GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback Emory Jones enjoyed a front-row seat to Kyle Trask’s record-setting 2020 season and now watches redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson’s meteoric rise.
Only Jones now is the Gators’ starter. Many question for how long as Dan Mullen’s squad prepares to host top-ranked Alabama 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the Swamp.
Richardson continues to dazzle fans and defy defenses every time he takes the field.
Tightness in his right hamstring suffered during an 80-yard touchdown run Saturday against USF is not expected to keep Richardson off the practice field this week or quell the questions about Mullen’s plan at quarterback.
Mullen intends to stick with Jones as the starter, despite four interceptions and some pedestrian play during two games for the No. 11 Gators (2-0). Meanwhile, the consternation consuming Gator Nation has not impacted the two players handling the snaps, game plan and the pressure.
“We are really close. Honestly,” Jones said after Richardson’s show-stopping performance during Saturday’s win against USF. “We hang out a lot outside of football. Then you build that relationship, just by being quarterbacks.
“Just different things we have to go through.”
Rather than be tested, the relationship might flourish further as Jones, 21, and Richardson, 19, get deeper into the 2021 season.
Jones said the bond with Richardson is built on shared goals, countless hours together and the inevitable challenges few comprehend.
“I help him through a lot of stuff, and he helps me through a lot of stuff,” Jones said. “Just being around the guy all this time, it helps just building that relationship with him. The late meetings. The long hours that we always have together. We’re always with each other, boosting each other, making sure we’re all doing the right things.
“It’s just a relationship you build.”
Florida’s Dan Mullen has witnessed the dynamic in a quarterback room throughout a career built on successfully coaching the position.
On Monday, Mullen said outside conjecture rarely matches the facts inside the football facility.
“It shows you ... the difference in perception and reality,” Mullen said of the relationship of Jones and Richardson. “You have two young guys that are both trying to get better, both trying to learn; they learn and help each other, they appreciate each other and they help each other. They’re good friends and you want to see people succeed that way.
“That’s one of the things that makes college football pretty unique is the reality of what goes on inside the building.”
Quarterback competitions at the NFL level have become full-blown controversies for everyone to see.
Joe Montana and Steve Young had a famoulsy chilly relationship with the San Francisco 49ers’ dynasty during the 1980s. Brett Favre and current star Aaron Rodgers did not get along more than a decade ago when both were with the Green Bay Packers.
Unlike those Hall of Fame talents, Jones and Richardson continue to find their way in the college game.
Jones’ first two career starts have been unremarkable and erratic while Richardson has delivered a pair of scintillating efforts coming off the bench.
Jones, a redshirt junior, has thrown for 264 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing for 155 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. The 6-foot-4, 236-pound Richardson has totaled 275 rushing yards on just 11 carries, highlighted by touchdown runs of 73 and 80 yards. Against USF, he was 3-of-3 passing for a 152 yards and touchdowns of 75 and 41 yards.
Jones said Saturday he is like a fan when watching his fellow QB perform.
“I’m doing the same thing y’all doing, just trying to see what exciting thing he’s going to do,” Jones said.
Mullen expects his quarterbacks’ enthusiasm and friendship to help each continue to grow.
“Meeting with Emory (Sunday), just going through things and he’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s amazing, I mean I’m so happy, I see him do all these great things and it’s exciting. I love watching him out there on the field,’” Mullen recalled. “But Emory’s focus is, how do I get better and how do I help Anthony get better? And Anthony’s the same, gotta be.
“I think that’s so important and that’s the reality of what goes on inside of how are they improving.”
Against USF, Jones and Richardson combined for promising stretch the Gators hope to build on and keep opposing defenses guessing, beginning with Alabama. The duo traded quarterback responsibilities on four straight touchdown drives during the first half to give the Gators a 35-3 lead.
Jones hopes it is a sign of things to come in a relationship that likely holds the key to the Gators’ season.
“It’s crazy because we both didn’t know that that was going to happen,” Jones said. “We just go with the flow every week and every drive, we go with the flow. He might call me in. You’ve just got to be ready to go out there and take advantage of the opportunity.”
