Football | 8/26/2023 1:09:00 PM

Just prior to the start of the 2023 campaign, the Utah Tech University Football program announced that junior defensive lineman Syrus Webster has been awarded the No. 3 jersey for the upcoming season.

The awarding of the No. 3 jersey is the third instance in what has become an annual tradition honoring the memory of former Trailblazer football player Abraham Reinhardt, who passed away unexpectedly on March 22, 2019. Utah Tech Head Football Coach Paul Peterson noted that the No. 3 jersey would be awarded to a student-athlete who best emulates Reinhardt's leadership, both on and off the field. 

"I am excited to award Syrus Webster the number 3 jersey for the 2023 season," Coach Peterson said. "He exemplifies everything that we are trying to build in our program and especially represents the legacy Abraham Reinhardt left behind. Look for him to lead us and make plays all over the field!"
 
Webster (6-4, 255; West Jordan, Utah/West Jordan HS) is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign in 2022, which saw him earn first team all-Western Athletic Conference accolades after he co-led the conference in sacks (5.5) and led the Trailblazers with 10.0 tackles for loss. 

The junior-to-be finished the 2022 season with 42 total tackles (22 solo) and tallied at least three total tackles in nine of 11 games played. In addition, Webster racked up four quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, one pass break up, and collected Academic all-WAC honors. 
 
Webster enters this upcoming season having been named the preseason United Athletic Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. He has also be named to the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award preseason watch list, and to both the 2023 Phil Steele and Blue Bloods All-United Athletic Conference preseason first teams.
 
"I feel extremely blessed and honored to be chosen to wear number 3 jersey this season," Webster said. "Abraham Reinhardt was the embodiment of the values we have instilled here and Utah Tech and the culture we continue to build. The honor to wear number 3 carries memories of a man who left us to soon, someone who i can look up to as a leader to lead by Heart. I am embracing a legacy and I am going to do my best to play in a way that honors him.

"Putting on this jersey holds immense meaning and weight to me," Webster added. "I have the responsibility of carrying his legacy through hard work and how I present myself every time I step on the field. His example has become the standard we strive for here on the Utah Tech football team, and I will carry it forward with heart and pride.

"Even though our paths didn't cross, and I wasn't able to play with him, his influence remains strong within the locker room and within our program," said Webster. "I am truly grateful to carry forward his legacy, and will do so by giving my all in every game. This jersey serves as a constant reminder of the type of player I want to be during my time here as a Trailblazer."

In his lone season as a Trailblazer in 2018, Reinhardt earned first team all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors at linebacker after he led or co-led the Trailblazers in three different defensive statistical categories. He recorded a team-high 79 tackles, including 47 solo stops and co-led the team with 13.5 tackles for loss. Additionally, Reinhardt collected 3.5 sacks and co-led the Trailblazer defense with three interceptions, including a 66-yard interception return for a touchdown at Adams State (11/10/18).

Prior to his arrival to then-Dixie State, Reinhardt played two seasons at Riverside (CA) City College, where he finished with 100 tackles and two interceptions in two seasons. A native of Wailuku, Hawai'i, Reinhardt earned all-Poly All-Star, first team All-MIL, and Special Teams Player of the Year honors as a senior at H.P. Baldwin High School.

Utah Tech begins its fourth season of NCAA D-I FCS play on the road at No. 3-ranked Montana State on Saturday, Sept. 2, in Bozeman.