Brothers Karene and Gabe Reid grew up in a football family.
Their dad, Spencer Reid — who left American Samoa to play for LaVell Edwards — played linebacker at BYU from 1994 to 1997 before playing for the Carolina Panthers and the Indianapolis Colts.
“It was a huge influence. I mean, from the jump we were playing catch and, you know, tackling each other and my dad’s always coached us. We’ve been competitive since we were young, so yeah, that’s a big part of our family,” Gabe said.
“I think it was kind of a cherry on top of the whole season and having that experience was really exciting, being able to experience that with my brother and with my family.” — Gabe Reid on playing in the Pac-12 championship game with his brother Karene
Uncles Gabriel, Jared, Adney and Gordon all played college football in Utah as well.
Gabriel Reid, a tight end, suited up for BYU from 1999 to 2002 and went on to play three seasons for the Chicago Bears (2003, ’05 and ’06) and had stints with the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.
Jared Reid played for Utah State, Adney Reid played for BYU and Gordon Reid played for Southern Utah in the early 2000s.
We were so lucky to have people that had real experience. At a young age, we were taught technique and what it takes to work hard and to accomplish our goals, man. It did a lot for us,” Karene said.
The Reids’ cousins, Spencer Fano and Logan Fano, are also headed to Utah for the 2023 season.
Despite growing up together, Karene and Gabe never played on the same team. With Gabe being three years older, the two never played on the same youth football teams growing up, and in high school — both went to Timpview — Karene dressed as a freshman, but didn’t see the field at the same time as Gabe, who was a senior.
Now, with both playing on Utah’s defense, the two brothers are carrying the torch for their family’s in-state football legacy.
“It’s been such an amazing experience for me to be able to be on the field with him,” Gabe said.
“It’s helped our relationship so much, and the memories we’ve made here, it’s been awesome,” Karene added.
Karene has played his way from a walk-on to a full-time starter.
He committed to Utah State in 2018, but decommitted after head coach Matt Wells took the Texas Tech job. Karene chose to walk on to Utah after serving a church mission in Madagascar since he wanted to go to school in-state and liked the Utes’ culture.
It didn’t take long for him to see the field. After enrolling Karene played in 10 games in 2021 and has started all 13 games this season at rover linebacker. He has 68 tackles, four sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season.
In the regular-season win over USC, he had seven tackles and a sack.
“I’ve been grateful to be able to help out on defense and have an impact. Both years we’ve made it to the Rose Bowl, so it’s been awesome to be a part of it,” he said.
In 2022, Gabe transferred from Stanford, where he played for four years; a big reason he chose Utah was to play with his brother.
After playing 42 games for the Cardinal, Gabe was able to transition into Morgan Scalley’s defense, and he credits Utah’s coaching staff for easing the transition.
“I would say in my own personal experience, with the different coaches that I’ve had, it’s a lot easier to take coaching and to trust coaches when they’ve been in your shoes, and that’s the case for the majority of the coaching staff,” Gabe said.
“They’ve all either played here or played somewhere else in the conference, and it’s really comforting to know that these guys have our best interests at heart and they really do know what it’s like to be in our shoes.”
A defensive end, Gabe played in all 12 games this season, but has started the last four games, including the Pac-12 championship game. He’s totaled 39 tackles (10 for loss) and 5.5 sacks.
“I’d definitely say with guys going out, I’ve had to step up and I’ve embraced it,” he said. “I’ve always been confident in how I can play and felt like had I had to prove myself as the season went on. I’m just grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had to show the coaches and show the conference what I can do.”
Gabe’s best performance of the season came in the Pac-12 championship game, where he had five tackles, with three of those producing a USC loss of yardage, including two sacks of Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.
“I think it was kind of a cherry on top of the whole season and having that experience was really exciting, being able to experience that with my brother and with my family,” Gabe said.
Both Gabe and Karene were named to the Associated Press’s Pac-12 All-Conference first team.
The Reid brothers will have one final game together, and a lot of family — 40 members, to be exact — will be in attendance in Pasadena.
“I’m stoked, man. I couldn’t write a better ending to my college football career, so I can’t wait to have one more (game) and just go out there and have fun and ball out,” Gabe said.
Rose Bowl on the air
No. 8 Utah (10-3) vs. No. 11 Penn State (10-2)
Jan. 2, 3 p.m. MST
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
TV: ESPN
Radio: ESPN 700