A-List No. 13: Oregon commit Trikweze Bridges not afraid of unconventional path

The A-List counts down AL.com's top 15 senior football prospects in the state.

Lanett four-star safety Trikweze Bridges grew up an Alabama fan. He had an offer from the Crimson Tide and a chance to live a dream.

But when it came time to release his list of five finalists June 5, Alabama was noticeably absent. Instead, Bridges, No. 13 on the AL.com A-List rankings of the state's top senior recruits, had narrowed his potential choices to Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon and Penn State. He committed to the Ducks on July 23.

Those who know Bridges best weren't surprised by his interest in schools far from home.

"I think Trikweze is the kind of kid who likes to go against the grain and do things a little different," Lanett coach Cliff Story said. "Alabama gets their pick of the litter. He's just one of those kids who wanted to make his own way. A lot of other schools have spent more time with him, recruiting-wise. He didn't really camp a lot with Alabama or get on their campus as much as he could have, so it was one of those things where recruiting fell a different way for him."

Bridges' cousin, Jacksonville State junior All-American safety Marlon Bridges, advised Trikweze (pronounced "Try-quez") to take the recruiting process easy and pray about the decision.

"He kind of wanted to explore a little bit," Marlon said. "He'll be just fine; he knows how to handle it."

For Trikweze, the decision not to pursue a future at Alabama also had to do with the loss of a personal connection in January.

"I know that it's a great school and gets people to the league. I don't have anything against the school," said Trikweze (6-3, 187), who is rated the No. 29 safety in the nation by the 247Sports Composite. "I feel like when (defensive backs) coach (Derrick) Ainsley went to the Raiders, everything was different, recruitment-wise. I wasn't feeling the love like I was with coach Ainsley. He and I had a great relationship; he was my recruiter and my position coach."

'No days off'

The scene wasn't uncommon during the offseason. Trikweze would be at home and get a call from Marlon.

"What are you doing?," Marlon asked. "Nothing, just watching TV," Trikweze answered. "Let's go work out," Marlon insisted.

"When he comes, it's two workouts a day," Trikweze said. "He's a great impact in my life."

"No days off," Marlon said. "We're trying to get somewhere that we've seen people in our family get."

Marlon is referring to the family's tradition of gridiron success. Trikweze's maternal grandfather, Perry Griggs, is a Troy legend who spent a season as a receiver with the Baltimore Colts. Trikweze's cousin, Josh Evans, played defensive tackle at UAB and spent nine years in the NFL, including a start in Super Bowl XXXIV for the Tennessee Titans. Trikweze's father, Tremayne, was a receiver and punt returner at Florida A&M.

"We have a football family," said Marlon, who is related to Evans and former Alabama and NFL defensive end John Copeland. "I always tell Trikweze, 'Put your mind to it and you can do it.' That's why he became the player he became. I just love him. Committing to Oregon was big for the family; everyone is supporting him and he's going to do great things."

And its not just the men in the family who excelled. Trikweze's mom, Marcilyn Patrick, played guard on the Lanett girls basketball team.

"Basically, my whole family grew up playing sports," said Trikweze, who was a member of Lanett's state championship basketball teams the past three seasons. "My mom was a great basketball player. I was born an athlete."

Trikweze has a tight bond with his mother. She remains his greatest inspiration.

"She's a single parent of three and I see how she has to do everything on her own," Trikweze said. "I just want to help her. Sometimes I'll ask for something and she'll say, 'I can't get it right now.' I tell her that I understand. I just motivate myself to get to the next level and do it the right way because I want to make my momma happy."

Leaving a legacy

When Trikweze first set foot on the varsity practice field as a freshman, he was a lanky youngster weighing between 140-150 pounds.

"I told him, 'Man, you're really going to have to put some weight on and you're going to have to do certain things to be elite,'" Story said. "And he's done it; he's matured on and off the field. He grew mentally and physically."

Bridges' breakthrough came last season as a two-way standout during Lanett's undefeated run to the Class 2A state championship. From his safety spot, he recorded 104 tackles and 10 interceptions in 15 games. As a receiver, he caught 37 passes for 862 yards and nine touchdowns. He mad six tackles and caught three passes in the Panthers' 33-15 win over Leroy in the state title game.

"He's a leader," Story said. "You could see it early on, but he has really stepped up his leadership role. He's given advice and taken advice. He's coaching the kids and he's making our jobs a lot easier because he's making defensive adjustments in the back end and helping receivers run the correct routes."

Being a major recruit in a town with a population of just over 6,000 made Trikweze a celebrity of sorts. "It's crazy because everybody knows my face," he said. Even with all the attention from college coaches and locals, Story feels that Trikweze never abandoned his humble nature.

"Sometimes guys get on that national level and start thinking that they've gotten beyond the program," Story said. "He doesn't think like that. He's still involved with the kids; he loves to hang out with the guys."

Bridges is being looked to even more as a leader in his senior year. He'll have a bigger role on offense following the graduation of leading receiver Anquaevious Pollard, and Story challenged Bridges to "leave a legacy" in the secondary and noted that Bridges takes time out of practice to work with underclassmen on drills and coverages.

"I'm always going to try to make sure they're doing the right thing," Bridges said. "The backups have to be ready. I wanted to prepare them and let them see the things I see. Once I leave, the same thing will continue."

Bridges' helping nature doesn't end on the playing field. He wants to be part of his community, as shown last August when he and teammates greeted elementary students arriving for the start of the school year.

"When I have something, I definitely give something back," Bridges said. "There's a lot of kids around here who don't have anything, and they look up to me."

Bridges' attitude and actions haven't gone unnoticed.

"If I had a daughter his age," Story said, "I'd tell her, 'Hey, I've got a guy I want you to meet.'"

Daniel Boyette covers Huntsville Region high school sports for AL.com.

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