Giants first-round draft pick Arvell Reese, an Ohio State linebacker picked No. 5 overall on Thursday, tackles some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: Tell me what your mother, Maeko Walker, means to you.
A: My mom means everything to me. She created me. My mom put me in football. My mom is the reason I’m right here today.
Q: What do you recall when you found out in eighth grade that she had suffered a stroke?
A: I was actually at home. My brother was having a football game, so my mom and my sister went to my brother’s high school football game. And when my mom was in the crowd, my mom said something to my sister, she said something like something was wrong with her. And then my sister and one of my sister’s friends came over to the house and picked me up, and when he picked me up it was just late night. That’s when they finally told me, and I could just remember in the moment just thinking, like, dang, man, wow, I thought it wasn’t gonna be good. … So that happened, and we go to the hospital, we see ’em rushing her past us on the table, it was crazy. That was a crazy moment in my life.
Q: You thought you were going to lose her?
A: So that moment, seeing her on the bed, I was like dang, thought it was over, but God works in mysterious ways, man.
Q: Did you say anything to her or did she say anything to you?
A: It was no talking for a while. Then when she got back to talking, we were taking it slower. She had, I think two brain surgeries while going through it she had that, and then I think they noticed like some type of cancer in there. … It was crazy, it was crazy. She was away for a while.
Q: She was in the hospital for six months?
A: Longer than six months. … We visited her all the time, all the time during her whole recovery. We were there the whole way.
Q: Do you remember the first thing she said to you when she could?
A: I can’t remember the first thing, but I do remember it was just different, ’cause my mom was always outgoing; my mom was active working out while we were practicing. … It was different after the stroke.
Q: She was with you on draft night.
A: The only thing right now is the left side of her body don’t work, but she’s in therapy for it and back talking, can do everything, communicate through everything.
Q: What was that moment like for you and her?
A: That moment was crazy for her. My mom broke down. My mom was just nothing but happy for me, man, ’cause like I said, she put me in football, she kept me in it, she always supported me in it, so for me to succeed and then getting something out of it, that means so much to her. She’s the reason I’m doing it, she got up every day, took me to practice, she was the team mom, spending her money cooking for the whole team, and getting me everything I needed with football, just being there every step of the way.
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Q: You thought about quitting football during that time?
A: Yup, around that time when she had the stroke, my dad [Alex Reese] was in prison, so around this time, I wasn’t living at my mom’s house, I’m bouncing around from my cousin’s home to my friend’s home. … I felt as if school wasn’t important. I completely fell off with it. I stopped going to classes, if I’m in class I’m going to sleep. It was bad around this time, but that’s because for one I was in Euclid, [Ohio], the environment’s different from Glenville, mom was gone, father was gone — 13, 14 years old, felt like the structure and the stuff in my life just like disappeared. So that was going on for like two years. And then, my junior year I played that season at Euclid and my mom came home from the stroke and my dad got out of prison, and I went back to Glenville with Ted Ginn Sr., and from there I just turned my life around. Ted Ginn Sr. put me in front of all the schools, my dad helped me with that, my dad was working out with me every day, my mom was pushing me in school and football.
Q: How long was your dad in prison?
A: I was like 3 or 4 years old, and he got out when I was like 15 or 16.
Q: What do you remember about the day he came home?
A: He walked in the house (laugh), he looked like he needed a haircut. Even when he was in jail, he always kept up with us, always had a good relationship with us even though before he went in I barely knew him ’cause I was so young. But my dad always called home.
Q: He would tell you to keep playing football?
A: He was always on me about it. When he got home, he saw how my life was sinking, he jumped right in and was one of the people who lifted me up out of that situation.
Q: What was draft night like for him?
A: He’s super proud, man, super proud.
Q: Ted Ginn Sr.
A: He saw something in me, and he helped change my life around. He put me in front of all the college schools, he gave me a wisdom. … He lit like a fire in me in a way. He helped me gain that love back for the academic side and stuff, and he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself at the time.
Q: Your on-field mentality.
A: I’d say relentless. I’m always thinking being around the ball, I’m always thinking playing fast and physical. That’s what’s on my mind at all times is just being the most physical on the field and invoking violence on people. I feel like that’s how it’s supposed to be done and I think that’s what I look forward to doing when I line up on defense, you gotta do it that way.
Q: Define violence on the field.
A: Violence on the field, to me, is simply dominating the man in front of you. It’s football, it’s gonna be one-on-one matchups, you have to dominate the man that is trying to stop you. You need to dominate the edge rather than just taking on the block, you dominate that block you win that rep … and it should be done fast, and it should look violent.
