Tom Ricketts is one of the least talked about verbal commitments the lions have in this class. I for one was completely surprised when he committed. Tom's grandfather Charles "Doc" Hartwig was an All-American at Pitt in the 1930's. His father was a standout offensive lineman at Pitt and went on to be a 1st round pick by the Steelers. His mother Sandy Albright Ricketts was a standout swimmer at Pitt. Pitt looked to have this one all rapped up, but Tom had other plans. He committed to the Lions this back in the spring.
The first thing you notice when you look at Ricketts is that he is skinny. At 6' 6" and 270 lbs, he could easily add another 30-40 lbs and keep his explosion and agility. The good thing about a tall skinny lineman in high school is that they need to have the fundamentals down. Tom has that mean streak that you here so often talked about with good lineman. He explodes off the line and doesn't stop hitting until the whistle blows. Tom played guard last season, but moved out to tackle for the 2009 season. Ricketts sustained a MCL sprain in practice and has missed the last two weeks. Tom was back in action tonight as North Allegheny topped Shaler 28-17. He seemed to have no ill effects with the knee as Ricketts took in some action on the defensive side of the ball also.
Ricketts has some weight to add, and a red shirt year will probably do him good. I like the direction that the staff is going in. They are bringing in the athletes with good fundamentals and building them up with good weight. I expect to see Ricketts make a splash in Happy Valley when he is physically ready.
No comments:
Post a Comment