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Quick Facts
Biography
Ryan Reynolds (born September 20, 1986) is a former linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners. He was a four-year standout in football and judo in high school, both at Lake Havasu High School in Arizona and at Bishop Gorman High School in Summerlin, Nevada, where he was recognized nationally.
High school career
Reynolds was a four-year letterman, two years at Lake Havasu High School and two years at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. He showed his athleticism and versatility, playing linebacker and defensive back on defense and tight end and fullback on offense. He was also a state wrestling champion and a five-time national judo champion. A View Newspaper article called Reynolds the 'most highly recruited high school football player in Nevada history'.
As a senior, he recorded 94 tackles (including 12 tackles for loss) and 6 sacks to go along with his junior year totals of 96 tackles and 6 sacks. As a junior, he also ran for a career best 393 yards from his fullback position. He was recognized at the Palo Alto Nike training camp in 2004 for his performance in their SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, and Quickness) test. He scored higher on the test than any player in the Camp's history.
As a senior, he was a USA Today first team All-American, a Parade All-American (a publication that also recognized him as the top linebacker in the country), a U.S. Army All-American, and Nevada's Gatorade player of the year. Rivals.com and ESPN.com both ranked him the No. 2 outside LB in the nation. He was a consensus top 30 player nationally and Rivals.com placed him as the best player in the state of Nevada. He was also selected as the Las Vegas Sun state defensive player of the year. Reynolds was awarded the 2005 Walter Payton Trophy at the US Army All-American Bowl awards dinner.
At Bishop Gorman, Reynolds was a high school teammate of fellow OU Sooner DeMarco Murray.
College career
2005 and 2006 seasons
Reynolds was relegated to special teams as a true freshman, logging tackles against Oklahoma State, Nebraska, and Tulsa.
Although he was penciled in as a starter for the Sooners, Reynolds injured his ACL after spring practices and was redshirted for the 2006 Sooners.
2007 and 2008 seasons
As a redshirt sophomore in 2007, Reynolds appeared in 13 games and recorded 60 total tackles. As a redshirt junior in 2008, he appeared in only six games and recorded 44 tackles.
2009 season
In 2009, Reynolds recorded 79 total tackles to rank third on the Sooners team behind Travis Lewis and Quinton Carter.
In December, 2009, the NCAA denied Reynolds his request to play a sixth year due to injuries.
Reynolds told a reporter at the completion of his college career that he had no interest in pursuing an NFL career.
References
- ^ "Oklahoma Sooners Official Bio". Soonersports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletic Department. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "Lake Havasu Wrestling Records". Lake Havasu High School. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ Christensen, Nick (2005-01-13). "Reynolds aims to be the best". Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ Stott, Kevin (2005-02-09). "U of Oklahoma-bound". View Neighborhood Newspapers. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "Nike Camp Report on Ryan Reynolds". Rivals.com. 2004-05-22. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "2004 USA Today All-America Team" (Adobe Flash plug-in required). USA Today. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "Meet PARADE's All-America High School Football Team". Parade Magazine. 2005-01-23. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "2005 Army All-American Bowl Team". usarmyallamericanbowl.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "Nevada Gatorade POY". Gatorade.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "Nevada Prep Report". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ Christensen, Nick (2005-01-13). "Jordan, Reynolds Named State's Top Players". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ Staff writer (2005-01-16). "Gaels linebacker Reynolds commits to play for Sooners". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "Athlete of the Year". usarmyallamericanbowl.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "Ryan Reynolds". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ "2009 Oklahoma Sooners Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ "OU football notebook: Ryan Reynolds denied appeal for sixth year". 22 December 2009.