John Ryan Class: Junior Hometown: Westlake, OH High School: St. Ignatius Height / Weight: 6-5 / 260 Position: Defensive End Birthdate: 05/07/1988

CAREER: One of Notre Dame's more versatile defensive players who has appeared in 22 games through his first two seasons as both a defensive end and an outside linebacker ... started 10 contests (all as a sophomore) with eight starts coming at the outside linebacker position and two starts as a defensive end ... accumulated 43 tackles with 2.5 sacks, six tackles for loss and one forced fumble in 293:46 of game action ... also a valuable special teams player as he has logged 144 special teams appearances for the Irish.

2007 (SOPHOMORE): Adapted well to the 3-4 personnel defense as his versatility allowed the Irish to utilize multiple defensive fronts with him on the field ... played in all 12 games and started the first 10 contests of the season ... started as a defensive end vs. Purdue and Boston College and as an outside linebacker in the other eight games ... recorded career highs in every statistical category ... notched 39 tackles with 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and one forced fumble ... ranked ninth on the team in tackles and third on the squad in tackles for loss ... started for the first time in his Notre Dame career vs. Georgia Tech ... recorded three tackles vs. the Yellow Jackets ... made second-career start with the Irish, rounding up four assisted tackles vs Penn State ... recorded seven tackles (six solo, one assist) vs. Michigan ... made six solo tackles vs. Purdue ... recorded two tackles for a loss of 12 yards ... recorded first unassisted sack of the season for a loss of 11 yards vs. the Boilermakers ... recorded one sack for a loss of nine yards vs. UCLA ... had one forced fumble that set up a 34 yard fumble return by teammate Maurice Crum for an Irish touchdown vs. the Bruins ... made four tackles vs. Boston College ... had four tackles (two solo, two assist) vs. USC ... made five tackles (two solo, three assist) vs. Air Force ... assisted on one tackle vs. Duke ... credited with three stops at Stanford ... logged 257:15 of playing time and made 137 special teams appearances.

2006 (FRESHMAN): Played behind Victor Abiamiri and Chris Frome at defensive end ... saw action in 10 games ... tallied four tackles, two solos and one tackle for a loss ... logged 36:31 of playing time with seven special teams appearances.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Graduated from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio ... second-team pick as defensive lineman on 2005 Division I All-Ohio team by Associated Press ... named to first-team all-Ohio defense by Ohio News Network/Ohio High ... made 31 solo tackles, 18 assists, six sacks and 14 hurries in eight games as senior in `05 for St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio ... caught 19 passes for 174 yards and three TDs from tight end slot ... rated 19th among defensive linemen on '05 preseason list of top players nationally by The Sporting News ... had 55 tackles, 10 sacks, three caused fumbles, three fumble recoveries as junior in 2004 ... also played basketball ... from same high school as fellow sophomore Robby Parris ... attended Notre Dame football camp in summer of 2005 ... born May 7, 1988 ... high school coach was Chuck Kyle ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business ... earned a 3.00 grade-point average in '07 fall semester and owns a 3.037 cumulative GPA.