Alabama's two new receivers are fast learners
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Calvin Ridley is a man of few words. Fortunately, there is only one the Alabama playmaker needs when describing the Crimson Tide’s two freshman arrivals at receiver this summer.
Fast.
Defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick used the same word when asked about speedsters Henry Ruggs and DeVonta Smith. While the pair of four-stars haven't drawn quite the same amount of attention as five-star early enrollee Jerry Jeudy, it hasn’t taken them long to turn heads either.
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“Fast, both have been really fast,” Fitzpatrick said during SEC Media Days. “I cover them every day, and I think they pose a real challenge. They’re quick, they’re fast, explosive down the field and they come in and out of their breaks like lightning. So, just covering them is getting me a lot better.”
Smith adds another electric option to an already dynamic receiving corps at Alabama. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound playmaker was rated as the No. 6 receiver and No. 42 player overall in the 2017 class and is said to have 4.46-speed in the 40-yard dash.
“This is a guy with an incredible talent, someone that we considered even for five-stars during the process,” Rivals national recruiting analyst Woody Womack said earlier this year. “He just shows big-play ability at the wide receiver position. He compares favorably to someone like Calvin Ridley.”
Ruggs, who ran a state-record time of 10.58 seconds in the 100-meter dash while in high school this spring, comes to the Tide as the No. 19 receiver and No. 125 player overall in the 2017 class. The 6-foot, 175-pound former track star told BamaInsider earlier this year he wants to add 15-20 pounds to his frame before heading into fall camp.
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If Ruggs is able to do that while maintaining his 4.35-speed in the 40-yard dash, he could break into Alabama’s wide receiver rotation early next season. While the Montgomery, Ala., native still has plenty of work left to do before he gets to that level, he will have the guidance of someone who has previously made that step.
Ridley holds Alabama’s freshman single-season receiving record with 1,045 yards in 2015. This season, the junior is doing his best to help his freshman teammates make a run at his mark.
“He’s a really fast player,” Ridley said of Ruggs. “He runs good routes, has nice hands. I’m out there helping him, so he’s going to be good.”
With the departure of ArDarius Stewart from last year’s team, Alabama will need Ridley to step up and become more of a vocal presence in the unit this season. Despite his generally soft-spoken nature, Ridley said he hasn’t experienced much difficulty carrying out his newfound duties.
“Our guys in my group, they really buy in and do the things they need to do,” Ridley said. “There were a couple of guys who liked to sleep in the meetings, so I had to get on them a little bit, but not too much.”
After all, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Alabama’s two newest additions are picking up the game quickly. That just seems to be the pace at which they operate.
"Those two guys, they work hard," Calvin Ridley said of Ruggs and Smith. "They come to the morning run and (will) be in the front. They run hard. They go to 7-on-7 and they catch the balls. They have fun, and they're just enjoying college right now."