Recruiting: Ritter goes the extra mile to get to Western Illinois

William Ritter didn't sit at the top of any preseason recruiting lists.

He didn't set any records.

Ritter was an important cog in Permian's defense, a defensive end who collected 43 tackles and four sacks.

But he wanted to play college football. So his father took matters into his own hands.

"As a parent, I felt like it's my responsibility to help him out as much as I can," William Ritter, Sr., said. "So I just got on the Internet and started looking for recruiting services."

The father has already had his moment on the college football landscape.

Ritter, Sr., played defensive end for Texas Tech in the early ‘90s. He wanted his son to have the same opportunity.

And after an exhaustive search for the right service, Ritter, Sr., entered his son's name in the database at the National Collegiate Scouting Association.

The NCSA put together two highlight reels of Ritter's play this year. Matched his size and ability level with schools that might be interested. Sent out the tapes.

College football coaches started paying attention.

"We had schools all over the place looking at him," Ritter, Sr., said. "Schools all the way from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to California and Arizona. It just gets the kid's name out there."

The coaching staff at Northern Arizona, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school in Flagstaff, wanted to sign Ritter, Jr., but the Lumberjacks had already filled their allotted number of scholarships.

A coach at Northern Arizona told Ritter, Sr., that the staff at Western Illinois might be interested.

Ritter, Sr., didn't waste any time. He sent the Leathernecks his son's tape.

"The coaches wanted to see some film on William," Ritter, Sr., said. "And he told me they only got about an eighth of the way through the film before they decided they wanted this kid."

Ritter signed a national letter of intent to play for Western Illinois, a FCS school in Macomb, Ill., on Wednesday morning.

At 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, Ritter needs to add a little muscle, but the Leathernecks are thin at defensive end.

Put together a successful offseason, and Ritter can play right away.

"I have a good shot at playing as a true freshman," Ritter, Jr. said. "If I give good effort, learn the defense and get in good shape, I have as good a chance as anybody."

He can thank his father for the shot.