A 'magnetic personality'

Reese Fleming is from the Austin neighborhood on the west side of Chicago.

It's not like here.

According to RedEye.com, Austin has recorded three homicides so far in 2012. The west side community area logged 29 homicides in 2011, according to RedEye data.

So, if you ask Fleming, the Chicago Curie athlete who'll sign to play cornerback with the Iowa Hawkeyes Wednesday morning, what life is like in his neighborhood, prepare for a frank answer.

"I don't do too much outside except work out or stay at home and do homework and hang out with my mom and play basketball," Fleming said. "There are a lot of killings going on in Chicago, so you want to be careful with that, so that's pretty much it."

Fleming, whose given name is Maurice Jr., knows bad.

His dad, Maurice Fleming Sr., was recently released from prison in Alabama. Reese has been raised by his mom, Rochelle Harper, his grandmother and stepmom. The relationship with his father is shattered.

"Yeah, he's been in and out of jail since I was little, pretty much," Fleming said. "I mean, there's not a lot I can say about, I don't talk to him like that at all. He wants to come back in, but why now? It doesn't matter to me. I was raised by my mom and grandma and my stepmother in Alabama. They are the people I listen to."

He said his mom keeps a close watch.

"My mother stays on me, every minute if she can," Fleming said. "She'll just check up on me if I'm outside with my friends or just in general. How I'm doing in school, giving me information about Iowa football, she stays on top of it. She took me to the best football camps to compete against the best players. She's just that mom I would never trade."

Said Tyson LeBlanc, who coached Fleming at Curie High School before recently accepting a job at Oswego (Ill.) East, "His mom is an awesome lady. She does a great job being mom and dad."

Reese Fleming wants to be good.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder played quarterback for Curie and suffered a torn ACL during the second game of the season. He committed to Iowa weeks earlier and was relieved when he learned that commitments stood even in the face of injury.

"You just cry because you know that's your last time playing for your football team," he said. "Then, I looked at it like, is Iowa really loyal like they say they were? They showed me they were and that's a salute to them. I thank them. I thank God because I made the right choice to commit early."

Fleming said he's already 80 to 85 percent recovered.

"He loves to compete more than anyone I know," LeBlanc said. "He's 80 percent back from the ACL and he's down challenging our track guys to races."

Reese Fleming wants to be good and, in turn, wants the Iowa Hawkeyes to be good.

Fleming spread the word. He chatted up defensive linemen Faith Ekakitie and Jaleel Johnson. They'll sign with Iowa Wednesday morning. He met running back Greg Garmon at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl combine last year. Garmon, a 6-2, 195-pound running back stood out with his performance.

"He said to me, 'Iowa is the place to be. I want to play football there with you,'" Fleming said. "And I was like, 'Absolutely, let's play football here together.'"

LeBlanc attended a few camps and combines with Fleming he saw what he saw everyday at Curie, a "magnetic personality."

"Oh yeah, he did. Yes, he did," LeBlanc said with a laugh when asked about Fleming and recruiting for Iowa. "You can say it just like that, because he did.

"He's got a magnetic personality. He gets around other guys and starts talking to them, they listen to what he has to say. I hope that's something that carries over into Iowa City."

Reese Fleming wants to be good and he knows part of that is setting an example.

Fleming played on the varsity all four years at Curie. He was a three-year starter and captain his junior and senior seasons. He didn't start out as captain material.

"He was one of those kids who maybe initially wasn't a very good leader," LeBlanc said. "He knew how to take care of business on his own, but in terms of getting other people to join in with him, he wasn't a very good leader.

"That was something that over the course of his career, he really, really developed. When it was all said and done, he was our biggest leader. When he got hurt this year, we lost that. He's one of the few guys on our team who would call other guys out, and because of the respect they had for him, they would respond to him."

Again, "magnetic personality." It's not a tackle or interception, but it matters. It helped with his sales pitch to other recruits.

"Sooner or later during my career at Iowa, we're going to a big bowl game," Fleming said. "I just like to win and compete against the best players. We need a good team behind that, so you have to recruit or just talk. Talk to other guys like regular friends."

When he says "big bowl game," Reese Fleming probably isn't talking about the Insight Bowl.

Extra quotage (basically, the cutting room floor. Good stuff here on switching from offense to defense):

Reese Fleming

Tore his ACL second game of the year -- what goes through your mind -- I just thought it was a sprain. I went to the X rays and then a week later, they said it was a torn ACL. You just cry because you know that's your last time playing for your football team. Then, I looked at it like, is Iowa really loyal like they say they were? They showed me they were and that's a salute to them. I thank them. I thank God because I made the right choice to commit early.

Rehab -- I'm up and running, 85 percent.

Position -- I have no clue. I want to play cornerback right now because of coach [Phil] Parker overall. But I could also play wide receiver, that's just natural. It was my first position. You have kickoff return and punt return to go right along with it.

Chicago -- Curie -- Out by Midway, not too far from Midway Airport. I live out west.

