PR Sports

Bonneville senior Jared Richardson will join his brother Jordan on the BYU football team. Brock will stay on after graduating as a trainer. Amanda Smith / prphoto@postregister.com

Mark down another Richardson on the BYU football roster.

Jared Richardson accepted a preferred walk-on offer to BYU last week, picking BYU over preferred walk-on offers from Boise State and Utah State.

Richardson will join his oldest brother, Brock, who just graduated but will stay on as a trainer, and Jordan, who is returning from his mission in Brazil, on the roster.

“I always watched them growing up and idolized them,” Richardson said. “Being on the same team is going to be crazy. It’ll be a different feel. I hope I get used to it quick and enjoy it. It’ll be fun trying to keep up with them. That’s what I’ve been trying to do whole life.”

A preferred walk-on guarantees Richardson one of the 104 105 spots on BYU’s roster. A walk-on has to compete with other walk-ons for a spot.

Richardson averaged 10.9 tackles a game in both his junior and senior years. He earned the High Country Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award this past fall.

His award and spot on BYU’s roster come a year after surgery to replace the ACL in his left knee.

“I haven’t been able to show much since knee surgery,” Richardson said. “They’re excited to see what happens but they didn’t feel they could give me full offer with my knee. But they’re giving me an opportunity in that first year. It depends on the fall and summer camps, but I could be playing or I could red shirt. It’s a wild card.”

Richardson said the decision between BYU and Boise State and Utah State wasn’t easy, but the fact BYU found a partial academic scholarship for him helped.

“Utah State is really on the rise,” Richardson said. “And Boise State is a great program, but I really liked what I saw with BYU and maybe I’ll get a little playing time with special teams.”

BYU is looking at Richardson as a linebacker, but Richardson isn’t sure which position yet.

He wanted to graduate from Bonneville early and attend spring practices at BYU, putting all three Richardsons on the field together, but he couldn’t pull it off.

Richardson will join Shelley defensive lineman Mason Higham as preferred walk-ons on next year’s BYU team.