Bunnell football's versatile star Rody Ricketts commits to Sacred Heart University

Bunnell's Rody Ricketts (1) breaks loose for a gain against Notre Dame Prep during a football game on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Dave Stewart/Hearst Connecticut Media) Rody Ricketts, Bunnell football's multi-faceted senior, has committed to play Division I at Sacred Heart University.Ricketts made the announcement in an Instagram reel on Monday, thanking his family, friends and coaches for their support."The journey hasn't always been easy," Ricketts said. "But every challenge has prepared me for the next chapter. I'm forever grateful, but the work is far from finished. I'm proud to announce I'll be committing to SHU."Ricketts is listed as a WR/DB on the Bunnell roster, but he has filled numerous roles for the Bulldogs during the past three seasons. He's played receiver, running back and has also thrown a few passes on offense, plays in the defensive secondary, returns kicks, and is also the team's punter."There's not a position he can't play," Bunnell coach Ty Jenkins said during the preseason. "His freshman year he played freshman football and he asked me to play D-end and the first play, he got a sack."There's not many places he can't play and he's not willing to back down to anybody."Division I offers started coming in during the fall of his junior year, with Syracuse, Central Connecticut and UMass in that early group, and by the start of his senior year, he had 16 Division I offers, including from two more Connecticut schools in SHU and New Haven.Last season, Bunnell was 10-3 and finished as the Class MM runner-up last fall, reaching the CIAC finals for the first time since 2007. The Bulldogs have hit a rough patch to start the year, going 2-3 in the first half.Ricketts leads the Bulldogs with 675 all-purpose yards this fall, with 27 receptions for 439 yards and six touchdowns, and 11 rushers for 174 yards and one touchdown. He's also 2-for-2 passing for 72 yards with a touchdown.During his career, Ricketts has 65 receptions for 1,247 yards and 82 rushers for 1,062 yards, with 30 overall touchdowns.Ricketts also plays for the Bunnell boys basketball team, which won back-to-back CIAC Division III championships in 2024 and 20225, before finishing runner-up in Division II last winter.Sign up for the Connecticut Briefing from CT Insider. Get the biggest headlines of the day from our network of journalists around the state.This article originally published at Bunnell football's versatile star Rody Ricketts commits to Sacred Heart University.