Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide have landed several talented players from the transfer portal this offseason.

One of those key players is former LSU CB Eli Ricks, who battled injuries in 2021 in Baton Rouge.

So, how has the transition to Tuscaloosa been for Ricks? Saban weighed in on Sunday, explaining that it has been difficult for the former Tiger (via On3 Sports):

“He’s made a lot of improvement. I think that Eli sort of — with the injuries that he had and the time that he was off — it was really sort of a more difficult transition for him, physically, emotionally, mentally, to come from where he was to where he needs to get to to be the kind of player that he wants to be. And we certainly want to help him do that in every way we can.”

Saban went on to say that Ricks is doing much better with each passing day as his time at Alabama continues:

“I think sometimes when you go through that, obstacles, things that can affect your confidence a little bit. Because you get frustrated and struggle, because you’re not used to being in the kind of conditions that you once were. No fault of his, but there’s some difficult circumstances for him to overcome with injuries and so forth. So he’s making very, very good progress physically and on the field. In terms of grasping the system and having a better understanding of what’s required of him to be a good player.”

In 2020, as a true freshman at LSU, Ricks recorded 4 interceptions, returning 2 for touchdowns. Alabama will hope he can make some more of those big plays this fall.