101 Days of BC Football: Kaleb Ramsey, #96

Sticking at left defensive tackle, we’ve already met the player who replaced Kaleb Ramsey in his absence last year, Dominic Appiah. Now, Ramsey is back for his senior year, displacing Appiah once again and hopefully providing a solid presence on the Eagles’ defensive line.

Ramsey, a Pennsylvanian, played defensive end and tight end for Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown, PA (in the coal-mining southwestern areas of the commonwealth). It wasn’t long before schools took notice, and by 2008, he was a member of the Boston College football team. He did not redshirt in 2008, playing as a true freshman on the line and making his mark with a few tackles.

2009 saw Ramsey increase his playing time to eight games, finishing with 11 tackles. In 2010, he bumped both of these figures even higher, making his way into 11 of 13 contests and recording 39 tackles with 2.5 sacks. It was expected that in 2011, his senior year would be his best. Unfortunately, this did not happen.

Ramsey injured his left foot in the first quarter of the season opener against Northwestern on September 3. After holding him out for the following two games, Ramsey gave it another go against UMass on September 24, after which he was shut down for the season. BC applied for a hardship waiver on his behalf and it was granted, giving him the 2012 season as a do-over senior year.

He will regain his starting role at left defensive tackle, but must perform as a solid competitor in Appiah is behind him on the depth chart. Ramsey is capable of it, and if he’s back to form he showed prior to the injury, 2012 can be that best season he’s put together in an Eagles uniform. He will likely be one of the leaders on defense, so Ramsey will have to step up again and set an example for the rest of his unit.