Ole Miss DB Sage Ryan eager to face former LSU teammates: 'I'm seeing red already'

Sept. 27 in Oxford, Miss., will serve as somewhat of a reunion for a few former LSU players now at Ole Miss.

And Sage Ryan, for one, is eager to see the Tigers roll into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

“I can’t wait,” the fifth-year senior defensive back smiled wide. “I’m seeing red already. I’m ready. I can’t wait to go against my former teammates, like Aaron Anderson and all them. I know they’ve got a couple new guys, so I’m ready to compete. It doesn’t matter who lines up in front of me. And my guy (quarterback Garrett Nussmeier) back there, so it’s gonna be fun. We came in in the same class, so it’s gonna be a good battle, and I’m ready.”

The former Lafayette Christian star, who spent the past four seasons in purple and gold, was clearly light-hearted in his response to that question and others about LSU and his transfer which led the discussion with local reporters during the Rebels’ spring practice.

Ryan admitted, ‘it is kinda weird,’ now being a part of a rival team after spending the bulk of his college career suiting up for his home-state program, but that he’s adjusting well.

“It’s kinda like, ‘Damn, I really made that transition,'” he said. “It’s been a smooth journey for me. I don’t really think about it like that. It’s just I’m a part of Ole Miss now.”

Though, he also laughed that the Rebels’ coaches are still messing with him about past matchups — particularly LSU’s last trip to Oxford, in 2023.

“The coaches kinda talk trash,” Ryan said. “They always bring up when they made that big hit on (quarterback) Jayden (Daniels) when they were here. They always bring that up and trash-talk about stuff like that. So, it’s exciting, but now I’m at Ole Miss, so I’m ready to be a part of this team and do great things over here.”

Ryan said an opportunity to face LSU didn’t factor him toward or away from any teams in the transfer portal this winter.

Finding a fit with a program that could help him continue preparing for the NFL was the biggest priority, he said at multiple points during the press conference, and he sees defensive coordinator Pete Golding, also a Louisiana native, and his system as primed to do so.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Ryan said. “I just took the process of the transfer portal day by day, and I wasn’t really worried about who was on the schedule or what not. But that’s gonna come. We’re still taking it day by day in spring and stuff. I just thought that I could thrive in this defense, so this is the team that I chose.”

And a little nudge and endorsement from a former LSU teammate didn’t hurt, either.

Ryan said he quickly heard from running back Logan Diggs, who transferred from LSU to Ole Miss during the 2024 offseason, but missed nearly the entire season during a patient recovery from a knee injury.

“He kinda sent me the little Rebel emoji when I was in the transfer portal, so we talked about,” Ryan smiled. “He was kinda like, ‘I think this is a great fit for you, and Pete Golding is a great coach, and he’s gonna get you to the next level.’ So that’s what brought me, because my goal is just to get to the next level and thrive, so this is just another stepping stone for me to get there. We talk each and every day, me and Logan Diggs, and we’re good friends, and we both came from LSU, so we talk each and every day.”

The veteran defensive back was also asked about another former LSU defender to transfer to Ole Miss this offseason: junior defensive end Da’Shawn Womack.

“That’s my boy,” Ryan said. “I mean, he’s a destroyer. He’s gonna disrupt plays. He’s a unique pass-rusher. I mean, he has the frame, about 6-5, and he’s about 270 right now. Just destruction, that’s all I can say. He’s gonna come off the edge and give it his all each and every play. So it’s a plus-plus. It’s a win-win for us.”