CAREER: Named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team...Totaled 105 tackles, 72 of which solo, and two sacks for the Knights... Injured in parts of the 2005-07 seasons, he finally got to play in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl in his first postseason game.
SENIOR SEASON (2009): Key special teams player...Started three games at linebacker...Saw time in 11 games with 22 total tackles...Had his season high at East Carolina (Sept. 26) with nine tackles, two for a loss and one forced fumble...Assisted team with three tackles at Southern Miss (Sept. 12) and Buffalo (Sept. 19).
JUNIOR SEASON (2008): Appeared in four games ... Led the team in tackles vs. South Carolina State (Aug. 30) with seven.
MEDICAL REDSHIRT JUNIOR SEASON (2007): Received a medical redshirt after suffering a shoulder injury in preseason workouts.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2006): Prior to a season-ending ankle injury, made five starts and appeared in eight games ... Made 31 tackles, including tying his career-high with nine stops against Rice (Oct. 21) ... Registered five tackles in the season-opening win vs. Villanova (Sept. 2) ... Had four solo stops in that contest, a feat he achieved three times during the season, including vs. Pitt (Oct. 13) and vs. the Owls ... Tallied his second career sack in the USF game (Sept. 16) ... Made three tackles in the game at Houston (Oct. 28) before injuring his ankle ...
TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON (2005): Named to Conference USA[apos]s All-Freshman team on defense ... Played in nine games, including six starts ... Missed the final four games of the season with a shoulder injury ... Eight tackles (six solo) at USF (Sept. 17) ... Six tackles, including one for loss and a quarterback hurry in the Marshall victory (Sept. 24) ... Five tackles at Louisiana (Oct. 1) ... Two tackles, one for loss, in the win over Tulane (Oct. 21) ... Career-high nine tackles in return to his home state of North Carolina in the East Carolina game (Oct. 29) ... Eight solo stops, two tackles for loss and first career sack ... One pass break-up vs. the Pirates.
PRIOR TO UCF: Spent one season at Hargrave Military Academy ... Coached by Robert Prunty ... Totaled 45 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four sacks and six pass break-ups at Hargrave ... Appeared in just six games due to injury ... One of two players signed from Hargrave (Breon Rogers).
HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Cary High School for Ben Kolstad ... Two-time all-conference honoree ... Team MVP as a senior ... Four-time player of the week honoree.
PERSONAL: Richards is the son of Donnie and Lisa Frantz ... Majoring in Criminal Justice.