19 days until football, Ricky Pearsall made a name for himself in a crowded wide receiver room

Camp T weekend has come and gone, and just like that we are less than 20 days until the start of the 2025 season. Yesterday we reflected on the career of JD Hill, a multi-sport athlete who was a key member of the Peach Bowl winning 1970 team. Today we stay in the wide receiving corps to highlight Ricky Pearsall, a quiet but driven contributer to the Sun Devils from 2019-2021.

A product of Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Ricky committed to Arizona State University after receiving offers from six other schools including Air Force and Hawaii. Entering the 2019 season as a 3-star recruit according to 24/7 Sports, Ricky already possessed a pedigree of being a big time playmaker after setting the Arizona 6A single-game receiving record as a junior with 342 yards against Gilbert.

Ricky appeared in all 13 games for the Sun Devils in 2019, one of 21 true freshman to suit up for the Devils that season. Despite catching only 7 passes on the season behind established playmakers in Brandon Aiyuk and Frank Darby, Ricky's big play ability was on full display as he finished the season with 128 receiving yards, averaging 18.3 yards per catch. his 128 yards was good for 5th on the team, setting himself up to lead the receiving corps in years to come.

The pandemic-shortened 2020 season saw Pearsall used in a limited role once again, appearing in all four games and recording 6 catches for 86 yards and his first career touchdown reception, while adding 33 yards on 3 carries. He recorded catches in three of the four games on the season, with the sole exception featuring a trick play that saw Pearsall complete a 52 yard pass to Rachaad White against UCLA.

Pearsall's junior season in 2021 saw him step into the WR1 role after the departures of Aiyuk in 2019 and Darby in 2020. He did not disappoint, leading the Sun Devils across the board with 48 catches and 580 yards, reaching the end zone four times through the air and once on the ground.

His 132 yard performance in Week 5 at UCLA represented the only 100+ yard receiving game for any Sun Devil receiver in the 2021 season. Ricky ended the season earning Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 honors, one of 13 Sun Devils named to one of the All-Pac-12 teams.

The early 2020's ushered in the current era of NIL influence in the transfer portal, and it is believed that Ricky was one such departure when he entered the portal in the Spring of 2022, landing at Florida for the 2022 season. He would go on to play the final two seasons of his career in Gainesville, recording 98 catches for 1,626 yards and 9 touchdowns for the Gators in 25 games.

He would later be selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (31st overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft, rejoining his former Sun Devil teammate Brandon Aiyuk, and recording 31 catches for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns as a rookie to finish as the 4th-leading receiver for the 49ers last season.

Despite not finishing his collegiate career in the maroon and gold, Ricky is still a beloved member of recent Sun Devil history with deep roots in the Valley, returning home just two months ago to put on a free youth camp for Valley kids. He may not have the most accolade-filled career in Tempe, but the stability that he provided to open the 2020's makes him worthy of inclusion for today's featured spotlight.