Mason Reiger, the Light at the End of the Tunnel

Mason Reiger’s second pinned post on Instagram is captioned “Day 281: My story.”

The minute-long video captures the Wisconsin edge rusher’s journey from a walk-on at Louisville in 2020 to an impact player with the Badgers, with the caption ending: “Let me be an example of light being at the end of the tunnel!!!”

In 2006, Tajikistan opened the Iranian-built Anzob Tunnel, constructed to connect the two largest cities in the country — Dushanbe, the nation’s capital, and Khujand. The two cities had been cut off from each other for most of the previous winter due to harsh conditions across the Hisar mountain range and the closure of the original path between the cities, built through Uzbekistan during the Soviet era. But it was part of the larger Tajik-Uzbek border tensions after the Soviet Union collapsed.

The tunnel was dangerous — until 2017, it was not paved, lit or ventilated, and it remains unclear whether or not it is ventilated as of this writing. Locals told stories of people dying of carbon monoxide poisoning due to traffic jams away from the only fan, located somewhere in the middle of the tunnel. Until the tunnel was closed in June 2015 for repairs and improvements, travelers had to sign a waiver acknowledging hazards such as flooding and smog inside the tunnel.

A 2007 article by David Trilling of Eurasianet notes water jetting from the sides of the rock walls and from ceiling stalactites, and reaffirms the tales of deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. Trilling notes that “if falling rocks were the only problem, the tunnel would be in good shape.”

When the tunnel opened in 2006, however, Tajikistan Deputy Prime Minister Asadullo Gulomov said at the ceremony that President Emomali Rahmon had once stated the Tajiks would build the tunnel “with our hands and teeth” if they did not have the requisite equipment.

“Good intentions are half the battle,” Rahmon said, according to Gulomov.

Reiger begins the story of his six-year college career by saying that “it’s been quite a ride, and I’ve loved every bit of it.” A Division II prospect coming out of Conant High School in River Grove, Illinois, Reiger told Wide Left that “if I was going to play college football, I was going to play at the highest level. I didn’t want to look back one day when I’m 40, 50 years old with my kids and be like, ‘I wonder if I could have played at [the] Power 5 level.’”

Conant has produced four NFL players to date: 1984 UDFA wide receiver Tim Tyrrell, 1986 UDFA safety Creig Federico, 2004 UDFA quarterback Russ Michna and 2011 UDFA wide receiver Andre Holmes. None played major college football — Tyrrell played at Northern Illinois, Federico at Illinois State, Michna at Western Illinois and Holmes at Hillsdale.

Reiger came into Louisville knowing he was perceived to be a better fit for that lower caliber of school, telling Wide Left that “I saw some guys that play my position, play other positions, that I’m just like, ‘Wow, I am not ready for this level of football yet.’”