Cypress Bridgeland offensive tackle Ryan Fodje is one of the very best offensive tackle prospects in the country.

Three years ago, he didn't know much about the game of football at all.

“I started playing football my freshman year of high school. I didn’t even know what football was at the time,” Fodje said. “I just wanted to join because I wanted to find something to do in life because I always stayed home doing nothing. But since I found football, it’s always been a part of me.”

Playing football was something Fodje always wanted to do, but wasn’t quite sure how to tackle it or go about it.

When he decided to join the football team at Bridgeland his freshman year, he was put on the junior varsity. He spent many hours learning the game, the techniques of a lineman, and working on himself to be the best player he can be.

Turns out, the best player he can be is pretty darn good.

By the time his first season came to a close, Fodje went into the offseason with a goal of playing college football. That dream started to become crystal clear when he received his first offer from Oklahoma the summer heading into his junior season. Throughout last season, Fodje also picked up offers from TCU, Baylor, Nebraska and Tennessee.

After the season, even more schools had Fodje on their radars. Texas, SMU, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Oregon were the next schools to offer the four-star offensive tackle. All those schools in addition to California, Purdue and UTEP, offered Fodje in the month of January.

“I went from playing my JV season to going into the offseason realizing that I actually have potential in playing college football,” Fodje said. “I had a dream, but it was just crazy. It all just happened so fast.”

On Feb. 4, Fodje made a college commitment. Of all the schools that had recently offered and began forming a relationship with him, Fodje chose the school that first took a chance on him: Oklahoma.

Before the Sooners’ staff even offered him, Fodje liked Oklahoma. The fact that they were the first school to take a chance on him made it meant to be.

“I love what they do,” Fodje said. “They have the most offensive tackles drafted. They have the best offensive line coach in probably all of college football, and Coach [Brent] Venables is just the dude. So I had to choose Oklahoma.”

Now that Fodje has his recruitment settled, his eyes are now set on his senior season.

Like Fodje, Bridgeland High School is still relatively new to the high school football world, as the school opened in 2017.

With players like Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman, and Washington defensive tackle Omar Khan, Fodje gets to add his name to the newly forming group of Bridgeland players to play at the college level.

“This school is only seven or eight years old,” Fodje said. “So it’s really amazing being one of the first offensive linemen in the school to be at this high status. It’s really nice.”

But for his senior season, and with his recruitment decided, Fodje hopes to enjoy his final season of high school football to the fullest. Spending time with his teammates and coaches is his priority, and being a part of the team that got him to the position he’s in today.