Reggie Topps (28), shown in 2006 while playing for North Monterey County High, is a redshirt defensive back for the University of Utah. The Utes are currently 4-0 and ranked No. 17 in the nation.

When Reggie Topps ran out of the tunnel at the University of Utah’s Ute stadium two Saturdays ago, he couldn’t believe what he saw. Just over 45,000 spectators were there for Utah’s home opener, a 42-21 win over UNLV. And they were going crazy.

“The atmosphere at home games is not anything I’d ever experienced before,” said Topps, a North Monterey County High graduate. “I came out of the tunnel, and there were so many people cheering us on — I’d never experienced that. I never went to a state championship, or a CCS [championship]. I just played in those little stadiums in Castroville and Salinas. I didn’t know what it felt like to have 45,000 people looking at you.”

The excitement around Salt Lake City right now is palpable, Topps said. The Utes are 4-0, with wins over the University of Michigan, the Air Force, and in-state rival Utah State. They are ranked No. 17 in both The Associated Press’ top-25 poll and USA Today’s, and are widely considered to be a legitimate contender for the Mountain West Conference championship.

Players are constantly stopped on the street and congratulated by fans. “We’re like VIP,” he said.

And while the buzz is somewhat intoxicating for the players on Utah’s football team, it must be just a little bit bittersweet for Topps, who was declared a redshirt player, meaning he can practice with the team, but is not eligible to play in games. Redshirt status preserves a year of eligibility, so Topps will be allowed to play during his fifth year in school.

“I’m not mad at them for (redshirting me),” Topps said. He is part of the scout team for the Utes, meaning that he imitates the team’s next opponents during practice so that the first-string players can get a feel for what the other team’s defensive scheme will look like on game day.

“It’s not like I don’t put in work here,” he said. “We’re working with the first-string offense, trying to make them better. It’s not like I’m just sitting on the sidelines.”

Topps, a defensive back, seems to have a good attitude so far about his role on the team. He said that he is able to feel some degree of pride when he sees the Utah offense connect on a big play, knowing that he had a part in familiarizing them with their opponents.

“It’s about the team now,” he said, “not me. I want my team to do well.”

His ego hasn’t been crushed by going from a standout player in high school to a relative nobody in college. Everyone at the college level, he said, has to deal with starting at the bottom again.

“The corners we have here, they’re superstars,” he said. “I don’t mind being behind them.”

Topps doesn’t travel with the team to away games, so he missed the Utes’ season-opening win against Michigan at “The Big House” in Ann Arbor, one of college football’s most hallowed grounds. That’s OK with him, though: He’s already looking at next year’s schedule, and the year after that’s. Utah will travel to Notre Dame next season, and he’ll get to come back home when the team plays at San Jose State. In 2010, the team will play at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., one of the most raucous environments in all of college football. There will be some incredible moments for him to savor — down the line.

So for now he can drink in the moment, even if he knows that the cheers aren’t meant specifically for him. He knows that getting a taste of it now is just making him even hungrier. So when that moment does come, he’ll know what to expect.

“I like it, because it makes me more competitive,” he said. “I’m blessed to be on a scholarship, yes, but I still have to prove that I’m worthy of getting on that field next year.”



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(Published on Sept. 26, 2008)

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Photo by I.A. Stewart/Register-Pajaronian

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