Michigan State University Athletics
Sideline Sketch: Defensive End Clifton Ryan
9/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 29, 2004
Last season, you saw action in all 13 games, mostly backing up Greg Taplin at the RUSH end position. With Clifford Dukes taking over Taplin's role as the starter on the RUSH end, you have been placed in the starting spot in the STUD position. How is the transition going? Speaking of physical, you were recruited by MSU as an inside linebacker. Making the switch from linebacker to defensive end required you to bulk up a bit, going from 260 pounds to 288. How difficult was it to make that change? With the losses of Greg Taplin, Matthias Askew, Kyle Rasmussen and the switch of Dukes to the RUSH end, the defensive line has a bit of a new look this season. With the amount of new starters, how do you feel about how the line will do this season? Sack production was a huge asset for the team last season as the defense produced 45 sacks to lead the Big Ten and rank fourth in the nation. With the loss of defensive starters Taplin, Askew and Mike Labinjo, who combined for 21 of those sacks, how confident are you in the team's ability to have that kind of success again? In your role as a back-up end last season, you had a lot of success, notching 16 tackles including a sack. Now that you are in a starting role, what goals do you have for yourself this season? A graduate of Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw, Mich., you are one of the many players who came in on the "pipeline" from Saginaw. How does it feel to be part of the history of Spartans who have come from your hometown? Richardson is not only just a Saginaw native but also an Arthur Hill graduate like you. Has his success at MSU and in the NBA had an impact on you? Your work ethic has seemed to make a strong impression on your coaches with many of them commenting on how hard you worked in the off-season. How does it make you feel to know that your coaches have taken notice? Besides just being known for your hard work on the field, you also have been talked about as doing the right things in the classroom and helping out during community outreach projects. Has any of the work in the community impacted what you want to do when you are done with football? Growing up in Saginaw, you have seen some pretty tough times. Has this motivated you to succeed or is there something else in your life that drives you? Defensive Line coach Steve Stripling comments on Cliff Ryan: On playing the STUD position: On his development:
Q&A conducted by MSU Sports Information student assistant Kelly Thesier.
"It wasn't that hard because we have great strength and conditioning coaches, in Ken Mannie and Tommy Hoke. So they made it easier for me. They encouraged me every day in the spring and summer to keep working. I've been big my whole life, so adding weight wasn't too bad. I just lifted a lot of weights and ate a lot too. But sometimes, I ate a little too much (laughs)."
"I feel very confident in our D-line. The main thing we need to do as a unit is continue to pay attention to detail and be more disciplined as a unit. Getting better everyday is key to our success with having some inexperience on the line. We'll be great. The potential is there. We have great guys with great physical attributes, it's just putting in the work to make sure we're the best we can be."
"You know, the skies the limit for us. We have to build on the success we had last year. Even though we lost some key guys, you can't go backwards, you always have to go forward. A year under our belts now running the system should help us, so our goal for the year is to increase the number from what we had last year. We believe that is something we can accomplish."
"The only goal I've really set for myself is to reach my fullest potential. Day in and day out, everything I do is to try to get the best out of myself. Like coach Smith said, `don't waste a play and don't waste a snap.' I'm trying to adapt that as my philosophy for life."
"I'm proud to represent Saginaw. That is one of the main reasons I came to MSU. With Jason Richardson, Charles Rogers, Jeremiah McLaurin, Monquiz Wedlow and Ron Stanley all coming here before me, it made my choice pretty easy. I'm proud of what we've all done here. There are only three of us left, including Chad Simon and Ronald Stanley, so it's on me to help represent. I just want to enjoy playing in the last year for those guys and giving Saginaw something to be proud of."
"I'm not going to lie, Jason motivates me a lot. I see him often in the summer time and see the life he's living now, and knowing where he came from how much he's improved his life. It motivates me even more after seeing what you can accomplish. Seeing a hard working guy like him have all the success athletically really has pushed me to work even harder."
"I count that as an honor for them to view me like that. You know, it really means a lot to me for your coaches to say things like that to the press and the media. It's a good accomplishment, but I can't be satisfied with just that. I can't let it get into my head, so I have to stay humble and continue doing what I'm doing and I'll be okay."
"Right now, I'm looking to become a high school football coach and a teacher. That's what I want to do right now. The coaches I've had throughout my life have made a lasting impact on me. They led me in the right direction and I want to do the same for other youth, especially at home in Saginaw."
"My grandfather has been a huge motivating factor in my life, seeing what he had to go through motivates me every day. Not graduating from high school and still raising his family so that they didn't have to do without. He accomplished an above average life without the proper tools that some people feel you need to be successful in today's society. He was the underdog and he came out on top. I feel if he can accomplish what he did without an education, the skies the limit for me with the opportunities that I've been blessed with."
"We are counting on Cliff Ryan to really help us out on the defensive line this season. He is a very self-motivated individual, has constantly improved. Cliff also has worked very hard to be more vocal and more of a leader on the line."
"Cliff is taking over the position that Dukes started at last year, and we think that he's a good fit there. The key to playing that spot is being able to hold up to double-teams and with Cliff's strong physicality, he's doing just fine."
"Cliff only started one game for us last year when Taplin was injured but in all the games he saw action in, he performed well. This off-season, he worked really hard to improve his pass rush technique and spent a lot more time watching film. We expect a lot more of him this season and as the season goes on and he gets more comfortable in that starting spot, I'm certain we will see great things from him."
