Film Don't Lie | Antavious Richardson

By Jamie Uyeyama

October 1, 2024

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Things didn’t go as planned for Notre Dame with their 2025 receiver targets this summer and they were forced to pivot. The direction they went was all about finding speed.

They wanted to get faster at the position in this class. They found an athlete with elite speed in Antavious Richardson‍. That shows up with his verified times as a state champion in the 100 and 200m (10.68 and 21.43) and on the football field with explosive plays.

Previously committed to USF, Richardson had blown up as a prospect with offers from North Carolina, Louisville, Alabama, and Notre Dame in recent months. He’s a multi-position player who needs to gain experience at the receiver position, but has exciting athletic potential.

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 170

Projected Position:

Wide receiver ISD Grade: 88 (3-star)

National Average Grade: 88.5 (3-star)

What he does best:

Richardson has another gear he can tap into. He can hit the turbo button and run away from defenders.

via GIPHY

He has the ability make defenders miss in space and can explode out of his cuts.

via GIPHY

He might be a star on the track, but he’s not simply a track guy. He shows plenty of grit with the ball in his hands and likes contact. It’s obvious with him as a defensive back on defense too.

via GIPHY

What he needs to improve:

He’s going to come in as a ball of clay at the receiver position. He’ll have a ton to learn when it comes to route running, the offensive system, and the finer points of playing the position.

With some guys it comes naturally, but very few of them have it happen quickly. This will likely take some time.

What’s his ceiling?

There were 78 receivers drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft over the last five seasons. 29 of them (37.2%) had elite 100 or 200m track times. That kind of verified speed is important and Richardson checks that box emphatically.

While he’ll need time to develop as a receiver, Mike Brown knows a bit about developing raw athletes into NFL receivers. He was a quarterback who became an All-American receiver at Liberty and he developed freak athletes like Alec Pierce, Tre Tucker, and Tyler Scott into NFL Draft picks at Cincinnati.

Scott was a former high school running back who converted to receiver at Cincinnati. He became a big play threat who scored 14 touchdowns and averaged 16.9 yards per reception over his final two seasons. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 4th round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Scott ran a 10.68 100m and 21.66 200m as a state champion sprinter in high school as well. That 100 time matches up exactly with Richardson and it’s 0.23 slower in the 200. It’s not difficult to see how Notre Dame would project Richardson as a similar type of player to Scott at Notre Dame.