ADELAIDE boom recruit Izak Rankine has backed himself to thrive under the spotlight and deliver on the big expectations that accompany his blockbuster trade.

The Crows sealed a deal with Gold Coast for the prodigiously talented South Australian on Tuesday, handing over pick No.5 and exchanging future later draft picks.

Rankine, the 2018 No.3 draft pick, signed a three-year deal with his hometown club and is about to be plunged fully into the footy-mad Adelaide fishbowl.

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But the 22-year-old expects to swim, not sink.

"That's when I play my best footy, with a bit of expectation," Rankine said.

"I'm just excited to get back here and play footy in front of my family and all my friends. Footy will take care of itself as long as I'm having fun.

"It's a game at the end of the day and you don't want to stress out about the little things, so I think being comfortable and around family is just going to help me play my best footy.

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"The expectation coming down here, a lot of media, a lot of fans have a lot of expectations, so I think that's just going to drive me to play even better and be better as a person and as a footballer."

Rankine confirmed the itch to return home had been sparked by having his family and friends in the Adelaide Oval rooms in the round 15 loss to Port Adelaide.

Once he'd made the call to request a move home in August, Rankine leaned on now-teammate Jordan Dawson as he awaited the official move.

Last year, Dawson requested and received a trade home from Sydney to Adelaide.

"Jordan Dawson's been a big help to me," Rankine said.

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"We've had a couple of phone conversations here and there and he went through a similar thing last year, so he's someone I've been gradually building a relationship with."

Dawson won the hearts and minds of the Crows faithful with his Showdown after-the-siren winner against Port Adelaide and Rankine was excited for his first taste of the blockbuster.

"To run out in front of 50,000 people, that gets me going a bit," he said.

Rankine's 2022 season was prematurely ended by a shoulder injury, but he expected to be ready to go by round one.