Ryan Reynolds (born September 20, 1986) is a former linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners. He was a four-year standout in football and judo in high school, both at Lake Havasu High School in Arizona and at Bishop Gorman High School in Summerlin, Nevada, where he was recognized nationally.[1]
 Reynolds in 2009 | |
| No. 4, 8 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 20, 1986 Lake Havasu City, Arizona, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 231 lb (105 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
Early life
editReynolds was a four-year letterman, two years at Lake Havasu High School and two years at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. He showed his athleticism and versatility, playing linebacker and defensive back on defense and tight end and fullback on offense. He was also a state wrestling champion and a five-time national judo champion.[2][3] A View Newspaper article called Reynolds the 'most highly recruited high school football player in Nevada history'.[4]
As a senior, he recorded 94 tackles (including 12 tackles for loss) and 6 sacks to go along with his junior year totals of 96 tackles and 6 sacks. As a junior, he also ran for a career best 393 yards from his fullback position. He was recognized at the Palo Alto Nike training camp in 2004 for his performance in their SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, and Quickness) test. He scored higher on the test than any player in the Camp's history.[5]
As a senior, he was a USA Today first team All-American,[6] a Parade All-American (a publication that also recognized him as the top linebacker in the country),[7] a U.S. Army All-American,[8] and Nevada's Gatorade player of the year.[9] Rivals.com and ESPN.com both ranked him the No. 2 outside LB in the nation. He was a consensus top 30 player nationally and Rivals.com placed him as the best player in the state of Nevada.[10] He was also selected as the Las Vegas Sun state defensive player of the year.[11] Reynolds was awarded the 2005 Walter Payton Trophy at the US Army All-American Bowl awards dinner.[12][13]
At Bishop Gorman, Reynolds was a high school teammate of fellow OU Sooner DeMarco Murray.
College career
edit2005 and 2006 seasons
editReynolds was relegated to special teams as a true freshman, logging tackles against Oklahoma State, Nebraska, and Tulsa.
Although he was penciled in as a starter for the Sooners, Reynolds injured his ACL after spring practices and was redshirted for the 2006 Sooners.[1]
2007 and 2008 seasons
editAs a redshirt sophomore in 2007, Reynolds appeared in 13 games and recorded 60 total tackles.[14] As a redshirt junior in 2008, he appeared in only six games and recorded 44 tackles.[14]
2009 season
editIn 2009, Reynolds recorded 79 total tackles to rank third on the Sooners team behind Travis Lewis and Quinton Carter.[15]
In December 2009, the NCAA denied Reynolds his request to play a sixth year due to injuries.[16]
After having suffered three major knee injuries during his college career, Reynolds did not initially attempt to pursue an NFL career. However, in 2012 he attempted to make a comeback but tweaked his hamstring during Oklahoma's 2012 pro day.[17]
References
edit- ^ a b "Oklahoma Sooners Official Bio". Soonersports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletic Department. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ "Lake Havasu Wrestling Records". Lake Havasu High School. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ Christensen, Nick (January 13, 2005). "Reynolds aims to be the best". Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ Stott, Kevin (February 9, 2005). "U of Oklahoma-bound". View Neighborhood Newspapers. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ "Nike Camp Report on Ryan Reynolds". Rivals.com. May 22, 2004. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ "2004 USA Today All-America Team" (Adobe Flash plug-in required). USA Today. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ "Meet PARADE's All-America High School Football Team". Parade Magazine. January 23, 2005. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ "2005 Army All-American Bowl Team". usarmyallamericanbowl.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ "Nevada Gatorade POY". Gatorade.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ "Nevada Prep Report". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ Christensen, Nick (January 13, 2005). "Jordan, Reynolds Named State's Top Players". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ Staff writer (January 16, 2005). "Gaels linebacker Reynolds commits to play for Sooners". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ "Athlete of the Year". usarmyallamericanbowl.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ a b "Ryan Reynolds". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ "2009 Oklahoma Sooners Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ "OU football notebook: Ryan Reynolds denied appeal for sixth year". December 22, 2009.
- ^ Trotter, Jake (March 14, 2012). "OU's Ryan Reynolds hopes for shot at NFL". espn.com. Retrieved July 30, 2024.