Ricky Pearsall goes to San Francisco in the first round

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning:

Ricky Pearsall won’t have to wait for the second round of the NFL Draft to get here. That’s where he was expected to go Thursday night, but the San Francisco 49ers obviously weren’t willing to wait around. With the 31st pick in the first round, the 49ers chose Pearsall, extending Florida’s streak to five straight years with a No. 1 pick.

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Pearsall is the 45th Florida wide receiver taken in the draft, third most in NCAA history and first in the Southeastern Conference. He is the eighth Florida receiver to be selected in the first round.

After starting his collegiate career at Arizona State where he caught 61 passes for 794 yards and five touchdowns, Pearsall transferred to Florida where he caught 98 passes for 1,626 yards and nine touchdowns in two seasons. In 2023, Pearsall caught 65 passes for 965 yards and nine touchdowns. Additionally, he ran the football 11 times for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

Pearsall began the 2023 season expected to go fourth round or after in the draft, but he had an impressive season highlighted by a play against Charlotte in September that will forever be remembered by Florida fans as “The Catch.” It was a seam route and a high throw from Graham Mertz, but Pearsall elevated and made the catch with one hand the way a centerfielder yanks down a fly ball up against the fence.

At the Senior Bowl and the NFL Draft Combine, Pearsall impressed the NFL scouts with precision route running and superb pass catching abilities. In the workout portion of the combine, Pearsall ran a 4.41 in the 40 and shocked everyone with a 42-inch vertical.

Even though he elected to skip working out at Florida’s Pro Day, Pearsall’s draft stock elevated to a consensus second round. However, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN offered this subtle warning a few days ago, “He tests off the charts, he’s tough, he’s aggressive with the ball in his hands, he loves football. There’s no way, after the numbers he’s shown, he gets out of the second round. It wouldn’t shock me if he went very early in the second.”

Very early second became first round Thursday night.

UF MEN’S GOLF: Gators move up to No. 2 at SEC

Florida was the hot team on the course Thursday at the Southeastern Conference Tournament at the Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simon’s Island. With freshman Jack Turner leading the way with a 5-under par 65, the Gators shot -10 under to move into a tie with Georgia, four shots off the pace of Vanderbilt. At -7 after two rounds, Turner is a shot off the pace of Auburn’s Jackson Koivun on the individual leaderboard.

The top eight teams that emerge from Friday morning stroke play will advance to match play to determine the conference championship.

Team scores: 1. Vanderbilt -15; 2. (TIE) FLORIDA and Georgia -11; 3. Auburn -10; 5. Tennessee -9; 6. Texas A&M -6; 7. Alabama -5; 8. Arkansas -3; 9. Ole Miss +1; 10. South Carolina +5; 11. Mississippi State +9; 12. Kentucky +10; 13. LSU +19; 14. Missouri +22

Florida individual scores: Jack Turner -7; Ian Gilligan -3; Tyler Wilkes +1; Parker Bell +1; Matthew Kress +2

UF FOOTBALL: Pouncey to the portal, Riley Simonds to student coach

Florida’s roster reduced to the NCAA mandated 85 Thursday with corner Ethan Pouncey putting his name in the transfer portal and the announcement that offensive lineman Riley Simonds will forego his last year of eligibility to work with the UF program as a student coach.

Pouncey was plagued by injuries while at Florida. A former 4-star recruit in 2020 from Winter Park, he only played in 14 games. Pouncey has two remaining years of eligibility.

Simonds, who earned his BA from Florida in 2023, is working on his master’s degree. A 4-year member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Simonds played in 15 games in his Florida career.

SEC football

Alabama

Outgoing: PK Reed Harradine (6-3, 185, FR); WR Andre Craig (6-0, 180, SO); DL Khurtiss Perry (6-2, 265, FR); C James Brockermeyer (6-3, 285, SO)

Incoming: OT Kadyn Proctor (6-7, 360, FR) from Iowa; PK Graham Nicholson (6-0, 185, JR) from Miami (OH)

Arkansas

Outgoing: TE Francis Sherman (6-3, 237, SR); RB Isaiah Augustave (6-2, 208, RFR); OT Andrew Chamblee (6-6, 304, FR); QB Jacolby Criswell (6-1, 230, JR); EDGE Jashaud Stewart (6-2, 257, SR); P Max Fletcher (6-5, 174, SO) to Cincinnati; CB Snaxx Johnson (6-0, 193, JR)

