Florida Gators: DJ Lagway No. 1 QB in the National Rankings

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:

Behind the No. 1 quarterback ranking of DJ Lagway, Florida’s 2024 recruiting class moved up two spots to No. 13 in the On3 Sports rankings. Lagway is also ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the country by 247Sports. Both On3 and 247Sports rank Lagway as the overall No. 3 player in the country. The Gatorade National Player of the Year, Lagway is the first 5-star quarterback signed by Florida since Jeff Driskel in 2011.

Lagway is one of five Gators ranked in the top 100 players in the country by On3. Fellow 5-star LJ McCray was ranked No. 10 while 4-star linebacker Myles Graham was No. 57, 4-star linebacker Aaron Chiles No. 73 and 4-star tight end Amir Jackson No. 95.

Other Gators of note in the On3 rankings: 157. CB Jameer Grimsley (signed with Alabama, transferred to UF); 172. RB Kahnen Williams; 191. OT Fletcher Westphal; 264. NT D’Antre Robinson (signed with Texas, flipped to Florida); 299. WR Jerrae Hawkins; 313. RB Jaden Baugh; 385. OT Marcus Mascoll; 396. S Gregory Smith.

Just behind Lagway in the 247Sports rankings, McCray is the No. 4 player in the country and the top defensive lineman. Other 4-star Florida recruits and their national ranking by 247Sports: 83. LB Aaron Chiles; 114. LB Myles Graham; 128. OT Fletcher Westphal; 152. TE Amir Jackson; 175. RB Kahnen Daniels; 240. WR Jerrae Hawkins.

UF BASEBALL: Caglianone, Neely make preseason All-America

Jac Caglianone and Brandon Neely were selected to D1Baseball preseason All-America teams on Monday with Caglianone named first team utility and Neely second team as a relief pitcher. Caglianone, who led the NCAA with 33 home runs last year while driving in 90, also had a 7-4 record on the mound with a 4.34 ERA. Neely was Florida’s closer, logging 34 appearances in which he was credited with 13 saves and a 3.58 ERA.

The Gators, who open their season with St. John’s February 16, start the season ranked X by D1Baseball, No. 4 by Baseball America. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers and USA Today Coaches polls have yet to be released.

D1Baseball preseason top 25: 1. Wake Forest; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Arkansas; 4. LSU; 5. TCU; 6. Vanderbilt; 7. Oregon State; 8. Texas A&M; 9. Tennessee; 10. Clemson; 11. East Carolina; 12. Duke; 13. North Carolina State; 14. Virginia; 15. North Carolina; 16. Texas; 17. UC-Santa Barbara; 18. Coastal Carolina; 19. Alabama; 20. Iowa; 21. Texas Tech; 22. UCLA; 23. Northweastern; 24. Kansas State; 25. South Carolina

Baseball America top 25 preseason: 1. Wake Forest; 2. LSU; 3. Arkansas; 4. FLORIDA; 5. Oregon State; 6. TCU; 7. Vanderbilt; 8. Tennessee; 9. Clemson; 10. Virginia; 11. Texas A&M; 12. South Carolina; 13. Texas; 14. East Carolina; 15. Stanford; 16. Duke; 17. North Carolina; 18. Texas Tech; 19. Coastal Carolina; 20. Iowa; 21. Oklahoma State; 22. North Carolina State; 23. Auburn; 24. Northeastern; 25. UC-Irvine

UF BASKETBALL: Gators will be road warriors this week

After a pair of white knuckle finishes in the friendly confines of the O-Dome, the Gators will hit the road this week to two of the more difficult arenas in the SEC. The Gators will be at Rupp Arena Wednesday to face 10th-ranked Kentucky and Saturday they will be in College Station to face Texas A&M. Both games are Quad 1 opportunities for the Gators in the all-important NCAA Net Rankings. Florida is currently ranked 39th, while Kentucky is 23rd and the Aggies are 46th.

With 11 games remaining in the regular season, all of them in the SEC, the Gators are sitting on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has the Gators on his first four out line. Joe Lunardi of ESPN will come out with his latest brackets today. The SEC is the second strongest league in the country behind the Big 12, which has eight teams ranked in the latest Associated Press top 25. The SEC has four ranked teams, while the Big Ten has three and the Mountain West, Big East and ACC have two each. Based on the difficulty of winning on the road in the SEC, any team making it to 9-9 in conference play during the regular season will likely hear its name called on Selection Sunday.

The Gators nearly knocked off Kentucky at the O-Dome back on January 6. After leading most of the game, Kentucky got an improbable 3-pointer from freshman 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw as the Wildcats took an 87-85 win. This was a winnable game that the Gators let slip through their fingers as they hit only 18-29 free throws and 9-31 from the 3-point line. Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. each scored 23 and Riley Kugel added 15 for the Gators.

