 |
| Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic cornerback Antwaine Richardson (image via Prepbuilders) |
Richardson is 6'0", 165 lbs. As a junior in 2014, he made 35 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 10 pass breakups. He claims a 33" vertical.
RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: 3-star CB
Scout: Unranked
247 Sports: 3-star, 86 grade, #81 CB, #822 overall
Richardson was a teammate of defensive end Shelton Johnson last season, who ended up signing with the Wolverines in February. Michigan was not on his radar much until they offered about a week ago during the Summer Swarm tour. The Wolverines leaped out to the lead in his recruitment, and there were rumors last weekend that he would commit. It took a little longer than some expected, but the news finally come today.
Richardson is lanky at just 165-170 lbs. but has good height for a cornerback. He is very physical for being so thin, and you can see in his highlights that he's not afraid to mix it up. He uses his hands well in press man coverage, and he makes hay by not letting guys off the line. Despite his thin frame, he is not afraid to step up in run support or lay a hit on an unsuspecting wideout. There are also some impressive clips of him jamming punt team gunners and blocking on the return team (check out the play at about 3:20 of the below highlights where he blocks three guys on one return).
Weight and strength are two obvious things that need to be improved on a player with his body. Richardson is also not the greatest athlete. He lacks great explosion and speed, and he has a bit of a hitch in his stride that may or may not be able to be worked out in training. He does not change direction particularly well, and he rises up too high when breaking out of his backpedal.
Overall, Richardson is a player who will need to pay strict attention to technique and responsibilities in order to max out his talent. He is not a dynamic athlete and cannot afford to make mental mistakes, but he already shows some good attention to detail. He is likely a boundary corner type of player, and in that respect, he reminds me somewhat of former Michigan cornerback J.T. Floyd. I could also see him playing some safety if corner doesn't work out. I do not see a high-ceiling player, but he can be a solid cog in a good defense if the other pieces are sound.
Michigan now has 11 commits in the 2016 class, a class that currently only has room for 15 players. He is the first defensive back in the class, although a couple other players (Kiante Enis, Chris Evans) could end up there eventually. The Wolverines are in pretty dire need of cornerbacks since the top three players at the position are upperclassmen and there are few options behind them. Michigan had never dipped into Atlantic High School until Johnson committed this past winter, but they have a solid program that produces a steady stream of talented players.
TTB Rating: 72 (ratings explanation)
I like the pickup. A solid but unspectacular player at a position of need, helps in establishing a pipeline to a football program that regularly churns out D1 recruits in FLA.
ReplyDeleteMagnus,
ReplyDeleteTwo questions. Do you think this is as much about M establishing a pipeline at a talent laden school in a talent laden area as it is about Richardson's ability to contribute down the road?
Also, do you think it is likely that Harbaugh is going to "sabanize" M a little bit. I know that is tough term, but it fits here. I think the turnover on the roster even after the transition period ends is going to be more that it was in years past. I think Harbaugh will be above board (unlike Saban and SEC) about the issue, but kids are going to be told early on that playing time is not likely to ever be there, serious injuries that don't heal are going to get kids medicaled and fifth years are going to be a lot harder to earn. I would like to bring this up on MgoBlog, but the topic seems verboten to many alum who are still living in 1982 and think all M has to do is show up and the talent will flow.
If this does happen, I think Harbaugh's ability to take "flyers: on kids like this, plus his ability to coach them up makes even more sense.
1. I do not think Harbaugh is the type of guy who will take players who can't play at Michigan just because they live in a certain area. I think Richardson is committed to Michigan because Harbaugh likes him just as much as he likes all the other guys he wants.
Delete2. I do think we'll see some more roster turnover than we did under, say, Hoke. I agree that I think he'll be more above board about it than Saban is, but Harbaugh's going to do it for different reasons. First of all, I think guys who have injuries that prevent them from playing are going to be advised to either recover elsewhere or to take medical scholarships. Second, I think he's going to have a stricter sense of discipline, so people who screw around in the classroom or off the field are going to get shipped out.
What does a pipeline mean?
Deleteklctlc wrote: "I would like to bring this up on MgoBlog, but the topic seems verboten to many alum who are still living in 1982 and think all M has to do is show up and the talent will flow."
DeleteWhat does that posture (which, by the way, is not very common on MGoBlog, where there aren't many "Blue Lot" types who are living in the past) have to do with how Harbaugh will manage his roster?
First off, I am not a fan of oversigning.
