Tavin Richardson Commits To Kentucky

Today, three star receiver Tavin Richardson committed to the Kentucky Wildcats. The 6'4'' 215 pound (per HUDL) South Carolina native picked Kentucky over Central Florida, but claims offers from Louisville, Nebraska, and Arkansas too. 247 Sports lists him as the 13th best player in South Carolina this year while Rivals has him slightly higher. He played for perennial South Carolina power Byrnes HS, and presumably comes to Lexington with a pedigree of being well-coached and knowing how to prepare and win games.

He makes UK's 16th commitment and its second receiver. It's likely Kentucky takes at least one more receiver for this class, and a smaller slot receiver to compliment Richardson and Jabari Greenwood would make some sense; though, UK wouldn't turn away a third tall receiver if they like his game either. Richardson's commitment probably gives UK another 5-7 spots for this signing class with Tyrone Riley's decommitment, and with only one receiver committed, Richardson's pledge is an important one.

Highlight Tape Impressions

Richardson probably projects at the next level as a sure-handed, possession receiver. He'll be hard-pressed to run away from SEC defensive backs, but will hopefully develop into being a speed mismatch for linebackers and a size mismatch for nickels. His route-running is inconsistent in these highlights, but there are enough flashes of technique to probably rate him on par or a bit higher than most other three star receivers. His finest weapons are seemingly his hands, and these highlights show him catch several very poorly placed balls. He's rarely ever tackled by just one defender either.

Watching his highlights I can't help but wonder if he eventually transitions to tight end/H-back. That depends on various factors (how much weight he puts on his first year with proper nutrition and weight training, roster attrition, and how UK's 2016 recruiting goes to name but a few) that probably won't have to be decided for at least another year. We'll wait to hear how he looks in fall camp, but at the moment I suspect he's a likely redshirt candidate. Nonetheless, a very solid addition from a talent perspective, and an important momentum builder heading into this cycle's final official visit weekend for the Class of 2015.

That's of course assuming he doesn't decommit between now and Wednesday, which I'm not comfortable assuming at this point.