A decade ago about this time, Reese Phillips was getting ready for his senior season of high school football at Signal Mountain.
A four-star quarterback recruit who picked Kentucky over offers from a slew of other Southeastern Conference and Power Five programs, that 2012 summer was supposed to be the springboard to his football stardom.
Life sometimes giggles at our plans, no matter how hopeful or logical.
The nature of college football – coaching changes, recruiting scenarios, injuries, et al. – led Phillips from Kentucky to Montana, where, after being pegged as the Grizzlies’ starter and voted a team captain, his career was ended by a gruesome leg injury.
His playing days in the rearview, Phillips approaches summer workouts these days with the same intensity, fire, passion and purpose.
Now, though, Phillips is working to share his knowledge of the position and the pursuit of college football opportunities to middle and high school quarterbacks around the area.
Phillips is the point person for the Chattanooga chapter of QB Country, which will host a clinic on July 15 at Baylor School. Details are at qbcountry.com.
“We’ve been open here in Chattanooga for just under a year, and I’m so proud of what we’ve built so far,” Phillips said in an interview this week. “We are always looking for ways to do more here in Chattanooga, and the one-day clinic in July is a great example of that. We hope this type of event can be a yearly occasion for us along with our regular year-round training.”
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Former Signal Mountain QB Reese Phillips
Phillips’ Chattanooga location is among the 12 locations of QB Country around the U.S. that were founded by David Morris, who backed up Eli Manning at Ole Miss and remains very close to the Manning crew, which of course is the first name in American QBs.
QB Country offers an extended and advanced training regime designed to make good players better and great players elite. Among its alumni are five college football national title-winning QBs since 2012 and 177 scholarship quarterbacks in the past six signing classes.
“At QB Country, we believe in the power of discipline to create sound muscle memory. We have the opportunity to impact quarterbacks on the field with mechanics, footwork and sequence,” Morris wrote in an email this week. “We help them reach their potential and we take pride in helping teach a kid that their best is enough. We also know the opportunity and responsibility we have to help young men grow into authentic leaders. We take this seriously as we know how important this time is in each of these kids’ lives.
“So when we look for a coach to run a location, there’s a lot of boxes that need to be checked to make sure we bring on the right guy. Reese Phillips is the guy for QB Country Chattanooga. He played quarterback at the D1 level and experiences the highs and lows that come with that type of education.”
For Phillips, who got to work with QB guru Bill Price in high school and renowned offensive minds Neal Brown and Bob State, among others, in college, his QB pedigree has been forged with hands-on experience. It’s something he hopes to pass along to Chattanooga QB Country participants.
“There’s nothing I’m more passionate about than the quarterback position, (and) the fact I get to do this in my hometown is a dream come true,” Phillips said. “I believe my experiences both playing at a high level and getting recruited from this area will only help the next generation of Chattanooga quarterbacks. This is the type of training I wish I had access to when I was playing, and I’m excited that no one needs to wish anymore. It’s in our backyard.”
A career in football – albeit a bit different than his dreams of being an NFL starter – was always part of the long-term plan for Phillips. That he gets to do it in his hometown, though, makes it even more special.
Welcome home, Reese, and a decade later, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.