LSU CB enters portal, had 4 ints as a freshman
He was the #2 DB in the 2020 class, and the #14 overall.
And he had one heck of an offer sheet. Michigan did offer him.
Click to see full list:
https://247sports.com/player/eli-ricks-46042180/
He lead LSU in interceptions as a freshman, four with two going for pick 6's. It looks like the reason for leaving is the condition the team is in:
https://lsutigerswire.usatoday.com/2021/11/22/eli-ricks-lsu-football-transfer-portal/
LSU freshman highlights. VERY athletic and smart!
Lots of teams will want him. Would being coached by Steve Clinkscale be attractive to him? His mother has said:
“He came here (LSU) because it’s DBU, and he wanted to learn,” she said. “Not to just go to the NFL. but be prepared and stay in the NFL.”
Steve Clinkscale has gotten DBs into the NFL who have turned into good players. Maybe this player will check out Michigan.
November 23rd, 2021 at 4:26 AM ^
Would he be eligible to play Saturday?
November 23rd, 2021 at 4:54 AM ^
Mel Tucker has entered the chat.
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:02 AM ^
Well he would start at MSU right now. Their CBs are dog shit and the coaching likely contributes.
Seems like California kids that transfer from afar end up going home somewhere.
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:13 AM ^
YOU would start at MSU right now.
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:22 AM ^
That gave me a vision and made me laugh.
I don’t wear green though.
November 23rd, 2021 at 5:22 AM ^
yet another drawback to the transfer portal - now we need a post for every portal entrant with a 3.5-star, along with a “maybe he’ll check us out.”
bonus - if it’s perceived that we don’t chase him, or we miss him for literally any reason, it’s yet another recruiting failure!
November 23rd, 2021 at 5:35 AM ^
Damn admission standards!!
November 23rd, 2021 at 8:34 AM ^
I agree, until we actually show we are willing to take no-graduate transfers, there is no reason to get excited about the portal. Particularly for a kid coming from LSU. It is pretty obvious from his mom's quote, he didn't go to LSU to play "school". Whether you agree with UM's stand on that or not, it is what it is until it changes. Getting some false hope is not going to help.
November 23rd, 2021 at 8:52 AM ^
Charles matthews would like a word with you on the idea that the admissions department is the problem
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:02 AM ^
Shea Patterson came from a Mississippi school
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:42 AM ^
I mean, there is prob zero chance he comes to UM but transfers like this are who UM should be going after really hard. A) he is a 5 star so that is obvious B)he was only in school one year so even if he did care about school (he probably doesn't) it isn't that big of a deal that his very few classes completed won't transfer to UM.
November 23rd, 2021 at 10:01 AM ^
You are absolutely correct this is the kind of kid Michigan needs to be going after. It’s really hard to convince a kid to lose a year or more of credits that really wants to graduate on–time or graduate period. Why come to Michigan when they could go to school (B) play at the same level and still graduate on–time, or at least not have to work as hard to graduate.
November 23rd, 2021 at 2:44 PM ^
He's a 5-star. I'd imagine most boards are wondering the same things.
November 23rd, 2021 at 5:55 AM ^
Do you give Garrett Dellinger a call to? Wasnt he down to Michigan and LSU?
November 23rd, 2021 at 6:12 AM ^
Not legally right? I didn’t see him in the portal.
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:08 AM ^
Is that dude really starting as a freshman at LSU? Has been sixth man and has some starts due to injury. Wow.
https://247sports.com/Article/LSU-Tigers-football-Arkansas-game-2021-offensive-line-injuries-out-Chasen-Hines-Ed-Ingram-Garrett-Dellinger-Marlon-Martinez-175040395/
November 23rd, 2021 at 6:48 AM ^
I got a dollar that says he goes to either Bama or Osu.
November 23rd, 2021 at 7:10 AM ^
Tucker coming
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:17 AM ^
God i hope PSU blows MSU the fuck out. I hope it is another 50 - 7 type game. Tucker is the luckiest SOB on the planet. I believe he has been outgained by 100+ yards in at least 5 games. And this is with a transfer lotto ticket at RB. MSU fans were simply unbearable after our loss to them. It was the first time in my life i rooted for OSU to blow them out. And i am soooo fucking sick of the 'Tuck Comin' shit and its not even a full year.
