During the 2021 college football season, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson was firmly entrenched as the backup to Emory Jones.

It quickly became apparent to the coaching staff that year that Richardson should at least be put into certain play packages, as his rare talent was too tempting to keep off the field. Richardson ended up making a considerable impact on the offense, including multiple 100-yard rushing games, and a four-touchdown performance against LSU.

It was clear from that point forward Richardson would be “the guy” going into the 2022 season, and he wasted little time taking advantage of the starting role. In a Week 1 upset win over Utah, Richardson exploded on the for over 100 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while being efficient through the air.

The hype came crashing back down for Richardson over the next two games, as he couldn’t seem to find a rhythm in the passing game, and was limited on the ground, as well.

This has been a trend for Richardson, showing the glimpses of an elite, once-in-a-decade-type quarterback in a similar vein to Josh Allen and Cam Newton, with arm talent to rival both, and a size/athleticism combo to match.

You can clearly see all of it showcased on tape, with Richardson popping off incredible runs, rumbling down field and shrugging off defensive backs that are half his size while outrunning the others. You see it again when he barely sets his feet, and throws a dime 50 yards down the field with what seems like little effort.

However, there are clear red flags, most of which have to do with consistency. Richardson currently has more interceptions than passing touchdowns, which is never a good sign, and at times has shown erratic accuracy and footwork on what should be routine passes. He struggles to calm his feet down, set a solid base, and let the ball rip off the first read, which leads to the spotty accuracy. He has shown poor decision-making at times, trusting in his arm to make a throw rather than making the right decision and adjusting, which has led to multiple turnovers.

It’s obvious Richardson is built for the NFL, and he’ll likely be drafted in the first round of the 2023 draft if his growth continues. He’ll benefit from a pro scheme that takes advantage of his ridiculous skill set, as it seems Florida is not keen on doing that and stubbornly sticking to a script that clearly doesn’t suit their superstar and prioritize his development as a pro-ready quarterback.

Richardson will need some coaching up at the next level, but in the right situation, there’s no reason to believe he can’t become the NFL’s next superstar quarterback.

After tearing it up both in the air on the ground in Week 1 against Utah, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardsonhas struggled to get the run game going over the last two weeks.

His 13 carries in those two games has netted just 28 yards, which is a far cry from the 106 yards and three scores he totaled on 11 carries against the Utes. What’s changed? It’s hard for the man himself to even say.

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“I don’t even know,” Richardson said during Monday’s media availability. “I guess I just like hold myself back from running and that’s a part of the offense. It helps us move the ball, so I guess I’ve got to pick that up and bring that back.”

Head coach Billy Napier offered some more insight, noting that Richardson isn’t being asked to do anything too physical right now with backup Jack Miller III still rehabbing from his August thumb surgery. There was hope that the Gators would get Miller back by Week 3 initially, but he still seems to be a few weeks away from a return at best.

“I think our situation at quarterback has something to do with that if that makes sense, but I also believe the guy’s made some plays with his legs,” Napier said. “The guy made two third-down conversions in the game the other day where it’s 7-10 and third and long, extra long. He goes through his progressions and then breaks the pocket and makes a play.

“I think each game and each week is a little bit different relative to the concepts that are called, how the teams are defending you. I think teams are very aware that this guy can beat them with his feet, so I think you maybe get a different structure as a result of that. We do our best to use his skill set and I think we’ll continue to grow in that area.”

Richardson did admit that defenses are prioritizing him differently after getting fresh tape on the team from Week 1. They aren’t biting on the play-action nearly as often and leave a lineman to spy the quarterback in case of that late run.

He’s also aware that his health is priority No. 1 when he’s on the field. He slid for the first ever in-game against Utah and says it’s something he’s still working on getting used to.

“I definitely consider it because they tell me every week that I’ve got to be careful,” Richardson said. “I can’t take big hits, I can’t be Superman out there. I try not to be too physical, I try to get down. I started sliding this year, so I definitely think about it. I don’t think it takes me out of my game. It just helps me stay a little safer.”

