Nick Fontenot

Special to The Advertiser

Shakeir Ryan’s voyage to professional football is more common than you’d think.

Ryan is currently enjoying his most successful pro run this season as a member of the Canadian Football Leagu Montreal Alouettes, and the road he's traveling has been paved by many players with the same NFL aspirations.

“Everyone wants to play in the NFL,” said Ryan, who has returned one punt and one kickoff for touchdowns in the CFL. “Even the Canadian guys talk about the NFL. I’ve always had confidence I could play. I’ve always trusted in my game.”

Ryan played his sophomore year of high school football at Lafayette High in 2010 before transferring to Vermilion Catholic and sitting out his junior year because of the transfer rule. He then went to Northside for his senior season and after one year with the Vikings, Ryan earned a scholarship to play at Northwestern State in Natchitoches.

“I started all four years at Northwestern and I have the second-most receptions in school history, Ryan said. “I showed up at our pro day and ran a 4.3 40(-yard dash). They had two scouts at our pro day, and one of them so happened to be from the Los Angeles Rams.”

The Rams were blown away by Ryan’s performance at the 2017 Northwestern State Pro Day, and they kept an eye on him as he fielded offers from other NFL and CFL teams. In fact, Ryan was scheduled to head to the CFL on the Friday after the workout for a chance to try out for the Toronto Argonauts.

However, the Rams called him before he could leave for the tryout.

“After a couple of days, the NFL got on my mind,” Ryan said. “I was heading to Toronto and just going to try and get that on my resume, then the Rams called. I was excited. I went to camp with the Rams. I competed and did my thing. I got signed in rookie minicamp and stayed with them throughout the preseason.”

Ryan said he got released from the Rams after the preseason and then signed with the Washington Redskins. He stayed with the Redskins on the practice squad for 10 weeks, then got released there.

He tried Canada and played for the Hamilton Tigercats. He played one game with Hamilton — scoring on a 108-yard kickoff return — but was released after the game.

“I was bouncing around from practice squads and workouts, and I was kind of over it a little bit,” said Ryan, who also returned a kickoff for a touchdown with the BC Lions during the preseason this year. “I just wanted to play. I thought I would have a good chance to play in the CFL. I played with Hamilton, but I didn't make the team’s cut."

Ryan said he never really watched the CFL as a kid and he knew very little about the differences of the league. The CFL has the “waggle” which allows receivers a head start toward the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. They are allowed multiple men in motion at the same time, and the field is larger.

There is also a five-yard halo rule on punt returns, which almost eliminates fair catches and makes punt returns a bigger part of the game. This plays into Ryan’s strengths, and he hopes adding to his special teams touchdowns will provide him another chance to get to the NFL.

“I definitely want to get back into the NFL and play where my family can come watch me,” said Ryan, who has missed the past three games due to injury. “I have three returns so far in the nine games I’ve played, and I think one more return would give me a lot of more confidence where I could go into camp and compete for a job.”

Ryan said most of the guys in the CFL have the goal of getting to the NFL, but it really just depends on each individual situation.

“Some of the older guys don't want to deal with the politics of the NFL,” Ryan said. “Some guys have bounced from six or seven NFL teams and they're done with it. They just want to stay here and they’re comfortable. But the younger guys, we are all trying to get as much film as we can and try to get up there.”

Ryan said he doesn’t get on social media much; he doesn't tweet or post a lot on Instagram. According to Ryan, he only gets online to watch LCA games and his brother Sage play for the Knights.

More:LCA's Sage Ryan feels no pressure to live up to bloodline

As Ryan paves his way back to the NFL, he remains humble through all the releases and the bouncing from team to team. Ryan said it’s God’s plan.

“I just started to feel like everything that happens is for a reason,” Ryan said. “I have a strong belief in God. Every move that’s made and every release is God’s plan. I’m just in the plan and still on that road trying to get to my destination.

“I try not to be discouraged when I get bad news. I just know at the end of the day, it will be better. Lately, when I’ve been released, I end up in a better situation the next time around.”