Sage Ryan prepares for key role in LSU's defense

It has the makings for a decisive season for redshirt sophomore defensive back Sage Ryan. After two years serving as the backup to two NFL Draft picks in Cordale Flott and Jay Ward, it’s Ryan’s time to step into the spotlight and play a pivotal role in Matt House’s defense in 2023.

Coming out of high school, Ryan was on the cusp of being a five-star out of Lafayette, Louisiana. A top-40 player in the country with exceptional ability on all three sides of the ball, it felt as though it wouldn’t take long for Ryan to make an impact on the field. After redshirting year one, year two came and went with only one start, despite a significant boost in playing time.

Now, he’s looking to put it all together and break out in year three.

“It was hard my first two years to adapt because I only played offense in high school and was a top athlete,” Ryan said. “When I finally focused on one position on the defensive side, it was a different challenge for me. When I broke down the playbook it really helped me understand everything. Now, things are moving a lot slower for me on the field.”

Over the offseason, there was the potential for him to drop back to safety, but Ryan continued to work on his coverage ability to lock down the nickel spot this season. In today’s era of football, with the spread concepts defenses face, there’s a need for Ryan’s athleticism and versatility, but this offseason has required him to focus on the technical parts of being a defensive back.

“I’d say my man coverage and my ball skills have been the main focus – just making a play with the ball in the air,” Ryan said. “It was mostly my one-on-one coverage. I’ve got zone coverage down, with my eye progressions, but it’s just doing your job.”

New-look secondary

This year, Ryan is in a secondary he describes as versatile, experienced, and fun to play with. The transfers at corner and returning safeties all have the ability to move around, but as players find their roles, the depth chart begins to take place.

With that, comes the rise of freshmen who have been some of the biggest standouts so far this fall. Freshman defensive back Javien Toviano in particular has gotten reps both at Nickel and safety and has been someone Ryan has mentored early on in his career.

“He’s a young guy, but he’s adapting to our process and coach Cooks is helping him out on the field,” Ryan said of Toviano. “When the knives get thrown at you it’s hard and I had to go through that too. I’ve been helping him out with the playbook and helping him understand the game because it’s way different from high school and I had to learn that the hard way.”

Along with Toviano, freshman cornerback Ashton Stamps has had a major rise into the two-deep over the past week, making several plays throughout camp to show that he is ready to contribute.

“Y’all see it,” Ryan said with a smile, when talking about Stamps. “He’s going to be a guy, and he can be the guy right now. He’s done a tremendous job and he’s doing something I wanted to do my freshman year – make a name for himself early so he can play. He can play the cornerback position and has tremendous ability. His patience and his footwork, he looks like a veteran out there. I love playing alongside him because he knows what he’s doing. The trust is there.”

With Ryan, Greg Brooks, Major Burns, Toviano, and transfer Andre Sam, there’s an optimism that the Tigers can adapt into a more versatile defense this season and one that can keep the opposing quarterbacks guessing in-games.

“That’s huge to show different looks and alignments,” Ryan said. “That will mess with a QBs head. Last year we were locked in with one position and it was the first time we had that playbook, but now we’re confident in our roles and we’re interchangeable in our roles. We know what we’re doing now and that’s huge for us in situational football. It brings us a versatility in the back end.”

The defense continues to take shape and construct an identity, and Ryan is on track to finally play a major role in their success in 2023.