Billy Napier Gives His Comp For Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson lit the college football world on fire in week 1 after the win over seventh ranked Utah. The real question is what can we expect from Richardson moving forward? What is his NFL comparison? Gators head coach Billy Napier gave his comp while evaluating his potential Heisman winning quarterback.
“Yeah, I mean, I think he’s somewhere in between Dak Prescott and Cam Newton,” Napier said. “He’s a really inexperienced player if you really evaluate his career. Everybody likes to talk about the physical traits, but I’ve been impressed with the humility. The guy (has) really grown and matured as a leader. He’s intelligent, he processes really well and I think he’s only going to continue to get better.”
High bar right there. Both Prescott and Newton are very rich in their own right. Both had really productive college careers too. Once upon a time, Prescott had Mississippi State ranked first in the country. Newton won a National Championship with Auburn and has a Heisman trophy to his name.
We have a long way to go but Richardson is creeping into that high end quarterback conversation for the 2023 NFL Draft. There are plenty of things that Richardson can still work on. Napier shared another quote with us talking about his quarterback.
“The thing about Anthony sitting in the locker room right now, he’s thinking about probably the six or eight plays he could’ve done a little better,” Napier said of Richardson, a four-star recruit from Gainesville (Fla.) Eastside in the 2020 class. “That’s what I love about him. He’s very critical of himself. He’s an unbelievable competitor. We all know the kid’s got talent, we’ve known that for a long time. What’s impressed me is his work ethic, his discipline, his attention to detail. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great example, right? He’s selfless. This kid’s handled the spotlight for a long time. You may worry that this would affect him, but I think it’s made him a better person. Being from Gainesville, I think he realizes the platform and example he can set in our building and in our community. That’s his first start in the swamp and he’s going to continue to improve and I’m certainly thankful we’ve got him.”
I’m sure Napier is quite happy he’s got Anthony Richardson on his side. It’s a hell of a lot better than the garbage we got sold with Emory Jones. Florida plays Kentucky and Will Levis in Week 2. It’s a must watch game for the draft stock for both quarterbacks.
