2019 Wellington (FL) 4-star ATH Mark-Antony Richards was one of a few Miami targets that earned an invitation out to the Opening Finals in Frisco, Texas last week. Ever since his brother would show him coverage of the event when he was growing up, Richards has made it a goal of his to get invited to the Opening, and he talked about how his experience went in Texas.
“It was a great experience,” Richards said. “I’ve been working to go to this since I was in 6th grade, back when Ahmmon would show me the clips and it eventually led me to this. Playing with the guys was probably the best part. Everyone had the same mindset and just wanted to eat.”
Richards made most of his plays in Texas on the offensive side of the ball, scoring multiple touchdowns at receiver for Team Impact. He talked about his overall performance against some of the best competition in the nation.
“It was fun for me,” Richards said. “I’ve always wanted to go up against guys who were rated higher than me to prove myself right. So when I got the chance, I took over.”
As an athlete that played all over the field, Richards also spent some time as a safety in 7-on-7 play. Did he feel comfortable out there on defense?
“Not as comfortable as RB and WR,” Richards said.
Paradise Camp is Miami’s premier recruiting camp of the summer season and, as we’ve reported previously, Richards will be in attendance at the event later this month. He also went last season and raved about the chance to meet so many former Miami stars.
“Sure, I’ll be back. I’ve got to come see Michael Irvin and Ed Reed again. Those are guys I grew up watching,” Richards said. “There was never a day when I was growing up where I thought I’d end up on Michael Irvin’s Twitter page. I mean when I saw it, and I was like, “What?!” My mom, she actually met him, both him and Reed. It was a great experience, so I’m definitely going to go back to see those legends and spend time with them. Really, I just want to hear what they have to say and the advice they have to give me and also spend time with the Miami players and coaches. And the fact that the fans come out, I love it even more.”
Along with Miami, two other schools that are consistently mentioned among Richards’ favorites are Florida and Auburn. When asked to compare and contrast the three, Richards believes that it is the relationship with the coaching staffs that are the main difference between the programs.
“Those three that you named, I could name more, but between those three, they’re all the same,” Richards said. “Great academic schools. The areas are really nice, especially Auburn, I love that area. And the coaching staffs, they all treat me the same way, but I do feel like, with Miami and Auburn, I do have more of a family feel. The fact that my family is pretty close to coach Malzahn and also coach Richt, we really just met coach Mullen.”
What would make him pick between the three?
“It’d definitely be things like scheme fits. That’s probably the biggest deciding factor.”
As he's said all along, Richards still anticipates a December decision, unless things are still unclear to him by then. If that is the case, he'd be comfortable waiting until February to sign with his program of choice.
“It was a great experience,” Richards said. “I’ve been working to go to this since I was in 6th grade, back when Ahmmon would show me the clips and it eventually led me to this. Playing with the guys was probably the best part. Everyone had the same mindset and just wanted to eat.”
Richards made most of his plays in Texas on the offensive side of the ball, scoring multiple touchdowns at receiver for Team Impact. He talked about his overall performance against some of the best competition in the nation.
“It was fun for me,” Richards said. “I’ve always wanted to go up against guys who were rated higher than me to prove myself right. So when I got the chance, I took over.”
As an athlete that played all over the field, Richards also spent some time as a safety in 7-on-7 play. Did he feel comfortable out there on defense?
“Not as comfortable as RB and WR,” Richards said.
Paradise Camp is Miami’s premier recruiting camp of the summer season and, as we’ve reported previously, Richards will be in attendance at the event later this month. He also went last season and raved about the chance to meet so many former Miami stars.
“Sure, I’ll be back. I’ve got to come see Michael Irvin and Ed Reed again. Those are guys I grew up watching,” Richards said. “There was never a day when I was growing up where I thought I’d end up on Michael Irvin’s Twitter page. I mean when I saw it, and I was like, “What?!” My mom, she actually met him, both him and Reed. It was a great experience, so I’m definitely going to go back to see those legends and spend time with them. Really, I just want to hear what they have to say and the advice they have to give me and also spend time with the Miami players and coaches. And the fact that the fans come out, I love it even more.”
Along with Miami, two other schools that are consistently mentioned among Richards’ favorites are Florida and Auburn. When asked to compare and contrast the three, Richards believes that it is the relationship with the coaching staffs that are the main difference between the programs.
“Those three that you named, I could name more, but between those three, they’re all the same,” Richards said. “Great academic schools. The areas are really nice, especially Auburn, I love that area. And the coaching staffs, they all treat me the same way, but I do feel like, with Miami and Auburn, I do have more of a family feel. The fact that my family is pretty close to coach Malzahn and also coach Richt, we really just met coach Mullen.”
What would make him pick between the three?
“It’d definitely be things like scheme fits. That’s probably the biggest deciding factor.”
As he's said all along, Richards still anticipates a December decision, unless things are still unclear to him by then. If that is the case, he'd be comfortable waiting until February to sign with his program of choice.
