 Upon graduating from Southwestern in 1986 , with the help of his father , Ryan secured a job as a graduate assistant on the Division I @-@ AA ( now Division I FCS ) Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team . At Eastern Kentucky , he had a multitude of responsibilities which ranged from making copies of game plans to picking players up at the airport . The Colonels won the Ohio Valley Conference title in the two years Ryan served as an assistant . At the age of 26 , Ryan became the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Division II New Mexico Highlands for a year , during which the team led the league in defensive turnovers . After his stint with New Mexico Highlands , Ryan joined Division I Morehead State as the defensive coordinator , where he remained for four years . During his tenure , the defense was ranked among the highest in the nation . 
