SPRINGDALE — Haden Gilder believes Jacob Ralph’s best days on the football field are ahead of him.
Pittsburg State is hoping the Shiloh Christian offensive line coach is correct after signing Ralph to a National Letter of Intent to play football for the NCAA Division II powerhouse on Wednesday.
Ralph, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive tackle, signed with the Gorillas in a gymnasium packed with Saints coaches, teammates, family and friends during National Signing Day. He said it has been his dream to play college football since the age of 5.
“When we got him as a sophomore, his development just wasn’t there,” Gilder said. “He was a big, tall guy then, just very gangly. But he got in the weight room and this summer he really made the focus that he wanted to play college football.”
Ralph was a two-year starter for the Saints, and played a backup role for the 2010 Shiloh Christian team that won the Class 4A state championship.
The Gorillas were 7-3 this past season, but are one of the premier Division II programs in the country. They won the 2011 national championship after posting a 13-1 mark. Several former Northwest Arkansas players are members of the football program, and two other local players besides Ralph signed with the Gorillas on Wednesday.
“This is always what I’ve wanted to do,” Ralph said. “This is just a dream come true.”
Shiloh Christian coach Josh Floyd praised Ralph for his work both on and off the field. Ralph has a 3.7 grade point average and scored a 24 on the ACT, Floyd said.
“Jacob is a great person and a great player,” Floyd told those in attendance. “He is a ‘yes, sir, no, sir’ young man. We are very proud of him and the work he has put in to reach this level.”
Ralph, who overcame a growth deficiency in his left leg that made it almost 1 1/2 inches shorter than his right leg, chose Pittsburg State over a number of colleges. He said after visiting the Kansas school, he knew that is where he wanted to be.
“I went up there to visit real early, and it was a place I just fell in love with,” Ralph said. “I fell in love with the atmosphere, I fell in love with the coaches, the players and everything else.
“I went on a couple of other visits, but nothing compared to how I felt at Pitt State.”