Standing at just a shade under six feet tall and tipping the scales at 224 pounds, junior running back Trent Richardson returns as an explosive force in the backfield for the Crimson Tide. With the departure of Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mark Ingram, Richardson takes over as the Tide’s primary ball carrier.

Coming out of high school, Richardson held many titles: Parade All-American, Under-Armour All-American, USA Today All-American, EA Sports All-American, Super-Prep All-American. But, no matter how many All-American lists a recruit could make, making significant plays as a freshman is something that is very difficult for any freshman. However, by many standards, Richardson exceeded the high expectations placed on him as a freshman and garnered 751 yards, eight touchdowns and averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a true freshman, backing up eventual Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. He had no drop-off in his sophomore campaign, gaining 700 yards, six touchdowns and averaging an impressive 6.3 yards per carry, again as backup to Ingram.

Coming into this season, Richardson will be the unquestioned starting running back. He was chosen for numerous preseason All-American lists, including Lindy’s and Playboy. However, with all the hype and preseason recognition Richardson has garnered this offseason, Richardson said he doesn’t pay attention to it.

“I got a lot of attention, but I don’t pay attention to it,” Richardson said.  “I just use a lot of tools that God gave me and blessed me with. I just play one play-by-play and just try to get better at practice.”

Not only does Richardson accumulate stats running the ball; he was the only Crimson Tide player who had logged a 100-yard receiving game going into the 2011 season, showing versatility at the running back position. Junior linebacker Nico Johnson noted how even though Richardson is a big, strong running back, he is still very versatile, showing size and speed, and he described how hard it is to tackle a running back of Richardson’s caliber.

“It’s like trying to throw a car in a pond,” Johnson said.  “He’s big. It’s real difficult. I see why opponents struggle, because he is so versatile. I think I missed a tackle on him today. He’s fast and quick and big. So, I gotta get him down somehow…He runs hard, and that’s one reason you can’t bring him down, because he runs hard.”

Senior center William Vlachos, in his third season as the starting center, talked about how Richardson makes the offensive line look good and how he gives the offensive line confidence.

“He is a great player. He makes us look a lot better than we are. If there is something there, he is gonna hit it. He’s got the ability to take it to the house every time. He’s a great player. He’s really good. We just got to do our job and he’ll do the rest,” Vlachos said.

Richardson started out the 2011 season on a high note, rushing for three touchdowns on only 13 carries, and added one reception for 16 yards against Kent State in Bryant-Denny Stadium this past Saturday.