The Gators feature a revamped offensive line and defense that will be the keys to their success this season. By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com , Football Analyst The Florida Gators completed their second scrimmage of fall camp Saturday. All indications point to a much cleaner scrimmage compared to last week with both sides of the ball fighting to a stalemate. With less than two weeks before kickoff, the Gators now turn their attention to getting healthy and mental preparations for the Miami Hurricanes. The contest with Miami will be an early test against a team that feels like Florida feels — they are poised to take the next step as well. With the nation’s toughest schedule featuring eight teams in the Preseason Top 25, Las Vegas has set the win total for the Gators at 5.5 . If this would hold true, the Gators would have a fourth losing season in as many years and put the Billy Napier era under serious scrutiny. Fortunately for the Gators, there have been several additions to the roster that not only add to the quality of overall talent, but according to insiders, the character of the team as well. With that the Gators will look to exceed that total and return to the postseason after a one year absence.    Here are seven reasons the Gators will seven games this season.   1.     Improved Roster -With high school recruits and transfers combined the Gators added 33 new athletes to the roster. After the close of the transfer portal the Gators ranked 7th overall according to 24/7 Sports and added key players at almost every position. Key additions include safety Asa Turner, receivers Elijah Badger and Chimere Dike, linebackers Pup Howard and Myles Graham, defensive linemen Joey Slackman and LJ McCray, and offensive linemen Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson and Devon Manuel. All these additions boosted the overall experience of the roster and its overall athleticism. Turner, Badger, Dike and Dickson bring proven playmaking to their units while Graham and McCray have college ready physiques and look to be key contributors from day one. 2.     Retooled Offensive Line -Along with the addition of Crenshaw-Dickson and Manuel, the Gators also took a look at the personnel that was previously in place and where that personnel fit best. The Gators also welcomed back a healthy Austin Barber, who should start at left tackle and inked in Jake Slaughter at center full time after he earned eight starts in 2023. Damien George moves inside to right guard and Crenshaw-Dickson looks to be the choice at right tackle. Knijeah Harris rounds out the possible starters at left guard and this new look unit should improve on the 39 sacks that the Gators allowed in 2023. Florida Offenive Line (GatorBait Photo) 3.     Defensive Staff Additions -This spring the Gators added three assistant coaches to the defensive side of the ball. Defensive line coach Gerald Chatman arrives in Gainesville from a successful year at Tulane. Defensive backs coach Will Harris comes to the Gators after spending last season with the Los Angeles Chargers as assistant secondary coach. Prior to his time in LA, Harris was the defensive coordinator at Georgia Southern in 2022 after spending four seasons at Washington where he tutored current Florida safety Asa Turner. Finally, the Gators added the “father of the Creeper” defense, Ron Roberts from Auburn. Roberts spent last season with an undermanned defensive roster at Auburn yet the Tigers finished in the Top-25 in third down defense and first downs allowed while ranking first in the SEC in red zone defense.  4.     Billy Gonzales and receiver depth -Billy Gonzales is arguably the top receiver coach in college football. His resume is full of players that currently get paid on Sundays to do what Gonzales taught them to do. Recently Gonzales was a key factor in former Gator Ricky Pearsall Jr. being drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. This season the Gators have a plethora of riches at the receiver position and there is no doubt the unit will be as prepared as any in the SEC. The list of talent includes Eugene Wilson III, Kahleil Jackson and transfers Dike and Badger. Add to that the athletic quartet of Marcus Burke, Andy Jean, and Aiden Mizell. The Gators also welcomed freshmen Tank Hawkins and TJ Abrams.  Highly touted freshmen that may also factor in the return game.  5.     Improved Defensive Communication -Last season the Gator defense was one of the worst in school history. Fortunately for the Gators, the issues were less about the pieces in play but more about the way they were moved. As stated, before Ron Roberts arrives in Gainesville with a resume that notes defensive excellence at every stop. Roberts provides Co-Defensive Coordinator Austin Armstrong with a like-minded sounding board and another voice to present the principles of the weekly game plan in a more efficient manner. Last season’s defensive unit looked disconnected at all three levels particularly in terms of communication Chatman, Harris and most importantly Roberts should help tether that rope. Quarterback Graham Mertz (GatorBait photo) 6.     