Charlotte 49ers QB Chris Reynolds didn’t get height. He was gifted something else.
In this autumn of rhetoric and debate, Charlotte 49ers quarterback Chris Reynolds has an emphatic assertion:
“For the record, I’m 5-10 and 3/4,” Reynolds said Monday, joking about the curiosity regarding his true height. “That rounds up to 5-11!”
No one will ever view Reynolds as having prototype dimensions for his position. His coach doesn’t care. Reynolds’ traits outweigh being undersized, and Will Healy says he will never become preoccupied with measurables.
Reynolds showed up from Mocksville as a walk-on in 2017. He’s now a fixture as the 49ers quarterback, having set a school record for passing touchdowns (22) last season. He would have started Saturday, but Charlotte’s road game against Middle Tennessee was postponed due a cluster of seven COVID-19 cases in the 49ers’ program, announced Friday.
‘No too small for us’
Reynolds serves as a constant reminder to Healy, as he builds an FBS football program, that decisions don’t always hinge on measurements.
“There is no too small for us,” Healy said. “The most important thing for me is competitive nature. It’s what I love about Chris.
“He may be the toughest player I’ve ever been around.”
Healy said it’s easy for him to relate to Reynolds, as Healy grew up similarly: A 5-9ish “wanna-be” quarterback.
Reynolds’ only college offer was from Division II Catawba. So he walked on at Charlotte as it built a football program in Conference USA.
Reynolds ended up as the quarterback for the 49ers’ first bowl season in 2019.
What stood above Reynolds’ lack of height?
“Are you a leader? Are you competitive? Do you love the game of football?” Healy said of the traits where Reynolds excels. “Are you intelligent enough to do what we want you to do at the quarterback position?”
‘Helps me to help others’
Reynolds says he has studied Doug Flutie, who managed to be an NFL starting quarterback at 5-10. But it’s a waste of time, he says, to daydream about being taller.
“I’ve only thought about what I can control,” Reynolds said. “I don’t think about what it’s like to be 6-4. So far, so good.”
He believes his experiences — starting out on the scout team, earning a scholarship as a sophomore, establishing himself as a starter — provide perspectives, particularly empathy, that make him that much more of a leader and a resource for teammates.
“One-hundred percent, I’m grateful for the doubts,” Reynolds said of his story.
“It’s tough mentally and physically (playing college football). I feel like I’m the guy who can go talk to them, and help them through adversity. It helps me to help others.”
It’s also a constant reminder to Healy and his assistant coaches to keep an open mind:
“There is not a size for us,” Healy said, “where we say, ‘This is too small.’ ”
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 7:30 AM.
