[4] To train, he and his father often snuck onto the school's athletic field after it was closed, and when they sometimes were told to leave, they briefly left, but then returned and Ryland continued practicing.

[2] In his second game, he made the most memorable kick of his career: a game-winning 24-yard field goal as time expired to upset heavy favorite Purdue 20–19.

[3][5] Although he had a good performance to start the year, his play declined over the course of the season, and he finished having made only 12-of-20 field goal attempts, although Ryland did successfully convert all 41 PATs.

[3][6] As a sophomore at Eastern Michigan in 2019, Ryland appeared in all 13 games and made 35 PATs, additionally making 14-of-19 field goal tries.

On August 27, 2024, Ryland was waived by the Patriots as part of the final roster cuts after losing the kicking job to Joey Slye.