Richardson still needs to be safe once Miller returns, but it sounds like getting his backup back will do something for him mentally. Although he hasn’t dealt with any official injuries, Richardson took a hit to the knee he had surgery on in the first quarter of the Kentucky game. He hasn’t looked right since, and knowing he can take a play off after a hit like that might do him some good.

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There are those quarterbacks in every draft class who seem to come out of nowhere to rise to first-round consideration. In 2021, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett threw 42 touchdowns and just seven interceptions — through his first four years combined with the Panthers, he had thrown 39 touchdowns and 25 picks. The past didn’t matter; Pickett’s most recent oeuvre had the Steelers taking him with the 20th overall pick when he would have been a mid-round prospect at best before that.

As we get into the 2022 college football season, we have to turn our eyes to Anthony Richardson of the Florida Gators as the most likely out-of-nowhere prospect who could have NFL scouts freaking out when it’s draft time. A four-star recruit and the fifth-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country coming out of Eastside High School in Gainesville, Richardson committed to the Gators and spent most of his true freshman and sophomore seasons sitting behind Kyle Trask. He attempted just 66 passes, completing 39 for 559 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions. Richardson was more dynamic as a runner, gaining 462 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 58 carries.

But once Trask left for the NFL, it was hard to know how Richardson would respond to the increased responsibility.

It took one game for that story to write itself. The Gators upset seventh-ranked Utah 29-26 in a game that came down to the wire, and Richardson was the star of the whole thing. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 168 yards and no touchdowns, but he was saving those for the ground game. Richardson ran the ball 11 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns against an utterly overwhelmed Utes defense, and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham saw it coming — comparing Richardson to Cam Newton, another NCAA late bloomer who did well in the NFL.

“You have to account for the QB in the run game every single down,” Whittingham said the Monday before Saturday’s game. “The guy reportedly has 4.3 speed. At that size, it’s incredible. It’s Cam Newton-ish type of numbers with his physical stature and his ability to run. That’s something that the defensive staff is well aware of and that’s gotta be taken into account in virtually everything you do.

“The quarterback is outstanding. I know there’s not a big body of work, but some people are projecting him as a top-10 pick this coming draft. He’s obviously got a ton of ability. A big kid. 6-4, 240-pounds, and really fast. He’s going to be a handful for us.”

Whittingham said pretty much the same thing after the game. And he was able to confirm Richardson’s track speed.

“He ran for over 100 yards and there were some damaging runs in the first half and the touchdown run in the second. He is going to get his. The guy is like 6’4″ and 240 and runs like a 4.3, so there is no way to keep him bottled up. He did the damage at key points and times in the game and he is a terrific player.”

Richardson had already shown enough running ability to be on any opposing coach’s radar. But it was the ways in which he got things done in the passing game that could have Richardson rocketing up everybody’s boards.

Richardson didn’t have any deep completions against Utah — he attempted one throw of 20 or more air yards, and he didn’t complete it. But he did well in the 10-19-yard range, and this 14-yard throw to receiver Ricky Pearsall with 2:52 left in the first half was an excellent example of a quarterback anticipating where he receiver would be, throwing to a tight spot, and nailing the required velocity and location.

(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

This 16-yard pass to Pearsall with nine seconds left in the third quarter showed that Richardson has no issue firing schemed throws into tight windows. He’s got linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (No. 3) to deal with dropping into coverage and following his target, but when Richardson sees Diabate breaking to Pearsall a hair late, he’s able to fire the ball in there for the successful play on the quick comeback part of the route.

(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

And as Whittingham said, Richardson is a real problem as a runner — he has size (6-foot-4, 232 pounds), agility, power, and speed in the open field. This 45-yard run proves the theory — whether scrambling after he steps up in the pocket, or working through defenses on designed runs, Richardson has this in his arsenal in a Cam Newton/Josh Allen sense.

And this fake jump pass for a two-point conversion showed just how well Richardson can use his legs to keep himself alive as a passer — and with an evil play-fake to boot.

