2018 DB Reggie Pearson talks overcoming doubters, the season and recruiting

River Rouge (Mich.) sophomore strong safety, Reggie Pearson, said a head coach of one of the top programs in the state once told the 5-10, 185-pounder that he was too small to play the position, when he was entering the ninth-grade. Pearson got used to hearing things like that when he was going through the process of choosing a high school to play at, but one person did believe in him. His current head coach, at River Rouge, Corey Parker.

"I wouldn't say that I came up a very underrated player, but I kind of was," said Pearson. "For a very long time, people thought that I was going to be small. So pretty much, I have just been motivated off of proving people wrong.

"A lot of the good schools wanted me, but I didn't think they were as genuine enough as Coach Parker and River Rouge was. He really cares about us, and he played the game before, so there is no better teacher. I made the right decision by coming to here. Now people see the type of player that I am, and want to pat me on the back, but it's too late. I'm at a good school, and I'm doing good."

Pearson overcame all of the doubters, and is now one of the top players in the class of 2018 in Michigan. As a matter of fact, he might be the best defensive back in the class. Only one player in the class of 2018 in Michigan has more college scholarship offers than Pearson, who has four, and he still believes he is better. He is coming off of a very productive freshman campaign, in which he recorded 58 tackles, six interceptions, and six pass deflections. Pretty good numbers for an "underrated" and "undersized" player.

"Me personally, no matter what, I don't care who is better than me, or who people say is better than me, I feel like I'm the best," said Pearson. "Certain people my size can't do things that I can do, with my hitting, ball skills, and speed. So I think I'm the best player in the class of 2018."

Becoming a good player requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and effective teaching, with Pearson said he get from Parker, who was a pretty good player himself in high school at Detroit DePorres, and at Eastern Michigan. Pearson said he has learned a lot from his head coach, and even sees a little bit of Parker in him, now.

"Coach Parker is very energetic, and drinks a lot of coffee," Pearson laughed. "In high school, he was a hard-nosed guy, and I watched his film one day, and I sometimes take after him. He is very energetic, and that's how he wants all of his players to be on the field, so we do it. You can't come to River Rouge as a top player, and not leave as a better player under Coach Parker."

Getting better is what Pearson and all of his teammates want to accomplish in 2015, after going 10-2 last season, and making it to the Division 5 regionals. The Panthers kick-off the 2015 season against Romulus in just a few days, and Pearson said camp has been going good for the team, and sees a different team from how they were in 2104.

"I think this team is a little more skilled," he said. "This year, we have those really talented kids, like a Cass Tech has. We have those type of kids who were big-name kids from little league, and I feel like we will be better this because of that, and Coach Parker is a great coach. He will coach us up. I'm not going to say he's strict, but he want everything performed the right way. He knows we will make mistakes, but he just tries to not have us make as many."

On the recruiting front, Pearson recently took a visit to Iowa with his parents, and they all fell in love with what the Hawkeyes had to offer. Iowa loves defensive backs from the Detroit area, with cornerbacks, Desmond King and Jalen Embry, both being from the city, and Pearson has a good chance of landing himself an offer as well. Although he doesn't have one just yet, he likes Iowa a lot, and is leaning towards them at the moment.

"I'm very interested in Iowa," he said. "They are very generous, they care about their players, the environment is beautiful, and they provide a good education. It's Big Ten football, and it's not far from home. The visit was great. They treated me, and my parents great, and they were very interested in meeting me. The coaching staff is all great, and I like being around good people, which is why I chose River Rouge.

"I hope an offer comes from them. I would probably be leaning towards them than others schools right now, if an offer came, because Iowa seems like the place to be right now."