Walk-on only QB in camp, and lifetime Cardinal fan
Jack Richardson was watching games at Stanford Stadium long before most of the Cardinal coaches got there — 30 or 40 games, in fact, as he was growing up.
His dad, Kevin, was a linebacker who led Stanford in tackles with 113 in 1987. His mom, the former Teresa Smith, was Pac-12 volleyball player of the year at Stanford in 1986.
His father proposed to his mother via a sign dragged by an airplane over the Big Game in 1991. “True story,” Jack said.
He’s a walk-on player, which means he’s among those who don’t have a scholarship. That said, he’s one of the most valuable players in the spring drills. He’s the top quarterback. In fact, he’s the
only quarterback. With starter K.J. Costello recovering from hip surgery and backup Davis Mills rehabbing his knee, it’s Richardson’s show.
“He running the team right now more than I am,” head coach David Shaw said Tuesday night after practice. “If for some reason he couldn’t go, I don’t know how we’d have practice.”
This is Richardson’s third year at Stanford. He didn’t receive any action in 2016 but played in the Rice game last year, without throwing a pass.
“I’m having an absolute ball out here,” he said. “To get reps with the ‘ones’ (firstteamers) and throw to guys like J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Trent Irwin, Colby Parkinson, Kaden Smith — big-body guys who all run great routes. It’s a blast throwing to them.”
He has been going to games since he was an infant. “My earliest memories were when I was 4 or 5, playing touch football on Chuck Taylor Grove,” he said. “We’d eat candy, play touch football and watch the game.”
In middle school in Salinas, his games were on Saturday morning, so the family had time to get to Stanford games later in the day.
At Palma High, he threw for a school-record 4,300 yards and 39 touchdowns in two years, including 2,353 yards and 20 TDs as a senior.
He was not hotly recruited. Some Ivy League schools wanted him, and so did some lower-echelon schools. Washington offered a walk-on spot.
“It’s always been my goal to play for Stanford,” he said. “I went to all the camps in the summer. When I got that (Stanford) walk-on offer my senior year, I was like, ‘This is a no-brainer if I get into school. That’s where I’m going.’ Sure enough, I got the news Dec. 11 of my senior year that I got in.”
He had no idea that come 2018, he’d be taking all the snaps with the first team in spring ball. And the second team, too.
“I heard about the situation in January, that I was going to be the only guy for spring ball,” he said. “I told myself at the time to just take it one day at a time. I remember when I started training Jan. 9, I would wake up and ask myself what I could do to get better: throw the ball, work on my flexibility, get some good rest.”
Offensive coordinator Tavita Pritchard said, “Jack’s working his rear end off. I couldn’t be more proud of his approach. We ask a lot of our quarterbacks. A lot comes down to their preparation and how much they’re willing to do on the front end (preparing for practice), and he’s doing a phenomenal job.”
Said Shaw: “You can tell how hard he’s worked. He takes it extremely seriously. He wants to be efficient and proficient. I give him a lot of credit for learning and growing and pushing himself. He’s obviously gotten stronger this offseason.”
Richardson made a fine downfield throw to Irwin on Tuesday night, Shaw said. “You can see the receivers and tight ends have responded to him,” he said.
The subject of a scholarship hasn’t arisen, Richardson said. “To be honest, that’s not even a thought on my mind at this point.”