Rylee Biddle definitely does not lack confidence in himself
"My greatest strength is by far my drive and determination along with my intelligence," explained the East Noble High senior quarterback and defensive back. "I feel like with how smart I am (3.97 unweighted and 4.26 weighted grade-point average), I'm always one step ahead of my opponents and have a very good idea of what they are trying to accomplish."
Since getting a chance to contribute in the secondary (two interceptions and two caused fumbles) as a freshman, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound standout has certainly backed up his words.
"My drive to be great is on another level," Biddle said. "I know what it takes and I push myself every day to be the best. I love competition and it motivates me to prove that I am that guy and have what it takes."
Despite being passed over for the starting quarterback job in 2023, he still made an impact defensively with 47 tackles, an interception, four pass deflections, and a caused fumble.
As a backup signal caller, he also completed 5-of-12 passes for 100 yards with a touchdown, ran nine times for 55 yards, and even caught a pass for two yards.
"Honestly, I hate losing," Biddle said. "I'm a winner and I've always been a winner, so I elevate my peers to that standard. I know what it takes to be great and I always strive for that. I'll never quit and when my back is up against the wall, I get an extra boost of motivation to be my best."
This was evident last fall as he guided the Knights to a 13-2 record and a Class 4A state runner-up finish.
In addition to going 107-of-219 for 1,784 yards with 23 touchdowns and carrying the ball 79 times for 276 yards with eight scores, Biddle also came up with 47 tackles, including two for loss, an interception, two pass deflections, and a caused fumble.
"Rylee has great instincts and an extremely high football IQ," explained second-year East Noble boss Alex Stewart. "He is like a coach on the field. He's a great leader and he has all the intangibles you look for in a quarterback."
Although East Noble came up short of claiming its first state title since 2000 with a 56-26 setback to New Palestine, Biddle went 7-of-21 for 201 yards with three touchdowns and ran twice for four yards.
"Disappointments are just more fuel to the fire," Biddle said. "However, you can't dwell on them. You've got to use them as motivation to not let those disappointments happen in the future. You can't stop them, but it's how you're able to build from them."
There has been no letdown in 2025 to this point.
In addition to being 105-of-175 for 1,891 yards with 23 touchdowns and carrying the ball 81 times for 455 yards with 15 scores, he has also come up with 80 tackles, including two for loss, three pass deflections, and caused a fumble.
"We have had great leadership last year and this year, all the kids understand the standard," explained Biddle, who also averages 37.4 yards per punt. "They know what it takes to be a winning program and everyone has bought into that."
It's easy to see why Rylee's passion for sports began at an early age.
"I first got involved in football when I was four," recalled Biddle. "I played up an age group and competed in the kindergarten league when I was still a preschooler. I've loved the game ever since.
"My greatest influences growing up were definitely my grandpa and dad. My grandpa passed when I was in kindergarten, but my dad reflects on him so much and they've done the absolute most for me to be as successful as I am."
He really enjoys being a difference maker on both ends of the field.
"I love playing on both sides of the ball," Biddle said. "Yes, it is a lot at times, but I know the game changer I am on both offense and defense and I contribute a lot of that to my intelligence. I know what it is going on and I am great at reading the field and going to make plays."
Does he like playing one position over the other?
"I don't have a preference on where I play at all," explained Biddle. "All I care about is that I'm on the field. I hate being on the sideline when I feel like I could be contributing in a great way. I just want to be out there helping my team in any way I can."
Stewart believes having Biddle on the field has made all the difference.
"Rylee is one of the hardest workers on the team," explained Stewart. "He does a great job of not only leading by example, but of holding everyone around him to a championship standard at all times.
"Rylee and I have a great relationship. He's a great young man and I'm very proud of him."
Being on the same page with the coaching staff has definitely benefitted Rylee.
"My relationship with Coach Stewart is great and the same goes with the rest of the coaching staff," Biddle said. "They trust me and I trust them and that's the most important thing. Since Coach Stewart came to East Noble, he has been there for me and loved me and I've gave that right back to him. I've been with a lot of the coaching staff since I was younger, so I've developed great relationships with them as well."
The mutual respect also applies to his buddies.
"My relationship with all my teammates is also great," Biddle added. "They see me as a great leader in this program and I love every single one of my brothers.
"My relationship with my receivers is top notch I'm always keeping in contact with them and giving them some advice that will help the both of us.
"The same goes for my lineman. I show them love all the time. They are my protectors and when I feel like I've lacked showing them the love they deserve, I make sure to make up for that even if it isn't seen by all."
However, Biddle's talents are just not limited to the gridiron.
He has also excelled on the wrestling mat where he has compiled an overall record of 88-26.
In the 165-pound weight class, he finished as sectional runner-up and qualified for the regional.
"Wrestling helps me a lot with the mental aspect of football," explained Biddle. "I never get flustered because wrestling is way tougher mentally than football. It also helps with my form on tackling and running people over along with keeping my feet under me and navigating short areas quickly like in the pocket. Football does help me with wrestling, but I see a lot more of the benefits coming from how wrestling helps my football game."
Heading into the twilight of his high school football career is winding down, he believes there are still some things to polish up on before moving on to the next level.
"My weaknesses right now I'd say are my attitude and selfishness at times," Biddle said. "But I feel that this year, I've became a lot better at both. Like I said, I'm a winner, so sometimes when things aren't going how I want them to, I let my attitude get the best of me and put all the pressure onto myself."
Although he has received offers from Valparaiso University (NCAA Division 1) and Davenport University (NCAA Division 2), he is keeping all of options open.
"The dream for all high school football players is to go play (NCAA) D-I ball in college," said Biddle, who is undecided on what to major in college, but is leaning toward Pre-Physical Therapy. "But at the end of the day, I realize that they (Valparaiso and Davenport) might not be the best fit for me. I'm still weighing my options to see where I truly want to call home and will enjoy calling home.
"For sure, I want to go play football at the next level, so I think the main things I need to work on is my size and speed. I need to gain some more weight while still getting faster. I think my athletic abilities are better than most other kids you will find , but I get overlooked because I'm not the biggest, strongest, or fastest kid on the field."
It's no big surprise he has his priorities in order off the playing field as well.
"I love doing a lot," explained Biddle. "Quality time is a huge thing. I love being with my family. They are my biggest supporters. I'm also a big clean freak, so I clean a lot and make sure things are organized. I like doing a bunch of different things to clear my mind and get me away from the athletics because that's what you need."
The same attitude applies to his future plans.
"I just want to be successful in life coming out of college and want to make sure I pick a place that will set me up for that," Biddle said. "Family is a huge thing for me, so I want to make sure I have a tight nit family of my own and be a tremendous role model to my kids. I also want to stay involved with sports and would love to give back to the East Noble community for everything they have done."
Although Rylee has experienced the thrill of playing at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, he and his classmates hope to get the chance to see if things will be better the second time around.
"It has most definitely been motivation," Biddle said about wanting to make it back to the state finals. "I mean to be fair, I still played a great game at the state finals, throwing for three touchdowns. But at the end of the day, it wasn't enough. We've seen how tough that game is and we know that it takes serious preparation to get there. But of course, we want to be back there on the winning side and come out of Lucas Oil with a blue ribbon connected to our medal, not red (runner-up).
"My best advice to my teammates would just be that you've got to want it more than the other person. I think that's very important. Your only limitation is yourself. If you want it more than anyone else, then good things are going to come your way naturally."
He hopes to move one step closer toward his goal on October 31 when top-ranked East Noble (10-0) hosts Fort Wayne South (3-7) in the Class 4A Sectional 19 semifinals.
