Key Arkansas defender indicates he’ll be available for Texas game
By Andrew Olson
Published:
It looks like Arkansas will have a key defender back for Saturday’s game against Texas.
Defensive lineman John Ridgeway III was listed as a starter on the depth chart ahead of the Razorbacks’ season opener but missed the Week 1 game due to a recent appendectomy. The gif and emoji combination Ridgeway tweeted Tuesday night strongly suggests he’ll be available to play against the Longhorns on Saturday.
— John Ridgeway III (@ridgeway_79) September 8, 2021
A transfer from Illinois State, Ridgeway pledged to Sam Pittman’s program in April. Ridgeway played in Illinois State’s 4-game spring season in February and March 2021, logging 22 tackles, including 3 for loss. He previously played in 26 games over the 2018 and ’19 seasons.
Per his Illinois State bio, Ridgeway was an All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Honorable Mention selection after starting all 15 games at nose guard for the Redbirds, who ranked No. 4 in the country in scoring defense (16.0) and No. 1 in sacks (52). Ridgeway finished the season with 50 tackles, including 28 solo stops, and 3 TFLs. In 2018, he was recognized as an FCS Freshman All-America selection by Phil Steele and a Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team pick after playing in all 11 games, with 10 starts at the nose guard position.
Ridgeway’s other offers in the transfer portal included Tennessee, Texas, Penn State, Indiana, Iowa and Arizona State.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
