Neither Bryce Young nor CJ Stroud won a national championship as a starter, though both played in the College Football Playoff in their careers. Anthony Richardson didn’t have a winning record as a starter.
Richardson started only 13 games in his career at Florida and lost seven of them. The Gators were 6-6 in his 12 starts in 2022 under new head coach Billy Napier.
“A lot of people see that record and think we weren’t a good team,” Richardson said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, via on3.com. “A lot of people see the record and say, ‘Oh, Anthony Richardson can’t lead a team. He can’t even go .500 in the season.’ To that, I just say they don’t know the ins and outs of the game. They don’t understand what they go through daily, understand how hard we work.
“Sometimes things don’t go your way and that comes with the game. I feel like when I step onto a team, I’m there to contribute, give it my all, and provide in any way I can. I feel like I did that every game.”
Richardson was the standout at the NFL Scouting Combine last week with record performances for a quarterback in the vertical jump (40.5 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 9 inches). He ran a 4.43 in the 40.
But his record as a college starter has prompted questions as has his 53.8 completion percentage last season. He threw 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2022, giving him 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in his career.
Richardson said he learned a lot last season in leading his team.
“Control what I can control,” Richardson said. “It’s not little league football anymore where I can just bully ball anybody. I can’t just run around everybody. So, I learned how to manage the game. Especially as a quarterback, I can’t try to make every big play. I just got to take what the game gives me.”