Image courtesy of  Soren Reif 

We recently caught up with former Killingly and Canterbury running back Soren Reif after his commitment to UConn. Here is what Soren had to do after an emotional commitment.

NEFJ: How does it feel to finally commit to a school. Your home state school nonetheless.

SR: It feels great to finally commit. It has been a long road with recruiting especially within the past couple months with the transfer portal, NIL, etc. With UConn being my home state school , it means everything to be able to represent my home state while playing D1 football. My parents had been season ticket holders since 2005 so I grew up going to UConn football games and it has always been my dream to play for them.”

NEFJ: Why UConn? What appealed to you about the school and the football program?”

SR: “UConn is a great university and I know I will be getting a great education that will set me up for life after football. Coach Mora and his staff have really turned around the program, and I’m really excited to see what the future holds. They also have some of the best facilities I’ve seen.”

NEFJ: Have spoken to the coaching staff about where they envision you playing?

SR: “When I talked to Coach Shearer on the phone, he said they will have a spot for me in the running back room. This is important to me because I feel that I bring a lot to the table with my ability to break tackles, run people over, make people miss, and I have great hands, and vision. UConn is known for having stud running backs the past couple years so I’m looking forward to learning under Cam Edwards and Victor Rosa while hopefully seeing the field through special teams next year. I will be ready to go wherever they need me. I want to thank the UConn football staff for providing me with this opportunity.”

NEFJ: Things have been hard lately with everything that has happened. How have you managed to focus on school and football during this difficult time?

SR: “Yes, things have been extremely hard with the recent passing of my Mother, Mary Rief on November 17, 2024. She was my best friend, we spent years driving across the state and country for workouts and football camps. My dad Steven, mom and my brother Aanders are the reason I am in the position I am today. While my dad was working to make these workouts possible, my mom drove me to every single one. Her dream was to watch me play college football because she knew how much effort I put into it because she was there throughout the whole journey. Unfortunately she will not get to see me play in but she made every game I had this year at Canterbury, it was extremely hard seeing her barely able to walk into the games and it kept getting worse every week. My last game against Kingswood Oxford she couldn’t even walk but she still made it to the game, she passed a week later. It’s heartbreaking she will not get to see me play in college but I know she is smiling and so proud of me. She has been and always will be my “Why”. I manage to stay focused on school and sports because that is what she wanted me to do no matter what. My dad and brother have been great with being there for one another. “

NEFJ: Has it sunk in yet that you will get to realize your dream and playing Division 1 football. What is that feeling like?

SR: “I don’t think it has completely sunk in yet, it’s always been my dream and to now think that it’s a reality is just crazy. I went to watch my high school team Killingly play in the state championship at Rentschler field and the feeling I had walking into that stadium knowing I would be playing in it was just amazing. I think it will sink in when I start team workouts, I can’t wait until then!”

Reif wanted to also thank all of the people who made this possible for him.

“I would also like to thank Chad Neal and his staff at killingly high school, my personal trainers Andrew Pinnock (Exclusive RB performance), Frank Quido (Breakout Athlete), Ethan Ostermeyer (Elite Performance Systems, coach Badaracco and Lynch (Canterbury Football), Bob Mastrianni (Omni Physical Therapy) and my lifting coach Chad Caffrey (Killingly Football). And most importantly my Family, none of this would have been possible without them!”