Ricky White III’s Special Teams Value Makes Him A Fun Sleeper

The receiver room in Seattle looks pretty full right now, but given how much the team cares about special teams, don’t rule out White’s chances.

UNLV Rebels wide receiver Ricky White III (11) catches a touchdown pass in front of Utah State Aggies cornerback Avante Dickerson (17). | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Ricky White III appeared in two games for the 2025 Seattle Seahawks, accruing no stats across thirteen offensive snaps and nine special teams snaps. But he stuck around the entire year, even if it was mostly spent grinding out reps on the practice squad. He remains in town to start 2026, with another chance to try making the roster, and maybe even make an impact.

How He Got Here

White played his high school ball in Marietta, Georgia, gaining some positive attention by posting 55 catches for 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns. His deep ball abilities got him recruited to the Michigan State Spartans. His career there got off to a great start, putting up 8 catches for 196 yards and a touchdown in an upset victory over the rival Michigan Wolverines.

But that proved to be the only significant game of his Spartan career, and after failing to appear in a single game in the 2021 season, Ricky transferred to UNLV in 2022. His decision was proven prudent very quickly, posting 182 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first game. Across three years in Vegas, White had 218 catches for 3,143 yards and 23 touchdowns.

UNLV Rebels wide receiver Ricky White III (11) runs with the ball against Kansas Jayhawks cornerback Cobee Bryant (2). | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Somehow, it may have not been that receiving production that caught the attention of the Seahawks. Ricky White was also a prolific special teamer at UNLV, lining up for nearly 100 snaps on returns in 2024. He blocked 4 punts that season on 53 opportunities, making him one of the best in the country at that particular skill.

What Does He Have?

That special teams wizardry is probably his best pathway to making the roster for the Seahawks this year. If this team believes that White can bring that sort of impact to the team, that just might be worth a roster spot over someone that might be a little more valuable as a wide receiver, due to how crowded the top of the depth chart there is for the team.

That’s not to say White can’t be a meaningful receiver in this league. He did a lot of damage on downfield throws in college and he understands how to find the holes in zone. However, his actual straightline speed and athleticism is lacking, and much of his college production was owed to him getting to play against lesser competition at a smaller school.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Ricky White III (86) walks across the field during mini-camp. | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

What To Expect

I still don’t anticipate White making the team. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton, and Jake Bobo have iron clad locks on their roster spots. Cody White probably has pole position, Emmanuel Henderson offers some special teams value himself, and recently traded-for Irvin Charles might be one of the best special teamers in the league.

But White is likely to stick around as a practice squad member, as the team will certainly value his skills and want to keep him around in the event of an emergency. I doubt any team will want to spend a 53 man spot on him to poach him, so we should be able to hold him there. And he could easily end up being the first call made in the event of injury, so don’t forget him.

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