ransome reaches collegiate level early
A 13-year-old’s dream came true in the fall of Greg Ransome’s senior year. After a long recruitment process, a shoulder injury lasting almost the duration of his senior season, and a decision to graduate early, Ransome is now playing Division 1 football at Campbell University.
Despite his injury early in the year, Rose defensive coordinator Jordan Smith believes Ransome had a lot to offer the team in his last season playing football on Rampant turf.
“For the young kids, [he] brought a calming sensation,” Smith said. “He was kind of a coach on the field.”
All throughout high school, Ransome took strides to accomplish his goals. Starting his junior summer, he attended college camps to get himself on the radar of different coaches while also putting in hours of extra work to better his game.
graphic by Maggie Jarmen
“Anything is possible, really, you just gotta keep your head down and keep working,” Ransome said. “It's all gonna pay off.”
Although he played seven on seven for an organization outside of Rose, Ransome obtained the majority of his film and advice from high school football and coaches. He credits Smith for helping him through this process, by showing him all of the ins and outs of college recruitment, however Smith claims he is given too much credit for this accomplishment.
“If he wasn't good enough, or wasn't a good enough young man, and well spoken enough, it wouldn’t have mattered what I had done,” Smith said.
Ransome decided Campbell University would be the best fit for him, not only because they had a good football program, but because of their emphasis on team chemistry.
“Team chemistry is very big [at Campbell], we have to attend multiple events together as a team, and just everything is really about the team over here,” Ransome said.
During his junior year, before even making a commitment to Campbell, Ransome had already been planning out future classes to ensure he would be able to graduate high school early. He did so in order to get a head start both on the field and in the weight room.
“[Workouts are] way more intense and more specific [here],” Ransome said. “The coaches are really on you, and they make sure you're doing what you're supposed to do.”
Although Ransome knew graduating early would be the best choice for him, this decision still came with some downsides. He had to leave behind the friends, family, and teammates he’d grown up alongside.
”Starting off, I was definitely a little homesick, you know, leaving my family and my friends and just being in a new environment,” Ransome said.
Campbell’s attention to team unity however, has made his transition to college life much smoother.
“Over the course of a few weeks I started to build a lot of friendships and started to meet new people,” Ransome said. “It got easier, and I started to get adjusted to everything at Campbell.”
Smith believes that Ransome’s strong work ethic and maturity gives him all the makings to excel in the college football world.
“He's got a good grasp on what to do and win and keep his head on straight,” Smith said. “He'll probably knock it out of the park.”