Chad Ryland

Chad Ryland's Biography

Born on October 15, 1999, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Chad Michael Ryland is a commendable figure in American professional football. Today, he holds a free agent status but not without a noteworthy journey that solidified him as a formidable placekicker.

Ryland’s initial engagement with sports began during his time at Cedar Crest High School. However, football was not his first choice as his early years were dedicated to soccer and baseball. The idea of football came from his father, who encouraged and convinced him to try out for the school’s team when Ryland was in his junior year. Heeding his father’s advise proved to be a pivotal moment for Ryland as his talent was apparent enough to secure him a place in the school’s team. In the two succeeding years, he went on to be recognized as an all-league and all-county selection at placekicker.

Towards honing his skills, there were moments when Ryland and his father used the school athletic field after hours for training. They were persistent and determined, sometimes being asked to leave but returning to continue with the practice. Such untiring effort did shape Ryland into a formidable player. He eventually earned a rank as a five-star kicker, with a national position ranking of 24th at Kohl’s kicking camps.

Ryland then walked on to Eastern Michigan University, where he secured the starting position as a freshman. His prowess was on full display in the second game where he executed a game-winning 24-yard field goal right when the time expired, serving a surprising defeat to Purdue, the heavily favored opponent.
Throughout the season, his performance had its share of ebbs and flows and ended with him making 12 out of 20 field goal attempts. Despite this, he successfully converted all 41 point-after attempts (PATs).

In his sophomore year in 2019, Ryland featured in all the games and was able to make 35 PAT’s and 14 out of the 19 field goal attempts. He once again demonstrated his clutch ability against Illinois by successfully converting a 24-yard field goal in the last moments. Ryland earned the second-team all-conference selection in 2020, a season shortened by the pandemic. He finished with the 20th rank nationally, registering a field goal percentage of 84.6 and converting 11 out of 13 attempts. In the following year, he set a team record of 104 points in a single season by making 19 out of 22 field goals and all 47 PATs.

In 2022, Ryland made a transfer to Maryland, ending his time at Eastern Michigan as the highest scorer with a record of 309 points. His year at Maryland was marked by his appearance in every game, and he was named second-team all-conference after converting 19 out of 23 field goal attempts, which included 3 successful attempts out of 6 over 50 yards.

His proficiency led him to be drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. His performance had its highlights, particularly on Christmas Eve night, where despite missing an earlier field goal and a PAT against Denver Broncos, he managed to make a 56-yard field goal with two seconds on the clock resulting in a 26-23 win. In that season, Ryland’s record stood at 16 out of 25 field goal attempts (64%) and 24 out of 25 PATs (96%), even though his field goal percentage was at the bottom among qualified kickers.

However, in 2024, Ryland was waived by the Patriots as a part of their final roster cuts after he lost the kicking job to Joey Slye. Today, our determined sportsman maintains his free agent status, eyeing his next opportunity to shine once again on the field. Despite the highs and lows, Ryland’s journey in American professional football remains an inspiration for many.