‘Coming out of East Salinas’: Meet the Alisal’s next NCAA Division I athlete
This story originally appeared in The Salinas Californian’s Sports page.
Alexis Ramos wasn’t supposed to be here. Athletes from the Alisal football program historically haven’t garnered much attention from NCAA Division I programs.
Ramos, a two-year varsity player for the Trojans, was a solid linebacker. Though he didn’t earn many accolades at the prep level, he did have the natural size and talent to make a difference at the second level of a defense.
That’s translated to a prolific career at the team across town: Hartnell.
Following his sophomore season with the Panthers, Ramos was named 2018 Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and to the Region II All-California First Team Defense.
The east Salinas native now has multiple offers from Division I programs and will spend next fall on the field as the Trojans’ latest football talent.
Heading to the west side
The 2017 Alisal graduate wrapped up his high school career as the Trojans went 2–8 in Cesar Chaidez’ first season at the helm.
While Chaidez used the 2016 season to lay the foundation for the school’s first Central Coast Section (CCS) playoff victory a year later, Ramos spent the 10 games blitzing his way to multiple sacks and tackles for a loss.
After looking at his options going forward, Ramos decided on the community college across town. His older brother Ivan made the move, too, going from assistant coach with the Trojans in 2016 to linebackers coach with the Panthers for the 2017 season.
Between his brother and defensive coordinator Sunil Smith, the Trojans’ head coach for over a decade, it felt like home playing in Rabobank Stadium for the Panthers’ defense.
“Growing up, I was the waterboy at every game I could,” Ramos said. “I looked up to (Smith) and wanted to play for him. Coming here (to Hartnell) gave me that chance. When you play for someone you love, that makes you go that much harder. He got the best out of all of us.”
Though his drive on the gridiron was never in question, Ramos found himself excelling more in the classroom at Hartnell.
“Coming here helped me develop in the classroom,” he said. “I graduated high school with a 2.4 GPA and now I have a 3.2 GPA. I came in here and took this like a fresh start and did better on the field and in the classroom.”
Ramos’ playmaking as a linebacker reached new heights in his sophomore season for the Panthers. After registering six sacks as a freshman, he finished fourth in the state with 13 and led the team in tackles with 84.
That’s caused a rise up the junior college rankings as well. Ramos finished the season as a two-star prospect from GiridironRR.com and the 25th-best linebacker in the country.
Making it to the next level
In the modern NFL and NCAA football level, linebackers have changed. Professionals like Mark Barron of the Los Angeles Rams and Deone Bucannon of the Arizona Cardinals, both 6-foot-1 and around 215 pounds, are playing a hybrid linebacker/safety type of role.
Ramos, billed at 6-foot-2 and 227 pounds, fits that mold.
“That’s what (college programs) want now — linebackers got to make plays sideline to sideline,” he said. “You need to run downhill and it’s no longer being that big guy. Coaches like when players can move well.”
So far, two college programs have come calling for the local linebacker. First was the University of Idaho that gave Ramos a call while he was Christmas shopping.
“The coach called me and said to call him back as soon as I could,” he said. “I thought he was just going to call and introduce himself but he offered me a scholarship on the spot. Christmas came a little early for me this year.”
In response to that, another college that had interest in Ramos, University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA), reached out with a scholarship offer as well.
“I’d been talking to them for a little while but once they saw Idaho made an offer, they pulled the trigger,” he said. “The next day they offered me a scholarship, too.”
Both offers are appealing, as they’ll take care of covering his college education. He has until mid-January to make his decision and is mulling the options.
In the meantime, he hopes other kids in the Alisal area can learn from his experience.
“Coming out of East Salinas, you don’t really hear about people getting their education paid for at a Division I level,” Ramos said. “Hopefully I get to motivate some of those kids. If I can do it, I’m sure there are other athletes out there that can do it too.”
