Scottsdale (AZ) Saguaro defensive back Kelee Ringo is bursting to talk. 

He’s giddy about life right now and wants everyone to know how much it means to him to be wanted, to be recruited.

“I’m just so thankful,” he said.

Since the 247 Composite Player Rankings shook out with Ringo listed as the nation's No. 6 overall player and top-ranked cornerback of the 2020 class, this all-name team candidate has received nearly two dozen offers to play big-time college football.

And why not? 

Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 185 pounds, Ringo already has Southeastern Conference size and plays with a kind of physicality that many don’t associate with the position. I asked him about his size and how he would describe his play. 

He answered using a word I expect to hear quite often in relation to his name: physicality.

“I like to hit,” he said.

I’m on the phone with him because he recently received an offer from Oklahoma secondary coach Kerry Cooks, which makes him more than another uber-talented prospect. He’s now "A Guy I Want On My Team."

I am truly blessed to announce I have received a HUGE OFFER from the University of Oklahoma ?️?#BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/6KgCsmepz4

— Kelee Ringo (@KeleeRingo) April 25, 2018

“My coach actually told me I should talk with him,” Ringo said. “So I got his number and called him.” 

The coach and player ended up talking for 20 minutes and Ringo came away feeling positive about the Sooners.

“Oklahoma’s a really nice school," he said. "I like it a lot."

Still, he’s taking his recruitment slowly. He didn’t point to any school, specifically, that he’s leaning toward. And when Ringo, a native of Tacoma, Washington, moved to Scottsdale, his recruitment took off. He’s received offers from Alabama, Clemson, Washington, and Southern Cal, among others.

Ringo’s experience—right at this moment—is a window into what it means to be recruited in 2018. Yes, he's one of the top players in the country according to film and measurables. But he’s also an example of what it looks like when enough of the country’s top college football coaches think you can play.

But let’s get one thing straight right now: His first offer was Howard. But Bison aren't the only animal that runs in herds.

College football coaches do, too.

After all, just a few hours after Oklahoma offered him, so did Texas.

“I’m honestly just observing right now, and seeing what everyone has to offer,” Ringo said. He'll begin to narrow the field about a year from now.

So 2020 CB @KeleeRingo is physical as ALL HELL.

He POPPED DUDE’S lid loose! #Sooners pic.twitter.com/axWRacS3e3

— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) April 25, 2018

Ringo is the next great defensive back to come out of Saguaro High School. 

Former teammate Josiah Bradley just spurned schools such as Washington and Nebraska, opting instead to sign with Nevada. Last year, safety KJ Jerrell chose to stay home and play at Arizona State. Washington cornerback Byron Murphy was a two-time all-state performer at Saguaro before signing with the Huskies in 2016. 

The list could go on at this dynasty in the desert, but no one on it has had the chops that Ringo possesses. 

Murphy, a former four-star prospect and the 11th-ranked cornerback in the country, comes closest. Asked to compare Murphy to Ringo, Saguaro coach Jason Mohns said Ringo is “bigger, faster, and stronger” than Murphy was at the same age.

“He’s got an unbelievable combination of size and Olympic-caliber speed with toughness and instincts. He’s special,” Mohns told The Arizona Republic. 

Ringo has run as fast as 10.58 in the 100-meter dash. He’s since helped Saguaro win its fifth consecutive state title. Last season he notched 24 tackles, six pass breakups, and one interception. But what the stats don’t show is how much he genuinely enjoys the game.

“I just love to play football,” he said. “I love it.”

Safe to say, the game loves him, too.

RJ Young is a former Oklahoma Sooners football and basketball beat writer, investigative journalist, essayist, novelist, and Ph.D student. His memoir "LET IT BANG" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) hits shelves and earbuds in October. His YouTube channel is fire if you're into storytelling and topics ranging from Baker Mayfield to The Rock's early wrestling career to this one time when a guy got a little too interested in RJ's "Black Panther" cup at a urinal inside of a movie theater.