Ryan was a member of the charter class of Santa Margarita. He holds the distinguished honor of being the first Eagle to ever receive a football scholarship to a Division I school.

He left Santa Margarita a 230 pound Offensive Lineman, but at the University of New Mexico he developed into a quick, and aggressive 300 pounder who paved the way for the Nation's 6th ranked offense in 1995. Ryan was an All-WAC athlete on the football field as well as All-WAC in the classroom for his last 3 years.