Reggie Ball Reginald Lewis Ball ( born October 6 , 1984 ) is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the Bricktown Brawlers of the Indoor Football League . He was originally signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2007 . He played college football at Georgia Tech . Early years . Ball played his high school football at Stephenson High in Stone Mountain , Georgia . As a senior he passed for over 2000 yards with 19 touchdown s and just two interception s . He was named to the Super Southern 100 and Top 50 in Georgia by the Atlanta Journal - Constitution . Also , he was rated the number 133 player in Georgia by BorderWars . com and ranked among the nation ' s top 15 all - purpose quarterbacks by Rivals . com . College career . Reggie Ball was the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Georgia Tech since Stu Rogers in 1980 . Ball ' s first start was in the Yellow Jackets ' opening game against BYU in 2003 . Since then , he missed just one game and amassed 8 , 128 passing yards , 57 touchdown passes and 9 , 579 total yards of offense in his career , but also threw 55 interceptions . Ball ' s passing yards total is third on Georgia Tech ' s career list , behind Joe Hamilton and Shawn Jones , and his touchdown pass and total offense totals are second behind Hamilton . Ball accumulated 11 rushing touchdown s and also rushed for 1 , 451 yards in his career , good for 18th on the Yellow Jacket leaderboard and second among Tech quarterbacks in history ( Hamilton ) . He wore jersey number 1 . During his career , Ball was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 2003 and was named the MVP of the Champs Sports Bowl in 2004 . He compiled a solid record of 29 - 20 as the starting quarterback for the Yellow Jackets . Ball , whose athleticism was well noted as CouchScout . com listed him at 4 . 46 in the 40 - yard dash , led Georgia Tech to three 7 - win seasons in a row . He capped off his career with a 9 - 5 mark in 2006 that included a # 25 ranking nationally ( heading into the Toyota Gator Bowl ) and an ACC Coastal Division Championship . Reggie Ball began this — his senior season — for the Yellow Jackets by leading the team to a sterling 9 - 2 record , but his collegiate career ended on a negative note on December 2 , 2006 , with a 9 - 6 loss in the ACC Championship Game to Wake Forest , just one week after Ball ' s Georgia Tech team lost to in - state rival UGA for a sixth straight year . He completed less than 30 % ( 15 - 51 ) of his passes in these last two games , threw four interceptions , and gave up a crucial fumble in the loss to Georgia . Although Georgia Tech earned a spot to play West Virginia in the Gator Bowl that year , Reggie Ball ' s controversial career abruptly ended when he was named academically ineligible , and backup quarterback Taylor Bennett was named the starter . He left Georgia Tech after this season having completed only 44 % of his passes , the worst mark of his four - year career , and not receiving an academic degree . Legacy . Reggie Ball ' s college career will forever be marred with inconsistency . The teams he led " played to the level of the opponent , " producing several impressive upsets while losing " easier " games . Although he won several big games for the Jackets including two wins against ranked Auburn University teams and a win against # 3 University of Miami on the road in 2005 , Ball - led Yellow Jacket teams were 0 - 4 against the University of Georgia , Georgia Tech ' s primary rival . Ball ' s play in these games ( including , in 2004 , a drive - ending intentional incomplete pass out of bounds on 4th down and earning him the nickname " 5th Down Reggie " ) will always be in question to Georgia Tech fans . He finished his career by losing to UGA , losing the ACC Championship game to Wake Forest , and being declared academically ineligible for the 2007 Gator Bowl , which would have been his final game . College football writer Pete Fiutak , contributor to the website Collegefootballnews . com , challenged readers to name a more ineffective four - year college football starter than Ball . Brett Jensen compared his career to that of the Clemson Tigers ' Charlie Whitehurst ; both had impressive freshman seasons , but they were unable to live up to the expectations placed upon them . Professional career . Detroit Lions . At the NFL Combine Ball tried out as a wide receiver , attempting to follow former college quarterbacks Antwaan Randle El and Reggie McNeal . He ran a 4 . 8 second 40 - yard dash , and had somewhat inconsistent pass coverage . Ball was not selected during the 2007 NFL Draft , but was signed by the Detroit Lions , auditioning for a role as a wide receiver / kick returner . He did not make the team . On December 5 , he was re - signed to the practice squad when defensive back LaMarcus Hicks was placed on injured reserve and wide receiver Brandon Middleton was promoted to the active roster . On July 27 , 2008 he was placed on injured reserve . Ball was released by the Lions on March 18 , 2009 . Indoor Football League . Ball is currently signed to play for the Bricktown Brawlers of the Indoor Football League in 2011 .