GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Eastside High School basketball coach Herman “Pop” Williams would drive and listen to the talented, contemplative teenager in the passenger’s seat.
As an athlete, Anthony Richardson had it all. Growing up in east Gainesville in a single-parent home, he held dreams of a better future.
“A lot of personal stuff he talked to me about,” Williams told the Orlando Sentinel this week. “I think that’s why Ant always clinged to me.”
At the same time, Richardson followed his own path.
The towering, quick-twitch teen possessed preternatural athleticism and the inner drive to eventually earn a scholarship to the University of Florida.
When Richardson sprints onto the field Saturday night as the Gators’ starting quarterback in the sold-out Swamp, he’ll carry the hopes of a once-proud program, first-year coaching staff, fervent fan base and the neighborhood where he grew up.
Richardson embraces the responsibilities and expectations, believing he is built for all of it.
“It puts a lot on me, but I’m totally fine with that,” the redshirt sophomore said Wednesday. “I get to show people what I can do and I can show people how it’s supposed to be done. I’m glad I have the opportunity.”
From Chris Doering to Mike Peterson to Doug Johnson to Travis McGriff, local kids have made their mark with the Gators.
Richardson would be the first to do so from Gainesville’s east side, where success stories can go a long way.
“Anthony is an across-the-track kid,” Williams said. “Him being the focal point of the Gators, I don’t think anyone expected that. For him to do something like that is amazing for the east side of town — and for really the Gainesville community — for a kid to come out of the hole like that.”
‘It’ factor
Richardson was born in Miami and moved to Gainesville in 2013 when LaShawnda Lane sought a better life for him and his younger brother Cory.
Lane taught Richardson to throw a football as a child, attended his games and supported her son’s athletic pursuits. She also worked long hours to make ends meet.
At Eastside, Richardson would often bring Cory to basketball practice while LaShawnda worked. Williams did what he could to give the school’s best athlete an assist.
“He’s a kid that struggled,” Williams said. “He wasn’t a poor kid. He dressed nice for school, but sometimes he needed help with some things.”
Williams knew what could happen to kids in east Gainesville without a helping hand.
A 1981 graduate of Eastside, Williams, 60, saw classmates become lost causes.
“I can tell you stories,” he said. “I went to 10 funerals … 11 incarcerated. So I’ve been there.”
Richardson, though, had a ticket out.
No matter the stage, the 6-foot-4, 232-pound Richardson knows how to put on a show.
His pregame backflips last season in the Swamp were a fan favorite. Basketball warmups at Eastside were an event for Richardson, a forward who averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 2018-19 for a 26-3 city championship squad.
“He used to like to show off a little bit — his palm used to get to the top of the square [on the backboard],” Williams marveled. “This kid, he was unbelievable. He was just so athletic.”
After sending game tape of Richardson’s teammates to recruiters, former Eastside athletic director Philip Crutchfield said some schools instead inquired about Richardson — at the time enrolled early at Florida.
Richardson also appeared unexpectedly on Crutchfield’s radar.
Lined up at receiver during his 2016 debut at Eastside, Richardson turned an ill-advised throw from quarterback Carter Kutchko against Palatka into highlight-reel material.
“It was double coverage and Anthony just leaped up, one-hand snagged it, he’s two feet above the other guys and just brought it down,” Crutchfield told the Sentinel. “Later in the game he came in at quarterback and threw like a 50-yard ball that was not normal. I was thinking, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen a high school kid throw a ball like that.’”
Eastside’s principal Leroy Williams was in the stands that night, too, thinking the same thing.
“You know when you see guys and see the ‘it’ factor?” Williams said. “You just say like, “Yeah, he got it.’ It was quite evident with Anthony.”
While Richardson couldn’t help but stand out, his confidence was understated.
“You could see the size and say, ‘Ok, this is not a typical ninth-grader,’ ” Crutchfield recalled. “But he was just kind of a quiet, happy-go-lucky kid. When he stepped across the lines, though, that’s a different man.”
Years later, coach Billy Napier witnessed Richardson’s “it” factor from afar.
With Napier’s third season at Louisiana behind him, he watched Florida’s 55-20 loss during the 2020 Cotton Bowl to Oklahoma long enough to see Richardson lead the Gators to a fourth-quarter touchdown. A 28-yard run and 27-yard pass were highlights.
“I can still remember sitting on the couch watching and I was like, ‘Wow, that guy’s got a bright future,’” Napier recalled Wednesday. “He made a few plays in that game that I thought were pretty special.”
