Cormac Ryan was born on October 26, 1998. Growing up, his hometown was Manhattan in New York, New York, where he first attended Collegiate School. Ryan played basketball as a freshman and sophomore at Collegiate School.[1]
After his sophomore year, Ryan transferred to Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts, where he reclassified as a sophomore and would play basketball for the rest of his high school career. In his junior year, Ryan averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists for Milton and helped lead them to the semifinals of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) playoffs. Ryan's production increased his senior year, with him averaging 23.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, which contributed to Milton finishing as the runner-up in the NEPSAC playoffs. In total, Ryan scored 1,423 points for Milton Academy, additionally being nominated to the All-NEPSAC team all three years at Milton, with him being nominated as player of the year for the NEPSAC in both his junior and senior years.[2][3]
Ryan came into Stanford as the highest-rated recruit for the Cardinal. In his college debut, Ryan scored 16 points with 4 rebounds and 1 assist against Seattle.[7] Ryan scored double-digit points against teams ranked in the top ten, scoring 14 points in a loss against No. 7 North Carolina[8] and 12 points in an overtime loss against No. 2 Kansas.[9] On January 6, Ryan scored 18 points against USC.[10] Ryan scored a season-best 19 points in a win over UCLA on February 16.[11] Overall, Ryan started 17 out of 24 games for Stanford and averaged 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists with ten games in which he scored double-digit points.
Notre Dame
2019–20 season
Before the 2019–20 season, Ryan transferred to Notre Dame.[12] Ryan redshirted in his first year at Notre Dame and thus did not play the entire season.
2020–21 season
In his debut game for Notre Dame, Ryan was named a starter and scored 13 points with 1 rebound and 3 assists against No. 13 Michigan State.[13] On January 30, Ryan tied his career-high with 19 points in a win over Pittsburgh.[14] He set a new career-high in points on February 9, scoring 28 in Notre Dame's second win all-time at Duke.[15] Ryan started 16 out of 25 games for Notre Dame and averaged 9.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, with an increased twelve games with double-digit scoring.
2021–22 season
Entering his redshirt junior year, Ryan was again named a starter before the beginning of the season. In the quarterfinal game of the ACC Tournament, he scored 20 points despite Notre Dame's elimination by eventual champion Virginia Tech.[16] Ryan recorded a career-high 29 points against Alabama, upsetting them in the Round of 64 in the 2022 NCAA tournament.[17] Overall, Ryan started 22 out of 35 games, averaging 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, helping Notre Dame advance to the Round of 32 before losing to Texas Tech.
2022–23 season
Ryan was named a starter before the season began his redshirt senior year. As a part of the ACC–Big Ten Challenge, Ryan scored 23 points to help Notre Dame win against No. 20 Michigan State.[18] On December 7, Ryan scored 21 points in a win against Boston University.[19] In the final win of the season and Ryan's career at Notre Dame, he scored 20 points against No. 25 Pittsburgh.[20] Ryan started all 32 games of the season and averaged 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
North Carolina
2023–24 season
Before the beginning of the 2023–24 season, Ryan transferred to North Carolina, using the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of the shortened 2020–21 season.[21] In his debut game for North Carolina, Ryan recorded 13 points with 3 rebounds and 3 assists against Radford.[22] As a part of the CBS Sports Classic, Ryan recorded 20 points in a loss to No. 14 Kentucky.[23] On March 9, Ryan set a new career-high in points with 31 in a win against No. 9 Duke.[24] Ryan started 34 out of his 36 games played and averaged 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.