Plus, the guy goes out of his way to look like he is entering a boxing ring every second of his life.
November 23rd, 2021 at 10:53 AM ^
I think that's just how he looks.
Either way, I don't know if I've ever pulled for MSU to beat anyone, including OSU. I always knew how they would act if they were any good, and the last 11 years have been annoying.
November 23rd, 2021 at 11:35 AM ^
Tucker owes Kenneth Walker a good chunk of his new contract because without randomly finding him in the portal, he would've been blown out by Michigan and lost multiple other games this season. I also don't buy the "Mel Tucker found Kenneth Walker, has a great eye for talent, and saw that Walker would fit their program" BS. MSU needed any and all bodies they could get and they got randomly lucky on the Wake Forest back up RB being a Heisman contender
November 23rd, 2021 at 2:48 PM ^
"they got randomly lucky on the Wake Forest back up RB being a Heisman contender"
FORMER Heisman contender. OSU ended that farce.
November 23rd, 2021 at 7:43 AM ^
Or UGA...
November 23rd, 2021 at 7:16 AM ^
There's such a long list of players that have transferred from LSU to U of M.
November 23rd, 2021 at 7:18 AM ^
It's easier to get a CB into the NFL than it is an undergrad transfer into Michigan. Especially one that was probably playing skool for an SEC program.
November 23rd, 2021 at 7:23 AM ^
careful, there are some board posters that don’t look too kindly on any besmirching of SEC academics. we’re exactly the same in ann arbor, ya know.
please do better.
November 23rd, 2021 at 8:52 AM ^
Yep. We are no better than NEB for that matter. We just have bad coaches who don't know how to recruit. Education? Psssstt... We are just another B1G school. We also allow impermissible benefits per another poster who has solid proof. It is just Michigan is an easy place to recruit and it has to be long line of coaches who don't know how to recruit or coach. /S
November 23rd, 2021 at 10:24 AM ^
This is very true. A family friend is just transferred from Alabama to UMass (not for athletics) and she is still fighting with them over half her credits getting accepted.
November 23rd, 2021 at 7:48 AM ^
Lorenz gave this a hard "no."
November 23rd, 2021 at 10:38 AM ^
I don't see any comments by Lorenz on twitter about him—what does "hard no" mean? That Michigan wouldn't take him under any circumstances, or that we have zero chance of getting him?
November 23rd, 2021 at 7:55 AM ^
I hope he enjoys his time in Tuscaloosa. Moving along...
November 23rd, 2021 at 12:07 PM ^
Unfortunately, it's sounding more like Columbus right now
November 23rd, 2021 at 8:15 AM ^
No domani? No problem. Seize the portal. He can get in right?
November 23rd, 2021 at 8:16 AM ^
Osu is already all fucking over this kid. Osu insiders are hinting toward him committing
November 23rd, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
Fuck OSU.
That is all...
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:00 AM ^
I'm more surprised you know this much about OSU recruiting from the portal. Its OSU, where Justin Fields didn't even visit the campus, Cardale Jones didn't school, and coaches sell the NFL factory. This kid will fit right in.
Big difference between OSU and Michigan. Yes, I'll flaunt the academic superiority, cuz well, Michigan is better.
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:59 AM ^
When can be flaunt football superiority? Hopefully Saturday, but deep down in sports when you have to talk academics to pound your chest it sounds weak.
November 25th, 2021 at 8:53 PM ^
What's wrong with being a NFL factory?
You use that as if it's an insult. It's not. An elite football program tries to be a NFL factory/pipeline.
Newsflash: Our last National Championship team was a semi-pro team. Don't think so? Look up the percentage of starters that were drafted and played in the NFL.
Our 1999 team which was a National Championship caliber team was also a semi-pro team.
