Nu’Keese Richardson laments spurning Gators

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!

Gators fans were quick to turn on Richardson when he became a member of the Volunteers’ 2010 class. A few even found some semblance of joy in his arrest.

“Richardson’s lack of character was obvious last January,” wrote one OGGOA reader. “Now [it is even] more obvious. Let’s see how many more recruits choose to follow these three crooks to Tennessee.”

Say what you will about Richardson’s decision-making, the former high school star is intently trying to turn his life around and start anew at Hampton this season.

“Right now, my head’s good. I’m in love with Hampton. I’m growing up now,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot of things in life and it’s really opened my eyes. It’s bigger than just football right now.”

Read more about Richardson’s past and future including details about the attempted robbery and his penchant for smoking marijuana in this interview by Post.

Photo Credit: Associated Press