In his first six seasons in the NFL, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey was named first-team All-Pro three teams, making him one of the best players at his position in the league. He helped the Rams reach Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, nine years after he helped Florida State win the BCS national championship as a true freshman.
Here's everything you need to know about Ramsey's college career.
The vitals on Jalen Ramsey
School: Florida State
Position: Defensive back
Height: 6-1
Weight: 202 pounds
Years active: 2013-15
Here are Jalen Ramsey's career stats in college, including his solo tackles, assisted tackles, total tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles. Scroll to the right to view the complete stats.
Year | Games | Solo tackles | Assisted tackles | Total | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | FF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 14 | 37 | 12 | 49 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2014 | 14 | 48 | 32 | 80 | 10.0 | 3.0 | 2 | 12 | 3 |
2015 | 13 | 37 | 15 | 52 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Career | 41 | 122 | 59 | 181 | 15.5 | 5.0 | 3 | 22 | 4 |
Where did Jalen Ramsey go to college?
Ramsey attended Florida State University, which he chose over reported scholarship offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Southern California, among others, according to his 247Sports recruiting profile. He previously committed to Southern California.
Ramsey was also a three-time All-ACC honoree in 2014 as a member of Florida State's track and field team, as an elite long jumper and member of the school's 4x100-meter relay team. In 2015, he swept the ACC's indoor and outdoor long jump titles and he later earned All-America honors in the event.
(from Florida Today)
What kind of prospect was Jalen Ramsey in high school?
Ramsey, who attended Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy, was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 16 prospect and No. 2 cornerback nationally, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. He was a U.S. Army All-American in high school.
The addition of Ramsey to Florida State's 2013 recruiting class helped it reach the top 10 in many rankings. "The Seminoles finished with such a strong ranking after landing five-star prospects Matthew Thomas and Jalen Ramsey late in the recruiting process," reported South Florida Sun Sentinel's Coley Harvey in February 2013.
What was Jalen Ramsey's record in college?
In Ramsey's 41 college games, Florida State went 37-4, including 27 consecutive wins to start his college career. Florida State went 14-0 and won the national championship in 2013, when he started every game, then it went 13-1 in 2014 as it made a run to the first-ever College Football Playoff. Ramsey was the first true freshman at Florida State to start at cornerback since Deion Sanders in 1985.What were some of Jalen Ramsey's best games in college?
Here are some of Ramsey's best performances of his college career:
Florida State 41, Pittsburgh 13 | Sept. 2, 2013
In Ramsey's first game at Florida State, he became the first Florida State true freshman to start at cornerback since Deion Sanders in 1985 and he delivered immediately. He picked off Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage and returned it 31 yards, setting up Florida State's first touchdown of the season — a 24-yard pass from Jameis Winston to Nick O'Leary.
Ramsey had four tackles in the game, a 41-13 win for Florida State.
Florida State 37, Oklahoma State 31 | Aug. 30, 2014
In Florida State's first game since winning the BCS national championship against Auburn in January 2014, Florida State opened up the 2014 season with a 37-31 win over Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas. Ramsey finished with a career-high 12 tackles, including nine solo tackles (two more than any other games in his college career) and a tackle for loss.
Florida State 56, North Carolina State 41 | Sept. 27, 2014
In Florida State's first road game of the 2014 season, it won a shootout over NC State and Ramsey had a dominant performance, with 10 tackles, the second-most of his career, plus two forced fumbles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and one defended pass.
Florida State 30, Miami 26 | Nov. 15, 2014
No. 2 Florida State traveled to Miami in mid-November, as it pursued a second consecutive national championship, and Florida State found itself in a 16-0 hole early in the second quarter. But it was able to rally, outscoring Miami 20-3 in the second half, to win by four points and stay undefeated. Ramsey had a career-high four passes defended, an interception, a forced fumble and three tackles, including a tackle for loss. He also blocked an extra-point attempt.
