Oven mitts or not, Miami DB Jadais Richard making strides after losing weight and getting faster: “Big improvement for me”

 In Miami’s final spring practice session before spring break, there was Jadais Richard with interesting gloves on his hands. Not your usual football gloves, mind you, but big oven mitts. He was one of several DBs sporting them.

“He’s doing good, we’d been holding a bit, put the ovens on to keep them from holding,” defensive coordinator Lance Guidry said.

Oven mitts or not, Guidry says he’s pleased with Richard’s progress.

“He’s probably – I’ve seen the most improvement at corner from the fall, doing really well,” Guidry said.

Richard stressed the oven mitts weren’t a punishment for some pass interference calls in prior practices, but simply for his own betterment.

“More for training, trying to work on lateral movement, get our feet faster,” Richard said.

With starting CBs Te’Cory Couch and Jaden Davis gone, the opportunity is there for the taking for Richard, who transferred in from Vanderbilt last year. He’s been working with the ones so far this spring opposite returning starter Daryl Porter, Jr., although Damari Brown will have something to say about that when he returns from injury. Transfer Mishael Powell is working at nickel and can also play safety.

“I feel like we look pretty good, kind of short on guys right now,” Richard said. “The (ones) we have right now are playing pretty decent.”

Last year Richard got the most reps in a game at Florida State with 54, and he looked like he belonged out there with three tackles and allowing three catches on five targets for 36 yards (he had a 64.9 cover grade from that game per Pro Football Focus). He’s got good length and speed, and Year 3 of college is a good time for a breakout campaign. He could become a major player on Lance Guidry’s defense.

“I’ve gotten more muscle, way more lean,” Richard said. “When I came in I was pretty big, especially to be a corner. I came in, weighed about 205. Now brought my weight down to 198.

“Last year I was around 19, 20 range (in miles per hour), now 21, 22. So big improvement for me.”

 Richard says his goal this year is simple.

“Get better every day, that’s pretty much it,” Richard said. “I’m not trying to focus on the season right now, focusing on the present.”

Richard arrived at Miami from Vanderbilt prior to last season and ended 2023 coming off the bench with 14 tackles. He was a starting Vanderbilt cornerback the spring prior to his transfer last year, and he played in 11 games in 2022 as a true freshman (with one start) and had six tackles, a sack and two pass breakups.

His Pro Football Focus grades over the last two seasons? In 2022 he played 203 reps at Vanderbilt and had a 62.4 overall grade with a 60.3 tackle grade and 60.3 cover grade as well. Per PFF he was targeted 13 times and allowed nine receptions (69.2 percent) for 211 yards with two TDs. This past season at Miami he played in 187 reps and graded out at 67.7 percent overall (76.2 percent run defense, 65.5 cover grade). Opponents targeted him 14 times with 10 completions for 120 yards.

“I feel way more comfortable (this year in his second under Lance Guidry),” Richard said. “Now it’s just me out there reacting instead of thinking. Last year I was thinking, still trying to get familiar with the system.”

A final thought from Richard?

That was regarding his teammate at Vanderbilt who chose to transfer to Miami this year, S Savion Riley.

“It was pretty much his decision, I told him we had two major safeties leaving with Kam (Kinchens) and James (Williams), that spots will be up for grabs,” Richard said. “He wanted to accept that challenge.”

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