Over the past few years, 2019 4-star ATH Mark-Antony Richards has been a frequent visitor to the Miami campus. Recently, he added two more visits to his total, stopping by Coral Gables for Underclassman Day and a spring practice, and Richards sees great things for UM’s future on the field.
“I’ve been down there twice since spring started and I really like what I’m seeing, not just from a recruiting standpoint, but also the team itself,” Richards said. “I think they can make a national championship run.”
When Richards was at UM for Underclassman Day, the Canes went on a wild run, landing four commitments on the afternoon even though none of them planned on it going into the day. Richards was there to experience the excitement firsthand and expanded on the recruiting hoopla around the Hurricanes right now.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool seeing some of the younger guys commit to Miami. The fact is, Miami’s such a great school and it also shows that those guys have been working hard,” said Richards. “That’s really how a lot of guys committed to Miami before (unplanned), they talk about just the vibe from the coaches and they felt like it was more than just football. That’s something that I’m gonna be looking for before I commit somewhere.”
Richards plays all around the field for his Wellington team and many schools are recruiting him as an athlete that can play either side of the ball. The Canes are no different and just hope to add Richards’ talent to the roster at any position, but have indicated to him where they see his biggest potential at.
“At this point, they’re just recruiting me as an athlete,” Richards said on Miami. “If I’m not mistaken, coach Richt told my coach that regardless of the position I play, they just want me to be a part of the program. I think he mentioned to my coach that they’d rather me on defense (as a safety), because they love me on defense.”
It’s no secret that Mark-Antony’s older brother, Ahmmon Richards, is a star junior receiver for the Canes. The older Richards is coming off knee surgery from a torn meniscus in his left knee suffered towards the end of last season, and is slowly rehabbing back. He was out at spring practice this week doing work off to the side, running routes and catching balls, but is still not cleared for contact work.
“He’s been working so hard to get back,” Mark-Antony said on Ahmmon. “Just him talking to me, I know this year, his junior year, is gonna be big for him. Personally, I hope he does (leave for the NFL as a junior), but God will take care of that.”
Is playing together at the next level in Coral Gables something the Richards brothers talk about?
“Not really. Like I said before, it’s my career and he understands that. He doesn’t want to push me to one place and feel like he was the only reason why,” Richards said. “I want to go somewhere where I can have the most success for me and he understands that. It’s just about me being comfortable, and Miami’s doing a great job recruiting me, along with a few other schools.”
One of those other schools is UF and Richards will be in Gainesville attending the Florida Gators spring game this weekend. Richards has been to Florida once before for a camp, but didn’t get to see much outside of the practice field then, so this trip will be about familiarizing himself more with the campus at UF. Richards also says Florida is recruiting him specifically on offense.
“Really, I just want to hear what the coaches have to tell me. I’ve spoken to pretty much all the coaches on the offensive side of the ball,” Richards said. “They tell me all the great things about the program. I can’t wait till I get up there and see the school and academics and see if I can catch a vibe there like I did with Miami and a few other schools like Auburn.”
While Richards says things could change by the day with him, he does say he is shooting to have a school in place and sign in the early signing period.
“It could be December, or it could be sooner. It depends on how fast things go. The recruiting process is kind of a mystery, you never know what you could decide in the future,” Richards said. “I’m looking to sign in the early signing period (in December). But, if not then, I’ll probably wait until National Signing Day (in February) to see if I can catch a vibe from a few schools.”
Now that spring is starting to come to a close, Richards anticipates beginning to narrow things down in the summer and will release a full top 5 in August. While he won’t name favorites just yet, he does say the Canes are one of the schools that contact him the most.
“There are a few schools that are starting to stick out to me, but I’m not gonna release anything yet. But definitely in summertime I’ll release a top 10 and in August, I’ll release my top 5,” Richards said. “Right now, I’m definitely hearing from Penn State, Miami, Florida, Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, and Louisville the most.”
So, when it’s all set and done, what do the Canes have to do to land his commitment?
