Trent Richardson

Richardson was frequently compared to Emmitt Smith, who also starred at Escambia (1987 graduate), but his physique and running style are more similar to Earl Campbell.

Richardson also drew comparisons to Michael Turner and O. J. Simpson.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Richardson was listed as the No. 2 running back prospect in the nation (behind only Bryce Brown).

He chose Alabama over Florida, Florida State, and LSU, among others.

Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was a member of two BCS National Championship teams.

In a game against Milton High School in September 2008, Richardson rushed for 419 yards on 29 carries and scored six touchdowns, a performance that earned him a selection as the first ESPN RISE National Football Player of the Week.

As a junior, Richardson also reached the 400-yard plateau, as he ran for 407 yards in his opening game against Tate High School.

He finished his junior season (8 games) with 1,390 yards and 13 touchdowns, and received FSWA All-State 5A second team honors.

He sat out his second year due to an injury.

He made the FSWA 5A All-State First Team as a senior, and was named 5A Florida Player of the Year and a finalist for the 2008 Mr. Football.

Richardson also received consensus All-American honors and was named to the Orlando Sentinel's All Southern Team (Florida).

Richardson also lettered in track & field at Escambia.

In 2008, he captured a regional title in the 100-meter dash (10.81 s) and placed 5th at the state meet with a time of 10.9 seconds (World-class sprinter Jeff Demps won the event).

He owned a personal-best time of 10.5 seconds in the 100 meters.

In addition, he also participated in the long jump event and had a best-mark of 6.55 meters.

Richardson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2009 to 2011.

In his first year at Alabama, Richardson stepped in quickly for the departed Glen Coffee, and shared time at the tailback position with Roy Upchurch and Mark Ingram, Jr.

When recruited, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban called Richardson, "the real key to the class," and "an outstanding player at a position that a young player can contribute next year."

In the second game of the season against Florida International, Richardson had 118 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 40–14 victory.

Richardson was named SEC Freshman of the Week for Week 2 and Week 4.

Richardson was also named to the 2009 SEC All-Freshman team alongside Barrett Jones and Nico Johnson.

He also contributed significantly in the 2010 BCS National Championship against the Texas Longhorns with 109 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.

For the season, he had 145 carries for 751 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

He had 16 receptions for 126 receiving yards on the season.

Richardson started the first two games of the season with Mark Ingram II sitting out due to an injury.

In the season opener against San Jose State, he 112 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns.

The following week against Penn State, he ran for a career-high 144 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.

On October 16, Richardson had five receptions for 101 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown against Ole Miss.

In the annual rivalry game against Tennessee, he had 12 carries for 118 rushing yards and a touchdown in the 41–10 victory.

For the season, he had 112 carries for 700 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns and 266 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.

Richardson also had 634 kick return yards with a touchdown on the year.

With the departure of Mark Ingram II to the NFL, Richardson took over the starting role at running back.

During the season, Richardson ran for over 100 yards in nine games.

Considered the top running back prospect for the 2012 NFL Draft, Richardson was considered by some as the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson, and was selected third overall by the Cleveland Browns.

After being traded away from the Browns to the Indianapolis Colts during his second season, his production saw a massive decline.

Having been out of the NFL after five seasons, he is sometimes considered one of the biggest draft busts in league history.

He played for the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football in 2019 and led the league with 12 rushing touchdowns.

Richardson was born in Pensacola, Florida.

He played football at Escambia High School Richardson finished his senior season with 2,100 yards on 228 carries scoring 25 touchdowns.