New FSM Feature: 1 on 1 with UNLV Wide receiver Ricky White III

FSM Feature: 1 on 1 with UNLV Wide receiver Ricky White III

Franchise Sports Media

UNLV Football’s All-American wide receiver Ricky White III sat down with Joe Arrigo and opened up about dealing with tragedy in his life, having on-field success, and setting goals that would be unprecedented for UNLV.

UNLV Football wide receiver Ricky White III surprised some when he decided not only to stay for his senior year but also to return to UNLV for his senior season and not transfer out. White III had opportunities to leave the Rebels for a bigger-name school and more money, but instead, he chose to stay in Las Vegas to finish what he started.

During our conversation, White III told me that some schools were offering NIL money for him to leave, but it was not even close to what was reported ($250,000 from Notre Dame).

“There were some offers, but that number was crazy. No one offered me that amount, and it was not even close,” White III told me at Mountain West Media Day. “That’s why it was confusing to me, like, how are you gonna lie about that, or at least not ask me before you report it?“

White III returns to college as the NCAA’s leading receiver after catching for 1,483 yards on 88 receptions and eight touchdowns. Last season, for five straight weeks (10/28-11/25) and 6 out of 7 weeks, White III caught for over 100+ yards. During that stretch, you could argue that the Rebels wide receiver was the best in college football.

UNLV Football fans know what they see on the field regarding Ricky White III but don’t know him or what he has had to overcome. He is a quiet leader who enjoys practices and is ultra-competitive. He doesn’t like to go out and prefers to watch a film rather than go to a party or a club. It’s all about family and ball all the time with White III.

They also don’t know about the tragedy he has dealt with and how that motivates him on and off the field.

This is Ricky White III, and it’s time for you to get to know the man, not just the player. 

Ricky White III 1 on 1 With Joe Arrigo

Joe Arrigo – So, let’s go back. Ohio, Georgia, East Lansing, and Las Vegas, it’s a hell of a trip around the country. What have you learned at each stop of the journey?

Ricky White III – Just adjust to my environment. Adapt. You know, really just becoming a man. That’s all I can ask for. I think God put me on this journey, okay, and there is no better journey. And he’s the reason why I am where I am today, right now standing where I am.

JA – You’ve overcome some difficult circumstances. Let’s start with your brother. One brother had his life taken due to gun violence. Another brother was shot. How has that impacted you, and how has that motivated you not to be a victim of those circumstances?

RW3 – I just want to say things like that are unacceptable. You know, crime is, and all that goes along with that is very unacceptable. There’s no need for things to escalate to where you need to pull the gun out and shoot someone. But it has motivated me tremendously. You know, I’m thankful for everything that has happened.

I feel like things happen for a reason, but it was crazy that it happened. I’m tearing up just talking about it, but I’m good right now, so I guess I’m thankful. It’s just so unfortunate, obviously.

JA – As you know, I lost my son in 2020. I know the pain that comes along with it. It’s not something you can describe, but how has that motivated you on the field?

RW3 –  I just to go harder. I want to put my family up to where, you know, they don’t have to worry about anything like that. I want it to be that they don’t want for nothing. That said, I’m gonna do everything in my power that I can do to make that happen. That means I’m going to continue to put in that kind of work that you’ve seen, perfecting my craft and just staying out of the way, being fully invested in it until my dreams and my goals are met.

Like I said, I’m thankful for God because the things that he does, he does them for a reason.

JA – How’s that impacted you off of the field?

RW3 – Off the field, it just allows me to view things and expect things differently. You know I’m the type of person that I’ve always been low-key, like anti-out-of-the-way. I’ve never been in the mix. I really rarely go to parties and clubs and everything like that. So now I want to continue to do those things, stay away, and just make life easier all around.

I want to be all about football; I am all about ball. And you know, if I do that, I feel like everything would fall into place, as opposed to.

JA – You have a degree from UNLV. You’re coming into a senior year where you’re the leading receiver yardage-wise in college football. Yet, there’s a lot of disrespect for your game. A good example is the new EA Sports College Football game, which didn’t name you one of the top 100 players in it. And in the new college football game, you are the 6th-rated wide receiver.

You made the Preseason All-American list, but for someone with the accolades you’ve accomplished not to be recognized, does that leave an even bigger chip on your shoulder?

RW3 – It does. That’s all it’s doing; it’s putting a bigger chip on my shoulder. It’s giving me more fuel. Now, I want to go out every Friday or every Saturday and dominate. But I want to dominate even at practice. I feel like last year, I took practice very seriously, and that gave me the assessment that I needed to go out and dominate each and every week. So I feel like if I do those little things over and over, it will become the habit, you know, then come Saturdays or Fridays when we play, I will show the nation that the best receiver the nation is a UNLV Rebel.

JA – You came back to UNLV. Obviously, there was a lot of thought with you coming back on your end. I know the conversations we’ve had privately. But I want to go public with some of it. One of the reasons you made a decision to come back, in part, was because Rebels offensive coordinator Brennan Marion returned. With your role in the offense, now year 2 playing in the Go-Go offense, how big of a factor was that in your decision to come back?

