First RussBus Passenger
Class of 2017
When named as head coach on December 14, Coach Huesman had a lot of work ahead of him. In addition to having to assemble his coaching staff and move from UTC back to Richmond, Huesman and his staff had just 6 weeks until National Signing Day. They did a fantastic job of pulling together their first class but it was a bit light on big bodies. The first passenger on the RussBus for the class of 2018 changed that.
Ray - on the field
In 2016, the coaching staff extended its first offer in early June. This staff picked up a big verbal from a highly sought after prospect on June 14.
Ray Eldridge is a 6'4, 260 defensive tackle from just outside Pittsburgh, PA. He holds offers from nearly half of the MAC, in addition to FCS schools like JMU. While being recruited as both an OL/DT he will get his first crack at DT at Richmond. Eldridge is a heady player and takes a disciplined approach to the game. He plays team defense, knowing his responsibility and not looking to make plays that open up gaps. You won't see him overpursue a play or give up the edge. Watching his film, you often see him taking proper pursuit angles and making a play on the other side of the field even up to 20 yards down field.
Don't expect to see Eldridge hitting the field for the Spiders in a game in 2018 though. He mentioned Coach Heusman told him that he had a desire to redshirt as much of the class as he could; using the 2008 National Championship team as an example of what he'd like to do.
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Ray - off the field
The Richmond coaching staff has really emphasized the, "Best of Both Worlds," that Richmond provides. Play for Championships and get a top-notch education to last you a lifetime. Eldridge mentioned this combination no less than 4 times in a 10-minute conversation recently with SpiderNation. Despite only taking an unofficial to Richmond in late May, he knew it was where he wanted to be, and ultimately committed to Richmond.
Eldridge mentioned finance as his desired major and highlighted the Summer in Spain initiative as a huge plus for the school. He "could always envision myself at Richmond. It was always the first school to come to my mind." He’s currently working on setting up a date for his Official visit to Richmond. Currently, it’s looking likely for September 30, during Richmond’s bye week.
While you watch Eldridge’s film, keep an eye on #22 at linebacker. Richmond has also offered Eldridge’s South Fayette teammate Noah Plack-Tallerico. Fortunately for Richmond, it has an insider working on convincing him to take a long look at UR. Don’t expect a verbal anytime soon but Richmond is currently sitting well with Plack-Tallerico.
Despite the new December signing period, it’s a long way until Eldridge can transition from a verbal to a commit. Don’t expect anything to change for Eldridge though; even a Power 5 offer wouldn’t sway him. He cited Richmond’s educational opportunities and campus life as reasons to turn down P5 offers, even if they were to come later this Summer.
This staff has set its sights high, extending offers to a lot of prospects with FBS offers. Richmond may find it tough to compete against those kinds of offers, but guys like Eldridge demonstrate that there are players out there that respond well to the “Best of Both Worlds.” Those are the guys this staff wants, and they successfully picked up one of their top targets at a position of need.