College football’s 10 most important freshmen in 2015

With Cameron Sims recovering from a torn ACL, Ridley has a chance to step in right away and make an immediate impact and be the top target for whoever wins the quarterback job for Alabama. Don’t be surprised if he tops 1,000 yards and leads the Tide in receiving. He won’t be what Cooper was last year, but he can produce the 58 catches for 999 yards and 11 touchdowns that Cooper had as a freshman in 2012.

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Calvin Ridley

WR, Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide lost Biletnikoff Award winner Amari Cooper to the NFL Draft after last season but could have his replacement in Calvin Ridley. The 6-1, 188-pound Ridley is built similarly to Cooper and was the nation’s No. 11 overall recruit and No. 1 receiver, so his potential is there to be the next Cooper.

Ridley isn’t your normal freshman either since he’s already five months shy of his 21st birthday so he has the physical maturity you don’t see from 18 and 19-year-old freshmen out of high school. Alabama has had the No. 1 recruiting class for four years in a row, but they’ve missed on some highly ranked receivers like Robert Foster and Chris Black, so they need Ridley to be a home run.

With Cameron Sims recovering from a torn ACL, Ridley has a chance to step in right away and make an immediate impact and be the top target for whoever wins the quarterback job for Alabama. Don’t be surprised if he tops 1,000 yards and leads the Tide in receiving. He won’t be what Cooper was last year, but he can produce the 58 catches for 999 yards and 11 touchdowns that Cooper had as a freshman in 2012.

Next: Josh Rosen