In the midst of the Early Signing Period, Alabama Football has made a massive splash on Wednesday night by landing one of the top overall players available in the transfer portal in former five-star recruit and LSU cornerback Eli Ricks.
Ricks announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide in a tweet on Wednesday night:
Done deal, let’s work ! #RollTide
— Eli (@eliasricks) December 16, 2021
Alabama Football lands LSU transfer cornerback Eli Ricks
One of the top overall players from the Class of 2020, Ricks was rated as a five-star cornerback out of high school where he attended national powerhouse Mater Dei (CA) before transferring to IMG Academy (FL) for his senior season. Rated as the No. 14 overall player in the country, Ricks was also considered as the No. 2 cornerback, and would go-on to attend LSU.
Ricks appeared in a total of 16 games for the Tigers across the previous two seasons amassing 31 total tackles, and an impressive five interceptions, two of which went for touchdowns.
Entering the transfer portal back on November 23, Ricks instantly became one of the top overall transfers available, and is currently rated as the No. 2 overall transfer (No. 1 cornerback) according to 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings. As expected, Ricks had many rumored suitors, most-notably Ohio State, USC, and the Crimson Tide.
An upcoming junior, Ricks will enter the 2022 season as a starting corner for the Crimson Tide.
In addition to Ricks, Alabama Football has also added a few other defensive back recruits in their 2022 class so far including four-star corners Earl Little Jr (American Heritage, FL) and Trequon Fegans (Thompson, AL), as well as four-star ATH Antonio Kite (Anniston, AL) and three-star safety Jake Pope (Buford, GA).
Undoubtedly a massive addition to the 2022 Alabama Football defense, this is an instant impact move for the Crimson Tide next season. Alabama already had success in the transfer portal in 2021 with the additions of Jameson Williams and Henry To’o To’o, and it appears the same is occurring in 2022 with the addition of Ricks, one of the top overall cornerbacks in college football.