Name: Anthony Richardson
Class: 2020
Position: Dual-Threat Quarterback
Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 230 pounds
Location/School: Gainesville (Fla.) Eastside High School
Signed to: Florida Gators
Why he chose the Gators: "I felt the most comfortable with the University of Florida and I kept in touch with them a lot. Many other schools, I didn’t really keep in touch with as much. Just feeling comfortable with the coaches and the players led to me making the decision.”
Scouting Report: The strides that Richardson has made from when I first saw him in person during his junior season to this point are extremely impressive.
I spoke with multiple Eastside coaches during a practice in the spring, and all of them praised Richardson for his work ethic in the offseason. It was evident in his limited time on the field in 2019 that he is a completely different quarterback from the year before.
The 7th-ranked dual-threat QB on Rivals is more composed in the pocket, is much improved in going through his progressions and can complete almost any pass on the field. He throws darts from the middle of the field to his receivers on the sideline and can fits passes into tight windows, he delivers a catchable throw on slant routes that hits his targets in stride and his deep ball is second to none.
Although no one could ever question his arm strength, Richardson is able to put a softer touch on deep passes now than he could a year ago. He threw several perfect passes that traveled over 45-50 yards in the air last season as he put them right in the bread basket for his wideouts.
Richardson still uses his legs to make defenses pay, but his decision making has gotten better when scrambling out of the pocket. He's always looking for his receivers and if there are no players open, that's when he'll turn on the jets and pick up yards on the ground.
Even though he is bigger than most linebackers, Richardson always avoids contact and goes out of bounds, which is a great sign for a mobile signal caller.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.