Former UF football player Ronald Powell was the nation's No. 1 overall recruit when he signed with the program in 2010. (File photo)
Former Gators Top Recruit Ronald Powell Left Too Soon
Wednesday, February 14, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — His full name is Ronald Fredrick Powell Jr. He was too young to die, but on the afternoon of Jan. 15, his former teammate with the New Orleans Saints, Junior Galette, shared via social media that Powell was no longer a member of the living.
The shocking news crept into the mainstream media the next day after the NFL Players Association confirmed Powell's death, triggering a flood of quick-hit stories online – some written by humans, some by AI. Most of the stories used a formulaic approach, emphasizing that a 32-year-old former NFL player was dead of unknown causes. The typical comments ensued on social media, and within 36 hours, the world had moved on from Powell.
That is how it works for everyone other than world leaders and the mega-famous. But for those who knew Powell (memorial service details) in his native California or had interacted with him at the University of Florida, he was not so easily dismissed.
Powell was someone who made an impression.
"He had an infectious laugh,'' Jelani Jenkins, his former Gators teammate, said Wednesday. "You could hear his laugh across the locker room. To this day, I have never heard anyone laugh like him."
Ronald Powell pressuring the quarterback in Florida's win over USF in 2010. (Photo: Jay Metz/UAA Communications)
Jenkins had been at UF for a year when the Gators signed Powell as part of their 2010 recruiting class. Powell was the jewel of what turned out to be the final class signed by former Gators head coach Urban Meyer. Powell was fast. He was strong. He was an edge rusher/outside linebacker from Rancho Verde (Calif.) High School who could have signed with any school.
"Great, great player. It took him a minute to get going in college football dealing with a couple of injuries,'' Meyer told the Buddy Martin Show recently. "Awesome person. Never an issue at all. A beautiful smile. I loved being around him. Tough as nails."
Powell was considered the best of the best, rated the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, and the highest-ranked recruit ever signed by Florida.
In the fall of 2007, when Powell was a high school sophomore, a freelance writer named Dan Arritt, who covered preps in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, published an open letter to Eric Sondheimer, longtime high school writer for the Los Angeles Times.
Arritt wanted everyone to know a particular player was out in the San Bernardino Valley.
"Ronald Powell, remember that name,'' Arritt wrote. "This Powell kid, who isn't even listed on the team's roster on MaxPreps.com, has some of the finest physical tools I've seen in a player his age. I don't like to predict how a 15-year-old will be performing two years from now, but I guarantee USC already has Powell in its notebooks. You should, too, Eric."
Word began to spread, and college recruiters soon started to stream into Moreno Valley, a suburb of San Bernardino where Rancho Verde High is located. When Powell took his official visit to Florida, Jenkins was assigned to host him.
A talented linebacker who later played five seasons in the NFL, Jenkins grew up in Maryland, across the country from Powell. They did not know each other, but that quickly changed.
"We connected right away,'' Jenkins said. "He was always confident. He was always a hard worker. His playing style was that of a hustler. He would show up on tape running past everybody, which the coaches loved. He was obviously a physical specimen, and he embraced playing special teams, which was amazing as well. He used to light people up on special teams.
"Just an unselfish player, passionate. He would tear up because of all the passion he was feeling in the game. He was every bit as good as they said he was. Unfortunately, he had to deal with a lot of issues with his injuries."
Powell started 21 games for the Gators from 2010-13, but a pair of knee injuries in 2012 derailed his production just when it appeared he was about to blossom. He returned to start his final season and was a fifth-round selection of the Saints in 2014. However, after playing on special teams as a rookie, Powell battled injuries and had brief stints with the Bucs, Bears and Seahawks before his playing days were over. Ronald Powell with his children. (Photo: Courtesy of Powell family on social media)
He returned to California, became a father and tried to find his way in a world where he was not the country's top recruit or an NFL player. Powell was searching for answers based on a pair of videos he posted on Instagram in early January.
Wearing a flower-printed tank top with "Lifted" scripted on the front, Powell challenged his followers to find their purpose in this world.
"A good why will get you through a whole life. A small why will get you through a whole year. It's so important because you can lose yourself just floating around,'' Powell said. "A lot of times that takes us down destructive roads, roads to depression. I think it's very, very important to captivate your why. What makes your heart beat?"
In another video, Powell sat in front of a computer in a well-furnished living room to share a similar message about existential concerns.
"I would like to discuss a question that is not really discussed much … The question is, who are you? Who are you? This question can get tricky because perception is a very valuable thing, so how you see yourself and how you view yourself is going to really, really, really show how you answer that question,'' Powell said. "I'm a God-fearing man. My spiritual is my most valuable attribute. My spiritual is my core. I found my purpose in this world, and I'm here to serve. If I had to stand on that today, I could. That is something I'm very, very proud of."
A few days later, Galette posted the tragic news of Powell's death on X (formerly known as Twitter).
"Heartbreaking. It blows your mind,'' Meyer said. "A young, healthy, great-looking young guy."
The world quickly moved on, but not those who considered Powell a friend and brother, they shared their grief online.
"Such a rare dude, a real one,'' Pete Duffy, Powell's high school coach and now the head coach at Beachside High in St. Johns County, posted on Facebook. "Was all about #ChoBoyz [Rancho Verde football] always, always there for our kids in program … crushed by this."
Ronald Powell during his time at Rancho Verde (Calif.) High School. (Photo: Los Angeles Times via Newspapers.com).
"I want to remember the good you left in people, your big smile, your kindness and your genuine heart,'' friend Jennifer Thompson posted online. "I pray for you and your family. I hope you found peace, Ron. Thank you for all the beautiful memories and laughter."
Another friend, Bruce Harp, wrote how Powell always checked in to see how he was doing. Powell always remembered his friends.
"This one hurts, but I'm glad you found your WHY, and you helped me to always remember mine,'' Harp posted. "As you would say, solid young head with an old soul that was a real friend."
Many of them will gather to remember Powell on Saturday morning in his California hometown and then for a committal service early in the afternoon. Powell was born on May 14, 1991.
He was the No. 1 recruit in the nation. He played for the Gators. He made it to the NFL. But he was a young man who seemed to be searching for something more in recent years. The last time Jenkins saw Powell was in 2019 at former teammate Neiron Ball's memorial service.
Powell and Ball were close and roomed together for a year at UF. Jenkins remembers them at practice, Powell often sneaking up behind a teammate to yell in his ear.
"He was a jokester,'' Jenkins said. "He would do funny stuff like that."
As Jenkins' kids played in the background Wednesday, he could still hear Ronald Fredrick Powell Jr. laughing.
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