Here are five Florida redshirt freshmen to watch in 2021

GatorCountry made a list of five Gators redshirt freshmen to look out for in 2021. Here’s our take on each one.

It’s difficult for true freshmen to enter a Power Five program like Florida and make an immediate impact. Many of these players need a year to adjust to the sheer talent difference between high school and college football. After that redshirt season, many of these former recruits grab a spot in the rotation or find themselves as a starter.

However, for Florida players, it’s not uncommon for these players to still barely see significant snaps. Coach Dan Mullen and his coaching staff have a tendency to value seniority and experience more than other programs across the college football landscape.

Ethan Hughes of GatorCountry made a list of five Gators redshirt freshmen to look out for in 2021. Here’s Gators Wire’s take on each one.

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WATCH: Mullen talks about Emory Jones and quarterback run packages

Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen spoke with the media on Monday about backup QB Emory Jones’ absence as well as quarterback strategies.

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The Gators’ offense executed well once again on Saturday despite a loss to Texas A&M on Saturday. But in that game it was missing a component of its offense, as backup quarterback Emory Jones, who spells Kyle Trask with a wildcat, run-first package, wasn’t available.

Talking to the media on Monday, Florida coach Dan Mullen said having the option to run packages for Jones makes it harder for defenses to prepare.

“I think one thing Emory does in coming up is, like changing the running back, he brings a little different perspective to the position, and even running some of the plays he’s going to be a little bit different,” he said. “Obviously the quarterback run that I alluded to earlier, when he is in there, it does draw up very, very nicely, and the personnel fits it very nicely as well, so that’s just another thing for the defense to have to defend and have to prepare for of finding where the guys are out on the field.”

Mullen also hinted that there are more packages for Jones that the team hasn’t gotten to yet. He said there are packages that include both Jones and Trask, and even ones the team ran in camp that also include third-string quarterback Anthony Richardson in addition to Trask and Jones.

“I haven’t even gotten to our two-quarterbacks-on-the-field package yet, or we did have one in training camp where we had three quarterbacks on the field in one deal, but haven’t got to that yet, not that I want to give away all our secrets,” Mullen said. “But, no, I think when you’re utilizing personnel in different ways, it certainly puts and adds pressure to the defense of how they’re going to match up against those different people.”

Mullen was coy when asked about specifics, of course.

“I’m not going to tell you where they’re all going to be, but it is interesting to figure out who’s out there. I mean obviously one of them will take the snap, but you don’t know where everybody else might be, so.”

Though Trask has solidified himself as one of the best passers in college football, Mullen clearly thinks that by forcing opponents to prepare for more than one quarterback, the Gators will be more successful.

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2020 Gators Football Recruiting Profile: Anthony Richardson

This is a prospect player profile for dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson of the Florida Gators football recruiting class of 2020.

Name: Anthony Richardson

Position: Dual-Threat Quarterback

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 224 lbs

Hometown: Gainesville, Fla.

High School: Eastside High School

Twitter: @GVOaant

247Sports Composite: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overview:

Playing his high school football in Gainesville for the Eastside Rams, Richardson’s electric combination of arm strength and mobility earned him a four-star rating from the 247Sports Composite, which also named him the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the 2020 class.

A four-year contributor for the Rams, he totaled 6,266 yards (4,633 passing, 1,633 rushing) and 78 touchdowns (41 rushing, 37 passing) during his prep career. As a senior, he threw for 1,398 yards and eight scores, while adding another 151 yards and seven trips to the end zone on the ground, before his campaign was cut short by a right (throwing) shoulder injury after just six games.

Committing well before his senior season began, on April 6, 2019, Richardson does not appear to have any lingering effects from this wound, as he signed his National Letter of Intent (LOI) during the Early Signing Period on December 18 and enrolled early enough to participate in Florida’s Capital One Orange Bowl practices, a game in which they defeated the Virginia Cavaliers, 36-28.

Interestingly, Richardson spent his final year of high school being followed by a camera crew for the Netflix series “QB1: Beyond the Lights.”

Entering the 2020 season, the local product projects to be the third quarterback on the Gators’ depth chart, behind redshirt senior Kyle Trask and redshirt sophomore Emory Jones.

Considered a raw prospect by many, the cancellation of spring practices because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was not an event that would seem to favor Richardson’s development, but he has all the tools to star for the program in the next couple of years.

Following the exhaustion of Trask’s collegiate eligibility, the 2021 quarterback battle is already shaping up to be mighty interesting.

Video:

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