'10 PA OT Tom Ricketts (Penn State Verbal)

GoRU · #1 (**permalink**) 04-04-2009, 12:10 PM

Offensive tackle
Wexford (PA) North Allegheny

Ht: 6-foot-6
Wt: 250 lbs
Class: 2010 (High School)

Scout $

4/1

Pitt has offered, joining MD, Stanford, and Illinois. Pitt legacy.

AustinScottistheone · #2 (**permalink**) 05-07-2009, 12:40 PM

Scout.com: INSTANT UPDATE: Tom Ricketts

5/6

By Cory James. PSU has offered. Tom visited PSU about a month ago and liked it...his top 5 is Pittsburgh, PSU, Maryland, Stanford, and Boston College. Would like to decide prior to his senior season.

panther10 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-10-2009, 08:03 PM

Rivals $

5/9

FSU has offered...

AustinScottistheone · #4 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 08:01 PM

.....

PSU42Fan · #5 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 07:03 AM

Yep...could be.

In all seriousness, Pitt sites should close down for a week in order to avoid the bloodshed that will inevitably occur.

AustinScottistheone · #6 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 05:05 PM

Class of 2010
Pennsylvania’s Top Seniors
By Chris Dokish

For those of you who follow our yearly rankings, you may have noticed that the Top 50 has become the Top 25. The reason for this is because of the lack of depth in the state. It's become more difficult to find 50 prospects yearly that are at a high-major level. For that reason, we have decided to just report on the very best the state has to offer.

While the depth is not what it used to be in a state that has seen its population plunge over the last few decades, there is still some excellent talent out there. You may notice, however, that there are really only two prospects who received attention from the high level programs around the country. This is a significant drop from past seasons.

Lastly, as we always try to do, we do our best to leave out "scout talk," hyperbole and biases. We try to speak as bluntly, and accurately, as possible, while still remembering that these are high school kids we're talking about.

Quote:

11. Tom Ricketts, North Allegheny HS (Wexford) OT- Great wingspan at 6'6", but at 250 pounds he needs to put on a lot of muscle once he gets to college. He has the great frame to do it, though. Father, Tom, was a former Pitt offensive lineman and first round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Played guard as a junior, but will replace Ryan Schlieper, a Pitt freshman this year, at left tackle this season. He’s a project at tackle in college because of his height and extremely long arms. Offers include Pitt, Penn State, Florida State, Boston College, Stanford, Maryland, Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois and Cincinnati. Bottom line- More than just the son of a former NFL No. 1 draft choice, Ricketts has the great wingspan and quick feet to be a star in his own right.

AustinScottistheone · #7 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 07:23 PM

PSU.

Congratulations Tom.

AustinScottistheone · #8 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 08:07 PM

Ricketts makes the call

Confirmation...I don't have a rivals sub so I can't give a summary.

Scout.com: Lions Grab Another Lineman

AustinScottistheone · #9 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 08:46 PM

Penn State lands another top WPIAL recruit

Quote:

Penn State lands another top WPIAL recruit

Wednesday, June 03, 2009
By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penn State has landed yet another WPIAL football player from the class of 2010.
Tom Ricketts, an offensive lineman at North Allegheny High School, decided today that he will attend Penn State. Ricketts, who will be a senior this fall, made a verbal commitment to Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.

Ricketts (6 feet 6, 265 pounds) is the fifth WPIAL player from the class of 2010 to choose Penn State. It was the second day in a row Penn State landed a top WPIAL lineman. Fox Chapel's Miles Dieffenbach committed Tuesday.

The decisions of Ricketts and Dieffenbach are blows to Pitt because the Panthers were in the running for both. Also, Ricketts' father, Tom, was a standout lineman at Pitt in the 1980s. Ricketts' mother, Sandy, was a swimmer at Pitt. Tom and Sandy Ricketts also have season tickets to Pitt football games.

Dieffenbach's father is Pitt's womens tennis coach.

"My dad is very supportive with my decision," said the younger Ricketts. "He's probably a little surprised, I think. He may not admit that. I don't know if he ever thought his son would be in this situation. But he's happy for me. He doesn't hold anything against Pitt or Penn State. He just wanted what was best for me and this is what's best for me."

Ricketts said his final decision came down to Pitt and Penn State. His other top choices were Boston College, Florida State, Maryland, Stanford and Virginia. All offered scholarships.

AustinScottistheone · #10 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 09:10 PM

Scout.com: Ricketts on Picking PSU

6/3

By Mark Brennan. Tom says he had been feeling like committing to PSU for about a week and that it is pure coincidence that he committed a day after fellow Pennsylvania OLineman Miles Dieffenbach. Felt PSU was the right place for him...loved the coaches, campus, stadium, everything....says it was Pitt, Maryland, or PSU, and PSU felt right.

PSU42Fan · #11 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 09:20 PM

AustinScottistheone · #12 (**permalink**) 06-04-2009, 12:03 AM

Post-Gazette NOW

Quote:

Ricketts and father talk about Penn State commitment

Mike White| Wednesday, June 3, 9:35 p.m.

Fourteen years ago, Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley sent a recruiting letter to Tom Ricketts. Ricketts was 3 years old at the time.

Bradley knew Ricketts' father, Tom II, and sent the letter as a joke. Fourteen years later, Bradley recruited the younger Ricketts for real - and got him.

The younger Tom Ricketts, who will be a senior lineman at North Allegheny High School, made a verbal commitment to Penn State tonight. He called Bradley on the phone and made his commitment.

Both Ricketts and his father talked tonight in a phone interview about the letter from Bradley and laughed about it. They have the letter framed in their home. Ricketts will sign a letter of intent with the Nittany Lions in February.

CONTINUED....

AustinScottistheone · #13 (**permalink**) 06-04-2009, 12:13 AM

Lions land son of a former Panther captain - AltoonaMirror.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - The Altoona Mirror

AustinScottistheone · #14 (**permalink**) 06-05-2009, 10:26 PM

SportingNews.com - The Recruitnik

AustinScottistheone · #15 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 03:53 PM

Rivals.com Football Recruiting - Ask Jamie: Top-notch talent at DE

Quote:

July 2, 2009

Ask Jamie: Top-notch talent at DE

Jamie Newberg
Recruiting Analyst

Ratings on the way When will Rivals.com rate Luke Graham and Thomas Ricketts?
-- William in Altoona, Pa.
-----
These two Penn State commitments are both offensive line prospects.

Graham, 6-5 and 260 pounds, plays offensive and defensive tackle. Graham, from Penn Trafford High School in Pennsylvania, could be a combo guy at the next level and play guard and/or tackle. He has a long frame and is quick off the ball. More important, he has great feet and moves well.

Ricketts, 6-6 and 265 pounds, is an offensive tackle prospect who plays offensive guard for North Allegheny High School in Pennsylvania. Like Graham, he moves exceptionally well. Ricketts gets off the ball quickly and is a dominant drive-blocker. He looks downright nasty on film.

I think they both have terrific upside and both have a chance to be very good offensive linemen for coach Joe Paterno in Happy Valley. Personally, I think Ricketts is a four-star and Graham is a four-star/high three-star prospect. Look for their ratings when Rivals.com updates the rankings later this month.