Graham Mertz -Mertz is the unquestioned leader of the football team. Since arriving from Wisconsin in 2023 Mertz has earned the respect of all within the organization for his tireless work and his ability to lead the offense. Last season Mertz had career highs in almost every passing category while throwing 20 touchdowns against only 3 interceptions. Mertz showed great control of the Gator offense in what was his first year in 2023 and this year will be given total control of the playbook. Mertz has the full trust of his offensive line, receivers, and backs. In Saturday’s scrimmage, observers stated that Mertz was in total control of the offense and the true alpha dog of the team. 7.     Head Coach Billy Napier -While many on the outside have and will continue to criticize Napier for decisions made both on and off the field, that is not the case within the walls of the Heavener Football Complex. When speaking to both players, parents, coaches, and support staff, Napier is doing it all the right way. Almost to a man or woman, all within the organization have expressed that they made their way to Gainesville because of Napier. Offensive tackle Austin Barber spoke earlier in the spring about how much better the player experience is under Napier and feels like he can bring anything to his head coach. Others continuously state that no matter how things have gone the past two seasons, Napier will steady the ship and guide it to a championship level. It is easy to make assumptions based on what many see from the outside but it is hard to ignore what those closest to the program see on a daily basis.    So there you have it. 7 reasons for seven wins. Certainly if the Gators best the bookies, there will be more to add. Seven is a good start and despite the schedule, seven could come sooner than later. Either way the curtain opens in 13 days and the show will be loud and in color.  What is to follow is up to those that believe the program is headed in the right direction.   Prediction: 7-5

Center Jake Slaughter is the anchor of Florida's offensive line (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: This is the last week of August camp for Billy Napier and the Florida Gators. Three or four practices this week and then it’s on to game prep for the season opener with Miami. There are still some battles going on at a few positions, but for the most part, Napier knows exactly what to expect as training camp winds down.   If there is one area of concern, it seems to be the offensive line. There were reports from Saturday’s second scrimmage that the quarterbacks had little time to look for deeper throws, but it has been confirmed that Rob Sale was shuffling his line constantly. Was that because he’s unsettled on his two-deep or simply a case of trying to get as many reps as possible in the final scrimmage?   With just a handful of practices and a limited amount of hitting prior to going into game prep for Miami, odds are that Sale was simply trying to get reps for everyone in his two-deep while working different combinations.   Sale prefers rotating seven or eight linemen. Based on what folks who have practice access are telling me, the guys in the rotation are Jake Slaughter, Austin Barber, Knijeah Harris, Damien George, Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, Devin Manuel and Kamrun Waites. Guys who could get into the rotation if they can get fully healthy are Bryce Lovett, Caden Jones and Fletcher Westphal. Roderick Kearney is working as a backup center and backup guard.   Montrell Johnson Jr. was dressed Saturday but didn’t participate in the scrimmage. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he is held out of any contact this week and maybe even next, but if you’re into betting on such things, then put some cash that he will play against Miami. Meanwhile, Jadan Baugh continues to impress as does Ja’Kobi Jackson. Baugh had a rather nice TD run of more than 20 yards Saturday.   As for the wide receivers, no need to worry. The top four of Tre Wilson, Chime Dike, Kahliel Jackson and Elijhah Badger are being seriously pushed by Tank Hawkins, who is a serious playmaker with speed.   Over on defense, call it the Ron Roberts effect. The defense continues to show serious improvement. Everything I’m hearing is that there will be far fewer missed tackles, far more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and tighter coverage in the secondary. Tight coverage is considered one of the reasons Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway had to throw the ball away on multiple occasions Saturday.   