When prized recruit Nu’Keese Richardson missed practice Sunday for what is now being officially labeled as “personal reasons”, that was all the Internet needed to turn the key on the rumor mill and cranking it into overdrive.
The innuendos started flying across message boards and websites that Richardson was unhappy at Tennessee and was looking to transfer.
Richardson returned to practice Tuesday, and head coach Lane Kiffin played it off as much ado about nothing.
“There is no situation,” Kiffin said according to the Chattanooga Times Free-Press. “Nu’Keese was dealing with some issues Sunday — some personal issues — and Nu’Keese was (back) yesterday, and everything’s fine.”
Kiffin did allow that the freshman is frustrated, but no more than any other first-year player trying to adjust to life as a college football player.
“He’s a little bit frustrated like a lot of freshmen around the country are, especially when you’re potentially a really great player and have had a great success in high school, and you come in and things are different in college than high school,” Kiffin said. “Nu’Keese will continue to develop. We’ll continue to work with him, and he’ll eventually be a really great player.”
The wide receiver was the subject of an intensely fierce recruiting battle, pitting the Vols against SEC rival Florida. Upon landing Richardson, Kiffin wrongly accused Urban Meyer of cheating during the pursuit, landing him a public reprimand from the SEC and forcing him to apologize to the university for his accusations.
