FAYETTEVILLE — Dominique Reed hasn’t missed a 6 a.m. rehab session since he injured his right ankle Aug. 15. In fact, Arkansas’ senior receiver has gone above and beyond, making it a point to stop by and get extra treatment between classes and team meetings.
“I was in there every day,” Reed said.
That commitment is an encouraging sign for a player who doubles as the Razorbacks’ most dangerous offensive weapon and one of its biggest question marks at times.
Reed’s talent is indisputable. His elite speed and above-average size make him a home-run threat whenever he touches the football. But coach Bret Bielema has on occasion questioned Reed’s commitment, including before this fall camp when he made it a point to call out Reed for being the only player on the roster who hadn’t filled out NCAA-mandated paperwork a day before camp began.
Bielema won’t let Reed’s mistakes slide — and it doesn’t matter who’s watching. During one practice early in fall camp, Bielema lit into Reed in front of a handful of NFL scouts and a throng of media for lining up wrong and dropping passes. Reed, for his part, takes the heat in stride.
“I don't have a problem with him being on me,” Reed said. “He's just keeping me accountable and making sure I do the right things.”
The way Reed approached recovery from the ankle injury, the same one he injured last year, is perhaps a sign Bielema’s tough love is paying off as Reed matures heading into his second and final season in Fayetteville. He’s been accountable and dedicated to getting back on the field.
“He’s been great in his rehab,” receivers coach Michael Smith said. “(The training) staff have praised the way that he’s attacked it.”
When healthy, Reed is a game-changer. Last season, he emerged in the second half of the season, scoring a touchdown in six straight games and finishing with 28 catches for 535 yards and six receiving touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown. His averages of 19.1 yards per catch and a touchdown every 4.7 catches both led the Hogs a year ago.
Reed’s ankle still isn’t 100 percent. He was held out of Wednesday’s practice for precautionary reasons. Drew Morgan and Jared Cornelius are the likely kickoff returners heading into the Louisiana Tech game despite Reed being listed atop the depth chart at that position.
But he’s working his way back and figures to again be a key weapon for the offense moving forward this fall. And while avoiding injury would’ve been more ideal, his response to the adversity allowed his coaches to see a maturing version of one of the best big-play threats in the SEC.
“I’m hard on him because I love him,” Bielema said Monday. “He’s got a chance to be a special player. Not last week, the week before, we really didn’t think we were going to have him for that first game and he really responded well. He was nothing but a shining star in the rehab.
"Being on time, 6 a.m., two or three times a day, getting himself in a position to be out there. It was important to him and that’s what I’m excited about.”