I was at the Utah football practice today, and to again echo was Alex mentioned on another thread, don't believe everything you hear concerning Patrick.
Today I spoke with running back Armand Shyne and walk-on receiver Riley Richmond.
I asked Shyne if there was a battle brewing between he and Isaac Asiata since they both have the same number of touchdowns. He laughed off the minor jab and said he was happy that Asiata had his back, and that he wasn't envious of whoever he ripped the ball away from in the scrum. Armand said he's transitioning well to D1 and to Salt Lake City. When he first got here, he was overweight (220 pounds) and the elevation added to his conditioning struggles. Now he is acclimated and in better shape and he's seeing more burst in his step as a result. I asked him what it's like preparing for teams such as BYU, USC, and now Cal and he said, "it's fun actually. Going against those types of teams with reputable defensive lines proves to me that I made it and that I can go up against talented teams." I then asked how he would describe his game and what Utah fans should expect from him and he said that he is a physical, go-right-at-you type player that will make the most of his opportunities. He wants to be known to Utah fans as a good teammate, family-oriented guy, and a nice, humble guy off the field.
I also interviewed walk-on wideout Riley Richmond. I have a personal relationship with Riley--he was one of my best friends growing up and we played on the same comp baseball and basketball teams for years. I saw him walking off the field and in a sort of joking manner, I asked him for an interview, which actually turned out to be quite informative on the life of a walk-on and their daily process. He said, "I love being a Ute. Ever since I could walk, I was always going to games and have been a die hard fan for 19 years. Now that I'm playing, it's been a dream come true."
I asked about the life of a walk-on and he had this to say: "Being a walk-on is no different than being a scholarship player. They players and coaches treat us the same, we do the same--if not more--film study as everyone else and we're all just as hungry as scholarship guys."
If you follow Utah Football on Twitter, you'll see that Riley was the scout offensive player of the week a few weeks back. He said, "It's an honor to be recognized like that. I was actually playing quarterback (he played QB at Murray and at Snow College last year) because the SJSU quarterback was a bit more mobile. I'm a smaller guy, so trying to look over the big offensive linemen and having a defender in your face right when you touch the ball was a struggle, but I'll do what it takes to help this team win."
Riley is also a legacy Ute, with his father, Mike Richmond, quarterbacking the Utes in the early 90's. He said that Mike is always in his ear about enjoying the level of play at D1 and to just go out and enjoy football, because Mike misses the game and plays again vicariously through Riley.
Today I spoke with running back Armand Shyne and walk-on receiver Riley Richmond.
I asked Shyne if there was a battle brewing between he and Isaac Asiata since they both have the same number of touchdowns. He laughed off the minor jab and said he was happy that Asiata had his back, and that he wasn't envious of whoever he ripped the ball away from in the scrum. Armand said he's transitioning well to D1 and to Salt Lake City. When he first got here, he was overweight (220 pounds) and the elevation added to his conditioning struggles. Now he is acclimated and in better shape and he's seeing more burst in his step as a result. I asked him what it's like preparing for teams such as BYU, USC, and now Cal and he said, "it's fun actually. Going against those types of teams with reputable defensive lines proves to me that I made it and that I can go up against talented teams." I then asked how he would describe his game and what Utah fans should expect from him and he said that he is a physical, go-right-at-you type player that will make the most of his opportunities. He wants to be known to Utah fans as a good teammate, family-oriented guy, and a nice, humble guy off the field.
I also interviewed walk-on wideout Riley Richmond. I have a personal relationship with Riley--he was one of my best friends growing up and we played on the same comp baseball and basketball teams for years. I saw him walking off the field and in a sort of joking manner, I asked him for an interview, which actually turned out to be quite informative on the life of a walk-on and their daily process. He said, "I love being a Ute. Ever since I could walk, I was always going to games and have been a die hard fan for 19 years. Now that I'm playing, it's been a dream come true."
I asked about the life of a walk-on and he had this to say: "Being a walk-on is no different than being a scholarship player. They players and coaches treat us the same, we do the same--if not more--film study as everyone else and we're all just as hungry as scholarship guys."
If you follow Utah Football on Twitter, you'll see that Riley was the scout offensive player of the week a few weeks back. He said, "It's an honor to be recognized like that. I was actually playing quarterback (he played QB at Murray and at Snow College last year) because the SJSU quarterback was a bit more mobile. I'm a smaller guy, so trying to look over the big offensive linemen and having a defender in your face right when you touch the ball was a struggle, but I'll do what it takes to help this team win."
Riley is also a legacy Ute, with his father, Mike Richmond, quarterbacking the Utes in the early 90's. He said that Mike is always in his ear about enjoying the level of play at D1 and to just go out and enjoy football, because Mike misses the game and plays again vicariously through Riley.
