Went to Alabama this morning to watch Demarcus Riddick’s practice.
I’ll have a full story coming with quotes from Riddick soon. But here are some things I gathered in speaking with people around Chilton County.
First, I think is really a Georgia-Alabama battle as we’ve thought. Auburn will get an official visit this weekend, but the Tigers don’t appear to have too much of a chance.
We reported over the weekend that Georgia helped its cause with the official visit. Riddick told me that in his meeting with Kirby Smart, the Georgia head coach emphasized that Georgia is home. Riddick said he also feels at home at other schools, but added there’s something different about Georgia that he just can’t explain. He stumbled and tried to put his finger on it, but finally just had to conclude that Athens is different.
In learning a little bit more about Riddick, he has always been one that has embraced the recruiting process. People I talked to recalled him wanting to take official visits as a freshman once he saw teammates posting pictures from the OVs they were taking. The part of the process he is in right now is one that he has looked forward to for a long time.
That said, Georgia has done a fantastic job of weathering the storm. We’ve all seen Riddick on Alabama’s campus multiple times, riding in the Mercedes with Nick Saban, etc etc. Yet Riddick remains on Georgia’s commit list.
If I can inject my personal opinion for a moment, I believe that if Riddick was going to flip it would have already happened. Alabama used up a lot of bullets this spring. Once you’ve used the Mercedes ride with Saban, what else do you have in the bag for an official visit?
That said, Riddick is giving Alabama and Auburn a fair shot. Auburn’s OV is this weekend, Alabama’s is next weekend. From what I’ve gathered, it’s going to take something absolutely off the charts, over the moon to flip Riddick at this point.
It’s certainly not over by any means. But right now, my money is on Riddick to remain in Georgia’s class.
A final decision will come July 26, on his mother’s birthday.
