Richard not playing like a typical freshman

Over 130 teams play FBS football, with high profile recruits and big-name (and big-money) transfers filling out secondaries across the Power 5 and Group of 5.

But through all the names, just one freshman, only one, has made his presence felt in pass coverage like Michael Richard, who’s already shown an ability to hang play for play with DI talent.

You’ll be forgiven if his name doesn’t immediately register in your brain when you think about Louisiana Tech’s football team. After an offseason defined by a new transfer quarterback, linebackers, tight ends, and defensive linemen through the portal, the impact of the 2023 class was left out of most conversations heading into this season.

No longer. Richard, a true freshman safety from Edna Karr High School, has burst onto the scene for the Bulldogs after an early injury to starting nickel Demarcus Griffin-Taylor and shined in his first set of collegiate games.

Through two starts, Richard has four pass breakups, eight total tackles, and one tackle for loss — leading all freshmen nationally in pass breakups.

He also is the only true freshman in the top 25 in CUSA in PBUs and has played 135 snaps, including 63 in Tech’s 51-21 win over Northwestern State on Saturday.

Richard was challenged but rarely faltered against the Demons, finishing with three PBU.

“The thing with Mike- Mike ( Michael) is he doesn’t flinch,” Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie said postgame Saturday. “Even when they ran the double move and they got it and the guy dropped the ball, it didn’t waiver his confidence. He’s going to continue to get challenged because they look out there and see, ‘oh, 13’s a true freshman so let’s go after him.’ And that’s fine because Mike-Mike answers the call. The kid is just mature beyond his years.”

Richard, who was rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports Composite, finished with 100 tackles, 12 PBUs and eight interceptions in his prep career and began to receive DI interest before his senior season.

He got the offer from Tech in February of 2022. Then came an offer from Duke in April, and a visit to LSU a week after that. Richard looked like he had found a home after verbally committing to UTSA on April 24. But by July, he reopened his recruitment. One month later, he became a Bulldog.

Richard also held offers from Arkansas, Mississippi State and Memphis, among others.

Even before Griffin-Taylor went down, Cumbie matched his words of confidence with action, listing Richard second at nickel on the first depth chart of the season ahead of the opener vs FIU.

Little did Cumbie know the freshman would have to make his first career start a week later against a high-powered SMU passing game, but he could see the moment didn’t get too bright.

A point that hurt the Bulldogs as SMU threw for 248 yards and three scores was penalty yardage, with three Tech defensive backs called for pass interference. Richard wasn’t one of them as he finished with a tackle for loss and a breakup.

“I think Michael, we call him Mike-Mike, did a phenomenal job,” Cumbie said postgame after a loss to SMU on Sept. 2. “That’s why you try, if you can, to get a high school kid to come here in the spring and to get a lot of valuable reps. When you watched him play in the spring, you could tell he was a deer in the headlights. But he went through the summer, he went through fall camp and he now he gives us a ton of position flexibility from the nickel, he can help us out at high safety. The guy has a ton of courage, and he made plays in high school so I’m really not surprised by it.”

Cedric Woods, who recorded a picksix in the win over NSU on Saturday, lit up when asked about Richard, or the now team-wide pseudonym “Mike-Mike,” and his play so far this season.

“Mike, Mike-Mike, he’s a great kid. Very coachable,” Woods said. “He’s just out there having fun. We told him, hey, go out there and he put his head down and have fun, make plays and that’s what he did (Saturday).”

After Woods’ interception to put the Bulldogs up 27 late in the third quarter, NSU was desperate for a spark and a drive to continue. So, on its ensuing series, the Demons went for it on 4th and 4 at the Tech 30 – trailing big with just over five minutes left in the frame.

And there was Richard as NSU quarterback Tyler Vander Waal challenged the young safety on an out-route to the sideline to Zach Patterson. Richard swatted the ball away to give the Bulldogs the ball back and force a turnover on downs.

Myles Heard, a safety transfer from Stephen F. Austin who leads Tech with 30 total tackles, celebrated with his young teammate after the play. Heard, who also started his freshman year while at SFA, can see Richard’s confidence and potential continuing to rise.

“He’s a good kid. He’s very talented,” Heard said. “He wants to learn. He wants to develop and that’s going to be good for him.”