Ryan Sever was a 210-pound freshman linebacker in 2022. And early in fall camp, despite a wealth of talent at the position, St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso recognized the Benilde-St. Margaret’s alum as someone the Tommies needed to get on the field.
Playing a backup role on defense and starring on special teams — with three blocked kicks — Sever was a major contributor on the season, which saw the Tommies win in the Pioneer Football League title while going undefeated.
Three years later, Sever is a 230-pound stalwart on the Tommies’ defense, aiming to end his collegiate career with a bang. A second league title would come with the added payoff of qualifying for the FCS postseason in the school’s first season of eligibility.
All of which has Sever and his teammates razor-focused for Saturday’s league opener in San Diego against the Toreros. Buoyed by a 2-1 non-conference schedule that included a competitive loss at nationally-ranked Idaho, the Tommies know a win on Saturday against the team picked to win the league in the preseason coaches’ poll could be the start of something memorable.
“It’s been in the back of our minds the whole offseason,” Sever said. “A lot of the games we lost last season are still stuck in our minds, as well. So this offseason (there was) a lot of motivation, a lot of juice. The opportunity we have is huge; it’s something this university has never done.”
Offered Caruso: “I think what our players have shared and we’ve shared collectively as our goals for the season that this game is as big as it gets.”
Sever, who’s second on the team in total tackles (19), is one of the Tommies’ emotional leaders. To that end, he plans to address the team before taking the field on Saturday — not that he expects his teammates to need much help to get ready to play.
“I feel we’re a very mature team,” Sever said. “There’s a lot of leadership in that locker room. I think everyone understands (what’s at stake). We’ve been relaying the same messages for a long time now.”
Whether on the field or on the sideline, Caruso is confident in Sever’s ability to do the right thing.
“His energy and his passion are totally infectious,” Caruso said. “When you can be like that and be a highly productive player, that’s pretty special. He’s one of the more passionate players I’ve ever coached in my life, and there’s been a lot of them over 30 years.”
For Sever, it’s simply been a case of doing what comes naturally.
“I’ve been an emotional player — in anything I do — my whole life,” he said. “When I reflect on the sacrifices others have made to help me and the sacrifices I have made, I think it would just be a total waste to not bring the best I can every single day.
“Just so blessed and thankful for coach Caruso and the staff believing in me. And my teammates, as well. They’re the ones that get me out of bed in the morning, because I want to do this for them and for those people who believed in me.”
The Toreros (2-2) also played a challenging non-conference schedule. They opened with a loss to Cal Poly, beat No. 24 Southern Utah, lost to No. 4 Montana State and won last weekend at Princeton.
“The talent level is elite,” Caruso said. “They’re fast, they’re long, they’re athletic — what you would expect from a team that bases its recruiting in California. I think where they’ve grown in the last couple of years is their attention to detail on the defensive side of the ball.
“Coach (Brandon) Moore has done a great job of dispersing the talent appropriately.”
Adding another new wrinkle, the Toreros have put an emphasis on running the ball this season.
“Trying to slow that down is certainly going to be part of it,” Caruso said of the keys to the game. “And when we’ve been at our best against San Diego, we’ve been able to get first downs and moved the chains to win the field-position battle.”
That effort will be bolstered by the return of starting running back Gabe Abel and fullback Cam Miller, who will make their season debuts after sitting out due to injuries.
There’s good news on defense as well; both of the Tommies’ starting cornerbacks, Den Juette and Branden Smith, will be back in the lineup.
Coming off a bye week, the Tommies appear poised to give the Toreros their best shot. While the first three games brought plenty of success, Caruso noted there’s something else he would like to see.
“We’ve been very mentally tough and stalwart throughout each of the games,” he said. “But it sure would be nice to start out more productive in the first quarter. If given the choice of only one of those things I’d take the mental toughness and the growth.”
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