10 former college football standouts who’ll impact American Alliance of Football
5. Trent Richardson, RB, Birmingham Iron
Trent Richardson is an anomaly on this list –– mainly because he actually achieved a fair amount of success upon entering the NFL.
However, that was before he was a part of an Alabama team in the beginnings of the dynasty built during Nick Saban era.
While Richarson forwent his final season of college eligibility, he still impressed following in the footsteps of Heisman winner Mark Ingram.
Richardson hopped onto the scene in his freshman year, but ultimately it’s his junior season that defined him as a college player.
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Not only did he quite literally carry Alabama to a BCS National Championship in 2011, but he also finished third in the Heisman voting and deservedly so.
That season, Richardson rushed for 1,679 yards and barreled his way across the goal line 21 times while also being the recipient of three touchdown catches.
His prominence in the college arena elicited an appropriate response by NFL franchises. Although somewhat undersized –– standing at just 5-foot-9 –– he was the third overall pick of the Browns in the 2013 NFL Draft.
After two games with the Browns, he was traded to the Colts, the team he spent most of his professional career with. While his professional potential was renewed in Indianapolis, it wasn’t a perfect fit for Richardson.
He also was on the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens before he took his talents north to play in the Canadian Football League.
While he bounced around a bit in the NFL, his numbers aren’t too shabby –– with more than 2,000 career rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in four seasons.
Richardson probably won’t catch the attention of NFL teams to be the premier, three-down back, but he can still factor into the success of an NFL team given what he was able to accomplish throughout his decorated career.