Illinois State football coach Brock Spack believes Ridgeway, a redshirt freshman, is now positioned to thrive, having moved in the spring from offensive line to nose guard on defense.
"You line up over the ball, you see the ball, the ball moves and it's, 'John, knock that guy into next week,'" Spack said Tuesday during ISU's Media Day. "He likes that. John likes a combative situation. The less structure and the more streetfight it becomes, the more he really likes it."
A bit later, Ridgeway smiled when asked about the responsibilities at his new position.
Don't be misled.