Life like? -- I'm a humble kid and I like to interact with people. I love conversations, I get a long with people well. I don't do too much outside except work out or stay at home and do homework and hang out with my mom and play basketball. There are a lot of killings going on in Chicago, so you want to be careful with that, so that's pretty much it.

Dad out of jail -- Jail in Alabama -- Not at all close to him. -- Tried to get back -- Yeah, he's been in and out of jail since I was little, pretty much. I mean, there's not a lot I can say about, I don't talk to him like that at all. He wants to come back in, but why now? It doesn't matter to me. I was raised by my mom and grandma and my stepmother in Alabama. They are the people I listen to. -- lotta women -- Rochelle Harper -- My mother stays on me, every minute if she can. She'll just check up on me if I'm outside with my friends or just in general. How I'm doing in school, giving me information about Iowa football, she stays on top of it. She took me to the best football camps to compete against the best players. She's just that mom I would never trade.

Recruiting trail -- Jaleel will be remaining an Iowa Hawkeye. -- Shows leadership -- That's all it is, just spreading the word. This is a good option. Sooner or later during my career at Iowa, we're going to a big bowl game. I just like to win and compete against the best players. We need a good team behind that, so you have to recruit or just talk. Talk to them like regular friends. Meet up with them. That goes with me being young and going to camps as a freshman and sophomore, just talking to the other players. Met Greg Garmon at US Army Combine. -- visited the same time -- He said to me, 'Iowa is the place to be. I want to play football here with you.' And I was like, 'Absolutely, let's play football here together.' He did the best at the combine. I played running back at the combine.

Wisconsin came back around -- I pretty much went with them. If they want to play the game, you can play the game, too. It was between Wisconsin, Georgia Tech and Iowa. Wisconsin told me they thought I was a really good kid and I competed a lot. I went to their camp with two pulled groins and competed very well. They just wanted hard work and a leader. They said they were a winning program. If I wanted to play receiver, I could play receiver. If I wanted to play DB, I could DB also. It was the same thing Iowa offered pretty much. -- Why Iowa? -- I prayed on it. I didn't know anything about Iowa. That's why I choose Iowa. I sat down and prayed and God gave me an answer.

Best shape possible -- Have to. --

I like wearing Sox hats, but I'm a Cubs fan. -- I like the Blackhawks. I'm especially a Bulls fan, Derek Rose all the way. -- I could sit down and watch old NFL games all day. -- I do go out, because I do have a girlfriend.

Tyson LeBlanc

To be frank with you, what part of Chicago really isn't a little rough? -- It has its challenges. -- Reese lives on the westside. Where he lives, it's a very rough neighborhood. -- Austin --

Even coming off the injury he had, he's the type of kid you have to hold back. He definitely does more than you expected from him. -- Ever worry about him -- Here in Chicago, you worry about all of them. Sometimes, it's not their doing. They just get in situations that sometimes are a product of their environment. For the most part, no. He started for me as a freshman. He's a guy I counted on the last four years.

Dad in jail -- His mom is an awesome lady. She does a great job being mom and dad.

Captain -- Two-year captain. Played varsity for four years, started three. -- He was one of those kids who maybe initially wasn't a very good leader. He knew how to take care of business on his own, but in terms of getting other people to join in with him, he wasn't a very good leader. That was something that over the course of his career, he really, really developed. When it was all said and done, he was our biggest leader. When he got hurt this year, we lost that. He's one of the few guys on our team who would call other guys out, and because of the respect they had for him, they would respond to him. -- With that being gone, that took away a lot from our team.

Helped recruit -- Oh yeah, he did. Yes, he did. You can say it just like that, because he did. He's got a magnetic personality. He gets around other guys and starts talking to them, they listen to what he has to say. I hope that's something that carries over into Iowa City. I hope he continues to be that guy and doesn't fall to the wayside because he's a new guy. Knowing him, I don't think it will. He loves to compete more than anyone I know. He's 80 percent back from the ACL and he's down challenging our track guys to races.

Programmed -- This isn't something that started when he got hurt, this is something he's done all the way through. He's the type of kid who would come to football practice in the summer and then go to basketball practice after that and then leave and go to the trainer after that. Sometimes, he's a guy you had to scale back because you were worried he was doing too much.

Position -- He's definitely going to start out at corner. They were the first school to recruit him as a corner, everyone else recruited him as a receiver. Georgia Tech also recruiting him as a quarterback. We went over to the Iowa camp, and he performed really well as a defensive back. I know he was a little nervous about it. His thought process was, I'm an offensive-minded guy, I don't know if I can make the transition. The coaching staff at Iowa did a great job of selling the transition to him. He did play free safety for us. The thing I tried to stress to him was, you can be an offensive-minded guy and play defense. I use the analogy of Deion Sanders. He wasn't trying to knock anyone out, but if the ball was in the air he was going to go get it.

In my 10 years of coaching, I haven't had someone quite as special as him. That's coming from the athletic perspective, he's a special kid as he is. He was one of those kids who was always hanging around the coaches office. Just an all-around good kid.