This could be a pleasant surprise, and a much needed one at that.
http://www.blueandgold.com/content/?aid=3725
Even though it sounds like a lot of hype, it's at least encouraging.
(partial quote)
Just days after suffering a disheartening loss to LSU at the Sugar Bowl in his final game, Richardson quietly packed his things and went to a strange, new place to prepare himself for the next level. Richardson left the relative tranquility of South Bend and his central Georgia home of Warner Robins to the maddening frenzy of New York and northern New Jersey. For a five-week stretch in the dead of winter, Richardson spent hours upon hours in converted-warehouse gym to become one of the fastest men ever to come out of Notre Dame.
“I’ve never been to New York or New Jersey before,” Richardson said. “It definitely was a bit of a change. Usually after the season, you get to go home for a bit and relax with your family. For me, I decided to head over to New Jersey and start training right away.”
Richardson had been through some tough training periods before, but few were probably as grueling or as focused as DeFranco’s Training Systems.
In a cavernous building with a Spartan ambiance and enough iron to build more than a few tanks, owner Joe DeFranco builds tanks of flesh and bone. For 10 years, college and pro athletes from baseball, football and hockey have sought him out to better themselves. DeFranco can’t quite remember seeing someone with the same combination of explosiveness, intelligence and desire like Richardson.
“He’s got that explosive burst in him that you just can’t teach,” DeFranco said. “I’ve worked with [Seattle Seahawks wide receiver] Deion Branch when I was at another facility, and even though Deion is a wide receiver, both he and Mike show similar kinds of speed bursts and the ability to come out of a cut. He’s just got some God-given skills that neither I nor anyone else can take credit for.
“And it didn’t take him long to pick up anything, either. Mike has a sponge-like ability just to take in what he’s taught. He’s a quiet kid, but he basically absorbed everything I said in a short amount of time. I don’t know if that’s a Notre Dame thing or what.”