Gators finish top five in Directors Cup for 14th consecutive year

Men's track and field won the NCAA championship as the Gators finished strong in the month of May (UAA Photo)

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:

Regardless of what happens tonight in Omaha, the Florida Gators will finish fourth in the Learfield Directors Cup Standings. Texas, which will be joining the Southeastern Conference in a week, has already won the cup with Stanford second. Tennessee will finish ahead of the Gators regardless of what happens in the championship game of the College World Series tonight. Texas A&M will move up to fifth regardless of tonight’s outcome, which will give the rest of the collegiate sports world a pretty good look at what is going to happen in the future.

It is a good news and bad news finish for the Gators. It’s good news to finish in the top five for the 14th consecutive year. It is also good news that the Gators got a national championship in men’s outdoor track and field, a second place from the women’s track and field team, third place finishes by softball, baseball and women’s lacrosse.

The bad news is the Gators got no points from football or women’s basketball, only 50 points due to a down year in volleyball because of an injury to All-American setter Alexis Stuckey, 75 points combined from the men’s and women’s tennis teams and a combined 100 points from men’s and women’s golf. If the Gators had gotten a winning season from football, an NCAA season from women’s basketball and the better finishes in golf and tennis, UF would have challenged for its first Director’s Cup championship.

Florida and Stanford are the only two schools that have finished top ten since the cup kicked off during the 1993-94 academic year.  

Top 25 Directors Cup with points

1. Texas 1339.5; 2. Stanford 1312.75; 3. Tennessee 1117; 4. FLORIDA 1106; 5. UCLA 1017.5; 6. Notre Dame 1008.5;  7. Ohio State 1006; 8. Alabama 1003.88; 9. Southern California 994; 10. Virginia 993.25; 11. Michigan 985; 12. Texas A&M 969.25; 13. North Carolina 957.25; 14. LSU 948.5; 15. Florida State 915.88; 16. Duke 891; 17. Georgia 887.38; 18. California 886; 19. Arkansas 884.25; 20. Oklahoma State 846; 21. Penn State 827.75; 22. Nebraska 803.5; 23. North Carolina State 780.5; 24. Wisconsin 765.5; * 25. Oklahoma 755.75

* Point totals will change when baseball is added in

SEC in the Director’s Cup by national ranking

3. Tennessee; 4. FLORIDA; 8. Alabama; 12. Texas A&M; 14. LSU; 17. Georgia; 19. Arkansas; 29. Auburn; 32. South Carolina; 36. Ole Miss; 37. Kentucky; 55. Missouri; 64. Vanderbilt; 68. Mississippi State

Other schools of interest

15. Florida State; 65. Miami; 85. UCF; 109. South Florida; 140. North Florida; 196. Stetson; 210. Florida Atlantic; 245. Jacksonville

UF BASEBALL: Gators land SoCon Pitcher of the Year

Kevin O’Sullivan landed one of the plums from the 2024 transfer portal Sunday with a commitment from Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year Michael Ross from Samford. A native of Lakeland (George Jenkins High School), Ross went 13-1 in 2024 with a 3.27 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 96-1/3 innings. Ross walked only 21 batters while holding opponents to a .240 batting average.

For his career at Samford, Ross, a 6-2, 205-pound righthander, has a 20-1 record with a 3.89 ERA. He struck out 158 batters in 180-1/3 innings while holding opponents to a .241 batting average.

Ross is the fifth player O’Sullivan has landed in the portal, joining Stetson gold glove center fielder Kyle Jones, Jacksonville second baseman Justin Nadeau, Texas Tech shortstop/DH Landon Stripling and Miami outfielder Blake Cyr.

Jones who is a gap-to-gap defender hit .355 as a freshman with five homers and RBI. He stole 23 bases in 28 attempts and struck out only 27 times in 248 official plate appearances. As a team the Gators stole only 43 bases with Colby Shelton leading the way with six in eight attempts. Nadeau played in only 29 games due to injuries but hit .395 with a home run and 29 RBI. He stole 11 bases and had a .482 on base percentage. Stripling, a Georgia native, hit .364 as a freshman at Texas Tech with four homers and 20 RBI in 31 games. He struck out only 11 times in 98 at bats. Cyr was a freshman All-American at Miami in 2023 when he hit .305 with 17 homers and drove in 63 runs. Injured most of his sophomore year, Cyr hit .284 with seven homers and 21 RBI.

So far, five Gators have entered the portal. Of the departing players, Grayson Smith appeared in 15 games with an 0-1 record and an 8.66 ERA. Hunter Jones pitched in two games with a 54.00 ERA. Landon Russell hit .115 with two RBI in 26 plate appearances and he posted a 9.00 ERA in four games. Sammy Mumau and John Martinez didn’t play in a game and were redshirted.

Incoming: 2B Justin Nadeau (SO, Jacksonville); SS/DH Landon Stripling (FR, Texas Tech); OF Blake Cyr (SO, Miami); CF Kyle Jones (Stetson); RHP Michael Ross (Samford)

Outgoing: P/OF Landon Russell (SO); RHP Grayson Smith (FR); INF Sammy Mumau (FR); RHP Hunter Jones (FR); INF John Martinez (FR)

Jac Caglianone won the John Olerud Award (UAA Photo)

Caglianone wins Olerud Award as best 2-way player

Jac Caglianone won the John Olerud Award, given annually to the best 2-way player in the country. Caglianone hit .419 with 35 home runs and 72 RBI. On the mound, he compiled a 5-2 record with a 4.76 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 72-2/3 innings.

