Former Alabama receiver Amari Cooper was not joking when he told the cast of ESPN’s First Take that Calvin Ridley would be special. College football analysts and fans alike aren’t sure if he’ll be better than Cooper for the Crimson Tide, but Ridley is surely giving it a valiant effort.
Since arriving in the 2015 signing class, the five-star has done nothing but execute clean routes, catch touchdown passes and frustrate defensive backs.
He’s become the primary weapon for sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts, reeling in 15 passes for 219 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Ridley’s 92 yards on three catches versus Colorado State over the weekend made him the fifth player in Alabama football history to record 2,000 career receiving yards.
78-Yard Td! @JalenHurts 2 @CalvinRidley1 #BamaColoradoSt pic.twitter.com/aGGB0stQqB
— InsideBamaRecruiting (@RTRnews) September 16, 2017
His 78-yard catch and burst to pay dirt in the first quarter against the Rams was a big part of netting him 2,033 yards through three seasons. While he joins Cooper, D.J. Hall, Julio Jones and Ozzie Newsome in the yards category, Ridley now has 16 career touchdown catches – moving him into a tie for fourth all-time with Newsome.
He has an opportunity to stand behind only Cooper in both receiving yards and touchdowns by the time this football season ends.
Ridley is currently 37 yards away from being fourth all-time.
After helping the Tide earn a 41-23 victory over Colorado State, he and the rest of the offense will return to practice on Monday to start game planning for Vanderbilt on the road.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
