Florida A&M (FAMU) quarterback Daniel Richardson has made a splash on the HBCU football scene after three weeks of play. Earning Stats Perform, BoxtoRow, and SWAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, Richardson’s impact on the Rattlers’ success has been immediate.
So far this season he has thrown for 699 yards at an accuracy rate of 68.24 percent. He has also shown the ability to run when it is required and has added 67 yards. Richardson has become the leader of the team and has shown a fire that is needed from team leadership.
Add to that football talent high academic success. Daniel Richardson, who came to HBCU football as a graduate of FAU, is now pursuing his M.B.A. at the FAMU School of Business and Industry. It is one of the trademark academic programs at the university.
Speaking at the Eddie Jackson 220 Quarterback Club, Richardson talked about his academic pursuit.
“I took five classes in the spring when I came here and then I took four classes in the summer,” Richardson said. “I was really supposed to have a 4.0 GPA. But I’m not gonna say it too much, but I ended up getting a B so my GPA dropped a little bit. But I’m going to graduate hopefully with all A’s this semester and get my degree in December.”
Vaughn Wilson, President of the Eddie Jackson 220 Quarterback Club was pleased to hear about Richardson’s academic success. “So often we only hear about and see what these young student-athletes do on the field,” he said. “Today was refreshing to hear a young man who certainly has a grasp on the bigger picture. Groups like ours are here to support these young men and young women on their journey to their careers. Most of those careers are not in professional sports but in the business world. Daniel is primed and ready to finish out a great season and then make an impact wherever he lands.
Don’t underestimate the fierce competitor in Daniel Richardson.
Going into the second half of the University of Miami game, while many may have thought the Rattlers might have been mentally defeated, Richardson was amped for the second half. On a busted play, he literally ran over a Miami defender. It drew oohs even from the home Miami crowd because it was a fierce collision.
“What happened was we were going down before the half to try to score and we end up getting three points but like it was like second down,” Richardson said. “I ran a dude over, and that kind of fired me up and the guys are like, man, did you really just run them over?
In the locker room at the half, Richardson became the motivational spark plug. “We got a great opportunity to come back out here. The defense gets a three-and-out and we go down and score. I was telling the guys we battled adversity the first two games and this team, we a bunch of dogs…we gonna fight and at the end of the day, FAMU, I mean we’re gonna fight and we’re gonna finish,” he concluded
FAMU will take this Saturday off to heal and refocus. Next week they will travel to Troy, ALA to face the Troy Trojans. They are traditional rivals from the days of Billy Joe when they would constantly meet in the NCAA I-AA Playoffs. Troy has since transitioned to the FBS division. Much like the Rattlers, their coach from last season left along with much of the coaching staff and players. We’ll see if the Rattlers can right the ship next week as the following week they begin SWAC play in HBCU football with a visit from Connel Maynor and the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M as they make the trek to Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.