Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
The Man In The Middle
September 25, 2019 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Max Richardson had a career-high 14 tackles against Rutgers.
Max Richardson was an angry man.
An integral leader of the Boston College defense, he was on the field two weeks ago as his team surrendered 48 points to Kansas. He was frustrated, livid, annoyed and any other adjective possible for someone who endured what happened.
One week later, he was still angry, but he had moved on by taking out every ounce of frustration on his next opponent. He had 14 tackles, a career high, and his Eagles held the Scarlet Knight offense to under 100 yards rushing as part of a 30-16 win.
"It was very good to come off a tragic loss like (Kansas), when we were very underwhelming, and hold (Rutgers) to 16 points," Richardson said. "That's one of our defensive goals, to hold (a team) under 20 points. It's a great win. We'll never overlook any win."
It placed emphasis on the linebacker's true soul. He possesses an unwavering intensity and speaks with command and presence. Yet he remains thoughtful and smart, always in control of his emotions. He is patient in answering questions and always honest about his thoughts. The player is simply an extension of the person, a key cog in everything built in Boston College's rise over the past four years.
"Max is a different guy," head coach Steve Addazio said. "He's always been that way. He's going to look you in the eye, (and he's a) shake-your-hand kind of guy. He's a leader. He's a charger."
It's because the game runs in his blood. Richardson arrived at BC as a three-sport standout in high school. He won Georgia 4A all-state first-team honors as a senior on the gridiron at Woodward Academy. The team leader in tackles over two seasons, he was part of the War Eagle squad that won the 2015 Region 5-AAAA championship and went to the semifinals in two other seasons. He earned three Defensive MVP awards in his last three seasons, elevating his performance to team MVP in his final year while excelling off the gridiron in track and lacrosse.
The recruiting services loved him. ESPN rated him three stars and called him an "effective" and "productive" middle linebacker. It complimented his "solid instincts" and "good tackling skills" while heralding him as a potential "solid Power Five linebacker." 247Sports agreed and also gave him three stars.
"Max is a man," Addazio said. "He's really confident. He's a good athlete. He's a real student of the game. He's a take charge guy, take responsibility guy."
Richardson enrolled at BC and fast tracked his career into playing during his freshman season. He played 133 special teams plays that year, making 10 tackles, seven of which were solo. He was a force against Florida State with three solo tackles and a forced fumble despite a blowout loss that November.
It propelled him to a starting role during his sophomore year and earmarked him as the next in the line of BC linebackers. He paired with Ty Schwab and Connor Strachan as part of a highly-athletic crew, and Richardson enjoyed breakout performances almost immediately. He had seven tackles against Wake Forest, then another seven against Notre Dame. Against No. 2 Clemson, he had seven tackles in the first half as the Eagles held the Tigers to seven points.
But he didn't finish anything beyond that. Richardson suffered a knee injury and needed assistance getting off the field. It ended his season, and though he retained a year of eligibility through a medical redshirt, it created adversity heading into last year.
Still, he returned to play all 12 games with 11 starts. He finished third on the team with tackles, making nine tackles-for-loss. His best performances remained reserved for the biggest stages; there were seven tackles against Miami with a sack, nine tackles against Clemson, seven against Florida State and a then career-high 13 against Syracuse.
He remained dominant at the start of this year, scoring 10 tackles against Virginia Tech. The next week, he only had six against Richmond but five were solo. He had two-and-a-half tackles behind the line of scrimmage and registered a half sack.
So when Richardson was upset after that Kansas game, there was no question he would fight through fire if it meant scoring a victory over Rutgers.
"He played his tail off in that game, made plays all over the field," Addazio said. "He's been dinged up. He rolled both ankles. He's had to miss a couple of practices here and there, but he played like a warrior. That's the mentality that he has. That's why he's really one of the big, top leaders on our defense, and he played like it. He played at a high level (last week), for sure."
Every team needs a player like Max Richardson. He's the kind of athlete who understands how to use his size and speed combination, realizing his presence in specific situations. Against Rutgers, he blew one assignment and overran running back Raheem Blackshear, who promptly executed a 74-yard touchdown catch-and-run.Â
After the game, Richardson blamed himself with the unspoken understanding that he refused to let it happen again. It was the same unwritten attitude from his interview after the Kansas loss. It was almost like he knew he would make a mistake at some point because they simply happen. It's almost like it needed to happen so he could digest and learn in real time.
After that, he internally adjusted and fixed it. He wreaked havoc. He controlled the entire game flow.
It's the same thing he's done his whole career.
"You need 11 of those guys," Addazio said. "We've got a lot of guys that haven't played a lot of football. Max has played a fair amount of football, and he has those personality traits. When you have a group of veterans that have more of that mindset and attitude, it makes a difference, right? Whether they're in young in age or just young (in) the amount of time they've been on the field, we only have two guys that are like that. One is Tanner Karafa, and one is Max Richardson."
