ISU’s Ryen ‘wowed’ by scholarship

AMES - The news didn't really hit Trever Ryen until late Tuesday night when he looked down at his phone. Forty-two unread text messages were an easy indicator that he actually accomplished what he wanted to when he transferred to Iowa State.

'I was like, ‘Wow I have to respond to all these people now,'” Ryen said. 'I called my mom and dad and it kind of sunk in when they were talking about it. It just kind of fell into place.”

Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads awarded the former walk-on from Ida Grove a scholarship during a team meeting Tuesday, much to the surprise of Ryen.

All of his teammates were there to see his face turn as white as a piece of paper with a stunned expression across it. But it was the culmination of the uncertain path that Ryen had traveled.

The sophomore started his college career at Northern Iowa, where he was a member of the Panthers' track and field program. Ryen wasn't a member of the UNI football team though, and it got harder to watch the game from a distance. He transferred to Iowa State and red-shirted the 2014 season after spending his first full year in Cedar Falls.

Ryen started to make his presence known to Rhoads last spring and has made an impression on special teams, as well as in his transition from wide receiver to running back one week before the season opener. His 81-yard punt return for a touchdown against UNI showcased his track speed.

'He's a catcher and he's a runner, first of all,” Rhoads said. 'You've got to defend him in that regard. He's given us toughness. Obviously he gives us speed at the position. As a former receiver, he catches the ball well out of the backfield. That allows you to do a number of things as far as routes are concerned.”

In seven years with Rhoads at the helm of the ISU program, he has awarded 20 walk-ons with scholarships and Ryen said receiving his was a validation of the extra work he had to put forth.

'When you see people on campus and they're like, ‘Oh you play football?' And I say, ‘Yeah, I'm a walk on,'” Ryen said. 'They kind of look at you like you don't really do anything for the team. We have to come here every day with a positive attitude. We have to grind for everything we want.”

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