Tip Reiman might be the easiest prosect to root for in the 2024 NFL Draft.
His story began in Rapid City, South Dakota at O’gorman High School. Reiman was an outside linebacker and EDGE rusher who was beginning to receive scholarship offers from FBS schools across the country. The future ahead of him looked bright.
But the here and now and presented a problem.
The O’gorman High School football team had a hole in its roster at Tight End. Reiman put his team first at the expense of his own gain, and switched positions. One by one, the scholarship offers were taken off the table. By the end of the season, only two schools still had offers on the table; in-state FCS schools, South Dakota and South Dakota State. Reiman sent his game tapes to schools across the country, but no one seemed interested in the Tight End.
Reiman only had one thing going for him: His grandfather was a real estate agent. One of his clients happened to be Rod Smith, the offensive coordinator of the Illinois Fighting Illini. He gave Smith the tape and asked him to watch it. It didn’t translate into a scholarship offer, but it did earn him a spot as a walk-on. Reiman told Armchair Illini: “All I need is a foot in the door. That’s the thing. If I have a foot in the door, it means I can kick it down still. That’s my mentality.”
The move from South Dakota to Illinois wasn’t an easy one. Reiman told the Illinois Inquirer: “I was dealing with some really, really hard things.” He said that he suffered from depression, anxiety, and the feeling that he didn’t fit in.
Two brothers taking a car ride together changed it all.
One day, Illini Tight End, Daniel Imataorbhebhe and his younger brother, Josh, were driving around Memorial Stadium. They saw Reiman walking nearby. Josh told Daniel that, based on how Reiman conducted himself and treated others, that he thought he was a Christian. Reiman was known for being a hard-worker, kind, a good student, and selfless. All of these characteristics are the characteristics that Christians are called to exhibit. So, Daniel decided to investigate. When he found a good opportunity, he asked Tip if he was a believer. Daniel told the Illini Inquirer that “His eyes just got wide.”
Having a friend who shared his faith changed everything for Reiman. He said that “what it did is it gave me community, kind of a sense of community, that I wasn’t alone. I had my big brother. I knew he was always praying for me and he was praying with me and he would pray with me. He would just give me tips every day about different things football-wise and as far as life goes, that too. It was kind of a security blanket a little bit. He was great to me. He really helped me grow and flourish in my faith. Shout out to him for getting me out of that place because he just loved on me, and he taught me well. I wanted to do that now for all the new guys in and just spread the love and joy, for sure.”
From then on, things got easier for Reiman. He earned a scholarship for his second season, which began in 2021. In 2022, he started all 13 games and led all Illinois Tight Ends with 19 receptions. In 2023, he was named a team captain. He also was named Big Ten Academic All American in each of those seasons. Reimer is primarily a blocking Tight End, but still finished his collegiate career with 41 receptions for 420 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The success on the field never changed who Reimer is as a person. Coach Bret Bielema recalls a conversation he had with Reimer when asking him to host a recruit during his official visit. “Tip goes, ‘I don’t know, coach. I don’t know if I’m your guy. I really just go home, talk to my wife, read the Bible and go home and watch Netflix.’” Bielema laughed when telling the story, adding ‘We all need to be a little bit more like Tip,”
On Friday, April 26, 2024, the former walk-on became a Third Round NFL Draft Pick, being selected with the 82nd overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. I, for one, will be rooting for Reiman to have a career filled with success and a life full of happiness.
A Lamp Unto My Cleats 
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