In the eyes of his coaches, Ryan High football star Ahmad Terry stands out among standouts on the Raiders’ hard-nosed defense.
“We have a lot of kids that are heavily recruited that probably get an unfair amount of credit, and guys like Ahmad who fly under the radar a little bit,” Ryan’s veteran head coach Dave Henigan told Texas Scorecard. “He’s a really good football player.”
Indeed, in Drew Sanders, Billy Bowman Jr. and Ja’Tavion Sanders, the Raiders’ defense alone boasts three Division 1 recruits. But Terry, a three-year starter, has the numbers to stack up against anyone.
The 5-foot-9, 200-pound senior linebacker leads unbeaten Ryan (3-0) in solo tackles this season with 20 and has recorded more than 100 stops over each of the last two seasons. Terry also calls the plays for a defense that has allowed just six points this season and a team that has lost only four games over the last four seasons.
“Ahmad’s started 30 games and played in a lot of really big games for us,” Henigan said. “He’s a passionate player who plays with a lot of emotion and is football smart. He has a nose for the ball and is always around the ball making plays. He’s already a really good football player who works hard every day to get better.”
Terry is now hoping that it all translates to having a chance at the next level. He has two older brothers that starred at Ryan and one who plays linebacker at Texas Tech, whose footsteps he hopes to follow in as an NCAA student-athlete.
“There are some smaller schools that I would definitely think are going to be interested,” Henigan said. “That kind of stuff tends to take care itself as you play well. I think there’s a place out there for him and it’s just a matter of finding it.”
