Jose Ramirez earns Walter Camp All-America status

Eastern Michigan University senior defensive end Jose Ramirez (Lake Alfred, Fla.-Auburndale-Arizona-Riverside City) has earned Second Team All-America status through the Walter Camp Football Foundation. The honor was announced during the annual Home Depot College Football Awards, which aired earlier tonight on ESPN.

Ramirez is the 20th Eastern Michigan football player to earn All-America status and only the second through the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Andy Vanyo also earned second-team status after the 1930 campaign. The Lake Alfred, Fla., native is the first player to earn All-America status since then Justin Moody He was named a second-team All-American by Pro Football Focus for his special teams play during the 2016 campaign. Overall, he is just the fourth All-American from EMU since 2000 and the first defensive All-American since Eastern. Charles Gordon in the year 1987.

The 133rd edition of the award, the Walter Camp All-America Team presented by 777 Partners, is the nation’s oldest college football All-America Team. The Football Bowl Subdivision’s 131 head coaches and sports information directors were selected by a total of 26 players to both the first and second teams.

A total of 35 different schools from 10 conferences (including independents) were represented on the All-America First and Second Teams (a total of 52 players selected). Overall, the Big Ten Conference has the most honorees (20; 9 first teams and 11 second teams), followed by the Southeastern Conference (11; 6 first and 5 second teams).

Ramirez is one of the most dominant pass rushers in college football and was ranked on several national rankings for the 2022 regular season. He was first in the nation with 1.09 sacks per game, tied for second in total sacks (12.0) and ranked second nationally with 1.8 tackles for loss per contest. He also owns the nation’s second-best single-game performance (measured in sacks) this season. He compiled a program-record 4.0 in Eastern’s game at Western Michigan University on Oct. 8. That game was one of three multiple sacks he had for EMU this season.

He is Eastern Michigan’s third-leading tackler this season with 63 stops and leads the Eagles in both quarterback hurries (10) and forced fumbles (2).

Ramirez’s 12 sacks is the all-time single-season record at EMU. He now has 20.5 career sacks, which ties him for second all-time in program history, just five shy of the record. He is just the fourth player since 1998 to record double figures in sacks in a single season at Eastern Michigan.

In addition, Ramirez had 19.5 TFLs in the 2022 regular season, tied for ninth in school history and the most since the multi-year National Football League veteran and E-Club Hall of Fame inductee. Jason Jones recorded the same number in 2007. His 34 career tackles for loss tied Ramirez for fifth in the EMU record books. He has earned All-MAC status in back-to-back seasons.

EMU finished with an 8-4 overall record, including a 5-3 MAC record in the 2022 regular season. The eight wins are the program’s most since the 1987 season. Additionally, with a 5-3 conference record, the team secured its first-ever MAC West Division title. The Eagles also reclaimed the Michigan MAC Trophy for the first time since 2012 after impressive losses to both in-state rivals Central Michigan University and Western Michigan University.

The EMU football team will face San Jose State University in the 26th annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Tuesday, December 20 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. EMU, bowl and Mid-American Conference officials made the announcement on Sunday, Dec. 4. Kickoff begins at 3:30 PM ET (1:30 PM MT) on ESPN. Tickets are now available and can be purchased by clicking here.

About the Walter Camp Football Foundation

The Walter Camp Football Foundation is a volunteer organization founded in 1967. The foundation operates throughout the year and aims for the following goals:
Oversee the selection of the current year’s enrollments to the oldest college All-America Football Team as voted by FBS head coaches and sports information directors.
Select and honor other deserving individuals
Donating financial support to worthy charities and youth organizations.