Pup Howard and Shemar James are going to be studs at linebacker, but Roberts has three others he can count on in Derek Wingo and freshmen Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles. Graham is really coming on. On the edge, TJ Searcy, LJ McCray, George Gumbs, Tyreak Sapp and Justus Boone have looked like guys who can get to the quarterbacks on a regular basis.   It's still early. That first game is still 12 days away and much can happen, but every indication is that this has been Napier’s best training camp and that this team is looking more and more like one that can do much more than just break even.   SEC FOOTBALL No. 5 Alabama: Alabama is set on the O-line except for right tackle where Elijah Pritchett and Wilken Formby are battling it out for the starting job. The rest of the O-line – LT Kadyn Proctor, LG Tyler Booker, C Parker Brailsford and RG Jaden Roberts. First game: Western Kentucky, August 31   Arkansas: RG E’Marion Harris was 370 when he came to Arkansas in 2022. He checks in at 6-7, 300 now. First game: Arkansas-Pine Bluff, August 29 (Little Rock)   Auburn: This is the fourth SEC school where D.J. Durkin has been the defensive coordinator. Previously, he was the DC at Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. He was also the DC at Michigan for a year and for three years was the head coach at Maryland. First game: Alabama A&M, August 31   No. 1 Georgia: It was supposed to be a very big deal when Jaden Rashada transferred from Arizona State to Georgia, but Rashada is running third string behind starting QB Carson Beck and backup Gunner Stockton. First game: vs. No. 14 Clemson, August 31 (Atlanta)   Kentucky: Running back Chip Trayanum, who transferred in from Ohio State, will miss at least 3-4 weeks and maybe the first two games of the season after breaking a bone in his hand. First game: Southern Miss, August 31   No. 13 LSU: Wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr., who has been running with the first unit,  suffered an ankle injury Saturday. Although the injury isn’t thought to be serious, LSU will be very careful with Hilton considering his lengthy history of injuries. First game: vs. Southern California, September 1 (Las Vegas)   Mississippi State: Purdue transfer Sulaiman Kpaka has become a mainstay on the D-line. This is his sixth year of college football. He had 29 tackles in 2022 and 2023 with the Boilermakers. First game: Eastern Kentucky, August 31   No. 11 Missouri: Appalachian State transfer Nate Noel has taken the lead over Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll in the battle for the starting running back job. Carroll gained 1,350 yards last year while Noel gained 834. First game: Murray State, August 29   No. 16 Oklahoma: Casey Thompson and Mike Hawkins are the backups to starting QB Jackson Arnold. Thompson, who started his career at Texas back in 2019, spent last season at Florida Atlantic. He has thrown 52 touchdown passes in his career. First game: Temple, August 30   No. 6 Ole Miss: Transfers Trey Amos (Alabama) and Isaiah Hamilton (Houston) seem to have locked down the starting cornerback jobs. Also in the mix are Chris Graves Jr. and Tennessee transfer Brandon Turnage, who started his career at Alabama. First game: Furman, August 31   South Carolina: Apparently, LaNorris Sellers doesn’t have the starting QB job locked down. Auburn transfer Robbie Ashford continues to push for the top job, so HBC Shane Beamer has not named a starter. First game: Old Dominion, August 31   No. 15 Tennessee: Following the Vols’ second scrimmage, HBC Josh Heupel said, “We’ve got the best, the deepest roster that we’ve had … we’re at the best point that we’ve been and it’s not even close.” First game: Chattanooga, August 31   No. 4 Texas: Silas Bolden wasn’t in Austin during the spring, but the Oregon State transfer will factor in the Longhorns wide receiver rotation. At Oregon State last year, Bolden caught 54 passes for 746 yards and five touchdowns. In his OSU career he caught 81 passes for 1,081 yards and nine touchdowns. First game: Colorado State   No. 20 Texas A&M: They’re still debating what to do with 5-star freshman Terry Bussey, who has practiced on both sides of the ball, both in the defensive backfield and at wide receiver. First game: No. 7 Notre Dame, August 31   Vanderbilt: Through two scrimmages, the Vanderbilt offense has struggled to make big plays no matter who is the quarterback. So far, the Commodores have used four, New Mexico State transfer Diego Pavia, Utah transfer Nate Johnson, Drew Dickey and Blaze Berlowitz. First game: Virginia Tech, August 31   THE RASHADA LAWSUIT Jaden Rashada’s lawsuit against Marcus Castro-Walker, booster Hugh Hathcock and  Florida head coach Billy Napier has been amended. Rashada is suing for $10 million, claiming he was induced to decommit from a $9.5 million deal with Miami to come to Florida for $13.85 million.   