STARKVILLE — Reed Buys always felt like he could compete at the Division I level. Now he’ll have his chance.
A behemoth offensive lineman out of Jones College and the brother of former Ole Miss tackle Talbot Buys, Buys committed to Mississippi State on May 18 — 103 days after National Signing Day — as the likely final addition to the Bulldogs’ 2020 class.
“It’s not normal for a school to sign somebody this late,” Buys told The Dispatch. “It’s just a blessing how it happened and I’m just really excited.”
While Buys committed later than most, his decision to attend MSU has long been in the works.
Having negotiated a grayshirt path with then-coach Joe Moorhead in which he would play a season at Jones College before joining the Bulldogs for spring practices, Moorhead called the former Warren Central standout after the season to ask if he’d spend another season in junior college before heading to Starkville.
As the weeks came and went, Buys’ future was again thrust into limbo after Moorhead was fired in early January and replaced with ex-Washington State coach Mike Leach. Remaining in contact with MSU Director of High School Relations Brad Peterson and Director of Football Recruiting Communications Rod Gibson, Buys also heard from a number of Group of Five programs gauging his interest.
Unsure on if he could join MSU for the spring semester, he planned on committing to UAB. But as the COVID-19 pandemic bore down on the United States, freshman Brevyn Jones (Illinois) and senior Stewart Reese (Florida) transferred out of the program, opening a spot for Buys at MSU.
“I thought he was one of the top freshman offensive lineman that we’ve brought in here in our four years here,” Jones College head coach Steve Buckley told The Dispatch. “We hated to lose Reed after one year, but we don’t hide our kids. We make kids that are qualifiers available, and Reed was a qualifier. … He had a dream of playing Power Five football, and when that dream becomes a reality for those kids, we’re not upset about it. We’re glad he has the opportunity.”
Helping Jones College to a 7-3 record and an appearance in the MACJC playoffs for the third consecutive year, Buys already has a year of college football under his belt — though it was limited on practice time.
Battling a high-ankle sprain for much of the 2019-20 season, Buys saw his development stunted to a degree as coaches limited his participation in practices to keep him healthy for games. Once game day did come, Buys continued to contend with his ailing ankle. He began wearing an extra-high cleat on top of the internal taping he’d receive. Another layer of spat over his cleats was also added for support.
“I taped it as much as I could so I couldn’t even feel it,” Buys said. “Playing through it, I just tried to forget about it and do my little assignment on the field, and I felt like I played through it pretty well. I just tried to play with an edge.”
At 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, Buys brings instant size and talent to an offensive line unit that will be in need of some depth come fall camp.
Priding himself on pass-blocking, he says the air-raid offense Leach will run bodes well for his game — though he expressed his desire to continue being a mauler at the point of attack.
“Offensive line we’re supposed to be big, nasty and tough and wanting to punish the person in front of you,” he said. “So I’m trying to do that every single play, and if I don’t, I’m doing it the next and just try and make my opponent miserable.”
Now with just a few weeks before he arrives on campus for his inaugural season in the maroon and white, Buys has spent recent days on vacation in Florida. Speaking with Talbot on an almost daily basis, the younger Buys has gotten a glimpse into what it will take for him to make an impact at the next level and, more specifically, in the Southeastern Conference.
“He’s always training me, and after practice and after games he’ll critique my film and just coach me up the best he can,” Buys said. “So it’s kind of like having an at-home offensive line coach.”
And while Talbot and father Mark — a member of the 1977 SEC championship team at Ole Miss — concluded their collegiate football endeavors on the opposite side of the Egg Bowl rivalry, smack talk hasn’t quite ramped up in the Buys household. Instead, there’s simply excitement for Reed’s opportunity to compete at the SEC level.
“Whether it was for Ole Miss, Mississippi State or somewhere else, it’s always been a dream of mine to definitely play for (MSU) and to be at that highest level,” Buys said. “That’s just kind of why I decided to go to JUCO.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
