It was not a difficult decision for the first round of the Las Vegas Raiders Henry Ruggs III, which Alabama opted for more than one other offering as one of the top recipients in the country during the 2017 recruiting cycle. Ruggs said within the Top 100 nationally as a four-star prospect per the 247Sports Composite, Ruggs said this week Alabama’s drive for success and camaraderie with recruits is what drew him to the Crimson Tide.
“Just by recruiting, you know the relationship you build with the boys and the coaches, everyone felt like a family feeling,” Ruggs said Wednesday in a video posted on social media channels Alabama. “When it came down to it, it felt like the best place for me. It felt more comfortable for my family and it was closer to home. Just having that feeling of home in myself and my family, I mean, you can not go against that. . ”
As a junior at Alabama last season, the Ruggs recorded 40 receptions for 746 yards (18.7 average) and seven touchdowns. Over the course of his three-year career with the Crimson Tide, which includes 40 games from 2017-19, he compiled 98 catches for 1,716 yards (17.5 average) and 24 scores.
Ruggs says one victory in his time on the program is the most missed.
“My favorite memory was New Year’s, that national championship game,” Ruggs said. “Go in half, I’m obviously crazy because I feel like I have to play more. Just to see the news class step up and make plays. Just saw that everyone contributed. When we went back in ‘ the meeting room, Coach said this is probably the best news class we’ve ever recruited.
Why Bama – First round pick Henry Ruggs III
“It just felt like a family … You can not resist” – @__RUGGS#BamaFactor #RollTide pic.twitter.com/0RDBaROV8r
– Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) August 19, 2020
Raiders coach Jon Gruden said this spring that Ruggs was the top player on his board and when he was starting to get first round, it was a no-brainer.
Ruggs’ speed stood out on film and his ability to retain formations and plays during the interview process made it easy on the franchise.
“We could really concentrate on Henry Ruggs, out of our house, making a specific spool to ask him specific questions. We even asked him to memorize formations and asked him to recreate it for us, and I don’t think we a receiver like anyone at any position performs better in terms of football intelligence than Henry Ruggs, “Gruden said. “A lot has to do with Alabama, playing the pro-style system. A lot has to really have to do with this guy having the ‘it’ factor. He loves it. He learns it fast. It comes easily to him.
“And we all know he’s physically fast. But if you find out he’s mentally fast, he can handle a lot of things. We think we have someone with the chance to be great. You remember Cliff Branch. You remember the “Speed factor with the Raiders. It’s something we need to get back into our organization and we think Ruggs will be a big part of that.”
