The 2021 4✮ SDE from Kernersville, NC announced his decision via social media on Friday evening around 6:30 PM, committing to Carolina over Tennessee, South Carolina and others via his Instagram. He joins his current teammate Raneiria Dillworth as players committed in this class that will be a huge vocal presence in the coming months on social media.
Ritzie will begin preparations for his senior season at Glenn High School coming off of a strong junior season for the Bobcats. Ritzie racked up 74 total tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and 15 quarterback hurries, as part of a defense that allowed just 13.9 points per game and shut out four opponents in 2019. Ritizie earned first team All-Central Piedmont recognition for his efforts and will enter his senior seasons as one of the favorites to take home conference defensive player of the year honors. Ritzie exploded onto the scene as a sophomore back in 2018, finishing the season with 59 total tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss and 15.0 sacks on his way to first team all-conference honors.
Ritzie’s film is definitely a fun one to watch because he can wreak so much havoc with so much ease. He might not be the fastest player in general, but he makes up for that with his physical nature. He is a multi-faceted defensive linemen, who not only helps in the run game. While his pass-rushing numbers are not mind-blowing, he gets his hands up to bat down balls on a regular basis and there is no reason to believe that won’t continue at the college level. Ritzie is a smart player who doesn’t get out of position often and would rather make the safe play than the aggressive play. I absolutely love 247Sports’ Brandon Huffman’s player comparison for him, former Mississippi State DL Jeffery Simmons. If Ritzie’s career could mirror that of Simmons, he has a chance to be one of the best defensive linemen in the ACC over the next few years.
With the commitment, the Tar Heels class sits 5th overall in the most updated 247Sports Composite team rankings and 2nd in the ACC rankings behind Clemson. The Tar Heels now have sixteen commitments in the class, with fourteen of them hailing from the home state of North Carolina.
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