Mooresville High head coach on Richards: 'He'll pancake you in a minute'

The 6-3, 285-pound Richards is a three-star prospect from Mooreville (Ind.) High--located about 20 miles southwest of Indianapolis. Mooresville High is a Class 4A school that lost to Evansville Memorial in the regionals last season.

Richards is the second offensive line commitment for the Boilermakers—and the second o-lineman from Mooresville High. Jaelin Alstott-VanDeVanter is Richards’ teammate at Mooreville. He pledged to Purdue on January 9.

GoldandBlack.com talked to Mooresville High head coach Mike Gillin to get the low-down on Richards.

GoldandBlack.com: What do you think of having two offensive linemen committed to Purdue?

Gillin: I’ve never had that experience over the years. And I’ve been at it a long time. I'm glad for both of them. I was really hoping they both stayed in-state. I’m an in-state guy and I’m an IU/Purdue fan. Notre Dame, too, when it comes down to it. And I didn't know what Zach was going to do. I haven’t been able to talk to him here for a while. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of both of them.

GoldandBlack.com: What type of player is Zach?

Gillin: Zach has been a mainstay for us since his freshman year. He was a little ahead of Jaelin, but he played more football as a youngster that Jaelin did. He became a little more physical earlier and was little more ready to play high school football. Not taking anything away from either one. Zach played as a freshman. Zach would play about half a game of freshman football. And then on Friday night, he played at least half the varsity game. And held his own. I have been at it 41 years as head coach, and the number of freshmen who have played varsity is in single digits.

GoldandBlack.com: How impressive was that?

Gillin: For him to do that was good, especially in his position. He held his own, was very good. We probably could have started him. We just didn’t. We held him back a little bit. But he played a lot, especially the second half of the season. And then, as a sophomore and last year, he was our best lineman. We ran at him continually, and we'll continue to do so this year. We plan to run behind both of them this year and showcase them.

GoldandBlack.com: What are Zach's strengths?

Gillin: Zach has got all the attributes you need. He’s got great size, of course, he's got the mentality. He's got a great lineman mentality. He loves to finish blocks to the whistle. And he'll pancake you in a minute. But, he's also very intelligent about blocking schemes. He understands different defenses and is a real leader up front. I am so excited for him to go to the next level and see him play.

GoldandBlack.com: Where will you play Zach this season?

Gillin: He's always been our left tackle. He has played there for three years. This year, we're gonna move him to right guard and have play next to Jaelin, who will be the right tackle. We’ll see what defenses do about that. But we're obviously gonna be road graders with them. And look out, because we're excited about that.

GoldandBlack.com: Where do you think Zach will play at Purdue?

Gillin: I think Zach could play center in college. He can play center, guard and right tackle in college. And I expect him to probably be a guard. But that's totally up to whatever Purdue wants to do with him. But he's very versatile.

GoldandBlack.com: Does he play any defense?

Gillin: When we got to the playoffs last year against East Central, we actually played them both on defense. It was a big surprise to East Central. They’re gonna be on the field a little bit for us on defense this coming year, too. Zach has got great strength, he’s got good size, he's got feet, he has everything you want in a down guy. So, we're going to play him on defense. We're excited to see what’s going to happen there.

GoldandBlack.com: Does Zach play any other sports?

Gillin: He throws the shot and discus. He used to play basketball. Zach gave it up a little sooner than Jaelin. They both evolved into pretty good football players and then they ran track. They both could actually be pretty good wrestlers, too. They go in and help out the wrestling team.

GoldandBlack.com: Are Zach and Jaelin friends?

Gillin: They're really good, they're close. Zach is a little bit more vocal than Jaelin. It's gonna be fun to watch them right next to each other.

GoldandBlack.com: What other schools did Zach consider?

Gillin: IU was in the mix. I think Cincinnati and Louisville definitely were in the mix. Then, several other Big Ten schools. And I think with this cancellation (of going to school) and stuff, I think almost every Big Ten school probably would have been a little more active if we could have been opened up to this point. I haven't talked to him, probably personally, in about a month because of the shutdown. But I'm excited for him. I think it's a good fit for him and I'm just so glad they both decided to stay in-state.

Embed content not available

Membership Info: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?

Follow GoldandBlack.com: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

More: Gold and Black Illustrated/Gold and Black Express | Subscribe to our podcast