Captain Chronicles | 'All I Need is a Foot in the Door': Reiman's Journey from Walk-On to Elected Captain

Tip Reiman’s football journey is a team effort. From landing at Illinois with the help of his grandfather to meal prep from his wife, Reiman has overcome doubt and adversity and emerged as one of the most consistent and productive tight ends in the Big Ten.

Reiman, voted a captain for the first time this season, has gone from a walk-on to a preseason honoree on national award watch lists, a testament to his hard work, self-confidence, and faith.

“It's an awesome honor that people see some of the things that have come to fruition through a whole iceberg of work below the surface,” Reiman said. “I honestly take it as another walk-on in a different way. I'm a walk-on for that award. I'm a walk-on for the NFL."

Hailing from Rapid City, South Dakota, Reiman played outside linebacker and edge growing up and during his first three years of high school, a position at which he was heavily recruited. After receiving offers from in-state FCS programs South Dakota and South Dakota State, Reiman transitioned to tight end during his senior season to fill a hole on the offensive side of the ball, though it resulted in several schools falling off from the recruitment process.

Without any FBS offers, Reiman sent his film and numbers to hundreds of coaches, though he did not see much progress. That all changed when Reiman’s grandfather, a real-estate agent, sent his grandson’s information to one of his clients.

That man just so happened to be Rod Smith, former Illinois offensive coordinator, who was so impressed with what he saw that he offered Reiman a preferred walk-on spot with the Illini.

The options were on the table, but the optimal choice was far from clear. Wavering between accepting a scholarship at an in-state school or taking a leap of faith with the Fighting Illini, Reiman decided to believe in himself and commit to Illinois on Jan. 27, 2020.

Arriving on campus later that year, Reiman came with a point to prove and used his walk-on status as an extra source of motivation.

“I definitely felt that I had to work harder as a walk-on. I still feel that. I still feel like a walk-on,” Reiman said. “I still feel like there's always that chip. There's always a chip on my shoulder. There's always extra things to prove.

“It's good that I remember what it was like to be a walk-on and having to absolutely scratch and claw to get any sort of rep and having to make the most of everything. That's something that I remind myself of now because it's easy to get complacent."

Primarily getting reps on special teams as a freshman in 2020, Reiman competed in all eight games during the COVID-19-shortened season. Playing in front of empty stadiums in his first college football season was certainly a unique and unprecedented experience, but it’s what happened off the field that same year that changed the course of Reiman’s life.

Reiman attended Fellowship of Christian Athletes events and meetings as soon as he arrived on campus, and it’s where he met Maddy (née Crosby), a member of the Illinois swim and dive team from 2018-22 and his eventual wife. The pair started dating in 2021, when Tip was a sophomore and Maddy was a senior, and they ultimately got engaged and married within a six-month period.

Finding free time within their busy schedules proved challenging, but they have no regrets and have been happily wed since March 2022.

“He would pick me up and take me to practice, but it was super short during the week of times that we actually got to spend with each other, just because things were so crazy,” Maddy Reiman said. “When we got married, that obviously was better because we live together."

Tip Reiman’s selflessness, humility, and servant leadership make him a perfect fit for the role of a captain as he embraces the opportunity for the first time in his Illinois career. He is the first walk-on-turned-captain since Chase McLaughlin in 2017.

“It's an incredible honor. Especially coming from where I came from as a walk-on and now having the ability to be named captain by all of my guys who I want to be a servant leader for, it's an honor. It gives me a new platform to lead and to serve them well, and that's my mission. It's just to be as good of a servant leader as I possibly can. For them to nominate me into this position, it's such a big deal."

Tip’s hard work and perseverance have gotten him to this point, but he could not do it without the support of his family. His parents make the 15-hour drive to Champaign for home games and helped him pay for his tuition during Tip’s freshman year before he was put on scholarship.

“Their support has been unending,” Tip Reiman said. “Putting me in the best situations to succeed or making sacrifices over and over again to help me be the best me, my family is just unreal with their support.”

Aside from being a physical therapist and local diving coach, Maddy Reiman has taken on another job: personal cook. She says their family shops almost exclusively at Costco to meet the large quantities of food Tip requires, which can be especially big during road trips.

When Illinois traveled to Kansas, Maddy sent five different meals with Tip in addition to the food he got from the team. She loves to cook and enjoys playing a part in her husband’s football journey since she can't be with him during the day.

“I feel like I run my own catering company because I never thought I would cook as much food as I do in my life,” Maddy Reiman said. “I love it. It's a way that I feel like I get to serve him and be a part of the journey because I'm not part of his football journey in any way."

Tip Reiman is forever grateful and appreciative of his wife for everything she does for him, and he says they make a really good team. As he competes in his fourth season with the Orange and Blue with the goal of making it to the NFL, Tip knows he could not do it alone and has embarked on this journey with his wife and family by his side.

“My wife's support is awesome,” Tip Reiman said. “She's doing everything she can to support me in that. Meals are a good way where she supports me to just put the right fuel in this Ferrari in every way: physically, emotionally, spiritually. She supports me every single day in my goals and the trajectory that I'm taking to get to the league.”