Gardena Serra wide receiver Paul Richardson verbally committed to UCLA today, after de-committing in the spring.

Here’s his Scout.com bio: Richardson

And a full story after the jump…
Thanks
Jon

In the end, yes, it was family that brought Paul Richardson to UCLA.
But not father, Paul Richardson, Sr., who played for the Bruins.

Not cousin, Shaquille, a defensive back from Los Alamitos who verbally committed to the team on Dec. 7.

But his 12-year old twin brothers.

“I remember (Shaquille) saying, ‘Just think about it, you can’t beat seeing your little brothers on the field before every home game,'” Richardson said.

So maybe in the end, Shaquille did have a little sway.

Paul Richardson committed to UCLA on Wednesday night, after de-committing to the team – which he had originally committed to late last year – in the spring. Richardson, out of Gardena Serra, which recently defeated Oaks Christian, 42-41, in overtime to win the CIF Northwest Division championship, is the No. 28 wideout prospect in the country by Scout.com.

“With Terrence Austin leaving and the few other spots opening, I feel like I can come in work hard and play early,” Richardson said. “What I bring to the team is just my catching ability and my route-running. I’m not blazing. I’m a 4.4 kid but I’m not blazing. But running around and catching the ball is something not everyone is great at.”

Richardson was also swayed by UCLA’s slight resurgence this season, as the Bruins bounced back from a 3-5 start to become bowl eligible, playing against Temple in the EagleBank Bowl on Dec. 29.

“UCLA has a very promising near-future,” Richardson said. “That’s the best way I can put it. They let some games slip out of their hands. But ultimately those games, we’re going to win. When I get there this summer, I plan on coming in and everybody pushing each other and we’ll make up for what we didn’t do last season. We’re gonna have a better season, we’re gonna win those games and we’re gonna have a better record.”

Richardson emphasized that he did not decommit from UCLA because of his feelings for the Bruins, but rather because he drew heated interest from other major programs, and felt like he should at least hear them out.

“I de-committed from UCLA not because I didn’t want to have anything to do with them, I just felt like when I was talking to the ASUs, the Oregons, the Nebraskas, the Miamis, I just didn’t feel genuine,” Richardson said. “Bringing me back, the conversation with my cousin telling that I could see my brother on the field before every game meant everything to me.”