Over 100 former Florida Gators were in town to view UF’s practice on Friday, and Gators Online checked in with three of them to get their take on starting quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag].
Up first is [autotag]Trey Burton[/autotag], who played at Florida from 2010 to 2013. Originally recruited as a quarterback, Burton wound up playing multiple offensive positions for [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] before embarking on a seven-year NFL career that he hopes to get another chance at. Although he spent much of his time in the pros as a tight end or halfback, Burton’s most famous moment came as a quarterback on the Philly Special trick play by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 Super Bowl. It’s safe to say that Burton knows what he takes to succeed at the next level, and his comments on Richardson served as a fairly strong endorsement.
“Your first impression ‘you’re like, damn, this kid plays quarterback? He’s just a physical monster,” Burton said. “The kid looks so impressive, just height and size, and he has a cannon for an arm. I’m really excited to watch the progression from last year, whether it’s reading defenses or getting everybody in the right play, in the right situation. And it seems like from what I hear from other people, just the leadership role he’s taken has just excelled over the last couple of years, so we’ll see what happens.”
Former Florida linebacker [autotag]Brandon Siler[/autotag], who played on the 2006 national championship team, also noticed that Richardson had NFL size.
“When I came back I talked with him for a little bit but my first impression of him is that he’s huge,” Siler said. “The dude’s legs are like this. He’s crazy big. When I look at a guy like him, that’s an NFL body. You just have to put it together and I’m pretty sure this year he’s going to hit that thing running that rock out and showing you exactly why and what he can do with that body.”
Defensive end [autotag]Kevin Carter[/autotag] was the final UF alumnus to chime in on Richardson. Carter was a four-year letterman during the Spurrier year who went on to a 14-year NFL career. Now he serves as an analyst for CBS, and he gave the scouting report on Florida’s first-year starter.
“Severely talented. Just amazingly talented. What he has to work on is something that can’t be quantified. It’s something that is poise, patience in the pocket, and decision-making. That’s something that is an art form.”
Carter said that Richardson needs to keep himself healthy too for the Gators to succeed. Raising his football IQ should come naturally as he gets more reps as a starter, and Carter reminded everyone that it’s also on the coaches to offensive coordinator to help develop such a special talent.
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