"I joke around with the guys saying I’m not an offensive lineman, I’m an OW — meaning offensive weapon," Reed-Adams said in a conversation with the A&M media. "I’ll line up there at X if you need me to."

It's been a long road for Reed-Adams, who arrived at Kansas as a 414-pound freshman in 2020, only to see the Jayhawks go 0-10. Even though he revamped his body at KU -- dropping his weight to as low as 295 pounds before settling at 330 -- and took part in the program's transformation under Lance Leipold, a desire to come back to Texas helped lead him tot he transfer portal this past winter.

"I spent four years at Kansas, just growing as a person, as a human, as a football player obviously," he said. "My journey took me here because this is home."

Reed-Adams came extremely close to growing up in an Aggie household, with his mother, Crystal Reed, being offered a scholarship to play basketball at A&M.

"She had an offer to come here and ended up not coming because my grandmother had a heart attack and she stayed home," the De Soto product said. "I’ve got a picture of my mom and aunties in A&M gear, as the 12th Man. Ever since I was a little kid, I've been a fan."

The opportunity to be near his family, and to make their travel easier, is something Reed-Adams appreciates now that he's back in Texas.

"It means so much. My mom never missed a game. They made the six, seven hour drives to Kansas and the flights to road games," he said about making the move to Aggieland. "And just the Aggie pride, getting my Aggie ring and graduating from Mays."

At one point, it looked like the dream had passed Reed-Adams by. He signed with Kansas after getting little interest from A&M during the 2020 recruiting class.

"I got to come to a junior day. I'm still upset Jimbo didn't offer me," he said.

But Mike Elko and his new staff not only wanted Reed-Adams, they needed him. They've already put his versatility to use as offensive line coach Adam Cushing works to figure out where his best five linemen fit.

"At tackle, I think I’m big, athletic, got long arms and can hang out there with the best of ‘em; at guard, I can dominate anybody with my run ability, my athleticism, being able to move my feet," he said.

When asked what the difference was between guard and tackle, he replied, "The difference is (blocking) Shemar Turner or Nic Scourton, that’s the only difference. It’s an A game every day."

Even though the offensive line is considered one of the biggest question marks on the team, Reed-Adams expressed confidence in his coach and his teammates.

"Coach Cushing’s a great coach, and he’s been just fine-tuning things. We’ve got a lot of young guys — I’ve never been around a bunch of young guys like this," he said. "Mark Nabou, Chase Bisontis, Trey Zuhn, those guys right there, show you how to work hard. Trey Zuhn is a great leader, doing it the right way and a voice in the locker room. Chase is one of the strongest dudes in this whole facility. He’s squatting 615 (pounds) for 3 (reps). Mark, he’s so advanced, so smart."

In spite of being a longtime fan, Reed-Adams has never been to a football game at Kyle Field. That will change Saturday, when he takes the field wearing the maroon and white for the first time.

"It’s a different feeling, man. There’s nothing like it I’ve ever seen," he said of Kyle Field. "I can’t wait to get out there,110,000 strong, and kick some ass."