Ridley: Silent but deadly
Calvin Ridley doesn’t like to be around other people before games, nor does he listen to music as a pregame boost.
Instead, the University of Alabama wide receiver talks to himself. He doesn’t even bother with headphones to keep up a pretense.
“I guess I just tell myself I’m a good player,” Ridley said. “I can do this.”
He’s right. He can.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pound sophomore playmaker has tallied 43 receptions so far this season for 504 yards. He has had two games with more than 100 receiving yards – 129 against Western Kentucky and 174 versus Kentucky.
Although he is leading the Crimson Tide, Ridley’s numbers don’t stack up to what they were last season. There’s not a large difference overall, but he hasn’t had nearly as many successful deep shots. His longest has been 51 yards, falling 30 yards short of last season’s highlight reception.
“It’s not that we haven’t tried at times,” coach Nick Saban said. “We just haven’t succeeded, but he’s handling it very well.”
Ridley is working to fix that, too. He stays after practice and repetitively runs through deep routes.
Looking back at previous attempts, Ridley knows he needs to sync up with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“Sometimes I might not run fast enough or he might throw it farther,” Ridley said. “It’s just being more consistent with each other in practice.”
At this point last season, Ridley had 45 receptions for 525 yards. By the end, the former five-star recruit set a UA freshman record with 89 receptions for 1,045 yards.
Ridley immediately proved he could catch the ball, recording three receptions in his collegiate debut, but now he is showing he can help in other aspects. During Alabama’s most recent game against Texas A&M, Saban noticed Ridley’s effort even when the team ran the ball.
“You’d say this guy was shot out of a cannon, trying to get over there and block somebody,” Saban said. “He’s actually doing the things that he needs to do to help the team try to be successful.”
That includes transforming into a running back when needed. Ridley has rushed five times for 21 yards and a touchdown. He only carried the ball once last season for 2 yards.
Although he’s practicing explosive plays, Ridley doesn’t mind when the action isn’t centered around him. He’s a team player.
“Even if he doesn’t get all the touches that he thinks he should or whatever, he hasn’t said anything to anyone,” offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher said. “He hasn’t been complaining. He comes out and just works hard every day.”
The work ethic Ridley shows reminds Pierschbacher of Amari Cooper, who played at Alabama from 2012-14 before heading to the National Football League. It’s a weighted comparison, as Cooper holds the Alabama career receiving yards record with 3,463.
Much like Pierschbacher saw with Cooper, Ridley works his magic in silence.
“You get around him and he’ll start being loud and start yelling – just kind of the life of the party sometimes,” Pierschbacher said. “But on the field, he’s really quiet.”
Ridley lets his play speak for itself.