New FSM Feature: Rebel Vision 22: Deuces Wild 22 UNLV Football Add a Pair of Commits
The Rebels added a pair of talented players to their roster on Friday, starting with wide reciever Ricky White III from Michigan State.
Marcus Arroyo and his UNLV football program added another player to their 2022 class, once again using the transfer portal. Former Michigan State wide receiver Ricky White III announced Friday that he is transferring to UNLV. White III will be reuniting with his high school quarterback, Harrison Bailey, who announced he was transferring to UNLV on Monday.
247 Sports had White III rated as a 3-Star prospect coming out of high school with a .8860 composite rating. He was the 416th ranked overall prospect in the nation, 70th rated wide receiver, and 40th best prospect in Georgia.
White III, who prepped at Marietta High School in Marietta, Georgia, committed to Michigan State as part of their 2020 class. He had 31 offers coming out of high school, including Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Coastal Carolina, Louisville, Kansas, Rutgers, Syracuse, UAB, Wake Forest, and Virginia.
White III did not suit up for the Spartans in 2021, but he had a big-time performance as a true freshman in 2020 when he erupted for eight receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown in an eye-popping 27-24 upset over Michigan.
“Guys that step on the field on game day, they step on the field because of what they’ve done in practice,” Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said after White’s breakout performance via Spartan Tailgate. “And so we’ve seen (White) make plays. We were not surprised.”
White III finished with ten receptions for 223 yards as a freshman, but he’ll be remembered most for his record-breaking performance against Michigan. White III holds Michigan State’s single-game freshman receiving record, beating Cody White’s mark of 165 receiving yards in 2017 against Northwestern.
White III was poised for a big role for the Spartans in 2021, but he never got on the field. Tucker never disclosed White’s status, and he entered the transfer portal in early December.
UNLV now boasts one of the deeper receiving rooms in the Mountain West Conference with the addition of White III. Kyle Williams, Steve Jenkins, Nahe Mendiola-Jensen, BoBo Masters, Jeffrey Weimer, Jordan Jakes, Zyell Griffin, Tyleek Collins, Deamikkio Nathan II, and Marcus Phillips Jr. return to the Rebels receiver room.
White III will also help out on special teams, as he is an electric kick returner. The last Rebels’ kick return for a touchdown was in 2011 (Deante Purvis), and the previous punt return for a touchdown was in 2001 (Troy Mason). White III will look to change that, rocking the Rebels Scarlet and Grey for the next four years.
Rebels add another big body to their offensive line via the transfer portal.
Coach Arroyo and his staff weren’t done with the addition of White III on Friday. They then turned their attention up front and added a big, long offensive lineman from the Charleston Southern, also in the transfer portal.
Preston Nichols will re-join his former teammate at Charleston Southern, Daviyon McDaniel, on the Rebels offensive line. The two played together for two years, and McDaniel hosted Nichols on his visit to UNLV.
Nichols stands at 6’3 and weighs over 300 lbs, but is long. He was the Buccaneers’ left tackle and showed great feat and bend at his position, which translates well in pass blocking. But I expect him to kick inside to a guard position and he can also play some center giving the Rebels some position flexibility.
The thing that Nichols has that UNLV loves is his length. He has long arms, which allows him to engage sooner and keeps defensive linemen from getting inside on him. He also is incredibly strong, which bodes well inside and with the running game. Nichols and McDaniel were a part of a unit that surrendered just 24 sacks and averaged 153.0 rushing yards per game in 2019 while they were both at Charleston Southern.
Marcus Arroyo and the Rebels continue to add talent to their roster. UNLV is getting deeper and recruiting against the current talent already on their roster. The Rebels are going ALL IN!
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Joe Arrigo
Joe Arrigo is the co-founder and VP of Franchise Sports Media. Joe has been in media since 2004 when he became the morning host on KKUU and mid-days co-host on KXPS in Pam Springs. After his time in Palm Springs, Joe became the operations manager when he built, programmed, and was on-air for KQCM. He has also had stints on-air in various markets, including Fresno. Joe became the producer and co-host for The Beast 980 (KFWB), a sports talk station in Los Angeles, before moving to Vegas in 2015. In 2019 he founded Franchise Sports Media with TQ.
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