Family ties land Claridge at UNLV with Robinson

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000 | 10:03 a.m.

Ryan Claridge was in the eighth grade when he first crossed paths with John Robinson.

"I went with my brother Travis on his recruiting trip to USC," Claridge recalled. "I sat in Coach Robinson's office in Heritage Hall. I was just overwhelmed. I was like, 'Hey, that guy is on a football card!"

Travis Claridge, rated by some scouting services as the nation's top offensive line prospect his senior year, eventually signed with Robinson's Trojans and became the first true freshman offensive lineman to start for USC since Lombardi Award winner Brad Budde in 1976. The elder Claridge also won the 1999 Morris Award as the Pac-10's top lineman and was a second round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons.

Six years later, little brother Ryan is making a surprising impact as a true freshman as a backup weakside linebacker for Robinson at UNLV.

The 6-3, 225-pound Claridge already is tied for sixth on the team with eight tackles and owns one of the Rebels' four quarterback sacks. He also batted down a pass at Iowa State.

"He's very intense," Robinson said. "He still has no idea what he is really doing out there. And he's kind of like his brother ... he's a little squirrelly."

Squirrelly?

"He also played tennis in high school," Robinson joked. "If you play tennis in Michigan, people begin to worry about you."

Actually, Claridge was a darn good tennis player. He finished second in the state in his division at tiny Almont High School in Fort Gratiot, Mich., about 60 miles north of Detroit.

But it was in football that he earned an even bigger reputation. Schools such as Michigan and Michigan State were actively recruiting him his senior year until he suffered a season-ending ankle injury.

"A lot of schools just wrote me off then," he said.

It was in the locker room after a USC game that Claridge bumped into then-UNLV linebackers coach Joe Barry, a former USC player and coach who just happened to be stopping by to watch his alma mater.

"Coach Barry told me where he was and I sent him a game tape," Claridge said. "Coach Robinson then decided to recruit me as an athlete."

With a glowing endorsement about Robinson from his really big brother -- Travis is 6-6 and 310 pounds -- Ryan decided to sign with the Rebels.

"My brother loves John Robinson," Claridge said. "He said he's one of the best coaches he's ever had. He's a real players' coach."

Besides, he has his own football card.

"Hey, that was like only my second year of playing football back then," Claridge said. "Being from a small town in Michigan and everything, I really didn't know that much about John Robinson. But I do now. And I'm glad he gave me the chance to come out here and play college football."