PURVIS – Like father, like son.
Purvis senior Matthew Ryals will not only wear the same college uniform as his father, Chris Ryals, but the future Southern Miss Golden Eagle could play the same position as his dad.
Chris played right tackle for Southern Miss from 1988-91, while Matt played left tackle at Purvis. The switch could easily be made, though.
“I’m left (tackle) but I’ve played both my whole career,” Ryals said. “It’d be awesome. I’d really like that. Walking in his footsteps, seeing the same stuff and going through the same stuff he essentially went through when he was in college.”
The long-time Southern Miss commit made it official, signing his National Letter of Intent during an early signing period ceremony at Purvis High School Wednesday morning. He’ll graduate later this month and start classes at Southern Miss in January, which means he couldn’t participate in basketball this winter or have another shot at a golf state championship this season. He’s OK with it, though.
His family’s history with Southern Miss had a lot to do with his ultimate decision.
Ryals has been committed to the Golden Eagles since March, and his commitment came almost immediately after his visit to campus last spring.
“I always wanted to go to Southern Miss, but when I went there on that visit, I saw the coaching staff and what they were about,” Ryals said. “I saw all the facilities and how they kind of run things. I was like, ‘This is the day that I need to commit and plan for my future.’”
Being close to home was important, too. Ryals took advance for the short trip from Purvis to Hattiesburg to catch all but one home game this season, and he even made the trip to Auburn for the September road game.
The offensive linemen position was a point of emphasis for Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson and his staff. Including Ryals, the Golden Eagles had seven offensive linemen sign with the program on Wednesday – three junior college transfers and four high school recruits.
The 6-foot-7 Purvis senior knew the there was a big group of freshmen coming in to play on the line, but that’s not a big deal for Ryals. Plus, Southern Miss isn’t graduating any starting offensive linemen either.
“Coach Hopson told me the other day that this recruiting class was really set for the linemen,” Ryals said. “As you can see, a lot of commits have been linemen. I’m ready to get in there, work for a starting job and get my name thrown around by the coaches. I’m ready to get into the fire.”
Southern Miss linebackers coach Erik Losey is known for being an intense coach, but Ryals is excited to get to work in the spring. When asked if he’s ever had a coach as intense as Losey, he said current Petal basketball coach Todd Kimble is a close second to Losey. Kimble was at Purvis prior to coaching at Petal last season.
