East Bladen’s tailback Donavan Richardson has committed to play football at Appalachian State University this fall.
Richardson is following his uncle Kevin Richardson to the school that has won the past two Division 1-AA national championships.
Kevin, a 2003 graduate of East Bladen, has rewritten the record books at Appalachian State while leading the Mounteers to the two national titles.
Donavan, a 5-foot-10, 170-pounder, who helped East Bladen to the State 1-AA semifinals this past year, ran for 1,440 yards and scored 26 touchdowns for the Eagles this past season.
East Bladen coach Lenon Fisher said he didn’t like to compare the two, but there were a lot of similarities.
“They are pretty much the same,” Fisher said. “Donavan may be a little faster than Kevin when he was in high school, and Kevin has a little better vision. But there’s not a lot of difference between them.”
Donavan Richardson, a three-year starter at East Bladen, drew interest from several colleges, but Appalachian was his favorite choice from the beginning.
“I’ve been going up there to all the home games since Kevin been playing, and I love everything about the school,” Donavan said. “It’s just a good atmosphere, and I like the campus and the coaches. It just seemed the right place for me to go.”
His uncle went to Appalachian as a relatively unknown and quickly earned a starting role as a freshman.
The Mounteers has several running backs, including Kevin returning, but Fisher thinks Donavan has a good chance at playing time next year as a freshman.
“Donavan is willing to give you the extra effort that it takes to play football at that level,” Fisher said. “I think he will be able to contribute next year. I feel sure he can contribute on the special teams.”
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