RW3 – It was a major, major, major say-so in the decision for me to come back to UNLV. Not just because Coach Marion does a great job of scheming but because the Go-Go offense is very unique, something that you have never seen in college football.

So I’m thankful that he’s still on the staff. And it’s not just him; because Coach Del Alexander, one of the best receiver coaches in the nation and the best receiver coach I’ve ever been coached by, is back. So, I want to give respect to all the coaches here because we have one of the best staffs in college football.

Also, Coach Odom and Coach Shibest, you know, I feel like all the coaches on the staff have played a major factor in my coming back.

I’m the type of guy I’ve never been chasing money, so NIL was never a factor for me to come back to UNLV. I’ve never worried about money. As I mentioned, if I perfect my craft and when I get to the next level, money will never be something I need or play for. So if I do those little things and just trust God, everything will fall into place how it’s supposed to.

JA – Ok, since you brought up the situation, let’s address it. The report came out that Notre Dame offered you a quarter million dollars to hit the portal and transfer there. You’ve denied that it was even at the dollar amount. Was it a difficult decision when some of the schools who were reaching out to you for you to decide that you were going to pass up on them and come back to UNLV for a fraction of that type of NIL money?

RW3 – Not at all. It was never a hard decision for me because, as I just mentioned, NIL money was never a factor for me. I have a great support system behind me. I have a great mother and a great father, both are financially stable, so money was never something I ever needed. I was never chasing NIL money; I am chasing the NFL. So I want to go hard to do everything to better myself on the field and off the field, and if I do that, I’ll be the best receiver in the nation.

A lot of players make that mistake. They chase the money and end up regretting it in the long run. I am in a great situation here; not only are we in a position to win, but with the weapons we have, like Jacob De Jesus, Casey Cain, and our running game, we all could put up crazy numbers. If I were to have left and didn’t put up the numbers I know I can here or have last year’s numbers slip, people would say I can’t do it at a bigger school or in a bigger conference. I have goals that I want to accomplish, and I want to do it here at UNLV.

And Coach Odom is a great coach and leader. I have no doubt he will lead us to the conference title and the playoffs.    

JA- You come from a close-knit family. Your father comes to all your games, road games, and home games. It’s always a road game for him since he’s not out here in Vegas. Your sister’s one of the top high school track athletes in Ohio. How big of a role does that support, and how does being a role model for your sister impact you on a daily basis? 

RW3 – Bro, it’s such a blessing. It’s great to have that father figure and that mother in my corner. They push me and lead me to show me the way. I want to set an example for my younger siblings and show them that if you put your mind to something and you just trust God and work hard at it every day, your dreams will come true.

So that’s my biggest main thing. I just want to set an example for my younger siblings and just take care of them. You know, once I get older and I get the opportunity to put them up, they don’t want anything.

JA—You told me what they were, but you set some lofty goals this year. You said earlier at Mountain West Media Day and here that you thought UNLV could compete for a natty (national championship). How close do you think you are to UNLV not only winning the Mountain West Conference but also making it into the college football playoffs and making a run at a natty?

RW3 – Really close. The sky’s the limit for us. We have so much talent on both sides of the ball, all we need to do to stay healthy. If we stay healthy and if we continue to keep our habits throughout the whole year, man we will be so good we will be able to compete for the national championship!

JA – How big was this offseason for you guys?

RW3 – It was very big for us knowing that we didn’t finish off where we set our goals last year. So we just put all our hearts, souls, and minds into what we wanted to do. That’s to work hard, put our heads down, and be fully invested. So our offseason coach, Coach Fish, has done a great job preparing us for the season.

It’s been so hot in Vegas, and I feel like that’s going to help prepare us for this upcoming season. Also, we’re going to be very well-conditioned. We are mentally strong, and we are physically strong too. So the sky’s the limit for us!

JA – This season is a revenge tour so to speak. You got Kansas, Boise State, San Jose State, and Fresno State. Are those 4 games circled on your calendar?

RW3 – After Houston, yes, most definitely they are! I feel like not even just those 4, it’s for every game we play. I feel like we’ve got to take it one game at a time, one rep at a time, one day at a time. I feel like if we do that, we’re going to dominate.

We know what our goals are at the end of the day. And like I said, everybody who is in our building, and our facility, from the coaching staff to the janitors, to the people that serve as lunch, to the goat, David Weadly our academic advisor, we all we all know what our goals are.

We all know our dreams. So if everybody is invested like we are right now, we’re going to do what we were set to do!

Make sure you keep coming back to FSM for all your UNLV Football coverage. Thanks for visiting FranchiseSportsMedia.com for your Las Vegas Sports news today.

Franchise Sports Media. Las Vegas sports news about Las Vegas Sports teams.

– Joe Arrigo – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Joe on all social media: @joearrigofsm

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