Ryan Manalac was an ‘underdog overachiever’ as a player. He now leads the UConn defense

STORRS – During a team meeting Thursday, UConn’s director of football defense, Ryan Manalac, tried to impress upon his players how important the unit’s performance will be to the Huskies’ success this season.

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Under first-year head coach Jason Candle, UConn has brought in more than 60 new players, yet amid the turmoil is the expectation that the Huskies need to match the success of the last two nine-win seasons. Someone has to lead that effort, and Manalac believes his defense can do that.

“We must meet,” said Manalac. “We were talking today as a unit, and if you think about all the champions in all the major sports, they all have great defenses. You’re talking about Spain who just won the World Cup or the Seahawks who won the Super Bowl or the Knicks who won the NBA Finals.

“These teams all have good defenses that mesh together and allow them to be flexible with players who want to sacrifice themselves to get the job done,” Manalac said. “We’ve brought in a lot of guys from a lot of different places, but we’ve met with them individually to make sure they’re connected the right way.”

Manalac sees a group of strong people who want to work hard, work together and find a way to keep winning. In him, they see the kind of leader who can inspire such success.

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“I like the way the leader matches the defenders,” said Avery Dunn, from Toledo. “He brings the same level every day, which gives us a very high position. He sets the tempo so that it is difficult to play against our high energy and aggressiveness.”

Dunn said every defense meeting the Huskies hold starts with a small WWE wrestler, Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair.

“He’ll say, ‘Give me three hands and Ric Flair,’ and we’ll all go, ‘Woooooooo-ahhhh!'” Dunn said. “It gets the juices flowing and overall sets the tone by getting everyone excited and ready to attack the day.”

Manalac, a 40-year-old native of Ohio, said that as a linebacker who moved on at the University of Cincinnati and became a two-year starter, he was “an underdog overachiever.” He relied heavily on preparation and hard work to earn his way into Buffalo Bills training camp.

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When a professional playing career didn’t pan out, Manalac focused on the game as a coach, starting as a graduate assistant at Michigan State from 2011-15 on teams that won Big Ten championships and a berth in the 2015 College Football Playoff.

Seeking bigger roles, Manalac coached at Valparaiso (linebackers), Ohio Dominican (defensive coordinator), Bucknell (defensive coordinator) and the University of Pittsburgh (linebackers).

He enjoyed great success in Pittsburgh and was on the verge of a promotion when Candle and UConn came calling.

“He’s ready for this opportunity,” said Candle. “We had a dogfight with Pitt in a bowl game a couple of years ago in Toledo that went six times. It’s a tough scheme to run. They put pressure on you. They make you win games. They cause a lot of damage.

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“I feel like we have the players that are ready to make this thing go and go at a high level.”

Growing up in Ohio like Candle, Manalac said he’s heard a lot of good things about the Huskies’ new coach. He was impressed with Candle’s ability to create long-term stability within the program through player development and relationship building, and wanted to be a part of it.

“I’ve always been impressed with him, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with him,” said Manalac. “I’m very happy with the program we’re building together, and the way he’s doing it focusing on relationships where we’re going to take care of our boys and create an environment that will get better every day.”

Manalac always finds ways to connect with his players and create competition.

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Dunn said that because there is a strong core of defensive players who love to fish, Manalac challenged them to see who can catch the biggest fish this summer.

Most of the five to 10 guys will fish at least three times a week to bond over something they love, but also to compete against each other.

“He’s aggressive, but he’s a cool guy on and off the field,” junior linebacker Braedyn Moore said. “He just walks, he’s a mean, stomping fellow. His calves are three times bigger than mine, but he’s good.”

From a system perspective, Manalac said he will play a four-man position as his defense, but he wants to use more packages and aggressive packages that keep opponents guessing and keep his players happy.

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“I want us to prepare well and a group of boys who play with determination and strength,” said Manalac. “We want to be aggressive and put mental and physical pressure on opposing offenses by going after them.”

The players responded well.

“I like our defense because of the way we stand up, how aggressive we are and how much we attack and get in the back,” Dunn said. “I think that’s a key aspect of our defense is that we’re going to be aggressive and make it difficult for any offense that we face by being disruptive and unpredictable.”

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This article was originally published on Ryan Manalac was an ‘underdog overachiever’ as a player. He now leads the UConn defense.