There was a time when this dream seemed far away. Ransom suffered two significant injuries during his Ohio State career: a break in his tibia and fibula during the Rose Bowl for the 2021 season and a Lisfranc tear in 2023 that sidelined him for most of the season. Even as the injuries and subsequent recovery extended his runway to the NFL, Ransom never lost faith that he'd get here.
"Oh, no, it's something I always, always dreamed about," he stated. "I always believed that I was good enough to play in the NFL. I just had to get the opportunity, and God blessed me too. I never would change the injuries for anything.
"It taught me a lot about myself, grew my faith, and made me a better football player at the end of the day. It made me tougher at the end of the day, but I think it prepared me to transition really well and hopefully help me be successful at this level."
Ransom joins a safety group that includes free-agent acquisition Tre'von Moehrig, incumbent Nick Scott, and last year's breakout rookie safety, Demani Richardson. The Panthers added Ransom to the group for his experience, his nose for the ball, and his physicality, according to general manager Dan Morgan. Now comes the work to do: put it on the field.
"Just watching Lathan's tape, just, the way that he plays the game, again, it goes back to the passion, the energy, and the love of the game that he plays with," Morgan said. "You could tell he just enjoys the physical aspects of the game and just being out there with his teammates, celebrating with each other, and just having fun. So, he's exciting to watch."