Reynolds Survived High Desert In Search of UW Football Oasis

The speedster is ready to get out and run in open spaces for the Huskies.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Keith Reynolds comes to the University of Washington from the High Desert, from a Southern California town on the edge of the Mojave called Adelanto, which means "to progress or advance" in Spanish.

Considering the unusual stuff he did in his arid surroundings at 2,800 feet, Reynolds was never going to get stranded there.

While playing for a dismal 1-9 Adelanto High team as a senior, the 5-foot-9, 177-pound speedster was so good he was named Desert Sky League Offensive Player of the Year.

Reynolds has big-league speed. At Adelanto, he had the ability to go the distance no matter what he was doing on the football field. He snapped off 77- and 94-yard runs for instant touchdowns, got free for 77- and 80-yard punt returns for scores, and returned an interception 89 yards for yet another long-distance TD.

He was the ultimate desert rat, scurrying away from everyone trying to catch him.

Discovered by Kalen DeBoer's Fresno State coaching staff and redirected to the UW when those guys came north, it's now up to Jedd Fisch's coaches to turn Reynolds loose in Montlake.

In 2023, he made cameo appearances against Michigan State and California while waiting for his older, talented teammates to finish up.

"It's been good learning from Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillan and Giles Jackson — all these top elite receivers in the country," Reynolds said at the Sugar Bowl. "I'm just enjoying it, enjoying it while I can, learning from those old guys."

Keith Reynolds inside the Superdome in New Orleans before the Sugar Bowl / Dan Raley

At Adelanto High, Reynolds played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner. He ran for four touchdowns in a 44-24 victory over Granite Hills. Against the same team the following season, Reynolds rushed for 225 yards and 3 scores and, as a left-hander when flinging it, passed for 319 yards and 4 scores in a 68-56 defeat. 

Reynolds came to the UW as one of three wide receivers plucked from California in the class of 2023, as a 3-star recruit joined by Rashid Williams and Taeshaun Lyons, both 4-star prospects. Williams played in one game and caught two passes. Same as Reynolds, Lyons appeared in two outings, but the latter transferred to Utah.

Everyone in this group had to deal with limited game time initially because they had six veterans ahead of them on the depth chart. 

The kid from the High Desert is alternately patient yet always in a hurry to get places. Once unleashed at Husky Stadium, his speed should make him fun to watch.

"I've very excited," Reynolds said. "I'm continuing to still develop, continuing to still work hard each and every day. I'm extremely blessed and just ready to go, and ready for my number to be called."

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