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Saturday, June 29, 2013

2013 Season Countdown: #61 Terry Richardson

Terry Richardson
Name: Terry Richardson
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 162 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Cornerback
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #13
Last year: I ranked Richardson #73 and said he would redshirt. He played a minimal amount of time as a backup cornerback and on special teams.

Going into the 2012 season, I really thought Richardson was likely to redshirt. After all, Michigan returned two starters, nickel corner Courtney Avery, and some lightly seasoned backups. I'm not sure how much good it does to throw a guy out there who's 160 lbs. and not lightning with the ball in his hands, but the coaches did it four times anyway . . . and Richardson didn't factor into the stat sheet at all. In the spring game, he still looked pretty frail and unready to mix it up with the big boys.

Michigan once again returns two starting cornerbacks: 2012 starter Raymon Taylor and 2011 starter Blake Countess, the latter of whom missed virtually all of last season with a torn ACL. And Courtney Avery looks to be competing on the outside rather than returning as the nickel corner, so there's lots of competition for the cornerback spots. Fellow Cass Tech Technician Delonte Hollowell seemed to be higher on the depth chart than Richardson in the spring, so it will be an uphill battle for playing time. Despite lacking some size, Richardson has some talent as a returner and was pretty good in coverage coming out of high school. He won't earn a starting job, and he probably won't be a primary backup, but the coaches burned his redshirt for a reason; I'm assuming he'll get a little bit of run at the field corner position in garbage time and some special teams coverage duties.

Prediction: Backup cornerback, special teamer

4 comments:

  1. I'm starting to wonder if Terry has the frame/body type to put on more good weight. At 160 lb, I know I wouldn't want to meet a 220lb ball of muscle running back head on.

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  2. Has any Cass Tech player ever lived up to the hype. I mean, I appreciate having a pipeline that consistently pumps out D1 talent. But it feels like we should dock a star from every player coming out of that school. Is it an issue with the coaches at Cass Tech?

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    Replies
    1. It should be a recognizable rule that players often don't live up to their star potential, and some overachieve. I think we're in the midst of a streak of players not living up to the hype, but the law of averages suggests that one or two will do so at some point. Joe Barksdale was a 4-star OL and turned into a 3rd round NFL Draft pick. Vernon Gholston was a 4-star DE and turned into a 1st round NFL Draft pick. Barksdale met the expectation, and Gholston overachieved. William Campbell underachieved at Michigan, but he still turned into a 5th round draft pick. Boubacar Cissoko was obviously a flop. It's been a mixed bag, as it will be with just about every school's products.

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    2. Thomas Gordon

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