Alabama instant-impact commit: Calvin Ridley
It’s not often true freshman see the field with the starting lineup in Tuscaloosa, but incoming five-star wideout Calvin Ridley has that ability.
It helps that Alabama’s losing the SEC’s most dynmaic offensive player, Amari Cooper, to the NFL Draft. The Heisman finalist who caught 115 pass for 1,656 yards and 14 touchdowns this season is a projected lottery pick who leaves a massive hole in Lane Kiffin’s balanced, up-tempo attack.
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Most freshmen with the Crimson Tide redshirt and take a year or two to learn scheme and technique from veterans at their respective positions who are often all-conference candidates, but Ridley won’t get that luxury.
He’ll compete alongside sophomore ArDarius Stewart for snaps since Alabama loses 171 catches (out of the team’s 268 total) from just Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christion Jones.
Ridley, nicknamed Showtime, packs a play-making South Florida pedigree into a 6-foot, 170-pound frame and possesses above-average hands with top-end speed. He earned overall MVP honors at Nike’s ‘The Opening’ football camp over the summer, months after committing to Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier.
Paired with incoming five-star quarterback Blake Barnett, Alabama fans are looking at the future of the Crimson Tide offense.
Ridley, who visited Florida State over the weekend, played only three games this season due to age restrictions. He celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday.
In November, Alabama reached out to Ridley’s brother, Cavin, and offered the 2016 four-star receiver a scholarship.