Ty Richardson, Football, Tufts University

by DEVON SCHAEFER

Senior Ty Richardson committed to playing Division III football at Tufts University in February 2023. He will be joining his brother and Menlo alumnus Jaden Richardson (‘20) on the Tufts football team.

Ty Richardson started playing flag football when he was in second grade but didn’t begin playing tackle until his freshman year. During the pandemic, when team sports shut down, Richardson realized how much he loved football. He started to consider playing collegiately.

cool places,” Richardson said.

Tufts also offers the balance that a DIII school provides. “I thought [Tufts] was the best place for me to balance both academics and athletics rather than leaning heavily athletically if I were to go to a DI school,” Richardson said. At Tufts, you don’t have to declare your major until the end of your sophomore year; since Richardson is undecided, he appreciates how Tufts allows him to explore his interests before making any decisions.

process. However, the recruitment process at MIT is fairly different from a lot of other schools. “The [MIT water polo] coach identifies athletes who are both good enough to play at the next level and have the academic chops to apply,” he said. “Then, he takes that group and writes letters of recommendation for them.” This means that while Kay was in communication with MIT’s coach, he was never actually guaranteed an admission to the university and still needed to get in based on his own merit by applying early action.

Separate from water polo, Kay intends to pursue mathematical economics and mechanical engineering at MIT.

Richardson received his first collegiate offers in July 2022, including his offer from Tufts. He continued to receive offers but ultimately chose Tufts this winter. “It was a lengthy process, but definitely a fun one. I got to see a lot of

Senior Ralston Raphael played football with Richardson and appreciated having him on the team. “He’s a really humble guy,” Raphael said. “He just lets his actions speak on the field.”

Richardson is excited to develop both athletically and academically at Tufts next year. He hopes to get substantial playing time and win a couple of New England Small College Athletic Conference championships. “I know I’ll have to work extremely hard to earn both those team and personal goals,” Richardson said.