Mission Viejo (Calif.) junior defensive back Jordan Hicks recently cut his list of schools to eight and has now set seven game day visits including a new school who didn’t make his initial cut.
Hicks is one of the top defensive backs in the ’28 class and is currently rated the No. 194 prospect nationally in the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.
He’s a hybrid corner/safety who can play anywhere in the secondary including nickel. He’s a physical player, strong in run support with cover skills and is just a really talented all around player.
Hicks narrowed his list of schools down to eight, headlined by Alabama, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, UCLA and USC.
He now has game day visits set with USC August 29, UCLA September 12, Oklahoma September 19, Alabama September 26, Nebraska October 3, Miami October 17 and Oregon November 14. The Huskers are a new team in the mix.
“Ever since I dropped my top eight last month, Nebraska has been coming on really strong,” Hicks said. “They’re reaching out all the time now and definitely working their way back in the mix.
“I wanted to check them out and that weekend just worked out. I’m excited to get out there and see the game atmosphere and see what it’s like.”
Hicks already had game day visits set to Ole Miss and Alabama and has now filled out the rest of his schedule. Oregon has a lot of early buzz right now.
“I’ve been to Oregon multiple times and it’s one of the schools I have the strongest comfort level at,” Hick said. “There’s a lot of Cali guys there that I already know and I’m really close with the coaching staff too. They have a winning program and coach Lanning is a great coach and I love what he’s building there.”
Alabama is coming on sgtrong and former teammate Dijon Lee and family are selling the Tide hard.
“I really like everything about Alabama,” Hicks said. “They have a great reputation for developing defensive backs and I like how they recruit.
“They have DJ over there now and he’s doing well and he and his grandfather are pushing Bama hard. Coach Mo (Maurice Linguist ) is a great coach as well and I know I would learn a lot from him.”
The Sooners and Canes are two more schools Hicks said are really prioritizing him.
“I had a great visit to OU in the spring and really like the culture in the program,” Hicks said. “Coach Venables is an amazing coach, a defensive minded coach and someone I know I would enjoy playing for. I was there for a Spring practice and loved the energy there and the pace they practiced with.
“Miami was one of my first scholarship offers after my freshman year. Will Harris has been very consistent in recruiting me and that’s my guy right there. He’s a Cali native and between him, coach Jefferson and coach Cristobal, I talk to someone from the staff just about every day.”
Although they both might have some ground to make up, USC and UCLA are real options as well.
“I like both schools a lot,” Hicks said. “I’ve been to both schools a lot already and I’m very familiar with the campus and the school itself.
“They’re both strong programs that I feel are prioritizing me too. I’ll get to a lot of games there since it’s local and I have good relationships with both coaching staffs right now and looking forward to seeing how they look this season.”