Richards has change of heart

We caught up with Monroe (Calif.) defensive back Chris Richards last Sunday after his visit to Cal and the Michigan commit said despite the great time he had, he was still going to honor his commitment to the Wolverines. Just a few days later, the cornerback and has had a change of heart and will be a Bear.

Richards, 5-11, 150 pounds committed to Michigan back in the summer as a grey shirt. He was solid all year long but then Cal started to recruit him towards the end of the year and the athlete took an official visit this past weekend.

"The visit was great but I'm still sticking with Michigan," Richards told us last Sunday. "There is just something special about playing in front of 107,000 fans I feel a sense of loyalty to them."

Richards had a home visit with Cal head coach Jeff Tedford this past Tuesday and as they say, the rest is history.

"To be honest, after I thought more and more about it, I started to think Cal might be the best fit for me," Richards said. "I was still leaning to Michigan before my home visit but then Coach Tedford really sealed the deal. He really made me feel wanted and told me how much they needed me.

"I started thinking about the two schools and I just felt more comfortable at Cal. Michigan is great, but I might have gotten caught up in the whole bid stadium and tradition thing. When I broke it down, Cal is closer to home, my dad played there, I could play earlier, I'm more comfortable with the players on the team and they're stronger in my major (Law). Everything kind of pointed to Cal and like I said, Coach Tedford really sealed the deal for me when he came in.

"It was tough to tell Coach English I wasn't coming because he's part of our family. He's my godfather and all and I need to talk to him some more but I think he understands. I had to follow my heart and do what was best for me and I just feel Cal is the best place for me."