Ranking the Contenders: Five-star CB Desmond Ricks
Five-star cornerback Desmond Ricks from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy recently reclassified from the 2024 class to 2023. He’s set his commitment date for Dec. 23 and will enroll early, and he's named a top three of Alabama, Florida and LSU.
It was a big week for Ricks, who visits LSU this weekend for its showdown against the Crimson Tide. In today’s Ranking the Contenders, we look at Ricks’ three frontrunners in our predicted order.
1. ALABAMA
This feels like a very tight race at the top but Alabama gets the advantage here for a few reasons.
Over the summer, Ricks said it would be tough to turn down Alabama coach Nick Saban because of the excellent job he’s done with cornerbacks, plus position coach Travaris Robinson has definitely made him a priority.
After missing out on five-star Cormani McClain, who picked Miami over Florida and Alabama, the Crimson Tide still have an impressive recruiting haul with defensive backs Caleb Downs, Tony Mitchell and Jahlil Hurley on board but Ricks would add a very nice piece in McClain’s absence.
His comment about turning down Saban especially sticks out as Alabama has definitely made him a top priority to close out the class.
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2. LSU
But LSU is absolutely right there. Three things are especially important when looking at Ricks’ interest in LSU: It’s arguably the top school for defensive backs (DBU) in the country, recruiting players at his position is a big priority in this class and the five-star cornerback has hit it off with position coach Robert Steeples through the recruiting process. Coach Brian Kelly has taken a personal hand in this recruitment as well.
The Tigers have loaded up with defensive backs already in the 2023 class with Michael Daugherty, Daylen Austin, Ryan Yaites, Ashton Stamps, Jeremiah Hughes and Kylin Jackson but LSU has still made Ricks a major priority and the interest level is very high.
The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout will be in Baton Rouge this weekend and he should see an outstanding environment, one of the best in college football. It’s a very tight race at this point.
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3. FLORIDA
The Gators have also loaded up with defensive backs so far this cycle in Sharif Denson, Jakeem Jackson, Jordan Castell, Dijon Johnson and Bryce Thornton, and athlete Aaron Gates should play in the secondary as well. But Florida was surprised when McClain picked Miami in recent weeks.
That means the coaching staff from Billy Napier to Corey Raymond could double- and triple-down their efforts to get Ricks onboard. Raymond is arguably the best defensive backs coach in the country and he’s also a phenomenal recruiter, but at this point it feels like the Gators have a tiny bit of ground to make up in Ricks’ recruitment.