SEC basketball

Today’s games: South Carolina (17-3, 5-2 SEC) at No. 5 Tennessee (15-4, 5-1 SEC); Mississippi State (14-6, 3-4 SEC) at Ole Miss (17-3, 4-3 SEC)

Wednesday’s games: FLORIDA (14-6, 4-3 SEC) at No. 6 Kentucky (15-4, 5-2 SEC); Vanderbilt (5-14, 0-6 SEC) at No. 8 Auburn (16-4, 5-2 SEC); Alabama (13-6, 5-1 SEC) at Georgia (14-6, 4-3 SEC); Arkansas (10-10, 1-6 SEC) at Missouri (8-12, 0-7 SEC)

Associated Press top 25: 1. UConn 18-2; 2. Purdue 19-2; 3. North Carolina 17-3; 4. Houston 18-2; 5. Tennessee 15-4; 6. Wisconsin 16-4; 7. Duke 15-4; 8. Kansas 16-4; 9. Marquette 15-5; 10. Kentucky 15-4; 11. Arizona 15-5; 12. Iowa State 16-4; 13. Creighton 16-5; 14. Illinois 15-5; 15. Texas Tech 16-3; 16. Auburn 16-4; 17. Utah State 18-2; 18. Baylor 14-5; 19. New Mexico 18-3; 20. Florida Atlantic 17-4; 21. Dayton 16-3; 22. BYU 15-5; 23. Oklahoma 15-5; 24. Alabama 14-6; 25. TCU 15-5

Coaches top 25: 1. UConn 18-2; 2. Purdue 19-2; 3. North Carolina 17-3; 4. Houston 18-2; 5. Tennessee 15-4; 6. Wisconsin 16-4; 7. Duke 15-4; 8. Kentucky 15-4; 9. Kansas 16-4; 10. Marquette 15-5; 11. Iowa State 16-4; 12. Arizona 15-5; 13. Creighton 16-5; 14. Illinois 15-5; 15. Texas Tech 16-3; 16. Auburn 16-4; 17. Utah State 18-2; 18. Baylor 14-5; 19. Dayton 16-3; 20. New Mexico 18-3; 21. BYU 15-4; 22. Alabama 14-6; 23. Florida Atlantic 17-4; 24. Oklahoma 15-5; 25. TCU 15-5

UF TRACK AND FIELD: Women No. 2; Men No. 3 in indoor rankings

USTFCCCA men’s top 25: 1. Texas Tech; 2. Northern Arizona; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Arkansas; 5. Southern California; 6. Washington; 7. Texas; 8. Georgia; 9. Florida State; 10. Kentucky; 11. Illinois; 12. Oklahoma State; 13. Alabama; 14. LSU; 15. Oklahoma; 16. South Carolina; 17. Penn State; 18. Texas A&M; 19. Virginia; 20. Harvard; 21. Kansas State; 22. Iowa State; 23. Tennessee; 24. Ole Miss; 25. Stanford

USTFCCCA women’s top 25: 1. Arkansas; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Oregon; 4. Southern California; 5. Illinois; 6. Texas A&M; 7. BYU; 8. Washington; 9. Georgia; 10. Oklahoma State; 11. Ole Miss; 12. LSU; 13. Texas Tech; 14. Alabama; 15. South Carolina; 16. Kentucky; 17. Tennessee; 18. Texas; 19. Stanford; 20. Northern Arizona; 21. Baylor; 22. Providence; 23. Penn State; 24. Clemson; 25. Virginia

UF SWIMMING: Women No. 3, Men No. 4 in national rankings

CSCAA men’s top 25: 1. Arizona State; 2. California; 3. North Carolina State; 4. FLORIDA; 5. Stanford; 6. Indiana; 7. Georgia; 8. Texas A&M; 9. Texas; 10. Auburn; 11. Tennessee; 12. Notre Dame; 13. Virginia Tech; 14. Ohio State; 15. Louisville; 16. Florida State; 17. Southern California; 18. Michigan; 19. Alabama; 20. Virginia; 21. Arizona; 22. Wisconsin; 23. Georgia Tech; 24. Princeton; 25. SMU

CSCAA women’s top 25: 1. Virginia; 2. Texas; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Stanford; 5. California; 6. Ohio State; 7. Southern California; 8. Louisville; 9. Indiana; 10. North Carolina State; 11. Texas A&M; 12. Tennessee; 13. Georgia; 14. Wisconsin; 15. Auburn; 16. Michigan; 18. Duke; 18. Alabama; 19. North Carolina; 20. Arizona State; 21. South Carolina; 22. Minnesota; 23. Virginia Tech; 24. Princeton; 25. LSU

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: You can’t tell the players without a program, part two. Nearly every SEC roster will be filled with newbies who played their college football at St. Somewhere Else in 2023. Emphasis today on key new arrivals:

Alabama (30 departures, 5 arrivals): The most important arrivals are WR Germie Bernard (Washington); CB Domani Jackson (Southern Cal)

Arkansas (23 departures, 13 arrivals): The most important arrivals are OG Keyshawn Blackstock (Michigan State); LB Xavian Storey Jr. (Georgia); RB Ja’Quinden Jackson (Utah); QB Taylen Green (Boise State); S Miguel Mitchell (Florida).

