Anthony Richardson gets ready for a snap in last weekend's scrimmage at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Photo: Chloe Hyde/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Ready or Not, Richardson's Time is Here
Thursday, August 25, 2022 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — During a relatively quiet preseason for the Gators, quarterback Anthony Richardson has been especially silent.
The third-year sophomore quarterback made the trip to Atlanta last month for Southeastern Conference Media Days, but since then, Richardson has operated away from the media's TV cameras and microphones.
If this were a play call in the huddle, it would be a designed rollout to give Richardson space to work. Probably not a bad idea considering the spotlight on Richardson entering his first season as Florida's starter.
While the buzz around the Gators is muted compared to past years — primarily due to a thin roster and so many unknowns in their first season under Billy Napier — the same can't be said of Richardson, a dynamic athlete and most popular player on the team as the backup quarterback a season ago.
The 6-foot-4, 232-pound Richardson possesses the physical gifts that have some pundits projecting him as a potential top 10 pick in next year's NFL Draft. A quick search of the internet Thursday revealed a Seahawks blog that has Richardson the ideal candidate for Seattle once it gets past a season of relying on Geno Smith and Drew Lock to replace the departed Russell Wilson.
There will be a Bucs blog soon discussing Richardson as heir apparent to Tom Brady. The content machine never has to punt.
Meanwhile, Napier is quick to remind everyone of Richardson's inexperience. Richardson is big. He is fast. He is strong. He also has 39 career completions and one forgettable start last season against Georgia.
Napier has played it slow with Richardson, allowing the talented prospect to find his comfort zone as the starting quarterback, team leader and important presence in the locker room. The process can take time and is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
"He does all the things that you would want a quarterback to do," Napier said this week. "The guy is really an inexperienced player. I know we all want to put a crown on his head. I mean, the guy has completed [39] passes in his career. The great quarterbacks at the University of Florida, they complete 33 in one game, so I think we've got work to do there.
"We've got to get game ready, and what does that look like to get us prepared for one game as a starter? I don't know, the whole week, that he knew he was going to be the starter [last year], so this is a new experience for him with a new staff, with a new system, and there's a certain level of responsibility that comes with all this and he's a young man. What I've observed is a guy that's excited about the opportunities."
While there are ample questions lingering about the Gators nine days before their season opener against No. 7-ranked Utah, Richardson's impact will determine which direction the season takes. If he is injured, average or below average, the Gators will likely limp to the finish line. If he is good, the Gators could be better than expected. If he is great and plays his way into the Heisman Trophy race, then buckle up — the season will be fun regardless of the final win-loss record.
There are few things in sports that have the ability to excite fans and ignite hope more than a tantalizing young talent, whether well-known phenoms and instant stars such as Ken Griffey Jr. and LeBron James, or those that bloom into superstardom before our eyes like an Aaron Judge and Patrick Mahomes.
If Richardson's career was to be judged alone on potential and physical ability, he would already be one of the great quarterbacks in school history. But that's not how this game is played. He has to prove it on the field, do it over and over, and produce results.
That is why the great ones are considered great.
Napier will give him every opportunity and is rooting for him to succeed more than any fan that will be at The Swamp.
"I think probably the last four, five, six practices, I think I've seen him make improvements,'' Napier said. "Couldn't ask for much more, I think, just in terms of the humility, the consistency. He's bright. He's got character. I think one of the cool things about this is he rises to the occasion, and I think the brighter the lights get, the better he is and so I want him to bring the same level of urgency to every meeting, every walk-through, every practice.
"I want the players in the room to change when he walks in the room. I want the players on the field to change when he's on the field. I think playing quarterback is a lot about how you influence other people."
That has been Richardson's challenge in the offseason. He is clearly the guy. And the guy is the one the others want to follow.
