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Decision Day: Will Alabama land 5-star DB Desmond Ricks?

joseph-hastingsby: Joseph Hastings12/22/22JosephAHastings
On3 image
Five-star defensive back Desmond Ricks. (On3)

It’s decision day for Alabama defensive back target Desmond Ricks.

Just over two months ago, the native of Norfolk (Va.) was a member of the 2024 class and seemingly far away from a commitment. Now, with the 2022 calendar year winding down, Ricks is slated to sign his Letter of Intent and enroll at his future school in January.

All eyes will be on this upcoming decision, and for good reason. The On3 Consensus tabs Ricks as the No. 20 overall prospect in the country and the second-ranked cornerback in this class. He is the fifth highest-rated 2023 recruit who has currently yet to sign his LOI.

Here are the details for Ricks’ announcement, as well as an assessment of where he is currently trending.

Commitment Date: Dec. 22

Finalists: Alabama, Florida, and LSU

Where: 6204 North Military Highway in Norfolk (Va.)

Time: 5:30 p.m. Central

How Ricks will announce: Ricks will announce his decision on 247Sports.

Discussion: Talk of Champions Message Board

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Desmond Ricks’ first visit following his October reclassification announcement was to Baton Rouge on Nov. 5. There, the LSU Tigers upset Alabama with a 32-31 victory on the final play of the game.

That visit seemed to benefit LSU greatly as they received an On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine pick from On3’s Sam Spiegelman the following day. Momentum with the Tigers continued throughout November as Ricks did not make it out to his previously scheduled visit to Alabama for the Iron Bowl.

While LSU would go on to receive several additional picks in their favor, Bama has gained all the momentum in the past 24 hours. A pair of On3 RPM predictions have been made for the Tide to land Ricks, including one from BamaInsider Director of Recruiting Andrew Bone.

Alabama now has a 85.7 percent chance of adding Ricks to their class, per the RPM.

If Nick Saban‘s program was to land Ricks on Thursday, then their 2023 class will be viewed — on paper — as one of the greatest recruiting classes of all time.

Per the On3 Consensus, Bama signed the top-ranked safety and the top-ranked EDGE on Wednesday. They also signed the No. 2 offensive tackle, the No. 2 and No. 4 running backs, the No. 2 defensive lineman, the No. 2 linebacker, and the top two junior college players in the nation.

All in all, the Crimson Tide signed seven five-stars on Wednesday. If Ricks joins the fold, then that number rises to eight, while also giving them signatures from two of the top-four cornerbacks in this recruiting cycle.

This could potentially be another big day ahead for Alabama. Stay tuned to BamaInsider this evening to see if Bama is able to land signature No. 28 in their 2023 class!

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