Notre Dame football beats out Alabama for fast-rising pass catcher, bringing a ton of speed to the table

Notre Dame received some big news on the recruiting trail on Tuesday when 2025 Greenville (Ga.) High School athlete Antavious Richardson opted for the Irish, flipping his commitment from South Florida. The 6-1, 170-pound speedster had been committed to the Bulls since late June. He becomes the third wide receiver commitment in the class, joining Jerome Bettis Jr. and Elijah Burress .

Richardson is considered a three-star recruit by a majority of recruiting platforms, the exception being On3 who has him ranked as a four-star player. On their platform, the Georgia native is listed as the No. 292 overall player and No. 12 athlete in the 2025 recruiting class. They also have him pegged as the No. 36 player in Georgia, a state well known for putting out a ridiculous amount of talent.

The talented athlete was planning on playing defensive back for South Florida, but he has been receiving attention from several bigger programs. That obviously includes the Fighting Irish, but Richardson had also been pursued by Alabama , as well as holding other offers from North Carolina, Mississippi State, Louisville, Memphis, Vanderbilt, and Duke among others.

As is the case with athletes of this caliber, Greenville asks him to do a lot for them. In four games so far as a senior, Richardson has rushed for 571 yards and a touchdown on just 44 carries, averaging a staggering 13 yards per carry. He has also thrown for another 411 yards and five touchdowns as a passer.

On the defensive side of the football, Richardson is an impact member of the secondary. He has collected 33 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and one interception thus far. Richardson is also a dominant member of the special teams, doubling as a dynamic kick and punt returner.

Playing high school quarterback, Richardson is still a very raw player, and we have no idea how natural he is at the wide receiver position. With how dire wide receiver recruiting has been, taking a slight gamble on such a talented athlete isn’t the worst case scenario. Richardson is a good addition for the Irish, but more work is needed.