Florida Gators quarterback provides clarity on injury

After a report surfaced saying that Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson would miss the Gators’ upcoming Gasparilla Bowl game against UCF on Thursday, Dec. 23 after undergoing surgery on his right knee, the signal-caller went to Instagram on Sunday to provide more clarity on the situation.

Responding to a Instagram post’s comments, Richardson confirmed that he has a meniscus injury which he originally suffered in high school. He said the tear never healed completely and he’s been able to play through it, but he tweaked it while dancing in Florida’s team hotel prior to their game against South Carolina.

While Richardson missed the South Carolina game and the following week’s contest against Missouri, he played in a Nov. 27 win over Florida State but suffered an injury in the first quarter of the game. While the specifics of the injury were never announced and Richardson returned in the second half, he confirmed Sunday in his Instagram comment that he tore the meniscus off the bone that day.

😳 pic.twitter.com/N2QhkewUnS

— 𝙳𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚗 (@KeiserDonavon) December 12, 2021

Richardson, an On3 Consensus four-star recruit coming into Gainesville, has played in eight games this season for the Gators – throwing for 529 yards and six touchdowns and rushing for 401 yards and three scores.

Report: Florida quarterback expected to miss Gasparilla Bowl

It’s been a whirlwind season for highly touted Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. An On3 Consensus four-star recruit coming into Gainesville, Richardson has dealt with numerous injuries throughout 2021 and has had to miss a significant amount of time from the field.

Now, Richardson is expected to miss the Gasparilla Bowl against UCF on Thursday, Dec. 23, after undergoing surgery on his right knee, according to a report from The Gainesville Sun. Richardson has not been at practice this week and has shifted his focus to his offseason recovery.

Richardson, who has played in eight games this season, suffered his knee injury while dancing in the team’s hotel prior to their game against South Carolina. The quarterback had to miss that game and the following week’s against Missouri as a result.

Richardson played for the Gators in their Nov. 27 win over Florida State, coming off the bench and throwing for 55 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 27 more yards. For the season as a whole, Richardson has thrown for 529 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 401 yards and three scores.

A 6-foot-4 signal-caller, Richardson – in addition to the knee injury – suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2, a concussion against Georgia and a first-half injury vs. Florida State – all of those setbacks keeping him from earning any significant playing time this season.

With Richardson sidelined, Florida is expected to start Emory Jones at quarterback vs. UCF, with Carlos Del Rio-Wilson serving as the backup.