Ryan Walters

As a senior, he earned honorable mention all-state honors from both the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News, while earning second-team All-Centennial League accolades. SuperPrep named him to its All-America team, ranking him as the No. 18 quarterback in the nation, while Prep Football Report and PrepStar named him All-Midlands (PFR rate d him the No. 14 overall player in the region, and the fourth quarterback). A three-year starter at quarterback with over 4,000 career yards and a 36-to-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio, he was 13th in the state in passing yards with 1,549 (59.2 completion percentage, 14 TDs), limiting his running as he played hurt a good portion of the season as he played in just nine games. As a junior when he earned first-team all-state honors by the Post as an athlete (and second-team all-league honors), he piloted Grandview to a 7-0 mark before suffering season-ending shoulder and knee injuries. He had rushed for 660 yards and 12 scores, averaging 6.3 yards per rush, while completing 54-of-107 passes for 816 yards and seven scores. He threw for 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore, rushing for 700 yards and six touchdowns, including the long play of his prep career, a 93-yard scoring run. As a freshman, he was the second-team quarterback and only saw spot action, but also played some wide receiver in catching four passes for 40 yards and a score while rushing for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Top games: in a win over Doherty as a sophomore, he rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns along with passing for 200 and a score; in a wild 51-46 win over Boulder as a junior, he rushed for 200 yards and three TDs while passing for 250 and two scores; and as a senior in a last minute loss to Fairview, he threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns. One of his top high school moments came when he quarterbacked GHS to a win over Cherry Creek when he did not attempt a single pass due to an injured shoulder. Grandview was 8-3 his senior year, 7-4 his junior season, 9-2 and Grand Peaks League champions his sophomore campaign, and 7-3 his freshman year under coach Rocky Whitworth.

He was born January 21, 1986 in Los Angeles, Calif. His father, Marc, played quarterback at CU between 1986-89, remarkably coming back at one point from a career-threatening knee injury; he owns a school record as he established the best single game passing rating (any amount of attempts) when he recorded a 353.3 at Kansas State in 1989. The younger Walters is active in his church, and was the second commitment of CU’s 2004 recruiting class, pledging to sign with the Buffs on March 10, 2003.