Elijah Rikard
Elijah Rikard
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Elijah Rikard has played for two head coaches in four seasons at Central Michigan. One game to point at: 9 tackles against Toledo — Week 14, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jim McElwain → Matt Drinkall. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Drinkall
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR05 · Part-time starter
Part-time starter. Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Central Michigan | 46 | 28 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Central Michigan | 56 | 27 | 2.5 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Central Michigan | 23 | 14 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| 2022 | Central Michigan | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 127 | 71 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2025
W 49–10
vs Wagner
4 TOT · 2 SOLO
Dominant 39-point win at home against Wagner.
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Central Michigan
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Central Michigan
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -5 net (12 in / 17 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Central Michigan · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #121 · 2026 recruiting class #95
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Sheldon Arnold Jr.’s 2024 season.
Matches Sheldon on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Sheldon Arnold Jr.'s senior season at UCF (2024).
Matches Sheldon on