In the 46-page amendment, Rashada’s attorney claims “Napier’s promised financial inducement violated Florida’s NIL statute, NCAA regulations, and, on information and belief, the terms of Napier’s employment contract.” The lawsuit alleges that Napier promised $1 million if Rashada signed with the Gators in December of 2022.   Rashada balked at signing with the Gators on National Signing Day but finally signed his LOI. A couple of weeks later, shortly after the new year, Rashada was given his release. He played last season at Arizona State then transferred to Georgia in May.   You can bet the farm that this lawsuit is never going to see the light of a court room. Napier, Hathcock and Castro-Walker have all filed petitions for dismissal, but even if the dismissal petitions are rejected, it will be far more prudent to settle out of court than go to trial.     It should also be noted that Miami mega-booster John Ruiz, who allegedly put together the $9.5 million deal, is no longer listed on the Forbes billionaire’s list. He had an alleged net worth of $15 billion in April 2023. Ruiz’s Life Wallet company, which projected revenues of $963 million, lost $221 million last year and is about to go belly up. The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating.   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Florida State and Clemson won’t be leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference at least this year. They missed the August 15 departure deadline so they are stuck in the ACC at least through the end of the 2024-25 athletic year.   Meanwhile the lawsuits go on and ACC commissioner Little Jimmy Phillips says the league will fight as long as it takes to keep the two schools in the league. A North Carolina court has ruled that both Clemson and FSU will have to fight it out in North Carolina and not in South Carolina and Florida courts. A Florida court, meanwhile, has ruled that FSU’s case can be tried in the state of Florida, while a South Carolina court has ruled that Clemson’s case can be tried in the state of South Carolina. The ACC, obviously, has appealed both cases.   There is no incentive for the ACC to settle out of court. It has a grant of rights contract that neither FSU nor Clemson were forced to sign not once, but twice. Twice FSU and Clemson agreed with a contract with the ACC and ESPN that runs through 2027 with an option for ESPN to run through 2036, but now that the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten have new media deals that dwarf the ACC deal, both Clemson and FSU want out pronto. FSU attorneys claim the school will lose $572 million if it leaves the ACC without a victory in court.   Florida State and Clemson are under the illusion that they are hot properties, both of them wanted by the SEC and Big Ten. At SEC Media Days, it was made abundantly clear by some of the league’s presidents that there is no desire to add either school. The Big Ten has expanded to 18 schools of which 17 are members of the prestigious American Association of Universities. The 18th school, Nebraska, is a former member that has petitioned to be accepted again, which is likely.   FSU and Clemson aren’t members of the AAU nor are they on a pathway to be asked to join. The Big Ten isn’t going to add newbies who aren’t AAU members.   But, FSU and Clemson will continue their fight. Not that it is going to lead either of them anywhere.

It’s prediction Sunday. Since college football kicks off Saturday when Florida State takes on Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland, it’s time to make a few predictions starting with all nine Division I conferences plus independents and ending with the 12 teams I think will make the College Football Playoff.   SEC Alabama: Kalen DeBoer’s career record as a head coach is 104-12. If there is a dropoff at Alabama this will be the year for it, but what happens if the Tide’s offense lights up scoreboards?   Arkansas: The schedule says 4-8. For the Hogs to do better than that offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino will have to dial up enough plays for the Hogs to win some shootouts.   Auburn: The Tigers should be 4-0 by the time they play anyone decent. They could win seven games if Payton Thorne remembers to complete passes to his team and not the other.   FLORIDA: The over/under in Las Vegas if 5.5 wins. Take the over. The Gators are going to be better than anyone expects. The offense will put points on the board and the defense is much improved. The Gators could be 6-1 or 7-0 by the time they play Georgia in Jacksonville.   