We have 96 days remaining until Ole Miss football is back so now we will look at a special kind of player in the Ole Miss universe — a Jackson private school player. Alums of Jackson Academy and Jackson Preparatory School will have a guy they swear, nearly annually, “he’d easily start at Ole Miss and go to the league.”
We’ve seen them come and go with boatloads of hype, but for No. 96, he dang-near lived up to the legendary status he had before he ever stepped foot on campus.
No. 96 - Andrew Ritter
Ritter was a golden-legged kicker from Jackson Academy who had a Paul Bunyan-like lore in recruiting, kicking a record-long field goal of 58-yards and four other makes from more than 50 in high school are certainly nothing to pass over. Most of his time at Ole Miss, however, was relegated to kick-off duty which saw him boom kick after kick into the endzone with ease.
Not that important, you say?
He stuck around for five years, taking a redshirt when the team needed him to, so we would have the advantage of his experience and services later on. Also, he killed LSU’s chances of a potential national title run with one of the most thrilling field goals Ole Miss fans had seen in decades.
ROLL THAT FOOTAGE.
In 2013 when he was the full-time kicker, Ritter finished with 16 field goals and was 3rd in the SEC and 39th nationally with 1.23 boots per game. He averaged 6.9 points per game and was 7-of-10 from 40+ yards, leading the Rebs to a Music City Bowl appearance and win over the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets.
Andrew Ritter, congrats bro, you’re No. 96 forever.