Richards finds home at Stony Brook
"Wanna watch it?"
Stony Brook football coach Chuck Priore was trying to describe an NFL-type play made by his NFL-hopeful junior cornerback Chris Richards. He decided a video was worth a thousand words. Cue the laptop, cut to the Seawolves' game at Coastal Carolina on Oct. 25. And keep your eye on No. 28.
Richards began the play by dropping back deep in pass coverage. Then the camera switched to the Coastal Carolina runner taking a handoff and beginning a sweep right. Suddenly, No. 28 came flying into the picture, obliterating the ballcarrier at the line of scrimmage with a thunderous tackle. "Chris made up 18 yards on the play," Priore noted. "And you see what he did once he got there. Chris is not a big kid [6-0, 180]. That's the power that he brings to the table. That kid is out on his feet. In my coaching career of 25 years, that hit was probably in the top one or two I've witnessed in person."
So what's a player with that kind of ability, that kind of athleticism, that kind of potential doing at Stony Brook? It's a meandering story that covers much more ground than 18 yards of football real estate.
Richards, a native of Pacoima, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles, was a high school blue-chipper, recruited by many of the top colleges in the country. He chose Michigan and after a red-shirt season, played in 11 games for the Wolverines in 2006, including an epic game at top-ranked Ohio State and the Rose Bowl against USC.
Then in March of 2007, Richards made a huge mistake. He got into a dorm room altercation with another student and then compounded the problem by initially denying his involvement. He was charged with misdemeanor assault, convicted and placed on probation for six months by an Ann Arbor court. He also had to perform 48 hours of community service. Michigan released him from the team.
"I was young. I didn't know how to handle my emotions," Richards said. "I got into a physical altercation with a guy. I was provoked. It turned physical. I was the aggressor. But I definitely could have walked away from the situation. I could have made better decisions. I didn't."
Having accepted full responsibility for his actions, Richards faced new decisions concerning his collegiate and football future. Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon were among the schools that had originally recruited him and were still interested. Stony Brook? He'd never heard of it until he met defensive line coach Jason Martin at a junior college combine.
"We started some dialogue. We got to know him. He probably didn't think much would come of Stony Brook at the time, but he seriously entertained it from afar," Priore said. "I said, 'what's the harm of taking a free [recruiting] trip to New York for a weekend?' No strings attached. We were one of the few schools that would take Chris on face value. Instead of the dialogue of what you did wrong, the dialogue was how we want to move in the future."
Richards chose a college that was on the opposite coast from where he grew up, and on opposite ends of the football spectrum from the college he first chose. "But I wanted to go to a place where I could really trust the coaches," Richards said, admitting that wasn't always the case at Michigan. "I'm happy here and being happy means more to me than anything else. At the same time, I'm not giving up the dream I had at Michigan -- of playing at the next level and getting a good degree. [He's a history major, scheduled to graduate next year.]"
Richards was ineligible last season, but practiced with the team and made up the academic credits he had lost. He made up for more lost time on the field this season, averaging about four tackles a game and intercepting three passes as the Seawolves won four of their last five to finish at 5-6. By season's end, teams stopped throwing in his direction. They could not, however, stop him from making plays like the one he made at Coastal Carolina.
"That type of play is why he's got next-level opportunity. In my opinion, he's a potential high NFL draft choice," said Priore, well aware that SBU has never produced an NFL player. "Will Stony Brook see somebody with his natural talent again? I don't know. But we're certainly going to take advantage of it."
Richards is constantly reminded of his past. "Not only by my teammates but by people all over campus," he said. "When Michigan lost to Appalachian State last year in the first game of the season, they were like, 'Oh, your boys, your boys.' But the guys that line up with me in the silver and red, these are my boys. I'm a Stony Brook Seawolf."