Calvin Ridley wasn’t the first five-star receiver ever to sign with Alabama.
Ridley was, however, the first five-star to follow Amari Cooper, a five-star who set a Southeastern Conference record with 124 catches during the 2014 season and a Crimson Tide record with 1,727 yards. Cooper was selected fourth overall in the NFL draft last spring by the Oakland Raiders and is a strong candidate for rookie of the year.
“I never felt any pressure,” Ridley said, “but it did make me want to get out there that much more.”
Ridley has followed the strongest season in Alabama receiving history with a banner year of his own, having caught 75 passes for 893 yards and five touchdowns heading into Thursday night’s national semifinal showdown against Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder from Coconut Creek, Fla., ranks third in the SEC in receptions and fifth in receiving yardage.
His favorite catch of his freshman year, an 81-yard touchdown from Jake Coker late in the third quarter against Arkansas that turned a 7-3 deficit into an eventual 27-14 win, is the second longest for an SEC team this year.
“Calvin has done a great job for us, and he was not a midyear January enrollee,” Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said this week in a news conference. “We did not get him this spring, and that’s a very hard transition to go from high school right into playing. He started off sharing time with Robert Foster, and when Robert went down, he stepped up as the starter.”
Said sophomore ArDarius Stewart, the team’s second-leading receiver: “He’s tough and he’s quick, and he can make big plays. I’m proud of him coming in as a true freshman and being such a team player.”
Ridley was rated last winter as the No. 1 receiver nationally by ESPN, Rivals.com and 247Sports.com. He played only three games as a Monarch High senior but caught 18 throws for 420 yards and four touchdowns.
It was after three games this season that Ridley became a fixture in the starting lineup, with Foster suffering a torn rotator cuff in the 43-37 loss to Ole Miss. He insists that was not any kind of turning point.
“The coaches didn’t tell me anything different,” Ridley said. “I just went out there as the next guy and played and did what I had to do. They have faith in whoever plays.”
Ridley has three 100-yard games so far, with 120 against Georgia, 140 against Arkansas and 102 against Florida in the SEC title game. He came close on two other occasions, netting 88 against Tennessee and 90 against Auburn.
“He really doesn’t rotate,” Kiffin said. “He plays about 95 percent of our snaps, and it’s something to see him be able to do that throughout the year in the SEC against some really good football players, like (Florida junior cornerback) Vernon Hargreaves in the last game.
“He’s really had a good year, and I think he will only continue to get better and better.”
Alabama held its final Cotton Bowl practice Tuesday, working out for two hours.
A 107-yard game Thursday night would give Ridley 1,000 yards for the season, which is where Cooper wound up as a freshman in 2012.
“I’m having fun, and that’s all the matters,” Ridley said. “I knew I could play like this.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.