Alabama head coach Nick Saban is pleased with Eli Ricks in spring practice.
On Wednesday, he singled out Ricks in discussing how the transfer cornerback is ‘picking up things’ quickly. He suffered a shoulder injury in 2021 at Louisiana State University, but Ricks is gaining the weight back that he lost. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder showed he is an elite defender in 16 games for the Tigers. Ricks totaled 31 tackles, six pass breakups, and five interceptions, including four as a freshman in 2020.
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Henry To’oto’o arrived as a transfer via the University of Tennessee last summer.
It was hard for him to be vocal and play dominant football at first, but he ended with 113 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two quarterback pressures, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble in 15 games. To’oto’o earned second-team All-SEC honors after his first season playing middle linebacker in Tuscaloosa. He has provided Ricks with sound advice coming in.
“I told him to come in and do work,” To’oto’o said to reporters on Friday about the advice he shared to Ricks. “He asks me a lot of questions about how the transition was for me, and I told him to come in and work. Never change who you are, but be able to adapt to the culture here.”
Ricks is talented, but To’oto’o said he has qualities that make him a ‘good addition’ to Alabama’s defense and the team.
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“He works hard,” To’oto’o said of Ricks. “Since he came in, he wanted to learn. He wanted to work out in the weight room. He wants to get off-field work. He’s always in the training room. When I’m in there, I see him. It’s those things that you notice about guys like him.”
Ricks is all in on hard work, and Saban likes that. He expects to win one of the two starting positions at cornerback.
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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 @CoachingMSmith.
