The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
2017 Football Roster
Roster
Reese Leitao
- Position:
- TE
- Height:
- 6-4
- Hometown:
- Jenks, Okla.
- Weight:
- 245
- Class:
- Freshman
- High School:
- Jenks
- Major:
- Neuroscience
A fourth-year two-way player who has competed in 35 career games … converted to defensive line in 2020 after playing tight end for his first two seasons at UT … was also a two-way player at Jenks High School … was an All-State honoree as a tight end (Tulsa World) and defensive lineman (The Oklahoman) … was the District 6A-1 Division 1 Player of the Year as a senior … a two-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (fall 2017, spring 2020) … earned Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2019 and 2020.
JUNIOR (2020)
Played in eight games … did not play in the AT&T Red River Showdown versus Oklahoma or the regular season finale at Kansas State … tied for the team-lead with six tackles in the Valero Alamo Bowl versus Colorado … also logged one tackle for loss.
SOPHOMORE (2019)
Played in all 13 games … caught one pass for seven yards … his reception, which came against No. 6 LSU, was the first catch of his career … contributed on special teams as well.
REDSHIRT FRESHMAN (2018)
Played in all 14 games on special teams … made his career debut against Maryland … blocked and contributed to a balanced Longhorn attack with 241 rushing yards and 237 passing yards in a 28-21 victory over Tulsa … contributed to 160 rushing yards and 234 passing yards in a win over USC … helped the Longhorns to their 31-16 victory over No. 17 TCU … played primarily on special teams in the Longhorns victory over Kansas State … played in the 48-45 victory over No. 7 Oklahoma … played in the 23-17 win over Baylor … played in the 38-35 loss to Oklahoma State … played in the 42-41 loss to No. 12 West Virginia … played in the 41-34 road win over Texas Tech … continued his outstanding special teams play in 24-10 win over No. 18 Iowa State … played in the 24-17 road win over Kansas … played in the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma … played on special teams in UT’s 28-21 win over Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
FRESHMAN (2017)
Redshirted.
HIGH SCHOOL
Coached by Allan Trimble at Jenks High School … an all-state honoree who was a two-way player at Jenks as a tight end and defensive end … named first-team All-State as a defensive lineman by The Oklahoman and first-team All-State as a tight end by the Tulsa World in 2016 … picked to the All-USA Oklahoma First Team as a tight end by USA Today … chosen first-team All-World area as a defensive lineman by the Tulsa World … selected District 6A-1 Division 1 Player of the Year and first-team all-district … ranked the No. 11 TE nationally and No. 4 overall in Oklahoma by Rivals … rated No. 491 nationally (No. 14 TE) and No. 9 overall in Oklahoma by 247Sports … ranked the No. 22 TE nationally and No. 1 TE in Oklahoma by Scout … rated the No. 28 TE nationally and No. 16 overall in Oklahoma by ESPN … caught 34 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns on offense, while registering 55 tackles, nine sacks, five pressures, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries on defense as a senior … part of an offense that averaged 48.4 points per game, including seven games of 50 or more and two of 60 or more … part of a seven-game stretch averaging 57.4 points per contest … collected two receptions and two sacks against Owasso … caught the winning TD pass with 40 seconds left against eventual 6A Division 2 champion Bixby … caught six passes with one touchdown against Springdale Har-Ber … part of an offense and defense that posted 55-0 win against Norman … helped Jenks to an 11-1 overall record, including 10-0 regular season record and a district championship with a 6-0 mark, and an appearance in the 6A Division 1 state semifinals in 2016 … pulled in 14 receptions for 308 yards (22.0 ypr) and two touchdowns as a junior … part of an offense that averaged 51.3 points per game and 502.4 total yards per game (6,029 yards) … the scoring average included four games of 60 or more points and one 70-point contest against Yukon … the total offense included balance of 251.4 rushing yards (3,017 yards) and 251.0 passing yards (3,012 yards) per game … helped Jenks to its fourth consecutive 6A Division 1 state title following an 11-1 record, including a 6-1 district mark in 2015 … caught 11 passes for 94 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore in 2014 … part of an offense that averaged 38.4 points and 414.3 total yards per game … helped Jenks to the 6A Division 1 state title following an 11-2 overall record, including a 7-0 district mark in 2014 … played his freshman season at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Mo. … also played basketball in high school.
PERSONAL
Son of David and Joyce Leitao … has two brothers - David and Tyson … father, Dave Leitao, is head men’s basketball coach at DePaul University and played collegiate basketball at Northwestern, while also having served as head coach at the University of Virginia … moved to Jenks after his father became an assistant coach at Tulsa University and remained for his senior year after his family moved to Chicago … born in Connecticut … can solve a rubik’s cube.
