Tavin Richardson to explore transfer options

Tavin Richardson is a rising senior wide receiver at the University of Kentucky, but as of Friday his name is officially listed in the NCAA transfer portal.

Matt Zenitz of AL.com was the first to report that Richardson’s name had appeared in the portal. The portal is a fairly new mechanism for players to explore transfer options without the interference of their current coaching staff. While that does not mean Richardson is officially gone, the fact that he is looking at potential landing spots certainly means something.

Richardson saw a decrease in production in the 2018 season. After catching 27 passes for 371 yards in 2017, he only grabbed 13 passes for 114 passes in all of the 2018 season. Yes, Kentucky had a change in quarterback. There was also the emergence of Lynn Bowden, who was the Wildcats’ leading receiving in this special season. David Bouvier also came out of nowhere to be a factor in the team’s offense in 2018.

Perhaps Richardson wants to be the primary target in an offense, and he now sees that it will never happen at Kentucky with Bowden on the roster. The Wildcats coaching staff is also still courting Devonta Lee, a four star recruit that would be a top target in the offense if he chooses to play at Kentucky.

Richardson has started in 25 games during his Kentucky career, including every game in 2018 including the Citrus Bowl. He was fourth on the team in receptions this season, but that is not saying much for a team that relies to heavily on the run.

Will Richardson take an offer to play at another school? With Spring football just around the corner, we may find out sooner rather than later.