Sheldon Richardson Signs With Mizzou
St. Louis, Junior College Star Will Join Program For Second Semester
Dec. 15, 2010
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri football program received a big head start on its 2011 recruiting class today, as St. Louis, Mo. native and junior college standout defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson signed a national letter of intent to attend Mizzou.
Richardson (6-foot-4, 290 pounds) is one of the most highly-coveted athletes to come out of the state of Missouri in awhile, and he has spent the past two seasons at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., where he played defensive tackle for Coach Curtis Allen. Richardson is rated by Rivals.com as the nation's number three junior college prospect at any position.
A native of St. Louis, Mo., Richardson was a dominant defensive lineman and tight end at Gateway Tech High School, where he was ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 4 overall player (any position) in the nation, as well as being the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect in the country by several national outlets. He also checked in as the No. 1 overall player (any position) in the state of Missouri, and originally signed with Mizzou as part of the 2009 signing class, before going the junior college route.
Following the conclusion of his prep career, Richardson played in the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Game in San Antonio, Texas, where he made big impressions with his play in practice and the game, where he had a sack, and added a quarterback hurry and a tackle for loss as a defensive tackle. He was named as a 2008 EA Sports 1st-Team All-American after a senior season at Gateway Tech which included 88 tackles and 19 sacks, while adding seven fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles and one interception. Richardson scored six defensive touchdowns on the year, as well, while adding 27 receptions for 541 yards and eight touchdowns at the tight end position. An outstanding overall athlete, Richardson also lettered in basketball and baseball as well as participating in track.
Richardson was coached in high school by Melvin Walls, and he is the son of Michael & Zelda Richardson. He is interested in studying criminal justice at Mizzou, and chose the Tigers over a slew of nationally-prominent programs, just a few of which included USC, Auburn, Arkansas, and Miami, Fla., among many others.
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