Georgia: From a pure talent standpoint, Ohio State is the only team with as much or more than Georgia, but the Bulldogs have to go on the road to face Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss. They haven’t beaten a top 10 team on the road in the regular season since 2018.   Kentucky: The Wildcats will have to win with defense while hoping the offense can figure things out. The schedule is wicked with Georgia, (at) Ole Miss), (at) Florida, Auburn, (at) Tennessee, (at) Texas and Louisville.   LSU: The O-line is outstanding and it will have to be for the Tigers to generate a running game. The defense will be improved, but how could it be worse than the last two years? Four of the last five games are at Texas A&M, Alabama, at Florida and Oklahoma.   Mississippi State: Anything more than three wins should be viewed as an unqualified success. It’s going to be a long year in Starkville.   Missouri: The schedule is the easiest in the SEC. The skill people among the best. It might be difficult for the Tigers to do worse than 9-3.   Oklahoma: Only eight returning starters and a redshirt freshman QB. And yet, the Sooners might be better than anyone expects.   Ole Miss: The Rebels have a deep running back room, five experienced starters on the O-line, the best wide receivers in the country and a third-year starter at QB. Oh, and the Rebels have a defense, too. If they’re 8-0 heading into November they could run the table.   South Carolina: If Shane Beamer can go 6-6 he might be SEC coach of the year. Zero returning starters at the skill positions.   Tennessee: A redshirt freshman QB and only three starters (none in the secondary) on defense. Plus a schedule that includes (at) Oklahoma, Florida, Alabama and (at) Georgia.   Texas: The Longhorns play at Michigan game two and have Oklahoma and Georgia (home) back-to-back, finishing with the Aggies. Final four talent on this roster starting with QB Quinn Ewers.   Texas A&M: The Aggies start out with Notre Dame and end up with Texas. In between there are four losable games, one of which is at Florida. Can Conner Weigman stay healthy an entire season?   Vanderbilt: Every league needs a designated homecoming opponent.   Predicted top 4: 1. Georgia; 2. Alabama; 3. Ole Miss; 4. Texas. The rest of the league: 5. Missouri;  6. Oklahoma; 7. LSU; 8. FLORIDA; 9. Tennessee; 10. Texas A&M; 11. Auburn; 12. Kentucky; 13. South Carolina; 14. Arkansas; 15. Mississippi State; 16. Vanderbilt   Big Ten: It’s going to be difficult for Ohio State to not win the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are loaded no matter who plays quarterback and they have the advantage of Chip Kelly calling the offense. K-State transfer Will Howard will be the QB with specific instructions, forget being a hero and just get the ball in the hands of the playmakers … Oregon is probably the second best team in the league, but they’d be 9-3 at best if they played an SEC schedule ... Michigan is vastly overrated with only five starters back from last year . Watch them get clocked by Texas week two … Penn State always figures out a way to lose games it shouldn’t and this year won’t be an exception … Southern Cal is in a rebuild mode. That wasn’t supposed to happen when Lincoln Riley became the coach … Iowa will win 9-10 games but won’t be nearly as good as its record would indicate … Wisconsin has to play Alabama, Penn State, (at) Iowa and Oregon. There’s another loss in there somewhere … Everybody else is playing for a chance to go so some exotic bowl location like Shreveport. Predicted top 4: 1. Ohio State; 2. Oregon; 3. Iowa; 4. Penn State   Big 12: If Cameron Rising stays healthy there is no reason short of a forfeit for Utah to lose a game. The Utes have the best coach in the league (Kyle Whittingham), the best defensive coordinator (Morgan Scalley), the best QB, a running backs room that is top ten in the country and a fierce defense … Can Jeff Gundy win the league now that Texas and Oklahoma are no longer around to kick Okie State? He’s got 20 starters back from last year’s 10-win team … Kansas has the second best QB in Jalen Daniels and the second best coach in Lance Leipold. The Jayhawks don’t play Utah but they do play Okie State and K-…   … K-State, Arizona, West Virginia and BYU should be pretty good but not good enough to win the league … Watch out for UCF. Gus Malzahn has his kind of QB in Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson, but the Knights play as tough a schedule as there is in the Big 12 … This is year two for Sonny Dykes at TCU. The natives are restless, expecting at least 8-9 wins … If there is a surprise team it’s probably going to be BYU but the Cougars have to play SMU (non-conference), K-State, Kansas, Okie State … Coach Prime and Colorado could lose their season opener with North Dakota State and if they do it will be a long year in Boulder. Predicted top 4: 1. Utah; 2. Oklahoma State; 3. Kansas; 4. BYU   ACC: Florida State and Miami are