Ryan Switzer has exploded, both in the state of West Virginia and on the recruiting trail.
a member of the class of 2013, he has been named the Mountain State Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Kanawha Valley Player of the Year, 2011 Don Nehlen Chapter of the National Football Foundation High School Player of the year, the ESPNHS East Region Player of the Week for Nov. 9 (when he ran 20 times for 333 yards and six touchdowns and scored a seventh time on a 51-yard punt return), a member of the ESPN Top 150 recruiting watch list for high school players scheduled to graduate in 2013, Kennedy Award West Virginia Player of the Year, and Gatorade West Virginia Player of the Year.
a year ago as a sophomore, he led his team in all receiving categories with 29 catches, 602 yards, and 9 touchdowns. this year as the featured back, Switzer ran for 2,785 yards (on nearly 10 yards-per-carry) and scored 40 touchdowns en route to leading his team to a 13-1 record and a state championship berth (where they eventually lost with Switzer posting a season-low 115 yards and 2 touchdowns).
pretty impressive stuff for a junior.
his numbers at the
Under Armour Combine were also impressive while measuring in at nearly 5-9 and 170-pounds: 4.52 in the 40, 32.5-inch vertical, 4.20 shuttle, 6.73 L-drill, 9-foot-4-inch broad jump, and 14 bench press reps. also, notice how young he looks in the photo. he still has a lot of physical maturing to do, i suspect.
he also has numerous Division 1 offers. VERY impressive stuff for a White running back.
Switzer also gets it done off the football field, maintaining a 3.9 GPA in the classroom and volunteering locally on behalf of the Special Olympics and as a youth football camp counselor. he's also already won two track state championships and hit the game-clinching basket to lead his basketball team to a state championship last year (he's also starting again this year).
“Ryan Switzer is without a doubt the best player in the state of West Virginia,” said Corey Beck, head coach of rival Lincoln High. “He was the unanimous player of the year in our conference and we play in one of the toughest conferences in the state. He is the real deal.”
"Switzer is just a fantastic player. I don't know what he had, but he's going to get his yards," state championship-winning Martinsburg Coach Dave Walker said after facing Switzer. "He's the best player in the state."
[video=youtube;myaQoMGOagI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myaQoMGOagI[/video]
in college Switzer could project as a tailback, cornerback, or the racially-appropriate slot receiver in addition to returning kicks.