Grant Ryerse, 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior kicker from East Ridge, committed to Minnesota last Wednesday. He became the fourth verbal for the Gophers in the Class of 2017 and the third in-state commitment. Ryerse, who landed a scholarship offer from Minnesota as a sophomore, helped lead the Raptors to the Class 6A Prep Bowl title game.
Gopher Hole recently caught up with Ryerse to learn the latest on his commitment and his upcoming senior season.
Gopher Hole: You committed to Minnesota last week. What was the reason that you decided that Minnesota was where you wanted to play college football?
Grant Ryerse: I decided, that overall, the main thing for me was I wanted to stay home, close to all my family and the support that I have locally here. That was a huge thing for me. Another thing, is that I felt that it was the best fit for me with the whole environment of the program, the academics and the on-field situation, too.
Gopher Hole: Had you know the decision for a while or did it just come to you recently?
Grant Ryerse: I was starting to narrow down my decision. I knew that I wanted to make a decision by the end of the summer, so I started the process a little bit, but I really hadn’t. I had thought about it with my parents a little bit, but a lot of thought went into this decision.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, they have had a coaching change since the Gophers started recruiting. What if any impact did that have on you and your recruitment?
Grant Ryerse: When I first meet Coach Claeys, really what I was going for was reaffirming that I still had the offer, because sometimes when the coaches changes can affect the recruits’ scholarship, especially with me being a kicker. That position isn’t always as coveted as highly as the other ones, but I was very happy when Coach Claeys told me that my offer still stood and he really liked the way that I played. Other than that, the coaching change didn’t really change much in my recruitment.
Gopher Hole: I know that you just committed, but do you feel that a weight has been lifted off your shoulders having that decision made?
Grant Ryerse: Yes. It is a big weight lifted off my shoulder and I know that I made the right decision. I’m very confident in that, so now it is time to focus on our upcoming season, because I can’t wait for that.
Gopher Hole: Minnesota had offered you when you were a sophomore. Like you said, a lot of schools, unfortunately put as much emphasis on kickers. A lot of schools have kids that walk-ons that earn a scholarship. Was that important to you that they showed that much faith in you as a kicker that they offered you that early?
Grant Ryerse: Yes. To be honest, at the end, the timing of the offers didn’t really weigh into my final decision, but it is really nice to know that the coaching staff has believed in me for a couple of years now and they believed in what I can do and what I can progress into, so that is a very reassuring thing.
Gopher Hole: What was the reaction of your family and friends?
Grant Ryerse: I told my parents Tuesday and they were happy, but they just wanted me to sleep on it and make sure that I was making the right decision, but in the end, they have always been supportive of whatever my decision would be, but they were very happy that I ended up staying home.
Gopher Hole: What was the reaction of the coaches?
Grant Ryerse: I called Coach O’Brien and he was really happy and then I got on the phone with Coach Claeys a couple of minutes later and he was happy as well, so it was nice to get to call those guys and hear their excitement, too.
Gopher Hole: What was the reaction of your former teammate Seth Green? I don’t know how close you were, but he left for his senior year, but now is at Minnesota. Had you talked to him before you made your decision?
Grant Ryerse: We played with other for two years, so that was pretty cool. We had a bond there. I saw him a couple times here and there before I made my decision and he always wanted me to be a Gopher. It will be really cool to have that bond back with him. I can’t wait to be teammates again.
Gopher Hole: East Ridge made it to the Prep Bowl last year, losing a heartbreaker to Osseo. What are the expectations for this season?
Grant Ryerse: This season, it is a completely new team, so we are going to have to have a lot of guys step up. Our main goal as a team is we want to get to the state tournament, because in our last four games, the games came down to the final couple plays and the final couple seconds. We know that we can do anything. We have a talented bunch of guys and a great coaching staff. We know that we have the potential to have a great season and our main goal right now is making it to the state tournament, wherever anything can happen.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, you had a great year but you did have a lot of adversity with Seth leaving and JoJo (Garcia who did not play) and you had a coaching change. How hard was last year?
Grant Ryerse: At first, it was a bit tough when we didn’t have all the structured practices, but we bonded like nothing I had ever seen before. It was incredible. Our whole coaching staff and our captains did a great job of just including everybody in all the activities and we all realized that we had all gone through some dark stuff, but we knew that if we worked hard and stayed together that good things would happen and some great stuff happened. It was a fun time.
Gopher Hole: Since you have committed, you probably won’t be going to any college camps, but what are your summer plans? I know that you have gone to some kicking camps in the past.
Grant Ryerse: I am planning on going to Bradenton. There is a camp at IMG run by Chris Sailer (a well-known kicking coach), so I am planning on going to that right now and possibly another camp in South Carolina. I am also looking at one more camp, but I’m not sure if I’ll go to that one yet.
Gopher Hole: What things are you really working to improve yourself as a kicker this summer?
Grant Ryerse: One thing that I really want to focus on is my punting because I worked really hard the past year or two to become a better punter because my frame is more fit for that. It is just a better fit for that, so I want to become a better punter and become more consistent with my field goals.
Gopher Hole: Minnesota kicker Ryan Santoso is going to punt this season and he will be a junior this season. Have they talked to you much about expectations when you do get to Minnesota?
Grant Ryerse: We talked about wherever I fit in. Obviously, I would have to win the spot, too, but wherever I fit in, that is where I would get playing time or wherever I would be a top kicker, especially if Ryan is punting as a senior, I think there would be some good opportunities for me.