Richt was born in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up a Nebraska Cornhuskers football fan but was not recruited by the Huskers. He graduated in 1978 from Boca Raton High School in Boca Raton, Florida where he was a star quarterback. He played for the University of Miami in the early 1980s, graduating in 1982. He served as backup quarterback to future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.