Aug. 21, 2017
By Christian Page
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Chase Ritter earned his first scholarship offer to Auburn thanks to his stellar classroom work. The Wetumpka, Ala., native boasted a 4.2 high school GPA at Saint James in Montgomery.
"Originally when I came to Auburn, it was for engineering," says Ritter, a senior linebacker. "That was my main goal here. Auburn has a biosystems engineering program, which is rare to find in the Southeast. I was able to get a full ride here, academically."
Ritter settled in as student on the Plains for his first two years of college, then decided to pursue the chance to be on the football team. In 2015, Ritter walked on and though he didn't see any action in his first season, being part of the program was, for Chase, a victory.
"Getting an opportunity to walk on as a student was a dream come true," Ritter says. Ritter realized an even bigger dream during preseason camp, when he was one of six walk-ons to receive football scholarships for the 2017 season.
"I wasn't expecting that," he said. "I was ecstatic."
Ritter was impressed and flattered the first time he stepped on the practice field as a member of the football team when he was greeted genuinely on his first day.
"Being a walk-on, the first time coming in, you don't exactly know what to expect," Ritter remembers. "The coolest thing was on the first day on the team, not knowing a person there, everyone comes up and introduces themselves to you. You didn't have to make the effort to reach out; people came to know you.
"They were genuinely invested in you as a teammate and wanted to see you succeed and have fun on the team. That was the coolest thing, to see how welcoming everyone else on the team was and to make some lifelong friends with this opportunity."
Ritter's work ethic summarizes his Auburn experience. Sporting a scholarship-worthy GPA throughout high school while also being on a state championship wrestling team and performing as an all-metro linebacker, Ritter has carried the same determination throughout college.
"You've got to be able to set yourself apart by the way you come in and work every day, ready to grind," Ritter says. "Work ethic is going to get you a lot farther than your talent will."
Having years of college experience as a student, Ritter has gathered multiple memories as a fan in the stands.
"My freshman year, I wasn't on the team at the time, but that was the year we had the Miracle at Jordan Hare and the Kick Six," he says. "Being able to see both of those games was awe-inspiring."
His fondest memory as a member of the team was the dramatic 2016 victory over LSU. Being on the sideline, he says, was "a chance to experience something that was incredible."
Ritter is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the football team but still holds his education as a priority. With the balance of schoolwork and football, he knows he will leave Auburn well prepared for the future.
"You can't downplay the education you get at Auburn," he says. "It's top-notch in the engineering department. The skills I have learned and the way it has prepared me, and the people I have met for business connections and for networking later on down the road -- it's been an incredible experience. I couldn't ask for much more out of college.
"Auburn football has prepared me in the fact that you have to show up to work every day," he says. "It doesn't matter who you are on the team, you have to come in and do your role and be willing to do the little things right every day. They instill in us that it's a process of doing the little steps that will set you on the right track to success. Coming in ready to work every day and looking forward to work -- that's a skill that will serve you in any aspect of your life."
Growing up in a house divided of Alabama and Auburn supporters, Ritter didn't previously experience the rabid fandom of Auburn football. He was thrilled when he finally arrived on campus as a student and continues to embrace the love of the Auburn family.
"Once I got here and experienced the whole culture with the Tiger Walk and just the people -- that's just one of the things that makes Auburn different," he says. "It's the people and the environment that comes with that. People care for each other here. They care about their players here. That's something special."
Ritter saw his first action against Alabama A&M last season, and his goal is to help out the team in any way possible in 2017.
"I would love to get on a special team and get a chance to get some playing time this year," he says. "That was the goal I set for myself when I walked on. I wanted to find some little niche where I could help the team and that's still the goal I have for myself."
Christian Page is a student assistant in Auburn Athletics Communications