The 90 Illini #55: Ryan Meed

I still remember Ryan Meed's first game. I mean, you remember Ryan Meed's first game, but you don't remember it being Ryan Meed's first game. Ryan Meed's first game was the comeback at Michigan State in 2019. He was a freshman walkon linebacker, he hadn't played all season, but for that game, he found himself on first string kickoff team.

I remember this because, in the stands that day with Carmen and the BoardRoom guys, we embarrassingly had to look up #34 on the roster. Carmen and I pride ourselves on memorizing the entire roster, so to be in November and having to look up a player's number? I doubt it's happened in the last 25 years. But seriously - who is #34 on kickoff coverage?

I've said this before when writing about Meed, but can you imagine that being your first college football game? The tackle is made right in front of you on Michigan State's kickoff return (the final play) and you rip off your helmet and run around the field celebrating the comeback from down 31-10 in the 4th quarter - THAT'S your introduction to college football.

Anyway, it's now 2024 and thanks to a redshirt year (he only played in the final four games of 2024) and the Covid year, he's still on the roster in 2024 for Year Six. And I can already sense that I have him too low but for this 90 Illini I have him at...