Jose Ramirez is a Walter Camp All-American
EMU's first-ever MAC Defensive Player of the Year now the program's first Defensive All-American since 1987.
For the first time since 1930, there’s a Walter Camp All-American on Eastern Michigan’s roster.
Jose Ramirez won Second Team All-American honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation — its 133rd annual list — yesterday. Ramirez is the 20th All-American in EMU history, and second Walter Camp All-American pick since Andy Vanyo. Most recently, EMU safety Justin Moody was a Pro Football Focus Second Team pick in 2016. Before that, EMU hadn’t had a national pick since Zach Johnson was an honorable mention pick for the Sporting News’ All-Freshman team in 2006. Both Moody and Johnson were special teams picks; EMU’s last defensive All-American was Charles Gordon in 1987 (AP Honorable Mention).
Ramirez is the first Walter Camp All-American out of the MAC since Northern Illinois’ Sutton Smith made both the 2017 (First Team) and 2018 (Second Team) lists.
For the season, Ramirez has recorded 63 total tackles (38 solo), 19.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 2 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 10 QB hurries. Ramirez’s school-record-setting sack figure is second-most in the nation, and his average of 1.09 sacks per game (11 games played) tops the country.
Ramirez’s national recognition began to pour in after his game at Western Michigan. After he had just one sack recorded though the first five games of the season, Ramirez sacked WMU’s quarterback four times (six tackles) and caused a fumble. That game set a school record for most sacks in a game and was the sixth time an EMU player recorded at least three QB sacks. The defensive end also had multi-sack performances against Northern Illinois (2) and Central Michigan (3).
Ramirez is a two-time All-MAC award winner and won the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award last week — the first EMU defender to ever win the award.
Ramirez joined the program in 2019 after he moved through the junior college system. The Florida native bounced from Arizona to Riverside City College after his freshman year, then came to EMU for four years. Ramirez’s first tackle in the green in white came in the 2020 season opener at Kent State. His breakout game that season came against, of course, WMU where he had seven tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
As one of the four captains of the team, Ramirez is scheduled to finish out his collegiate career in 10 days at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against San Jose State. It’ll be the first meeting between the two schools since EMU’s 1987 Cal Bowl victory.
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Jose Ramirez is an all time EMU great. From working three jobs and playing on an empty stomach just to keep his dream alive to All American, the man deserves a movie. Great athlete, great leader, and a great man. Most dominant player we've had since Crosby and I think that he'll be joining Mad Maxx in the NFL.