Modesto football sending transfers to four-year colleges

By Quinton Hamilton
Modesto Bee

MODESTO - Modesto Junior College sophomore Alex Ramirez and freshman Aiden Taylor were two key reasons why the Pirates earned a state playoff berth during the 2022 season. Ramirez was one of the leaders on a talented, physical offensive line and Taylor led a trio of running backs that helped lead the team to a 5-5 record, a co-Valley Conference title and a trip to the Northern California Playoffs. Taylor originally thought he’d be a baseball player, but after a stellar career at running back for the Raiders, he received preferred walk-on offers from the University of New Mexico, Air Force and the University of Washington. Pirates head coach Rusty Stivers recruited Taylor hard during his senior year of high school and was able to persuade him to spend his first semester of college at MJC. Taylor ended the season as the team’s leading rusher, an All-League Valley Conference honoree and All-State running back.

Ramirez didn’t get college attention as a high school senior, mostly because of his size. During his time at MJC, coaches started to notice him. The center still had his doubts despite being named to the Valley Conference’s All-League team, earning All-American honors and gaining offers from Morehead State, Troy and Missouri State. “I didn’t know if I was gonna play football after this,” Ramirez said. “As an offensive lineman being 6-foot-1, you’re gonna get overlooked a lot. What everybody looks for at the division one level, is 6-foot-3 and up as a center.”

Taylor and Ramirez are part of a number of college commitments from MJC this offseason. After sending 17 players from last year’s ‘Million Dollar Club’ to play football at four-year schools, at least 11 players already have committed to play NCAA and NAIA football next year. Next season, the two will remain teammates at NCAA Division I Idaho State. They were two of the first recruits for newly hired head coach Cody Hawkins and his staff.

Taylor will major in biology and Ramirez has plans to study exercise science. “It’s gonna be a great experience,” Taylor said of playing with Ramirez in Pocatello. “We were talking about it the whole time, kind of on the fence in and out. There were a lot more pros than cons obviously because we’re both going there. When we came back, we’re just both talking and then we didn’t talk for a day and then he texted me and I was like ‘I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna pull the trigger’ and he goes ‘Alright, well let’s go.’”

(Read the rest of the story at the Modesto Bee here)