the faves to win the league with Clemson and Louisville right behind … FSU is depending on DJ Uigalelei to take the Seminoles to the promised land. As he’s shown in previous stops at Clemson and Oregon State he’s good enough to beat bad to average teams, but stuggles against good ones. The Seminoles have to play at SMU, at Miami and at Notre Dame, plus they have homers with Clemson and Florida (non-conference). There are three losses in that group … Miami probably should fire Mario Cristobal if he can’t win 10 games with his schedule. If he loses to Florida week one, the sharp knives will be out among alums who never spent a day in a classroom on the Coral Gables campus. Fact you may not know but Miami has NEVER made it to the conference championship game … If Cade Klubnick finally puts it all together Clemson could win as many as 11 games. Dabo will have an outstanding offense, but a lot of young but talented guys on defense … First year for SMU and the Ponies have one of the best QBs you’ve never heard of in Preston Stone. Schmooz is really good … Louisville won 10 games last year but the Cards are breaking in a transfer QB and seven starters on offense … Duke,   Predicted top 4: 1. Clemson; 2. Miami; 3. SMU; 4. Florida State   American: Tulane is breaking in a new coach (Joe Sumrall) and a transfer QB from Oregon in Ty Thompson. If the Greenies survive weeks two and three (K-State and at Oklahoma), they could win the league for the second time in three years … Memphis will be very good. QB Seth Henigan is best in the league … A year after shocking everyone by going 7-6, South Florida will be improved, but the Bulls have to survive out of conference beatdowns with (at) Alabama and Miami … Texas San Antonio has a strong O-line, a roomful of running backs and a serious front seven on defense. The secondary could be the Roadrunners undoing … Can anyone prepare for Army’s funky option offense in a week? … Mike Bloomgren wins just enough to keep his job. Another 6-6 regular season is likely … Surprise team in the league should be UAB under second-year HBC Trent Dilfer. Predicted top 4: 1. Memphis; 2. Tulane; 3. Texas-San Antonio; 4. Army   Mountain West: Barry Odom won nine games in his first year. If UNLV wins the MWC this year, he’ll be somebody’s power conference HBC. The Rebels can win the league if Odom can find someone to get the ball to WR Ricky White III … Boise State has Southern Cal transfer Malchi Nelson as the QB and the league’s best RB in Ashton Jeanty. The Broncos might get killed at Oregon game two … Jeff Tedford has Fresno playing at a high level behind former UCF QB Mikey Keene … Air Force plays defense with its option offense that chews up clock. The Falcons are too hard to prep for in a week … Colorado State is overrated and Wyoming, despite a new head coach, is underrated … Bronco Mendenhall is coaching again, this time at New Mexico. If you’re looking for a possible darkhorse, this is it. Predicted top 4: 1. UNLV; 2. Boise State; 3. Fresno State; 4. Air Force   Sun Belt: They still play divisions in the Sun Belt. In the East, Appalachian State and James Madison are the faves, while in the West it’s Texas State and Arkansas State … App State should win the league with QB Joey Aguilar back as well as nine defensive starters. Aguilar is the best player in the league … James Madison has a new coach (Bob Chesney), a new QB (Dylan Morris) and 16 other new starters. The Dukes aren’t going to win 11 games again this year … Coastal Carolina lost Grayson McCall to NC State, Georgia State lost Cam Carroll to Missouri and Marshall lost 18 starters … Texas State has a new QB in JMU transfer Jordan McCloud and eight starters returning on defense. The Bobcats have the best running back in the league in Ismail Mahdi … Butch Jones got Arky State to a bowl game last year. This year the Red Wolves challenge Texas State for the West title … Louisiana’s offense will be very good. The defense has seven returning starters and a new DC in Jim Salgado. The Cajuns gave up 30 or more seven times last year. That’s where the improvement has to come for anything more than a break even record … Georgia Southern is another one that has to improve on defense for anything better than 6-6. Predicted top 4: 1. Appalachian State; 2. Texas State; 3. Arkansas State; 4. Louisiana   MAC: Miami gets back the best QB in the league (Blaine Gabbert), four starters on the O-line and the two best linebackers in the league in Matt Salopek and Ty Wise who combined for 265 tackles a year ago. The only losable games are at Notre Dame and at Toledo … Northern Illinois has to find a passing game to complement Antario Brown, the best running back in the league, but the Huskies return eight defensive starters … Toledo’s QB and stud running back transferred to power conference teams so it’s going to be somewhat of a rebuild for the Rockets, who still have the second best talent in the league … Scot Loeffler has done the unthinkable by taking Bowling Green to two straight bowl game. The Falcons are good enough to win seven games, eight if they’re lucky … Western Michigan is probably the fifth best team.   