California Redwoods add former Stanford football captain Ricky Miezan
By Jerome Taylor | Dec 6, 2023
When predicting the California Redwoods roster for the 2024 Championship Series, the availability of the former #1 high school lacrosse recruit in the nation who went on to play football at Stanford wasn’t initially accounted for.
On Friday, Field Yates reported that Ricky Miezan will be suiting up to join the Redwoods at The St. James in February.
Who is Ricky Miezan?
At 6-foot-2, 235 lb., Miezan absolutely fits the big, athletic midfielder mold that has come to define Redwoods’ midfield lines. And in the Championship Series, where the game speeds up tremendously, Miezan can fully unlock his athleticism.
“We're looking for him to relax, score some goals for us, get back, play defense, do what he does best, and fly up and down the field. I think that will be a successful Sixes for him,” Redwoods Head Coach Nat St. Laurent said.
Miezan played inside linebacker at Stanford and was named team captain in 2022. Following the 2022 football season, Miezan transferred to the University of Virginia, where he reintroduced himself to the lacrosse world with one of the most memorable hits of the 2023-2024 season.
Yeah… we’re good with having @rickymiezan on our side 😳
— California Redwoods (@PLLRedwoods) December 1, 2023
See ya for some sixes 👋🐻 pic.twitter.com/KG9AybL7eC
What can Miezan bring to the 'Woods?
Miezan's forceful closing ability is one attribute St. Laurent is particularly excited about.
“One of the things I love about him is he is very good at closing space,” St. Laurent said. “Obviously, playing inside linebacker at Stanford, he can play off the ball and understands how to close space.”
In his lone season at Virginia, Miezan registered nine points (7G, 2A) and five ground balls. Now, he’ll be joining a Redwoods midfield that already consists of some exceptional athletes, including another former Division I football player, Nakeie Montgomery, who played running back at Duke.
But any Oklahoma drills occurring as the ‘Woods rev up for the Championship Series will likely only play out in our collective imagination.
“I hadn't thought about [an Oklahoma Drill] too much,” St. Laurent said, laughing. “We've got those two guys that played big-time Division I football on the same team. That's pretty fun.”
In addition to Montgomery, other midfielders like Romar Dennis, Sergio Perkovic, and Jules Heningburg will help guide Miezan as he gets over the learning curve that comes from playing one year of collegiate lacrosse to competing with the best players in the world.
“We just need Ricky to come in and let the game come to him. Be the athlete that he is, and when his hands are free, shoot the rock… we don't want him coming in overthinking anything, thinking that this is a tryout for him to make this team,” St. Laurent said.
“We got a bunch of incredible lacrosse players on that field for him that will guide him and show him how to play this game.”
Even though the Championship Series isn’t an official tryout for Miezan, that doesn’t mean he won’t have the opportunity to win over his teammates or Redwoods Nation (which has some new members thanks to Miezan’s time at Stanford). That opportunity will come as the Redwoods try to accomplish their ultimate goal in February.
“What a great way to potentially win over a locker room by helping them win a championship in Sixes going into training camp,” St. Laurent said.