DeleteBut the posture you speak of is that many posters on mgoblog ( which is the greatest blog on the planet, no offense Magnus) are appalled that a coach might not renew a fifth year, might greyshirt or strongly suggest that a player look elsewhere if he wants playing time. As if we are playing by Marquess of Queensberry rules and if we can't win the same way we did 20 years ago, then they'd rather not win. I think Harbaugh can toe the line and be aggressive but upfront in his roster management.
I was wrong in the way I worded it, it sounds negative to Mgoblog, not my intent. I just don't see as many flaming responses here, plus I am a fan of NSFW.
My default position is to trust the coaches, and I'm impressed by the Miami and Wisconsin offers. That said, Michigan needs to add an elite cover corner after the last couple recruiting classes and Richardson seems more like a role player. Easier said than done of course, but there's a lot of time until signing day and even with a class of 25 or so, spots are limited.
ReplyDeleteI continue to be mildly disappointed in the recruits Harbaugh has landed since he arrived - but of course the Stanford history can not be ignored. I'm not going to stress about it because our coaching staff is pretty proven.
I don't think we'll get into a lot of 5-star or even high 4-star kids unless Harbaugh starts to win, which I believe he eventually will. He took down USC with a Stanford team that went 1-11 the year before in 2007.
DeleteThe competition for recruits is much more fierce, and I would be happy with this staff reeling in Rashan Gary (#1 guy in 2016, 5-star DT) for this year. Saban really wants him, too. Harbaugh name alone will not bring in top-tier talent YET. Just gotta win as much as possible in 2015.
No one has explained to me why Harbaugh has to win first to get top 150 recruits when Hoke and Rodriguez didn't.
DeleteHoke and Rodriguez had the advantage of coaching for Michigan teams who had recent success (Michigan in 2006 for Rodriguez) or who were on the upswing (Hoke inherited Denard Robinson on a team whose record had improved for two consecutive years).
DeleteRight now Michigan has no star power (except for the coach) and their win-loss records have been declining since 2011.
Also, some recruits have specifically stated that they want to see Michigan win games in order to contend for their services.
I think Harbaugh will get some top-150 recruits, anyway, but it's not hard to figure out what Harbaugh has working against him.
Meh. Trae Waynes supposedly ran a 4.28 for MSU and they offered a raw prospect based on that and his height. We did the same for a 4.7 guy? Don't like it. If you are going to pick a raw prospect pick a guy with better speed.
ReplyDeleteThis guy will see time on Special Teams straight away despite his lack of speed. He is a role player and if he improves to be more than that even better. We still need to sign some higher rated/ more talented DB's though IMO.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes you think Richardson runs a 4.7. Is this the same logic where a site says a player runs a 4.3?
ReplyDeleteMost importantly lets assume a player runs a 4.6. Why is elite speed mandatory to be an effective corner. You get the guy with 4.4 speed and I get the guy who runs a 4.6, is physical and has good anticipation.
I am always amazed at how many people think football is a track and field sport. If a corner can jam a wr off the snap, isn't that more important than being unable to jam a wr and using straight line speed against a wr who knows where he is going and the db is reacting?
From ESPN via MGOBLOG, "ESPN has full testing results that include a 4.70 40-yard dash, which gets zero FAKEs."
DeleteI keep looking for 20-25 spots people seem to think will be there for this year, and i can't find em. I see maybe 18 tops ..... maybe.
ReplyDeleteStill, I like this kid a little better than Thunder's J.T. Floyd comparison, and I liked J.T. Floyd. He plays hard, makes one on one opportunities personal, sticks his face in there and tackles. I put this kid into the same category Thunder placed Chris Evans into, "just a real good football player".
Apologies, if this is a double post, the message about your post being in isn't showing up this morning for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI keep looking for 20-25 spots people seem to think will be there for this year, and i can't find em. I see maybe 18 tops ..... maybe.
Still, I like this kid a little better than Thunder's J.T. Floyd comparison, and I liked J.T. Floyd. He plays hard, makes one on one opportunities personal, sticks his face in there and tackles. I put this kid into the same category Thunder placed Chris Evans into, "just a real good football player".
There will be 20+ spots, easily 25. I can see at least 5 more guys leaving prematurely. As the season rolls it will be obvious some guys won't get playtime.
DeleteWell there are definitely 14 spots with those graduating, then you can add in those who are RS juniors who haven't contributed yet and they will likely not be brought back for 5th years which gives you another 5-6 and consider that a few true juniors/RS sophomores who aren't seeing the field will likely transfer for playing time and the 2-3 medicals we've heard whispers of and you have about 25 spots in the class.
DeleteIt's impolite to name names before the transfers happen, but you if you look at something like the depth chart by class on mgoblog you can easily find guys you completely forgot about who are either likely to transfer for playing time or won't be given a 5th year.