Gene Frenette: Gators QB Richardson carries big burden, Jaguars' shaky 2020 draft, Serena, more

It’s hard to imagine any quarterback in the country facing more pressure going into the college football season than Florida’s Anthony Richardson.

Starting with Saturday’s home matchup against No. 7-ranked Utah, it feels like the 6-foot-4, 232-pound sophomore is toting as big a burden to carry the Gators as any other FBS quarterback, including Heisman Trophy contenders Bryce Young (Alabama) and C.J. Stroud (Ohio State).

It’s painfully obvious to Richardson, a Gainesville Eastside High product who is anxious to perform well for his hometown, that he must stay healthy or the Gators will be in deep trouble.

Not just because backup Jack Miller is out indefinitely after thumb surgery, but the uncertainty about Florida’s defense being able to contain the run against ground-oriented attacks like Utah or other SEC opponents.

Gene's previous columns:

Time to prove it: Gators playing No. 7 Utah only adds to anticipation of Billy Napier era

Sunshine standard: Percent chance of Gators, Seminoles, 'Canes, UCF making CFP in next 5 years

Plenty of fight left: Paralyzed in car accident, former UF Gators star Patric Young battles back with new wife by his side

“Prior to Jack getting injured, that was also something I tried to improve on, just not trying to be a superhero and take on big hits all the time and try to hit people,” said Richardson. “With him getting hurt, it shed some light on me having to be even more smart [to avoid injury].

“It’s always been a worry of mine, just not being on the field, not being able to contribute to the team, not being healthy. I hate being hurt. Everybody does. Being able to go through camp with my teammates and coaches and staying healthy was a big deal for me.”

A bigger deal for the Gators would be not losing Richardson at any point in the season. This is a huge opportunity for the popular dual-threat QB. With the starting job to himself, Richardson wants to prove that his hype is about more than just his remarkable athleticism.

He wants to be a leader and high-end performer, if not in the mold of previous UF star quarterbacks like Danny Wuerffel, Tim Tebow and Shane Matthews, then something close to it. Florida and first-year coach Billy Napier need him to maximize his skill set.

The importance of UF keeping the chains moving and its defense off the field can’t be emphasized enough, which means Richardson must be savvy in how he scrambles and runs the ball.

In Richardson’s first career start at the Swamp, 90,000 screaming fans will be fixated on him more than anyone or anything else about this game. He embraces that challenge.

“It means a lot,” said Richardson. “I feel like my purpose on earth was to have an impact on people, help people, be there for people. I feel like me being from Gainesville, growing up here and being the starting quarterback means a lot to everyone.

“It puts a lot on me, but I’m totally fine with that because I get to showcase what I can do and show people how it’s supposed to be done.”

Richardson has the humility and proper mindset Napier wants in his quarterback, and his confidence has grown tremendously since the spring.

But now comes the real burden of trying to carry a significant load for a Florida offense that needs him to be at the top of his game, especially in what could be a shootout-type game against Utah.

Hasta La Viska, baby

It was a mild surprise Monday when the Carolina Panthers agreed to acquire Jaguars receiver Laviska Shenault for two late-round draft picks in 2023 and ‘24. It’s another sad chapter to a 2020 draft that has seen two of the top 42 picks (CJ Henderson, Shenault) exit the franchise and another (K’Lavon Chaisson) waiting to live up to his first-round status.

The combined 40 games and 32 starts for Henderson and Shenault is at or near the bottom for any Jaguars’ first-rounder and second-rounder taken in the same draft. Receiver Justin Blackmon and defensive end Andre Branch, taken in 2012, are the only pair close to those low totals with a combined 71 games and 30 starts.

Shenault showed some promise as a rookie (58 catches, 600 yards, 5 TDs), but had regressed significantly. During training camp and preseason, whether it was his lack of precision or sometimes running the wrong route, Shenault never gave the Jaguars a compelling reason to keep him.

