Limerick's Lorcan Ryans takes another step towards NFL dream

NOT MANY get the chance to live out their dream but that's exactly what Lorcan Ryans is in the process of doing. The youngster from Hospital has made the move to Alabama in the US to embark on a scholarship to play American football.

Ryans is off to Tuskegee University to play for the Golden Tigers in the prestigious NCAA Division II. He turned 20 a couple of weeks ago and is only playing American football for under five years.

“I got into it (American football) after just watching a college game on YouTube,” Ryans told Leader Sport ahead of his move stateside.

“I really liked the look of it and especially the contact aspect of it. I then went down to play for the Cork Admirals youth team and did a bit of training with the UL Vikings. Non contact training as I was only 16. That’s how it all started.”

Ryans' progress has been remarkable. He gave up playing team sports in John the Baptist Community School, Hospital in second year and it was then when his passion for American football really took hold.

Lorcan had hoped to continue his studies at the University of Limerick but was hampered by Covid. That led him to Bristol and a place at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS).

“I went over to Bristol as a running back,” Ryans explained. “They needed someone to do the kick off and I was up for it. I started kicking from there and it turned out that I was kind of good at it. I ended up in Bristol due to the points being too high for the sports coaching courses here. 

“I was heading over to get my level three but the American football coach convinced me to do the degree and I’m glad I did.”

 A series of coincidences have helped Lorcan but his quest for improvements have also played a huge role in his progress to date.

A trawl through social media led to series of online kicking coaching clinic 150 miles away in Derby. It was a decision that was to change his lift.

“There are lots of scouts that fly over to Germany. There was another kicker in the college who was a member of a big kicking organisation in the US called One on One Kicking. 

“Because of Covid, he finished college and came back to the UK. He set up a branch to see if he could help any British kickers.  I saw something on Instagram that there were tryouts in Derby. I got the train up to Derby.”

The Applied Sports Coaching degree earned at SGS has set Lorcan up for life but it is no a surprise to learn that he has loftier ambitions long after his potential playing career comes to an end.

The big dream is either the world famous National Football League (NFL) but he has plenty of other dreams if that one doesn't work out.

“If I don't reach the NFL or Canadian Football League) I have other plans. Myself and a friend have already discussed setting up kicking academy in 2030.

“I will have done my four years in college and have tried to be a professional for a couple of years at that stage. I will be setting up the academy then if the playing hasn't worked out.”

Ryans is in a hurry to be successful and is expecting to be a freshman starter for the Golden Tigers for their first game of the season against Fort Valley State on September 3.

Lorcan will be the starting kicker and has already clocked a kicking distance of 55 yards and hopes to have that up to 60 by the end of the college season.

Ryans is going to be studying for a Mechanical Engineering degree while in Alabama and his 'worst case scenario' is that he leaves Tuskegee University with another degree to add to the one already in his back pocket by the time he is 24.

Ryans has plenty of people to thank for his progress towards his professional dream so far. His family are top of that tree but so is coach Brad Charalambous of One on One Kicking.

“He has put in countless hours in helping me get scouted. Ringing coaches at 5am with the time difference in America. I have a lot to thank him for,” said Ryans of his coach.

The chances of Ryans making the professional ranks of an NFL team are less than one percent but you can be sure that he will be giving it his best shot.

If it doesn't happen, Ryans will endeavour to help others achieve their own dream of making it big, whether through his academy or by any means possible.