Caglianone finished third in the country in batting average, second in home runs, third in hits (104), fourth in on base percentage (.544), fourth in slugging percentage (.875), eighth in runs scored (84) and 10th in walks (58).

Without a doubt, he was the best player in the country, not just 2-way. It is a true blight upon the Golden Spikes and Dick Howser awards that Caglianone wasn’t even listed among the three finalists for either award.  

Parker Valby won five NCAA championships in the 2023-24 academic year (UAA Photo)

UF TRACK AND FIELD: Valby finalist for Collegiate Women’s Sports Award

This should be a slam dunk, but we thought that last year when Trinity Thomas somehow didn’t win the award, although she did win for gymnastics. Valby, who will be competing tonight for a spot on the Olympic team in the 5000 meters, won five NCAA individual titles in 2023-24: cross country; 3000 and 5000 at the NCAA indoors; 5000 and 10,000 at the NCAA outdoors. Valby is the winner of the Honda Award in both cross country and track and field.

Olympic qualifying results: Triple jumper Jasmine Moore qualified for the Olympic team with a first place leap of 46-9.5.

Halfway through the heptathlon competition, former Gator Anna Hall is in first place with 3,884 points, 10 ahead of second place Chari Hawkins.

Today, Grant Holloway will be running the 110 meter hurdles; Marquis Dendy will be competing in the long jump; and Parker Valby will be running the 5000.

UF SWIMMING: Finke wraps up Olympic Trials with 1500 freestyle win

Bobby Finke will have the chance to win gold medals once again in the 800 and 1500 freestyle races at the Paris Olympics. On the final night of the Olympic Trials, Finke won the 1500. Earlier in the week he qualified once again for the 800. Finke is one of six Gators who will represent the US in Paris.

Gators on the US Olympic team

Caeleb Dressel (4×100 free relay, 50 free, 100 fly)

Bobby Finke (800 free, 1500 free)

Kieran Smith (4×200 free relay, 400 free)

Luke Whitlock (800 free)

Katie Ledecky (400 free, 200 free, 1500 free, 800 free)

Emma Weyant (400 IM)

Gators representing other countries

Maha Amer – Egypt

Julie Brousseau – Canada

Josh Liendo – Canada

Nicole Maier – Germany

Jonny Marshall – Great Britain

Alfonso Mestre – Venezuela

Alberto Mestre – Venezuela

Aleksas Savickas – Lithuania

HEATING UP: Wyatt Langford

Saturday night, former Gator Wyatt Langford hit an 8th-inning grand slam that helped carry the Texas Rangers to a 6-0 win over the Kansas City Royals. Sunday, Langford hit a run-scoring double in the fourth inning for the only run the Rangers would need in a 4-0 win over the Royals. Since June 13, Langford is 12-33 with two homers and 13 RBI. In his last three games, he is 6-15 with two doubles, a home run and 8 RBI.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Pay attention to the motion brought by Houston Christian University to intervene in the settlement between the US House of Representatives and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The agreement between the House and the NCAA calls for a revenue sharing model and $2.75 billion in back pay to athletes who were deprived of NIL opportunities back before there was such a thing as NIL in the first place.  

Houston Christian is asking the courts to question the fairness of this agreement. The revenue sharing agreement applies mostly to the power conferences since they are the ones with the big TV agreements, but some money goes to group of five schools and some to Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Division IAA, Division II and Division III schools don’t have television contracts so they will not be able to participate in the sharing of revenue under this proposal.

Making matters worse for the NCAA is the fact that the organization did not share the details of the settlement until well after agreements had been made. You would think that with all the academics and lawyers employed by the NCAA, they could have at least clued the lower division schools on what is going on. Instead, you can bet the farm this action by Houston Christian will lead to a lawsuit, the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, will fight it in court and once in court the NCAA will get annihilated, as it always does.

Certain things we can count on in life. Death, taxes and the never-ending stupidity of the NCAA. Thanks to the NCAA screwing things up so badly that we have the equivalent of unrestricted free agency, the power schools are relying on the group of five and lower division schools to serve the same purpose of the minor leagues for Major League Baseball. If you are wondering why the NFL isn’t fighting the spring football league that is the result of a merger of the USFL and XFL it is because the NFL needs a developmental league. The NBA has the G-League.

The pros supplement their minor leagues. You can bet the farm that when Houston Christian’s inquiry reaches the courts, in all likelihood joined by hundreds of other schools from the lower divisions, that this settlement will be tossed completely with instructions not to come back until the lower divisions are compensated.

Now, also on the NCAA agenda are proposals for unlimited coaching staffs and a June early signing period. The NCAA has been neutered so with transfers, NIL, etc. that it is going to find it extremely difficult to derail the proposal for unlimited coaching staffs although it might succeed in limiting the number of coaches allowed on the road to recruit. There is significant opposition on numerous fronts about a June signing period.

Here's a great idea that comes straight from Lane Kiffin: Put the head coaches together for a week and let them come up with solutions for NIL, the portal and other matters pertaining to football. It makes more sense for coaches to make their own rules rather than athletic directors and academics to be in charge.