Former Canes star receiver Ahmmon Richards joined the CanesInSight Podcast to discuss the offseason routine at this part of the process. A full transcript of the discussion is below.
DMoney:
February, what’s going on at this time of the calendar?
Ahmmon Richards:
It’s kind of like a reset — mentally and physically. You try to let your body calm down a little bit, and then you reset your mind to go attack the next year.
I think back to after freshman year, going into 2017. I remember the confidence in the team after that first year with Coach Richt — how we improved, how the program won the first bowl game in like 10 years. That gave everybody belief. And you take that belief and that energy and roll it into spring workouts.
A lot of guys were coming back, so you already felt like, okay, we can be a good team. How good? That’s going to come down to the work. It’s going to come down to what you do in those months leading up to fall camp — how much you improve, how much you invest.
And this time of year is huge for new guys coming in too — getting acclimated, understanding the standard that’s been set, learning how things work here. And then for returning guys, it’s like: what’s the next step? Like, you’re not a young guy anymore — you’re turning into the older guy immediately, and now the standard is on you too.
We got close last year, and I think everyone got a taste of what it’s like to play in those big games — on the road, A&M, Ohio State, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Ole Miss. You learn a lot about yourself in those environments. And when you come back, you’ve got a list of things you want to clean up — mistakes you made, ways you can improve your game, ways you can help the team.
So the focus right now is: improve your game. If everyone does their part, then collectively as a group, you get better.
DMoney:
Every offseason program is different. You came up in a different program. Who was your strength coach when you were a freshman and sophomore?
Ahmmon Richards:
We had Gus Felder with Coach Richt. He was the strength coach at the time.
DMoney:
So you were on the old-school mat drills, right? A lot of change-of-direction stuff?
Ahmmon Richards:
Man, I hated mat drills. They were like… there’s no real win in mat drills. Even when you do it right, somebody else messes up and you’re starting over. It was tough.
And at that time, we didn’t have an indoor. So we were either doing it at the wellness center upstairs — the basketball court. Hardwood. And then I think they let us do it on the field one time at the end like it was a reward, because doing it on the hardwood was rough.
DMoney:
For people who never did mat drills, what is it?
Ahmmon Richards:
It’s like a circuit of perfection — that’s what I’d call it.
You’re in a group, and how they set it up is kind of like seniority. The first group — that first line — usually has the older guys, seniors, guys they know can demonstrate it perfectly, because they anticipate that once you get into the juniors, sophomores, freshmen, somebody’s going to mess up.
So shoutout to the guys always in group one — that’s the easiest group. Anything after that, you’re going to have one guy in your group who gets to the line a half-second late when they blow the whistle, or your footwork isn’t exactly right, or you’re supposed to hit the chest and you hit a shoulder, or you shuffle left when you’re supposed to shuffle right.
It’s like you’re doing quick movements — chop, roll, shuffle — and then you’re running to the coach and freezing like red light/green light. Left, right, left. And all it takes is one guy hesitating the wrong way and you’re starting over.
So you may start with eight reps scheduled, and you end up doing 25 because somebody keeps messing up. And they don’t care — it’s on the timer. If you’re going to spend the whole workout restarting, that’s your problem.
It’s meant to break you down to your core and then build you back up. And at the end, they’ll celebrate a little bit, get everyone going, but during it? It’s pressure. Guys are out there faking injuries — “my knee, I don’t know” — trying to get out of it.
But it does translate. It makes you think under pressure. It makes you communicate. Because in a game, if a teammate messes up because he’s tired or overwhelmed, you’ve got to talk him through it and keep the group locked in.
Peter Ariz:
Who was messing up the mat drills the most? Who kept making you all restart?
Ahmmon Richards:
I swear I can’t even name one person because it was everybody. It was collective. Anybody after group one probably did it more than two or three times because somebody is going to mess up.
And it’s inches. They want perfection to the detail — shirt tucked in, right foot first, everything. So it’s pressure. But looking back, it’s actually kind of cool — when you’re not in it.
DMoney:
Schedule-wise, is it conditioning, explosive work, then strength? Or is it all happening at once?
Ahmmon Richards:
It’s really like a workout before your workout. You start early — 5:30, 6:00 — you do the mat drills, then you have a lift period. Or with Coach Richt, sometimes after that you’d do limited coaching on the field — 7-on-7, scripted plays. Coaches weren’t allowed to be there, but they’d come out for a few minutes, tell us what we’re doing, then go upstairs, and we’d take it from there.
So it was a mixture: conditioning, agility, and then lifting. Some days were heavier, some days were more movement-based.
Peter Ariz:
For freshmen right now — the mental process. They’re excited for spring ball, but they’ve got to get through this. How did you see it?
Ahmmon Richards:
It’s a learning phase. I didn’t come in for spring — I came in summer — but I’ve seen it. It’s like learning how to be a college football player.
