Thoughts of the Day: October 21, 2023

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

SHOOTING FROM THE HIP ON A THURSDAY At least 50,000 pseudo assistant coaches have opined this week that Dan Mullen needs to be fired as Florida’s head football coach. The top ten reasons texted me are: (1) He’s not listening to the many thousands of experts who know more football than he does; (2) he has yet to fire defensive coordinator Todd Grantham; (3) he hasn’t announced that Anthony Richardson will be the starting quarterback; (4) some people not named Dan Mullen said that Emory Jones took the bulk of the Tuesday practice snaps (not true); (5) Mullen is too smug and too arrogant to care about recruiting; (6) Mullen is content to win 7-8 games a year like he did at Mississippi State; (7) he hasn’t fired John Hevesy as the offensive line coach; (8) he’s so loyal to assistants that he would rather lose football games than fire one; (9) he’s not willing to play his best football players; and (10) he would rather be coaching in the National Football League than at the University of Florida.

I’ll sum up my response in six short paragraphs.

First and foremost, Dan Mullen is going to be the football coach at the University of Florida next year. You can take that to the bank.

Second, I’m probably 99.999 percent certain that Todd Grantham will not be the defensive coordinator at UF next year. I believe Grantham knew coming into this year that there could be no hiccups and the improvement had to be substantial. The LSU game, I believe was the last straw. He knows the gig is up and it’s a matter of when not if.

Third, I believe Dan knows fully well that Anthony Richardson and not Emory Jones is not only the future of Florida football but the kind of talent who can lead the Gators to championships. I believe he would already be the starter if not for the hamstring injury. I think what we saw in the second half of the LSU game was a changing of the guard.

Fourth, I believe there will be staff changes beyond Grantham. A new defensive coordinator will want to bring in his own guys but I believe there will be emphasis on bringing in better recruiters. A lot of people think Hevesy should be gone because he’s not a great recruiter, but back in 2006-07 when Meyer had it going, his best two recruiters were Charlie Strong and Greg Mattison, both defensive guys. Without Strong, the Gators don’t get the Pouncey twins. Without Mattison there is no Tebow. Just three minor little details. There were more.

Fifth, finding the right staff is an art form. Not everyone is Nick Saban, who can turn over the bulk of his staff yearly without any change in results. Urban Meyer had it going in a big way at Florida until 2010 when he made some bad hires. Dan Mullen needs to make sure these next hires are the right fit, both for on the field coaching and for recruiting.

Finally, the new standalone football facility will cover a lot of recruiting sins and issues.

OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama (5-1, 3-1 SEC): Linebacker Drew Sanders is doubtful for Tennessee while defensive lineman Byron Young is practicing this week and should play.

Arkansas (4-3, 1-3 SEC): Tight end Trey Knox is expected to return to the lineup Saturday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff but defensive tackle Markell Utsey and offensive lineman Dalton Wagner are expected to miss the game.”

Auburn (5-2, 2-1 SEC): Thanks to the bye week, Auburn is hopeful injured linebacker Owen Pappoe will be available when the Tigers play Ole Miss October 30. Basketball: Allen Flanigan’s rehab of a torn Achilles is on schedule. He could be available by mid-December per Bruce Pearl.

Georgia (7-0, 5-0 SEC): Kirby Smart says it doesn’t really matter who Florida starts at QB because Georgia will prepare for both. “I don’t control who starts,” Smart said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “We’ll have a plan for both.” Basketball: Georgia’s top returning player, forward P.J. Horne, has injured a knee and will miss the 2021-22 season.

Kentucky (6-1, 4-1 SEC): The open date came at an ideal time for HBC Mark Stoops, who said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference, “It’s been a tough grind here for a little bit, so we welcome the bye week to try to heal up a little bit and to try to focus on ourself.” Basketball: John Calipari says the joy has returned to coaching. “I’m having a ball every day I walk in, because I have a bunch of guys who want to be coached,” Calipari said, adding, “We have not had a bad practice.”

LSU (4-3, 2-2 SEC): On the SEC Coaches Teleconference, Coach Oeaux said he will coach until the end of the season because, “I wanted to finish it out. Our AD wanted me to finish it out.” Basketball: Illinois transfer guard Adam Miller will miss the entire season with a torn ACL.

