Luther Richesson Out-Shinning Several Power 5 Quarterbacks at the Elite 11
Luther Richesson earned an Elite 11 invite at the Nashville Regional earlier this year and set out to make a name for himself. On the second day of competition, he won the on-site staff's Pro Day portion (and was top five on SIAA) of the event after a throw off against Michigan State commit Katin Houser.
"It's great. It's a lot of manifestation and visualization, it's coming to fruition right now," Richesson said. "Being able to see some of that hard work pay off--I needed to have this competition today, I needed to validate myself right now out in this field."
During his time in Los Angeles, the 6'3", 204-pound passer continued to do what earned him the invite: keep his head down and work. He knew he was capable of holding his own before the event on Thursday and hopes to put his name on coaches' radars with a strong performance.
"I'd say the word is dark horse," Richesson told SI All-American. "I don't think anyone really knows me coming to this competition and my goal is that they do know me afterwards."
His performance separated him from numerous quarterbacks committed to Power 5 programs and he's hoping to see his list of offers grow as his senior season approaches.
Group of 5 programs dominate his offer list to date.
"I'm wide open right now," Richesson said of his recruitment. "Just excited to explore some opportunities and see what comes knocking at the door."
We've flipped our calendars to a new month during the Elite 11, with July 1 marking the beginning of name image and likeness legislation going into law across the country, allowing college athletes to profit with marketing deals and endorsements.
Richesson doesn't have any ideas about participating right now, but he plans to dive deep into the possibilities.
"Well I’ll definitely have to do more research," he said. "We'll see how I can benefit from that, but it's definitely a great thing."
The Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb standout made the trip across the country hoping to work on his mobility in the pocket and throwing on the run. Through two days of competition he's confident that he's taken to coaching well and has improved on his shortcomings from the regional.
Richesson felt comfortable in just about every situation that he was put in and had no issue making any of the throws that were asked of him in a variety of situations.
"I really felt good about all of it. The thing I really needed to lock in on and my biggest focus coming into the pro day and the Elite 11 in general was the on the move stuff. I felt like in the regional that was what I struggled with and it felt good to fix some of the issues that I had at the regionals here at the finals so far."
Consistency has been a trademark of Richesson's body of work thus far, as he was one of just two quarterbacks, including Florida commit Nick Evers, that didn't register a 1 (out of 3) rating on any of his Pro Day throws per the SIAA charting system.
Richesson is excited to face live defenses for the first time on day three of the Elite 11 and develop a chemistry with new and highly-rated offensive prospects.