Army Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Middle Tennessee in Week 1

By John Vogel | Sep 4, 2020

WEST POINT, NY - OCTOBER 26: Kelvin Hopkins Jr. #8 of the Army Black Knights throws a pass while pressured by Kyle Harmon #45 of the San Jose State Spartans during the second quarter of a game at Michie Stadium on October 26, 2019 in West Point, New York. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) /

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Reed Blankenship, Middle Tennessee football (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Reed Blankenship will make case to be early-round draft pick

MTSU recently produced an All-Pro safety in the Titans’ Kevin Byard, and very well could be about to produce another. Reed Blankenship is an excellent safety prospect, both as a deep end guy and as a hybrid linebacker. Last season, he was asked to play more like the deep secondary guy, and less around the line of scrimmage.

Unfortunately, Blankenship fell to an injury last season and missed five games. He still managed to collect 58 tackles and two interceptions.

Blankenship is unintimidated by the upcoming match with Army. “You have to do your job,” he told media on Monday. “You can’t play all over the field like you can in other games. You just have to read your keys, and if you don’t do your job, they can break one of 50 or 60 yards.”

Blankenship can do his job, and he’s very good at it. This is a guy who collected 107 tackles through 12 games as a sophomore in 2018, including 15 tackles for loss his first two years in college. MTSU is going to ask him to play a key part in this defense this weekend, and he’s going to rise to the occasion.

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