Bloomington alum John Ridgeway drafted to the NFL 178th overall
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — An elaborate tattoo consumes the considerable upper left arm of 6-foot-5, 320-pound John Ridgeway.
There is one letter 鈥� JKG 鈥� 聽for each member of his family: dad, John; mom, Katie; and sister, Grace.
鈥淚 put each of their birth years next to each letter, too,鈥� Ridgeway said. 鈥淓very time I see it while I鈥檓 playing or working out, it鈥檚 a reminder of my family. It鈥檚 a way to show that I love them and why I play the game.鈥�
While the ink is a permanent reminder of his family at home in Bloomington, the 2017 Bloomington High School graduate has spent the last couple of months in Texas preparing to compete for one of 53 roster spots with the Dallas Cowboys. The defensive tackle was picked in the fifth round (178th overall) of the NFL Draft in April after completing his collegiate career at Arkansas.
After missing the first game of the Razorbacks鈥� season due to an appendectomy, Ridgeway made his presence known quickly with six tackles, including one for a loss, in a win over Texas. Ridgeway played a total of 15 games from February 2021 through Arkansas鈥� bowl game on New Year’s Day 2022, including four starts for Illinois State during the Redbirds鈥� Covid-altered season in the spring of 2021.
Ridgeway, 23, earned all-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2019 and was named to the league鈥檚 All-Newcomer Team and an FCS Freshman All-American by Phil Steele in 2018. He led the Redbirds with 22 tackles during the team鈥檚 Covid-altered season in the spring of 2021 before entering the NCAA transfer portal and making his way to Fayetteville.
鈥淎rkansas was great to me,鈥� Ridgeway said. 鈥淚 was there only one year, but I cherished every moment I had there.鈥� It has been a lot of football in a short amount of time, especially for a lineman, but his experience and performance at Arkansas clearly put him on the NFL radar. His time in a Razorback uniform included a chance meeting with Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, also an Arkansas alum. Jones鈥� grandson, John Stephen Jones, played quarterback for the Razorbacks. 鈥淚 sure wasn鈥檛 expecting to meet him, but when the opportunity came, I said 鈥業 need to make sure this dude is going to remember me,鈥欌�� Ridgeway said.
Whether or not it had an impact in the Cowboys selecting Ridgeway in the draft is anybody鈥檚 guess. But it couldn鈥檛 have hurt. 鈥淗e came out to practice a couple of weeks ago and said to me, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 up, Razorback?鈥�, Ridgeway said. 鈥淪o, that was cool.鈥� The Cowboys have established players at defensive tackle, but Ridgeway figures to be in the competition for snaps within the rotation.
Ridgeway got a good feel in rookie mini-camp and OTAs (organized team activities) for the adjustments he needs to make in order to transition from the college game to the NFL. 鈥淭he speed of the game is the biggest difference,鈥� Ridgeway said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 much faster from the players to the play-calling. In high school, you don鈥檛 have a lot of checks (at the line of scrimmage). You start to see them in college, but in the NFL, every play seems like it鈥檚 a check. 鈥淓very player is smart, and they know how to read the defense. So just making sure I have that football IQ sharp and being accountable to the job they鈥檙e asking me to do.鈥�
An old adage has it that NFL actually stands for 鈥渘ot for long鈥�, and that resonates with Ridgeway. He knows he will need to be at the top of his game during training camp or risk not being around long himself. 鈥淓very time I walk into the room, I want the coach to have something good to say about me,鈥� Ridgeway said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a cut-throat league, so you have to know your job and be able to do your job, or you鈥檙e not going to be on the field.鈥�
Ridgeway is setting goals much like he did in high school when he wrote on a chalkboard 鈥�2017 state wrestling champion鈥� and 鈥�2022 NFL Draft pick.鈥� He left them on the board until they came to be. 鈥淚鈥檓 big on speaking things into the universe,鈥� Ridgeway said. 鈥淏ut you can also talk all you want; you still have to put in the work.鈥�
The confidence is certainly there. 鈥淚 knew the moment I put on my helmet what I am capable of. My family, my coaches and support team knew I could do it, too, and I don鈥檛 want to let them down. My coaches back home will tell you I鈥檓 wired a little differently. Some people will say I鈥檓 arrogant. I鈥檓 just competitive. I do not like losing.鈥�
The Cowboys certainly hope they鈥檝e got a winner.
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