The many sides of Devin Richardson, Washington State's transfer linebacker

Aug. 10—PULLMAN — Devin Richardson might as well have been gaming in a soundproof room.

He was locked into his game of Call of Duty, lights off, headset on, the rest of the world cloaked in darkness. Nothing else mattered to the teenager on these summer nights.

That's when Richardson saw a hand flash in front of his face. He looked up to see his mother, DeAnn, standing over him with a frown on her face.

"She was like, 'No,' " Richardson said.

Who could have guessed that teenager would grow up to become Washington State's prized transfer linebacker? DeAnn would ground Devin from video games, mostly for playing ones she didn't allow, but even that didn't deter him. Later in the evening, when his mom was busy making dinner, Devin would sneak into her bedroom, grab the controller and return to his console for a couple of games.

He got away with it all.

"Absolutely," Richardson said.

Even back then, years before he transferred from New Mexico State to Texas to Washington State, Richardson found himself interested in many things. Growing up outside Houston, in small, suburban Klein, he listened to Christian hip-hop artists like Lecrae and Trip Lee. He honed his quarterback skills throwing against a tree so much that DeAnn scolded him. Most of all, though, he gamed like a person possessed.

"I for sure thought when I was younger that I was gonna be a professional Call of Duty player," Richardson said.

You might not have found a bigger fan of the Call of Duty series in the Houston metro area. He played all the big hits: Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops, Black Ops II, Black Ops III. As a teen, Richardson figured to have a bright future in football, but he wasn't exactly dreaming about it.

To a younger Richardson, the perfect life hardly involved football. If things worked out, Richardson figured, he would make a living gaming. He would join a Call of Duty group and play with the biggest names in the game's orbit.

He only decided football offered a more sustainable path when he put heads together with his brother, DJ, who drove Devin in a different direction. At Klein High, as he transitioned from his sophomore year to his junior year, he moved from linebacker to quarterback. He hit the weight room and bulked up from 195 pounds to 205. He still felt the pull of video games, like they had some magnetic force, but that's when DJ would tell him to stop.

"And that kind of steered me away from devoting all my time to gaming and put it more toward something I could have a future in and really be able to use that platform to have an impact," Richardson said. "One of the big factors why I do football is to use this platform for good, you know? Be able to make God clear and visible to the world."

Richardson might well star for Washington State this fall, using his speed to make key stops.

He's also learning a slower kind of game. Richardson hasn't been golfing for long, only since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered the world, but he's mastered driving off the tee.

"But my short game is ... meh," Richardson said. "It needs some work."

In July, the Cougars went on a team golfing trip, where Richardson teamed up with wide receiver Lincoln Victor in a scramble match. The duo went 6 over par. Their outing ended with Victor missing a putt from a few feet out.

Victor represented the team's best shot in that situation, since Richardson doesn't feel confident in his putting game. He wants to work on his game, to fine-tune the parts that need improvement, but he doesn't have his own clubs.

"I like golf a lot, especially just being an athlete," Richardson said. "Once you find a swing, once you find your rhythm, you just get it going. And it's a very addicting sport."

Many of Richardson's interests dovetail. One of Richardson's favorite athletes is Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors guard who also fashions himself an avid golfer, winning the American Century golf tournament in Lake Tahoe earlier this summer.

Richardson likes that part of Curry's personality, but he especially likes that Curry calls himself a Christian — "a man of faith," Richardson said. Follow Curry on Instagram and you might see him post songs by Lecrae, one of Richardson's favorite artists. Eleven years ago, Lecrae kicked off a mixtape series called "Church Clothes."

"Come on now," Richardson said. "I'll cut it on right now."

He might not record songs, but he's hopped into a similar world. This summer, Richardson and edge rusher Brennan Jackson became roommates. They connected "from the jump," Richardson said, especially because they share so many values.

Their conversations flowed so naturally, the two men chatting about what's important to them, that one day Jackson offered a suggestion.

"You wanna do a podcast?" Jackson asked.

"I'm like, 'Heck, yeah.' I've been wanting to do a podcast," Richardson said. "In the past, I would always do spiritual videos where I'm just talking about the word and just different tools that people can use to grow themselves in their faith journey. So that's kind of the trajectory we have in our podcast."

So began the Elev8 Podcast, and if you didn't know any better, you might not guess it's run by two Division I college football players. It's complete with a black-and-white logo and a channel on most major streaming platforms, where they've produced six episodes, topics ranging from fast food preferences — "You're lying, right?" Richardson says when Jackson shares that he likes Buffalo Wild Wings — to mental health and faith.

There are so many layers to Richardson's personality . He's entered the transfer portal twice. He's played a two-game spring schedule in the COVID year. This fall, he's suiting up for his sixth season of college football.

Richardson has a special quality that keeps him driven.

"To be honest with you," DeAnn said, "tenacity."

Last winter, when WSU head coach Jake Dickert called, Richardson answered enthusiastically .

"My dog!" Richardson said. "What's good?"

Dickert was interested in bringing Richardson to Pullman for his final season of college football. Dickert had kept tabs on the linebacker after he left Texas.

In 2021, when Richardson entered the portal for the first time, Dickert also called him. At the time, Dickert was the Cougars' defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, and he figured Richardson would be a nice addition to his defense. Richardson had dreamed about playing for his home state school of Texas, though, so he joined the Longhorns.

Richardson didn't see the field as much as he envisioned, so he entered the portal again after the season.

"Which wasn't the plan," Richardson said, "but it happened."

When Dickert called again, Richardson hardly had to think twice.

"You're still at Washington State?" Richardson asked.

"Yeah, man," Dickert said. "You ready this time? You ready this time?"

"I was like, 'Yeah, man,' " Richardson said. "It's crazy to think he recruited me the first time, and he was the linebackers coach, and then to double back around, being the head coach and still recruiting me sold me so much that he had faith and trust in me. When he hit my phone, I was like, 'I don't need to know nothing else. I'm coming.' I committed right there."

Richardson has impressed everyone around him during WSU's fall camp. He's practicing with the No. 1s. His five years of college football experience help him direct teammates and make the right reads.

"I feel like I've been knowing him my whole life," WSU linebacker Ahmad McCullough said. "His passion for the game is very contagious. When we're up in a meeting room sometimes, we'll lock eyes, and then we'll talk over some plays and stuff."

"Devin had an unbelievable offseason," WSU defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding said. "He turned his body into — no disrespect to Chevy — but he turned it into a Ferrari."

"I think he's earned the respect of his teammates, and in short order," Dickert said. "There's probably not a bigger compliment I can give a player, a transfer guy, a guy that experienced."

Richardson doesn't have much time to game anymore, not with fall camp underway and the season approaching, but he loves it. He's working on his golf game. He's finding new musical artists he likes. And he loves a good cowboy hat.

Check out Washington State's football roster online and you'll see multiple players with pretty standard head shots, wearing their jerseys against a white backdrop. Keep scrolling and there's Richardson, also in uniform, only he's smirking, wearing a cowboy hat.

"I told them, 'Y'all should keep it,' " Richardson said.

Richardson takes pride in being from Texas, in the football journey that's led him here.

He takes pride in many other things, too, which is exactly what makes sets Devin Richardson apart.