WEST PALM BEACH – Gio Richardson has made a big decision for himself.

After deliberating the multitude of college offers he had at his disposal, Richardson ultimately chose to end his recruiting process by going with FAU on June 13.

The No. 1-ranked high school football quarterback in Palm Beach County has always wanted to stay close to home. He will get to play for Owls head coach Lane Kiffin, who led the Boca Raton (Fla.)-based school to its first Conference USA title, a win in the Boca Raton Bowl, and an 11-3 record last season.

Richardson went with FAU over the likes of Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee State, and Liberty.

He posted the following on Twitter yesterday (June 13):

“First off, I want to thank my beautiful mother that always keeps me up and going in the right path. Without her none of this would be possible. I want to thank God for giving me the strength and guidance to push through the hardships this sport brings upon that keeps me pushing to be the best that I can be. A big thanks to Oxbridge’s coaching staff for providing me with the opportunities I am given with today, in which I would like to say that I am committing to Florida Atlantic University. #GOOWLS.”

And last night, Richardson added some more commentary on his recruiting decision.

“I believe FAU is really good fit for me,” he said. “They’re coming up as a team with Coach Kiffin, and hopefully I’ll be a part of his franchise.”

NOTE: All verbal pledges are non-binding, which means a player can de-commit at any time from now until National Signing Day on Feb. 6, 2019.