In the 2015 season opener at Eastern Michigan, Old Dominion linebacker TJ Ricks suffered an ankle injury that would bother him the entire season. Despite the injury Ricks went on to record 14 tackles in ODU’s season-opening victory and Ricks went on to set an Old Dominion single-season record for tackles with 123 while leading Conference USA in tackles.
“The ankle injury was tough, I hurt it the first game of the season at Eastern Michigan. I just kept going to treatment and getting it taped. I hurt my other ankle in the Southern Miss game, so I was playing on two bad ankles,” Ricks said. “It was pretty tough. I tweaked it a couple times during games but I toughed it out and just kept playing as hard as I could.
Despite playing on two bad ankles after the Southern Miss game, Ricks registered another 14 tackles in the season finale against Florida Atlantic, a game that left a sour taste in his mouth despite a season that saw the former walk-on become the league’s leading tackler.
“That final game (FAU) last year really hurt us a lot and I don’t want to have that feeling again,” Ricks said. “. That last game of the season should be motivation for the team, the App State game and all the other games we lost should light a fire under us for sure.”
Ricks’ ascent to top tackler in Conference USA was not unexpected as he finished the 2014 season second on the Monarchs with 80 tackles including a pair of double-digit tackle games. This past season Ricks raised his game to another level with six double-digit tackle games including a school record 18 in the win over Charlotte. He also proved to be a solid pass defender with seven pass breakups and finally pulled down his first career interception in the finale against Florida Atlantic after several near interceptions throughout the season.
Ricks is one of four senior returning starters on the defensive side of the ball for the Monarchs and will be asked to carry a leadership role. Not one for big speeches or a lot of talking, this will be something Ricks works on in the off-season.
“My coaches want me to be more of a vocal leader so I’m going to keep working on that,” Ricks said. “I don’t really talk a lot but I’m going to try my best and see how good I am at it.”
With spring ball just around the corner, one thing Ricks and his teammates are working on getting off to better starts. More specifically, to reverse fortunes in the first quarter that saw the Monarchs at a 117-39 disadvantage in the first 15 minutes of games last season.
“We are putting an emphasis on starting strong since a couple of games last year we were down at halftime,” Ricks said. “We have the mindset of coming out fast and jumping on teams early and not having to play from behind.”