaches and friends and family who have hlped me along the way to get to the position I am today. Thanks you to Coach Zarkowskie, Coach Willis and Coach Surace for helping me through this process. That being said I am proud to announce that I am COMMITTING TO THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS AT PRINCETON

The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Reed  attends Eastside Catholic High School and initially chose Cal over offers from Michigan, Tennessee, Utah, Duke, Colorado and Kansas, among others. He is considered a three-star recruit.

At the time of his commitment to Cal, 247Sports composite rankings listed Reed as the No. 846 overall recruit in the class of 2021 and the No. 74 offensive tackle.

Rivals.com ranked Reed as the 36th-best offensive tackle prospect in the country, and the 10th-best prospect in the state of Washington.

Sports Illustrated named him a high school All-America candidate and provided this profile during the summer:

Prospect: OL William Reed

Projected Position: Offensive Tackle

Status: SI All-American Candidate

Vitals: 6-foot-5, 260 pounds

School: Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic

Committed to: California

Frame: Long, lean frame with room to add 20-25 pounds overall without much issue.

Athleticism: Moves well for his size, uses his hands well, and sets well in pass protection. Plays with aggression, especially at the second level.

Instincts: Leverages his frame and size well in the run game, and uses his length to his advantage in the passing game. Absorbs initial blow and delivers consistent first punches.

Polish: Sets confidently in his pass protection sets and moves effectively to the second level. He has to improve his pad height at the college level, as he continues to add to his frame.

Bottom Line: Reed is a long, lean tackle prospect with consistent footwork that will improve over time. He needs to add overall mass and definition to his frame and improve his pad height. He projects as a Power 5 contributor later in his career.

Cover photo of Justin Wilcox by Stan Szeto, USA TODAY Sports

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