As the NFL season kicks off, one player under the spotlight this season is Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback, Desmond Ridder. Ridder is a Saint Xavier graduate who was born and raised in Louisville. His journey from Saint Xavier to the NFL has been a roller coaster, to say the least.
Ridder was a freshman at St. X in 2013. Despite not starting varsity in his first two years, he earned the starting job in his junior year. His initial varsity season proved relatively disappointing as he had a negative TD:INT ratio, only 897 passing yards, and 423 rushing yards. That year ended early with a playoff loss to Trinity and only five wins during the season.
In the off-season before his senior year, Ridder broke his foot playing basketball. However, despite his foot injury, he excelled in his senior campaign. Ridder had a completion percentage of 55.2%, a 3:1 TD to INT ratio, and his QB rating improved to 84.2.
The most significant difference between his junior and senior years was his rushing ability. He rushed for 879 yards and 16 TDs, which is double his rushing yards and seven more touchdowns compared to his junior year.
The Tigers entered the playoffs with only one loss. They won their first two playoff games against Manual and Male. In these two games combined, Ridder rushed for over 300 yards and scored five touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Tigers lost a heartbreaker to Trinity in the playoffs, ending their season.
Coming out of high school, Ridder was a 6-foot-3, 178-pound three-star prospect. At the time, he was the 11th-ranked player in the state and the 3rd-ranked quarterback in the state. The two quarterbacks above him were Tanner Morgan and Walker Wood. Morgan went on to have a long college career at Minnesota, while Wood wouldn’t become a starter in college. Only Ridder and Jedrick Wills would end up playing in the NFL from this recruiting class.
Despite no Power Five schools recruiting Ridder, the University of Cincinnati recruited him aggressively. Zach Taylor, the current head coach of the Bengals, pushed Ridder to become a Bearcat. He received the official offer on a phone call from Coach Tuberville, who was the head coach of Cincinnati at the time, in the bathroom of Churchill Downs during Derby weekend. Soon after, he committed to play for Coach Tuberville.
Unfortunately, Coach Tuberville was fired and replaced by Luke Fickell before Ridder enrolled; however, Coach Fickell honored Ridder’s commitment to Cincinnati. Ridder’s dream of playing college football was secured.
Ridder decided to redshirt his first year of college in 2017. The following four years were historic. For example, he has the third-most wins by a quarterback in college football history, with 44 wins. He also never lost a single game at home in college. In 2021, Ridder led the Bearcats to the College Football Playoffs, marking the first time any Group of Five team had made the playoffs. After this magical season, he declared for the NFL draft.
Entering the draft, Ridder was a household name. He had some first-round draft buzz; however, most news outlets projected him as a day-two pick. Ridder was drafted in the third round (74th overall pick) by the Atlanta Falcons. In his rookie year, he spent the majority of the season behind Marcus Mariota but did get to start in four games.
This year, Ridder faces no competition in the quarterback room, and the Falcons have a plethora of offensive weapons. It sets him up perfectly for a breakout year.
Desmond Ridder’s journey from Saint Xavier to the NFL has been a roller coaster. Throughout his life, he has been an underdog, but he always seems to find a way to defy the odds.
