Giovanni Ricci (born October 16, 1996) is an
American football fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to:
Sports
* A position in various kinds of football, including:
** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position
** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
for the
Carolina Panthers of the
National Football League (NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Western Michigan.
College career
Ricci played for the
Western Michigan Broncos for five seasons,
redshirting his true freshman year. He finished his collegiate career with 98 catches for 1,114 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Professional career
Ricci was signed by the
Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2020. He was waived at the end of
training camp. Ricci was re-signed to the Panthers'
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
shortly afterwards and remained there for the rest of the 2020 season. He was signed to a reserve/futures contract on January 4, 2021.
In 2022, Ricci appeared in 15 games (starting 3), and hauled in 8 receptions for 100 yards. On January 9, 2023, Ricci signed a futures/reserve contract with the Panthers.
On October 24, 2023, Ricci was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
with a shoulder injury.
References
External links
Western Michigan Broncos bioCarolina Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricci, Giovanni
Living people
American football fullbacks
Carolina Panthers players
Western Michigan Broncos football players
1996 births
People from Loveland, Colorado
Players of American football from Colorado