It was evident from the very beginning.

The first time Calvin Ridley caught a slant at Monarch (Fla.) High School, he hauled in the pass in between a linebacker, a safety and a corner. The speedy wideout split the trio of defenders and outran all three for a touchdown. That was the moment former Monarch head coach Calvin Davis knew he had a special player on his hands in the now-Alabama receiver.

“He can be in a small space and just get out,” Davis told BamaOnLine. “Those are the type of things that are on another level that remind you of him every time you think about him and what he did in high school.”

Alabama’s 2015 season was a breakout year for Ridley. As a true freshman, he cemented his name in the Crimson Tide record book and became one of the most-electrifying players in all of college football during Alabama’s march to a national championship. But his ascent came as no surprise to those that watched him blossom into a five-star prospect in south Florida.

As his sophomore season is set to begin tomorrow, Ridley will look to duplicate his numbers from a year ago. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound receiver led the Tide in receptions (89), receiving yards (1,045) and receiving touchdowns (7) in 2015 after replacing Robert Foster in the starting lineup in Week 4 and becoming Lane Kiffin’s favorite weapon by way of the deep ball.

He will attempt to do that with a new quarterback, a new approach to run blocking and with an added responsibility on the field this fall. But Ridley has shown no signs of slowing down, even in the eyes of head coach Nick Saban.

"He’s one of those guys that we talk about mature competitors, young guys, he showed that last year and was very, very productive,” Saban said. “Made great improvement throughout the season and ended up having great production. Made a lot of big plays. He’s a hard guy to cover. He’s gotten a little bigger and stronger and he certainly has big-play potential.

“I have not seen any sort of attitude out of him that he’s not still working hard, still trying to get better, and he’s doing all the things that he needs to do to be a dominant player at his position. And hopefully we’ll be able to see great production from him this year.”

THE MORE TOUCHES THE BETTER

Ridley caught the ninth-most passes in the country a season ago, but the amount of times he touches the ball could increase in 2016. When Alabama released its depth chart Monday, Ridley was listed as the first-team punt returner, replacing Cyrus Jones. But his new responsibility as a return man will be new territory, as he did not field punts in his high school career.

“I wouldn’t let him do it in high school,” Davis said. “No, he didn’t do it in high school. He returned kickoffs but not punts. It’ll be new to him, but I’m sure he’s learned all that because he wants to be great. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Ridley watched Jones in practice last year as he developed into an electrifying return man for the Tide and led the nation with four punts returned for touchdowns a season ago. He observed how Jones, who will return punts for the New England Patriots this year, caught the ball and maneuvered through the opposing coverage at practice and has used that this fall.

“When I first got here, I wasn’t too good at catching it,” Ridley said. “And then Cyrus, I used to see what he did to square up on the ball and stuff. And Coach Saban gave me a few pointers, so I’m pretty confident.”

While he does not have any game experience returning punts, Ridley quickly added kickoff return specialist to his resume in Coconut Creek, Fla. Just like his tenure at receiver, the Florida native did not wait to take a kickoff to the house.

“The first one he ever caught for us,” Davis said. “When I knew he was good player but I didn’t know he was a great player, the first one he touched, he took it back 95 yards in his first high school game for us.”

With a productive season at both receiver and punt returner, Ridley could make a case for the Heisman Trophy. Former Alabama wideout Amari Cooper finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2014 in Kiffin’s offense, but he only saw the field on the offensive side of the football. More touches could help Ridley earn an invitation to New York, if he produces at both positions.

The last receiver to win the Heisman was Michigan’s Desmond Howard, who won the award in 1991. The now-ESPN analyst caught 61 passes for 960 yards and 19 touchdowns, rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries and averaged 15.3 yards on punt returns and 31 yards on kickoff returns with a touchdown in each respective return category.

Saban’s reasoning may not be to have another player represent the Tide at the Heisman ceremony, but the decision to place Ridley back deep to return punts shows he is not afraid to play his best players on special teams.

“He’s a very talented guy. He’s got great quickness,” Saban said of Ridley. “I think the most important thing about punt return is putting a guy back there that has really good judgment, especially in this day and age when people rugby punt and the balls can be difficult to field. He does a really good job of that. He’s got good judgment, he’s got some experience, he’s explosive as a returner. We’re excited to see how he does in that role.”

