Before Bryce Young, Anthony Ri...

Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson are no strangers to the limelight. They were the major topics of the fourth season of "QB1: Beyond the Lights," a Netflix documentary that followed three elite high school recruits throughout their senior seasons, before they were top-10 NFL Draft prospects and even before they were starting college quarterbacks.

The show's idea is straightforward: it's a real-life "Friday Night Lights." The show, produced by Peter Berg's Film 45, premiered in 2017 with topics including Ohio State prospect Tate Martell, Georgia recruit Jake Fromm, and Wake Forest recruit Tayvon Bowers. In succeeding seasons, the show followed the lives of additional top prospects such as Justin Fields, Sam Hartman, and Spencer Rattler.

Season 4 was set to feature Young, the 2020 No. 1 Rivals-rated dual-threat quarterback out of Southern California's famed Mater Dei High School, and Richardson, who ranked No. 6 and committed to his hometown University of Florida in Gainesville. Deuce Hogan, a Grapevine, Texas native who committed to Iowa at the time but now plays for Kentucky, was the third quarterback on the roster.

Production teams spent nearly six months integrated with the trio's various homes and schools, completing what they thought was their greatest season. However, it was never made available for streaming.

Young and Richardson were on board. Their schools, not so much

For Season 4, Steve Clarkson, a personal quarterbacks coach from Southern California and co-creator of "QB1," wanted to try something new. The initial plan was to follow not just Young at Mater Dei, but also D.J. Uiagalelei from rival St. John Bosco. Uiagalelei, the No. 1 ranked pro-style quarterback in 2020, committed to and played at Clemson before transferring to Oregon State. He appeared in the second season of "QB1" as the sophomore backup to one of the three key players, Re-al Mitchell.

Clarkson persuaded Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson, but he required permission from the school as well as Craig and Julie Young. The Youngs agreed instantly, but Mater Dei needed a bit more convincing.

Richardson was almost lost to the show because the Alachua County school board first denied the request to appear. The major issue was that there were worries about recording in student locker rooms. LaShawnda Lane, Richardson's mother, salvaged the season by forming a Facebook page to mobilize the community. Throughout the months leading up to the first shoot, alumni and local citizens petitioned the school board to reconsider. The board eventually did.

"I was happy at the time because people actually rallied together to try to make this work for the young man," Daniels added. "And, you know, it gave our community a positive spin."

'Tailor-made for Bryce Young'

The commute is the first thing to understand about Young's season. He resided in Pasadena, California, some 40 miles from Mater Dei, and got up between 4 and 5 a.m. every day to go to his local gym for a morning exercise before practice. That meant the video team arrived at Young's residence at 3:30 a.m. to set up and prepare to shoot his morning routine before embarking on the 80-minute trip.

While the early mornings gave beautiful images, Young was more focused on his exercises than chatting to the cameras, according to Brian Cimagala, the senior producer for Young's team.

How Anthony Richardson was more mentor than star QB

The first time senior producer Dustin Nakao-Haider and his crew recorded Richardson in August, his personality leaped off the screen. Despite his loud voice and imposing appearance, Nakao-Haider never got the impression Richardson was concerned about being photographed.

"I've filmed with a lot of teenage athletes, and they can be pretty showy," Nakao-Haider explained to Yahoo Sports. "But, despite being a teen with a lot on his shoulders, [Richardson] was always at ease with us." Never showy, with a dry, generous, and low-key silly sense of humour. He was always attempting to share the spotlight with his comrades, wanting them to shine as brilliantly as he did."

Will we ever see 'QB1' season featuring Young, Richardson?

While Young and Richardson are on their way to the NFL, their season of "QB1" as well as the program itself are on hold. Complex says it intends to release the season, but has yet to find a home for it.

Craig Young stated that he attempted to purchase the video of his son after learning that the season had been canceled by Netflix. However, he stated that he never received a response on that prospect.

"Talk about missed opportunities," Craig commented. "There was a time when we were extremely frustrated." Now I'm more optimistic about it. I didn't give a damn. It simply feels like an opportunity was missed and a massive, tremendous waste of time.