Analysis: Arkansas OL pledge Stromberg survived harrowing accident

Ricky Stromberg

— It’s easy for me to feel happy for new Arkansas offensive line commitment and Tulsa Union standout Ricky Stromberg being familiar with the details of what could have been the last day of his life and having lived through that myself.

Stromberg (6-3, 280), who decommitted from Tulsa after getting an offer from Arkansas on Monday, is a young man who is lucky to be alive after a car accident on March 15 that easily could have proved fatal.

A four-star prospect per 24/7, Stromberg was driving his Ford pickup early in the morning on his way to a workout before school started just 13 days after taking what has been one of numerous unofficial visits to Arkansas since 2012.

It had rained overnight and the roads were slick. As Stromberg was driving along, a car pulled out in front of him and he was unable to avoid contact with the other vehicle.



Arkansas football commit Ricky Stromberg's truck following a car accident on March 15.

Stromberg’s truck flipped and skidded upside down along the highway. He doesn’t remember much about the wreck, but does remember one thing well.

“I just remember the smell,” Stromberg told the Tulsa World. “It was just this terrible stench of fire and airbags.”

Obviously, Stromberg, who redesigned his body and went from 320 pounds to 280 after the scare, feels lucky to be alive and even more to have amazingly walked away with only scrapes and bruises.

“I think God was watching over me,” Stromberg said. “There's definitely something to learn from an event like that. I definitely think what I learned was God was looking out for me.”

Stromberg is one of six offensive linemen who are scheduled to sign with Arkansas on Wednesday during the early national signing period, which runs through Dec. 21.

That group, which includes two junior college early enrollees and four high school prospects, will be augmented by the addition of Searcy’s Drew Vest (6-5, 295), who is a double bonus in he is a preferred walk-on and also a third early enrollee.

There have been some who have expressed disappointment in Stromberg’s late addition because of an offer sheet that did not include any Power 5 teams and listed Tulsa, Colorado State, Arkansas State, North Texas, Texas State, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.

Certainly a valid critique, as is wondering why Rivals sees him as just a two-star prospect and why he is not rated by ESPN, but there are three reasons I think he has a chance to be a steal.

The first is actually watching his tape on Hudl and seeing that he is a physical young man with what appears to be very good technique and room to grow, both figuratively and literally.

The second is because he truly wants to be a Razorback and fills a need. He is projected to be a center, a position that needs depth behind Ty Clary and Silas Robinson and also needs someone who has traits of leadership, which Union head coach Kirk Fridrich states he does.

Fridrich believes Stromberg could very well be the best offensive lineman he's coached in the 11 years he has been at the school.

“Ricky is very athletic and has great footwork and I just (love) how physical he is,” Fridrich said. “He loves contact. He loves getting involved in the trenches and he's been our best lineman for three years now.”

The fact that he had the best SPARQ number (103.86) for an offensive guard in Nike testing and did so at 320 pounds certainly piques interest.

The third is simply a kinship that I feel with him even though I have never met him.

At age 18 in 1981, I was a passenger in an accident just outside of Siloam Springs.

My heart stopped twice, I was left in a coma and my parents were told that I would not live through the night even as my heroic doctor Jorge Johnson prepared to do a brain surgery that had a slight chance of keeping me alive.

Well, 13,537 days later and I am still standing and living every day as if it is my last.

That’s 37 years, one month and 29 days, or 1,939 weeks to put it a couple of other ways.

If I make it to 14,000 days and 2,000 weeks, there is going to be quite the party on Feb. 18, 2020.

I have to believe that Stromberg feels the same way that I do and that’s fortunate to be given each and every day.

It gives you a zest for living, a quest to make every day the best you can and you enter the day being thankful and positive instead of cynical and negative.

As I very well know, there is a lot to be said for that.