With U.S. college football bowl season in full swing, North Bay’s Ryan Hunter has to settle for being a spectator in his final season – but it seems likely he has more football ahead.
And he’ll be putting in the work to make it happen.
The six-foot-four, 310-pound offensive lineman walked off the field for the final time with the Bowling Green State University Falcons last month after four seasons and 51 games of NCAA football. He was part of two MAC conference championship teams and went to three bowl games during his time at the Ohio-based university, but in 2017 was counted on to provide leadership for a young team that finished 2-6 in the conference and 2-10 overall.
But even while walking off the field Nov. 21 after a 34-31 loss to Eastern Michigan, Hunter had reason to look ahead. In early December, the Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau released its updated list of the top-20 ranked prospects for the 2018 CFL Draft, with Hunter ranked third overall. The draft of 69 top prospects will take place on May 3, although Hunter would also like to work his way on to the radar for the NFL Draft in April.
“It was pretty cool to see myself up as the third-ranked player heading into the CFL Draft, but the work is only beginning now,” Hunter said vie email. “These lists are nice, but it all depends on how you perform at the Pro Day, and the CFL or NFL combine if you are given the opportunity. My hopes are definitely to continue to play at the professional level. I will be training from now until March when the Pro Day and the combines begin.
“After that, it's all about waiting – which really sucks, because I'm not the most patient person in the world.”
The 22-year-old earned his undergrad degree in Criminal Justice last spring before enrolling in an MBA program, which he will continue to pursue over the next four months. His long-term goal is to play professionally while completing a law degree in the offseason.
“As far as the next four months, it will consist of a whole lot of training, putting myself on a strict calorie-conscious diet and going to class,” Hunter said. “These next four months are some of the most important in my career as an athlete, and I am very focused on the task at hand and what's at stake.”
In Hunter’s favour, he will get to work with Bowling Green strength and conditioning coach Billy Yates – who had an eight-year NFL career as an offensive lineman and won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2005 – to develop more strength and speed in time for Pro Day, and to help prepare for professional football.
Whether or not the former Algonquin Baron and Nipissing Wild standout will get to suit up as a professional, his time at Bowling Green – after moving away from home at age 16 to finish high school in Buffalo – has been nothing but positive. Aside from the Academic All-MAC and MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete honours, he helped several teammates establish school records on offence and made the most of his university experience in establishing himself in a “home away from home” in Bowling Green.
“The amount of fun I've had over these past five years is something nobody can take away from me,” he said. “I wish everyone could experience the fun of college football. The memories and friendships I've developed over these past five seasons will stay with me forever and I will never forget. Even though the last two seasons did not go as planned, I had an absolute blast playing.
“This sport has given me so much that it wouldn't be right to decrease my level of intensity or excitement just because we are losing games. To have won two MAC Championships and go to three bowl games are accomplishments some people won't get to experience once in their life. I was able to compete in three conference championships and go to three different cities to play in bowl games, I'd say that's pretty awesome.”
It’s a long way from helping the Algonquin Barons win a junior NDA football title, but the journey may not be over.
“This has been such an incredible ride that started junior year of high school, then moving to Buffalo to pursue my dream of attending a Division-I NCAA institution,” he said. “Now that I have exhausted all of my eligibility with Bowling Green, I am ready to pursue my next dream: to play on Sundays.”
