Miami Prospect Profile: IMG Academy CB Desmond Ricks
The Miami Hurricanes are serious contenders for a national cornerback recruit from familiar territory, IMG Academy.
Miami already secured the commitments of three 2023 prospects from the Bradenton, Fla. boarding school program – Riley Williams, Francis Mauigoa, and Jayden Wayne – so it’s familiar territory for head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff.
Here’s a look at what the talented defender can do on the gridiron.
Desmond Ricks, Cornerback IMG Academy
Size: 6’2”, 180 pounds
Position: Cornerback
School: Chesapeake (Va.) / Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Class: 2024
Recruitment
A very heated recruiting battle continues, with Miami, Florida, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Virginia, North Carolina State, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas, Oregon, and Southern Cal providing a sample of Ricks’ long list of scholarship offers.
Ricks visited Miami on June 6, and with the three committed Hurricanes also attending his same school, one should probably expect return trips to Coral Gables in the future.
Opening Thoughts
If there’s a smoother long and tall cornerback in the class of 2024, that’s one heck of an athlete. That was obvious during the IMG Academy Pro Day (Feb. 17, video top of story), just for starters.
While evaluating Ricks again during the intrasquad scrimmage (May 19), more is being understood about his abilities. Ricks glides across the gridiron. He’s also a very confident cornerback, as Ricks is not nearly as “grabby” as many other cornerbacks at the same stage of their careers; he actually relies on his technique to make plays.
Ricks often tries to stay just underneath the wide receiver to provide himself with leverage for whenever the receiver attempts to break down and make a sharp cut. That is when Ricks waits for a chance to make a play on the football. His savvy nature helps him gain pass breakups and interceptions.
Frame
Point blank, Ricks already looks like a FBS cornerback. Seeing him up close, it’s surprising that he still holds two more years of prep football before heading off to the college of his choice.
Length is almost a prerequisite for cornerbacks at the Power 5 level now, and Ricks is the definition of length. Long at the hip, as well as his wingspan, Ricks possesses advantages one cannot teach.
Athleticism
Ricks bends and changes direction like an elite cornerback should. He’s very athletic in practically every way possible.
Leaping ability, acceleration, plus stop and start metrics are like few cornerbacks in the 2024 or even 2023 recruiting classes.
Power
Another facet of Ricks’ game that continues to grow stems from strength and mass. He’s no longer in the 170-pound range. Ricks is likely closer to 180 pounds. With more muscle on his long frame now, it’s helping him reroute receivers and also fight for the ball with more success.
He’s about as well rounded a rising junior as one could ask, and there’s still many things to work on and the time is there to accomplish those tasks with two more seasons of high school football for Ricks to complete.
Learning the Cornerback Position
Ricks is a quick study. He goes through a drill once, learns from it, and then applies it during the next rep. That’s obvious from watching him live. He’s so smooth while he’s moving, perhaps that is why it’s so easy to notice this fact.
While no cornerback is going to always shutdown today’s receivers, Ricks gives a defense a big-time cornerback that can make critical plays at the most opportune times. That’s about all one can ask. Of all the traits Ricks does well, his fluid backpedal is probably No. 1. With that, one additional category to note.
Versatility
Which position(s) does Ricks play at the college level? The traditional outside cornerback position that plays to the wide side of the field, absolutely. Playing inside at the slot cornerback position, that’s also potentially coming into play against teams that use a variety of slot receivers.
It takes a truly skillful cornerback to play in the slot because sometimes there’s a tight end playing in the slot instead of the typical smaller and shiftier receiver. Good luck to the normal cornerback that tries to defend a powerful 260-pound tight end. Ricks cannot overpower that player, but his athleticism and length combined with strong hands at the point of attack at least give him a chance to be competitive unlike most cornerbacks.
He could also potentially play boundary cornerback if a coach needs him there. He’s as versatile a cornerback as one will find in the class of 2024.
Next Step
Just stick to the grind and watch film of his competition, as well as his own reps, to become better. The elite cornerbacks that are playmakers know that improving happens on and off the gridiron.
Film is a part of that process. In short, it’s more about the mental than the physical for Ricks. He’s a physically rare talent. Ricks must now refine his skills to help become the elite college and possibly pro player that he is capable of becoming.
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