From Yale to Walk-on to the ElevatorRapGuy; The Ryan Dillard USC Story

Playing football at the University of Southern California may have been Ryan Dillard’s dream since the second grade, but after sealing his fate during National Signing Day 2012, it looked like playing at Yale would have to be his reality.

For those on the outside looking in, Dillard’s recruitment to an Ivy League seems like an accomplishment that all student-athletes should aspire too. However, like an Ivy League is to a mathlete, USC is to a football fanatic; which is exactly what Dillard became from the moment he witnessed his first Atlanta Falcon game in 2001. After watching a long touchdown and seeing the crowd cheer, he tugged on his father’s sleeve and in his signature Dillard style, said “Dad, I want to play that game right there.”

Fast-forward 11 years and you find Dillard on the cusp of a very important decision; he just committed to Yale and was going to be a starting corner in the program. However, the thought of playing at USC, where some of the best football players in history made their debut, was stuck in his mind.

“I realized that I wanted the best of both worlds, academically and athletically.” Dillard says, reminiscing about the decision, “I knew Yale would be great academically, but I wanted to play at a competitive Division I level. USC has a historic program and was always my dream school and I had the potential to go there.” Luckily for Dillard, Ed Orgeron, USC’s defensive line coach at the time, thought so too.

“Yeah this kid could play,” Coach O told Dillard’s father over the phone the morning after signing day. Immediately after signing with Yale, Dillard followed his gut and sent over his highlight reel to USC’s defensive coaching staff, hoping that he would hear back; and Coach O happened to be the one to notice his talent. Taking Coach O’s comments as affirmation, and following his gut yet again, Dillard and his father took the first flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles to meet him in person. When the Dillards arrived on USC’s campus, they took Coach O completely by surprise. “This is the first time that this has ever happened” Coach O said to Dillard, “A dad and his son talk to me on the phone, then the next day they’re here.”

Due to his dedication, tenacity and obvious respect for the USC football program, Dillard became an instant favorite with the coaching staff. That day he met Coach Kiffin, who was the defensive coordinator at the time, and the rest of the football coaching staff. By the end of the day, it was decided that Dillard would be invited to play football at USC as a walk-on. “They opened up the common app, and I just submitted my application,” Dillard chuckles, “I guess that’s the power of USC.”

For the next four years, Dillard would experience the true power of USC, both on the field and off. Everyday would bring a new challenge, forcing him to work hard to gain a starting spot despite his walk-on status. However, the camaraderie, passion and hype surrounding the team would make the hard work well worth it. “To be able to play the first game of the season as a walk-on, to be on the field and to actually make a tackle… it was amazing,” Dillard remarks.

Unfortunately, after playing three successful seasons with the football team Dillard ruptured a ligament in his foot during Spring Practice 2015, sidelining him for the rest of his college career. An injury couldn’t stop Ryan from making an impact on the football program and USC as a whole, however. After his injury, he got together with his best friend Herbert Dew to start RDHD Entertainment; an Instagram channel focused on entertaining the world through skits featuring himself in a wheelchair, or filming football players dancing in the locker room. It was here that they debuted #ElevatorRaps, which were six-second video clips showing Dillard and Dew rapping in any elevator they walked into. To this day, no matter where he goes Dillard is known around campus as “the elevator rap guy.”

Instead of giving up, Dillard worked harder to reach his new goal; making people laugh, bringing people together and making sure all USC football players felt like they were a part of one big family. “It’s something I can’t explain to you honestly,” Dillard says, “so many people and moments made an impact on my life; Coach O’s mentorship, making videos with my best friends, playing in the Coliseum…being a USC football player is just an experience that you can’t understand unless you’ve done it yourself.”

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