Tait Reynolds Parents: Everything to Know About Paul, Cheryl and His Two Brothers

Tait Reynolds has quickly become one of the most interesting young athletes in Clemson football, but his path to college sports began long before he arrived in South Carolina. The quarterback grew up in Queen Creek, Arizona, in a family where football, baseball, training and competition were part of everyday life.

Tait Reynolds’ parents are Paul Reynolds and Cheryl Reynolds. His father has an extensive athletic background of his own, having played football and baseball at Arizona State before spending time in professional baseball and arena football. His mother has maintained a much quieter public profile, but family accounts consistently show Cheryl as an important part of the support system behind Tait and his brothers.

Tait is now a freshman quarterback at Clemson, where he enrolled in January 2026 after becoming one of Arizona’s most highly regarded high school prospects. Clemson lists him at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds and notes that he also arrived as a high-level baseball recruit. Clemson University Athletics

Who Are Tait Reynolds’ Parents?

Tait Reynolds is the son of Paul and Cheryl Reynolds.

The Reynolds family is based in Queen Creek, Arizona, where athletics have played a central role for years. Paul and Cheryl raised three sons who became competitive football players: Porter, Trey and Tait.

Tait is the youngest of the three brothers.

While Paul’s playing and coaching history has naturally attracted more attention, Cheryl has largely stayed away from the spotlight. Reporting about the family shows her helping manage the practical side of a household filled with athletes, including travel, recruiting visits and the demanding schedules that come with high-level high school and college sports.

The family’s influence is easy to see in Tait’s approach. He developed into both a football and baseball standout at Queen Creek High School rather than specializing early in only one sport.

That athletic background eventually gave him the opportunity to choose from major college programs before committing to Clemson.

Tait Reynolds’ Father Paul Played Football at Arizona State

Paul Reynolds was an accomplished athlete long before his sons started attracting college attention.

He played football and baseball at Arizona State University and was part of the Sun Devils football program during an important period in school history.

Paul played linebacker and was associated with the Arizona State team that reached the Rose Bowl following the 1996 season. One of his teammates was Pat Tillman, who later became one of the most widely remembered figures in Arizona State football history.

Their connection went beyond simply being teammates.

Paul has described Tillman as a close friend, and the two spent considerable time together during college. Tillman was even invited to Paul and Cheryl’s wedding, showing how close the friendship remained away from football. AZPreps365

Paul later recalled Tillman as an especially loyal person and has shared stories about their time together at Arizona State.

That period gave Paul firsthand experience of major college football, something that became valuable years later when his own sons started navigating recruiting.

He understood both the excitement and pressure that came with choosing a college program.

Paul Reynolds Also Played Professional Sports

Paul’s athletic career did not stop at Arizona State.

After college, he spent time playing professional baseball in the Colorado Rockies organization. He also played professional football with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.

That combination helps explain why Tait grew up pursuing both baseball and football at a high level.

Clemson’s official biography specifically mentions Paul’s background in both sports when discussing Tait’s family. It also identifies Tait’s brothers, Trey and Porter, as college linebackers. Clemson University Athletics

Eventually, Paul moved from playing sports into education, administration and coaching.

He became athletic director at Queen Creek High School in 2008 and remained in that position for approximately 12 years.

In 2020, Paul decided to step away from administration and become the school’s strength coach.

The move was partly about family.

Working directly with athletes gave him more opportunities to spend time around his children while also returning to an area he understood naturally. Training, conditioning and strength development had already been part of his life for decades.

Tait later described conditioning under his father as demanding but enjoyable, saying their workouts involved pushing limits rather than simply going through routine exercises. AZPreps365

Cheryl Reynolds Has Supported the Family Away From the Spotlight

Much less is publicly documented about Cheryl Reynolds than her husband.

She has not built a public career around football and does not regularly appear in interviews. Still, reports about Tait’s recruiting journey show that she has been closely involved in family decisions.

One example came during Tait’s visit to Clemson.

Paul traveled with his son to South Carolina, where Tait immediately developed a strong connection with the program. Their reaction was strong enough that Paul contacted Cheryl to explain that they would be staying longer than originally planned, even though additional recruiting visits had been scheduled elsewhere. AZPreps365

That visit became an important step toward Tait choosing Clemson.

He eventually committed to the Tigers on July 7, 2024.

Cheryl’s lower public profile should not be mistaken for a smaller role in the family. Raising three sons involved in serious athletics meant handling years of games, practices, travel, recruiting and college decisions.

The Reynolds family story is therefore not simply about a former athlete training his sons. It is also about the structure both parents created around them.

Tait Grew Up With Two Football-Playing Brothers

Athletic competition inside the Reynolds household extended beyond father and son.

Tait has two older brothers, Porter and Trey Reynolds, both of whom pursued college football.

Porter began his college career at Northern Arizona and later played linebacker at UT Martin. Trey became a linebacker at Utah.

Having two older brothers already going through college football gave Tait another source of experience when his own recruitment started.

Interestingly, his decision could have taken him closer to his brothers.

Tait had opportunities to remain in the western United States and potentially follow a more familiar family path. Instead, he chose Clemson, more than 1,800 miles from Queen Creek.

He has spoken about loving his brothers while also recognizing that he had spent his entire life around them and was comfortable creating his own experience.

The decision showed some independence in a family where the brothers had followed similar athletic paths.

Tait also had another sporting option because of his baseball ability.

Clemson describes him as a high-level baseball prospect who ranked among the top players in Arizona. He earned all-state recognition and helped Queen Creek win the 2024 Class 6A state championship with a walk-off hit. Clemson University Athletics

How Paul and Cheryl Helped Shape Tait’s Clemson Journey

Tait’s development into a Clemson quarterback was built on years of work in Arizona.

At Queen Creek High School, he emerged as a dangerous dual-threat player. During the 2024 season, he completed 156 of 252 passes for 2,238 yards and 22 touchdowns while throwing only five interceptions.

He was equally dangerous on the ground, rushing for 1,426 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Those numbers helped Queen Creek improve dramatically and reach the Arizona Class 6A semifinals. Tait was ultimately named Arizona Player of the Year by the Arizona Cardinals. Clemson University Athletics

His senior season was disrupted by a hamstring injury, but his reputation as one of Arizona’s leading prospects was already established.

He signed with Clemson and enrolled in January 2026.

Tait has since made his college debut and moved quickly into Clemson’s quarterback picture. His official Clemson profile records his first collegiate action against LSU and his first career start against North Carolina, making him part of a small group of true freshmen to start at quarterback for the Tigers. Clemson University Athletics

For Paul and Cheryl Reynolds, that progression represents years of supporting a child who rarely limited himself to one sport.

Paul provided the firsthand experience of someone who had played college football, college baseball and professional sports. Cheryl helped provide the quieter family support behind the demanding schedule.

Together, they raised three sons who reached college football.

Tait may now be building his own identity at Clemson, but the athletic culture behind him clearly started at home in Queen Creek.