Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 47 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER Folsom (Calif.) High class of 2023 wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. had an out- standing senior season before it ended late in the fall due to an ankle injury. He caught 72 passes for 1,081 yards and 8 touchdowns in 12 games played but couldn't star in his team's final two playoff games due to the injury. Flores also couldn't participate in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. He was only a couple weeks out of his cast at the time of the prestigious all-star game. The All-American Bowl still flew Flores in a couple days before the game so that he could spend time with the other play- ers and get some of the experience. "I'm ahead of progress for sure," Flores told Blue & Gold Illustrated prior to the game regarding his recovery. "I'm hoping I'll be healthy in [February]. I want to get back soon so I'm doing everything I can." Back in the 2022 cycle, Notre Dame beat out a handful of top programs to land a talented California receiver in CJ Williams. His only trip to South Bend was for his official prior to the start of his senior season. As the fall went on, rumblings emerged that Williams was looking around at other schools and wanted to stay close to home. He ended up flipping to Southern Cal. There are parallels with Flores' and Williams' recruitment. Flores, who also hails from the Golden State, only visited Notre Dame once — during the summer before his senior campaign began — just like Williams. He also had major schools on the West Coast interested in him. But the big difference between the two recruitments is that Flores stuck with the Irish down the stretch. "That's just the person I am. I'm a loyal person," Flores said. "One thing you have as a man is your word. And Notre Dame offers the best of both worlds with the academics and football. And we have the right players coming in." Notre Dame wouldn't have even been able to initially land Flores if it weren't for the coaching staff changes that oc- curred last year. "I wasn't feeling Notre Dame at first with Coach [Brian] Kelly and Coach Del [Alexander]," he said. "I wasn't feeling that staff. But when Coach [Marcus] Freeman and Coach [Chansi] Stuckey came after me, I started liking them more. They [Notre Dame] weren't even going to make my top 10." Flores is a part of a strong receiver class for the Irish in the 2023 cycle, and Stuckey deserves the majority of the credit for it. ✦ Only One Visit Was Needed To Keep Rico Flores Jr. Solid With Notre Dame Flores' lone visit to Notre Dame came prior to the start of his senior season at Folsom (Calif.) High, and now he's enrolled at the university. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM RICO FLORES JR. WIDE RECEIVER 6-0 · 177 FOLSOM H.S. NORTH HIGHLANDS, CALIF. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 63 31 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 227 16 17 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 141 23 10 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 49 22 STATISTICS • As a senior in 2022, posted 72 receptions for 1,081 yards and 8 touchdowns. • Recorded 81 receptions for 1,157 yards and 11 scores during his junior year. • Finished his career with 201 receptions for 3,222 yards and 32 touchdowns. NOTABLE • Selected for the 2023 All-American Bowl. • 2022 The Sacramento Bee All-Metro first-team offense. • 2022 and 2021 MaxPreps All Sac-Joaquin Sec- tion Football first-team offense. • 2021 MaxPreps' spring season California All- State first team. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on July 3, 2022. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Irish over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and others. • Recruited by wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey. • Visited Notre Dame just once, for his official on June 10, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Flores could contribute right away at receiver with his superb technical ability at the position. THEY SAID IT Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees: "When you look at [Jaden] Greathouse and Reek [Rico Flores], they're pretty polished. Physically — from a strength standpoint — they can come in and compete. They understand the nuance of running routes and have a natural feel for it." On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "He's one of the best route runners in this cycle; he'd be on the short list. He is very adept at snapping off corners with his releases and change of direction within his routes. He's very technical and extremely developed. He plays at a great high school program at Folsom. He's a high floor guy, and I would not be surprised if he contributes early. "Flores is probably not as athletic and naturally gifted as some other national receivers, but he is a guy who just gets open consistently and works in the underneath and intermediate areas of the field. I could see him playing slot at Notre Dame. He can work over the middle of the field with his route running ability." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "Flores may lack the burner speed, but he more than makes up for it with his elite level ball skills. He shows very good strength for the wide receiver position, he's as reliable as they come and can beat you deep while also not afraid to go over the middle for the tough catch. "Flores is explosive with a high IQ , he's very aggressive, runs great routes, catches everything within his frame and will go get the ball. As I men- tioned, he has exceptional ball skills."