SEATTLE – Marcel Reece knows you might think he’s crazy, but the University of Washington wide receiver is still grinning from ear to ear.
Reece, who has been quoted this week saying that he thinks the Huskies (5-7 a year ago) can go 13-0 against one of the toughest schedules in the country, says that confidence is what the team needs.
“A lot of people think we’re crazy for saying the things we say and for walking the way we walk with our heads high,” he said. “But that’s the way you’ve got to be in this game. We’re going stay confident and stay with our swagger and keep playing hard.”
And that ever-present smile? That’s just Reece enjoying his senior season. After struggling to live up to his potential as a junior college transfer last year, Reece says things are much more enjoyable for him and the rest of the team so far in practice.
“This year, I’m smiling a lot more. I feel a lot better,” he said. “It feels really good. We’re all walking around with smiles on our faces even though we’re in camp. We’re having fun.”
Husky fans hope the fun carries into the season, when big things will be expected of Reece. After coming into last season weighing 260 pounds, the 6-foot-3 Reece didn’t make the impact people were hoping for.
An extra year in the system and a slimmer build have Reece confident he is in line for a breakout season.
“There’s just one goal, and that’s to be the best,” said Reece, who was 240 pounds in the spring, but says he hasn’t looked at a scale yet this fall. “Whatever that means, whatever numbers that is, I just want to be the best. I don’t think anybody has higher expectations for me this year than myself. I’m pretty hard on myself. We’re hard on each other as a team. We set high expectations as a team. My expectation for myself is to be the best and my expectation for the team is to be the best.”
Washington’s coaching staff is also hoping for a breakout year from Reece, who ended the season with his best game, a 107-yard performance in the Apple Cup that included a 69-yard touchdown.
“I was very pleased with the learning that took place with Marcel,” Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said. “He did a tremendous job of learning, adjusting, getting himself physically prepared, and getting himself mentally prepared. So I’m hopeful that he has benefited from a year in the system. I’m hoping that that trend continues, that he gets stronger and stronger every day, and that he sets really high goals for himself and that those goals also include the team.”
Receivers coach Charlie Baggett, who has coached receivers for four NFL teams, said Reece needs to work on some aspects of his game but has the tools to play on Sundays.
“Technically, football wise, Marcel has a little ways to go,” Baggett said. “He needs to improve on his rout running. The smaller things, the details that he’s learning can make him a great receiver. I think he’s picking them up well and I’m pleased with his progress. He does have an opportunity, I think, to play at the next level, with his skills and the size and the strength and the athleticism that he has.”
For Reece, the Apple Cup performance and a strong showing in the spring have his confidence in himself and the team flying high. And he’s happy to tell you about it, even you might think he’s crazy.
“I think confidence is built up by the minute and really, we’re just trying to build it up every time we’re on the field, every time we’re in a meeting, every time we talk to each other,” he said. “And for me personally, it’s just trying to get better every time I hit the field and when I’m off the field. There’s never really an off season for us, it’s always on for us. It’s just always trying to get better. You guys are going to drastic change when we get on the field on August 31st against Syracuse, but for us it’s expected because we’ve been at it, we’ve been around each other, and we’ve been getting better every day.”
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