The fake-jump-pass is an absolutely electric move from Anthony Richardson pic.twitter.com/uKZ9c8uXfY

(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

We’ll next see Richardson against another formidable opponent when the Gators take on the 20th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. EST. Kentucky has Will Levis, a quarterback who came into this season already considered a first-round prospect, and a defense that can present different problems.

If Richardson is able to pass this test as well as he did against what Utah threw at him, you’ll hear the first-round roar around his name become much louder.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson had shown flashes of his potential as a backup for the Gators last season. On Saturday, he showed exactly what he could do as their starter.

Richardson had 274 total yards and three touchdowns as Florida upset No. 7 Utah 29-26 in front of a raucous 90,799, the largest crowd for a season opener in school history. He did everything the Gators needed with one highlight play after another -- from a dazzling 2-point conversion that left multiple defenders lying on the turf, to a huge fourth-and-2 conversion, to the game-winning 2-yard touchdown run with 1:25 remaining.

Richardson finished with a career-high three rushing touchdowns Saturday after entering the game with three in his career. The performance helped coach Billy Napier get his first win at Florida while handing the Utes a heartbreaking loss to open a season that began as a sleeper for the College Football Playoff.

"My wife could call plays with that guy at quarterback," Napier said of Richardson. "His legs, they're a difference maker. You saw it tonight. The fourth-down play, in the last drive. The 2-point conversion, I mean, come on. He did that exact same thing in practice one day. I'm talking about the exact scenario.

"I think we're figuring out here that this guy's a pretty special player."

Richardson said he had pregame jitters but worked them out after the first few series. With the game on the line and Florida trailing 26-22 with the clock winding down, Richardson said Napier told him to go score the game winner.

"My heart kind of froze," Richardson said. "I'd never really heard those words. Especially in a situation like that, with a crowd as big as that. Just having the ball in my hands, I feel like the team trusts me. The coaches trust me to make a play, make something happen. I'm glad they trust me for that."

Still, Utah got the ball back with 1:25 left in the game and drove all the way down to the Florida 6-yard line. On second-and-goal, Amari Burney intercepted Cameron Rising in the end zone to clinch the victory. The interception marred a solid performance from Rising, who went 22-of-32 for 216 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 91 yards.

"It wasn't Cam's best throw," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "I'm sure he'd like that back."

Utah missed several opportunities in the red zone that ultimately cost the Utes the victory. Twice, they got inside the 6-yard line only to come up with zero points. Florida, meanwhile, converted its red zone trips into touchdowns.

At times, the Utah offense pushed Florida all over the field, including on those two red zone drives. Utah had 230 yards rushing and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. But Florida found a way to make the plays when it counted, and its offensive line found a way to push Utah around, too. The Gators rushed for 283 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 7.3 yards a carry.

A lot of that is because of Richardson, who had 106 yards on the ground. His ability to run and create plays makes him a dynamic player, one who still has a full season ahead of him to continue to improve.

But perhaps more than what Richardson did is what Florida showed in a game that went down to the wire.

A year ago, Florida lost six of its final nine games after starting the season at No. 13 in the preseason rankings. Coach Dan Mullen was fired before the season even ended, as many questioned the direction of the program because the rapid decline seemed to happen so fast.

Napier came in and emphasized a disciplined approach, and one on offense that would have to rely on the run, thanks to Richardson and a running back room that includes Louisiana transfer Montrell Johnson Jr. and true freshman Trevor Etienne, younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.

Napier noted when he took the job, one of his friends who had worked at Florida previously told him that the program had the most competitive players he had ever been around. He believes that competitiveness allowed Florida to pull off the upset.

"This group's got fight in it," Napier said. "They've got a little bit of a different edge about them. The execution wasn't always what we wanted out there and we've got so much work to do. We were fortunate to overcome many mistakes tonight, but the intangibles that the team showed, they continued to respond right up until the end and they made a play.

"We've got work to do. We won a game, and it's a special moment. We're going to enjoy it and we're going to come back in tomorrow and get ready for SEC play."