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An integral leader of the Boston College defense, he was on the field two weeks ago as his team surrendered 48 points to Kansas. He was frustrated, livid, annoyed and any other adjective possible for someone who endured what happened.
One week later, he was still angry, but he had moved on by taking out every ounce of frustration on his next opponent. He had 14 tackles, a career high, and his Eagles held the Scarlet Knight offense to under 100 yards rushing as part of a 30-16 win.
"It was very good to come off a tragic loss like (Kansas), when we were very underwhelming, and hold (Rutgers) to 16 points," Richardson said. "That's one of our defensive goals, to hold (a team) under 20 points. It's a great win. We'll never overlook any win."
It placed emphasis on the linebacker's true soul. He possesses an unwavering intensity and speaks with command and presence. Yet he remains thoughtful and smart, always in control of his emotions. He is patient in answering questions and always honest about his thoughts. The player is simply an extension of the person, a key cog in everything built in Boston College's rise over the past four years.
"Max is a different guy," head coach Steve Addazio said. "He's always been that way. He's going to look you in the eye, (and he's a) shake-your-hand kind of guy. He's a leader. He's a charger."
It's because the game runs in his blood. Richardson arrived at BC as a three-sport standout in high school. He won Georgia 4A all-state first-team honors as a senior on the gridiron at Woodward Academy. The team leader in tackles over two seasons, he was part of the War Eagle squad that won the 2015 Region 5-AAAA championship and went to the semifinals in two other seasons. He earned three Defensive MVP awards in his last three seasons, elevating his performance to team MVP in his final year while excelling off the gridiron in track and lacrosse.
The recruiting services loved him. ESPN rated him three stars and called him an "effective" and "productive" middle linebacker. It complimented his "solid instincts" and "good tackling skills" while heralding him as a potential "solid Power Five linebacker." 247Sports agreed and also gave him three stars.
"Max is a man," Addazio said. "He's really confident. He's a good athlete. He's a real student of the game. He's a take charge guy, take responsibility guy."
Richardson enrolled at BC and fast tracked his career into playing during his freshman season. He played 133 special teams plays that year, making 10 tackles, seven of which were solo. He was a force against Florida State with three solo tackles and a forced fumble despite a blowout loss that November.
It propelled him to a starting role during his sophomore year and earmarked him as the next in the line of BC linebackers. He paired with Ty Schwab and Connor Strachan as part of a highly-athletic crew, and Richardson enjoyed breakout performances almost immediately. He had seven tackles against Wake Forest, then another seven against Notre Dame. Against No. 2 Clemson, he had seven tackles in the first half as the Eagles held the Tigers to seven points.
But he didn't finish anything beyond that. Richardson suffered a knee injury and needed assistance getting off the field. It ended his season, and though he retained a year of eligibility through a medical redshirt, it created adversity heading into last year.
Still, he returned to play all 12 games with 11 starts. He finished third on the team with tackles, making nine tackles-for-loss. His best performances remained reserved for the biggest stages; there were seven tackles against Miami with a sack, nine tackles against Clemson, seven against Florida State and a then career-high 13 against Syracuse.
He remained dominant at the start of this year, scoring 10 tackles against Virginia Tech. The next week, he only had six against Richmond but five were solo. He had two-and-a-half tackles behind the line of scrimmage and registered a half sack.
So when Richardson was upset after that Kansas game, there was no question he would fight through fire if it meant scoring a victory over Rutgers.
"He played his tail off in that game, made plays all over the field," Addazio said. "He's been dinged up. He rolled both ankles. He's had to miss a couple of practices here and there, but he played like a warrior. That's the mentality that he has. That's why he's really one of the big, top leaders on our defense, and he played like it. He played at a high level (last week), for sure."
Every team needs a player like Max Richardson. He's the kind of athlete who understands how to use his size and speed combination, realizing his presence in specific situations. Against Rutgers, he blew one assignment and overran running back Raheem Blackshear, who promptly executed a 74-yard touchdown catch-and-run.Â
After the game, Richardson blamed himself with the unspoken understanding that he refused to let it happen again. It was the same unwritten attitude from his interview after the Kansas loss. It was almost like he knew he would make a mistake at some point because they simply happen. It's almost like it needed to happen so he could digest and learn in real time.
After that, he internally adjusted and fixed it. He wreaked havoc. He controlled the entire game flow.
It's the same thing he's done his whole career.
"You need 11 of those guys," Addazio said. "We've got a lot of guys that haven't played a lot of football. Max has played a fair amount of football, and he has those personality traits. When you have a group of veterans that have more of that mindset and attitude, it makes a difference, right? Whether they're in young in age or just young (in) the amount of time they've been on the field, we only have two guys that are like that. One is Tanner Karafa, and one is Max Richardson."
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