Two weeks ago, Eli Ricks watched on the sideline as Tennessee thrashed Alabama for 385 yards and five touchdowns through the air. The prized LSU transfer didn’t play a down during the Crimson Tide’s 52-49 defeat inside Neyland Stadium that afternoon.
Two weeks later, he might be the piece Alabama’s defense is looking for as it looks to return to its dominant ways.
After playing sparingly on defense for much of the season, Ricks made his starting debut for the Crimson Tide during its 30-6 victory over Mississippi State. The junior took advantage of the opportunity, recording four pass deflections while allowing just one reception for 19 yards on the 10 balls thrown his way.
So what led to Ricks’ breakout performance, and why wasn’t Alabama utilizing the 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback more earlier this season?
“Eli just had to go through a lot of transitions here in terms of what he had learned before and trying to learn our system and getting confident in it,” Nick Saban explained during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “We always thought he could be a really good player. I thought he played well in the last game. Hopefully, he’ll be able to build on that and stay focused on the things that he needs to do to execute well at his position.”
Ricks will likely retain his newfound starting spot this week as he returns to his old stomping grounds for No. 6 Alabama’s trip to No. 10 LSU. That’s fitting as there isn’t a better venue than Tiger Stadium for the five-star cornerback to continue to rediscover the form that made him a household name heading into this season.
Ricks joined Alabama this offseason as one of the biggest names in the transfer portal. During his two seasons at LSU, he piled up a combined five interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, while recording 13 starts over 16 games.
After earning SEC All-Freshman honors in 2020, Ricks was LSU’s top cornerback last season before a shoulder surgery cut his season short after six games. Ultimately, that setback led to his slow start at Alabama as he was limited in the Crimson Tide’s spring camp before struggling to master the defense to begin the fall.
Eight games into the season, it appears as though the light bulb has finally switched on.
“I think fundamentally we worked really hard to get Eli to understand the expectation for what we want him to do, to have a good understanding of the scheme of how we’re playing and what we’re playing,” Saban said Monday. “I think he’s developed confidence throughout the season as he’s learned more and gotten more comfortable.”
The progression has also been noticeable off the field as well.
"It's actually been pretty crazy because I've seen tremendous growth within Eli because of the emotional and mental battles he had to go through while being at Alabama it's tough,” tight end Cameron Latu said. “I've seen a lot of growth in him. I'm proud of him and he's a big part of the team."
Ricks has appeared in seven games for Alabama, earning a 79.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus while allowing just two receptions for 29 yards on 13 balls thrown his way. Opposing quarterbacks are registering a 39.6 NFL pass rating when targeting him — the same rating they’d get if they would have just spiked the ball into the ground instead.
"I think his numbers speak for itself," linebacker To'oTo'o said. "Definitely being out there and being able to celebrate with him and see all his hard work pay off. Eli's a guy who comes in every single day and works his tail off. He’s been in the film room, been in the weight room, been with the athletic staff to be able to make the plays you guys see on Saturdays.”
Despite his limited role so far this season, Ricks is still projected as someone who could be making plays on Sunday next year. The junior finds himself listed in the first round of several NFL mock drafts as analysts project his mixture of size and athleticism to translate well to the next level.
Ricks will have the chance to back up those projections this week as Alabama goes up against red-hot LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has completed 73.3% (44 of 60) of his passes for a combined 597 yards and five touchdowns without an interception over his last two games against Ole Miss and Florida. The Tigers are averaging 266.9 yards per game through the air and feature four receivers with 280 receiving yards or more this season.
“I think it’s important that he just goes into this game and bees himself and doesn’t think he has to do something fantastic just because he’s playing against a team he used to play for,” Saban said. “I think that’s always important psychologically for guys to be able to focus on what’s in front of them and do their job well.”
Alabama (7-1, 4-1 in the SEC) and LSU (6-2, 4-1) are set to kick off on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT inside Tiger Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN.