Kicker looking for more commitment

Riley Patterson, the kicker released by the Detroit Lions and claimed by the Jaguars Wednesday, hopes to duplicate the same long-term commitment with his latest NFL employer that he made this year off the field.

Patterson, 22, married his long-time girlfriend, Claire, in April. The couple has dated since their sophomore year at Edwardsville (Ill.) High, a love story nearly identical to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and his wife, Marissa.

“We’ve done the long-distance relationship, too,” said Patterson, “but I knew what I wanted.”

Now we’ll see how long the second-year kicker can make his relationship with the Jaguars last.

A chance for pro soccer rebirth  

Historically, there have been numerous professional soccer start-and-stop franchises in the Jacksonville area, so it’s understandable if excitement was mixed with a wait-and-see attitude after the announcement this week of another attempt to launch an unnamed United Soccer League franchise for both men and women in 2025.

The JAXUSL ownership group — headed up by Ricky Caplin of Caplin Family Offices and which also includes Tebow — hopes to learn from strategy mistakes that led to the abbreviated shelf life of the NASL Jacksonville Armada (2015-17), which still fields a U-23 team in the National Premier Soccer League.

One of the reasons JAXUSL wants nearly a three-year buildup to field a team is it needs that much time for stadium development and creating other necessary facilities. Former Armada president Steve Livingstone, also a part-owner, said the Armada erred in taking only 21 months from its birth to actually playing games.

JAXUSL is looking to privately fund a soccer-specific stadium at an unspecified location. Though Caplin was tight-lipped about where that might be, St. John’s County would appear to be the current clubhouse leader. A good portion of the Armada fan base hailed from various parts of the beaches. Livingstone, who worked two years in the USL Louisville City front office, acknowledged one common complaint was the length of the roundtrip to downtown Jacksonville.

But finding a “sweet spot” location is just one piece of a long to-do list to attain a sustainable pro soccer revival. JAXUSL, which will likely seek tax benefits instead of asking for public money, also wants to build a multi-sport complex to provide an avenue for youth soccer, as well as a developmental league to serve as a feeder program for its USL franchises.

If JAXUSL can come up with a business model to finally sustain the sport, as the ECHL Icemen has done entering its sixth season, then pro soccer will have a chance to stick around a lot longer than Jacksonville’s previous franchises. . . .

All hail, Serena

There’ll be plenty of raucous home-field advantages in college football this season, but not quite the emotional adulation lavished upon Serena Williams in her likely tennis farewell at the U.S. Open.

The crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium Wednesday night roared for every Williams point, uplifting the 23-time major champion as she knocked off No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 in the second round.

ESPN announcers Chris Evert and Chris Fowler practically genuflected at Serena with effusive, glowing commentary, showing respect for a stupendous career and Williams’ impactful off-the-court endeavors as a businesswoman.

Between the Oprah Winfrey post-match video tribute and the crowd shots of celebrities like Tiger Woods cheering her on, the atmosphere felt more like a Kennedy Honors program than a tennis match.

Williams didn’t try to hide her own emotions, repeatedly showing a clenched left fist to people in the crowd after her victory.

Friday night, Serena gave it everything she had in a 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 loss to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic, but the 3-hour, 5-munute match took a toll physically in the final set. It was heartwarming to see the crowd roar for both players during their classy on-court interviews after the match.

It would have been unreal to see Serena pull off the greatest exit in sports history by winning a U.S. Open and tying Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam singles titles, but this last ride for a 40-year-old legend was still a joy to watch. . . .

Pigskin forecast

Utah over Florida by 4 (Swamp antidotes); LSU over Florida State by 1 (fake Brian Kelly accent); Georgia over Oregon by 10 (CFP hangover remedies); Ohio State over Notre Dame by 13 (offensive clinics); BYU over USF by 14 (Power 5-ready starters); Arkansas over Cincinnati by 3 (O-line road graders).

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540 

Gene Frenette Sports columnist at Florida Times-Union, follow him on Twitter @genefrenette

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Frenette: Pressure on UF's Richardson, Serena's emotional U.S. Open, more