The additions at defensive back continue out of the Transfer Portal for Miami with the commitment of Vanderbilt freshman cornerback Ja'Dais Richard.
Miami has added seven defensive backs to the roster since the end of last season, including four from the Transfer Portal.
Along with Richard, Oklahoma corner Jaden Davis, UCF corner Davonte Brown, and versatile Iowa veteran Terry Roberts all signed with Miami since December.
Four-stars Damari Brown and Robert Stafford were the two cornerback signees in 2023 while former Oklahoma commit Kaleb Spencer was the lone safety signee of the class.
Richard signed with Vanderbilt out of West Monroe in Louisiana in the 2022 class as a top 35 safety prospect. He spent just one season with the Commodores, taking the fourth most snaps on the team at cornerback, and spent most of his time in the slot (115 snaps).
Overall he played in 11 games, including one start, as a true freshman, picking up six tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and two pass breakups.
It has been almost a two-week process for Richard who entered the Transfer Portal on April 25th.
"I want to start off by saying 'Thank You' to Coach Lea and the whole Vanderbilt staff for taking me in with open arms," said Richard in his announcement on Twitter. "To coach Jackson, I appreciate you for teaching me about life and ball. To my teammates, I love y'all boys!! God has a different path for me in life. I'll always cherish the brotherhood and memories we made together. With that being said, I will be entering my name into the NCAA transfer portal with three years of eligibility left."
Richard was a projected safety coming out of high school due to his 6'2" 197-pound size. He was originally committed to TCU before choosing Vanderbilt over Louisville and Baylor. Richard rose up the depth chart by the end of the season thanks to solid performances against Kentucky and Florida, eventually becoming a projected starter by the end of this spring.
His addition continues the trend of Miami recruiting the Louisiana area heavily since the arrival of defensive coordinator Lance Guidry. Both Guidry and the director of recruiting Dennis Smith have strong relationships and familiarity in those fertile recruiting grounds from previous stops.
Richard has three years of eligibility remaining and should immediately compete with Daryl Porter Jr. and Jaden Davis at the outside cornerback spot opposite Davonte Brown.
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