Ryan Manalac was an 'underdog overachiever' as a player. Now he's leading the UConn defense
Linebacker RyanManalac #45 of the Cincinnati Bearcats claims an interception against the University of South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium on November 3, 2007 in Tampa, Florida. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) STORRS - During a team meeting Thursday,UConn football defensive coordinator RyanManalac tried to impress upon his players how important the performance of the unit will be to the Huskies' success this season.Under first-year head coach Jason Candle, UConn has brought in more than 60 new players, yet among the chaos is the expectation that the Huskies need to match the success of the last two nine-win seasons. Someone has to lead that effort, and Manalac believes his defense can do that."We have to come together," Manalac said. "We were talking today as a unit, and when you think of all the champions in all the major sports, they all have elite defenses. You talk about Spain that just won the World Cup or the Seahawks who won the Super Bowl or the Knicks who won the NBA Finals."These teams all have great defenses that come together and allow them to have tactical flexibility and players who want to be selfless to get the job done," Manalac said. "We have brought a lot of guys in from a lot of different places, but we have met with each of them individually to make sure they are wired the right way."Manalac sees a group of solid individuals who want to work hard, work together and find a way to keep winning. In him, they see the type of leader who can inspire such success."I love how consistent of a leader he is with the defense," said junior defensive lineman Avery Dunn, a transfer from Toledo. "He brings the same standard every day, creating a high-intensity environment for us. He sets the tempo for us to be difficult to play against with our high energy and aggression."Dunn said every defensive meeting the Huskies hold starts with a little WWE wrestling, Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair intensity."He will say, Give me three claps and a Ric Flair,' and we will all scream, Woooooooo-ahhhh!'" Dunn said. "It gets the juices flowing and overall sets the tone by getting everyone hyped up and ready to attack the day." Manalac, a 40-year-old Ohio native, said that as a linebacker who walked on at the University of Cincinnati and became a two-year starter, he was "an underdog overachiever." He leaned heavily into preparation and a strong work ethic to earn his way to the Buffalo Bills training camp.When a professional playing career didn't work out, Manalac immersed himself deeper into the game as a coach, starting as a graduate assistant at Michigan State from 2011-15 for teams that won a pair of Big Ten championships and a berth in the 2015 College Football Playoff. RyanManalac of the Buffalo Bills poses for his 2010 NFL head shot circa 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. (Handout/Getty Images) Seeking bigger roles for himself, Manalac coached at Valparaiso (linebackers), Ohio Dominican (defensive coordinator), Bucknell (defensive coordinator) and the University of Pittsburgh (linebackers).He enjoyed tremendous success at Pittsburgh and was in line for a promotion when Candle and UConn came calling."He is ready for this opportunity," Candle said. "We had a dog fight with Pitt in a bowl game a couple years ago at Toledo that went six overtimes. It is a tough scheme to prepare for. They put pressure on you. They make you earn plays. They create a lot of havoc."I feel like we have the players in place to make this thing go and go at a high level."Growing up in Ohio just like Candle, Manalac said he heard a lot of great things about the Huskies' new head coach. He was impressed with Candle's ability to create long-time stability within a program through player development and relationship building, and he wanted to be part of it."I've always been impressed with him, and I am fired up about getting a chance to work with him," Manalac said. "I am very excited about the program we are building together, and the way he does it being relationship-oriented where we are going to take care of our guys and create an environment they will get better every day."Manalac constantly finds ways to connect with his players and create competition.Dunn said that because there is a strong core of defensive players who love fishing, Manalac challenged them to see who could catch the biggest fish this summer.As many as five to 10 guys will go fishing at least three times per week to bond over something they love, but also to compete with one another."He is aggressive, but he is a super cool guy on and off the field," junior defensive back Braedyn Moore said. "Just walking around, he is a mean, stalky guy. His calves are three times the size of mine, but he's a good guy."From a schematic standpoint, Manalac said he will play a four-man front as his base defense, but he wants to use multiple fronts and aggressive packages that keep opponents guessing and keep his players happy."I want us to be thoroughly prepared and a group of guys who play with great effort and great toughness," Manalac said. "We want to be aggressive and put mental and physical pressure on opposing offenses by getting after them."The players have responded well."I love the overall schematics of our defense because of how vertical we get, how aggressive we are and how much we blitz and get into the backfield," Dunn said. "I think that is the main identity of our defense is we are going to be very aggressive and make it hard for any offense we go against by being disruptive and unpredictable."Sign up for the Connecticut Briefing from CT Insider. Get the biggest headlines of the day from our network of journalists around the state.This article originally published at Ryan Manalac was an 'underdog overachiever' as a player. Now he's leading the UConn defense.
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