Which Past LSU Football Great Does Freshman Cornerback Elias Ricks Most Closely Resemble?

Ricks physical style of play, natural instincts are going to help him compete for starting job

LSU’s illustrious cornerback history does not appear to be slowing down. Freshman Elias Ricks will challenge for a starting role in 2020 and it’s easy to see why based on the way he covers on the outside.

It’s fun to compare former great LSU cornerbacks to incoming players, at least in terms of style of play. LSU’s history of producing cornerbacks is well known, and for good reason. Selecting a former LSU cornerback similar to arguably the top high school cornerback in the class of 2020 did not take long.

Elias Ricks, CB, 6-2, 180, Los Angeles (Calif.) / Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy

Before transferring to IMG Academy prior to his senior season, Ricks attended Mater Dei in suburban Los Angeles. It’s a traditional power house that LSU and practically every college program attempts to recruit. There’s more junior film of Ricks, so that’s what will be used below. It does not really matter, however, as he’s been electric for the entirety of his high school career.

Ricks can play bump and run, he can defend screens, he’s physical when tackling in space, and he’s good at playing off coverage. In short, he’s the complete package. LSU will likely play cover one (man-to-man) most of the time, and that’s why comparing him to former Tigers’ great Tre’Davious White makes the most sense.

Yes, Ricks is taller than White, but it’s style of play that’s in question. White’s ability to be physical at the line of scrimmage made him a big-time player for LSU before heading to the NFL, and that’s probably Ricks’ best attribute as well. With that in mind, here’s a play where Ricks played very aggressively.

Notice how Ricks immediately pressed the wide receiver. Despite the wide receiver getting tangled up with Ricks, the talented defensive back still recovered quickly and undercut the pass to make an interception. Best of all, Ricks made something happen after he picked off the pass.

Ricks’ instincts came into play. That’s important. Sometimes a play goes awry, and that’s when a true football player must adapt. Great job by Ricks. White used to make plays similar to the one below from Ricks while mixing it up with top-level SEC wide receivers.

This next opportunity for Ricks is truly about opportunity. Notice the inside slot wide receiver completely whiffs when attempting to block Ricks. Simply put, Ricks took advantage. He hit the jets and jumped the wide receiver screen. The result became a pick six.

This is the play in which so many defensive backs drop the ball. You see it time and again. It’s a great diagnosis of the route and from there, it’s all about great hands and speed.

White used to jump routes and make quarterbacks think twice about running screens and simple hitch routes and comeback routes. This type of play most resembles White as an LSU Tiger.

This third play displayed Ricks playing off coverage, something LSU does not traditionally do much. Then again, with Ricks, the Tigers may implement a little more of it because he’s such a savvy defender.

This is the one thing Ricks might be more natural at, albeit at a similar stage in his career, than White. LSU almost always played man defense when White played for the Tigers. Much like with the screen pass, Ricks knew what to do with the football once he picked it off.

He was off to the races and scored. Whether zone or man, that’s always welcomed.

Of all the cornerbacks LSU signed in recent years, Ricks might be the most difficult to define and compare to a recent LSU cornerback. He’s a tall cornerback, yet he’s not just good at zone, nor just good at man.

He’s both.

White made a ton of plays for LSU because he was savvy, much like Ricks, and he proved to be very physical with his man-to-man skills, also like Ricks. Here’s the scary part.

Ricks enters LSU at roughly 6-foot-2. He’s long and rangy like White, but he possesses the frame to add quite a bit of weight. The ceiling for this young player is incredibly high.