Florida’s Mullen ignoring QB calls for Richardson over Jones

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida backup quarterback Anthony Richardson, one of college football’s more dynamic players through two games, is expected to practice this week while recovering from a strained right hamstring.

How much or how early he plays against top-ranked Alabama on Saturday remains to be determined.

Coach Dan Mullen offered little insight Monday into his decisions at the all-important position leading into what could be a program-defining game for the No. 11 Gators (2-0), who have lost seven in a row to the defending national champion Crimson Tide (2-0).

This much is certain: Mullen plans to ignore outside calls for Richardson to play over inconsistent starter Emory Jones.

“I’ll be honest with you; I don’t listen to many suggestions,” Mullen said Monday. “If you’re in our staff meeting, I’m going to listen to your suggestion. I don’t run down to Shands Hospital and say, ‘Boy, I think you should really do that procedure this way.’ I think those guys probably got that under control, you know? So, they’re the people, they’re the experts who are doing it.”

Richardson has been impressive off the bench, raising questions about him supplanting Jones in the lineup. The redshirt freshman from Gainesville had a 73-yard touchdown run in the opener and was even better in a 42-20 win at South Florida last Saturday.

He connected on TD passes of 75 and 40 yards to Jacob Copeland and scampered for an 80-yard score.

He had fans screaming one second and gasping the next when he grabbed his hamstring at the end of that last run. He sat out the rest of the game, leaving Florida faithful wondering about his health and, more importantly, his availability against Alabama.

Mullen might prefer to keep the Tide guessing, too.