Calvin Orin Ridley (born December 20, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Falcons in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
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.
Ridley attended and played college football at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban. 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.