Auburn (17 departures, 10 arrivals): The most important arrivals are WR Robert Lewis (Georgia State); DT Trill Carter (Texas); DT Gage Keys (Kansas); OT Percy Lewis  (Mississippi State); TE Rico Walker (Maryland).

FLORIDA (21 departures, 11 arrivals): The most important arrivals are DT Joey Slackman (Penn); EDGE George Gumbs (Northern Illinois); S Asa Turner (Washington); S Trikweze Bridges (Oregon); OT Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (San Diego State); OT Devon Manuel (Arkansas); LB Grayson Howard (South Carolina); S DJ Douglas (Tulane);

Georgia (21 departures, 6 arrivals): The most important arrivals are RB Trevor Etienne (Florida); WR London Humphreys (Vanderbilt); WR Colbie Young (Miami); S Jake Pope (Alabama).

Kentucky (13 departures, 10 arrivals): The most important arrivals are QB Brock Vandagriff and LB Dumas Johnson (Georgia); WR Raymond Cottrell (Texas A&M); DB Kristian Story (Alabama); OT Gerald Mincey (Tennessee).

LSU (18 departures, 6 arrivals): The most important arrivals are WR Zavion Thomas (Mississippi State); QB AJ Swann (Vanderbilt); WR CJ Daniels (Liberty); DB Jardin Gilbert (Texas A&M).

Mississippi State (16 depatures, 14 arrivals): The most important arrivals are QB Blake Shapen (Baylor); DL Marlon Martinez (LSU); WR Kelly Akharaiyi (UTEP); DL Kendrick Bingley-Jones (North Carolina).

Missouri (15 departures, 11 arrivals): The most important arrivals are CB Toriano Pride (Clemson); RB Marcus Carroll (Georgia State); DL Chris McClellan (Florida); RB Nate Noel (Appalachian State); OT Cayden Green (Oklahoma); LB Darris Smith (Georgia); LB Corey Flagg (Miami).  

Oklahoma (19 departures, 13 arrivals): The most important arrivals are OT Spencer Brown (Michigan State); RB Samuel Franklin (UT-Martin); WR Deion Burks (Purdue); EDGE Caiden Woullard (Miami OH); OG Febechi Nwaiwu (North Texas); OG Geirian Hatchett (Washington).

Ole Miss (18 departures, 18 arrivals): The most important arrivals are WR Juice Wells (South Carolina); DT Walter Nolen (Texas A&M); EDGE Princely Umanmielen (Florida); OT Diego Pounds (North Carolina); S Key Lawrence (Oklahoma); S Louis Moore (Indiana); CB Decamerion Richardson (Mississippi State); RB Logan Diggs (LSU); S Brandon Turnage (Tennessee).

South Carolina (21 departures, 19 arrivals): The most important arrivals are RB Raheim Sanders (Arkansas); RB Oscar Adway (North Texas); OT Aaryn Parks (Oklahoma); DL Gilber Edmond (Florida State); WR Gage Larvadain (Miami OH); DL Monkell Goodwine (Alabama); QB Davis Beville (Oklahoma).

Tennessee (13 departures, 8 arrivals): The most important arrivals are WR Chris Brazzell II (Tulane); OT Lance Heard (LSU); S Jakobe Thomas (Middle Tennessee State).

Texas (14 departures, 7 arrivals): The most important arrivals are EDGE Trey Moore (Texas-San Antonio); LB Kendrick Blackshire and WR Isaiah Bond (Alabama); WR Silas Bolden (Oregon State); S Andrew Mukuba (Clemson).

Texas A&M (21 departures, 23 arrivals): The most important arrivals are EDGE Cashius Howell (Bowling Green); S DeRickey Wright (Vanderbilt); LB Scooby Williams (Florida); WR Jabre Barber (Troy); DE Rodas Johnson (Wisconsin); TE Garrett Miller (Purdue); WR Cyrus Allen (Louisiana Tech); CB Jaydon Hill (Florida); CB Will Lee III (Kansas State).

Vanderbilt (17 departures, 13 arrivals): The most important arrivals are QB Diego Pavia (New Mexico State); QB Nate Johnson (Utah); OG Steven Loyosa (Mississippi State); WR Kisean Johnson (Alabama State); CB Kolbey Taylor (Wyoming).