Blue-Grey Football Alumni Update: Ryan Stonehouse

Notre Dame alum Julian Love (left), Colorado State alum Ryan Stonehouse (middle) and Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahomes (right) are among many that in the past participated in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl.

Plenty of prospects, some of them high-profile, others under-the-radar, have come and gone in the past decade or so, since the inception of the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl. Still, the talent level across the board on the national scene has been about as good as it gets.

Things don’t figure to change anytime soon, as the hype continues to build and build for this year’s games: Dec. 20 at Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, with an encore at the same venue Jan. 10, also another one Jan. 31 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium.

To gain a better understanding about the rapidly growing direction of things, perhaps now it’s best to take some time to reflect on the humble beginnings. Therefore, moving forward, the plan is to more closely examine the brand’s many alumni from all over the country.

In the limelight this time, and long overdue, is Ryan Stonehouse from Santa Ana Mater Dei (CA). As a member of the Class of 2017, he turned heads with three punts for an average of 48 yards, as Pacific defeated Atlantic, 37-14, at Oakland Raiders’ Coliseum on ESPN3.

There was no shortage of talent during the recruiting cycle, as other nationwide game participants included Missouri commit Larry Borom, Washington State commit Abraham Lucas, Texas Tech commit Kaylon Geiger and Georgia Teach commit Pressley Harvin.

Regardless of position, Stonehouse made his mark back then and is currently doing the same thing with Colorado State. The 5-foot-11 and 185-pound senior specialist will be in uniform against Boise State on Oct. 30 in a Mountain West Conference game at 7 p.m. (EST).

Known in special teams circles by many aficionados, he essentially captivated the rest of the nation’s attention in the second game of this season with an 81-yard in a 24-21 nonconference loss to Vanderbilt. That was just one of many truly memorable efforts.

Named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List, given to the country’s top punter, in each of his four years with the Rams, Stonehouse is about as accomplished as they come. Worth mentioning, he’s the owns the NCAA career record for punt average, at 47.8 per boot.

A product of Kohl’s Kicking, with Jamie Kohl leading the way, and an attentive understudy of Anthony Giugliano, he seems destined to play in the NFL, perhaps as an undrafted free agent. Still, Stonehouse got a taste of some success at the All-American Bowl in California.