MacPherson, Reid ready to make impact for Weber State as ‘epitome’ of program builders
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- LEFT: Weber State’s Ty MacPherson secures a pass against Idaho State on Oct. 30, 2021, in Pocatello, Idaho. RIGHT: Weber State’s Winston Reid carries the ball on a kick return against Idaho State on April 10, 2021, in Ogden.
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- In this 2021 photo, Weber State linebacker Winston Reid (43) hauls down Southern Utah tight end Clayton Johnson (7) in Cedar City.
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- Weber State receiver Ty MacPherson, center, secures a pass against Idaho State on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Pocatello, Idaho.
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- In this April 10, 2021, photo, Weber State linebacker Winston Reid (43) carries the football on a kick return against Idaho State at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State receiver Ty MacPherson (17) runs for a big gain as Eastern Washington’s Marlon Jones Jr. (20) pursues during a game Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, in Cheney, Wash.
OGDEN — One hallmark of Weber State’s success through eight seasons of football under head coach Jay Hill is the players who pop up here and there with a good special teams play or two, maybe get some snaps in a blowout, and wait their turn behind upperclassmen.
Then one season, boom, they’re a key playmaker. Think Conner Mortensen, a special teams guy turned option-defense specialist turned Big Sky defensive MVP.
In 2022, two such players are junior linebacker Winston Reid and senior receiver Ty MacPherson. Both have had their moments already, especially MacPherson, but both have spent time in positions where others are consuming the spotlight.
This season, both are set to play primary roles in WSU’s season: Reid, the leader at middle linebacker, and MacPherson, the elder statesman sure to receive plenty of targets in the passing game.
“Everybody looks up to those two by the way they work, who they are. They’re respectable guys in everything they do,” Hill said.
Both joined the program in 2017 and earned playing time early in their careers on special teams, especially.
“Those two are the epitome of what this program represents and stands for,” Hill said. “They both came here and worked for everything they got. … Really, they’re what a college football player should be: work hard, get rewarded, continue to prove that they’re one of the best players on the team, which they both are. They’re both team captains now.
“Bottom line, they’re a coach’s dream. They are what you want to coach.”
Off the field, Reid is perhaps the opposite of the prototypical middle linebacker — at least the Brian Bosworth types that dominate move depictions of the position.
The 6-foot-1 athlete is soft-spoken and usually keeps to himself. He enjoys a fishing spot at Causey Reservoir. During last year’s fall-camp camping getaway, the team eschewed the usual cabin experience for tents, but Reid slept in a hammock.
“He doesn’t say a lot. He just does his job,” Hill said.
Though part of that job is speaking up to make calls on the field.
“That’s different, being on the field and talking,” Reid smiled.
Reid was garnering solid-enough recruiting interest at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan as a linebacker and receiver, holding two scholarship offers and several more interested suitors headed into his senior year.
But he tore his ACL in the first game of his senior season, and the offers disappeared.
Reid’s father, Mike, had an idea for where his son could go next. The Jamaican-born native of Detroit, Michigan, played junior college football in California, where he was recruited to finish his college career at Weber State in the early 1990s.
So Reid lined up a walk-on opportunity with Hill and the Wildcats. Though he joined the team in 2017, he didn’t see the field until 2019, playing spot duty and special teams in five games as he battled with another knee ailment.
“Special teams is a way to get on the field, that’s what we emphasize,” Reid said.
Reid recorded 15 tackles in the six-game spring season in 2021 and was put on scholarship that summer.
In last fall’s season, Reid played in all 11 games, recording 36 tackles, including eight in the finale against Northern Colorado. He forced two fumbles and recovered one. One forced fumble was a highlight: in the final minute of the first half at Cal Poly in October, Reid chased down QB Jackson Pavitt and got him in his grasp, then spun him around and caused the ball to fly 10 yards backward as Pavitt somewhat attempted a throw. BJ Taufalele scooped the ball up at the 2-yard line and scored a TD.
It’s those types of plays Weber hopes to see more this season as Reid takes a starting role.
“It’s unreal, coming on as a walk-on and earning the spot and being that guy,” he said.
Though Reid has spent time at each of the three linebacker positions in his time at WSU, Hill says he sees the same stuff in Reid that made guys like Sherwin Lavaka and LeGrand Toia successful in the middle spot.
“He’s tougher than nails, he’ll hit you right in the mouth and under the chin. He doesn’t back down to anyone,” Hill said. “You watch on that kick return that Rashid (Shaheed) had against the University of Utah, Winston is out there trying to get guys. That’s just his mentality.
“His dad is a military guy, tough guy, and his dad was a player here. And you can see that toughness come out.”
Speaking of Shaheed, the receiver’s dynamic abilities were a focus since 2017, the same year MacPherson joined the team. MacPherson has had the same route as Reid, just with more stats to show for it: get on the field however you can, contribute, and grow into a role.
“When I was young, I did everything I could to just get on the travel bus and get on special teams, make sure I was doing everything I could to help the team,” MacPherson said. “Going from a special teams guy to hopefully a big-time playmaker. All it is is hard work and discipline, trusting the process, believing in the coaches one step at a time.”
The 6-foot receiver from Lone Peak High School has had a larger share of production over the years, catching 32 balls for 489 yards and four touchdowns in 2019 before leading the team in receiving yards (with no touchdowns) in the spring 2021 season.
Last fall, he totaled a second-best 37 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns but took a back seat to Shaheed, who finally became a concerted passing target before he graduated.
So MacPherson’s always been that reliable player who produces no matter his role.
“He’s sure-handed and runs good routes. He’s been there, done that, so he knows how to get open,” Hill said. “He’s going to get targets and be a major part of what we’re doing.”
MacPherson is known as a confident competitor. If there’s anything to win — pickup basketball, golf, you name it — he believes he can win it.
He’s one of the oldest players on the team playing in the youngest position group. He knows what that means, and finds satisfaction in it.
“I look back in 2017, looking up to guys like Stefan Cantwell, Andrew Vollert, McKay Murphy, Taron Johnson … they made plays, did everything right, worked hard in the weight room, worked hard in practice,” MacPherson said. “Thinking back to guys like that, I’ve got to be that same role model for freshmen coming in and for guys who are still figuring it out. I’ve got to be that leader in the weight room and at practice, and got to make plays, teach discipline, get good grades — all the little things, I’ve got to be the master preacher of being a good person on and off the field.”
Going through the process of putting in your time and finding a way to contribute breeds confidence, Hill says. Others see players like Reid and MacPherson and see the fruits of it, while Reid and MacPherson now know what they’re capable of when they’re needed.
“By the time they get to the stage these guys are at, they’re not scared to play anybody or go against anybody,” Hill said. “They’ve kind of seen it all and done it all, and play with a lot of confidence because of it.”