If he could do it all again, Hampton Pirates wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson would never have decommitted from the Florida Gators to join the Tennessee Volunteers back in 2009. At least that is what he told the Palm Beach Post’s Jason Lieser in a wide-ranging interview he conducted this week.

“In an informal interview setting, Richardson mentioned how much he regrets spurning Urban Meyer and Florida,” Lieser writes. “He said the biggest reason he opted against Florida was the fact that former Pahokee teammate Janoris Jenkins was already there and Richardson felt he would be stuck in Jenkins’ shadow if he signed.

“However, he said if he had been a Gator, he never would have gotten in trouble. The reason? Jenkins. Richardson believes Jenkins would have watched over him closely and kept him away from problematic situations.”

One of the reasons for Richardson’s decommitment was a promise of immediate playing time by then-Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin. That never came to fruition and Richardson seemed to know it right away.

“Yeah, [playing time] definitely was [the main issue]. I felt like I was the best player at the time and I felt like [Kiffin] was just holding me back,” Richardson said. “This is something I do. I felt like, if I wanted to do this, I could’ve stayed at Florida.”

Check out what else Richardson had to say…after the jump!
Continue Reading » Nu’Keese Richardson laments spurning Gators

Tags: Hampton Pirates, Janoris Jenkins, Lane Kiffin, Nu'Keese Richardson, Tennessee Volunteers, Urban Meyer

Numerous sources are reporting that the University of Tennessee has hired Louisiana Tech Bulldogs‘ Derek Dooley as the Tennessee Volunteers‘ new head football coach. Dooley has led Louisiana Tech since 2007, finishing two of his three seasons with losing records (5-7, 8-5, 4-8) and only bringing the Bulldogs to one postseason appearance – the 2008 Independence Bowl.

To celebrate the occasion (actually, the timing is just a coincidence), OGGOA has uncovered a video of the alleged armed robbery attempted by freshmen safety Janzen Jackson and former players wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson and cornerback Mike Edwards on Nov. 12, 2009, outside a Pilot gas station in Knoxville, TN. Richardson and Edwards have since been dismissed from the team while Jackson, the most talented of the three players, remains a member of the team.

Video courtesy of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Tags: Derek Dooley, Janzen Jackson, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Mike Edwards, Nu'Keese Richardson, Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee Volunteers‘ Lane Kiffin has agreed to become the next head coach of the USC Trojans, multiple sources told ESPN‘s Chris Low Tuesday night. Kiffin, whose sole season with Tennessee was shrouded in controversy both on and off the field, will bring his father Monte Kiffin along as defensive coordinator. Ed Orgeron is expected to follow and continue his role under Kiffin as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator, and Norm Chow plans to return to the program as offensive coordinator.

“We are really excited to welcome Lane Kiffin back to USC,” Trojans athletic director Mike Garrett said. “I was able to watch him closely when he was an assistant with us and what I saw was a bright, creative young coach who I thought would make an excellent head coach here if the opportunity ever arose. I’m confident he and his staff will keep USC football performing at the high level that we expect. Lane brings a lot to the table. He has a coaching background both in the pros and in the best collegiate conferences. He has a great command of the X’s and O’s. He is familiar with the Trojan landscape and will be a great representative of our university. He keeps the game fun. And, very importantly, he has proven to be one of the finest recruiters anywhere.”

An assistant with USC from 2001-06, Kiffin left to become head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2007. He spent just over one season in Oakland, going 5-15 before being fired by owner Al Davis in September 2008. His sole season with the Volunteers ended with a 7-6 record and 37-14 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Peach Bowl.

Kiffin made it a point to become public enemy No. 1 for the Florida Gators and their fans after he claimed his team would be singing “Rocky Top all night long” after defeating UF in The Swamp. He furthered his villainous stature by not only insulting head coach Urban Meyer but also falsely accusing him of recruiting violations after nabbing wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson away from the Gators.

Ironically, Kiffin and his staff incurred six minor recruiting violations over the last year, and Richardson was dismissed from the team after committing armed robbery outside of a gas station in Knoxville, TN. Florida would go on to defeat Tennessee 23-13, leaving Meyer undefeated against Kiffin in Southeastern Conference play.

Tags: Al Davis, Ed Orgeron, Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin, Norm Chow, Nu'Keese Richardson, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Volunteers, The Swamp, Urban Meyer, USC Trojans

Permanently dismissing freshmen wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson and cornerback Mike Edwards while awaiting word on safety Janzen Jackson – all of whom were arrested and charged with three counts of armed robbery last week – the Tennessee Volunteers had more legal issues come to light Tuesday. According to a report from WBIR in Knoxville, TN, freshman S Nyshier Oliver was arrested on Nov. 7 and charged with shoplifting from Dillard’s department store.

Oliver was spotted stealing a brown shirt worth approximately $110 from the the store located in West Town Mall. He was arrested and cited “just over five hours before the Vols were to play Memphis [Tigers] in the homecoming game at Neyland Stadium.”

Richardson, Edwards, Jackson and Oliver are all part of head coach Lane Kiffin‘s first recruiting class. Prior to his arrest, Jackson was suspended from a game earlier in the season for an infamous “violation of team rules.” Oliver will be arraigned on Nov. 23.

