An all-state player by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) in high school, he received a scholarship offer from Paul Chryst, who had taken over the Pitt football program. Ramczyk didn’t want to travel that far from home and without any other Division I offers (he enrolled at Winona State but never played), he decided to enter the workforce.
As noted by by ESPN and Sports Illustrated, Ramczyk attended two different technical colleges, looking for a welding degree. Eventually, Ramczyk ended up playing for UW-Stevens Point, a Division-III program, for two years—earning all-conference honors both seasons.