Gridiron Football Top 300: Ryan Yaites

Ryan Yaites is a 4⭐ Safety in the class of 2023 out of Guyer Highschool in Denton, Texas. According to 247 Sports, Yaites is the #16 safety in the country, helping boost an already stacked LSU class that currently sits at #5 in the recruiting rankings. 

Yaites is a very versatile defensive prospect and can be moved around the secondary to fill multiple roles. He has the physicality and the coverage skills to play anywhere in the defensive backfield. He is extremely comfortable when the ball is in the air and makes a play for the ball almost every time he is tested. He trails receivers very technically and when you watch him play you don’t see him making super erratic movements that can often throw DB’s timing off, instead, it almost appears as if he is dictating where the route runners can go. He trusts his progressions when he is dropping back into coverage and understands what his role is very well in both zone and coverages. 

To view Ryan Yaites’s Highlights visit the link below!!!

https://www.hudl.com/profile/13449607/Ryan-Yaites

Here are some of Yaites’s responses from my interview with the 4⭐ DB. 

Do you have any goals for the rest of high school? Win a State Championship

What is your biggest strength as a football player? my adversity to play any DB position and my man coverage age skills 

What makes you different than every other recruit in the country?  I can be moved around from safety, to corner, to nickel, and use my tools to fit into any style a DC or secondary coach likes. 

What is your proudest achievement in football? Becoming a UA All-American 

What is an example of you overcoming adversity as an athlete? Two examples of overcoming adversity were starting my sophomore year when I was 15 guarding 17-18 year-old juniors and seniors, and when I tore my meniscus and came back in 6 months when it was supposed to be 8. 

If you had to compare yourself to a college or professional player, Who would it be? Why?  I’d say Jay ward because of his adversity on how he moves from nickel to SAF to cornerback sometimes and is their man/ free player. 

What made LSU stand out during recruiting? They had everything I wanted in a college not just football but the campus the people the food and the other commits and the campus itself. 

What’s your favorite football memory?  My favorite football memory was getting my first interception sophomore year. 

Who is someone you look up to off the football field? Definitely my Dad. 

What role do you play as a leader on the team? As a leader, I am vocal and try to motivate some of the young DB’s by leading by example and coaching them up.