Ricky Leon White III (born February 6, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and UNLV Rebels and was selected by the Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.
 White at the Super Bowl LX parade | |||||
| No. 86 – Seattle Seahawks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Wide receiver, return specialist | ||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | February 6, 2002 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | ||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||
| Listed weight | 181 lb (82 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school | Marietta (Marietta, Georgia) | ||||
| College | Michigan State (2020–2021) UNLV (2022–2024) | ||||
| NFL draft | 2025: 7th round, 238th overall pick | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||
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Early life
editWhite was born in Dayton, Ohio,[1] and attended Marietta High School in Marietta, Georgia, where he hauled in 55 receptions for 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior.[2] He committed to play college football for the Michigan State Spartans.[2]
College career
editMichigan State
editWhite began his college career at Michigan State University. In week 10 of the 2020 season, he recorded eight receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown in an upset victory over Michigan, setting the Spartans' freshman single-game receiving yards record.[3] He finished the 2020 season with ten catches for 223 yards and one touchdown across three games.[4] White did not appear in any games during the 2021 season and entered the NCAA transfer portal following the year.[4]
UNLV
editWhite transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas ahead of the 2022 season.[5] In the Rebels' season opener, he caught eight passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Idaho State.[6] He finished the 2022 season with 51 receptions for 619 yards and four touchdowns.[7]
White had a breakout 2023 season. In week 10, he recorded eight catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns in a 56–14 win over New Mexico.[8] He finished the 2023 regular season with 88 receptions for 1,483 yards and eight touchdowns, earning third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press.[9][10]
Statistics
edit| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led NCAA Division I FBS | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Punt returns | Other | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | Sfty | Blk | |||||
| 2020 | Michigan State | 4 | 3 | 10 | 223 | 22.3 | 1 | |||||||||
| 2021 | Michigan State | Redshirt  | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | UNLV | 12 | 12 | 51 | 619 | 12.1 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2023 | UNLV | 14 | 13 | 88 | 1,483 | 16.9 | 8 | |||||||||
| 2024 | UNLV | 12 | 12 | 75 | 1,020 | 13.6 | 11 | 4 | 90 | 22.5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Career | 42 | 40 | 223 | 3,345 | 14.9 | 24 | 4 | 90 | 22.5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 4.44 s | 1.58 s | 2.57 s | 4.52 s | 36.0 in (0.91 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[11][12][13] | ||||||||||||
White was selected in the seventh round (238th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2025 NFL draft.[14][15] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[16][17] White was elevated to the active roster ahead of the team's Week 9 matchup against the Washington Commanders.[18] On February 12, 2026, he signed a reserve/futures contract with Seattle.[19]
References
edit- ↑ "Ricky White III". UNLV Rebels Athletics. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- 1 2 Wenzel, Matt (June 24, 2019). "3-star WR Ricky White commits to Michigan State". MLive.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ↑ Wenzel, Matt (November 2020). "Michigan State WR Ricky White breaks freshman record to key win at Michigan". MLive.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- 1 2 Wenzel, Matt (December 6, 2021). "Michigan State WR Ricky White enters transfer portal". MLive.com. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ↑ Wenzel, Matt (January 21, 2022). "Former Michigan State WR Ricky White transferring to UNLV". MLive.com. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ↑ Lounsberry, Matthew (August 28, 2022). "Former Spartan Dazzles In Week 0 Performance". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ↑ "Ricky White 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ↑ Grimala, Mike (November 9, 2023). "Big-play receiver Ricky White elevating UNLV offense". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ↑ Lawson-Freeman, Callie (August 11, 2024). "UNLV star WR speaks like pro". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Vol. 120, no. 133. p. 1C.
White was in high demand after recording 1,483 yards for the Rebels, who went 6-2 in Mountain West play and finished second in the conference last season.
- ↑ Gordon, Sam (December 11, 2023). "2 UNLV players named All-Americans, make program history". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Ricky White III Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Ricky White III College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ↑ Bonsignore, Vincent (March 24, 2025). "UNLV star WR atones at school's pro day for poor 40 time at combine". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ↑ Morales-Smith, Mark (April 28, 2025). "Seattle Seahawks Draft UNLV's Ricky White III In The Seventh Round". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ↑ Horton, Ari (April 26, 2025). "Seahawks Select Wide Receiver Ricky White III With 238th Overall Pick". Seahawks.com.
- ↑ Boyle, John. "Seahawks Sign 17 To Practice Squad; Including 2025 Draft Picks Damien Martinez & Ricky White III". seahawks.com. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ↑ Boyle, John. "Seahawks Make Roster Moves, Establish Initial 2025 53-Man Roster". seahawks.com. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Condotta, Bob (November 1, 2025). "Seahawks place 2 on injured reserve, activate rookie fullback". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ↑ Boyle, John. "Seahawks Sign 15 To Future Contracts". seahawks.com. Retrieved February 13, 2026.