"If anybody has got a question about how things should be done when it comes to the University of Florida and our football program," Napier said, "they should be able to look at the quarterback and say, 'I'm going to watch him and do it like he does it.' "
Such is life for the great ones – and those with the conceivable ability to join the exclusive club.
The third-year sophomore quarterback made the trip to Atlanta last month for Southeastern Conference Media Days, but since then, Richardson has operated away from the media's TV cameras and microphones.
If this were a play call in the huddle, it would be a designed rollout to give Richardson space to work. Probably not a bad idea considering the spotlight on Richardson entering his first season as Florida's starter.
While the buzz around the Gators is muted compared to past years — primarily due to a thin roster and so many unknowns in their first season under Billy Napier — the same can't be said of Richardson, a dynamic athlete and most popular player on the team as the backup quarterback a season ago.
The 6-foot-4, 232-pound Richardson possesses the physical gifts that have some pundits projecting him as a potential top 10 pick in next year's NFL Draft. A quick search of the internet Thursday revealed a Seahawks blog that has Richardson the ideal candidate for Seattle once it gets past a season of relying on Geno Smith and Drew Lock to replace the departed Russell Wilson.
There will be a Bucs blog soon discussing Richardson as heir apparent to Tom Brady. The content machine never has to punt.
Meanwhile, Napier is quick to remind everyone of Richardson's inexperience. Richardson is big. He is fast. He is strong. He also has 39 career completions and one forgettable start last season against Georgia.
Napier has played it slow with Richardson, allowing the talented prospect to find his comfort zone as the starting quarterback, team leader and important presence in the locker room. The process can take time and is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
"He does all the things that you would want a quarterback to do," Napier said this week. "The guy is really an inexperienced player. I know we all want to put a crown on his head. I mean, the guy has completed [39] passes in his career. The great quarterbacks at the University of Florida, they complete 33 in one game, so I think we've got work to do there.
"We've got to get game ready, and what does that look like to get us prepared for one game as a starter? I don't know, the whole week, that he knew he was going to be the starter [last year], so this is a new experience for him with a new staff, with a new system, and there's a certain level of responsibility that comes with all this and he's a young man. What I've observed is a guy that's excited about the opportunities."
While there are ample questions lingering about the Gators nine days before their season opener against No. 7-ranked Utah, Richardson's impact will determine which direction the season takes. If he is injured, average or below average, the Gators will likely limp to the finish line. If he is good, the Gators could be better than expected. If he is great and plays his way into the Heisman Trophy race, then buckle up — the season will be fun regardless of the final win-loss record.
There are few things in sports that have the ability to excite fans and ignite hope more than a tantalizing young talent, whether well-known phenoms and instant stars such as Ken Griffey Jr. and LeBron James, or those that bloom into superstardom before our eyes like an Aaron Judge and Patrick Mahomes.
If Richardson's career was to be judged alone on potential and physical ability, he would already be one of the great quarterbacks in school history. But that's not how this game is played. He has to prove it on the field, do it over and over, and produce results.
That is why the great ones are considered great.
Napier will give him every opportunity and is rooting for him to succeed more than any fan that will be at The Swamp.
"I think probably the last four, five, six practices, I think I've seen him make improvements,'' Napier said. "Couldn't ask for much more, I think, just in terms of the humility, the consistency. He's bright. He's got character. I think one of the cool things about this is he rises to the occasion, and I think the brighter the lights get, the better he is and so I want him to bring the same level of urgency to every meeting, every walk-through, every practice.
"I want the players in the room to change when he walks in the room. I want the players on the field to change when he's on the field. I think playing quarterback is a lot about how you influence other people."
That has been Richardson's challenge in the offseason. He is clearly the guy. And the guy is the one the others want to follow.
"If anybody has got a question about how things should be done when it comes to the University of Florida and our football program," Napier said, "they should be able to look at the quarterback and say, 'I'm going to watch him and do it like he does it.' "
Such is life for the great ones – and those with the conceivable ability to join the exclusive club.
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