Mississippi State (3-3, 1-2 SEC): Mike Leach says Vanderbilt’s experience on defense concerns him. “We’re a pretty young team, probably the youngest in the conference,” Leach said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “They’ve probably got some experience on us.”

Missouri (3-4, 0-3 SEC): Wide receiver Jay Maclin has placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1 SEC): On the SEC Coaches Teleconference, Lane Kiffin says LSU presents a lot of challenges. “We’re going to have to be very creative to win this game,” Kiffin said.

South Carolina (4-3, 1-3 SEC): HBC Shane Beamer is wary of Texas A&M starting quarterback Zach Calzada. “He’s a guy we can’t let get comfortable on Saturday night,” Beamer said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference.

Tennessee (4-3, 2-2 SEC): Basketball coach Rick Barnes took offense with former UT football coach Jeremy Pruitt’s scorched earth threat of a lawsuit that mentions Barnes. Speaking to Chris Low of ESPN, Barnes said, “I would invite the NCAA to come in any day of the week and investigate our program. I have too much respect for our players, our school and our administration for somebody to ever think we were not doing things right here and make such ridiculous statements. Jeremy is not here because of the decisions he made and the way he led his program. Here is what I know: Our university has done everything it possibly can in working with the NCAA to clean up the mess he left behind and bring this to closure.”

Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2 SEC): The Aggies are 21-point favorites against South Carolina Saturday, but Jimbo Fisher says the Aggies are fighting the urge to take the Gamecocks lightly. “Human nature is to want to relax,” Fisher said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “As a coach, that’s something you have to fight against constantly.”

Vanderbilt (2-5, 0-3 SEC): To put things in perspective about James Franklin’s three seasons at Vanderbilt in which the Commodores won 11 SEC games in three years, they’ve only won 10 SEC games total in the eight years since.

AS AN ADDED BONUS … UF BASEBALL/SOFTBALL RECRUITING UPDATES

Baseball: The 2022 recruiting class isn’t going to be No. 1 nationally like the one Kevin O’Sullivan brought in for 2021, but it will be very solid. The 2023 class has a chance to move very high up the rankings.

2022: Luke Heyman C (6-3, 205, Longwood, FL Lake Brantley); Xavier Isaac 1B (6-4, 240, Kernersville, GA East Forsyth); Yoel Tejada Jr. 1B (6-6, 205, Davie, FL North Broward Prep); Cade Fisher LHP (6-4, 187, Dalton, GA Northwest Whitfield County); Jake Clemente RHP (6-4, 210, Coral Springs, FL Majory Stoneman Douglas); Blaydon Plain 1B (6-5, 195, Greenville, FL Madison County); William Ross RHP (6-8, 245, Winter Garden, FL West Orange); Chris Arroyo OF (6-2, 215, Coral Springs, FL Marjory Stoneman Douglas); Salvador Alvarez C (5-10, 175, Miami, FL/Montverde, FL Montverde Academy); Erik Blair OF (5-11, 185, Fort Lauderdale, FL Calvary Christian); Landon Moran 1B (6-2, 185, Altamonte Springs, FL Lake Brantley)

Perfect Game gives Heyman a 10 rating which means he’s got first round draft potential ... Also with a 10 is Isaac, who hits with power to all fields ... Tejada has real power and a 93 mph fast ball, plus a 10 rating by PG ... Fisher throws in the low 90s with a lethal slider ... Clemente is a power pitcher whose fast ball has topped at 93 … Plain is a corner infielder and has a 92 mph fast ball when he pitches ... Ross throws low 90s but with his size is expected to add some velocity ... Arroyo is a lefty pitcher/outfielder, expected to play primarily in the outfield ... Alvarez is an excellent defensive catcher and spray hitter. Blair is another lefty OF/pitcher who throws in the low 90s ... Moran is a lefty hitter whose power is expected to increase as his frame fills out.

