Catch him if you can: Jared Richardson’s remarkable career
The fourth-year wide receiver discusses his passion for football, his exceptional career, and his plans for the future.
5 min. read
Fourth-year wide receiver Jared Richardson of Blakeslee, Pennsylvania, recently put a bow on one of the most impressive four-year campaigns in the 149 years of Penn football.
A health and societies major in the College of Arts & Sciences, Richardson will graduate fourth all-time in school history in receptions (193), third all-time in receiving yards (2,505), and tied for second in touchdowns (27).
This past season, he led the Ivy League in receptions (80), receiving yards (1,033), and touchdowns (12), and was a unanimous First-Team All-Ivy selection. He is only the sixth player in school history to exceed 1,000 receiving yards in a season, and the first since future Penn Hall-of-Famer Justin Watson in 2017.
Penn Today caught up with Richardson at Franklin Field to discuss his remarkable career.
Blakeslee is in the Poconos. Is that Eagles country? Are you an Eagles fan? I’m a Giants fan.
The Giants? What do you think about your Giants this year? They’re not doing too well.
How long have you been playing football? I’ve been playing football – I’m 21 – going on 16 years. It’s my 16th year playing football.
What do you enjoy about the sport? Everything. It’s my passion.I have a burning passion for it, and I’m really happy my dad introduced me to the sport.
Have you always been a wide receiver? No, I was a quarterback growing up my whole life. And then when I came here, that’s when I made the switch.
How was the transition? At first, it was a little rocky. I didn’t have the toolkit that I have now. I was very raw in that aspect, like the technicalities of the position, I was very raw and underdeveloped. A lot of work went into it to get where I’m at. I definitely attribute picking up the position to my work ethic.
Does being a former quarterback help you as a receiver? Definitely. You’re able to see different coverages, you’re able to understand what the defense is doing, who’s moving where, and where they’re going to end up, so it’s definitely helped in that aspect.
Who’s your favorite wide receiver in the NFL? I have a couple. Justin Jefferson is probably my top guy. I like Devante Adams. I used to be big on Stephon Diggs. I like Jamar Chase. I got a couple guys. I used to really like D.K Metcalf because I thought I was a bigger guy. A.J. Brown of course.
Am I correct you and quarterback Liam O’Brien are roommates? Yes, me and Liam are roommates.
Has that helped your quarterback-receiver relationship? Definitely. We’re very tight. I’m also rooming with four other guys. [Wide receiver] Bisi [Owens] is one of my other roommates. That trio right there, that’s a special trio.
You led the Ivy League in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns this year. Why do you think you were so successful this season?[Offensive coordinator Greg] Camera, Liam, everybody doing their job. I can’t be great without the greatness of others. I think Saquon Barkley said that, and I really believe in that saying. If everybody else is doing their job, I’m able to do what I do, and that is just make plays. I attribute all that to success to my coaches and my teammates just doing their job.
What was your practice schedule like during the season? I’m up at 5:15 in the morning. Our first meeting is at 6:40 and then we’re not done until 10:55, so it’s a long morning. We have meetings first and practice is from 8:40 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. And then we have class. It’s a lot, but it’s what I signed up for.
What was one of your most memorable games? During my sophomore year against Yale, I broke the school record for receptions in a game. I had 17 for 191 and one touchdown, so that was definitely one of my most memorable games. I had a couple drops in that game so it should have been more than 17.
You have a year of eligibility remaining, but you can’t play at Penn. Do you know what you plan to do? I do not know yet. I’m 50/50 split between pursing my dreams of playing on Sundays, or using my fifth year of eligibility.
When you see someone like Justin Watson playing and succeeding in the NFL, does that give you more confidence that that’s something you can do? In a sense, yes, but football means a lot to me so I don’t try to compare myself to others. Football has opened so many doors for me and the opportunities that I have been granted because of football are a blessing. I’m blessed to be at Penn. When I played football growing up, my dad preached, ‘You play football to get into school.’ That was the ultimate goal. One percent of college athletes make it to the pros, if not a little less than that, so if I’m a part of that 1%, it’s just a blessing.
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