Ryan Franks was a member of the first team to play under the South Jersey Barons Youth Academy name from 1999-2002 along with current Barons coaches Ian Simmons and Joe Banks. As a youth player he was a member of the New Jersey ODP State Team and played his high school soccer for the Shawnee Renegades. As a senior at Shawnee in 2001, Franks was voted co-captain of the squad and helped his team win their conference, the South Jersey Coaches Cup, and Group IV State Championship while being named as an All-Olympic American Conference player and All-State Honorable Mention.

Franks then went on to play at the collegiate level at Gettysburg College where he was a four year letter winner for the Bullets and helped the team reach as high as 3rd in the National Rankings according to NSCAA. His senior year, he was named co-captain and was an All-Centennial Conference selection as a defender. Ryan was also a three time All Academic All-Centennial Conference selection from 2003-2005 and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Gettysburg with a double major in Business Management and History and a minor in Education in 2006.

In 2006, Ryan remained in the Gettysburg area lending a hand to his Alma Mater as assistant coach for the Gettysburg College Men’s soccer team. Upon returning to the South Jersey area in 2007, he returned to the Barons as a coach and has spent time training the U-12, U-13, and U-14 Boy’s teams. He is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, U.S. Club soccer, currently holds an E License with New Jersey Youth Soccer, and will be looking to obtain his D license this year. Starting in the fall of 2008, Franks teaches at Cherokee High School where he is an assistant coach for the Boy’s Varsity soccer team