Reliable Arizona football receiver Gio Richardson turning effort into impact for Wildcats

When Arizona freshman wide receiver Gio Richardson was being recruited out of Basha High School in Chandler, he took official visits to four schools: UA, Arizona State, Kansas State and Vanderbilt.

A week before his official trip to Arizona in June 2024, he went to Kansas State, where he met fellow wide receiver Isaiah Mizell and Tre Spivey, who was playing for KSU at the time and hosted Richardson on the visit.

That’s when Mizell, an Orlando, Florida, product, told Richardson about his visit to Arizona the following week.

“We just clicked ever since,” Richardson said.

Roughly six months later, Richardson and Mizell signed with the Wildcats’ 2025 recruiting class, and Spivey transferred from Kansas State to Arizona.

With the connection with Spivey, along with other Phoenix-area natives, like Brandon Phelps, “I felt like I was already connected to the room,” Richardson said.

“It wasn’t hard for me and Mizell to get brought into the group,” Richardson said. “It was actually very easy. We have great personalities in the group. Everybody enjoys working with everybody and pushing everybody to be better.”

Arizona’s budding freshmen are coachable, too. Arizona redshirt senior Javin Whatley, who leads the Wildcats in receptions and receiving yards, said Richardson and Mizell “actually listen to the older guys” for coaching tips, “so when I tell them something, they listen.”

“Those are my little buddies right there,” Whatley joked.

Senior receiver Luke Wysong said, “those kids comes to work every single day.”

“Being able to have them in our room has been such a huge help,” Wysong said of Richardson and Mizell. “It has helped us older guys teach our ways to them, so it helps us know what to do in certain situations.”

The 5-10, 173-pound Richardson was an early enrollee in the spring after an illustrious career at Chandler Basha, which ended in the standout receiver suffering a gruesome leg injury. Richardson rehabbed in the spring and returned to full strength in fall training camp and ascended into a role in Arizona’s rotation of receivers.

Like most freshmen, there were some growing pains in the early stages of the season. Richardson had multiple chances to make highlight grabs in the first half of the season, but was sometimes knocked out of position. Richardson went to the drawing board and reviewed “all the little things that led to me not making the play,” he said.

“Did I let up on the release?” Richardson said. “Did I not swipe his hand down? Did I not look up at the ball? All the little things to make sure I do it next time. I honed in on them and got it fixed.”

Richardson learned that only having pure speed won’t cut it at this level, especially on the Power 4 stage. Relying on strictly speed and athleticism might work against Mesa Mountain View; it won’t work against Big 12 opponents.

“It’s definitely a different game, a lot better players,” Richardson said. “In high school, I was kind of faster than everybody, so I used that and my athletic ability to take over in high school, which is a lot different here.”

Richardson’s production increased in the Wildcats’ 52-17 win over the Colorado Buffaloes. He logged a career-high 30 snaps and had two catches for 63 yards and a touchdown — the first of his Arizona career. Richardson had a career-high six targets against Colorado.

Richardson caught a pass over the middle on a crossing route and burst upfield for a 60-yard touchdown.

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan was “on me all week about playing fast,” Richardson said.

“That’s what I did, run fast and get to the end zone,” Richardson said.

Whatley, Spivey, Wysong, Kris Hutson, Chris Hunter and Richardson have become Arizona’s top six receivers this season, and the connection with quarterback Noah Fifita has only gotten stronger since the start of the season.

Through the first three games of the season, Arizona had eight combined dropped passes, according to Pro Football Focus. Since then, the Wildcats have six in five games. The receivers and Fifita “are starting to click,” Richardson said.

“That’s just football,” Richardson said. “I feel like we get better the longer we play.”

Richardson’s rise as a freshman sets him up for a potential breakout sophomore campaign as a starter once Whatley, Hutson and Wysong graduate. Richardson said he’s “just gotta grow to be the best player this year and next year, so whatever role they have me playing this year or whatever I have to do to get on the field this year, to grow as a player next year, then that’s what I’ll do,” he said.

“It’s important to understand he’s a true freshman,” said Arizona wide receivers coach Bobby Wade. “There’s going to be mistakes made. ... Gio has been great about bringing the same energy and being consistent every single day, putting the work in the classroom, being able to take the learning from the room and applying it on the football field. ... That’s why you’re seeing him get more opportunities now. I’m really pleased with his progression and how far he’s come.”