How to do school work, study hall, treatment, lifting. A lot of guys come from high schools where the strength program isn’t legit — no real strength coach. So some guys don’t even know how to lift properly or take care of their body the right way.
So they start lighter — technique, details, how to do the rep correctly. And it’s mental right now — learning the standard, learning the routine, learning expectations. Then when pads come on, that’s relief for a lot of guys, because you know how to play football. You might learn technique, but you can just play.
That’s when a lot of guys settle in and get comfortable. But right now, the staff is embedding culture — how you think, how you practice, how you walk, all of it. It’s like a newborn baby — you’re trying to teach them what to do and what not to do.
Peter Ariz:
Something I’ve heard from early enrollees: they put on 15–20 pounds fast and have to learn how to move with it. Did you see that?
Ahmmon Richards:
Honestly, not as much when you’re a true freshman — your body is almost as healthy as possible because it’s new weight, you’re young, everything is fresh.
When I came in, I was like 170 soaking wet. I was already fast, but I didn’t have strength — especially lower body. I didn’t know how to work out the right way. In high school, I’d do pull-ups, some upper body stuff, maybe squats, but I wasn’t training like that.
When I got to Miami and went through that summer program, we ran 40s and I clocked a 4.31. In high school I was like a 4.5. That jump comes from the weight room and training your body the proper way — building strength in the right places, all the small muscles, technique, explosiveness.
So don’t be surprised when you hear guys are flying — that’s the weight room.
But I will say this — I know strength coaches love getting guys jacked, and that’s great, but keep flexibility in mind. Because the more weight you gain, sometimes injuries start happening — soft tissue stuff — and some guys can’t play at heavier weights.
For example, Akheem Mesidor — first year, he dealt with injuries. Slimmed down this year, looked healthier. I was one of those guys too. I was 198 going into sophomore year after coming in at 170, and I was playing above my ideal weight. I probably should’ve been 185–190 max. I’m a speed and acceleration guy. I felt like I was getting too heavy.
So for skill guys especially — keep that in mind.
But overall, Miami’s done a great job with health. You don’t see a ton of catastrophic injuries — not many ACLs — outside a few outliers.
DMoney:
I’m thinking back to Braxton Berrios — got bigger, wasn’t as elusive, then leaned out in the NFL and was returning kicks.
Ahmmon Richards:
In the NFL, guys know their playing weight. They maintain it and build strength without going crazy with bad eating. And the crazy part now is how much different it is with NIL.
Back then, we didn’t have money like that. Now kids can go get nutrition, recovery, training, all types of stuff.
Peter Ariz:
I’m telling you — nobody’s happier about NIL than these trainers and skill guys. Before, they’d train kids for free hoping to get them when draft time came. Now these kids can pay them now.
Recovery stuff too — cryotherapy deals, extra treatment. Some programs don’t even have those resources, so players go seek them.
Question from Chris: “Do we think Mali gets more or less touches now since we have a deep threat to open him up?” He led the country in receptions, so I don’t know how much more you can expect.
DMoney:
I pulled up Ahmmon’s career numbers — 18.7 yards per catch. Mali last year was 11.1. I don’t care if targets go down — I want yards per touch to rise.
Ahmmon Richards:
Yeah, for sure. He had a lot of catches, but I think it’s important that he raises the average per catch — that splash play element.
Getting to 110 catches again is hard when you bring in other receivers, plus you’ve got backs returning — Mark Fletcher is a 1,000-yard back. So naturally the receptions might drop, but that’s not negative.
If Mali gets to 16–17 yards a catch, and even if he has 65–70 catches, you’re still around or above 1,000 yards. And he’s the type of guy where even if it’s three catches, it can be 100 yards — he just needs the ball in his hands. He can make somebody miss.
Peter Ariz:
Three catches? We might have to have a conversation, Coach Dawson.
Ahmmon Richards:
I’m just saying — if they’re bracketing him and doing stuff, that’s how it goes sometimes. But yeah, he’s going to make the most of his opportunities.
DMoney:
I knew it was high, but 18.7 is crazy.
Ahmmon Richards:
It was a crazy time. And I’ll say this — if it was today with social media and NIL, people would understand it more. Back then, we didn’t have an indoor, we were rebuilding, we were losing games, so it didn’t hit the same.
Peter Ariz:
That pro day without an indoor was one of the low points.
Ahmmon Richards:
It was. Guys were trying to work for their only chance, and it was just a punch to the gut. But that’s the recruiting game too — “new dorms,” “new facilities,” and it takes forever.
Now they’re expanding the IPF, but money has shifted toward NIL, which I agree with. Still, there is progress.
Ahmmon Richards:
I remember when it first broke ground. We practiced in that little thing the first time. Now they’re expanding it to a full field. Shoutout to the university — I feel like we’re operating on the same wavelength for the first time in forever. Everything’s aligned. You can sense it on the field. Coaching staff in place, top-end players, facilities — this is what we envisioned. Miami deserved it, and we earned it by putting the work on the field.
