Tumwater junior TE Ryan Otton the latest to carry on the family tradition
Ryan Otton’s memories of growing up around the Tumwater High School football program start with his grandfather, Sid: the state’s all-time winningest coach, who posted a 394-131 record spanning a 49-year high school coaching career in which he coached teams to six state titles (five at Tumwater). As a kid, Ryan would go to his grandfather’s house after those games and eat with the family.
His dad, Tim, played for Tumwater as well, graduating in 1986 before playing for Weber State. He’s now the defensive coordinator for Tumwater. More recently, Ryan watched his older brother Cade, a former Tumwater standout who’s now a star tight end at the University of Washington and is making his case as one of the top tight ends in the country this year.
Ryan, the youngest of three siblings, is the latest Otton to carry on the family tradition. As a high school junior, he’s already a highly-touted recruit. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end is considered a four-star recruit by 247sports.com and holds a handful of offers from major programs, including UW, Oregon, Stanford, Cal and others.
“It’s been good,” Otton said of his recruiting process, which occurs mostly through text messages and Zoom calls these days, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to limit in-person interactions and on-campus visit opportunities. “It’s been awesome to get to talk and get to know all these coaches in different backgrounds. It’s been nice to connect with different players from all over the country.”
Otton, in many ways, is a mirror image of his older brother Cade, a 6-foot-5 junior tight end for Jimmy Lake’s Huskies who has 18 receptions for 358 yards and three touchdowns this season, including the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter with under a minute to play against Utah. Almost a mirror image, if you ask Ryan.
“I’m taller than him, which he hates to admit,” Ryan said, laughing.
Ryan has his older brother beat by about an inch. The two are five years apart, so their relationship over the years has been less competitive than instructive. That is, until recently. When the pandemic forced Cade back to his Tumwater home in the spring, they set up a ping pong table in the garage to pass the time.
“Now, they compete so much,” said Tim Otton, their dad. “Cade refuses to believe Ryan is an inch taller than him. He’ll get out the tape measure. … Cade is a really good ping pong player, so I don’t think Ryan ever got the best of him.”
The brothers have trained together plenty since the pandemic hit, heading out to Tumwater High School’s vacant field over the summer to work on technique, pass catching, etc. Cade has been a mentor to his younger brother. Ryan has always looked up to him.
“He’s been big,” Ryan said. “He always offers me advice with what to look for in recruiting. He went through the same things. He always gives me tips. During quarantine, we went and worked on technique and blocking and route running.”
Bill Beattie, Tumwater’s current coach, who coached the T-Birds to the 2019 Class 2A state title with a win over Steilacoom in the championship game, didn’t coach Cade in high school. But he admires how Ryan has carried himself, even with the pressure and expectation that comes with the family name.
“I think he embraces it more than it’s pressure,” Beattie said. “He doesn’t worry about it. … Sometimes, someone can help you get an interview for the job. But then it’s up to you to decide what you do with that. He’s blessed with some good genetics and background. He works his tail off. He’s constantly trying to figure out how he can get better.”
While Cade Otton has impressed as a pass catcher for the Huskies this year, Beattie said he believes it’s his blocking ability that will have him playing on Sundays. In that way, especially in Tumwater’s run-heavy, Wing-T offense, Ryan is similar.
“His blocking is tremendous,” Beattie said. “He gets off the ball hard, has good leverage, keeps a low stance. And he has long arms. In the pass game, he does a good job getting separation. … He has a high football IQ and understands the game.”
While the traditional tight end has shifted a bit toward pass catching in many modern offenses, Otton embraces the blue-collar model of playing the position.
“I was finishing through my blocks (sophomore year), putting people on the ground,” Otton said. “That’s the best part of being a tight end, putting someone in the ground.”
And he starred at defensive end for Tumwater’s historically good defense a season ago, although all indications are that Otton projects as a tight end at the next level.
“He did a really good job for us last year, being our edge guy,” Tim Otton said. “Kind of being a strong point on the run game, forcing stuff back inside to our linebackers and defensive tackles. He’s a big kid and is able to rush the passer.”
Otton still has plenty of time to make a college decision. He’d like to wait for the pandemic to simmer down so he can take some official visits to different campuses. His brother, of course, is doing some recruiting on behalf of the Huskies’ staff.
“He always talks about it,” Otton said. “He points out what he thinks is good about the school, what made his decision to go there. He’s definitely going to try to get me to go there.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
