Ryan Benjamin Comes Home to Try to Build a Winner

It was easy to see who influenced River Ridge High School football coach by watching him talk to his team during the summer's Suncoast 7-on-7 League.

Benjamin strongly stresses coming to practice with a purpose and to shut out any outside influences. That an intense, focused practice will translate to an intense, focused game.

This philosophy is a mirror image of Jon Gruden and Jim Leavitt, two coaches Benjamin played under.

Benjamin played his college ball at the University of South Florida, where Leavitt was the head coach. Playing three years in the NFL, Benjamin played two of those seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, both for Gruden, the first of which was the Bucs Super Bowl season.

(Benjamin also played in training camp under Tony Dungy and had a brief tryout with the Patriots).

Like Leavitt, Gruden was a high-intensity guy. There is a famous NFL Films clip where Gruden, at a preseason practice, explains in great detail to his team how important intense practices are.

Benjamin took those influences and uses them with his team at River Ridge, where he played high school football.

Benjamin likes to call the intensity "enthusiasm," whereas Gruden called it "juice." Benjamin hopes it rubs off on his players.

"I was blessed to be part of that atmosphere," Benjamin said. "Whether it is Coach Leavitt or Gruden or [Tony] Dungy or [Bill] Belichick,  I channel those guys. I try to emulate a lot of what they did, and, so far, it seems to be working out well."

Benjamin didn't take over the River Ridge program until early June but he appears to be making a mark on the team.

Of the last eight games in the summer 7-on-7 league, River Ridge won seven. The eighth game disappointed Benjamin. He felt his team lacked the passion and energy needed to play well.

"All great teams, it's a certain tempo and urgency they have when they work out, and that is what we are after," Benjamin said. "We have to work efficient and work hard."

This, Benjamin is convinced, is where every player can succeed.

"There's no secret to my success," Benjamin said. "It takes dedication and commitment and hard work, and they all can do that. ...If you work hard[during the week] and concentrate better, on Friday nights they will be filled with confidence."

But Benjamin is quick to point out that high school football is not the NFL. Players are there because of school and Benjamin has not lost sight of this.

"We established a [team] GPA and want to improve on that all year," Benjamin said. "It's more than football. We hope to teach the kids how to become better students and better members of the community and, if they do that, they will become better football players, and that is what we are after."