Elias Ricks Names Top 4 Schools
The highest touted prospect in the NCAA Transfer Portal became former freshman All-American at LSU in 2020 Elias Ricks. Ricks, who's been out with an injury since October which required shoulder surgery means that he has taken his last snap as an LSU Tiger, announced on Monday that he'd be entering the transfer portal.
Shortly after one of the top cornerbacks in the 2020 class put his name in the transfer portal, he had spoken with Greg Biggins of 247Sports to discuss his decision why he would be leaving LSU after an extraordinary freshmen season, along with what schools the young defensive back is looking at for his next destination.
Right off the bat, Ricks spoke about the impact that now out-going head coach Ed Orgeron had on him and his recruitment to Baton Rouge coming out of high school. "Ed Orgeron was the main reason why I committed to LSU out of high school," Ricks said. Orgeron is now coming down his final days as LSU head coach after an announcement earlier this season that the former National Champion head coach will no longer be the head coach in Baton Rouge as the two parties will part ways.
"Once he left, I knew it was going to be hard to play for a new head coach that I wasn't already familiar with. It's going to be my third defense in three years there as well.
While the Tigers are still looking for his replacement, Ricks will be looking for a new school. Among those new schools are some familiar names from his days as a high school recruit.
Ricks has narrowed his options down to four schools already and is planning on deciding by mid-December, according to Biggins. The four schools in the race to acquire the signing of one of the top defensive backs in college football are Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and USC; those were the schools given to Biggins.
Ricks spoke about all the options and gave an inside look into what he sees in Georgia and where the two parties are in the process of trying to see if they are the right match.
"I love their style of play and how they play defense. Their defensive line is so good that the corners don't get a lot of action, but I think I would fit in really well there. I've talked with the coaches and the DB coach specifically about how they would use me and my role in the defense.
"I haven't talked to Kirby Smart yet but I know that's something I can do after the SEC Championship Game. He's a great coach, a defensive minded head coach and they're playing great football right now. I never really looked at them much out of high school or had a lot of contact with them back then but I have real interest in them for sure right now."
Georgia's impressive season through 11 games ought to help recruit any player, whether out of high school or through the transfer portal. Still, with Ricks specifically, Georgia can put out the performance of Derion Kendrick.
Kendrick, the former Clemson Tiger, transferred to Georgia over the summer and quickly inserted himself as Georgia's top cornerback. Kendrick is in the midst of a season where he could solidify himself as a top-60 NFL Draft pick. Something that would certainly help in the future recruiting of defensive backs out of the portal.
