Gator quarterbacks bucking transfer trend
Something rare is happening at the University of Florida.
With the advent of the transfer portal, college football players have been moving from school to school with relative ease, especially quarterbacks. A quick search will show you how prevalent quarterback transferring has become. Athlon Sports ranked the top fifty (50) transfer quarterbacks heading into the 2021 season.
Meanwhile, in Gainesville, Dan Mullen has been shown a rare loyalty by his quarterbacks. Kyle Trask sat for four years before getting the opportunity to start. Emory Jones has been sitting on the sidelines for three years before getting the opportunity to start this season. It hasn't been easy, admittedly, for Jones to sit but his time is now and he's embraced the process.
What Mullen has created is a culture of patience and there is a track record of success to show players that it works.
"How he conducts himself every day, how he walks around the building, how he takes notes in the meeting rooms, and how he translates everything from the classroom on to the field," Jones said of what he learned playing behind Kyle Trask. "I just really learned all that from him and then obviously it’s him being patient waiting on his time to come. I definitely learned a lot out of that just watching him.”
The next in line is redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson. The Gainesville High School product stands 6-4 and 240 pounds. He can throw. He can run. He could be a starting quarterback at any number of schools in the country but he's a Gator and he's more than ready to wait for his opportunity.
Richardson isn't just contently holding a clipboard and waiting. He's preparing as if he were the starter, the way he watched Jones prepare last season when he was Trask's backup. He gets reps with the ones, not as many as Jones, but he takes every rep in practice as if he were going to take the first snap of every game and that attitude has helped his progression.
"I feel like I've prepared enough to know certain things on defense that will help me excel on the field," Richardson said. "I feel like that's the biggest thing that I have accomplished so far, and I think that’s getting me ready for the field this year.”
Richardson's commitment to the University of Florida, the football team, and himself has been clear. He has a selfless attitude that is readily seen by those around him.
"He has a strong commitment to this university. You know, his mom lives here, he grew up with the high school here, so being a Florida Gator and the success of the Florida Gators is really important to him," quarterback coach Garrick McGee said. "He spends a lot of time in the meeting room. He calls a lot, ‘hey coach, can I come in and get 30 extra minutes of meeting, or I have a question about this. Can I come in and meet one-on-one about this particular, you know, situation."
What's happening now in Gainesville is becoming rare in college sports. In an age where running away from competition in favor of quick and easy playing time, the opposite is happening in Gainesville. The players and culture should be commended.