Calvin Ridley says younger brother Riley 'can definitely be as good as me'

Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley had plenty going on during the 2016 season but still made time to watch his younger brother break onto the college scene.

Calvin said he often watched Riley from Alabama’s hotel room during the freshman Georgia receiver’s big moments. The younger Ridley had 12 receptions -- including a would-be game winner against Tennessee -- for 238 yards and two touchdowns and showed he could potentially be on the same level as his brother.

According to Calvin, he may already be there.

“He’s his own man,” said Ridley, who had 769 receiving yards and seven touchdowns for the Crimson Tide in 2016. “He can definitely be as good as me. He’s as good as me.”

Riley’s offseason with the Bulldogs has not gone quite as planned thanks to his misdemeanor possession of marijuana arrest March 11. Calvin explained he gave his younger brother some advice on how to handle his business going forward.

“I really don’t think (the incident) was what it seemed to be, but I just told him, ‘You’ve got to stay focused,’” Ridley said. “‘You’ve got a goal you want to get to. We need you to be good and not get in trouble.’”

Calvin said his brother had a solid debut with the Bulldogs but was candid in saying he thought he could do a lot better. He said Riley has taken the same mindset, something Calvin believes his brother must do to maximize his ability.

“He definitely understands,” Ridley said. “He knows what he has to do to be one of the top leading receivers.

“I think he can do it, too.”

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Calvin Ridley says younger brother Riley 'can definitely be as good as me'."