Anthony Richardson's 'first-class approach' produces stellar spring game

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After taking Steve Spurrier-Florida Field on Thursday night for the first time as the Gators football coach, Billy Napier noticed Anthony Richardson in warmups.

He walked over and made a comment to his first-team quarterback. 

“I said it to him — and I think it applies to our team, our whole organization — that urgency he feels right now, ‘OK, I want to perform and do my job to the best of my ability for the team’, we need that same level of urgency between now and the first opportunity in the fall, right?” 

Gator Nation will be looking forward to Florida’s season opener after the show Richardson put on in Thursday’s spring game. He gave Florida fans what they came to see, showcasing his arm and play-making ability in the Blue’s 34-0 shutout win over the Orange team. 

“I think Anthony is a product of a lot of hard work. I can’t say enough, his approach has been first class,” Napier said. “He’s a product of his work. He’s learning a new system. Standing behind him back there, it wasn’t too big for him. 

“He communicated well and the ball went where it was supposed to go. The players around him played well. The pocket was clean. Guys (caught) the ball. It was a good day. To win, you need good quarterback play.”

The Gators got it Thursday from Anthony Richardson, who threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns along with a 12-yard rushing score. It was the most passing production in a game-like setting for Richardson, who had a season-high 167 yards through the air at LSU last year. 

“I feel like I played good,” Richardson said. “Coming out there, my main focus was just staying consistent, playing fast. I had some good highs and some bad lows. So I just try to find a midpoint out there and just stay consistent throughout that whole time.”

Richardson not only showed accuracy, but was throwing darts to receivers. He completed 75 percent of his pass attempts (18 of 24) and was decisive in the pocket. 

He attributed his delivery and the zip on his passes to processing plays faster and being able to make quick reads. 

“Honestly I feel like it’s my decision-making,” Richardson said. “Just being confident and deliberate with what I want to do. I feel like I’ve always had a decent arm, but it’s just that my thought process sometimes is terrible. 

“But I just tried to keep it dialed in and just understand where the ball was supposed to go in certain coverages. I feel like I did a decent job with that today. But decision-making can make everything else easier.”

Richardson concludes spring camp with a stranglehold on the starting job, but Napier hasn’t handed him the keys just yet. The redshirt sophomore must continue his first-class approach in the offseason and lead by example. 

“Leadership, I think that’s gonna be my main focus this year,” Richardson said. “Just try to be a better guy to the team, just be more vocal, hang out with them just to gain their respect and also give them respect. This offseason also is going to be dialed into the playbook and also learn the defenses.”

As a former quarterback himself, Napier knows the signal caller sets the tone for the offseason with player-run workouts. If AR-15 can attack this summer with the urgency he felt in the spring game, this offense — and team — could be a force in the fall.

“When I think about a quarterback, we think about a person who represents everything of what the organization is about,” Napier said. “Certainly at the highest level of football the quarterback is the face of the organization They set the greatest example with their work ethic, their attention to detail, their self-discipline, their approach.”