Thoughts of the Day: August 26, 2021

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

RICHARDSON COMFORTABLE AS UF’S BACKUP QB

Anthony Richardson doesn’t think he has all the answers. Richardson doesn’t lack for size, speed and raw talent, but he knows when it comes to learning how to play quarterback he’s still trying to figure a lot of things out.

Take reading defenses for example. Learning coverages, hot reads, who’s blitzing and who’s dropping and understanding mismatches isn’t the mystery it might have been when he came to Florida as the nation’s No. 5 ranked dual threat quarterback in the spring of 2020, but he knows there remains work to be done.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot when it comes to reading defenses,” Richardson said Wednesday. “I feel like that’s something I’ve always struggled with, even in high school. I knew the basics and everything but knowing the advanced things, I didn’t really know that as much.”

So, he’s learned that the only dumb question is the one not asked when he’s in the quarterback meeting room with position coach Garrick McGee. And, there is no shame whatsoever in taking extra time to watch film.

“He spends a lot of time in the meeting room,” McGee said. “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 situation?’”

It’s all part of being Florida’s No. 2 quarterback behind starter Emory Jones, who is in his fourth year with quarterback whisperer and head coach Dan Mullen. Jones has paid his dues and patiently waited for his turn, first as the third team QB behind Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask in 2018 and for the last two years as Trask’s backup.

Richardson spent 2020 as the understudy to both Trask and Jones. He appreciates how Jones has embraced the starter’s role while still playing the part of the good teammate ready to help out the next guy.

Richardson said, “He’s been there throughout my recruitment. He’s like a big brother to me. He’s also my teammate and he’s also a leader. So, you got to support the leader.”

Very few quarterbacks are ready to start in the SEC until they’ve been around awhile. The top two quarterbacks in the SEC last year were Trask and Alabama’s Mac Jones. Trask was in his fourth year at UF when he was pressed into duty in 2019 when Franks went down with a season-ending broken ankle. Mac Jones only saw the field late in the 2019 season when Tua Tagovailoa was injured. Both were on the Heisman podium after record-setting seasons in 2020.

Backup quarterbacks have to understand that they’re just an injury away from being thrust into action, so they have to spend every hour on the practice field prepping for that unexpected call.

“I think he’s prepared himself to be the starter, which is what you want, you know?” Mullen said Monday. “He’s going to be ready to get on the field in just about any situation that it is. Now it’s our job to kind of put him in the different situations, so that he has that experience in every different possible scenario for when he is on the field.”

When he’s on the practice field, Richardson does the kind of things that open everybody’s eyes. The plan once the season begins in earnest on September 4 is to get Richardson meaningful reps and not just during blowout time.

McGee thinks everyone will be impressed.

McGee said, “The Lord has blessed him with a lot of raw talent. He’s big. He’s fast. He’s a very smart kid, he has a really quick release and he’s accurate with the ball.”

Richardson is aware that he will get opportunities, but he’s keeping everything in perspective.

“Honestly, my role I believe is to just to go out there and be clean-up, kind of,” he said. “I feel like whenever Emory needs a break and they need me to come out there, I have to bring the same intensity Emory’s bringing and bring the same energy … just all of that, just be the clean-up. So, whenever he does his thing, I come in there – just a 1-2 punch.”

WHERE WERE THEY RANKED IN HIGH SCHOOL?: QB

Here are the ten highest ranked quarterbacks in every recruiting class since 2010 as ranked by 247Sports.com. Scanning each year, you will notice how few of the top ten quarterbacks have had remarkable or even successful collegiate careers. There are definitely more busts than booms.

2010

1. Phillip Sims (Chesapeake, VA), Alabama; 2. Blake Bell (Wichita, KS), Oklahoma; 3. Devin Gardner (Inkster, MI), Michigan; 4. Jesse Scroggins (Lakewood, CA), USC; 5. Rob Bolden (West Bloomfield, MI), Penn State; 6. Tyler Bray (Kingsburg, CA), Tennessee; 7. Jake Heaps (Sammamish, WA), BYU; 8. Connor Wood (Houston, TX), Texas; 9. Paul Jones (McKees Rocks, PA), Penn State; 10. Barry Brunetti (Memphis, TN), West Virginia

2011

1. Jeff Driskel (Oviedo, FL) Florida; 2. Braxton Miller (Dayton, OH), Ohio State; 3. Kiehl Frazier (Springdale, AR), Auburn; 4. Brett Hundley (Chandler, AZ), UCLA; 5. Christian LeMay (Matthews, NC), Georgia; 6. Max Wittek (Santa Ana, CA), USC; 7. Teddy Bridgewater (Miami, FL), Louisville; 8. Bubba Starling (Gardner, KS), Nebraska; 9. J.W. Walsh (Denton, TX), Oklahoma State; 10. Jacoby Brissett (Palm Beach Gardens, FL), Florida