MARQUEE MATCHUP IN SEASON OPENER

No one is questioning Ridley’s ability to duplicate his numbers from last year, even with the Tide boasting one of the best and deepest receiving corps in the nation. But he will be tested in the very first game of the season.

USC could try to shadow Ridley with preseason All-America cornerback Adoree’ Jackson in Saturday’s season opener in Arlington, matching Alabama’s top receiver from a season ago with its top cover corner. According to the Los Angeles Times, Jackson is “not scared” by the task of covering Ridley. He’s even lobbied to follow him. “I'm not backing down from anybody.”

Ridley, a quiet guy when he steps on the gridiron, took a less direct approach when asked about the possibility of facing Jackson on every play. “I know that he’s a very, very good corner, one of the best in the country.”

“They have a lot of good corners on their team. Obviously he’s one of the best,” Ridley said of Jackson. “But it doesn’t really do too much to me. I’m just going to stick with what our coaches have as far as the game plan. I’m excited for whoever’s gonna cover me, but I’m just going to stick to the game plan that our coaches have for us.”

In high school, Ridley did not face many marquee matchups like the Alabama-USC game could present with Jackson. “He pretty much dominated the way you think a five-star would dominate in high school. It wasn’t even close,” Davis said. His biggest test came against Miramar (Fla.) High School’s Tyrek Cole, who was a one-time West Virginia Mountaineer.

Outside of that, the toughest challenge Ridley faced in his prep career was on the practice field in teammate and South Florida cornerback Ronnie Hoggins. That’s why Ridley versus Jackson could be the key matchup in Saturday’s game.

“I love it,” Davis said. “It gets me excited just hearing that because I wouldn’t think he would back down because he’s one of the top corners in the country. You want to go against the best. So I think it’s gonna be a great matchup. Of course, I’m rooting for Calvin, but I think it’ll be a great matchup. I think they’ll both bring everything they’ve got.”

COMPARED TO FORMER USC ALL-AMERICAN

Because of the season he put together last year as a true freshman, Ridley drew comparisons to former Alabama star Amari Cooper. And as much as Saban dislikes comparisons, this one actually holds some merit.

Making his way through the route tree, Ridley moves like the now-Oakland Raider. While both of them stand at 6-foot-1, Cooper obviously outweighs the sophomore by a few pounds, and their UA careers started off as mirror images.

Cooper’s breakout game as a true freshman came in the fifth game of the 2012 season. He hauled in eight catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns against Ole Miss and saw his playing time and targets increase following an injury to the older and more experienced DeAndrew White. That season made him the top receiving target the next two years.

Ridley’s fifth game occurred against Georgia, where he recorded 120 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. His playing time and targets also increased because of an injury to an older teammate in Foster.

“I don’t really see much of a comparison,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said, echoing Saban’s sentiment on comparing players. “I think, to me, every person’s their own person. Coop was a great player, and so is Calvin.”

But the latest comparison makes just as much sense as the similarities between Ridley and Cooper. USC head coach Clay Helton compared the sophomore wideout to a former USC star that flourished under Kiffin’s tutelage.

“He’s beyond dangerous,” Helton said of Ridley. “He reminds me so much of Marqise Lee when Marqise was here because of his ability, not just to make the deep-ball plays, but also his ability to catch short and run long. He’s so dangerous with yards after the catch. He’s got that unique quality of being able to do both.”

Lee, who stands at 6-foot, registered 191 catches for 2,864 yards and 18 touchdowns in his two seasons with Kiffin as his head coach, including 118 catches for 1,721 yards and 13 scores as a sophomore in 2012 for the Trojans.

They are both the go-to players in Kiffin’s early-touchdown-celebration offense, and when they get their hands on the football, people pay attention. And that could be the case more often in 2016 for the Crimson Tide star, now that his plate will be filled with even more chances to touch the football. “You hold your breath every time he touches it,” Helton said of Ridley.

“Any time he touches it, he can go the distance or he can get over the top of pretty much any defense,” Davis said. “At any time during the game, yeah, you hold your breath because he can change the game.”

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