Louisiana: Interview with Loyola College Prep 2017 OC Ryan Raburn

Written by Charlie Beuttel

Twitter: @charlie_cds3

Loyola College Prep, located in Shreveport, had one of the best seasons in school history as the Flyers opened the season on a nine-game winning streak advancing to the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs. Unfortunately for the Flyers, Loyola lost in heartbreaking fashion against University Lab (41-25) in the playoffs.

One of the leaders of the Flyers was offensive lineman Ryan Raburn. Raburn was the anchor of the offensive line that helped Loyola’s offense score a whopping 34.27 points per game. The 6’4”, 290 pound, senior did a great job at center reading defenses and creating holes for Loyola’s running backs. Raburn has a great first step off the snap allowing him to engage opposing defensive linemen getting the jump on the opposition in the trenches.

After the season, Raburn received several individual honors including first team All-District. In addition to his postseason honors, the Class of 2017 recruit is currently drawing interest from several in-state schools and is also hearing from Ivy League Schools.

Raburn is not only a great leader on the football field but also is a leader in the classroom where he has an unweighted GPA of 3.9 and has plans of studying accounting finance in college.

In an exclusive Recruiting News Guru interview, I sat down with Ryan to discuss his career at Loyola College Prep and his recruiting process.

Interview

What are your thoughts on the 2016 season?

”I feel as though this past season was an awesome one. The past three years had been rough, with the most wins in a season being four, but to finish out my high school career on a 9-2 season is something I am very proud of. I feel like we could’ve gone further in the playoffs, but I’m still very happy with how the season turned out. “

What are your thoughts on your individual performance?

“I felt like I played at a very high level this season. It was easily the best football I’ve ever played as an individual and that happened as a product of the work I put in over the offseason. I went five days a week from January to August trying to prepare myself to play the best I can and it definitely played off.”

What are your strengths on the football field?

“My strengths on the football field are that I have a very high football IQ and good feet. As a center, I have to read the box and see what the defense is trying to do. I study film and make adjustments throughout the game for myself and my teammates that help us fix what we do wrong. I actually called some plays this season in the game and we scored on almost all of them, so that’s pretty cool. I have a good first step that allows me to come off the ball quick and attack the defensive lineman and I get my hands on them before they get their hands on me. This also helps me get up to linebackers faster which takes the load off of our running backs.”

What were some of the most memorable moments of your high school career?

“I scored a touchdown in a game after our running back fumbled it my junior year, but the referees called it back. I was pretty upset about that. Beating Captain Shreve this past season was very exciting, since they are a 5A school and we (Loyola) are a tiny 3A private school. We won the game off of a pick-six in the fourth quarter. I will always remember that.”

Did you receive any individual honors?

“This season I got first team All-District and Academic All-District.”

Do you have any college offers?

“As of right now I have no offers. I’m hoping I can pick one up soon.”

Are there any schools showing interest in you?

“Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe have all shown interest as well as some FCS schools in Arkansas and Louisiana. Georgetown came to my school the other day and I’ve heard some stuff from the Ivy Leagues as well as West Point.”

Have you gone on any college visits?

“I went to game day visits to Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, and Northwestern State. I’ve taken school tours at Louisiana Tech and Louisiana-Lafayette.”

What is your current GPA?

“My unweighted GPA is a 3.9. I am in Honors and AP Classes, so my weighted GPA is around a 4.2.”

What do you want to study in college?

I want to study Accounting and Finance in college and earn my masters with plans to be a Financial Adviser.”

Who has had the biggest impact on your football career?

“My father has had the biggest impact on my football career. He’s the one that taught me how to love and play the game and coached me from Flag Football all the way up to 8th grade. He’s never missed a game and helps me go and check out the schools I want to look at. He’s also probably the loudest spectator at all of my games, so that always reassuring.”

Do you have any hobbies outside of school and football?

“I enjoy duck hunting and fishing. I also sing, I’ll be in my school’s musical this spring. I read and really just enjoy hanging out with my friends and girlfriend. I also altar serve and I love to go to church. “

Do you have a favorite Bible verse?

“Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (NIV) and Isaiah 41:10-So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (NLV)”

Do you have a favorite football team?

“I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan.”

Is there a current NFL player that you try to model your game after?

“I love watching Zach Martin and Travis Frederick play. Both are insanely quick for their size and I try to model my game after both of them. Travis is very smart and makes good calls up on the line and when he makes contact, the person he’s latched onto is going nowhere except where Travis wants to go. And Zach is a freak, he is incredibly quick with his pull and sweep steps and is able to get anywhere he needs to and finish his blocks.”

Thank you for your time.

“Thank you for the opportunity sir.”

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Photo credit: The Shreveport Times; Loyola College Prep center Ryan Raburn