Mike London appears to have made a splash with Virginia’s first in-state verbal commitment of the 2011 class. Menchville (Newport News, VA) running back/athlete Clifton Richardson , TheSabre.com’s #3 player in the state in the early junior class rankings, has reportedly pledged to the University of Virginia today while in Charlottesville for a junior day.
East Carolina, Maryland, Miami, N.C. State, Old Dominion, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia had officially offered Richardson as well. The commitment was confirmed by the Roanoke Times, although a report on the Daily Press online, which has quotes from Richardson’s father, indicates the commitment is only a “soft commitment.”
Attempts by TheSabre to reach Richardson and his coach have been unsuccessful thus far, but we hope to reach someone soon for the latest on this.
At 6-1, 185-pounds, Richardson has been an all-everything performer for Menchville. The 3-year starter totaled 1400 yards of offense in 2009, seeing action at the quarterback and running back positions. Defensively, he played safety and linebacker last season. Richardson, also a standout in the return game, is being recruited by Virginia to play running back.
Richardson returned to Virginia today after being impressed by the experience he had at the January 16 junior day. Following that visit, he told TheSabre.com that “I loved it. It was a good visit. All the coaches are cool. Coach London has great character. I liked that he didn’t preach football and he preached about education. They are good coaches. I think they’ll turn the program around.”
