Temple University Athletics
10.30.26 | Football
For Temple tight end Ryder Kusch, the fear of falling short of his own expectations can sometimes be more difficult to manage than the challenges he faces on the football field.
Having spent much of his life working toward a future in professional football, Kusch understands the dedication required to pursue that dream. But with years of preparation comes the pressure of wanting to see that work translate into results.
"Not getting the results I want after all the work I've put in is hard," Kusch said. "That's just, like, I don't know, what am I doing wrong? What do I need to do more of?"
It's a feeling he recognizes in his teammates, too, particularly in an environment where players are constantly evaluating their performances and looking for ways to improve.
"I feel like it's easy to get to that place of doubt in a building full of guys who have really high expectations for themselves," Kusch said. "We all want to be the best versions of ourselves, so when that doesn't show up, obviously, it gets hard for sure."
For Kusch, learning to navigate those expectations has become an important part of his development. His journey to Temple hasn't always gone according to plan, and the experiences along the way have required him to adapt while continuing to pursue the same goal.
Growing up in British Columbia, Canada, Kusch was introduced to football through a close family friend who began playing in preschool. After the friend's family encouraged his mother to sign him up, Kusch began playing himself, setting him on a path that would eventually take him across the continent.
Sports were already a significant part of his upbringing. His father played professional soccer, while his older sister competed in volleyball throughout high school. Although Kusch had always expressed an interest in playing professionally, he began taking the possibility more seriously as he got older.
"I always told everybody I want to play in the NFL, but I really started taking it seriously in high school," Kusch said.
With the support of his family and high school coach, Kusch began attending recruiting camps throughout the Pacific Northwest. His coach, who had experience at the collegiate level, helped introduce him to the American recruiting process and opportunities that might otherwise have been difficult to access from Canada.
Despite those efforts, interest from American programs remained limited. Kusch received some attention from Idaho and a preferred walk-on opportunity at Washington State as a defensive lineman, but by the end of his senior year, most of his offers were from Canadian universities.
Rather than remaining in Canada, Kusch decided to pursue another opportunity in the United States, enrolling at Clearwater Academy in Florida. The move would allow him to continue developing as a player while gaining additional exposure to American college programs.
Approximately six weeks before he was scheduled to arrive, however, Clearwater discontinued its football program, leaving Kusch searching for another place to play.
"That kind of threw me back into square one," Kusch said. "I talked to the coach there. He obviously was rooted in the prep school community, so he gave me and a bunch of other players a list of other schools to contact."
Through those connections, Kusch eventually found The Hun School of Princeton in New Jersey. After initially planning to move to Florida, he instead found himself in the Northeast, where he spent the next stage of his football journey before arriving at Temple.
The transition also marked a significant change in his life away from football. Having grown up surrounded by family in British Columbia, Kusch was now responsible for navigating much of his daily routine independently.
"Living on my own, having to grab groceries, stuff like that. I don't have the luxury as much of the dining hall, especially after my freshman year," Kusch said. "So it was different, but it went well."
Although his parents separated when he was young, Kusch maintains close relationships with both. As he became more serious about football, he moved in with his father full-time while maintaining a close bond with his mother. His family has continued supporting him from Canada, making trips to Philadelphia whenever possible to watch him play.
While the distance has changed how often he sees them, Kusch has found other sources of support as he's adjusted to life away from home.
"I've been trying to deepen my faith, basically since I moved away from home," Kusch said. "That's helped a lot with working through things, so I don't always have my family around."
That perspective has also influenced how he approaches the challenges that come with football. Although Kusch acknowledges that he can be hard on himself when things don't go as planned, he recognizes the importance of not allowing one mistake to affect everything that follows.
"What's in the past is in the past, and you can do nothing about it," Kusch said. "You obviously can learn from it, but you can't change what happened. So why mope about it and let it ruin everything that's coming up?"
Away from the pressure of competition, Kusch describes himself as an outgoing person who enjoys spending time with others. Despite his tendency to focus on expectations and results, he tries to approach everyday life with a positive outlook.
"I kind of like to just bring the light out in everything, try to see the good in most situations," Kusch said.
That side of his personality has helped him develop close relationships within Temple's football program, where teammates have become an important part of his life away from home.
Over the summer, Kusch moved into a house with Luke Watson, Jordan Montgomery, Carl Hardin, and Pat Keller. The group spends much of its free time together, whether watching football, catching a movie, or simply hanging out at home.
"We're always hanging out, watching football, watching movies and stuff," Kusch said. "They're great dudes."
Their home has also become a regular gathering place for other players, bringing together teammates from different position groups who might not otherwise spend as much time together outside of football.
"We have a lot of the guys come over too," Kusch said. "The tight ends will come over, some O-linemen, quarterbacks, like, we'll have basically everybody over there."
For Kusch, those everyday interactions have helped create a sense of familiarity that carries into practices and games. With players spending so much time together throughout the season, he believes understanding one another beyond football can make a difference when things become difficult.
"It's hard to trust the 11 guys next to you if you don't really know anything about them," Kusch said. "I think having that connection off the field really helps, because you can laugh and joke, even when things go wrong."
Those relationships also give players opportunities to support one another through challenges that might not be visible during practice or on game day.
"There's a lot that goes on in somebody's head more than just out on the field," Kusch said. "There's a lot of what you battle with at home."
Within Temple's tight end room, Kusch has found a similar sense of support, even as players compete for opportunities on the field.
Among those teammates is Joey Schlaffer, who transferred from Penn State. While both are working to establish themselves within the offense, Kusch sees their relationship as an opportunity to continue developing.
"I think me and Joey really complement each other super well," Kusch said. "We're both working really hard to do the best, and that allows him to coach me and me to coach him."
The two have developed a relationship where they can offer one another advice and identify areas for improvement without allowing competition to interfere with their willingness to help.
"There's going to be things that he's really good at and things where I fall short, and things I'm really good at where he might fall short," Kusch said. "Having that strong enough bond even off the field to be able to do that is really huge."
Kusch believes that approach extends throughout the position group, where players have opportunities to learn from one another regardless of their experience or place on the depth chart.
"It's just that ability to be each other's coaches," Kusch said. "It's just so beneficial, because me telling Joey to do this and him telling me to do that, also strengthens both of our knowledge. Teaching helps, too."
As Kusch continues developing at Temple, he's also beginning to think about how his responsibilities within the program might change.
With veteran tight end Peter Clarke approaching graduation, Kusch hopes to follow the example he's set within the position group. Having spent time learning from an older teammate, he recognizes that he may soon have the opportunity to provide similar guidance to others.
"He's been a great role model," Kusch said. "I would love to be in the position he's in, so I'm gonna do a lot of what he does."
For Kusch, preparing for that responsibility begins with his own development. He wants to continue improving as a route runner and blocker while strengthening his understanding of defensive schemes, believing that his ability to contribute consistently will be an important part of earning the trust of his teammates.
"I think leading by example is really important, so I want to be able to do that," Kusch said.
While his ambition of reaching the NFL remains unchanged, Kusch has also begun thinking about the life he hopes to build beyond football.
He hopes to eventually have a family of his own and travel the world, while remaining open to different career opportunities outside of athletics.
For now, his focus remains on the opportunities in front of him. His journey from White Rock, B.C., to Philadelphia hasn't always unfolded as planned, but the experiences along the way have helped shape his approach to both football and life away from the field.
And while the expectations he places on himself remain high, Kusch understands that progress isn't always defined by what happens in a single moment.
"Why let a dropped ball ruin the next five snaps?" Kusch said. "There's nothing you can do. You just gotta fix it and keep pushing forward."
