Ricks is a big fan of Corey Raymond’s coaching history

While the Florida Gators coaching staff had many of their top 2023 prospects in town this weekend, they also had several of the top 2024 guys in town as well.

2024 defensive back Desmond Ricks (6-1, 170, Bradenton, FL. IMG) was one of those guys and he was greeted by several members of Billy Napier’s army including the head man himself.

“It meant a lot to me and my family,” Ricks said on Napier greeting him when he arrived on Saturday. “Seeing them at the door, he’s a really down-to-earth guy.”

Ricks had several schools wanting him to visit their school this weekend for the final weekend before the season starts but the defensive back said his decision to visit Florida was because of one coach.

“Coach [Corey] Raymond is the reason I’m here,” he said on his relationship with Raymond. “Everybody was having their cookout today, but I decided to come here because of Coach Raymond and to see him.”

This visit was more of a laid-back visit, but Ricks said he was also able to see some new things while on campus.

“The facilities, just walking through that and seeing everything that’s being built,” Ricks said on what he was able to see different this time on campus. “You can see that there’s going to be a change in Gainesville.”

Ricks has made it clear that he likes Florida, and he says Corey Raymond’s history at his position is a big reason why.

“As I said, Corey Raymond is known for developing players,” he said on what he likes about Florida. “My development is the number one thing that I’m looking for in a school.”

Next up for Ricks will be visits to games this fall and he says getting to Florida is likely but he also has a few other schools he wants to visit.

“I want to go LSU, Miami, and Alabama game,” Ricks said on games he wants to visit this fall.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.