Standing over 6-foot-6 and 275-pounds, Milford (Pa.) Delaware Valley offensive tackle Luke Ritter has already turned heads with his massive frame. He also just started his junior year earlier this week.
Ritter's junior football season will be delayed following an offseason injury, however.
"I'm real excited to get going, but the thing is that I broke my foot in early July and I got invasive surgery to pin the bone back into place. Right now I'm going through the rehab process and hopefully I'm looking to get back in the next two weeks or so," said Ritter. "Luckily for us, the first few games are out of conference. They're important, don't get me wrong, but we could be playing in conference and fighting for a playoff spot. I'm looking at playing right tackle this year and hopefully getting into some defensive action as well."
Ritter has been recognized as one of 50 players to watch in the 2014 class by the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association. This summer, he hit a few camps and hopes it improved his level of exposure.
"I went down to Penn State for a one-day invitation camp and I went to Rutgers to the Big Man Academy," he said. "I was one of the only underclassmen there, it was a senior thing. I got invited because they didn't have that many seniors show up and I ended up going. I also went to the Big 33 Combine as well."
Ritter said that Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood provided some positive feedback and he got to work out for new Penn State assistant coach Mac McWhorter.
"I went down there and they seemed interested. They had a lot of kids there. It's different, you go from playing in your home area in Pennsylvania and then you go down there and play at Penn State. You're playing against some of the best kids up and down the East Coast," he said.
"It was no pads, no helmets, just footwork and stuff like that. Once you add physicality to the whole deal, everyone is high and mighty until you start hitting, that's when it changes."
Ritter plays for former Nittany Lions tight end Keith Olsommer and grew up watching Penn State.
"All I can say is that growing up in Pennsylvania, it's always been a dream," he said. "Growing up watching them, going to their games, knowing everything about them, it really sucks what happened. But I'm not going to take it out on the football team. I think they're great still. Hopefully in the next couple of years they can refocus their football program and make things better."
Ritter admitted contact has been light so far, but he was invited to Michigan State's home opener on Friday evening against Boise State.
"Right now I'm not really sure, September 1 is when you start getting these things for recruiting," he said. "I've received one thing already from N.C. State, but other than that Michigan State sent me those tickets. Other than that, it's been a little dry lately."
The Spartans signed Delaware Valley alum Brandon Clemons in their Class of 2011. He will be a redshirt freshman this season.
"We were friends, it was kind of like I was a freshman and I was playing and I looked up to him while he was playing," he said. "I probably logged the most playing time against him on the practice field. Every drill we went against each other. It was a learning curve to say the least, being a freshman playing against one of the top kids in the state."
