Aden Durde has become a household name in the NFL’s growing international narrative, and his influence is now spawning a new generation of British coaches eager to follow his path. One of those protégés is George Reynolds, a former quarterback turned coach whose journey mirrors the challenges and opportunities that come with trying to break into American football from abroad. The last time I spoke with Reynolds was back in 2020. At that point he was the inaugural starting quarterback for the pioneering NFL Academy, a program designed to give European talent a shot at the sport’s highest levels.
He was also one of only ten players selected to compete against American high‑school athletes in the NFL Pro Bowl skills competition held in Orlando, a historic moment for the fledgling academy. After his stint at the Academy, Reynolds headed north to the University of Ottawa, where he continued to hone his quarterback skills.
However, his ambitions soon shifted from playing to coaching. Upon returning to the UK he split his time between the Academy and the International Player Pathway (IPP) program, while also securing a short‑term coaching role with the Baltimore Ravens during the most recent offseason.
"I always knew coaching was something I wanted to do," Reynolds told Sky Sports. "As an international player I hit a massive wall trying to get to the United States.
I want to knock that wall down for the guys who come after me because I’ve lived through the whole process. If I can give someone a better chance than I had, that feels right. That’s really what pushed me into coaching, and the more time I spend at the Academy the more I realize how much I still have to learn.
It’s inspired me to aim higher – I think I can succeed at the highest level." Durde, who made history as the first British coordinator to win a Super Bowl in February, has long spoken about the "domino effect" his own unlikely rise could trigger. He believes more coaches with his background will soon appear, and Reynolds is a living example of that vision.
"I try to emulate what he’s done," Reynolds said of Durde. "He was relentless – whether it was an internship or a coaching gig, he grabbed it, learned from it, and moved on to the next challenge.
He knew his worth and pursued the jobs he deserved. That’s exactly where I want to be, so I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from him. He’s also become a mentor; we stay in touch and he’s given me concrete advice on the steps I need to take, the materials I should prepare, and how to position myself for a coaching role at the next level." Reynolds’ transition to coaching truly began after his Canadian stint when he reached out to former Kent Exiles teammate James Cook, now the Senior Director of Player Development for the Cleveland Browns. Cook offered him a role assisting at an IPP combine in London, a chance Reynolds seized without hesitation.
"That was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up," he recalled. "I was up at 6 a.m., the first person at the table, ready to help wherever needed.
I stayed until 11 p.m., doing any task that came my way. That work ethic opened doors for me." That dedication led to an assistant tight‑ends coaching position within the IPP program – a concept originally created by Durde – and eventually to his current role as the wide‑receiver and tight‑ends coach at the Loughborough‑based NFL Academy. "I worked with Steve Hagan, who is now the Academy’s head coach," Reynolds explained. "We coached Patrick Murtagh, who suffered an injury after signing with the Lions but still managed to reach the NFL a year later.
When Coach Hagan moved back to Europe to take the Academy’s head‑coaching job, he called me immediately and asked me to join his staff." Reynolds was part of the Academy’s first cohort in 2019, helping to lay the groundwork for an unprecedented pipeline that now sends international athletes to U.S. colleges and beyond.
To date, more than 40 Academy graduates have earned scholarships to American universities, and 28 of those alumni are playing Division I football in the 2025‑2026 season. The current roster showcases 20 nationalities, with players ranging from complete newcomers to the sport to those who have already left their home countries to train in the UK.
Coaching such a diverse group requires a unique communication style. "You have to learn to speak a different language to a kid who’s played football for ten years versus a teenager from Nigeria who’s never set foot on a gridiron, or an Australian who comes from a rugby background," Reynolds said.
"If I can translate the fundamentals of the game to someone with zero exposure, it actually makes coaching more straightforward than trying to fine‑tune a seasoned player’s technique." Last offseason Reynolds added a stint with the Ravens to his résumé, working under tight‑ends coach George Godsey and offensive assistant Danny Breyer, who is now the Browns’ passing‑game coordinator. He described the experience as "incredibly valuable," noting that observing professional players and coaches taught him the nuances of NFL‑level communication and strategy. He still maintains those connections, which he believes will help him gauge the standard required to coach at the pro level. "Being around the pros and seeing how they convey the game language gave me a clear picture of what I need to achieve," he said.
"If I become a recognized name within a building, it opens doors for the next step. I love coaching at the Academy and could stay there forever if it were the right fit, but I also want to impact a college or NFL team. If that means drawing up plays for a first‑year playbook, I’m ready to do it. All I need is the right staff around me that will let me grow." Reynolds’ time in Baltimore came as a Bill Walsh internship, a path similar to Durde’s early career.
Durde began as an intern with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014‑15, then moved to the Atlanta Falcons in 2016 where he eventually earned a full‑time role. After a stint as Dallas’s defensive‑line coach, Durde joined the Seattle Seahawks as defensive coordinator under Mike Macdonald in 2024, helping craft a unit that played a pivotal role in a Super Bowl victory and earning him head‑coach interview opportunities this offseason. "It’s not a surprise that Durde has risen so far, but many don’t see how hard he worked to get there," Reynolds observed.
"He’s been a tireless advocate for international football, traveling, coaching, and learning everywhere he went. His story proves that you have to constantly show your value.
You need to bring something to an organization that they can’t ignore. That’s the lesson I take forward – work hard, add value, and the opportunities will follow." With Durde’s legacy paving the way, Reynolds stands among the brightest young minds determined to leave their mark on a sport that is increasingly global in scope.