Junior to Watch: Richard Rylee
Junior to Watch: Richard Rylee
School: Council Bluffs (Iowa) Lewis Central
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Position: Defensive Tackle
Size and speed: Rylee is 6-foot-4 and weighs 270 pounds. He has a 40-yard dash time of 5.1 seconds.
Statistics: Richard Rylee was not sure of his exact number of tackles for last season.
"I know that I had an interception and a touchdown."
However, he had approximately 100 tackles last season to go along with two or three forced fumbles, and two or three fumble recoveries. "Our linebackers primarily made the tackles on our defense."
Honors: Last season he was named to his conference's second team, but in the larger region aspect, he made first team all-area.
Favorite Schools: With his move to Iowa, it has probably cut down on some of his correspondence from prospective schools.
However, his coach at Metamora Township High School in Illinois has gotten letters from Purdue and Iowa.
He made the following comments about his top schools at this time:
Illinois - "It is my home state and it would be cool to go there. I know people that go there. It might be nice to be with people that I know."
Iowa - "My family likes Iowa quite a bit and they want me to go there. They would appreciate it if I went there."
Auburn - "Actually I was born in Alabama and I lived there for nine years." He would like the University of Alabama too, but "they just got put on probation."
Purdue - "Well, they have taken an interest in me and they have a real good school. They have a pretty good football program there. It is a Big 10 school and I would not mind going there."
Nebraska - "Nebraska, they have just great, great program there. I feel that I might have a chance for the national championship there."
He also likes Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12 conference. "They have great programs there too."
Strong points: "I play very smart. It is just natural. It just happens. I work hard at it."
Skinny: Richard Rylee recently moved from Metamora, Illinois to Council Bluffs, Iowa. That move might only be a temporary situation, as he might be playing again this fall for the Metmora Redbirds.
He is still growing, as he will not be 17 years old until this coming August.
However, he works hard in the weight room (three times per week) and with speed training (twice a week). His bench is 310 pounds and his top squat is 485 pounds.
Rylee is a versatile player that might be looked at for many positions besides defensive tackle.
"I play primarily defensive tackle, long snap and play tight end. I can play any position on the offensive line though. I don't know what I will end up playing." He played some tight end and offensive line last season.
"We were 11 and two. We made it to the semi-finals. We lost a game that we should not have lost. Metamora has been to the state championship four of the last six years." Metamora plays in 5A classification out of eight classes.
He works out in the weight room three times per week. His best bench is 310 pounds and his best squat has been 485 pounds.
His parents would like to see him play college football in Iowa, but they will support his final decision.
"Winning is very important to me. It is the most important thing for me."