Every team can claim to be a little beat up during spring practice but few have had to deal with the situation Stanford found themselves in the past few months without a scholarship quarterback available. Yep, not a single one.
Incumbent starter K.J. Costello is still dealing with a hip injury and freshman backup Davis Mills continues to recover from a knee injury in high school. Keller Chryst transferred to Tennessee to really force the issue, which has resulted walk-on Jack Richardson and offensive coordinator Tavita Pritchard (yes, really) taking most of the snaps under center for the team this spring.
Well, there is some good news to come out of the tough situation as head coach David Shaw awarded Richardson a scholarship after Saturday’s Cardinal and White spring game.
“After the team broke it down, coach Shaw took me and my family aside and put me on scholarship,” the quarterback told Pac-12 Networks afterward. “It means a lot. Being a walk-on, it makes you appreciate the grind of school work and stuff like what my parents have sacrificed to allow me to come here. On a personal level, that was one of my goals -- to earn a scholarship.
“I just got done being in tears.”
Kudos to the Cardinal for rewarding the signal-caller after all that extra work this spring. Given that recent signee Tanner McKee won’t be on campus for two years after a mission trip, Richardson seems like he will remain a key part of the quarterback room beyond just this upcoming season too.