Cal Football: 300-Plus-Pound Defensive Lineman Ricky Correia Commits to Cal
Cal received a commitment from a big defensive lineman for 2020 as Ricky Correia of Fresno’s Central East High School announced on social media on Friday that he will be coming to Berkeley next year.
There is disagreement about how much the 6-foot-4 Correia weighs. The 247 Sports website lists him at 359 pounds, while Rivals.com has him tipping the scales at just 305 pounds. That's a 54-pound difference, but one thing is clear: He's big.
The 247 Sports website ranked Correia as the nation’s 845th overall prospect and the No. 70 defensive tackle prospect in the 2020 class, while Rivals.com lists him as a three-star recruit but does not give him a national or position ranking.
He received scholarship offers from Cal, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado, but Arizona State was the only school he visited besides Cal.
Correia made his choice public on Twitter:
“I want to thank God for blessing me with all of the opportunties I have today, my family for all the support and the hard work they put in throughout the process and of course, my coaches who have continued to push me and give me guidance on becoming the student athlete I am today. I would not have been able to be where I am without these people by my side, and with that being said, I would like to announce that I am COMMITTED to the University of California Berkeley! Thank you to those who have been supporting me & continue to support me through my journey! #GOBEARS #CALGANG20
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Cal is hoping Correia can be a run stopper in the middle of Cal’s 3-4 alignment. Freshman Brett Johnson has been productive in that role this season after the two players expected to vie for playing time at that position – Aaron Madonado and Siu Fuimaono – were absent during preseason and have not contributed as projected. Defensive end Luc Bequette has been forced to play out of position at nose tackle some of the time.
Here are some highlights of Correia:
“I was just looking for a program who fits me as a person, somewhere I could just be comfortable and play the game the way I’ve always been playing it,” Correia told BearInsider. “My visit went great. It was great to see all the fans out there and the atmosphere and how they were rooting on the team. It was a great experience and a great feeling.”
Correia had surgery last year to repair broken wrists, although he logged some playing time with those injuries before opting to go under the knife. He says he is close to 100 percent again now.
This season, Correia has 39 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He has carried the ball twice and scored one touchdown. He would be brutal in short-yardage situations.
