BIOGRAPHY
Ryan Kerrigan was born on August 16th, 1988, in Muncie, Indiana. He is an outside linebacker in the NFL.
He grew up along with his brother, Kyle Kerrigan and sister, Kaitlin Kerrigan. His father played football at the Ball State University while his brother was part of the DePauw University’s swimming team. Ryan started playing football from a very young age and when he was in high school, he played the position of the defensive end for his school team.
He attended Muncie Central High School situated in Muncie, Indiana. Upon graduation, Ryan enrolled at Purdue University where he played for the Purdue Boilermakers football team for four seasons ending in 2010. In his freshman year, he made 18 tackles and a sack in 12 games. The following year, he had seven sacks, an interception, and 56 tackles. During his junior year, he hauled 12 sacks and 66 tackles. In the same year, he was named to the All-Big 10 first team and was honored with Pit Bull Award for his tenacity and resilience.
In 2010, he won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award as well as Big Ten Lineman of the Year. He also received the Bill Willis Trophy and was named unanimous first-team All-American. At the end of his college career, Kerrigan joined the list of prospects for the 2011 NFL draft.
The Washington Redskins selected Kerrigan in the first round (16th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. Kerrigan was the third edge rusher drafted. Kerrigan made his professional regular season and first career start in the Redskins' season-opener against the New York Giants and recorded five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and returned an interception for a touchdown in their 28–14 victory. Kerrigan intercepted a pass by quarterback Eli Manning and scored a 9 yard touchdown. Kerrigan's performance over his first four games earned him the Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.
On January 20, 2013, it was announced that Kerrigan was added to the 2013 Pro Bowl as a replacement for Aldon Smith who was set to appear in Super Bowl XLVII with the San Francisco 49ers. On September 19, 2014, Kerrigan recorded four solo tackles and had a career-high four sacks on quarterback Chad Henne during the Redskins' 41–10 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Kerrigan was named the 78th best player by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015. On December 20, 2016, he was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl roster, which was his second Pro Bowl nomination. By the end of the 2018 season, Kerrigan moved up to second overall on the Washington Redskins all-time sacks list at 84.5 sacks, surpassing former defensive end Charles Mann.
On May 17, 2021, he signed a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