Incoming: RB Rodney Hill (5-10, 186, SO) from Florida A&M; LB Larry Worth III (6-4, 220, SO) from Jacksonville State; EDGE Keyron Crawford (6-4, 243, SO) from Arkansas State

Auburn

Outgoing: DL Brenton Williams (6-3, 262, FR); CB J.D. Rhym (6-1, 178, SO); LS Kyle Vaccarella (6-3, 229, SO); WR Ja’Varrius Johnson (5-10, 167, SR); WR Jay Fair (5-10, 186, SO); LB Wesley Steiner (6-0, 245, SR); CB Tyler Scott (6-1, 193, FR); CB Colton Hood (5-11, 183, FR); OL Garner Langlo (

Incoming: DL Philip Blidi (6-3, 295, SR) from Indiana; DL Isaiah Rakes (6-2, 320, JR) from Southern California; LB Jaylin Alderman (6-1, 230, JR) from Louisville; WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (6-1, 185, JR) from Penn State

FLORIDA

Outgoing: LB Mannie Nunnery (6-2, 227, RSR); CB Ethan Pouncey (6-0, 169, RJR)

Georgia

Outgoing: RB Andrew Paul (5-11, 218, FR); OT Chad Lindberg (6-6, 325, JR) to Rice; WR Tyler Williams (6-3, 205, RFR) to Minnesota; DL Christen Miller (6-4, 305, FR)

Incoming: QB Jaden Rashada (from Arizona State

Kentucky

Outgoing: RB LaVell Wright (5-11, 202, JR); WR Darius Cannon (5-9, 175, FR); WR Raymond Cottrell (6-3, 210, RFR); QB Shane Hamm (5-11, 209, SO); WR Shamar Porter (6-3, 205, FR); PK Jackson Smith (5-11, 204, FR); WR Ardell Banks (6-3, 187, FR); CB Jaramiah Anglin Jr. (6-1, 180, FR); CB Jordan Robinson (6-4, 208, SO)

LSU

Outgoing: EDGE Jaxon Howard (6-4, 240, FR) to Minnesota; WR Khai Prean (6-0, 202, FR) to Tulane; CB Ryan Robinson Jr. (5-11, 180, FR); TE Connor Gilbreath (6-5, 272, SO); DL Bryce Langston (6-3, 300, SO) to Florida Atlantic; CB Jeremiah Hughes (6-0, 187, FR); LB Christian Brathwaite (6-1, 217, FR); S Ryan Yaites (6-1, 203, FR); RB John Emery (6-0, 224, SR); OG Joseph Cryer (6-3, 300, FR)

Incoming: DL Gio Paez (6-3, 310, SR) from Wisconsin

Mississippi State

Outgoing: S Trent Singleton (6-0, 195, FR); CB Luke Evans (6-2, 180, FR); P Keelan Cummings (6-3, 215, FR) to Purdue; WR Justin Robinson (6-4, 220, JR); OT Zay Alexander (6-7, 340, FR); OT Jayden Hobson (6-5, 295, FR); LB Avery Sledge (6-3, 220, FR); LB Khalid Moore (6-2, 250, FR)

Incoming: RB Rashad Amos (6-2, 224, SR) from South Carolina

Missouri

Outgoing: WR Dannis Jackson (5-11, 171, JR); DL Serigne Tounkara (6-2, 235, FR); TE Ryan Hoerstkamp (6-2, 240, SO)

Incoming: QB Drew Pyne (6-0, 190, SO) from Arizona State; OT Marcus Bryant (6-8, 318, SR) from SMU

Oklahoma

Outgoing: QB Jacob Switzer (6-2, 192, SO); Shane Whitter (6-0, 226, JR); CB Justin Harrington (6-3, 215, SR); CB Jasiah Wagner (5-11, 172, FR)

Incoming: C Branson Hickman (6-4, 297, JR) from SMU; DL Jermaine Lole (6-3, 310, SR) from Louisville

Ole Miss

Outgoing: DL Joshua Harris (6-4, 325, SR) to North Carolina; QB Deljay Bailey (6-1, 200, FR)

Incoming: RB Jacory Merritt (5-11, 204 SR) from New Mexico; RB Henry Parrish (5-10, 190, JR) from Miami  