2012 1. Jameis Winston (Hueytown, AL), Florida State; 2. Gunner Kiel (Columbus, IN), Notre Dame; 3. Zach Kline (Danville, CA), California; 4. Cyler Miles (Denver, CO), Washington; 5. Anthony Alford (Petal, MS), Iowa; Tanner Mangum (Eagle, ID), BYU; 7. Matt Davis (Houston, TX), Texas A&M; 8. Conner Brewer (Paradise Valley, AZ), Texas; 9. Chad Kelly (Buffalo, NY), Clemson; 10. Chad Voytik (Cleveland, TN), Pitt

2013

1. Max Browne (Sammamish, WA), USC; 2. Christian Hackenberg (Fork Union, VA), Penn State; 3. Shane Morris (Warren, MI), Michigan; 4. Cooper Bateman (Salt Lake City, UT), Alabama; 5. Kevin Olsen (Wayne, NJ), Miami; 6. Troy Williams (Harbor City, CA), Washington; 7. Brice Ramsey (Kingsland, GA), Georgia; 8. Cody Thomas (Colleyville, TX), Oklahoma; 9. Asianti Woulard (Winter Park, FL), UCLA; 10. J.T. Barrett (Wichita Falls, TX), Ohio State

2014

1. Kyle Allen (Scottsdale, AL), Texas A&M; 2. Deshaun Watson (Gainesville, GA), Clemson; 3. Will Grier (Davidson, NC), Florida; 4. Keller Chryst (Palo Alto, CA), Stanford; 5. Jerrod Heard (Denton, TX), Texas; 6. Brandon Harris (Bossier City, LA), LSU; 7. David Cornwell (Norman, OK), Alabama; 8. Drew Barker (Hebron, KY), Kentucky; 9. Jacob Park (Goose Creek, SC), Georgia; 10. Brad Kaaya (West Hills, CA), Miami

2015 1. Josh Rosen (Bellflower, CA), UCLA; 2. Blake Barnett (Corona, CA), Alabama; 3. Kyler Murray (Allen, TX), Texas A&M; 4. Jarrett Stidham (Stephenville, TX), Baylor; 5. Brandon Wimbush (Jersey City, NJ), Notre Dame; 6. Deiondre Francois (Orlando, FL), Florida State; 7. Brady White (Santa Clarita, CA), Arizona State; 8. Jake Browning (Folsom, CA), Washington; 9. Ricky Town (Ventura, CA), USC; 10. Drew Lock (Lees Summit, MO), Missouri

2016 1. Shea Patterson (Bradenton, FL), Ole Miss; 2. Jacob Eason (Lake Stevens, WA) Georgia; 3. KJ Costello (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA), Stanford; 4. Malik Henry (Long Beach, CA), Florida State; 5. Feleipe Franks (Crawfordville, FL), Florida; 6. Brandon Peters (Avon, IN), Michigan; 7. Jarrett Guarantano (Oradell, NJ), Tennessee; 8. Dwayne Haskins (Potomac, MD), Ohio State; 9. Brandon McIlwain (Newtown, PA), South Carolina; 10. Jack Allison (Palmetto, FL), Miami

2017 1. Davis Mills (Norcross, GA), Stanford; 2. Hunter Johnson (Brownsburg, IN), Clemson; 3. Tua Tagovailoa (Honolulu, HI), Alabama; 4. Jake Fromm (Warner Robins, GA), Georgia; 5. Tate Martell (Las Vegas, NV), Ohio State; Jack Sears (San Clemente, CA), USC; 7. Kellen Mond (San Antonio, TX), Texas A&M; 8. Sam Ehlinger (Austin, TX), Texas; 9. Dylan McCaffrey (Littleton, CO), Michigan; 10. Myles Brennan (Bay St. Louis, MS), LSU

2018 1. Trevor Lawrence (Cartersville, GA), Clemson; 2. Justin Fields (Kennesaw, GA), Georgia; 3. JT Daniels (Santa Ana, CA), USC; 4. Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Las Vegas, NV), UCLA; 5. Justin Rogers (Bossier City, LA), TCU; 6. Tanner McKee (Corona, CA) Stanford; 8. Matt Corral (Long Beach, CA), Ole Miss; 9. Jarren Williams (Lawrenceville, GA), Miami; 10. Phil Jurkovec (Gibsonia, PA), Notre Dame

