The youngest son of Elder High School football coach Doug Ramsey will be staying home for his college football as Drew Ramsey announced Tuesday his plans to be a Cincinnati Bearcat.
A former high school nemesis of his father helped persuade him.
UC cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs used his sports salesmanship skills to recruit Ramsey. After coaching Colerain High School football until 2006, Coombs has since been at UC, Ohio State, the Tennessee Titans, back to the Buckeyes and now back with the Bearcats
"I talked to him quite a bit," Ramsey said. "He seemed like he wanted me and I wanted to be coached by him. As soon as I visited UC, I knew that's where I wanted to be."
Where Ramsey lines up for UC is anyone's guess as he was the proverbial Swiss Army knife for his dad's Panthers.
He now will have the opportunity to display his talent with the hope of eventually winning a scholarship.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pounder played several roles at Elder and was a back-to-back Greater Catholic League-South Player of the Year. As a senior, he led the GCL-South in receiving yards with 1,068 on 108 catches.
As a three-year starter, Ramsey did about everything and helped his team make the Division I state championship game as a sophomore. He had 7 catches for 70 yards in the 21-14 loss to Pickerington Central.
Originally a quarterback, he played mainly as a receiver his sophomore year, catching 61 balls for 633 yards and 5 touchdowns while running for 319 and 4 touchdowns.
His junior year, he ran for 721 yards in 9 games for 14 touchdowns. Through the air, he caught 55 passes for 762 yards and 8 more scores. This past season he ran for 382 yards and 16 touchdowns (in addition to his 108 pass receptions). Ramsey also punted and returned kickoffs.
Used mainly as a short-yardage quarterback in his career, he completed 18-of-26 passes for 3 touchdowns.
Despite offers from Miami University and Toledo, Ramsey remained unsigned through the most recent Signing Day. He now joins coach Luke Fickell's national semifinalist Bearcats as a preferred walk-on.
He could be in good company in that department. Former Elder defensive lineman Tony Carvitti was Ohio's Division I Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 but elected to walk-on at UC. He found his way to the field and eventually was awarded a scholarship while he worked his way through pharmacy school.
For Doug Ramsey, the Saturday trips to Bloomington, Indiana and Evanston, Illinois are over. When middle son, Peyton, quarterbacked the Hoosiers, then Northwestern's Wildcats, the Elder coach would get a brief Friday nap before heading out Saturday morning to catch home games.
Now he can enjoy a 15-minute ride to Nippert Stadium.
"I think it's an exciting opportunity for him," Peyton Ramsey said. "The whole recruiting process was a little bit discouraging, I thought he could have gotten a little bit more. But, that's all in the past. He's excited and it will be cool for him to stay home and get an opportunity to play."
Ramsey now will finish the school year at Elder before reporting for football duty this summer with the Bearcats.
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