Rico Flores Jr. (born December 30, 2004) is an American football wide receiver for the UCLA Bruins of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
| UCLA Bruins – No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 30, 2004 North Highlands, California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Folsom (Folsom, California) |
| |
Early years
editFlores attended Folsom High School in Folsom, California. He played four years of high school football and was the starting wide receiver in the final two years. During his sophomore season, Flores caught 31 passes for 606 yards and 10 touchdowns.[1] In his junior season, Flores had 1,157 yards on 81 receptions and 11 touchdowns.[2] Finally, in his senior season, Flores had 72 receptions for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns.[3] He finished his high school career with 201 receptions for 3,222 yards and 32 touchdowns. In 2023, Flores made the All-American Bowl roster.[4]
Rated a four-star recruit, Flores committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football.[5] He committed to Notre Dame over offers from Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, LSU, USC, and Oregon, among others.[6]
College career
editNotre Dame (2023)
editFlores came into Notre Dame as an early enrollee in winter.[7] He started the 2023 season making his debut against Navy, catching a two-yard pass during 42–3 win. He earned his first start against Central Michigan, catching three passes for 60 yards in the 41–17 win. Against Ohio State, Flores caught his first career touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to put the Irish up by four. Notre Dame couldn't hold on, losing, 17–14. Against Duke, Flores caught two passes for 28 yards and converted a two-point conversion in the 21–14 win. Against Pittsburgh, Flores caught two passes for a career-high 72 yards in the 58–7 win. After finishing the season with 27 catches for 392 yards and one touchdown, Flores entered the NCAA transfer portal on December 1.[8]
UCLA (2024–present)
editOn December 15, 2023, Flores announced that he would be transferring to UCLA, a school that recruited him out of high school.[9]
College statistics
edit| Season | Games | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | ||||||
| 2023 | 12 | 6 | 27 | 392 | 14.5 | 1 |
| UCLA Bruins | ||||||
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 133 | 26.6 | 1 |
| Career | 14 | 8 | 32 | 525 | 16.4 | 2 |
References
edit- ^ Rutter, Eric. "2023 Standout Receiver Rico Flores Jr. Was "In Shock" By Notre Dame Offer". FanNation - Irish Breakdown. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ Royer, Benjamin. "UCLA Football Target Rico Flores Jr. Announces Upcoming Commitment Date". FanNation - All Bruins. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ Driskell, Bryan. "Notre Dame Signs Wide Receiver Rico Flores Jr". FanNation - Irish Breakdown. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ Weaver, Tim. "These 114 players made the 2023 All-American Bowl roster". USA Today High School Sports. On3. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ James, Tyler. "Four-star WR Rico Flores Jr. commits to Notre Dame". Rivals. InsideNDSports. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ Driskell, Bryan. "Notre Dame Commit Profile: Wide Receiver Rico Flores Jr". FanNation - Irish Breakdown. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ Roberts, Ryan. "Wide Receiver Rico Flores Jr. Setting Big Goals For Notre Dame Career". FanNation - Irish Breakdown. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ Farmer, Douglas. "Notre Dame's list of remaining WRs shorter than exiting list, Rico Flores Jr. and Holden Staes transferring". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Moreno, Matt (December 15, 2023). "Notre Dame transfer Rico Flores Jr. announces commitment to UCLA". Alabama Rivals. Retrieved December 15, 2023.