MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Amir Richardson has been around football his entire life.
“I got into football by growing up in a big family household,” he said. “My dad (Tony Sr.) played football at WVU. My brother (Tony Jr.) took a huge interest in it. It was pretty easy to follow that path. I really got into it when I was about eight years old.”
Richardson looks up to his father.
“My idol would have to be my dad,” he said. “He was always big on it and supported me growing up. He taught me how the game should be played, all of the little nuances.”
A Morgantown native, Richardson is a 2019 graduate of University High.
He is currently a redshirt freshman at Marshall University.
Since he redshirted last season, Richardson did not play as a freshman.
“It was really a decision based on what was best for me just not to exceed those four games last season and come back this year with four years remaining.”
Richardson said redshirting was not easy.
“At the beginning, it was very tough,” he said. “I had been a starter every year from third grade to high school. When I got here, I was a scout team guy and it really shows you the other side of football that I hadn’t experienced. It definitely made me mature and appreciate the game more. It made me work harder to move up that depth chart.”
Richardson was rated a 3-star recruit by Rivals.com, 247Sports.com and ESPN.com. All of the recruiting services ranked him as the fifth-best player in West Virginia. He had offers from WVU, Georgia Tech, Pitt, Air Force, Army, Cincinnati, Nevada, Temple, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale.
Richardson feels playing football at Marshall is different from UHS.
“Playing football at Marshall is a lot different, just based on accountability and taking responsibility, with all of the meetings you have to attend,” he said. “The business aspect of football is bigger.
“The biggest transition has been picking up on the techniques that you learn in college that you may not focus on as much in high school. Sometimes in high school, you can survive on God-given ability, but when you get to college, everyone has that. That’s where the technique comes in. The size and strength and age cap from a freshman to a fifth-year senior that you see in college is also a big difference.”
Since coming to Marshall, Richardson has gotten bigger and stronger.
“Getting bigger and stronger here can be attributed to the amazing strength and conditioning staff we have at Marshall,” he said. “Luke Day, who heads up that area, pushes us every day to get better. He’s gotten me about 20 pounds heavier than when I arrived. It’s all muscle. He has gotten my running form better.”
Richardson has a special memory from his first season with the Thundering Herd.
“It would have to be playing Cincinnati last season,” he said. “On the scout team, I was imitating Cincy’s tight end, who was picked up by the Green Bay Packers at season’s end. I had a great week of practice. I got the text from my coach that I had made the dress squad. That was such a big deal for me. That was my first real taste of college football.”
Richardson opened his second year in grand fashion. He caught a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Herd’s 59-0 win over Eastern Kentucky last Saturday.
There are a few reasons Richardson chose to attend Marshall.
“Marshall showed me real love from my sophomore season all the way to signing day,” he said. “I felt like I should go somewhere I was really wanted and not tolerated. Marshall was a great choice for me.
“I like that I got to get away from home, but I’m not too far away that I couldn’t get back home for one reason or another. I got to come here and meet new people. I had to step out of comfort zone.”
Richardson feels Huntington is different from Morgantown.
“I just think you can get to places quicker in Huntington,” he said. “The campus is a big part of Huntington and Morgantown is more spaced out.”
Richardson is majoring in criminal justice.
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