Anthony Richardson (American football)

Anthony Dashawn Richardson Sr. (born May 22, 2002) is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators and was selected by the Colts fourth overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

Early years
Richardson was born on May 22, 2002, in Miami, Florida. He later attended Loften High School in Gainesville, Florida. However, he played quarterback for Eastside High School's football team. During his high school career, he had 4,633 passing yards with 37 passing touchdowns, along with 1,633 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns. He committed to play college football at the University of Florida.

College career
Richardson appeared in just four games during his first year at Florida in 2020, completing one of two passes for 27 yards with a touchdown and interception. He was able to redshirt his first year of collegiate eligibility. Richardson entered 2021 as the backup to Emory Jones. Against the LSU Tigers, he replaced Jones and completed 10 of 19 passes for 167 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and a rushing touchdown.

Richardson officially became the starting quarterback for the Gators in 2022. In the first game of the season, he helped lead a 29–26 upset over the seventh-ranked Utah Utes on September 3, 2022. On September 24, in a 38–33 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, Richardson passed for 453 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception to go along with 17 carries for 62 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Overall, in 2022, Richardson played in 12 games and passed for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, as well as rushing for 654 yards and 9 touchdowns in his first full season as a starting quarterback for a college team. During his time at Florida, Richardson amassed a 6–6 record as the starting quarterback for the Gators.

As a collegiate player, Richardson was stated to have displayed "dynamic talent" as a passer and runner during his college years. Richardson's physical gifts also helped propel him as a possible first-round NFL draft selection. Following the end of the 2022 season, Richardson announced that he would enter the 2023 NFL draft.

Professional career
Richardson was drafted in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Richardson's combine measurables ranked him as the most athletic quarterback prospect in league history according to the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) metric. He joined Cam Newton and Daunte Culpepper as the only quarterbacks to have achieved a perfect RAS score.

During his first training camp with the Colts, Richardson underwent nasal septum surgery to improve his breathing. On August 15, 2023, Richardson was named by head coach Shane Steichen as the Colts' starting quarterback over Gardner Minshew and Sam Ehlinger.

On September 10, 2023, Richardson made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Richardson threw his first touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr., ran for a touchdown, and threw his first career interception to Tyson Campbell in the 31–21 loss. In Week 2 against the Houston Texans, Richardson ran for two touchdowns before leaving the game with a concussion in the second quarter as a result of a hit taken as he scored his second touchdown.

On September 22, 2023, Richardson was declared out in Week 3 due to a concussion he suffered in Week 2. He returned the next week against the Los Angeles Rams and recorded two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown and erased a 23 point deficit in a 29–23 loss in overtime. His rushing touchdown in this game marked the first time in NFL history that a rookie quarterback has scored a rushing touchdown in each of his first three starts.

On October 9, 2023, Richardson was placed on the injured reserve due to a grade three AC joint sprain he suffered in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, which was initially announced for him to miss one to two months. On October 18, 2023, the Colts announced that Richardson would miss the remainder of the season, and successfully underwent shoulder surgery to repair the sprain on October 24, 2023.