2019 1. Spencer Rattler (Phoenix, AL), Oklahoma; 2. Bo Nix (Pinson, AL), Auburn; 3. Jayden Daniels (San Bernardino, CA), Arizona State; 4. Ryan Hilinski (Orange, CA), South Carolina; 5. Graham Mertz (Mission, KS), Wisconsin; 6. Sam Howell (Monroe, NC), North Carolina; 7. Dylan Morris (Graham, WA), Washington; 8. Taulia Tagovailoa (Alabaster, AL), Alabama; 9. Taison Phommahanh (Bridgeport, CT), Clemson; 10. Max Duggan (Council Bluffs, IA), TCU

2020 1. Bryce Young (Santa Ana, CA), Alabama; 2. DJ Uiagalelei (Bellflower, CA), Clemson; 3. C.J. Stroud (Rancho Cucamonga, CA), Ohio State; 4. Hudson Card (Austin, TX), Texas; 5. Ja’Quinden Jackson (Duncanville, TX), Texas; 6. Luke Doty (Myrtle Beach, SC), South Carolina; 7. Harrison Bailey (Marietta, GA), Tennessee; 8. Ethan Garbers (Newport Beach, CA), Washington; 9. Haynes Kiing (Longview, TX), Texas A&M; 10. Jay Butterfield (Brentwood, CA), Oregon

2021

1. Quinn Ewers (Southlake, TX), Ohio State; 2. Caleb Williams (Washington, DC), Oklahoma; 3. Sam Huard (Bellvue, WA), Washington; 4. Brock Vandagriff (Bogart, GA), Georgia; 5. J.J. McCarthy (LaGrange Park, IL), Michigan; 6. Kyle McCord (Philadelphia, PA), Ohio State; 7. Ty Thompson (Gilbert, AZ), Oregon; 8. Jake Garcia (Loganville, GA), Miami; 9. Drake Maye (Charlotte, NC), North Carolina; Jaxson Dart (Draper, UT), USC

OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC

Alabama: Although he offered up no names, Nick Saban called out some of his players Wednesday. “You get overwhelmed by constantly talking about negative things – how I feel, how tired I am … whatever it is. Fall camp, practice at this time of year, without playing a game every week is very challenging. When you talk about that stuff all the time it just creates an epidemic of the poor me’s. The season is going to create tremendous challenges, challenges in every game. We’ve got lots of losable games we play. Lots of challenges out there whether we play home or on the road.”

Arkansas: Tight end Kolian Jackson, who has had a torn ACL and other injuries in his four-year career, has elected to retire from football. In his four years Jackson caught four passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.

Auburn: Assessing the quarterback competition between incumbent starter Bo Nix and LSU transfer TJ Finley, HBC Bryan Harsin said, “Both those guys have been pushing each other, but Bo is rolling with the blues (first team) right now. If we played a game right now, Bo would be starting.”

Georgia: Anthony Threash of Pro Football Focus predicts “Clemson will beat Georgia by double digits in week 1.” Threash points out that Georgia will be without tight end Darnell Washington and defensive back Tykee Smith but adds, “… the biggest question marks hover over this quarterback situation, as JT Daniels is set to take over for a full year after closing the final four games of 2020 as the starting quarterback.”

LSU: Guard Ed Ingram says he knows what was behind LSU’s struggles in 2020. “We had no leadership last year,” Ingram said. “This year we have a ton of leadership. We’re tired of losing.” … LSU will open its 2024 season against Southern California in Las Vegas

Missouri: An MRI showed no structural damage on running back Tyler Badie, who was injured after a collision during a punt return drill Saturday.

Tennessee: Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports says that Michigan transfer Joe Milton seems to be taking the lead in the quarterback competition over Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker and last year’s sometime starter Harrison Bailey.

Texas A&M: Redshirt freshman Haynes King has won the starting quarterback job over redshirt sophomore Zach Calzada.

Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt has announced construction will soon begin on $300 million in athletic facilities upgrades.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: And here we were (please inject a measure of sarcasm) thinking that the new alliance of the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 was all about the integrity of college football and that leagues with integrity would NEVER raid another conference. Well, according to Dave Wannstedt of Fox Sports, the three leagues are already slicing and dicing up the Big 12. Wannstedt said that from what he heard at Fox Sports meetings in Phoenix, Kansas and Iowa State will be joining the Big Ten, West Virginia the ACC and Kansas State and Oklahoma State to the Pac-12. There was no mention of what will happen to Baylor, Texas Tech and TCU. I wouldn’t doubt for a second that Wannstedt has solid info, but if he’s onto something, then my guess is that the Pac-12 will also add Baylor and Texas Tech, making an orphan out of TCU.