Ricks was a highly anticipated transfer from LSU, but his 2022 season didn't unfold the way he envisioned. He made five starts for the Tide towards the end of the year while playing in 10 games. He recorded eight tackles and four pass breakups this year.
Just because Saban is the undisputed best current coach in college football doesn't make him immune to criticism. Not playing Ricks may be a case where he deserves some.
Preseason All-American's usually don't fall off of trees and appear for the first time in week eight. However, the Alabama Crimson Tide continues to bear fruit from an everlasting tree. This time around, the tree produced five star, preseason All-American transfer cornerback Eli Ricks.
The Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1, 4-1) took care of business on Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium by beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-3, 2-3) by a pedestrian score of 30-6. The Tide was dominant defensively throughout the evening, keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard until the game's final play.
The Alabama Crimson Tide takes on the Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday, Oct. 15 at 2:30 p.m. in Knoxville. McKinstry and Arnold appear to have the starting cornerback positions locked down. It will be interesting to see how much impact Ricks might make on this Alabama defense going forward in 2022.
The Alabama Crimson Tide kicks off its 2022 campaign in five days against the Utah State Aggies in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama head coach Nick Saban released his initial depth chart of the season with a number of interesting notes.