NC State commit Rylan Vann uses wrestling to boost his football prowess
CARY, N.C. — John Madden, the legendary National Football League coach and commentator, once said, “I would have all my offensive linemen wrestle if I could.” With that mentality, Madden would have loved Cary Imps lineman and NC State commit Rylan Vann. Vann capped off his undefeated junior wrestling season with a 4-2 decision in the North Carolina 4A Championship match at 285 pounds.
Vann understands how wrestling helps him on the football field. Ahead of the championship match, he spoke with Chapel Fowler of the Fayetteville Observer.
“Wrestling helps a lot with your footwork and your hands and your sprints,” Vann said. “It helped me with the bottom half of my body, too: moving my feet so I didn’t have to rely on my hands. That’s one reason I don’t get a lot of holding calls, because I know I can use my feet better than most linemen.”
Wrestlers need to have quick feet and stay balanced at all times. Dr Bill Welker, former wrestling champion, champion coach, official, author and editor, characterizes wrestling as “a sport of quick movement, more so than speed.”
For offensive linemen, they rarely run 40 yards in a given play. However, they need the ability to move quickly in short distances to engage defenders in blocking. Vann’s ability to move quickly and stay balanced on the wrestling mat shows up on the football field, whether he is protecting his quarterback or helping pave the way for a running back.
A wrestling background can be beneficial for all positions on the football field, but the trenches can look like an actual wrestling match sometimes. That benefit is not lost on Imps head coach Coleman Tyrance.
“One thing Cary High School is known for is we have a great wrestling program,” Tyrance said. “We encourage the linemen to try wrestling if that is something they would like to do. This is my fourth year at Cary, first year as head coach. Since I’ve been here, there’s always been a lineman that wrestles. That is always helpful for those guys to learn leverage, to learn how to be better with moving their hips and their feet.”
Vann spent time playing on both sides of the line of scrimmage, and while he is going to play for the Wolfpack on the offensive line, most likely center, he put together a quality season on the defensive line as well. He finished his season with 44 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
His growth from the time he entered high school in Cary should be an encouragement to NC State as well.
“He came in from middle school playing quarterback and tight end,” Tyrance said. “By his body growing and things like that, he transitioned as a sophomore to being an offensive lineman. To see his growth, as far as coming to high school at a different position and then learning something else and doing really well at it, and even adding one more position as well, and being successful on both sides of the ball, I think speaks a lot about him.”
The work Vann put in on and off the football field paid off. He earned a three-star ranking on 24/7 Sports and Rivals, and 24/7 Sports has Vann as the 29th best prospect in the state of North Carolina. Vann was part of an NC State incoming class that head coach Dave Doeren noted was heavy on North Carolina signees.
“I feel good that we continue to take care of our own more than anybody in the state,” Doeren said at his Signing Day press conference. “That’s something I’ve said I would do nine years ago and have lived up to my end and will continue to do that.”
For Vann, it appeared that NC State was the destination of choice. He followed his brother Davin to play for the Wolfpack after they spent time together playing for Cary. He received an offer to go to West Virginia, but it appeared that the Wolfpack was where he always intended to go.
According to Tyrance, NC State fans will see a hard-working, intelligent lineman who will study his opponents and figure out the best way to beat them, just like he would a wrestling opponent.
“They’re getting a kid who, first, work extremely hard,” Tyrance said. “Work extremely hard because that’s what he wants to do, but at the same time, other things push him to work hard, like his family. The next thing I think is unique to him is almost like the old TV show MacGyver. He’s going to study an opponent and really, really try to figure out, ‘How can I compete and dominate this opponent?’ Very similar to MacGyver where he’s going to find a way to make this work.”
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