Calvin Ridley

Early life

Calvin Orin Ridley was born to Colin Ridley and Kay Daniels in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on December 20, 1994. He is the eldest of 4 brothers. His younger brother, Riley Ridley, played college football for Georgia and was selected in the 4th round of the 2019 NFL draft. In 2002, Ridley and his younger brothers were taken to a foster home after their father was deported back to Guyana and their mother was imprisoned.

When he was younger, Ridley played Pop Warner football in the same league as Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown and cornerback Trayvon Mullen, in the Pompano Beach area of Florida just four miles from the high school he would attend. Ridley attended Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he played high school football for the Knights. He played only three games in his senior year due to Florida age restriction rules, which doesn't allow anyone over the age of 19 and nine months to be eligible.

Ridley was rated as a five-star recruit and was considered the best receiver in the class of 2015 according to 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN. He committed to the University of Alabama to play college football on April 19, 2014. He began enrollment at Alabama on June 19, 2015.

College career

Ridley attended and played college football at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban from 2015 to 2017.

Ridley earned immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2015. In his first career game on September 5, 2015, he had three receptions for 22 yards against the University of Wisconsin. He scored his first collegiate touchdown in a victory over Louisiana-Monroe on September 26. In the following game, against Georgia, he had five receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown in the victory. He followed that up with 140 receiving yards and a touchdown in a victory over Arkansas. In the SEC Championship against Florida, he had eight receptions for 102 yards in the victory. The Alabama Crimson Tide made the College Football Playoff. In the 38–0 victory over Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl, he had 138 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In the National Championship against Clemson, he was held to six receptions for 14 yards but the Crimson Tide won the National Championship by a score of 45–40. Ridley led the SEC in receptions with 89 in 2015.

In the 2016 season, Ridley remained a strong threat for the Crimson Tide. In the second game of the season, he had nine receptions for 129 receiving yards and a touchdown against Western Kentucky. On October 1, Ridley hauled in 11 receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns against the University of Kentucky. His 11 receptions, 174 yards, and two touchdowns were career highs. Over the remainder of the 2016 season, he had 41 receptions for 371 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Alabama once again won the SEC Championship and made the College Football Playoff. However, they fell to Clemson in a rematch in the National Championship.

In the 2017 season, Ridley started off strong with seven receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown in the 24–7 victory over Florida State. On November 11, against Mississippi State, he had five receptions for 171 receiving yards in the victory. Alabama made the College Football Playoff once again in the 2017 season. In the National Semifinal, Ridley had four receptions for 39 yards in the Sugar Bowl. In the National Championship against Georgia, he had four receptions for 32 yards and the late game-tying touchdown to help force overtime in the 26–23 victory.

On January 10, 2018, it was announced that Ridley would forgo his senior year at Alabama in favor of the 2018 NFL draft.

Personal life

Ridley is married and has a daughter who was born in 2020.

On September 12, 2021, the Ridley's home was burgled while he was playing against the Philadelphia Eagles. Ridley developed anxiety following the robbery.