Ad Disclosure
Nick Saban speaks about Eli Ricks’ development, return to LSU
By Scott Green
Published:
Nick Saban brought in several incredibly talented players via the transfer portal this offseason and a majority have become key starters for the Tide. Eli Ricks, a former LSU Tiger, earned a starting role at cornerback this last week and played well in his first appearance.
“I think fundamentally we worked really hard to get Eli to understand the expectation for what we want him to do,” Saban answered when asked about how Ricks’ progression after the Mississippi State game. “have a good understanding of the scheme of how we’re playing and what we’re playing. And I think he’s developed confidence throughout the season.”
After losing to Tennessee, Alabama’s defensive coordinator Pete Golding made the change to Ricks to help fix a struggling back end. While fighting for playing time, Ricks didn’t play for a majority of the season but it looks like has become a critical piece for this Alabama team. Pro Football Focus placed him in their Week 8 Team of the Week for how well he played against Mississippi State’s air raid offense.
“He played well the last game,” Saban said as he continued to praise Ricks’ performance. “so hopefully he can build on that but I think it’s important that he goes in this game and be himself.”
Ricks will face his former teammates for the first time since transferring this week at Baton Rogue.
Scott Green has been covering and following college football since 2017. After primarily covering the Georgia Bulldogs, Scott began to branch out and build relationships with other national media members. He played football and graduated from the LaGrange College in 2014. He currently is enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard after deploying with them in 2019 to Afghanistan.
