# Austin Reed (American football)

Austin Reed (born February 22, 2000) is an American professional football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Southern Illinois Salukis, West Florida Argonauts, and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

## Early life

Austin Reed grew up in St. Augustine Beach, Florida, and attended St. Augustine High School.

## College career
### Southern Illinois

Reed began his college football career at Southern Illinois.

### West Florida

Reed transferred to West Florida in the Summer of 2019. He led the 2019 West Florida Argonauts football team to the NCAA Division II national championship. During the national championship season he totaled 4,084 passing yards with 40 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
In July 2021, Reed signed the first Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) sponsorship in West Florida history, striking a deal with the Running Wild chain of running stores.

### Western Kentucky

After the 2021 season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal and committed in March 2022 to Western Kentucky. He was selected as the team's starting quarterback during summer camp in August 2022.
In his first game at Western Kentucky, he threw four touchdown passes in a 38–28 victory over Austin Peay. Reed passed for more yards in the 2022 season than any other college football quarterback with 4,744 passing yards on the season.
On January 6, 2024, Reed announced that he would enter the 2024 NFL draft.

### Statistics

| Season | Games | Games | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Passing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing |
| Season | GP | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
| Southern Illinois Salukis |||||||||||||||
| 2018 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| West Florida Argonauts |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 15 | 13–2 | 279 | 491 | 56.8 | 4,089 | 8.3 | 40 | 11 | 149.2 | 72 | 149 | 2.1 | 6 |
| 2020 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2021 | 11 | 9–2 | 205 | 378 | 54.2 | 3,375 | 8.9 | 38 | 9 | 157.6 | 28 | 172 | 6.1 | 3 |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers |||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 14 | 9–5 | 389 | 602 | 64.6 | 4,744 | 7.9 | 40 | 11 | 149.1 | 91 | 224 | 2.5 | 8 |
| 2023 | 12 | 7–5 | 289 | 470 | 61.5 | 3,324 | 7.1 | 31 | 11 | 138.0 | 42 | 100 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Career | 52 | 38−14 | 1,077 | 1,211 | 59.3 | 14,488 | 8.0 | 138 | 36 | 147.62 | 220 | 636 | 2.9 | 20 |

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split |
| 6 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 30+1⁄8 in (0.77 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 4.82 s | 1.67 s | 2.81 s |
| All values from NFL Combine |||||||
Reed signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears after going undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown during the preseason, finishing with a passer rating of 117.4.
Reed was waived by the Bears on August 27, 2024, then signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with Chicago on January 6, 2025.