Florida State 14, Boston College 0 | Sept. 18, 2015
Ramsey helped Florida State shut out Boston College in its first conference game and first road game of the 2015 season. He had six tackles, plus his first and only defensive touchdown of his career, on a 36-yard scoop and score in the fourth quarter that padded Florida State's lead.
CHAMPS: Complete national championship history for the FBS
What awards did Jalen Ramsey win in college?
Here are some of the honors and awards that Ramsey received in college:
- 2015 AFCA All-America First Team
- 2015 Walter Camp All-America First Team
- 2015 ESPN.com All-America First Team
- 2015 Jim Thorpe Award candidate
- 2015 Bronko Nagurski Trophy candidate
- 2015 All-ACC First Team
- 2015 Defensive MVP
- 2014 USA Today All-America First Team
- 2014 Scout.com All-America First Team
- 2014 Associated Press All-America Second Team
- 2014 FWAA All-America Second Team
- 2014 Sports Illustrated All-America Second Team
- 2014 Sporting News All-America Second Team
- 2014 All-ACC First Team
- 2013 FWAA Freshman All-American
- 2013 College Football News All-America First Team
- 2013 CampusInsiders.com Freshman All-America First Team
- 2013 247Sports.com True Freshman All-America First Team
What did people say about Jalen Ramsey?
Then-Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on comparisons between Ramsey and Deion Sanders (from the Miami Herald): "Give him a break before we put him in Deion's category. [He has] speed, size, athleticism, but also very mature, very hard-working and very intelligent and he has a drive inside to be good."
Fisher (from the Miami Herald): "He's very mature beyond his years and I think that's what allowed him to be able to [start]. He's done a tremendous job."
Ramsey's mother, Margie Tidwell (from the Miami Herald): "Football means a lot to him. He has an older brother and cousins that play football, so he was out there at a very young age playing sports."
Brentwood High School coach Jamie Redmon (from the Miami Herald): "He's the best I've ever coached. I think he's going to play on Sundays."
Redmon (from the Miami Herald): "He's a phenomenal track athlete also. We asked him to run track because we needed help, so he does the whole decathlete deal — he wins it his first year. High jumped like 6 feet 8 inches, long jumper 24 [to] 25 feet. He could be probably an Olympic long jumper if [Florida State] really wanted him to be one."
Ramsey's father, Lamont (from the Miami Herald): "He was a wide receiver and running back also while he was in high school. Actually, he was ranked pretty high as a wide receiver coming out of high school, too."
Lamont Ramsey (from the Miami Herald): "His biggest thing [heading into Florida State] was, 'Even if I don't start I'm going to push them so much that they're going to have to make a hard decision.'"
The Miami Herald's Patrik Nohe, on Ramsey's college debut: "On the Panthers' second drive of the game, quarterback Tom Savage dropped back and attempted a pass down the left-hash mark. Ramsey broke on it immediately, snagged his first career interception at the Florida State 45 and returned it 31 yards to set up a Seminoles touchdown. It was a moment Ramsey has been preparing for all of his life."
Florida State cornerback P.J. Williams (from the Orlando Sentinel): "He's a big corner. He's real physical. He's going to do well for us."
The AP's Joedy McCreary, on Florida State's win over Wake Forest in 2013: "Florida State tied a school record with six interceptions, returned turnovers for touchdowns on consecutive plays and gave the offense short fields throughout a 59-3 rout of Wake Forest on Saturday that clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game. Nate Andrews took an interception 56 yards for a touchdown one play before Jalen Ramsey returned a fumble 23 yards for another score, keeping the yardage down but pumping the point total way up."
Florida State safety Tyler Hunter (from the Tampa Tribune): "I could tell from the first day on 7-on-7. He was out there covering Rashad (Greene) and Kenny (Shaw) and (Kelvin Benjamin) just like he had been playing for two or three years. It was like nothing new to him."