Maybe Michigan should try to be a semi-pro team every year. And to do that requires continual elite recruiting with no excuses.
-----
Similarly, I remember all the know-it-all apologists on this board who tried to excuse Beilein's mixed recruiting with all kinds of excuses (though some legitimate). (Tangent: I do concede that Beilein excelled at finding unheralded and underrated players who developed over multiple seasons.)
Coach Juwan Howard came in and immediately showed why those excuses were inadequate. Michigan can rise above and find a way ESPECIALLY in the NIL era.
There's no reason why Michigan can't recruit at Ohio State's level.
Do people actually think we wouldn't have taken Stroud, Olave, Henderson, or many of the players in Ohio State's 2 deep?
Another Newsflash: We offered all 3. We were early to Henderson but late to Stroud & Olave. All 3 chose OSU over us.
MGoCzar, get fucking real and stop making excuses. I've seen you whine and bitch a lot about OSU being a NFL factory.
Michigan has had plenty of super talented players but we haven't maximized them.
This week (after the Maryland game) I saw a stat that pissed me off.
It said something like this:
"100+ yard receiving games by a Michigan player named Donovan"
Donovan Edwards: 1
Donovan Peoples-Jones: 0
So we had a 5 star talent at WR but we never got him to 100 yards. And yes, the person who shared that tweet triple-checked DPJ's game log.
Newsflash #3: No Michigan WR under Harbaugh has had 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT HAPPEN AT MICHIGAN? That has nothing to do with OSU and everything to do with Michigan's philosophy/approach to football.
We have the resources to be like Alabama/Ohio State but we choose to be Wisconsin. Why?
November 23rd, 2021 at 8:45 AM ^
Ron Bellamy knows Louisiana (even though he's from Cali).
Let's go to work!
Maybe he knows Domani Jackson, joint package to Michigan!
November 23rd, 2021 at 8:54 AM ^
Lol. Hope you are being sarcastic. Knowing a state is all it takes?
November 23rd, 2021 at 10:51 AM ^
he also stayed at a Holiday Inn Express....
November 23rd, 2021 at 8:57 AM ^
Considering Michigan's prowess in getting these type of transfers, I'd say he's a lock to come to Ann Arbor!
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:01 AM ^
Everyone making fun of Mel Tucker on this thread lol. Guys a genius, why would you not hit the transfer portal? It took them to a NY6 bowl game after being a dumpster fire in one year. If Michigan misses out on Domani the staff needs to put all of their eggs in this basket and try and get him to come to Michigan. In order to cover 3-4 future pros this weekend you need guys like this. Harbaugh Will need to hit the portal hard this year to replace Ojabo/Hutch/Dax, or else defense could take a huge step back. It’s what gets OU and helps bama make the playoff every single year. If I was coaching I’d do exactly what Tucker did last year
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:39 AM ^
Genius may be a bit strong.
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:40 AM ^
It's funny because Harbaugh often faces such a double standard. The one time Michigan gets a five-star transfer (Shea), all I heard was "Michigan cannot develop their own QBs" or "if I was a QB I would not commit to Michigan because they will recruit over you." Which was such BS because every other school takes transfers at a much higher rate and nothing has shown that taking transfers impacts your recruiting class. I did not here much of that narrative when Tucker took a bunch at MSU. That was just good coaching.
November 23rd, 2021 at 10:14 AM ^
There would be no way this player goes to Michigan St. Their DB play is bad. He wants to be with the best possible coaches. Michigan St doesn't look at all like it has that.
November 23rd, 2021 at 11:38 AM ^
Genius? Lmao. Without getting lucky with Kenneth Walker, Tucker would've been sniffing a .500 record this season
November 23rd, 2021 at 1:14 PM ^
go place a bet that sparty makes an ny6 bowl game. i dare you.
November 23rd, 2021 at 9:14 AM ^
Can we expect to see a hundred or so other random posts by EC about transfers with no connection to Michigan?
November 23rd, 2021 at 10:18 AM ^
Why do we, as a fan base, do this to ourselves? He's not coming here. Even if he wanted to, admissions would kill it.