Reedley RB Ryan Warkentin officially joins Fresno State roster
As Fresno State started up fall football camp, history repeated itself via “the Fruit Basket of the World.” Reedley High now has representation on the roster – via Ryan Warkentin.
Mentioned in July on the BarkBoard.com VIP forums, the ultra-quick and record-breaking running back from the Pirates has joined the Bulldogs as a preferred walk-on. He was officially added to the roster on Tuesday for the first day of practice. Warkentin becomes the first RHS Pirate to walk on at Fresno State out of high school since head coach Tony Gates, who played under Jim Sweeney and a young Jeff Tedford. Reedley High also had Emilio Botello play at Fresno State as a walk-on, though Botello played at Fresno City College first before transferring.
Warkentin first told BarkBoard.com back on Oct. 7 that he had hoped to be a Bulldog while emerging as a 2,000-yard RB last season for Reedley.
“My mom is an alum from there, my dad loves Fresno State. It would be cool for a local guy to go to Fresno State. That’s something I would love to do and if the opportunity presented itself, I would love to pursue it,” Warkentin told BarkBoard.com.
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Warkentin held an offer from Valparaiso and originally had plans to attend College of the Sequoias. However, Gates told BarkBoard.com that Warkentin was offered a PWO around July 4. After giving it much thought, Warkentin accepted the opportunity to become a Bulldog.
Warkentin played three seasons of varsity football at RHS. According to MaxPreps, he went on to score 35 career rushing touchdowns. He was also a multi-sport athlete on the campus – participating in water polo and baseball.
Warkentin is one of three preferred walk-on freshman running backs on the 2022 roster, joining another local Caden Rodgers of Clovis (Calif.) Buchanan High School plus Justin Guin of Novato (Calif.) San Marin High School.