Know Your Griz: Reggie Tilleman

Throughout the 2018 season, GoGriz.com will bring you a Q&A with a senior player that first appears in the Grizzly Game Day Program.

Up Next: Senior defensive lineman Reggie Tilleman.

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GoGriz.com: First up: a family question. Your Great Uncle is Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer and NFL veteran Mike Tilleman. What kind of influence did he have on your football career? Did he encourage you to consider Montana?

Tilleman: Uncle Mike had a great influence on my football career and still does today. I have known him and the legacy he left at Montana since I was young and that definitely had a huge impact on me when I was considering playing football collegiately and where I was going to play. Mike is the definition of what it means to be "Montana Tough."

GoGriz.com: Your dad was also a football player at Washington State and a high school coach. What did growing up in such a big football family teach you about the game and how has that helped you become a starter on the Grizzly defense?

Tilleman: It taught me a lot. Ever since I can remember, my younger brother Beau and I have been playing football together and being the tee and water boys for the high school team in Genesee. Being around football that much makes you extremely familiar with the game and it makes you appreciate the finer points of such a fun game.

GoGriz.com: You're not only a starter this year, you were also elected as one of four team captains at the end of fall camp. How did that make you feel to be recognized by your teammates that way?

Tilleman: It is a tremendous honor especially when you are elected by your teammates.

GoGriz.com: The defensive line is shaping up to be one of the strongest groups in the Grizzly locker room this season. What do you think your group is capable of achieving?

Tilleman: Being a part of the D-Line is a ton of fun. It is such a good group of guys to be associated with, and I think that the camaraderie that we have built over the last eight months is going to be the key to our success this season. Within the D-line room, we predicate our success on team success.

GoGriz.com: You're not only taking care of business on the field, you're literally taking care of business at the UM College of Business as you pursue your MBA. You also graduated with honors with a degree in finance in the spring. What are you hoping to do with that after football?

Tilleman: I am hoping to enter the banking industry and eventually ending up in agriculture. Ag has always been a huge part of my life growing up in Genesee, a small wheat farming town in Idaho. An MBA will hopefully further my chances of finding a career path that will make me happy.

GoGriz.com: You are also a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's 2018 Scholar-Athlete Award. What is it that drives you to be at the top of your game in the classroom?

Tilleman: My parents have always made sure that I make academics a priority over anything athletically. School work always got done first and having good grades was as important as having a good game. As I transitioned into college, I began to realize that football doesn't last forever and an investment in education is as good as any for my future.

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