Wake Forest safety commit Traveon Redd is truly a player that can do practically everything on the football field -- and he’s proven that during his high school career.

As one of the top defensive weapons for coach Joe Favero’s back-to-back state champion Magna Vista Warriors (Va.), Redd finished second on the team in tackles in 2015.

But he also led them in receiving yard as a wide receiver in the Warrior offense.

Then, in his junior season, Redd filled in at quarterback in the first two rounds of the state playoffs, which they eventually won. The Warriors put up 41 and 42 points respectively in the two games Redd was under center.

Deacons Illustrated spoke with Redd last week while he was vacationing in Las Vegas -- just a week before he begins his journey as a Deac as a January enrollee.

A noted student of the game of football, Redd said playing both sides of the ball has only helped him on the defensive end.

“Playing both of them helps you understand how the game works and understand the routes ran by receiver,” Redd said. “Then when you're playing defensive back, you kind of know better what to expect.”

He was a player Favero felt he had to get in position to make an impact on each game, even if it meant having him play out of position at times.

“He was a guy we could do a lot with. On defense, he played safety for us, but if a team was run-heavy or had some tight ends that were going to pound the ball, I could move him into the box,” Favero said. “He played linebacker for us too. He was one of our lead tacklers and was an excellent open-field tackler. We were going to put him where the ball was going as much as possible. He had a nose to cause turnovers as well.”

Redd doesn’t just study the game of football, he looks to make an impact physically as well.

“He’s a very physical football player. The guy doesn’t shy away from contact on either side of the football,” Favero said. “He’s a very intelligent football player and is a student of the game. He understands the game well.”

Redd also played basketball while at Magna Vista High School, but football was always his focus, Favero said.

“He’s always trying to improve his game in some way,” Favero said adding that Redd was, “Definitely a threat every time he got the ball offensively.”

Redd said the high school accomplishment he’s most proud of is his team winning the state title in consecutive years.

“People doubted us -- said we weren’t going to be able to do it again. We ended up surprising everybody and doing it again,” Redd said. “Back-to-back -- that’s what I was most proud of.”

Redd is known as a ball hawk and a hard hitter. He believes getting to Winston-Salem early will help him find the field early in his collegiate career.

“They look to give me a lot of reps and some early playing time on the field,” he said.”That’s what they told me would happen if I was to come in early.”

Favero said Wake coaches, particularly (offensive line coach) Nick Tabacca did a good job connecting with Redd and building a strong relationship.

“They’re improving, and that’s something he liked about the program,” Favero said about Wake. “As a program, we’re excited for Tra and him being nearby so we can get out and watch him play.”

Redd said he’s excited to arrive and get acclimated.

“It’s going to be be something new that I’ve never experienced before,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting settled in and getting to know everybody.”

He believe the biggest change from high school to college will be the speed of the game.

“It’s a transition from high school to college. The speed is faster and all the players are bigger. They want me to get used to the speed of the game,” Redd said. “They don’t want me to do a whole lot with my body, because I’m already kind of built. They just want me to understand the game more.”

But he’s confident in the coaching staff and the direction of the program.

“They’re building the program to the top of the ACC,” Redd said.