Season recap: Ryan Doyle
In many respects, Ryan Doyle is your typical, no-nonsense high school offensive lineman.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound senior went to work each day as the starting left tackle for Reggie Lucas’ Wake Forest-Rolesville (N.C.) squad, mauling opponents with Division I-caliber tenacity on the field, and going about his business with a quiet disposition on the sideline and in the locker room.
When Lucas needed Doyle, a team captain, to step outside that comfort zone and be a vocal leader, the future Terp delivered.
“He’s not going to stand up and be a rah-rah guy,” Lucas said. “But I do remember going into the final game of the [regular] season against Leesville Road. We already lost a conference game and needed the win to be co-champions in conference. I gave Ryan the opportunity to speak to the team. And he was very intense, gave a very good, strong speech to the team. That stood out. That will always stand out when I think about Ryan. It fired the team up, and we were able to go out and get a great win.”
The Cougars’ 20-14 victory that day gave them momentum heading into the North Carolina Class 4A playoffs. With Doyle on the left and Wake Forest-bound Dylan Intemann as the bookend right tackle, the Cougars powered their way to four straight wins and claim a spot in the state championship game. Doyle’s career at Wake Forest-Rolesville (14-2) ended with a 44-0 loss to Butler in the title game, but Lucas was impressed all year long with his star lineman’s performance.
“He had an outstanding year,” Lucas said. “He … did a great job all year on the offensive line. So I definitely was pleased with the way he played and his leadership. … I think Ryan was just consistent. He’s been pretty consistent the last two seasons for us.”
In Doyle and Intemann, Lucas had a pair of future ACC linemen that enabled him to run his Wing-T offense with great success. Lucas said if the Cougars threw the ball more than five times a game, he “was in trouble.” But opening up holes for Wake Forest-Rolesville’s top athletes – whatever the circumstance – was never an issue.
“Having those two guys on both sides of the ball gave us great balance,” Lucas said. “The other thing we’d do is get them on the same side. Running behind them on the same side was pretty powerful. Ryan played left tackle, but he could move to guard sometimes. We had him pull and get out with the backs as well.”
Doyle took his official visit to College Park the weekend that offensive coordinator James Franklin took the Vanderbilt job and Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson revealed that Ralph Friedgen wouldn’t return for the 2011 season. Lucas said Doyle was disappointed about Friedgen’s dismissal, but remains excited to suit up for the Terps and get to know new coach Randy Edsall.
“He felt good about playing for Coach Friedgen,” Lucas said. “But at the same time, I think the athletic director told the recruits that they were still going to honor their scholarships. He was pleased with that and stuck to his commitment. I just spoke to Ryan about the new coach, and he has a lot of respect for Coach Edsall and he’s excited about playing for Coach Edsall. I think things worked out well for him. Going through the coaching change, he’s very pleased with everything.”
Comments
Matt-
Wasn't Hubert Supposed to announce yesterday?
Also, have you talked to any of the pledges to see their thoughts on Edsall's hiring?
Who is excited, who is leaving, etc.
Also, is there any chance he brings some recruits with him to MD?
Did he have any top 250 kids?
Posted by: Ryan | January 5, 2011 11:50 AM
Ryan -- Not sure on a Hubert announcement. I know there were some reports that he was thinking about a decision this month, but I honestly don't know if that's the case or not.
I've talked to a few coaches of commitments since Edsall's hiring. I think the majority of the class sticks. The scholarships will be honored, and Edsall is probably a less jarring transition than Leach would've been.
One guy to watch is Calvert Hall safety Adrian Amos. He reportedly decommitted from UConn after Edsall took the Terps job. I don't believe the Huskies have any Top 250 guys coming in.
Posted by: Matt Bracken | January 5, 2011 12:13 PM
Matt...
Any chance Blake Countess decommits from Michigan and comes back to MD?
UConn's highest rated recruit was the WaPo player of the year, a QB from Burke, VA. I think Rivals and Scout have him as a 3 star. As far as I can determine, Edsall only landed a single 4 star recruit in his time at UConn. I find that a bit ominous for what lies ahead.
Posted by: Math Major | January 5, 2011 5:22 PM
Math Major -- I think Countess is set on Michigan. When I talked to him after he committed, he acknowledged that Rich Rod was on the hot seat. While Countess did want to play for him, he said his commitment was to the school, not the coach.
Posted by: Matt Bracken | January 5, 2011 7:01 PM
Matt,
Let's get an update on men's basketball recruiting.
Thanks
Posted by: Miles | January 6, 2011 9:10 AM
Miles -- I'm trying to hit football recruiting hard up until Signing Day. I'll certainly write about basketball if news breaks, but other than that, it'll probably be a lot of football for the next month.
Posted by: Matt Bracken | January 6, 2011 11:17 AM