Ralph Lovett: Football means a lot to me. It teaches lessons that can be used throughout life. It also teaches teamwork, discipline, how sometimes you may fail but have to keep going, and also keeps you in shape. I cannot imagine my life without having football
Joe Gaiter: Where did you grow up and how was your childhood?
Ralph Lovett: I was born and raised in Savannah, Ga. Savannah is city full of history and talent all around that may sometime get overlooked. Growing up in Savannah can also be tough if you get with the wrong crowds or try to be something you’re not. My childhood was good I stayed in a two parent home where I never really experienced being in big trouble. My parents were tough on me and my brother but it was fun playing little league and watching everybody grow through the years into college.
Joe Gaiter: What are your fondest memories about Beach High School?
Ralph Lovett: One of my favorite memories at Beach was homecoming my junior year scoring twice with 3 interceptions and winning Quarterback Club Defensive Player of the Week. It felt good seeing myself on the news making my parents happy. Also, being inducted in the Beach High School hall of fame my senior year was a great memory.
Joe Gaiter: Besides football you ran Track and Field. You ran the 100 Meters. 200 Meters, Long jump and 4 x100 Relay. How did your track experience help your football?
Ralph Lovett: My father had told me to run track since 9th grade but I also played soccer so I never ran track until my senior year. I knew I was one of the fastest at Beach my senior if not the fastest so I decided to run and it was a great experience. We went to state to compete in the 4×100 and long jump. I think track gave me some more speed before getting to Albany for the season.
Joe Gaiter: Tell us about your recruitment experience?
Ralph Lovett: My recruitment was up and down. Schools would come to see me and 3 of my teammates at Beach so they were picking up offers towards the middle of the season. Even though I had 400 in the first two games coaches wanted to see me run more routes then just fades so towards the end my coaches start putting the ball in my had more and recruitment got better I got offered around December and I was mostly in contact with D2 schools.
Joe Gaiter: Why did you choose Albany State University?
Ralph Lovett: I choose Albany because Coach Lampkin was the only coach that was consistently texting me and I have a lot of family who graduated from Albany so it just felt like the right move for me out of high school.
Joe Gaiter: What was your contribution to ASU’s 7-4 2019 season?
Ralph Lovett: In this past season I did not play the first two games because of my lack of focus in the film room but West Georgia I was starting in a formation so I picked up a role. I also was on all of the special teams, around game 5 or 6 our senior receiver Mike Green went down so I picked up the starting role and made plays every chance I got.
Joe Gaiter: What are your strengths and areas you would like to improve on as a wide receiver?
Ralph Lovett: My strengths are my speed, vertical jump, and vision. My route running is decent but it is definitely an area where I know I need to work at. I also need to work on being as a consistent blocker as possible to create opportunities for my teammates.
Joe Gaiter: What is your relationship like with Head Football Coach Gabe Giardina?
Ralph Lovett: I have a good relationship with Coach G with never bumped heads or anything before. He knew when Mike Green went down I was next in line. He also was giving me bigger roles and I gained more trust throughout my play in this past season.
Joe Gaiter: Who are some athletes we need to keep on our radar?
Ralph Lovett: Tyler Scott-FS, Coemba Jones-SS, Javon Wooten-WR, Dionte Bonneau-QB, Marcuis Fulks-RB. All All ASU football players! There is more but these are the people who I am expecting to have a big impact on the season.
Joe Gaiter: How did you face adversity this year?
Ralph Lovett: I faced adversity at the beginning of the season. I was a starter when we came back to fall camp but my lack of focus dropped me to the bottom of the depth for the first two games. I had to work extra hard to get back to where I was but I’m happy things went the way it did because I think it made me a better player.
Joe Gaiter: What is life like for you off the field?
Ralph Lovett: Life for me off the field is good. In high school I never went to a party before but now at college I go to parties with my teammates. It feels good to know you’re on a winning program in the school. I play the PS4 with my teammates so just after my sophomore year. I have many experiences that I will never forget.
Joe Gaiter: The SIAC formally canceled all fall sports and championships. How are you holding up and what is going through your mind?
Ralph Lovett:It was depressing news to hear I was really ready to pop the season off against FAMU in Miami. I know with Covid going on it would be a chance that we would not play but it was just shocking to hear it. Me and my teammates all wanted to play this season but we know this is for the best. We will start workout to keep in shape for whenever we can play.
Joe Gaiter:How can we help support athletes during this depressing times?
Ralph Lovett:You all can help by posting hype videos that would make these athletes stay on the grind while we wait to play.
Joe Gaiter: What do you want your legacy to be?
Ralph Lovett: I want to be remembered as the guy who worked as hard as he could no matter the situation. I want to be remembered as the guy who took sacrifices for the team even by playing on all special teams and giving 100% effort. I want to be remembered as a Student Athlete who plays football but is a great student in the classroom.
Joe Gaiter: Final words?
Ralph Lovett: I’m Ralph Lovett 19 year old sophomore going into my junior year but I’m a redshirt so this will be my sophomore year in the field. I have also changed my jersey number from 83 to 13 this upcoming season I’m excited to get back and get to work with my team and get a championship. Thank you for interviewing me.
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Ralph Lovett, Albany State University, Interview with Joe Gaiter was last modified: July 13th, 2020 by Joseph Gaiter