Maybe it was that heavyweight wrestling title he won in high school in Bloomington, Ill., that caught the eye of Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who gave defensive tackle John Ridgeway the chance of a lifetime.
An afterthought coming out of high school because of academics, Illinois State took a chance on Ridgeway and he delivered. In 30 games with the Redbirds, the imposing defensive tackle notched 102 tackles, including 8 behind the line, forced 1 fumble and recovered 1.
He also had an interception and four pass breakups, got his degree and entered the transfer portal to test his ability at the highest level.