Pine-Richland grad becomes special teams ace for Army
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Former Pine-Richland defensive lineman Ryan Duran III has been carving a role out for himself over the past few years in West Point, and as the junior and his Army teammates get set to take on West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl, that role is expanding.
During his first two seasons at Army, Duran didn’t log any varsity stats and spent most of his time on the practice squad, preparing for the moment his opportunity would come.
“We had some pretty good players when I came in as a freshman and sophomore year that I definitely learned from,” Duran said. “But just the offseason is huge for us, putting in the work when no one is watching. I think that’s really where you make your money, and it pays off during the regular season.”
That offseason work is definitely paying off for the former Ram who recorded 101 total tackles and 14½ sacks during his high school career.
This season has been big for Duran as he’s played in all 11 of Army’s games and has recorded 13 tackles and 1½ sacks in limited time on the defensive side. Duran’s work has paid off on special teams the most.
The 6-foot-5, 270-pound lineman leads the nation with three blocked kicks this year — two field goals and one extra point. He’s tied with Duke’s Isaiah Fisher-Smith, North Carolina State’s Vi Jones and Florida State’s Marvin Wilson.
Duran blocked his first kick of the season against Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 12, then added his second and third in back-to-back weeks against The Citadel and UTSA. Duran also tallied his 1½ sacks in that two-game stretch.
“After the first one, my coach just started putting me in the right position of the football, the field goal trajectory,” Duran said. “I also have some great teammates beside me who have helped get good knockback and really open up a hole for me. That’s been big for me to get through the hole and get my hands up to block the kick.”
Along with being put in the right position, Duran said he’s come a long way since his freshman year at Army. He’s started to learn the game more, along with the playbook and Army’s scheme, which has allowed him to produce more during his third collegiate season.
When he’s been given the opportunity this year, he’s taken advantage of it. He said it’s been enjoyable to finally take the field alongside the guys he’s played with for the past few years.
“It’s been fun to be contributing to the games,” Duran said. “Coming from the scout team and up to actually playing with my friends that I’ve been friends with for two years, and seeing them play always makes me happy, but playing alongside them, it makes it even better.”
It’s about to get even better for Duran and his teammates as they get set to take on West Virginia in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Thursday in Memphis. The Mountaineers are 5-4 heading into the game, and Army is 9-2.
Duran and his teammates are excited about the opportunity.
Army was originally set to play in the Independence Bowl. When that game was canceled, coach Jeff Monken essentially issued an open challenge to any bowl team without an opponent. When Tennessee pulled out of the Liberty Bowl because of covid-19 concerns, the Black Knights enthusiastically stepped in.
“Any bowl game is exciting, especially with the position we were in and having the Independence Bowl canceled, we were kinda bummed,” Duran said. “Then when Coach Monken told us we were going to be a part of the Liberty Bowl, the morale went through the roof on our team. We’re just honored to play West Virginia because they are a very good team.”