State champion Patrick Ryan, a local defensive force, brings championship pedigree and size to UCF's linebacker unit, poised for immediate impact.
The UCF Knights are adding more reinforcements to their linebacker corps this spring after receiving a commitment from Patrick Ryan on Tuesday evening.
Ryan is a local, backyard prospect out of Lake Mary High School. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound linebacker is fresh off his final season as a Ram and added hardware to his collection last December.
Lake Mary defeated Vero Beach to become the FHSAA Class 7A state champions. Ryan contributed to his team's victory with seven tackles (two solo), a pass breakup and a quarterback pressure.
Ryan stuffed the Fighting Indians' run game under the bright lights, shedding blocks and preventing the running backs from gaining big yards. He showcased his versatility in the coverage game, reading the quarterback's eyes and positioning himself to stop passes over the middle.
The Lake Mary graduate had a stellar senior season, totaling 138 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and seven quarterback pressures.
His performance earned him an All-Central Florida 2nd Team nomination, recognizing him as one of the top talents in the state. Ryan joins Matthew Occhipinti and Preston Hall, the freshmen in the linebacker corps.
Coach Scott Frost adds another young talent to his team, and his comments on early signing day suggest that Ryan could earn some reps next season.
"It really comes down to each individual player," Frost said. "If we're going to invest some of our resources from a money standpoint in high school kids, then we expect those kids to come in and play. And there's a few of those that I think have a chance to come in and help the team right away."
Frost values production over seniority, evidenced by the Knights playing young players — Waden Charles, Caden Piening, Kylan Fox (transferred to Purdue) and many more.
Ryan's commitment comes during spring football, so it's an unlikely possibility that he'll make his appearance in the black and gold colors on such short notice. However, he should be available when fall ball comes around in August.
The Rams' lead linebacker remains in Orlando to begin his collegiate journey under Frost and linebackers coach Mike D'Onofrio, and be a part of the new culture Frost is building in his second stint at UCF.
"I know a lot of kids that we came across would really like to be here, and we were able to narrow it down to the ones that we really wanted and try to build a foundation with these guys," Frost said.
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