Joseph Ricketts '21 Recruiting Profile

When I was 4, my parents took me to watch my uncle play peewee football and I always enjoyed it. As I got older I started watching NFL games. I grew up watching LaDainian Tomlinson and I always wanted to be like him, being able to do special moves like jukes and spins while still able to truck people. Sean Taylor was also a huge influence on how I saw football and got into it. He always got big hits from the free safety position, which I then tried to play myself. Through this football I learned that I am very competitive. When my team is losing, I tend to get upset and work harder so we can win. I always want what's best for the team. I can be considered a leader because I am able to take the lead when my team is in a bad spot. I help get the team back in the spirit to play and try to help my teammates develop more confidence.

My third year playing for the Whitepoint Wolverines a new coach came into the league and wound up coaching my team, Coach Eddie.  He wouldn’t put me in the game because I was smaller than all the other kids on the team. Finally, one day the coach had to put me in and that’s when he saw that size doesn’t always matter. Since I am usually smaller than most kids on my teams, people tend to underestimate me. I work to show the coaches that just because I’m small doesn’t mean that I am not skilled or that those people are better than me. Therefore, I may be smaller than others but I can guarantee I will work twice as hard to show I’m the best choice for any team.