Miami Hurricanes DB Jadais Richard eyes breakout season: “I feel I made big progress from last season”

While perhaps the most mentioned names in the Miami Hurricanes secondary are Washington transfer safety Mishael Powell, Marshall cornerback D’yoni Hill and a pair of returning guys with starting experience in CBs Daryl Porter, Jr. and Damari Brown, don’t sleep on CB Jadais Richard.

Miami needs guys like Richard, as well as unproven safeties like Markeith Williams and Jaden Harris, to provide meaningful reps this year.

For Richard, he played sparingly last year aside from getting 54 reps at Florida State (he had three tackles in that game and allowed three catches on five targets for 36 yards).

Richard ended with 14 tackles on the year, and per Pro Football Focus had a 64.9 cover grade.

The former Vanderbilt transfer hopes this can be a breakout season, and he’s working some at nickel (where Brown is the likely starter) and mainly at corner (where Porter and Hill have a leg up).

“I feel I made big progress from last season,” Richard says. “I got way better with moving laterally and way faster over the offseason. One thing I really wanted to improve on the most is just my awareness when it comes to seeing formations, what they like to run out of different formations.

“I’ll play wherever they want me. I think corner mainly, but I’m very versatile from corner, nickel and safety, too.”

Richard sees his role this year as “just doing what the team needs. Nobody has solidified a starting job right now, we are all using fall camp to compete for that.”

Richard says he thinks despite losing four starters, the secondary won’t miss a beat. He says that the “talent and competition level is still the same.”

At the same time, Richard knows there are doubters out there that worry if this secondary can be a force.

“I’d say to them just wait, you’ll see,” Richard said. “We don’t think we are a question mark. It’s going to be on display soon.”

*Richard says of the young DBs that a guy who has stood out is OJ Frederique. “He’s a freshman in my room that really proved he’s ready for this level,” Richard said. “He’s physical, he is good with his hands, gets his hands on the receiver. He can run, and his ball skills are phenomenal, too.”

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