When Ricky Town – the No. 3 player in the initial release of the Top247 for the class of 2015 – took the field for the first game of the 2012 season for St. Bonaventure, no one quite knew what to expect – except maybe Town.
Only a sophomore, making his first varsity start of his career, any expectations that had been established were shattered when Town completed each of his first 10 pass attempts and finished off a 48-0 route by completing 11-of-12 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns.
Town’s second career start called for more from the young passer. Facing one of the top teams in the state of California in Corona Centennial, he once again rose to the challenge, leading his team to a 40-35 victory behind 16-of-23 passing for 340 yards and three touchdowns.
An opening act like that calls for supreme confidence in one’s ability, maybe even an unrealistic belief in his own capabilities. Fortunately for Town’s teammates, he’s been a superhero in his own head from an early age.
When Town was five or six years old, his parents would notice him quietly disappear only to find him reappear outside, dressed as Spiderman, crouching and jumping to and from walls.
“I thought he was going to get hurt,” said Town’s father, Rick Sr. “Then he wouldn’t say a word and he would come back and be in normal clothes and he’d never mention it. It was all the time. He would disappear, you’d see Spiderman out on the wall and then he’d come back in and wouldn’t say a word. He honestly thought he was a superhero. He may still think he is.“
Superhero or not, Town possesses something unique. His poise and comfort in the pocket for a young quarterback is striking. At times his feel and ability to sense the oncoming rush and improvise around it seems to be his superhero power. So too is his ability to grasp a playbook and work a chalkboard.
Some of that Town attributes as God given. Some has been honed through hard work.
Ricky Town
Offers from Arizona State, Miami and UCLA are just the beginning for Town.
“I understand it and it comes easy to me but for our offense, it was a lot of work,” Town said. “I had to sit down for six months at the school with (St. Bonaventure head coach) Coach [Terrien]. He helped me a lot with that, with the blitz pickups, the routes and the long playbooks. He helped me out a lot.”
As the 6-3, 190-pounder prepares for his encore as a junior, the St. Bonaventure staff is looking to place even more Town’s shoulders.
“They’re giving me more responsibility and putting more as a leader on my shoulders,” he said. “That’s what you want as a quarterback and as a leader, to have that type of responsibility.”
Town’s sophomore season has been followed by strong showings in several camp settings including Friday’s Elite 11 regional and Sunday’s Nike Football Training Camp. It has also been rewarded with early offers from UCLA, Arizona State and Miami with several other programs showing serious interest.
Currently Town has the highest interest in the three programs that have offered as well as Stanford, USC, Georgia and Alabama.
This summer, he plans on making a southeastern trip, stopping at Georgia and Alabama. He also plans to take in camps at Stanford, USC and UCLA. Already, he has camped at Miami and enjoyed his time in Coral Gables.
“One of my dad’s work friends, he has been a Miami fan forever and he suggested [I camp there] so I went down and checked it out. I really liked what I saw from them. Great area, great coaches, Coach (Al) Golden is awesome. It’s a great coaching staff so I really liked them.”
Among the three in-state schools that have expressed serious interest, UCLA and Stanford have been in the most communication.
“Stanford was awesome. I took a trip down there in the spring and it was really nice. The campus was incredible. I just like their offense. It was pro-style like we run at St. Bonaventure.
“I hear from UCLA a lot. I talk to coach (Noel) Mazzone every week. I like him a lot. He’s a great guy. USC I’m starting to get more contact with them.”
While he has yet to visit, both Georgia and Alabama seem to possess the qualities that Town is looking for in a program.
“I heard Georgia’s a real nice area and I love their football program so I think that’d be a great spot to be at. At Alabama they run a pro-style offense and that’s a big thing for me. Obviously their success over the years has been special with Nick Saban so I’d love to be a part of something like that.”
As the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the class of 2015, Town is sure to gain plenty of options over the next two years. After all, who wouldn’t want a superhero under center?
