Salpointe Catholic grad Lathan Ransom helped lead Ohio State to the national championship last week, capping a remarkable career in which he also played in two Rose Bowls and was named a third-team AP All-American.
A 5-star recruit when he left Salpointe after the 2019 season, Ransom did not include Arizona in his list of five finalists, choosing the Buckeyes over Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Michigan. Then-Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin did not aggressively pursue Ransom. Hard to believe.
Ohio State defensive back Lathan Ransom plays against Indiana Nov. 23, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio.
My list of the leading Tucson prep football players of the last 75 years who chose to play elsewhere is, in no particular order: tackle Bill Dawson, Tucson High, who played at Michigan State; defensive lineman Marvin Lewis of Tucson High who chose USC; linebacker Riki Ellison of Amphitheater who played at USC; running back Mario Bates of Amphitheater who played at ASU; quarterback Rodney Peete of Sahuaro who played at USC; Salpointe center Kris O’Dowd who played at USC; Salpointe running back Bijan Robinson who played at Texas; lineman Mike Saffer of Sabino who played at UCLA; and CDO linebacker Blake Martinez who played at Stanford.
Ransom joins Ellison (USC, ’78) and Tucson High cornerback Levi Wallace (Alabama, 2017) as the ex-Tucson prep football players to be part of an NCAA championship team.
