Time management and dedication. Those two things have been the pillars for a successful experience for Auburn senior offensive lineman Ryan Meneely while on The Plains.
Taking advantage of every little bit of free time, he has been able to carry on with his passion for football and work toward soon graduating with an aviation degree.
With a smile on his face, Meneely explained his typical day.
"A normal day for me is waking up at 7 a.m., I go get breakfast before our workouts start at 8 a.m.," he said. "After that, I have a little bit of time off to go play with my dog and study before I start classes at 11 a.m."
After Ryan finishes his last class at 1:45 p.m., he walks across campus to get ready for practice. "I have to get dressed and taped for practice, we have meetings and then we watch film; all kinds of stuff. We don't get done until around 7 p.m. After that we have tutoring, so you really have to be good at your time management," Meneely said.
A routine that has been his life for the past four years, a life of dedication and balance. "You need to be very dedicated to your studies as well as football," he said. "You need to take advantage of little opportunities with your time off to get your homework done or study a little bit."
Even though it might seem like a lot of work, Meneely grew up accustomed to routines and, at some point of his life, he devoted all his time to equitation and football. "I grew up on a horse farm. My dad is a professional horse trainer and travels and judges around the country. I did get into equitation when I was younger, but my father told me I had to stick with one, so I chose football," he said.
Both of his parents are professionals in the world of horses. His mom, Mary Meneely, is the assistant coach of the Auburn equestrian program. She oversees the Western discipline for the Tigers. Coach Meneely came to Auburn following a stint as a member of the Georgia equestrian coaching staff, where she won two national titles. Since joining the Auburn program, she has won two more.
Being the son of a coach, Ryan has a different perspective on how to help coaches when they try to deliver a message to the players. "I try to think about my coaches and how to help them out the most and see what they are looking for," he said.
After football season ends, his Saturdays stay pretty busy with equestrian meets. You can find him cheering for his mom and for his girlfriend Kara, who is also on the equestrian team.
"I go to the meets and everybody comes up to me and asks me if I know what is going on, and I actually do know what is happening," he said, smiling. "I try to explain it to them but it is hard.
"The crowd really gets into it and if you keep coming to the events you understand why. The equestrian parents are awesome; they are a fun group. They do a great job of getting people out to the meets."
Unfortunately for Meneely, those Saturdays at Jordan-Hare Stadium in front of thousands of fans, as well as the equestrian meets on a warm spring Saturday morning, are soon coming to an end.
As he enters his final days as a college student and as a football player, he feels like there is still something to be done that might help others in the future. "It is kind of a sad moment because you have built a connection with the team. Obviously, you
get close with the guys that you leave behind and it is great to see them going to so many different places," he said.
Like his teammates, Meneely dreams of championships, but he knows that there are more measures of success beyond rings and titles.
"You always want to win a championship, but there are other goals that you can accomplish," he said." Trying to help the young guys as much as you can and get them developed -- that is really important, too, for the future of the program and as a senior, I feel that's how you give back to the program."
As he looks back on four years of Auburn memories, Meneely meditates about the next step for his life and the things he will leave behind.
"The Auburn Family is real and, as a team, we are one big giant family," he said. "I am going to miss that the most, but I know I will always have a place to come back and feel like I am at home. And beating the two No.1 teams in the country is something I will never forget."
After he graduates in the spring, Meneely will begin the next steps toward achieving his career goal of becoming an airline pilot.
"This experience was everything I expected and more," he said. "Coach Malzahn always says that we are blessed to be here. And he is right, we are truly blessed to be here."
Hector Rios-Morales is a student assistant in Auburn Athletics communications