Pensacola's best high school football player has made it official.
Escambia High running back Trent Richardson, the No. 28 high school player in the nation according to Rivals.com, committed to the University of Alabama on Monday.
"I just wanted to make sure I had a place that felt like home," Richardson said. "With the players Alabama has, we could win the national championship by my sophomore year or even my freshman year."
Richardson, in the class of 2009, has shot up every college team's recruiting list with his daunting combination of size (5-11, 220 lbs.) and speed (10.93 100-meters). By the end of last week, Richardson had already collected 25 major Division I-A scholarship offers. Completing a process that had Richardson visiting with as many as three major college coaches in one day on Escambia's campus, he chose the Crimson Tide over Florida, LSU, Florida State, Auburn and Mississippi State.
"With the schools he was considering, I don't think there was a wrong choice," said Derrick Boyd, Escambia High's wide receivers coach who advised Richardson throughout his recruitment. "You could have put all the schools in a hat, reached in and not been disappointed."
Richardson said the handful of friends he already has at Alabama helped sway his decision, a group that includes junior running back Glen Coffee and freshman wide receiver Julio Jones. Coffee is a Fort Walton Beach native while Jones — the No. 1 recruit in the nation in 2008 — is from nearby Foley, Ala.
"They were just trying to lead me through," Richardson said. "They weren't even trying to recruit me, they were just trying to lead me through the process and tried to be like big brothers to me. Those are the type of people I like to be around, ones that don't put on too much pressure, know I can get the job done and know that I'm going to do what's best for me. They fit in good, so I know I can fit in good there, too."
After battling minor injuries his freshman and sophomore seasons at Escambia, Richardson popped on the recruiting map in a big way with a monster 407-yard rushing performance against Tate in the 2007 season opener. All total, he ran for 1,377 yards and 15 touchdowns last season on his way to a Class 5A third-team all state selection.
Even after football, Richardson was one of the most decorated athletes in the Pensacola area in 2007-08.
In the spring, Richardson finished 5th in the Class 3A state meet in the 100-meters. It was the best 100-meter finish of any athlete from the Pensacola area. He capped his junior year in weightlifting, tallying a score of 680 and finishing second in the 219-pound division at the state meet. That, too, was the best finish of any Pensacola-area weightlifter.
Although Richardson, who last visited Alabama's campus on Junior Day three months ago, committed on Monday, he will still take visits to other universities. He was supposed to visit the University of Florida on Wednesday but that may be pushed back.
"Everyone on our coaching staff is impartial, they just want Trent to be happy," Boyd said. "I think he has the weight of the world off his shoulders now."
Article by PNJ reporter D.C. Reeves