Robert McClain
Encyclopedia
Robert "Reggie" McClain (born July 22, 1988) is a 7th round draft pick with the Carolina Panthers. He was a cornerback
, punt returner
, and kick returner
with the University of Connecticut Huskies.
McClain was a co-captain in 2009 and was selected as All-Big East Second Team cornerback by the coaches and first team Big East as a punt returner by various media organizations. He received the Brian Kozlowski
Award "designated for a courageous, hard working and productive person", named for the former Husky tight end and 13-year NFL veteran. McClain was "stellar in all aspects of the game this year contributing on both defense and special teams," and finished his senior season with 60 tackles, four interceptions, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery on defense. McClain stepped in as the punt returner halfway through the season running back 15 punts for a Big East leading 222 yards and a touchdown.
McClain is 5'9" tall and approximately 200 pounds. He attended Patuxent High School in Lusby, Maryland
.
After a performance in the PapaJohns.com Bowl at Legion Field
where McClain was "seemingly was everywhere on defense and special teams Saturday in the Huskies’ 20-7 win over South Carolina", with four tackles, two tackles for losses, three pass breakups breaks up on defense" and impressive punt returns, McClain said he will be trining for a pro football career. "I’m praying to God it happens so I can continue playing football and work hard. Hopefully I get invited somewhere. If it works out, it works out, great. If it doesn’t, it’s the military. I’m going to the Marines. I’ve got to have a plan in case football doesn’t work out." McClain also said he would remember the season, his coaches and his teammate and friend "Jazz" (Jasper Howard
) who died in a stabbing during the season for the rest of his life.
and returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. He played in all 13 games with four starts, recorded 30 tackles on the season and led the team in tackles in an International Bowl
victory over Buffalo University January 3 with eight (including 3.5 tackles for a loss). He accumulated a total of three interceptions on the season, 5.5 tackles for a loss, five pass breakups, a quarterback hurry.
pass in the against University of South Florida
. He became a starter in the final regular season game at West Virginia University
and was a nickel back for much of the season finishing with 30 tackles (19 solo), three interceptions and three other pass breakups.
. He attended Eaglecrest High School in Aurora, Colorado in 2002-2003, where he played as a starting running back. He then later attended Patuxent High School for the remainder of his high school career.
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
, punt returner
Punt returner
Punt returner is a position on special teams in American football.-Description:The role of a punt returner is to catch the ball after it is punted and to give his team good field position by returning it. Before catching the punted ball, the returner must assess the situation on the field while...
, and kick returner
Kick returner
In American and Canadian football, a kick returner is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible to catch kickoffs and attempts to return them in the opposite direction. If the ball is kicked into his own endzone, he must assess the situation on the field while the ball is in the...
with the University of Connecticut Huskies.
McClain was a co-captain in 2009 and was selected as All-Big East Second Team cornerback by the coaches and first team Big East as a punt returner by various media organizations. He received the Brian Kozlowski
Brian Kozlowski
Brian Scott Kozlowski is an American football tight end in the National Football League. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1993...
Award "designated for a courageous, hard working and productive person", named for the former Husky tight end and 13-year NFL veteran. McClain was "stellar in all aspects of the game this year contributing on both defense and special teams," and finished his senior season with 60 tackles, four interceptions, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery on defense. McClain stepped in as the punt returner halfway through the season running back 15 punts for a Big East leading 222 yards and a touchdown.
McClain is 5'9" tall and approximately 200 pounds. He attended Patuxent High School in Lusby, Maryland
Lusby, Maryland
Lusby is a place in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. The population was officially 1,666 at the 2000 census, although residents of the Chesapeake Ranch Estates-Drum Point community also use the Lusby zip code designation, making Lusby in fact a much larger community...
.
2009 season
McClain was tied for second best with 4 interceptions in the Big East, was third on his team with 60 tackles in regular season play, and was considered a prospect for the NFL draft. In 10 games he returned 15 punts for 222 yards, an average return of 14.8 yards, including one returned for a touchdown. He also returned two kickoffs for 24 yards. He intercepted 10 passes during his career at UConn.After a performance in the PapaJohns.com Bowl at Legion Field
Legion Field
Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak...
where McClain was "seemingly was everywhere on defense and special teams Saturday in the Huskies’ 20-7 win over South Carolina", with four tackles, two tackles for losses, three pass breakups breaks up on defense" and impressive punt returns, McClain said he will be trining for a pro football career. "I’m praying to God it happens so I can continue playing football and work hard. Hopefully I get invited somewhere. If it works out, it works out, great. If it doesn’t, it’s the military. I’m going to the Marines. I’ve got to have a plan in case football doesn’t work out." McClain also said he would remember the season, his coaches and his teammate and friend "Jazz" (Jasper Howard
Jasper Howard
Jasper Tyrone Howard , was a cornerback for the University of Connecticut Huskies from 2007 to 2009. He was fatally stabbed on October 18, 2009, hours after UConn's win over the Louisville Cardinals.- Early life :...
) who died in a stabbing during the season for the rest of his life.
2008 season
In the 2008 season McClain intercepted two Cincinnati passes, returning one for a touchdown to help secure a victory. He started against Syracuse November 15 after an injury to Darius ButlerDarius Butler
-New England Patriots:Butler was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On July 10, 2009, he signed a four-year contract with the Patriots that included a total of about $2.1 million in guaranteed money....
and returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. He played in all 13 games with four starts, recorded 30 tackles on the season and led the team in tackles in an International Bowl
International Bowl
The International Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association collegiate American football bowl game played in Toronto from 2007 through 2010...
victory over Buffalo University January 3 with eight (including 3.5 tackles for a loss). He accumulated a total of three interceptions on the season, 5.5 tackles for a loss, five pass breakups, a quarterback hurry.
2007 season
McClain played corner back and on special teams in 13 games. He recovered a fumble at Pittsburgh and recorded his first career interception against Maine. He made five tackles at West Virginia, four tackles and an interception in a win over Rutgers, and intercepted an end zoneEnd zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
pass in the against University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
. He became a starter in the final regular season game at West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
and was a nickel back for much of the season finishing with 30 tackles (19 solo), three interceptions and three other pass breakups.
2006 season
McClain played in the final seven games on special teams returning 13 kickoffs for an average of 19.0 yards and two punts. He made five tackles in coverage, four of them solo tackles, and was named the Offensive Scout Team Player of the Week on three occasions.High school
McClain was an All-State selection in Maryland, named first-team All-Metro by the Washington Post as a defensive back, named All-League as both a running back and a defensive back as a senior and all league defensive back as a junior. He rushed for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns, caught 25 passes for 421 yards and four touchdowns, and returned five kickoffs for touchdowns in 2005, one short of the national single-season record. McClain also returned a punt 98 yards for a touchdown, intercepted six passes in 2005, broke up 19 others, and made 53 tackles. He attended high school with former UConn tailback Terry CaulleyTerry Caulley
Terry J. Caulley is an American Football running back. He played college football at Connecticut. Despite sitting out the second half of 2003 and the entire 2004 season with a knee injury, he has racked up 3,187 rushing yards including 31 touchdowns. In 2003, Caulley had a breakout game against...
. He attended Eaglecrest High School in Aurora, Colorado in 2002-2003, where he played as a starting running back. He then later attended Patuxent High School for the remainder of his high school career.