Riddick’s Return Could Elevate Tigers Defense

The Tigers’ defense is flying high, ranked third nationally, thanks in part to stalwart Xavier Atkins—but the real story might be Demarcus Riddick, the bruising junior linebacker returning from shoulder surgery. Once a four-star freshman sensation who earned All-SEC honors with 27 tackles and nine starts, Riddick’s sophomore season was derailed by injury. Now, seven months post-op, he’s poised to reclaim his form and form a fearsome duo with Atkins. His loyalty to the program—staying despite other big recruits leaving—signals he’s all-in on building something special on the Plains. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/a5294a04df2301eb