WVU TE Ryan Ward Calls Bigger Role ‘Long Time Coming’

Now the veteran in the room, tight end Ryan Ward is poised for a bigger role in his second season as a Mountaineer. Ward discussed his role and what the WVU football program is all about after spring practice on Monday, April 6.

“I look at it as a long time coming, just being at North Carolina and seeing the older guys there and then seeing the older guys here and that it was kinda gonna happen eventually,” said Ward about ascending up the depth chart.

Ward also fully knows how Rich Rodriguez runs a program as he’s preparing for his second year in Morgantown, making him an asset for the staff off the field and in the locker room in addition to whatever he can produce given more opportunities in games.

“Just tempo, physicality, running on and off the field, just everything we do, it’s way different from any other place I’ve ever been.”

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Ward is unproven at the college level, but was highly recruited out of high school. He caught six passes for 41 yards and one touchdown in 2025 with West Virginia.

Ward was a three-star prospect out of Rutherford High School in Rutherford, N.J., ranking as the nation’s No. 9 tight end and the No. 12 player in New Jersey by ESPN.

He was an all-state, three-time all-conference and two-time all-county selection throughout his high school career.

Find more coverage of the WVU Football program at WV Sports Now.