J’Onre ‘Big General’ Reed brings energy and power to USC offensive line

J’Onre “Big General” Reed was all smiles and laughter in his first interaction with media covering USC spring football practice.

With enthusiasm, he shared the story behind his befitting moniker.

“[It] was cold, it was night, and it was quiet,” Reed said, eagerly retelling the story. “My receiver heard me making calls on the sideline. He ran up to me after he got off the field and was like, ‘Big General! Big General!’<TH>”

The nickname was inspired by Reed’s imposing 6-foot-3, 322-pound frame and commanding presence while calling out blocking assignments as an offensive lineman at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. On that night he received his nickname, Reed helped power Hutchinson’s 300-yard rushing performance.

USC Sports

Jayden Maiava shows improvement as he fights to retain USC starting quarterback job

USC coach Lincoln Riley said Jayden Maiava is a driven worker who is pushing to show progress while competing during spring football practice.

March 26, 2025

Since then the former junior college All-American has embraced the nickname, saying, “You know what? I am Big General.”

Reed is one of 12 transfers who have joined the USC football program during the offseason. He said he had a wild ride in the transfer portal and “whatever I wanted” from schools.

Despite being a hot commodity, he never imagined a program with USC’s prestige would come calling.

“I ended up seeing USC in my Twitter DMs, [and] I said, ‘This can’t be who I think it is,’” Reed said with a chuckle. “It ended up being who it was, and the next thing you know, it was like, ‘Hey, we need to get you on a visit.’”

After playing junior college football in the Midwest and two chilly seasons at Syracuse, he was eager to move to Southern California. After one visit in January, it felt like a perfect fit — Reed wanted to head west, and USC needed help on its interior line.

USC Sports

Rob Ryan’s enthusiasm is winning over the USC defense

‘His attitude is contagious,’ cornerback Prophet Brown says of USC’s newest defensive coach, Rob Ryan.

March 27, 2025

A center for most of his college career, Reed is vying for one of the three open spots on the line. He could start at center, where he played 25 games at Syracuse, though he remains open to any opportunity.

“Whatever they want to do, wherever they want me at, they put me there, I’m gonna do it,” Reed said. “They hired me as an assassin — that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Coach Lincoln Riley said he feels good about the offensive line early in spring practice.

“There will be a lot of competition within the room,” Riley said. “We have probably more guys right now that can play multiple positions than what we’ve had, we probably have more depth than what we’ve had, we have a few more centers than what we’ve had. So I’m excited about the room, excited about the competition. The new guys that we’ve brought in, I think have brought some experience.”

Reed acknowledges the hard work it took to reach this point in his career. And he offered an enthusiastic endorsement of the energy former Hutchinson teammate Waymond Jordan Jr., another transfer, is bringing to the Trojans this spring.

“He worked hard, you know, fought for everything he wanted,” Reed said of Jordan, whose nickname is the “The Junk Yard Dog.” “Fought down, stayed down, because he’s a dog. Man, is he out here running around like a dog, just off the leash.”