James Ross III
James Ross III quickly made his mark on the Hope College football team in his first season as linebackers coach. He now is poised to take on an expanded role for the Flying Dutchmen.
Ross has been named Hope’s new defensive coordinator, head coach Peter Stuursma announced.
The former starting linebacker and graduate assistant coach at the University of Michigan follows Mike Ricketts, who will retire from Hope this summer.
“I’m so excited about what James Ross is going to bring to the table as defensive coordinator,” Stuursma said. “As we were talking about this, I asked him to put a little presentation together for me. Twenty minutes into that, I knew where we wanted to go. James brings such energy, enthusiasm, and instant credibility with our players. Since April, to watch the relationship he has with our players, it is really a lot of fun and exciting for me.
“James is going to put his energy, his enthusiasm, his knowledge, and his ability to relate to our players into play, and that’s what you need to be a coordinator of a large group.”
Ross is thrilled for the opportunity to lead the Flying Dutchmen defense.
“This scheme was already really good; this defense was already really good. Coach Mike Ricketts was amazing to this program,” Ross said. “To follow someone like that is an honor. It means everything to me to put into a situation from a trust standpoint with Coach Stuursma.”
Mike Ricketts to Retire After 23 Seasons as Defensive Coordinator at Hope
Rylee Schultz is forever grateful for the five seasons he spent as a member of the Hope College football team until the tutelage of retiring defensive coordinator Mike Ricketts.
“Coach Ricketts is a legend,” said Schultz, a starting defensive tackle on Hope’s past two MIAA championship teams. He graduated from Hope after majoring in business and economics and is now working in management for Enterprise Rent-a-Car.
“When you first meet him, he’s very intimidating. He’s tough. He’s hard on you, asks for 100 percent all the time,” Schultz said. “For me personally, I went through some of the hardest times of my life during college. He helped me through them. It’s hard to express how thankful I am for him. I feel like anything life throws at me I’ve got it handled.”
Ricketts has decided to retire from Hope this summer after coaching 23 seasons with the Flying Dutchmen.
“It is great to leave because I can while still being productive and enjoying it,” Ricketts said.
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