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4-star ATH Mark-Antony Richards plays all over the field on both offense and defense for his Wellington High team. If he came to Miami to play at the next level, Richards would be doing more of the same, however the UM staff has finally decided which side of the ball he will mainly focus on.
“We talked about it, they have a certain plan for me if I were to go there,” Richards said. “I would basically be playing more defense, but they will have something for me on offense. Basically, kind of like Jabrill Peppers and they mentioned special teams too.”
However, there is also debate on which specific position he’d play defensively. It seems both of Miami’s defensive backs coaches are fighting over who would get to teach Richards for the next four season if he were to choose the Canes.
“Coach Rumph, he likes my game as a big, physical corner. I feel they love me at safety more though,” Richards said. “Coach Banda he likes my family a lot, we talked a lot. He talked to my mom, my dad and my head coach and he had a lot of great things to say.”
Two weekends back, Richards showed up to Paradise Camp on campus in Coral Gables, and was one of the few top 2019 targets to actually compete at the event, as many that were there sat out. Richards enjoyed the time to continue to build his relationships around the program at Miami and to also improve his game.
“It was a great experience, you know being around all the players that I’m pretty cool with,” Richards said. “I felt like I became a better player, I went and competed as a defensive back. I feel like I got much better being coached up by Coach Banda, I learned some tips. Coach Banda was very impressed with my game, how fluidly I moved for such a big player. Now it’s time for me to focus on the season.”
Of course, the Miami staff wanted to continue to evaluate Richards as a defensive back, and Richards spent most of his night playing safety at Paradise. He also got a lot of looks as a single high safety as the last man in coverage, and he’s becoming more comfortable being left on an island out there.
“Just being able to play with guys like Cornelius Nunn and a whole bunch of other guys [at Paradise], it kind of made it easier for me," Richards said. "I was able to just completely focus on not letting anything get past me. When I played single high safety, really all I did was focus on the deep ball. I feel like I covered the field pretty well, we all had great communication, even though we had never played together before.”
Although the Canes are pushing hard to land the legacy recruit, Richards is obviously being pursued by some other top-level suitors as well.
“Auburn, Florida, and Ohio State,” Richards said. “Ohio State is actually coming very hard at me now. I know they had a little situation going on lately, that was huge. Notre Dame, Texas A&M, South Carolina and LSU too.”
The football season is fast approaching, and Richards’ Wellington squad will face off against Boynton Beach in their kickoff classic in 2 weeks time, before opening up at Royal Palm to start the regular season. Expectations are nothing new for the consensus top 100 prospect, and confidence is high at Wellington that Richards will be able to help deliver a special year.
“Every year we expect a deep run,” Richards said. “I mean we’re a pretty confident team, not many teams know about us. They don’t know who we have because we’re very low key.”
Spending most of his off-season in the weight room has paid off, as Richards lists himself at 6’1” and 205 pounds, saying he’s put on 15 pounds of muscle in preparation for his final year of high school.
“I want to go for 3,000 all-purpose yards,” Richards said. “It’s a lofty goal, but I feel like I can do it, though. I had 2,136 all-purpose yards last season.”
And his message to the Canes fans that have followed his recruitment?
“It’s not to do with me but you can expect a big year. Miami, they’re going to make a run this year.”
(Geo assisted in conducting this interview.)
“We talked about it, they have a certain plan for me if I were to go there,” Richards said. “I would basically be playing more defense, but they will have something for me on offense. Basically, kind of like Jabrill Peppers and they mentioned special teams too.”
However, there is also debate on which specific position he’d play defensively. It seems both of Miami’s defensive backs coaches are fighting over who would get to teach Richards for the next four season if he were to choose the Canes.
“Coach Rumph, he likes my game as a big, physical corner. I feel they love me at safety more though,” Richards said. “Coach Banda he likes my family a lot, we talked a lot. He talked to my mom, my dad and my head coach and he had a lot of great things to say.”
Two weekends back, Richards showed up to Paradise Camp on campus in Coral Gables, and was one of the few top 2019 targets to actually compete at the event, as many that were there sat out. Richards enjoyed the time to continue to build his relationships around the program at Miami and to also improve his game.
“It was a great experience, you know being around all the players that I’m pretty cool with,” Richards said. “I felt like I became a better player, I went and competed as a defensive back. I feel like I got much better being coached up by Coach Banda, I learned some tips. Coach Banda was very impressed with my game, how fluidly I moved for such a big player. Now it’s time for me to focus on the season.”
Of course, the Miami staff wanted to continue to evaluate Richards as a defensive back, and Richards spent most of his night playing safety at Paradise. He also got a lot of looks as a single high safety as the last man in coverage, and he’s becoming more comfortable being left on an island out there.
“Just being able to play with guys like Cornelius Nunn and a whole bunch of other guys [at Paradise], it kind of made it easier for me," Richards said. "I was able to just completely focus on not letting anything get past me. When I played single high safety, really all I did was focus on the deep ball. I feel like I covered the field pretty well, we all had great communication, even though we had never played together before.”
Although the Canes are pushing hard to land the legacy recruit, Richards is obviously being pursued by some other top-level suitors as well.
“Auburn, Florida, and Ohio State,” Richards said. “Ohio State is actually coming very hard at me now. I know they had a little situation going on lately, that was huge. Notre Dame, Texas A&M, South Carolina and LSU too.”
The football season is fast approaching, and Richards’ Wellington squad will face off against Boynton Beach in their kickoff classic in 2 weeks time, before opening up at Royal Palm to start the regular season. Expectations are nothing new for the consensus top 100 prospect, and confidence is high at Wellington that Richards will be able to help deliver a special year.
“Every year we expect a deep run,” Richards said. “I mean we’re a pretty confident team, not many teams know about us. They don’t know who we have because we’re very low key.”
Spending most of his off-season in the weight room has paid off, as Richards lists himself at 6’1” and 205 pounds, saying he’s put on 15 pounds of muscle in preparation for his final year of high school.
“I want to go for 3,000 all-purpose yards,” Richards said. “It’s a lofty goal, but I feel like I can do it, though. I had 2,136 all-purpose yards last season.”
And his message to the Canes fans that have followed his recruitment?
“It’s not to do with me but you can expect a big year. Miami, they’re going to make a run this year.”
(Geo assisted in conducting this interview.)
