LSU Gold

Leroy Ryals Season 2024

LSU
Leroy Ryals
Title
Tight Ends Coach
Hometown
South Florida (1996)

(updated 8/2/04)

Leroy Ryals will hold a dual role for the Tigers in 2004, serving as the tight ends coach while also assisting Derek Dooley with the LSU special teams.

Ryals, who has a reputation as being an outstanding recruiter, joined the Tigers in February of last season. Ryals, who will also serve as assistant special teams coach, has spent the last four years as running backs coach at South Florida.

Ryals is a 1996 business education graduate of South Florida. He earned his master’s degree in school counseling from Florida in 2001.

At South Florida, Ryals helped the Bulls to four consecutive winning seasons, including a 9-2 mark in 2002. Prior to his four years at South Florida, Ryals served as head coach at Booker High School in Sarasota, Fla., from 1994-2000. Ryals was named the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Coach of the Year in 1999. He also served as a coach in the Florida-Georgia High School All-Star game in 1997 and 2000.

In addition to his head football coaching duties, Ryals served as the athletic director at Booker High School for four years from 1997-2000 before joining the staff at South Florida.

As a player, Ryals was a cornerback for Cumberland College for two years, helping his team to an undefeated mark in 1988.

Ryals, a native of Sarasota, Fla., and his wife, Keisha, have two children, TaQuesha (14) and Anika (2).

The Ryals File
YEAR AT LSU: . . . . . . . . . . . .First (appointed on Feb. 20, 2004)
BIRTHDATE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . .March 2, 1970 in Sarasota, Fla.
WIFE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keisha
CHILDREN: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TaQuesha (14), Anika (2)
HIGH SCHOOL: . . . . . . . . . . .Booker (Sarasota, Fla.)
COLLEGE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .South Florida, ’96
POST-GRADUATE: . . . . . . . .Florida, ’01

COACHING EXPERIENCE
1990-93 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Booker High School (assistant coach)
1994-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Booker High School (head coach)
2001-03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .South Florida (running backs coach)
2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LSU (tight ends coach)