Ryan Boyd adds his name to offered list from East St. Louis

East St. Louis (Ill.) High is always home to some of the top football prospects in the country. And the depth of talent at the school every year is downright outstanding. A perfect example of that depth is junior receiver Ryan Boyd.

Boyd is a 6-foot, 185-pound receiver who just landed his first scholarship offer on Tuesday from Connecticut. Boyd said the offer came from Husky head coach Jim Mora and assistant coach John Marinelli.

“It feels really good to add my first D1 offer from UConn,” Boyd told Tim O’Halloran of EDGYTIM.com. “The offer from UConn was a big surprise for sure, and I really didn’t have much contact with them at all until today.

“I still need to learn a lot more about UConn and they want me to come out and make a visit sometime soon. It’s just a great feeling to add my first offer and I’m excited about UConn.”

The offer was greeted with numerous congratulatory responses on social media, including from East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett.

“When you work hard and trust the process, you reap the benefits,” Sunkett said in response to the offer.

O’Halloran, a longtime observer of high school football in Illinois, is a big fan of Boyd. O’Halloran gushed about Boyd after his performance on the field this season and also after he stood out at the EDGYTIM Underclassmen Showcase in late January.

While most of the attention this past season was on focused on five-star receiver and Mizzou signee Luther Burden, Boyd put together a solid junior season. He averaged 13.9 yards a reception.

Boyd attended camp at Clemson last summer. He said he’s receiving early attention from Missouri, Illinois, Kent State, North Alabama, Northern Illinois, Illinois State, Southern Illinois and others.

Ryan Boyd another example of St. Louis talent

It’s a banner year for talent in St. Louis. Adding Ryan Boyd’s name to the list of offers from the region just shows how deep St. Louis is in the 2023 class.

On the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, St. Louis is home to top recruits like four-star tight end Mac Markway, four-star cornerback Christian Gray, four-star Mizzou tight end commit Brett Norfleet, and many others.

In Illinois near St. Louis, there are big recruits like top-10 offensive tackle and Boyd’s teammate Miles McVay. Offensive tackle Paris Patterson is also a coveted target at ESL.