X-factor
Little did Napier know he would become Richardson’s coach the following December. To expedite the Gators’ rebuild, Napier needs him to be special again.
Richardson is sure to deliver some scintillating moments against Utah and beyond. The key will be the 20-year-old’s consistency and durability.
“He’s going to have some wow plays, which is going to enamor all the fans,” said Gators record-setting quarterback Shane Matthews, now the color analyst on UF’s broadcasts. “But for him to take that next step, he has to be consistent on the average play.”
Matthews, the SEC player of the year in 1990 and ‘91, called plays at Gainesville High when his son Luke was a quarterback and Richardson played for Eastside.
At the time, Richardson was raw and relied on athleticism while he struggled with accuracy and decision-making.
“He never had the right coach at Eastside to work on his throwing,” Pop Williams said.
Richardson also didn’t have a supporting cast.
“He was a one-man team,” Leroy Williams, the Eastside principal, said.
As a sophomore and junior Richardson completed 50.5% of his throws for 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also ran for 1,394 yards and 29 scores.
Richardson showed improvement his senior season, completing 64.5% of his passes with 8 TDs and just 1 pick, until a shoulder injury against North Marion sidelined him after six games.
Injuries remain a concern and cost him five games in 2021.
Richardson endured a hamstring strain in September at USF, a concussion in October against Georgia and right knee pain all season doctors addressed with December surgery.
“In high school they were kind of hiding it,” Pop Williams said. “I’m glad he finally got that done at Florida.”
Finishing preseason practices in one piece was a focal point for Richardson.
“It’s always been a worry of mine,” he said. “It’s not a good feeling when you can’t contribute to the team. Being able to go through camp with my teammates and coaches and staying healthy was a big deal for me.”
Community guy
Remaining a presence and positive force in east Gainesville is a big deal, too. Perhaps even more important to Richardson than what he does on the football field.
“One day he said to me, ‘Coach, if I don’t make it, I want to be a firefighter,’ ” Williams said. “He’s really into saving people and being around people. He never acts above. He’s a community guy.
“He’s just a humble young man who knows he’s been blessed.”
Football success also helps Richardson share his blessings and inspire kids in his community.
“I always talk to people and I tell them I feel like my purpose on Earth was to have an impact on people, help people, be there for people,” Richardson said. “Me going there and connecting with them must gives them motivation and lets them know they can do what I’m doing or be even better.”
Richardson still shows up unannounced at a football and basketball games. When Eastside named Howard “Gator” Hoskins the new head coach, Richardson arrived with 15 No. 15 jerseys to hand out.
“He’s still around,” Leroy Williams said. “We’re very proud of him. We know talent can get you there, but character keeps you there. That’s one of the things I hang my hat on with Anthony.”
Relaxed transfer rules in recent years didn’t register with Richardson despite the Rams’ struggles. Eastside did go 7-4 his junior season, but was 15-25 during his four years at the school.
“He stuck and was loyal to Eastside and that says a lot about him,” Matthews said. “He could have left and gone and played anywhere.”
Richardson had options after he left Eastside, too.
Leroy Williams recalled the buzz when Penn State coach James Franklin showed up for a Friday night basketball game. The next night then-Florida coach Dan Mullen was on hand when Eastside played again.
Coaches from Michigan, Auburn and Louisville made trips to east Gainesville to watch Richardson.
Richardson instead stayed put. He’s now positioned to become a hometown hero.
“It’s unique that he is from right here,” Napier said.
Having grown up in Gainesville, Richardson knew what he was getting into. Yet, nothing prepared him for his first night game in the Swamp.
Even when COVID-19 concerns reduced 2020 crowd capacity to 20%, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium after dark was a new experience.
“I was starstruck,” Richardson recalled. “The biggest field I played at before that was [Gainesville’s] Citizens Field [featuring just 1,000 permanent seats]. Just running out there and seeing all the lights and stuff, it made me think ‘Wow, I’m on a big stage.’
“It felt like everything got bigger once I got out there.”
Bigger stages await, beginning with his first start at home Saturday night before a sellout crowd and national TV audience.
All eyes will be on Richardson. He plans to be ready.
Whatever happens with Richardson — a projected first-round NFL draft pick — he plans to shine. The moments away from the crowds and cameras and in his community might be where Richardson performs his best.
“I walk around, I go to Walmart, Publix and the kids run up to me, ‘What up, Ant? What up, Ant?’ ” he said “Just being able to connect with them and not get Hollywood on people, it means a lot.”
