The veteran leader of the Irish secondary, Richardson was put in charge of making the defensive adjustments in the backfield. Blessed with keen vision and a good feel for the ball, he was rarely caught out of position. The coaches were so confident in his coverage ability, that he was usually assigned to the opposition's top receiver rather than handle one field assignment.

At Warner Robins High School, Richardson excelled in football and track. He lettered four times as a cornerback and wide receiver, becoming only the third four-year starter in school history. The two-time all-league pick was team captain as a senior. He caught a team-high 12 passes for 180 yards and rushed 82 times for 361 yards and seven scores, despite missing four games in 2001.

Richardson finished with career totals of 1,866 rushing yards, 24 receptions for 450 yards and 24 total touchdowns. He helped his team go 8-3 as a freshman, 10-2 as a sophomore and 11-1 as a junior. He also earned three letters in track as a sprinter and hurdler. The two-time conference and regional champion ran bests of 14.4 seconds in the 110-high hurdles and 38.0 in 300-intermediate hurdles.

Richardson spent the 2002 season at Notre Dame on the scout team. He played in 12 games as a reserve cornerback in 2003, posting 16 tackles (10 solos). In 2004, he forced his way into the starting lineup for five of the 12 games he appeared in. He totaled 33 tackles (25 solos) with two forced fumbles and three pass deflection while also intercepting one pass. He added 242 appearances on special teams.

As a junior, Richardson handled boundary duties, starting all 12 games. He came up with 66 tackles (50 solos), three sacks and five stops for losses. He caused two fumbles, knocked down seven passes and intercepted three others. He also saw 90 snaps on special teams.

In 2006, Richardson collected 55 tackles (34 solos) with six stops for losses in 13 starting assignments. He broke up five passes and intercepted four others while logging close to 320 minutes of action.

In 49 games at Notre Dame, Richardson started 30 contests. He recorded 170 tackles (119 solos) with three sacks for minus-22 yards and 11 stops for losses of 35 yards. He caused four fumbles and deflected 15 passes. He also gained 69 yards on eight interception returns (8.6 avg.).

Positives: Has well-defined chest, shoulder and arm muscles, loose hips, knotted thighs and calves and a frame that can carry at least another 15 pounds of bulk with no loss in quickness … Solid wrap-up tackler who takes advantage of his size and power to re-route receivers in press coverage … Physical near the line of scrimmage and is disruptive to receivers running routes in his territory … Rarely fooled by the quarterback's pumps … Stops quickly and has an explosive burst … Has quick feet and stays low coming out of his backpedal … Sees threats and reads the quarterback well … Plants and drives forward with crispness and shows good urgency closing on the ball … Shows the range to flip and run on deep routes … Plays on all of the special teams coverage units and shows great effectiveness as an edge rusher or back-out defender on the punt return … Adjusts smoothly to the ball in flight … Good tackler in tight quarters.

Negatives: Better in zone than man coverage, having problems mirroring receivers' moves because he tends to play cautious in deep routes … When he tries to skate and slide in his pedal, he negates his loose hips, as he struggles to turn … Has very good timed speed, but needs to do a better job of recovering when he out-runs the play … Physical tackler, but needs to work on improving his overall strength … Coverage skills need refinement, as he takes short, choppy strides trying to turn on the ball in deep routes … Willing in run support, but sometimes takes bad angles in his pursuit.

Compares To: Roderick Hood, Arizona -- Richardson has good timed speed, but needs to improve his overall strength, despite showing decent physicality when tackling … He is an adequate boundary cornerback, but not a shutdown one and will probably make more dollars competing on special teams than he will trying to win a roster spot as a starting cornerback.

No injuries reported.

Campus: 4.48 in the 40-yard dash … 36-inch vertical jump … 10-foot-7 broad jump … 4.05 20-yard shuttle … 6.27 three-cone drill … 30¼-inch arm length … 9¼-inch hands … Right-handed … Wears contacts.

Attended Warner Robins (Ga.) High School, playing football for head coach Richard Fendley … Excelled in football and track … Lettered four times as a cornerback and wide receiver, becoming only the third four-year starter in school history … The two-time all-league pick was team captain as a senior … Caught a team-high 12 passes for 180 yards and rushed 82 times for 361 yards and seven scores, despite missing four games in 2001 … Finished with career totals of 1,866 rushing yards, 24 receptions for 450 yards and 24 total touchdowns … Helped his team go 8-3 as a freshman, 10-2 as a sophomore and 11-1 as a junior … Also earned three letters in track as a sprinter and hurdler … The two-time conference and regional champion ran bests of 14.4 seconds in 110-high hurdles and 38.0 in 300-intermediate hurdles.

Graduate of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business with a degree in Marketing … Is presently enrolled in graduate studies … Earned a 3.167 grade-point average in the 2005 fall semester and 3.143 in the 2006 spring semester … Born Michael Isaiah Richardson on Feb. 18, 1984 in Sumter, S.C. … Resides in Warner Robins, Ga.