Spring Break
Reyes making the switch, getting the start
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: Sports
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Prior to last week, Lunn, a senior, and Polito, a redshirt sophomore, manned the starting defensive tackle positions, but that changed prior to UConn's 39-14 win over Syracuse Saturday when coach Randy Edsall inserted the two youngsters - who were roommates last season - into the starting line-up.
Reyes, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound converted defensive end, and Martin, a 6-foot-3 270-pound defensive tackle, knew this day would come eventually - but not this soon.
"Once I moved to defensive tackle I was like 'Yeah man, it's going to be me and you on the inside someday,'" Reyes said. "I guess it happened earlier than expected."
Once buried on the depth chart behind defensive ends Cody Brown, Julius Williams, Lindsey Witten and Marcus Campbell, Reyes wasn't exactly excited about his initial move inside, even though it would give him the chance to earn more playing time.
"When he first moved in there, he would always complain and nag," Martin said. "He would always complain about double-teams because at [defensive] end, you rarely ever face a double-team. When you're in the trenches at tackle, you face it a lot."
Coach Randy Edsall echoed Martin's sentiments.
"I think Kendall always envisioned himself as a defensive end," Edsall said. "I think he can be a better tackle than he was end and he's slowly starting to realize that."
Williams, the senior defensive end whom Reyes backed-up from spring practice to early in the season, knew Reyes was a special athlete from the minute he signed with UConn.
"We watched his tape from high school and he returned a kickoff for a touchdown," Williams said. "I was like 'Is this guy really a defensive end?'"
In fact, at that time - he wasn't. Reyes said he weighed 220 pounds as a senior at Nassua High School (N.H.) and played anywhere from wide receiver to safety.
Martin, on the other hand, has been in the trenches his whole life. His experience at defensive tackle helped ease the transition for Reyes.
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