Texas offers 5-star 2020 DB Elias Ricks

Once again, the Texas Longhorns are looking to make their presence felt on the west coast.

On Monday, the Longhorns became the latest to extend an offer to elite Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei cornerback Elias Ricks, he announced on Twitter.

A five-star prospect who’s ranked No. 18 nationally and as the No. 2 cornerback, per the 247Sports Composite, Ricks is now up to 26 offers, with invitations stemming from prominent programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC, and Washington, among numerous others.

As expected with a top talent in California, the Trojans are considered a frontrunner, with all six of Ricks’ Crystal Ball projections favoring USC.

That said, Tom Herman and his staff have proven their confidence and willingness to reach into California in hopes of luring talent to Texas, and to this point, they’ve found success doing so. In 2018, the Longhorns signed coveted Newbury Park (Calif.) quarterback Cameron Rising and College of San Mateo (Calif.) offensive tackle Mikey Grandy. Thus far throughout the 2019 cycle, 11 offers have went out to California, with one being extended to Ricks’ teammate, elite athlete and key Texas target Bru McCoy. Those efforts have netted the ‘Horns a pair of four-star commitments in the form of Westlake (Calif.) Village outside linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd, and as of Sunday, Lakewood (Calif.) Mayfair safety Chris Adimora.

Texas is aiming for this trend to continue in 2020, as well, with Ricks becoming the latest example of the Longhorns trying to strengthen their presence in California.

With Ricks now holding a Texas offer, seven 2020 California products are officially on the Longhorns radar, and among that bunch is two more of Ricks’ teammates, four-star safety Bryson Washington and five-star quarterback Bryce Young, who named Texas in his top group just days ago.