Murrieta Valley alumnus Skyler Ridley thought about stepping away from the football field this year.

The BYU junior wide receiver got married in the summer and he had higher priorities on his list, such as academics.

"I am planning to attend medical school," Ridley said. "Getting the grades and being successful in the classroom is quite important to be able to get into medical school. I wanted to be able to dedicate the time necessary to my schooling. Just getting married this summer, I needed to begin working so I could provide. With football, it's difficult to work because the hours are so long, as well as on top of school."

However, his wife, Jasmine, encouraged Ridley to stick with football and his perseverance paid off.

The 6-foot, 182 pound Ridley registered his first career catch on a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Riley Nelson in BYU's nationally televised 30-6 win over Washington State in its season opener Aug. 30. Ridley's scoring grab was the first touchdown of BYU's season.

He finished the game with six receptions for 54 yards.

"It's something that I will cherish for the rest of my life, to know that all the hard work has paid off," Ridley said.

The Cougars (3-2) are playing their second straight season as an independent after departing the Mountain West Conference, and the upcoming schedule features ranked teams such as No. 14 Oregon State (Oct. 13) and No. 9 Notre Dame (Oct. 20). Even though BYU no longer has a conference championship to play for, Ridley said coach Bronco Mendenhall stresses to his players that their BYU affiliation gives them plenty of motivation to play their best.

"BYU is a private religious institution, and the majority of students are of the LDS faith," Ridley said. "We feel like playing football gives us an opportunity to stand out as a light to the people for good. That is a big motivating factor for us. Through football excellence, we can be, as he says, flagbearers, not only to the fans which we have, but to the country and other teams. That has been a big motivation for me, playing football for deeper and more meaningful reasons."

After redshirting as a freshman in 2007, Ridley spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons abroad on a mission in Manchester, England. He was able not only to serve the British people during his mission, but came across people from all over Europe and even African immigrants from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the Congo.

Link:
ALUMNI REPORT: Murrieta Valley's Ridley thriving in Provo