Speedy Tre Spivey is a touchdown machine

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Even though Arizona is expected to lose most of its top receivers to graduation, the Wildcats have a versatile and promising nucleus between Hunter, Richardson, Mizell and Spivey, who has seven touchdowns on 12 touches this season. Spivey has touchdowns in four of the last five games. He scored the first touchdown in the Oklahoma State, Houston and Colorado games.

Spivey has the second- and third-longest touchdown catches of the season for Arizona. He had a 70-yarder against Houston three weeks ago and took a bubble screen 57 yards (and broke a few tackles) for Arizona’s first touchdown of the game against Colorado on Saturday.

The 6-4, 213-pound Spivey “is a big, powerful body that also has speed on the back end,” Brennan said.

“His ability to break tackles and play with physicality, I also think that’s his mindset,” Brennan said. “Every time he catches the ball, he’s trying to score. ... It’s been fun to see his process of development since he’s been here.”

Spivey has 11 receptions for 280 yards and six receiving touchdowns this season. He has 189 YAC (yards after catch) — 68% of his receiving yards this season, according to PFF. Spivey has more YAC yards this season than total yards in his first two seasons combined at Kansas State.

Breakaway speed, “he’s had that in his bag,” Wade said of Spivey.

“What has developed is the confidence in him,” Wade said.

“Tre plays to who he is and you like that mentality and aggression when the ball is in his hands,” Brennan said.

Sometimes size is the best tool for breaking away from defenders. It’s more challenging to stop a pickup truck than a sedan, which is a lesson Wade shared with former Arizona star and Carolina Panthers rookie Tetairoa McMillan, a 6-5 big-bodied receiver.

“Make guys tackle him instead of stopping his feet and allowing them to get to his legs,” Wade said. “That was a major challenge for (McMillan), too. ‘Hey, man, you gotta learn how to run with the football and finish these runs. You are fast enough to do this and you have to be able to believe in yourself to get that done — and trust it,’ which is what Tre has been able to do.”

At the end of Arizona’s win over Colorado, Spivey told the team “that he’s having the most fun he’s ever had playing football,” said Brennan. “I think that speaks a lot to his experience at Arizona.”

Brennan: Wysong ‘the ultimate team player’

Wysong has emerged as Arizona’s starting punt returner in Big 12 play, replacing Jeremiah Patterson, who has played in four games this season.

Wysong is second in the Big 12, averaging 11.4 yards per return. He has returned eight punts for 91 yards this season. Wysong had a 27-yard return in the first half against Colorado and had three returns for 44 yards.

“You see the ability when he has the ball in hand,” said Wade, who was also a punt returner in the NFL. “He’s very consistent, he works at it and he wants to make the right decisions back there. I’m excited that he gets that chance to be able to show that skillset back there.”

Wysong has “returned a lot of punts in my college career and in high school, so it’s fun,” he said. “I look forward to being back there knowing the other 10 guys on the field got my back, so it feels good out there.”

Brennan said Wysong “is the ultimate team player.”

“He’s been such a great addition to our football team,” said the Arizona coach. “He’s a leader, super high care factor, incredibly hard worker, he’s very well-respected on the team and he brings a toughness and aggressiveness to that position of punt returner and wide receiver. ... If you give Luke a little bit of air, he’s got the speed and toughness to go. I thought that was a great way to start the other night.”

Wade addresses sideline penalty vs. Houston

For the first time since it happened, Wade addressed the sideline interference penalty he received in the second half of Arizona’s loss to Houston.

Following a short pass from Houston quarterback Conner Weigman to running back Dean Connors, which would’ve put the Cougars at third-and-8, Wade was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and sideline interference for bumping into an official. The penalty extended Houston’s 17-play scoring drive in the third quarter.

“I’ll tell you this, there’s no person on our staff and our program or athletic department that’s worthy of 15 (yards),” Brennan said after the game. “Nobody. Not me, not Coach Wade, nobody. That’s ridiculous. We’re going to address that, too.”

Said Wade: “All on me. Just not being aware. I knew exactly where the guy was and it felt like the play was already done. I just bumped into (the official).”