Q: Give me a scouting report on yourself.
A: I say I’m a guy whose big, fast, good instincts. I say I got a knack for a football. I love being around the football. I say I play violent with my hands. I say I’m rangy, I run sideline-to-sideline, then I say I got relentless effort.
Q: Describe what it will be like with you and Tremaine Edmunds in the middle of the defense.
A: Two rangy guys, two smart guys, two violent guys. It’s gonna be amazing,
Q: Describe coach John Harbaugh.
A: I know his history. He’s a legend in this game. You can tell when somebody’s real and who’s not, and genuine and who’s not.
Q: What is your driving force in life?
A: Well, in football, for one I’ve been doing it since I was 5, so it’s become second nature to me, it became a part of me. God put me in this position to do this, I feel like this is what I need to be doing. And then, what drives me in life, I got people depending on me, I got people who got high expectations for me, I got high expectations for myself. I feel like every day that just keeps me going, just want to be great.
Q: Describe Glenville, Ohio.
A: It’s a tough area. It’s a lot of distractions in that area, it’s a lot of stuff that can steer you in the wrong direction in that area. … Hearing gunshots every night, and it’s weird because like as a kid, I thought that was normal. You have to either have a mind of your own, or have the right type of guys around you, ’cause if you don’t, you’re gonna fall victim to that area. I love it, that’s where I come from, but you gotta have a mind of your own and think past that area. You want to dream big and think about getting up out of there, then coming back and getting more people.
Q: Why did you steer in the right direction?
A: I knew I wanted to play football. When I was 3 years old, 4 years old, I was running on the field watching my brother play. And then I had my people. My mom kept me in it. Since a kid I had a mind of my own, I ain’t gonna lie. I knew I didn’t want to be into that.
Q: Ohio State teammates, whatever comes to mind: Caleb Downs.
A: Hard worker … disciplined guy … accountable, consistent, all that stuff.
Q: Sonny Styles.
A: Sonny’s a leader, he’s accountable, consistent, all those things.
Q: Julian Sayin.
A: Once again, a leader, you can count on him, his ceiling is so high. Julian’s still young and he’s doing all those things; he’s gonna be great.
Q: Carnell Tate.
A: Big-time player, he’s a great leader. Carnell Tate is one of those guys who’s disciplined, no type of incidents at school, nothing like that, never late, always on point, staying before and after practice. He’s one of those guys.
Q: Jeremiah Smith.
A: Great receiver. He’s gonna be one of the greatest whenever he does decide to come out or stop playing … disciplined guy, he’s one of those guys getting extra reps, first one in, last one out type of guy.
Q: Matt Patricia.
A: To me, a genius. Before all the football stuff, he’s a great family man, he’s a great guy in general, he touches every player in the locker room — whether you’re offensive side, defensive side of the ball. He’s genuine, keeps it real with you, gonna coach you hard.
Q: What was it like winning the 2024 college football national championship?
A: That was amazing. That’s probably one of the best feelings I ever had in my life.
Q: If you could go back in history and sack any quarterback, who would it be?
A: Probably Mike Vick. That’s probably one of my favorite QBs of all time. He’s gonna run.
Q: Quarterbacks today you’d like to sack?
A: All of ’em. Everybody.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: My family’s coming regardless, but outside of my family: Coach Ginn, Ted Ginn Sr.; Coach [James Laurinitis from Ohio State], Coach Mo, my high school linebacker coach at Glenville.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Friday.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Ice Cube.
Q: Favorite actress?
A: Queen Latifah.
Q: Favorite rapper?
A: Chief Keef.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Spaghetti with some garlic bread on the side.
Q: Personal goals for the season?
A: Biggest goal for me right now is winning.
Q: Career goal? Legacy goal?
A: I’m chasing greatness, but I know with chasing greatness and getting to those gold jackets and things of that nature, you gotta win. So, biggest goal right now is winning.
Q: Why is it important for you to be great?
A: I owe it to myself, man. I think I’ve been blessed with this opportunity with certain abilities, and I think I owe it to myself for one ’cause that’s what I’m chasing, I’m chasing greatness, and I owe it to everybody who have poured into me, and everybody who’s depending on me. I owe it to myself, I owe it to everybody, I owe it to my community — so many people played a part in making me to the man I am today. I can’t let my people down.
Q: Your message to Giants fans?
A: They’re gonna get everything out of me. That’s for one. And I’m gonna take pride in playing for the Giants. I respect the fans and I appreciate the fans. I’m not gonna half-step nothing.
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