Sprout's Hometown Hero: Ricky Pearsall

The Tempe native made an impact in his time at Corona del Sol. Pearsall's three year varsity career consisted of back-to-back 1,000 all purpose yard seasons, and a 6A record set of 342 receiving yards against the Gilbert Tigers in 2017. In 2019, he was one of the 21 true freshmen to play for the Sun Devils that fall, but Pearsall would look up and see Brandon Aiyuk, who was selected 25th by the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, and Frank Darby, the sixth round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons, ahead in the depth chart. 

The athlete who attended high school just about seven miles away from Sun Devil Stadium, mentioned having his family in close proximity had made it "a comfortable transition." Rick Pearsall, Ricky's father, played from 1993 to 1997 at Northern Arizona and is still praised by Flagstaff-residers for all Pearsall did for the program. While Ricky has pointed out his father's mentorship could not have prepared him for the adjustment regarding opponents, Ricky did have his father to turn to for knowledge and support. 

Pearsall has made an impact, and in many ways. The junior has not only made his presence known by receiving, but also has some passing yardage to his name. Pearsall is 2-for-2 for 81 yards in his college career and gives the option to push the ball vertically. As a freshman, Pearsall appeared on 157 special teams' snaps, which was the ninth-most among freshmen in the Pac-12, and had one kick return for 28 yards. Pearsall is able to set himself apart by catching and running the ball. Within the first two games of the season, Pearsall had 105 scrimmage yards, 40 of which had come on the ground. 

Pearsall has already played in five games with three touchdowns, in the 2021 season. In the 2020 season, the wide receiver played in four games with a touchdown. In 2020, Pearsall was the eighth-highest graded receiver in the Pac-12, with a score of 71.5 from PFF.