The Tampa Tribune: "Lamarcus Joyner, of all people, had to tell Ramsey to calm down with his physicality early on in practice. The Florida State senior is one of the hardest hitters in the country and plays with reckless abandon. But even he thought Ramsey was a bit too aggressive in practice drills. But the freshman doesn't really know any other way to play."
NoleSports.com's Natalie Pierre, before Ramsey's sophomore season: "This season is all about the details for Jalen Ramsey. After putting together a freshman All-American season last year, the versatile defensive back enters this season with an expanded role in Florida State's talent-filled secondary. In preparation for his sophomore campaign where he will play multiple positions, in addition to being a team leader for the reigning national champions, Ramsey has spent countless hours in the Seminoles' meeting rooms watching film of former FSU defensive back Lamarcus Joyner. Part of Ramsey's new role this season will include playing the star in the team's nickel package (five defensive backs) that they will use much of the time to attack opposing offenses."
Fisher, a day after Ramsey was kicked out of practice (from NoleSports.com): "We had a great talk. I get upset. I'm emotional, too. Jalen does too. Jalen's as good a football player as we've got — one of the best ones I've ever been around in the secondary. (He) can play nickel, can play dime, can play safety, can play corner."
Fisher, on the "star" position Ramsey played (from the AP): "People don't realize the complication and multiplicity of playing that position and the uniqueness you have to have. He is very rare because sometimes taller guys have a harder time, believe that or not. He is so athletic and he bends. When you watch him rush that passer and he can dip that shoulder and get around that tackle like he is a defensive end, but then he can stop, jump and bat (down) the ball."
The Tallahassee Democrat's Safid Deen, prior to Ramsey's junior season: "Florida State fans got a glimpse of the Seminoles' special teams plans for 2015 when junior defensive back Jalen Ramsey was back returning punts and kickoffs during the spring game in April. Ramsey is one of the team's most electric players with his size, speed, athleticism and toughness. And in special teams play, where one play can make the difference in starting inside the 5-yard line or resulting in a touchdown, Ramsey is a weapon."
Fisher, on using Ramsey in special teams as a returner (from the Tallahassee Democrat): "Why would you not put one of your best players back there? How is that a risk? What are you risking? That your best player doesn't touch the ball? I thought that was the object (of the game)."
Jalen Ramsey quotes
Ramsey, before the 2014 BCS national championship (from the South Florida Sun Sentinel): "I want to let the world know who I am. Some people know, but not everybody knows who Jalen Ramsey is yet, and I'm ready to show people that."
Ramsey, before the 2014 BCS national championship (from the South Florida Sun Sentinel): "I'm a bigger guy and I like to put my hands on little receivers. Nothing against receivers nowadays, but most of them aren't like our receivers — they aren't physical like that. I use that to my advantage, and I like to get physical with them on the line."
Ramsey, on his physicality (from the Tampa Tribune): "I kind of had to moderate it during the season a little bit. Especially at the beginning, I wanted to get real physical with those boys. So I lowered it a little bit, but not too much, to be honest. They just got used to it. They stopped complaining about it."
Ramsey, on his role as a sophomore (from the AP): "I just feel like everybody's noticed me over the past few weeks, but it's been there throughout the whole season. Gradually, I am getting more and more comfortable with the position, but it's just more people are noticing because I've gotten the opportunity to make some more plays."
Ramsey, on the "star" position in Florida State's defense (from the AP): "It's probably the most exciting job on the field. I like to play with the quarterbacks. I like to play with the receivers too. They think they know when I'm blitzing sometimes and they think they know when I'm covering sometimes. I like to mess with them."
(from the St. Lucie News Tribune)
Ramsey, on being used as a returner as a junior (from the Tallahassee Democrat): "(Head coach Jimbo) Fisher and Coach (Lawrence) Dawsey put me back there, and I stay in their ear about it all the time. When they put me back there, I'm going to make something happen. They just have to get more comfortable with putting me back there and seeing me return more and catching more."