Texas A&M football: 5 Aggies poised for breakout seasons in 2020

To be able to compete and be one of the top teams in the SEC, you need a stingy defense. And with the balance of air and ground attacks within the conference, having linebackers and defensive backs that are able to do it all goes a long way. And for the Texas A&M Aggies, sophomore defensive back, Demani Richardson is just that guy. As a freshman, Richardson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team by the conference’s coaches and won several team awards, including the top defensive newcomer award.

Richardson started in 11 of 12 games last season and intercepted one pass while also recording two pass breakups. While those numbers do not jump off the page, there were a lot of factors at play last year. One, Richardson was just a freshman, and two, the Aggies have a lot of talent in their secondary including Charles Oliver, Myles Jones and Leon O’Neal Jr., just to name a few. But where Richardson really shined was in open field tackles. Richardson finished third on the team in 2019 in total tackles with 71, with one of those tackles resulting in a forced fumble.

Whether it be a wide receiver catching a pass across the middle of the field or a running back making it past the first two lines of defense, Richardson is a great open-field tackler who has a knack for finding the ball carrier and wrapping him up. Fully expect Richardson to maintain his numbers in the tackling game but watch for him to be more of a threat in the passing game.