The Star is counting down the top football players in Southern Arizona in the weeks leading up to the season.
Today: Salpointe Catholic senior Lathan Ransom.
The rundown: Ransom is a 6-foot-2-inch, 195-pound safety, wide receiver and punt returner.
Who he is: It’d be difficult to find another defensive back in Southern Arizona as talented as Ransom. One could argue he’s the top defensive back in Arizona, a state that includes some of the best cornerbacks in the nation. Ransom emerged as a two-way star for the Lancers last season, leading the team with 625 receiving yards and finishing third with 1,242 all-purpose yards. On defense, Ransom recorded 82 tackles and led the team with six interceptions that he returned for 138 yards. Ransom was named the Class 4A Kino Region Player of the Year.
Ransom verbally committed to Ohio State in July, a move that will allow him to focus on winning an elusive state championship as a Salpointe senior. He spent time this summer focusing on leadership.
“I wanted to be better at leading our defense and calling plays. I just wanted to be a better role model,” Ransom said.
Ransom has added 15 pounds to his frame from last season, and Salpointe Catholic’s strength and conditioning coach Carla Garrett deserves some credit for Ransom’s physical development. Garrett, a UA alumna, represented Team USA and won silver medals in the 1991 and ’93 World Weightlifting Championships.
“Our strength coach is the best strength coach in the nation; I don’t care what anyone says,” Ransom said. “She taught me how to be more explosive, and now I’m (a) better (kind of) stronger — faster and stronger. Our whole team is stronger and faster this year, and she deserves a lot of credit. She’s the toughest person I ever met in my entire life.”
Ransom will start at safety and wide receiver and return punts again this season. He’s hoping that his final year in Tucson will end with a championship. The Lancers have fallen to Scottsdale Saguaro in back-to-back Class 4A state championships; this year features a new state championship format, which Ransom believes could help Salpointe.
Ransom’s expectations for the 2019 season: “Undefeated. State champions. We don’t expect nothing less.”
Salpointe Catholic’s Lathan Ransom is arguably the top defensive back in the state of Arizona, and he contributes on offense and special teams, too.
Proof he’s good: Ransom is listed as a four-star recruit and the fourth-best safety in the 2020 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.com’s rankings.
After a productive sophomore season, Ransom landed scholarship offers from Cal, ASU, UA and Stanford. When Ransom was in Atlanta for a 7-on-7 tournament, he visited Georgia and, after a workout session, received his first Southeastern Conference offer. College football’s biggest programs followed: Oklahoma, Texas, LSU, Notre Dame, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Michigan, Oregon and USC all offered Ransom a scholarship.
He said it: “He’s the catalyst to our team. He works so hard, his attitude is outstanding, he loves to compete, and he’s just a coach’s dream. To his credit, he has worked so hard to earn the scholarship offers and accolades he’s received. I’m just proud of his commitment to being an elite player.”
— Salpointe Catholic coach Dennis Bene
