Tag: Antwaine Richardson

Antwaine Richardson, Ex-Wolverine

Antwaine Richardson

Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic cornerback Antwaine Richardson decommitted from Michigan on Thursday. He had committed to the Wolverines back in June after participating in one of Michigan’s satellite camps (LINK).

Richardson was working on a torn ACL when he camped, which made it even more impressive that he earned a Michigan offer. The Wolverines coaching staff initially thought he could enroll early, take advantage of the rehab facilities/strength and conditioning program, and be ready to play by the fall. That plan changed a month or two ago when Richardson tweeted out that he would no longer be enrolling early, and that he would come to campus in June. That presumably happened because Michigan was filling up with the other seven early enrollees, but now it appears he won’t even be coming in June.

From Michigan’s standpoint, this is not a huge loss. I gave Richardson a 72 rating, and he didn’t even get to play and hone his skills as a high school senior. Without enrolling early, he would have missed out on yet another opportunity to develop. Even if Michigan strikes out on other cornerback targets, such as Lavert Hill, and athlete Jordan Fuller, it’s not too difficult to replace someone of Richardson’s talent level. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #85 cornerback, and #901 overall, and much like Erik Swenson, that ranking may have been propped up a bit by his status as a Michigan commit. Now that the rankings are done or almost done for the cycle, he probably won’t drop much; the rest of his offer list is decent but nothing special, including Florida Atlantic, Iowa State, Miami, South Florida, and Wisconsin, among others.

Recruiting Update: December 28, 2015

Jake Raulerson

ADDED TO THE (NON-EXISTENT) BOARD: GRAD TRANSFERS
Texas center Jake Raulerson announced his plans to transfer. Although he’s just three years out of high school, he will have his degree and be a grad transfer, so he has two years of eligibility remaining with an opportunity to play immediately. He started five games in 2014, and he played in eight games in 2015 with no starts. He plans to take an official visit to Michigan on January 15. On Michigan’s end, the only loss this off-season is starting center Graham Glasgow. If Raulerson were to choose Michigan, he would mark the fourth grad transfer in Michigan history, joining QB Jake Rudock, safety Wayne Lyons, and punter Blake O’Neill.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Miami (FL) Columbus defensive end Joshua Uche was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 212 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Miami, and North Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #47 weakside end, and #707 overall. As a senior in 2015, he made 50 tackles, 14 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 pass breakups. Uche is being recruited by new defensive coordinator Don Brown, and he has an opening for an official visit during the weekend of January 15. Michigan is also recruited Uche’s 2017 teammate, cornerback Trajan Bandy.

Hit the jump for a prospect who committed elsewhere and some random bits.

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Visitors: December 11-13, 2015

Mesquite (TX) North OT Jean Delance

Jean Delance – OT – Mesquite (TX) North: Delance is a 6’5″, 291 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 offensive tackle, and #92 overall. An Under Armour All-American, this is thought to be a three-horse race between Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas with the Wolverines playing a little from behind. Delance is essentially the only offensive tackle left on Michigan’s board, so if they want a true tackle in the 2016 class, they may need to expand their board if Delance goes elsewhere. This official visit was rescheduled from Ohio State week.

Jordan Elliott – DT – Houston (TX) Westside: Elliott committed to Michigan on the weekend of the Ohio State game (LINK).

Chris Evans – RB – Indianapolis (IN) Ben Davis: Evans committed to Michigan in June (LINK).

Hit the jump for several more visitors.

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Antwaine Richardson, Wolverine

Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic cornerback Antwaine Richardson (image via Prepbuilders)

Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic cornerback Antwaine Richardson committed to Michigan on Friday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Florida State, Miami, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, and West Virginia, among others.

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)