Photo credit: 247Sports
And the rich get richer.
The Alabama Crimson Tide, who already have the No. 1 class in the country for 2023, added a top-ranked cornerback to their group Thursday. Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports reported Desmond Ricks chose Alabama over LSU and Florida in a battle between SEC schools.
Ricks is a 5-star prospect and the No. 23 overall player, No. 2 cornerback and No. 6 player from the state of Florida in the 2023 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Ricks reclassified from the 2024 class to the 2023 one in October. Alabama also has cornerback Jahlil Hurley (4-star), safety Caleb Downs (5-star) and safety Tony Mitchell (4-star) in the secondary in this year’s class.
“My favorite thing is probably Coach [Nick] Saban coaching the corners himself,” Ricks said when discussing his decision, per Hank South of 247Sports. “That means a lot to me to have a legend like that coaching me.”
This is a major addition for the Crimson Tide.
Andrew Ivins of 247Sports described Ricks as “what everyone seems to be looking for these days in an outside cornerback prospect. Tall, fast, explosive and physical.” Ivins suggested he could play in the slot or the outside at the collegiate level.
That type of versatility should help him see the field in the early stages of his career, especially against difficult SEC passing attacks.
Alabama missed the College Football Playoff and did not make the SEC Championship Game this season, which is a failure by its elevated standards. Yet the way Saban is recruiting suggests there won’t be many more seasons without a CFP appearance, especially when the field expands to 12 teams.
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