MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Flashes.
That’s all anyone has seen from Jahvaree Ritzie during his college career.
Flashes. Flashes of why he was such a highly touted prospect coming out of high school.
But on Thursday night, everything came together for the senior defensive lineman, as he was integral in North Carolina opening its season with a 19-17 victory at Minnesota. All he did was record six tackles, including a career-high three sacks.
In fact, Ritzie entered the contest with 2.5 sacks as a Tar Heel, so in three hours, he bettered what he’d done in three years.
“I would say that’s his introduction to everybody,” senior linebacker and teammate Power Echols said about Ritzie.
UNC fans have known all about the Kernersville, NC, native since he was at Glenn High School. Rivals ranked him the No. 140 player overall in the class of 2021 and 10th nationally at his position.
But he hadn’t exactly lived up to the hype. Those flashes, yep, they were there. Enough flared up that kept Ritzie on the radar, but he hadn’t yet broken out. That changed inside Huntington Bank Stadium.
And the crowing moment came when Ritzie’s obvious athletic gifts, of which he has shown glimpses, meshed with his high-IQ, older, wiser game in chasing down and then bringing down Golden Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer for a five-yard loss in the fourth quarter.
"I was so proud of him when he ran their quarterback down,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said following the contest. “I thought that big man ran him down, and that's usually where you get a horse collar. And he didn't.
“He very carefully grabbed the edge of his jersey and took the other side and tackled him and pulled him down. So very, very proud of Jahvaree.”
For Ritzie, it was a performance he said he needed. A tough week with some real-life stuff was handled like a grizzled senior and didn’t affect his performance. At least not adversely.
But with his mother, God Mother, grandmother, girlfriend, and her friend in attendance, Ritzie put on a show. The glory in his performance, to which he credited his faith and coaches, was reflected when the media had to wait for about seven minutes for Ritzie to peel himself away from their love, support, and support.
So, when he sat down to field questions after a breakthrough outing on national television, Ritzie didn’t boast. He laid out some facts about how this game was a lengthy work-in-progress.
“For me, I just felt like this was my senior year, and I just wanted to take over this year with every chance I could,” Ritzie said. “So, whether it was practice, whether it’s the weight room, whether it was off-the-field stuff, I wanted to make sure I was 100% with everything and just taking care of business…
“That’s what has allowed me to elevate this year, and I just want to continue elevating each week.”
One game can be a literal flash if Ritzie doesn’t somewhat back up this effort. But that a landmark game is now on his resume, Ritzie’s new mark is doing it again.
