Ranking the Contenders: Four-star CB Sage Ryan
Rivals100 cornerback Sage Ryan had a quiet sophomore campaign as his name began to surface as a national recruit. After turning in another phenomenal season culminating in a second consecutive Louisiana Division III state championship, the offers continued to roll in.
This offseason, Georgia, Clemson and Alabama joined LSU in the hunt for Ryan, who is related to former LSU standouts and NFL alum Kevin and Trevor Faulk. The four-star cornerback made a visit to Alabama in March right before the coronavirus-forced shutdown, which ended Ryan's plans for returning to Baton Rouge.
Ryan is still getting an opportunity to explore a lot of his new options and recently included Florida State, Georgia, Auburn, TCU, Clemson, Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee and Michigan in his top 10. He's eyeing a decision at the All-American Bowl by next January.
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1. LSU
LSU was one of the first offers to arrive for Ryan, who is cousins with first-year Tigers running back coach Kevin Faulk. Ryan is also coached by his uncle, Trevor Faulk, who is also an alum of LSU. Ryan is very familiar with Baton Rouge and has frequented LSU's campus as much as anywhere in the country. His relationship with Faulk, cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond and Ed Orgeron loom very large for the Rivals100 cornerback.
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2. ALABAMA
Alabama not only offered Ryan this spring but was able to get him on campus in March for his first and only visit of the offseason to date. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding, a native of Louisiana, and defensive backs coach Karl Scott have made a strong impression on Ryan in a short period of time. The Crimson Tide have likely assured themselves of an official visit before Ryan makes a decision and is currently a team not named LSU to watch for the talented Louisiana defensive back.
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3. CLEMSON
Clemson was a program garnering momentum with Ryan even before defensive backs coach Mike Reed finally offered. The staff is making major headway in cultivating its relationship with Ryan, but the coronavirus travel restrictions are not helping as he has yet to take in Clemson's campus. Look for Clemson to get Ryan on campus at some point before a decision is made and don't be surprised to see the Tigers' chances improve.