(MCT) — During their weekly phone calls over the last four years, Simeon coach Dante Culbreath could sense Jack Ramsey was struggling.

Culbreath first coached Ramsey in elementary school and immediately “liked his drive and tenacity.” Those qualities were later tested at Illinois when Ramsey didn’t get on the field as much as he would have liked.

A standout quarterback and defensive back at Simeon while Culbreath was the offensive coordinator, Ramsey has found his time at Illinois since serving as a redshirt in 2008 to be an exercise in patience and flexibility. He bounced from wide receiver to cornerback to safety to punt and kick returner to special teams mainstay under former coach Ron Zook, never quite making the impact he had hoped.