Forest Hills Central’s Star Linebacker: Maxwell Richardson

Maxwell Richardson is a 3 Star recruit who plays Linebacker at Forest Hills Central High School. Richardson is ranked among the top 800 recruits in the nation and is ranked as a top 70 Linebacker in the nation as well. In addition, Richardson is listed as a top 20 recruit in the state of Michigan and is listed as the #5 Linebacker in the state of Michigan. He has signed with Stanford.

Who are some role models in your life?

My father is an obvious standout role model for me. He’s always been a great leader and a super passionate and hard working guy. Other than that I look up to a lot of adults in my life from teachers, to coaches, to parents, to siblings, and to peers. I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by a great community of hard working individuals my whole life.

What artists do you listen to pregame, to get you hyped up?

I’m not a huge fan of the pump up stuff, I don’t take caffeine of any kind or ibuprofen before games. But even when it comes to music I’ll usually try to find stuff that actually calms me down instead. Usually that’s some form of country. All that being said Black Betty by Ram Jam is my go to hype song.

What are the strengths of your game?

My greatest strengths are the non-talent stuff. I’m always hustling, I play mean, and finish plays. I’m hyper competitive and hate being beat on a single play in a game and will often take down names and numbers throughout the game to attack. I make everything personal and make sure I go punish them.

What is your favorite memory of your career?

It’s hard to beat a historic state championship run that happened for our team last year. Especially winning the semifinal in the last minute. Along with that though, in the semifinals of my sophomore season we played in a blizzard game against the highest rated team in the state, which we won in double overtime. That was truly special.

Who is the best player you have ever played with or played against in your career?

I’ve been blessed to play with and against the nations best talents. Including AJ Dennis, Brady Pretzlaf, Brady Drogosh, Cole Cabana, and of course Ty Hudkins. Not to mention the countless D2 and D3 players I’ve faced who don’t take a back seat to any of the guys above or myself. Also, I would take my right tackle Joey Swing and my running back and linebacker JT Hartman against anyone in the country. Just because they don’t have attention doesn’t mean they couldn’t shock the world.

What is some advice you would give to an aspiring D1 athlete?

Go get it. Chase opportunities. They don’t chase you back. Have a plan. It’s all about networking. Most importantly don’t rush, it’s your process, it can’t be whatever you want it to be.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Iceland! I love adventurous trips. I would love to backpack in that region after my career.

How old were you when you fell in love with the game?

This is honestly a really tough question. I truly fell in love with the sport probably around 6 or 7. But I never thought the game loved me back. I spent time thinking I would be a college hooper until I realized I didn’t have the body or skill set to play hoops at that level. Then I spent time thinking I was a college baseball player. That was actually until about last year, until I realized that I could actually pursue my dream, then I went from in love, to obsessed.

If you could meet one sports hero, who would it be?

I would love to meet Connor McGregor. I love his personality and his fearless lifestyle. I also think he has some incredible connections and it would be fantastic for networking.

What is your favorite sports moment, as a fan?

Well, recently it would have to be Stanford’s comeback win over Colorado. But when I was little the coolest thing to me, as most other kids my age, was the Odell Beckham Jr one handed catch.