Go ahead and call him “Money”

By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher

I heard a rumor a while back that Iowa State wide receiver Darius Reynolds doesn’t like to be called “Money.”

I just want to make sure we are all on the same page before the season starts. So this morning, I went straight to the source himself.

The verdict? Go ahead and call him "Money." In fact, Darius doesn’t mind it at all. He kind of likes it.

“It has been like that for years,” the man they call ‘Money’ said. “Even in high school, some of my teachers called me ‘Money.’ It grew on me.”

“I like it a lot when Coach Rhoads calls me ‘Money.’ It feels like he has a lot of trust in me. If he calls me ‘Money,’ it means a lot more to me than if a player does or somebody else.”

This nickname was created way back when Reynolds was around seven years old. It happened when Reynolds’ oldest brother witnessed the future 6-foot-2 Cyclone receiver on the basketball court for the first time.

“Every time I shot the ball, I would make it. So my brother started calling me ‘Money,’” Reynolds said.

Last year, Reynolds didn’t have much of a chance to live up to his nickname in a Cyclone uniform. He broke his leg in a practice after the Army game. Since he only participated in four games, the NCAA allowed him to pick up a medical red-shirt. That makes Reynolds a red-shirt junior heading into 2010 and due to that year watching from the sidelines, you’ll see a stronger “Money”  this fall from the mental standpoint.

“I think I developed a lot as a receiver compared to when I first got here,” Reynolds said. “I did a lot of studying. I was in the coaches office faithfully asking questions and trying to learn every receiver spot that I could.”

Reynolds has something to prove and he knows that. Iowa State has a lot of depth at the wide receiver position. Nobody is guaranteed a spot on the field right now.

“I am really looking forward to going into camp and working hard every day in practice so that I can earn my spot,” Reynolds said. “I am here to prove something to our coaches in camp. I am here to prove to Austen (Arnaud) that I can make plays for him. I am trying to earn their trust back since I haven’t played in a long time.”

Reynolds is currently listed second in the Iowa State two-deeps at wide receiver behind junior Sedrick Johnson.