James Richardson official visit for Big Chill

Submitted by Dreisbach1817 on

Richardson is the CB from Louisiana.  Committed to SMU* about a month or so ago, but has apparently decided to make a visit to Ann Arbor this upcoming weekend.  Rivals has him as a 3 star while Scout has no rating on him.  Also judging from the height/weight disparity between Rivals and Scout, I think that the book on Richardson has yet to be written.  I wonder if he'll start getting interest from other big schools.  Also surprised that we showed interest, then he committed to SMU, and now he's interested in us again.  (*Quick note, that 30 for 30 on SMU this week looks incredible)

Sounds like a classic sleeper candidate at CB.  Just another reason to be excited about this weekend.  Richardson looks like a dynamic speedster who could help this program.

Here are the links from Rivals/Scout:

Scout - http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=5268577

Rivals - http://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/player-James-Richa…

fballcoach12

December 6th, 2010 at 9:02 PM ^

That we are emphasizing defense towards the end of this class. But, I am not that impressed with his offers. I am sure most will agree that a recruit's offer sheet tells a lot about his playing ability and potential. Sure, the kid can be a sleeper. But I am tired of sleepers at Michigan. I want someone established and is ready to play immediately. ( Maybe it is because I watched the Charles Woodson Big Ten Icon Feature today)

I may get negged for this, but by no means is this a knock at the young man. I am speaking in general. Anyone who is given a chance to play at Michigan and wants to run with that opportunity is immediately a Michigan Man in my book and would love this kid to jump on board.

Go Blue!

Dreisbach1817

December 6th, 2010 at 9:05 PM ^

I don't think you should be negged for this.  It's a legit point.  It would be nice to land 5 star CBs every year.  But at this stage of the game, in December, the best way to get in on a prospect is to find out about a kid no one else knows about.  We're not going to turn Doran Grant at this juncture.  And we're already in great position for Countess.  Richardson seems like a 4th or 5th CB in this class.

One thing that gives me confidence here is that Fred Jackson has deep ties to Louisiana.  So I think someone of note down there is really hyping Richardson.

kaykaybroke

December 6th, 2010 at 9:05 PM ^

based on the video's i'd assume kitchen is the more desired option.. (and think of the nicknames/ catch phrases!)

...also, that no rating by scout doesn't look too promising

[edit:] just looked at his scout profile again and saw he ran a 4.34 40.. if that's as real as it looks we could use this guys in sooo many ways.

punt returner anyone?

akearney50

December 7th, 2010 at 12:11 AM ^

I live in the same area as Daren Kitchen and I heard he transferred from Vanderbilt Catholic to a local public school because his grades are struggling and he thinks it will be easier to get them up at a public school.  The guy that told me this also said they he thought Kitchen transferred during the football season and wasn't/couldn't play at the new school.

fballcoach12

December 6th, 2010 at 9:11 PM ^

that Carvin Johnson was a great pick up for us in last years class. I am very high on him and cannot wait to see him as a final product in a few years. If Richardson can bring that kind of toughness and ability to tackle in the open field then I do hope we see him rockin the maize and blue.

bluenyc

December 6th, 2010 at 9:24 PM ^

Great catch.  I hadn't notice this.  Absolutely, my golden rule is nothing negative about a kid no matter what the situation is.  First, these are just kids.  Most of us were immature at the age and changed our minds often.  Second, you just don't know who is reading and it's unfair to be ripping on anyone without knowing their thoughts.

briangoblue

December 6th, 2010 at 11:48 PM ^

I can still remember Vinopal's defiant reaction to all the bitching that went on after his commitment. What should have been the happiest day of his life turned into a frenzy of bulletin board material he will likely never forget. Like Rodriguez always says, stars aren't everything. I trust these coaches when it comes to identifying talent. Nobody else wanted to play Denard at QB, now look at him. Carvin looks good, and so does 3 star sleeper Courtney Avery. Ray Vinopal has already outplayed his 2 star rank, so I say bring this kid in and let's see what he's got.

bluenyc

December 7th, 2010 at 12:02 AM ^

I don't think I was a member at the time and I might not have even have found this site.  I will have to check.  I understand people's frustration.  We all want the best and all the 5 stars, but these are kids.  I don't think many people would be too happy to find out their significant other decided to marry them because his/her first to 5th choices never proposed. 

BlueVoix

December 6th, 2010 at 11:43 PM ^

I've grown to love any and all CB that wants to come here.  Honestly, it seems like so many of our top CBs the last few years have transferred, dropped out, or just not panned out that taking as many as we can get, well it seems like a great idea.

I don't care if it is reality or not, I'll take em all.

WolvinLA2

December 7th, 2010 at 12:08 AM ^

I certainly hope he's closer to Rivals' description of him rather than Scout's.  If he really is the size Rivals reports, it's possible he's a guy who could play CB or FS.  Since we might not get a safety at all in this class, that would be valuable in a CB that we take.

AnthonyThomas

December 7th, 2010 at 12:43 AM ^

I think we're in great position with Lyons. It sounds like academics is his biggest issue, and Michigan will definitely be up there with Notre Dame and Stanford, which are two of his other possibilities. Same goes for Countess. But either way, at least two more defensive backs would be ideal in this class. A third would be even better. As others have said, Avery and Vinopal were not highly touted and they stepped in as freshmen and showed a lot of upside. Give guys like Richardson/Kitchen/Greg Brown the chance to redshirt and they can turn out to be all-conference caliber corners.

Ratings are ambiguous. Darelle Revis was a three star recruit, after all.