South Carolina

Outgoing: OL Jaxon Hughes (6-6, 297, SR); EDGE Terrell Dawkins (6-4, 251, SR); WR Kelton Henderson (6-0, 165, FR); OT Sidney Fugar (6-5, 327, SO)

Tennessee

Outgoing: LB Elijah Herring (6-3, 238, SO)

Texas

Outgoing: LB S’maje Burrell (6-0, 219, FR); EDGE Billy Walton III (6-3, 225, FR); OL Payton Kirkland (6-6, 350, FR) to Colorado; EDGE J’mond Tapp (6-3, 266, FR); DL Zach Swanson (6-4, 270, FR); RB Ky Woods (5-9, 175, SO); CB Terrance Brooks (6-0, 200, SO); DB Austin Jordan (6-0, 198, SO)

Incoming: DL Bill Norton (6-6, 325, SR) from Arizona

Texas A&M

Outgoing: S Sam McCall (6-1, 185, FR); LB Alex Howard (6-2, 230, SR); S Jacoby Matthews (6-2, 215, SO); EDGE Fadil Diggs (6-5, 260, JR) to Syracuse; OL Derrick Graham (6-4, 314, SO); PK Ethan Moczulski (5-11, 200, FR); OL Bryce Foster (6-5, 330, SO); OL Colton Thomasson (6-8, 320, FR); RB Jerry Johnson (6-1, 235, GR)

Incoming: EDGE Josh Celiscar (6-4, 265, SR) from UCF; C Koli Faaiu (6-3, 326, SO) from Utah; LB Solomon DeShields (6-3, 225, JR) from Pittsburgh

Vanderbilt

Outgoing: LB Dante Kelly (6-3, 201, FR); S John Howse IV (6-1, 195, JR); TE Josh Palmer (6-4, 192, FR); OT Leyton Nelson (6-6, 308, SO) to Wisconsin; CB Jameson Wharton (6-1, 170, SO); DB Quantaves Gaskins (6-1, 190, SO)

Incoming: Cade McConnell (6-5, 310, FR) from Minnesota; OL Steven Hubbard (6-3, 314, SR) from UTEP

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: In Texas, they say only God has more money than the Longhorns, so it was probably only a matter of time before some sort of a here we are SEC announcement was issued. That came Thursday when Texas announced that the NIL collective Texas One Fund has partnered with the international financial services company Ouro to ensure that every single student-athlete at UT will have an NIL deal next year.

Consider this a wake-up call to the other 15 schools in the SEC. Texas doesn’t lack for booster money, but the partnership with Ouro puts the resources of a multi-billion dollar company at the disposal of the Longhorns. To put it simply, boosters whose bank statements are measured by the number of commas, have even more money at their disposal to buy athletes for the University of Texas.

This new partnership will be viewed from two different angles. We can expect whiners who complain that it just isn’t fair for a school with so many billions behind its athletic program can (a) access billions and (b) offer NIL deals to every single athlete. Then there are the realists. If they aren’t already doing so, they will be hustling to put together committees to seek out partnerships with financial institutions, hedge funds or corporations to raise enough money to be competitive.  

When Texas and Oklahoma were admitted to the SEC, it was a well known fact that both schools have plenty of oil money backing their athletic programs. This latest move of an expanded financial base by Texas means everybody else in the league will have to find their own financial resources to compete or forever dwell among the bottom feeders.

So how will the University of Florida compete? Florida doesn’t have the numerous big money boosters that Texas has, but there are plenty of wealthy Gators and one of the largest alumni bases in the entire country. There is plenty of corporate money that can be tapped into. Florida and other SEC schools might be wise to study IPTAY, Clemson’s athletic booster club. Founded in 1934 as “I Pay Ten a Year,” hence IPTAY, the membership options have expanded with the rising cost of doing business. IPTAY members can pay as little as $60 a year. The University of Florida has more than 450,000 living alumni. With a similar plan and the right marketing approach, those alums could provide UF with millions and millions of support.

Florida and all the other schools in the Southeastern Conference have to decide what they’re willing to do. Everybody understands that NIL is going to require a lot of money and some creative thinking to come up with new ways to raise it. It is either raise the cash or choose to dwell among the SEC bottom feeders.