Pac 10 has a shot for Bayou DT

Two west coast teams have an outstanding opportunity in landing one of the best defensive tackle prospects in the Bayou State in three star Darryl Richard (6-4, 285, 4.9) from Destrehan, Louisiana. The two lucky west coast schools are UCLA and Stanford. UCLA was all but eliminated over the summer but a nice effort has the Bruins back in the picture.

“UCLA has moved into the mix of late,” Richard said. “This is a real rough list, so at the present time and not in any order, I am interested in Notre Dame, Stanford, Tulane, LSU and UCLA.”

Miami and Colorado are also very much in the picture.

This is good news for fans of the above teams. Richard is an awesome player with a very high ceiling, and an outstanding work ethic on and off the field.

In the weight room Richard has a bench of 305, has improved his squat to 555 and has a very impressive for his size, 28-inch vertical jump.

If you think that is impressive, Richard is also a stellar student with a 4.6 GPA and a 29 ACT. He’s not satisfied with his 29 ACT.

“I know I can do better so I will retake the test,” Richard said. “I have been working on improving the score.”

On the gridiron Richard has big time written all over him.

In an earlier interview with Jeff Drummond of Rivals.com, Destrehan head coach Steve Robicheaux said this about his star defensive tackle, “Darryl’s the complete package. He’s a big, strong, aggressive player with as good of physical skills as you’re going to find at defensive tackle, but his best attribute is his head. He’s an incredibly bright kid, a student of the game, a hard worker. His work ethic is off the charts. He’s the type of kid you get into this business for. He’s a joy to coach.”

Richard was selected all-state as a junior after racking up 65 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 10 ½ sacks. Being selected all-state in a football heavy state like Louisiana that is saying something.

“I consider myself a student of the game,” Richard said. “One of my main goals is not to become predictable.”

What is Richard looking for in a school?

“I’m used to winning,” Richard said. “So a winning team will be a priority.”

“Academically I want to obtain a prestigious degree,” Richard said. “I want to be somebody once football is over.”

Currently Richard has set up two visits. His first visit will be to Notre Dame on October 18th for the USC game. His second visit is to Stanford on January 9th but Richard is looking to change that date.

“I am going to try to move my Stanford visit up to sometime during the season,” Richard said.

What does Richard like about his current top five schools?

Notre Dame – “I talked to Coach (Ty) Willingham today (Wednesday September 3rd). Notre Dame has a strong tradition and a Notre Dame degree is respected throughout the nation.”

Stanford - “I know that a degree from Stanford will have no limits.”

UCLA – “Coach (Eric) Bieniemy has a great attitude. The way he is presenting himself makes me think I would be comfortable at UCLA.”

Tulane – “Strong academics and it’s in the State of Louisiana. That would enable my folks to be able to see me play and that is a plus.”

LSU – “People who come from Louisiana love LSU. When you talk about LSU you are talking gold. People take care of LSU alumni.”