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Where Are They Now featuring Ryan Cordell '08

 
Current Position: Coaching Assistant with the Cleveland Browns
While at Calvert Hall, Ryan was involved in:
- McMullen Scholar...

-National Honor’s Society
-Football player for four years
- Peer Educator
Work Experience: Coaching Assistant with the Cleveland Browns. “I just finished my 2nd year with the Browns and 1st year in the role as Coaching Assistant.  I’m entering my 8th year in the NFL. In my current role, I assist the entire offensive staff with game planning our upcoming opponent and preparing the players to execute that plan on game day.  I work most closely with the Offensive Line throughout the week to make sure they are ready to play.  During the game, I assist with clock and game management to make sure that we employ the best in-game strategy to help us win.”
College: Ryan graduated from University of Notre Dame in 2013 with a Dual Degree, Bachelors of Science in Mathematics, Masters in Business Administration, Magna Cum Laude in both degrees. While studying at Notre Dame, Ryan was a member of the Glynn Family Honors Program, a challenging honors program offered to students with extraordinary intellectual accomplishments and talent for doing challenging work in both the humanities and the sciences. He also was the Student Equipment Manager for football in 2010 and Resident Assistant for 2011-2012.
How the McMullen Program prepared you for college: “The program did a great job of both creating a standard for ourselves and our work while also helping us to grow across many different aspects as men and scholars. We were expected to give our best as scholars, and the program did a great job of forcing us to continue to push our limits as students while upholding the values Calvert Hall has for all of its students.  For me personally, I was able to take the standard of work ethic and quality of my work and extend it well into college and my future career.  Additionally, I was able to enter college with a full year of college credit under my belt, which allowed me the freedom to explore different potential majors as I decided what I wanted to do with my life. That freedom was invaluable to me as I was unsure of what I wanted to major in until late in my sophomore year.”
McMullen Capstone Project: “I wrote a paper arguing that the NFL had surpassed the other major sports as America’s pastime.  I did not necessarily use the project to set myself apart in the application process, but, up to that point in my life, that was the largest project I had ever done.  It helped me to learn what it took to take on a project of that size and prepared me for my college senior thesis projecting the future NFL performance of college quarterbacks. That thesis was then a major portion of my work portfolio that got me my first job in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.”
The best thing about being in the McMullen Program: “I formed great relationships with students and teachers during my time in the program that were crucial in making me into the person that I am today.  Even 10+ years since my graduation, I have maintained those relationships and cherish their presence in my life.”
Advice for the current students:I would tell current McMullen scholars to continue to cultivate their intellectual curiosity.  Learning does not just happen in the classroom and does not stop when they’re done with school. It is a lifelong process that will continue to help them grow personally and professionally long past their days at Calvert Hall.”
McMullen Field Trips: Ryan went on several field trips. He felt that the trips did a great job of exposing students to different types of intellectual pursuits and felt the breadth of exposure was invaluable to the learning experience that the program provides.
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