Montrell Johnson: Gators 'Need' Anthony Richardson to Return in 2023

Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson has, despite his inconsistent but noticeably improving play, maintained interest from NFL teams throughout the 2022 season.

Photo: Anthony Richardson and Montrell Johnson Jr.; Credit: Alex Shepherd

Saturday was, as Billy Napier coined it, a "pivotal day" for Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. 

His 279 yards of total offense — 201 passing, 78 rushing — and four touchdowns allowed Florida to match scores early and often against Texas A&M and eventually seal a victory over the Aggies after the Gators pitched a defensive shutout in the second half.

The matchup marked Richardson's third in a row without a turnover, after he had committed at least one in each of the first six games of the season. Richardson has compiled 863 total yards and seven touchdowns over Florida's last three contests, with four through the air and three on the ground. 

For comparison, in his two SEC bouts prior to his current three-game stretch, Richardson threw for 66 yards against Missouri at home and for 453 yards at Tennessee. He scored one touchdown against the Tigers and four against the currently top-ten Vols.

Richardson's decision-making as a passer has noticeably improved as the season has gone along, which has allowed him to become more consistently productive through the air than he was across the first six games of the season. 

Pro Football Focus has credited Richardson for similar growth. He committed an average of 1.3 turnover-worthy plays per game through Weeks 1-6 and has cut that number in half to 0.67 in Florida's last three matchups, per PFF.

Pair the improved consistency with Richardson's dynamic legs — he's now up to eight rushing scores this year — and it becomes easy to understand why he began the season on the short-list of way-too-early Heisman Trophy candidates. 

Running back Montrell Johnson Jr., a member of UF's running back tandem that Napier deemed a "huge bright spot" of the team's offense on Monday, believes things have begun to click for Richardson within the Gators' offense. His increased comfort has been apparent in recent practices.

"I've just seen him approach practice with more confidence," Johnson said on Monday. "He's very — how can I say this? He's more, like, shaping to the program, if you know what I mean. 

"He's gotten more comfortable in the program since he's played a couple of games. He knows the offense a little bit better and you can see him growing throughout games."

Johnson believes Richardson can continue to improve, too. He said as much following his assessment of the quarterback's performances as of late, while making a plea to Richardson to opt for another season of development in orange and blue.

"He's going to be great," Johnson suggested. "We need him back another year."

Johnson proceeded to stare directly into the camera, nod his head and call Richardson by his nickname "Ant," sending a direct message to his quarterback.

Here it is: https://t.co/BWQbr1lPRr pic.twitter.com/4GuqaNoX1n

— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) November 7, 2022

Entering the season and even to this point despite his inconsistencies, Richardson has been tabbed as a potential first-round pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. 

Richardson is eligible to declare following the season as a third-year sophomore and has maintained hype from draft analysts and pro media as the season has inched on, thanks largely to his athletic profile as well as flashes of brilliance like what he put on display against the Aggies.

NFL teams in need of a quarterback, whether it be an immediate or long-term necessity, have also shown their intrigue in Richardson aplenty throughout the year.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for example, have attended at least three UF games with two scouts present for at least one of them, as the team struggles through what is expected to be Tom Brady's final season. The Las Vegas Raiders notably sent three scouts to Florida's matchup with Tennessee earlier in the season, giving the trio front-row seats to observe Richardson and UT passer Hendon Hooker.

The Indianapolis Colts, who fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday and are in dire need of a new franchise signal-caller, have seen Richardson live at least twice this season too. So have the New York Giants, who have been widely expected to search for quarterback Daniel Jones' replacement after the 2022 campaign.

Those are just a few examples, the latest coming from this past weekend as the Bucs and Colts had representatives in College Station alongside 12 other teams. That's, probably, why Johnson made his message to Richardson clear on Monday. 

Box score scouting would likely lead one to believe Richardson will end up back in college for a fourth season. That could very well be the case, but Richardson's physical and athletic abilities as well as his recent passing refinement undoubtedly have the attention of pro decision-makers.

If Richardson is able to replicate his recent three-game stretch in Florida's final stretch of matchups to end the 2022 season, or even surpass his newfound level of success, the deadline to enter the NFL Draft on January 16, 2023 will become a much more important date to monitor when it comes to the future of Florida football.

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