“They’re definitely a school I’m considering, obviously even before I got the offer. They’re always gonna be a school I keep my eye on,” Richards said. “As long as they keep doing what they’re doing, they’ll be one of my top schools at the end of the day.”
“I’ve been down there twice since spring started and I really like what I’m seeing, not just from a recruiting standpoint, but also the team itself,” Richards said. “I think they can make a national championship run.”
When Richards was at UM for Underclassman Day, the Canes went on a wild run, landing four commitments on the afternoon even though none of them planned on it going into the day. Richards was there to experience the excitement firsthand and expanded on the recruiting hoopla around the Hurricanes right now.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool seeing some of the younger guys commit to Miami. The fact is, Miami’s such a great school and it also shows that those guys have been working hard,” said Richards. “That’s really how a lot of guys committed to Miami before (unplanned), they talk about just the vibe from the coaches and they felt like it was more than just football. That’s something that I’m gonna be looking for before I commit somewhere.”
Richards plays all around the field for his Wellington team and many schools are recruiting him as an athlete that can play either side of the ball. The Canes are no different and just hope to add Richards’ talent to the roster at any position, but have indicated to him where they see his biggest potential at.
“At this point, they’re just recruiting me as an athlete,” Richards said on Miami. “If I’m not mistaken, coach Richt told my coach that regardless of the position I play, they just want me to be a part of the program. I think he mentioned to my coach that they’d rather me on defense (as a safety), because they love me on defense.”
It’s no secret that Mark-Antony’s older brother, Ahmmon Richards, is a star junior receiver for the Canes. The older Richards is coming off knee surgery from a torn meniscus in his left knee suffered towards the end of last season, and is slowly rehabbing back. He was out at spring practice this week doing work off to the side, running routes and catching balls, but is still not cleared for contact work.
“He’s been working so hard to get back,” Mark-Antony said on Ahmmon. “Just him talking to me, I know this year, his junior year, is gonna be big for him. Personally, I hope he does (leave for the NFL as a junior), but God will take care of that.”
Is playing together at the next level in Coral Gables something the Richards brothers talk about?
“Not really. Like I said before, it’s my career and he understands that. He doesn’t want to push me to one place and feel like he was the only reason why,” Richards said. “I want to go somewhere where I can have the most success for me and he understands that. It’s just about me being comfortable, and Miami’s doing a great job recruiting me, along with a few other schools.”
One of those other schools is UF and Richards will be in Gainesville attending the Florida Gators spring game this weekend. Richards has been to Florida once before for a camp, but didn’t get to see much outside of the practice field then, so this trip will be about familiarizing himself more with the campus at UF. Richards also says Florida is recruiting him specifically on offense.
“Really, I just want to hear what the coaches have to tell me. I’ve spoken to pretty much all the coaches on the offensive side of the ball,” Richards said. “They tell me all the great things about the program. I can’t wait till I get up there and see the school and academics and see if I can catch a vibe there like I did with Miami and a few other schools like Auburn.”
While Richards says things could change by the day with him, he does say he is shooting to have a school in place and sign in the early signing period.
“It could be December, or it could be sooner. It depends on how fast things go. The recruiting process is kind of a mystery, you never know what you could decide in the future,” Richards said. “I’m looking to sign in the early signing period (in December). But, if not then, I’ll probably wait until National Signing Day (in February) to see if I can catch a vibe from a few schools.”
Now that spring is starting to come to a close, Richards anticipates beginning to narrow things down in the summer and will release a full top 5 in August. While he won’t name favorites just yet, he does say the Canes are one of the schools that contact him the most.
“There are a few schools that are starting to stick out to me, but I’m not gonna release anything yet. But definitely in summertime I’ll release a top 10 and in August, I’ll release my top 5,” Richards said. “Right now, I’m definitely hearing from Penn State, Miami, Florida, Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, and Louisville the most.”
So, when it’s all set and done, what do the Canes have to do to land his commitment?
“They’re definitely a school I’m considering, obviously even before I got the offer. They’re always gonna be a school I keep my eye on,” Richards said. “As long as they keep doing what they’re doing, they’ll be one of my top schools at the end of the day.”
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