LOS ANGELES — Kelee Ringo is great at the press and defending jump balls in the end zone. But the five-star cornerback from Scottsdale (Arizona) Saguaro had something he was working on at the Adidas 7v7 West Coast Regional: playing in space.
5-star cornerback recruit Kelee Ringo feeling the love from Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State
Three out-of-state schools are standing out to Ringo.
“It’s great competition for me,” Ringo said. “There are a lot of shifty, short guys. And going up against them helps my game. It helps me play in space.”
He helped his team reach the finals with his size (6’2, 205) and athleticism.
After, he spoke about his recruitment.
“I try not to give schools standing out, but some schools are showing me that they want me more.”
“Texas is constantly texting me. Ohio State, Oklahoma, those schools definitely text me way more than others.”
His relationship at Texas runs deep.
“At Texas, it’s coach Tom Herman and defensive backs coach [Jason] Washington. They treat me like a player who is already in the organization.”
And he likes the style of the Texas defense.
“Texas is so aggressive with it’s defensive backs. They’re one of the schools considered to be DBU.”
A Big 12 rival is also involved.
“At Oklahoma, I talk with the whole defensive staff. I talk with [defensive coordinator Alex] Grinch a lot; I knew him from my visit to Ohio State. When I figured out he moved to Oklahoma, we chopped it up and continued where we started from at O-State.”
Oklahoma’s available playing time after fielding poor defenses in recent years is a draw.
“If a team doesn’t have a good defense, you could come in and make an impact there and leave a legacy as someone who changed it around.”
And Ohio State under new coach Ryan Day is also a factor.
“At Ohio State, I like chatting with [head coach Ryan] Day. I like him a lot. A lot of people asked me about the Coach (Urban) Meyer switch and if that impacts my decision, and it doesn’t at all. I kinda thought it was coming.”
But some Pac-12 schools are also involved with Ringo, despite not texting him quite as much as the aforementioned trio.
“I like UCLA, USC, Washington, and Oregon as well. Oregon and Washington were in my most recent top 15.”
Ultimately, it comes down to comfort.
“I want to be somewhere where I can be comfortable and live the next few years.”
In the NFL, Ringo likes Patrick Peterson of the hometown Arizona Cardinals.
“He’s a bigger body like me, and he can run with the best of them.”
Look for Ringo to make an impact wherever he ends up.
