2 former Blue Raiders set to suit up in Super Bowl LVII

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Middle Tennessee head football coach Rick Stockstill likes to say you can get anywhere you want to go from MTSU. In Super Bowl LVII, two of his former players will be on the field in Glendale, playing for opposite teams.

Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship is the Blue Raiders all-time leading tackler. But he went undrafted in 2022. After standing out in Eagles training camp, he found a place with the future NFC champions.

“I told the scouts when they came through here, Reed has everything you want from an intangible standpoint,” Stockstill said. “He’s tough; he’s a good leader. He’s competitive; he’s smart. All he needed was an opportunity. He got it and made the most of it obviously.”

Blankenship’s breakout moment of the season came in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football against the Packers, when he picked off a pass from Aaron Rodgers. He also forced a fumble in the NFC Championship game.

This was just the next step in the journey of a very determined athlete from Day 1, according to Stockstill.

“While he was here, you could see his athleticism. You could see how he got better, got stronger and matured every year,” Stockstill said. “He studied. He worked. He developed. So, in five years, he was ready for this opportunity.”

It’s an opportunity Blankenship and his former Blue Raiders teammate Darius Harris worked for.

Harris is a linebacker for the Chiefs and is making another Super Bowl appearance.

“Developing these guys and helping them reach their dreams and goals — you can do it here,” Stockstill added. “You don’t have to necessarily go to a Power 5 to get to the Super Bowl. And I’m just really proud and happy for them because I saw first-hand how hard they worked.”