Take Two: How committed is 5-star Elias Ricks to LSU?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
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THE STORYLINE
Elias Ricks has not changed his official visit schedule as the five-star cornerback is still planning to see other national powers over the next few months while staying committed to LSU.
The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout, who played his junior season at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, said he’s still going to take trips to Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU and USC before he finalizes his recruitment.
LSU is still in a great position since Ricks loves the defensive back tradition there, the idea of playing alongside Derek Stingley, Jr., and it cannot hurt that the Tigers are one of the best teams in the country right now.
But Alabama and Georgia are perennial playoff contenders, USC is the home school that might be getting a new coach and Ohio State has always had his attention, plus IMG teammate Lejond Cavazos is committed there.
As his senior season continues, does LSU have Ricks locked down or could his recruitment still be very interesting in the coming months with visits coming up?
FIRST TAKE: ROB CASSIDY, FLORIDA RECRUITING ANALYST
“I think he’s going to stick barring something unforeseen. That said, I get the feeling that Ohio State is the most serious threat to LSU. Should things go well on the visit, Tigers fans may start to sweat. Still, odds are he sticks.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“He sticks with LSU, but teams are going to make it very difficult for him. The big question is you have Stingley there already. One side is locked down, so he has to be better than everybody else to get that other cornerback job for at least two years.
“In other situations, especially USC, he can go in and play from Day 1 without a question. Ohio State is probably the most intriguing because it has coaching stability and produces NFL defensive backs, but overall I still think he’s going to end up at LSU.”