Tags: arrest, Janzen Jackson, Lane Kiffin, Mike Edwards, Nu'Keese Richardson, Nyshier Oliver, Tennessee Volunteers

After declining comment every single day since the incident was made public, Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin has decided to permanently dismiss freshmen wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson and cornerback Mike Edwards from the team. Richardson, Edwards and CB Janzen Jackson were arrested last Thursday morning on three counts of armed robbery after using a air-powered pellet gun to rob a customer outside a Pilot convenience store in Knoxville, TN.

Below is the University of Tennessee‘s official statement:

University of Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin announced Monday that freshman wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson and defensive back Mike Edwards have been permanently dismissed from the football team.

“After extensive and thorough research of the situation over the last four days and considering various disciplinary options, I’ve decided it’s in the best interest of our program to remove Nu’Keese and Mike,” Kiffin said. “As I’ve said many times before, we hold our student-athletes to an extremely high standard on and off the field. Our student-athletes must be responsible members of society, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated.

“We want a positive culture for our student-athletes that allows them to succeed in the classroom, on the field, and in life after college. My hope is that these two young men will learn from their terrible decision. Clearly, their actions have no place in our program.”

Janzen Jackson will continue to not be allowed to participate in team activities while Kiffin awaits additional information.

OGGOA will continue reporting on this story as more information becomes available.

Tags: arrest, Janzen Jackson, Lane Kiffin, Mike Edwards, Nu'Keese Richardson, Tennessee Volunteers, University of Tennessee

For the second consecutive day, Tennessee Volunteers loudmouth head coach Lane Kiffin declined comment Friday morning on the status of his three players each arrested on three counts of attempted armed robbery. However, Tennessee’s athletic department has confirmed to Chris Low of ESPN what most expected, that none of the three players will play against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.

Freshmen wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, cornerback Mike Edwards and safety Janzen Jackson were all in Knox County Jail Thursday with Richardson the only one remaining behind bars as of Friday morning. Bail for Richardson and Edwards was set for $19.500, while Jackson’s was only $15,000. Jackson was later released on his own recognizance, and Edwards has also been released after posting bond.

Some believe Jackson may have all charges against him dropped seeing as he was in the convenience store at the time of the attempted robbery and claims to have had no prior knowledge of the incident. Low also reports that “it sounds like Tennessee is braced to kick both Richardson and Edwards off the team.” Is there any other option?

OGGOA would also like to thank Austin Murphy of Sports Illustrated for mentioning us in his Friday column. Our only gripe? He said we exhibited “schadenfreude” or “satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune.” (Yes, we looked it up). While many of our readers may have done so, OGGOA‘s story was straight news.

Tags: arrest, Janzen Jackson, Mike Edwards, Nu'Keese Richardson, Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee Volunteers freshman wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson (Pahokee, FL) and two of his teammates were arrested Thursday at 2 a.m. on three counts of armed robbery, according to several Knoxville, TN, news agencies. Richardson and freshman cornerbacks Janzen Jackson and Mike Edwards were sought and captured by police officers after allegedly using a semi-automatic weapon to rob a customer outside a Pilot convenience store. According to the police report:

The victims stated that a black male then approached, wearing a black hoodie, brandished a black semi-auto handgun, opened the drivers door and stated, “Give me everything you have.” The victims stated that a black male then exited from the passenger side of the Prius, wearing a black hoodie, walked around to the front passenger door of their car, opened it, and stated, “Give us everything you’ve got.”

The victims stated that they all presented their wallets to the suspects and showed them that they did not have money. The victims stated that a third black male then approached and told the other two black males, “We’ve got to go.” The victims then stated that the three got into the Prius and that it was last seen traveling southbound on Volunteer Blvd West.

The victims positively identified Edwards and Richardson as the two who approached their vehicle and demanded everything.

After stopping the Prius on Neyland Drive near Leinard Lane, police found the three players along with Marie Montmarquet, 22, in the car. A search of the vehicle recovered a pistol, two black hoodies and a marijuana grinder. Police would also find a clear plastic bag of marijuana in Montmarquet’s pocket. She told police both the marijuana and the grinder belonged to her, and she was charged with possession of both an illegal substance and drug paraphernalia.

“At this time we are currently evaluating the circumstances surrounding an incident involving Mike Edwards, Janzen Jackson and Nu’Keese Richardson,” Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton said in a statement. “Any decisions or comments regarding their status will not be made until the evaluations are complete.”

A big deal was made of Richardson’s commitment to Tennessee, seeing as he was verbally committed to the Florida Gators and spurned them on National Signing Day by secretly committing to the Vols and head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin would later brag about stealing Richardson away from the Gators, making him the subject of false recruiting violation accusations against Florida head coach Urban Meyer .

Reports coming out of Knoxville last week stated that Richardson’s disappointing freshman season was leading him to consider transferring. After skipping practice, he was disciplined by Kiffin, who later said that everything was fine and Richardson was ready to rejoin the team and contribute. Kiffin stated he was proud of the street cred afforded to him by being mentioned in a Lil’ Wayne rap lyric; OGGOA wonders if he is happy with this kind street cred, too.

Thanks to GoVolsXtra for the police report and the Palm Beach Post for the mugshot.

[UPDATE:] Richardson, Edwards are being held in Knox County Jail on $19,500 bond, while Jackson is being held on $15,000 bond. Below is exclusive video of the entire arrest courtesy of KVLT-TV.

Tags: arrest, Florida Gators, Janzen Jackson, Marie Montmarquet, Mike Edwards, Mike Hamilton, Nu'Keese Richardson, Tennessee Volunteers, Urban Meyer