UNLV: The first Rebel to be drafted by the NFL since 2010 when he was selected in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks with the 238 overall pick ... The first UNLV WR to be drafted since Henry Bailey went to the Jets in 1995 and just the second Rebel selected by the Seahawks in history, joining DL Anton Palepoi in 2002's second round ...Completed the greatest two-year run by a Rebel receiver in history ... A repeat All-American, he was voted Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year after leading the nation with four blocked punts ... Offensively, he became the first Rebel in history to post more than one 1,000-yard receiving season, finishing with 1,041 on 79 catches and ranking seventh in the nation with 11 touchdowns through the air in 2024 .. After just three seasons at UNLV, the former Michigan State transfer finished second in school history in career receptions (218) and 100-yard games (13) and third in both receiving yards (3,143) and receiving TDs (23) ... Also voted a 2024 CSC First Team Academic All-American after earning All-District honors as a junior ... A member of the UNLV Dean’s Honor List in spring 2024 ... A 2024 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and member of the 2022 and 2023 Academic All-Mountain West teams ... A two-time team captain who earned his bachelor’s degree in human services and then pursued his graduate certificate as a senior ... Chosen to represent the squad’s offense at the annual Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas in July 2024.
2024:
- Named Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year
- Named First Team All-Mountain West as a WR
- The first Rebel receiver to earn First Team All-MW in multiple seasons since UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame member Ryan Wolfe did it three times (2006, '08, '09)
- Named Second Team All-American at WR by College Football Network
- The first Rebel in history to post more than one 1,000-yard receiving season
- Hauled in five receptions for 111 yards and three receiving scores against Utah Tech
- Against Utah State, White turned in seven catches for 138 yards and two receiving scores
- Hauled in 10 receptions in back-to-back weeks against Syracuse and Fresno State
- Scored a touchdown vs. Fresno State on a blocked punt by a teammate and scored a safety in two-point win at Hawaii with his blocked punt vs. the Warriors
- Named Second Team Midseason All-America (Special Teams) – Sports Illustrated
- Honorable Mention Midseason All-America (WR) – College Football Network
- Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 7)
- Coupled with an offensive honor in 2023, he became the first UNLV player to earn MW Player of the Week at two different categories during career
- Preseason First Team All-America – College Football Network
- Preseason Second Team All-America – Sporting News, Walter Camp, Athlon Sports, Phil Steele
- Walter Camp and Maxwell Award Player of the Year and Biletnikoff Preseason Watch Lists
- Named Associated Press Preseason All-America Second Team
- Senior Bowl Watch List
- Named the East-West Shrine Bowl Breakout Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 14)
- Named Third Team All-American by Phil Steele
- Named CSC Academic All-District
- Named First Team Academic All-America by College Sports Communicators
- NFF Hampshire Honor Society
2023: Named First Team All-America by the Action Network, Second Team by the College Football Network and Third Team by Associated Press, becoming just the second UNLV WR to appear on an AP team in history and first since 1981 ... Shattered a four-decade-old school record for receiving yards in a season and tied the UNLV mark for receptions in season with 88 ... The first Rebel ever to post five consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards ... His seven 100-yard games on the year ranked second in school history ... Posted a career-high 12 receptions for 165 yards in win over Vanderbilt, including hauling in a 48-yarder to set up the game-winning field goal with just seconds remaining ... The dozen catches rank third in Rebel single-game history ... Got his first two touchdowns of the season on a seven-catch, 166-yard day in win at UNR ... Caught seven passes for 152 yards and two more scores to start the record-string of reaching the century-mark through the air ... His eight grabs for 165 yards and two more TDs at New Mexico earned him MW Offensive Player of the Week honors ... Turned in 144 yards on eight catches in win over Wyoming, 169 yards on eight grabs, including a 78-yard touchdown, in a victory over Air Force and then 111 yards on five receptions vs. SJSU to close out the amazing streak ... Caught seven passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Kansas.
2022: Earned his first letter as a Rebel by starting all 12 games … Transferred in from Michigan State in time for spring practice and reunited at UNLV with his senior-year high school quarterback, Harrison Bailey, who also joined the Rebels for the 2022 season (since transferred to Louisville) … Led the team with 619 yards on 51 receptions, including four touchdowns … Made a stunning first impression with his new program by posting 182 yards on eight catches, including two scores, in season-opening victory over Idaho State … The 182 yards were the 11th-most ever by a Rebel and the most since 2012 … His day included a 72-yard TD play with QB Doug Brumfield … Followed that up with a four-catch, 59-yard day at Cal in Week Two and then a seven-catch, 76-yard effort vs. North Texas that included his third TD of the season … His four catches for 58 yards vs. Air Force included his fourth score … Caught four passes for 41 yards at Notre Dame and seven for 62 at San Diego State.
MICHIGAN STATE: Spent two seasons at the school located in East Lansing. 2021: Did not appear in a game for the Spartans in what became a redshirt season. 2020: During true freshman campaign, hauled in 10 receptions for 223 yards in four games … Averaged 22.3 yards per catch … Missed final three games of the season due to an injury … Posted a breakout game at arch-rival Michigan, earning Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week and Pro Football Focus National True Freshman of the Week after record-setting performance against the No. 13 Wolverines on October 3 … In that outing, set an MSU freshman single-game record with 196 receiving yards on eight catches (24.5 avg.) … Eight of 10 catches on the year went for either a first down or touchdown, including four on first down and three on third down.
HIGH SCHOOL: A 2020 graduate of Marietta HS … Helped his squad to the Georgia Class 7A state championship in 2019 under coach Richard Morgan … Recorded 97 catches for 1,319 yards (87.9 YPG) and 16 touchdowns as a senior as Marietta went 13-2 … Added six carries for 70 yards (11.7 avg.) … Named to the Marietta Daily Journal All-County First Team for a second straight season in 2019 … Recorded five receptions for 72 yards, including a 21-yard TD, in the state title game victory over Lowndes … Started prep career at Wheeler HS … Posted 55 catches for 1,066 yards and 13 TDs as a junior in 2018 and earned first team all-region 2-7A … Also named to the Marietta County Journal All-County First Team that season … Also played basketball as a prepster.
PERSONAL: Ricky Leon White was born in Dayton, OH … The son of Tori Butler and Ricky White Jr. … Has 11 siblings … Majoring in human services.
