In Gus We Trust

BY ANNA QUENNEVILLE

Miami University journalism student

Miami University Quarterback Gus Ragland isn’t like most people.

When Gus was in kindergarten, he played football with the second and third grade team.

Ragland has worked hard and proved himself since a young age. That dedication and work ethic has paid off.

Ragland, now a junior at Miami, doesn’t let things get him down and always finds a way to keep pushing forward. After Miami started the season 0-6, Ragland came back from his injury and led the team to a six-game winning streak. The Redhawks became the first team in NCAA history to go from a 0-6 start and finish the regular season 6-6.

That isn’t the only negative thing Ragland had to overcome. Last spring, Ragland tore his ACL during practice and had to undergo surgery a week later. He was back on the field and playing Kent State six months later.

His coaches and teammates realize what a great a player he is and how much of an impact he has made on the team this season. They’ve even referred to him as one of the greatest competitors they’ve been around.

“He’s one of those guys that you never have to worry about in terms of being prepared to play against another team. His game turns up another notch on bigger stages and he gave our really young team, full of underclassmen, the confidence they needed,” said Graduate Assistant Coach, Joe Bowen.

One of those “bigger stages” was the St. Petersburg Bowl the Redhawks competed in this winter. Although they lost, Ragland still performed at a high level and was awarded Miami University football’s St. Petersburg Bowl Offensive MVP award.

“That was an experience I’ll never forget. From the weather, to the gifts, to the high level of competition we played. It also gave us a lot to build off of for the 2017 season,” said Ragland.

If his senior year at Miami is anything like his senior year at Moeller High School, then the RedHawks are in luck. Senior year, Ragland lead the team to a state championship as quarterback.

“He’s a subtle and reliable player which made everyone’s job on the field a lot easier,” said Miami University student Will Mercurio, a teammate of Ragland's at Moeller.

Reliable is certainly a word that can be used to describe Ragland. He ended the 2016 season with a 17-1 touchdown to interception ratio and threw 1,537 yards.

After college Ragland hopes to take his talent and play in the NFL, which has been his dream since he was a 6-year-old starting his career. If that doesn’t pan out for him, his back-up plan is to get a stable job in supply chain management using his degree in engineering management.