Coaching trees are prevalent in the world of NFL legacy and lingo, and Aden Durde is forging his unofficial own as the British Super Bowl-winning face of football’s international reach. Among his disciples is George Reynolds.
The last time Reynolds and I spoke was in 2020, at which point he was the maiden first-string quarterback of the groundbreaking NFL Academy and one of 10 players to have just competed against American high schools at the NFL Pro Bowl skills challenges in Orlando.
He would later continue his development at the University of Ottawa in Canada and has since deviated towards a career in coaching, splitting time at the Academy with opportunities in the International Player Pathway setup as well as a chance to work with the Baltimore Ravens last offseason.
“I always knew it was something I wanted to do,” Reynolds tells Sky Sports. “Especially seeing the pathway that I had as an international player, it was kind of – there was a big block for me getting to America. And I want to break that down for the guys coming after me, because I’ve been through the process.
“If I could help someone out, if I could give them a better opportunity than I had, that was a good thing for me. That’s kind of how I really got into it. And then through my time at the academy, I’ve just kept on growing as a coach.
“I think that’s really inspired me to take it to the next level. I think I can do this at the highest level.”
Durde, who became the first ever British coordinator to win a Super Bowl in February, has long advocated for a domino effect to his unlikely story, and too suggested that more proverbial hims are on the way. Well, here they come.
“I try and mirror what he’s done in a way, through my own journey, because he was relentless,” said Reynolds of Durde’s rise. “Whatever opportunity he got, whether it was internships, whether it was coaching jobs, he took it, he learned, he grew, and he went on to the next step.
“He was ruthless, honestly. He knew what he deserved, and he went and took them jobs, and that’s the place I want to get to. So I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from him. He’s also been a great mentor to me.
“We stay in touch. I recently got on the phone with him a few times, and he’s just given me advice about the steps I need to take, the materials I need to put together to give myself the best shot of being a coach at the next level.”
Reynolds currently works as the wide receivers and tight ends coach at the NFL Academy
Reynolds’ transition into coaching began upon his return from Canada when he contacted former Kent Exiles team-mate James Cook, now Senior Director of Player Development with the Cleveland Browns, in view of a chance to help out at an International Player Pathway combine in London.
“That for me was an opportunity,” he remembers. “I did everything I could to be in a position to show my value. I woke up at like 6am and was the first one at the table so if they needed me, I was there. And I stayed up until like 11pm, doing whatever work they needed.”
It would pave the way to Reynolds serving as assistant tight ends coach at the International Player Pathway programme – the brainchild of Durde – stateside, and, ultimately, his current position as wide receiver and tight ends coach within the Loughborough-based Academy.
“I worked with Steve Hagan, who obviously is now the head coach of the Academy,” he continued. “We coached Patrick Murtagh, who unfortunately got injured after signing with the Lions, but ended up making the NFL a year later.
“When Coach Hagen came over to Europe and took the head coaching job at the Academy, he called me pretty much straight away and said he wanted me on his staff with him.”
Once the NFL Academy’s first quarterback, Reynolds is now helping to bring up the next generation of international talent
Reynolds had been among the inaugural crop of NFL Academy talent upon the programme’s launch in 2019, helping to lay the foundations to an unprecedented opportunity for international athletes seeking college opportunities, and beyond, in the US.
More than 40 students have earned college football scholarships in the US since the Academy’s formation, 28 of its alumni playing Division 1 football in the 2025-2026 season. Its current roster consists of 20 nationalities and athletes from multiple sporting backgrounds, some learning football from scratch, others having left their home country for the very first time to come to the UK.
With the Academy’s unique makeup has come a unique coaching immersion.
“You have to learn to communicate in a very different way to a guy that’s played football for 10 years,” says Reynolds. “I think that really adds to my skill set as a coach.
“Because if I can communicate to a young kid from Nigeria who’s never played the game before, or a kid from Australia who’s coming from rugby, and teach them the right language of football, it makes it easier than when you go to coaching someone who has that experience. It just makes it a lot more simple.”
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Reynolds bolstered his experience last offseason during a spell with the Ravens, where he worked with then-tight ends coach George Godsey and offensive assistant Danny Breyer, now passing game coordinator for the Browns.
“That for me was one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had,” he recalled. “Just being around the pro players, the way they teach the language, the connections I made out there, I still stay in touch with all the coaches now.
“It allows me to know what level I have to be at to coach there, but also it gives me that stepping stone where if I can be a name that’s recognised in buildings, then that gives me more of an opportunity when I want to take this next step.
“I love coaching at the Academy. It’s something I would want to do forever if it was the right thing, but as I grow in my career, moving on to a college team or an NFL team and just trying to make an impact, I’ve said this to a number of people, I want to help teams win.
“If I can do that by being the guy that draws up plays on the playbook for the first year, then that’s what it has to be, and I’m willing to do anything. I just want to make sure that I’m in a position and I’m around the right coaching staff that allows me to grow.”
Reynolds pictured with Australian tight end Patrick Murtagh
Reynolds’ time with Baltimore had come as a Bill Walsh intern, a similar route to how former London Warriors coach Durde earned his first position with the Atlanta Falcons in 2016.
Durde, who initially interned with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014/15, worked with the Falcons from 2016-2020 before being hired as Dallas defensive line coach. He was later hired as Seahawks defensive coordinator as part of Mike Macdonald’s staff in 2024, helping orchestrate one of the league’s most feared defenses on the way to Super Bowl glory while earning head coach interviews this offseason.
“It’s not a surprise at all, but I think that the thing that maybe most people don’t see is how hard he’s worked to put himself in this situation,” said Reynolds of Durde.
“Him being the advocate for international football that he’s been and the work that he’s put in, the places that he’s been, the coaching that he’s done, it’s incredible, and that’s really the inspiration for my path.
“You’ve just got to show your value. That’s what he said to me. You have to bring value to an organisation. They want people who are hardworking. What I need to do to impress organisations, to give them the right motivation that I will do the right thing in the building.”
With Durde’s story comes proof of vast footballing nous and knowledge cultivated beyond the borders of the US, Reynolds among the brightest young minds seeking to stamp his mark on an increasingly-global game.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