2023: Christian Rodriguez OF (5-111, 181, Coral Springs, FL Marjory Stoneman Douglas); Cade Kurland (5-11, 185, Tampa, FL Berkeley Prep); Stone Russell SS (6-1, 195, Bradenton, FL IMG Academy); Luke McNellie RHP (6-3, 165, Milton, FL); Grayson Smith (6-3, 195, Rocky Face, GA McCallie School); Liam Peterson RHP (6-4, 190, Palm Harbor, FL Calvary Christian); Alex Philpott RHP (6-4, 170, Tampa, FL Strawberry Crest); Jacob Gomberg LHP (5-10, 160, Coral Springs, FL Marjory Stoneman Douglas); Sammy Mummau SS (5-11, 170, Palm Harbor, FL University); Reilly Witmer RHP (6-3, 210, Naples, FL); Hayden Yost (6-0, 165, Tampa, FL Sickles)

Rodriguez has a 95 mph fast ball and is a contact hitter who drives the ball in the gaps ... Kurland is a middle infielder with great range who hits line drives to all fields ... Russell probably moves to third base, big time power hitter ... McNellie throws 93 and that should increase as he fills out a very skinny frame ... Smith throws very hard with a lethal changeup ... Peterson throws low 90s ... Philpott will climb the charts as he fills out his 6-5, 170-pound frame ... Gomberg is a small lefty with a 90 mph fast ball ... Mummau is a line drive hitting middle infielders, who probably settles in at second base ... Witmer throws in the low 90s and pulls the ball with power ... Yost probably moves to the outfield at the next level to take advantage of his defense and big arm.

Softball: Tim Walton will be adding four very impressive recruits when the November signing period opens. His 2023 class is already being considered one of the best ever assembled.

2022: Kaila Pollard SS/2B/CF (Riverside, CA King); Samantha Roe C/1B (Niceville, FL); Olivia Gigante P/1B; Jenny-Lynn Johnson SS/OF (Murrell’s Inlet, SC St. James) Roe is the No. 1 recruit in the country while Pollard is either No. 2 or No. 3 depending on whose rankings you trust. Roe committed to UF as a 8th-grader. She is a line drive hitter who hits for average and has a big arm behind the plate. Pollard is a 5-tool athlete who hits lefty with serious power and a .610 average last year ... Gigante is an elite power hitter who hit 16 out of the yard last year ... Johnson committed to UF as an 8th-grader when she was living in Trenton. She is a slap hitter with elite speed (34 stolen bases).

2023: Keagan Rothrock P (Indianapolis, IN Roncalli); Mia Williams SS/3B (Windemere, FL Windemere Prep); Ariel Kowalewski C/P/3B (Fort Bend, TX Travis); Alyssa Hovermale 3B/SS (Norco, CA); Ava Brown P/1B (Montgomery, TX Lake Creek); Cassidy McLellan OF (Bradenton, FL Lakewood Ranch)

Rothrock, Williams and Brown are the top three players in the country. Rothrock throws harder than Kelly Barnhill and she can field a bunt. She’s a member of the USA under-18 World Cup team ... Williams is the daughter of former UF basketball player Jason Williams. She hits with power to all fields, runs like a deer and has a gold glove ... Brown hit 17 home runs last spring and was 16-0 as a pitcher ... Hovermale’s dad is her coach. She’s a travel ball teammate of Pollard, capable of playing all the infield positions and a spray hitter with exceptional speed ... Kowaleski is the top catcher in the country for 2023 who is a gap hitter for average and a better than average pitcher ... McLellan is a slapper in the style of Kelcey Stewart and probably the fastest player Walton has recruited since Michelle Moultrie.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: As expected, former Washington State coach Nick Rolovich has hired an attorney to sue the school now that he has been fired for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds. Washington State has fired Rolovich for cause which means the university isn’t planning to pay the $9 million remaining on his contract. Rolovich is a devout Catholic and while the Catholic church has not forbidden any of its members from getting a vaccine, it’s believed that the coach is refusing because aborted fetal tissue is used in the making of the vaccine. I’m a Christian and I’m vaccinated, but I understand the deep held beliefs of others. I’m also not a lawyer but I have read the Constitution and it seems to me that if it’s Constitutional to refuse to serve in the military on religious grounds, the same standard should apply to the vaccine.