Predicted top 4: 1. Miami; 2. Northern Illinois; 3. Toledo; 4. Bowling Green   Conference USA: Jamey Chadwell’s offense has the perfect triggerman in Kaidon Salter who accounted for 44 TDs a year ago. There isn’t a defense in the league that will stop this offense and only one losable game (non-conference Appalachian State) … Rich Rodriguez led Jax State to nine wins last year. Even with a new QB (Logan Smothers) the Gamecocks will run the ball and win 8-9 games … Former Auburn, LSU and Texas State QB TJ Finley is at Western KY where they run an everybody out for a pass offense … Former Vandy head coach Derek Mason is the new HBC at Middle Tennessee, replacing longtime coach Rick Stockstill. When he was at Vandy his defenses were usually good and his offenses usually sucked. That’s probably what happens again, but if the defense is reasonably good the Blue Raiders might win six games … Florida International isn’t very good, but you don’t have to be very good to finish fourth in this league. Predicted top 4: 1. Liberty; 2. Jacksonville State; 3. Western Kentucky; 4. Middle Tennessee State   Independents: If Notre Dame can beat the Aggies in College Station game one, they might not lose again. The only tough games after the opener are Louisville, Florida State and (at) Southern Cal … Washington State and Oregon State weren’t invited to join either the Big Ten or Big 12, so they’re in never never land playing a mostly MWC schedule. They’re better than UConn or UMass … The ACC should have invited UConn years ago. Predicted top 4: 1. Notre Dame; 2. Washington State; 3. Oregon State; 4. UConn   THE 12 TEAMS THAT MAKE THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF Georgia (SEC champs) Alabama (at large, SEC) Ole Miss (at large, SEC) Texas (at large, SEC) Ohio State (Big Ten champs) Oregon (at large, Big Ten) Iowa (at large, Big Ten) Notre Dame (at large, independent) Clemson (ACC champs) Miami (at large, ACC) Utah (Big 12 champs) UNLV (MWC champs)

Billy Napier discusses things with wide receiver Chime Dike (17) Photo by Chris Spears Two weeks of practice are pretty much in the books. The Gators hold their second scrimmage today, the last one of fall camp. Next week will be the final week of training camp because the week after will be game prep for the opener against Miami August 31.   Here are observations from practice passed along by people who tend to know such things:   Graham Mertz: He has complete control of the offense, knows exactly where the ball is supposed to go and gets it there whether short, medium or long accurately. Had a deep TDP Thursday on a perfectly thrown ball that was thrown effortlessly … Incredible leadership capabilities. Nobody on the team is more respected … He was very good last year, will be better this year. How ESPN can rate him second half of the 16 SEC quarterbacks is one of life’s great mysteries. Either that or whoever did the ranking was dropped on his head too many times when he was an infant.   DJ Lagway: It’s obvious he’s still learning to make all the reads but that will come with experience. It’s also obvious that he brings serious talent to the field. There will be a place for him in the fall. Think Leak-Tebow 2006 … Big arm, throws so well on the run … Super fast and imagine trying to stop 240 pounds of freight train coming at you. Hasn’t shown happy feet tendencies, but knows how and when to run.   Montrell Johnson: Dressed out and in pads but hasn’t practiced. Really doesn’t need to. He knows the offense and is prepped for a big season. Figure he will be back for Miami.   Jadan Baugh: Should be the most physical running back the Gators have had in years. Quick enough to make a jump cut that freezes linebackers and gets him to open space. He’s going to get the football. A lot.   Treyaun Webb: With Montrell out, he’s the No. 1 back. Knows the offense and good in pass protection … Faster than he looks, stronger than he looks. Hits the hole hard. Everyone is enamored with Baugh, but Webb is a player and he will be on the field a lot even when Montrell is healthy.   Ja’Kobi Jackson: He’s another one who is going to be on the field. Very hard to bring down. Always has nice forward lean so he gets extra yards.   KD Daniels: Can they play five backs? How can you keep this guy off the field? Lightning in a bottle. Give him daylight and it’s a track meet.   Tre Wilson: Uncoverable. He runs all the routes this year, short, medium and deep …  He has to have the ball in his hands at least 10 times a game … How was he not among the top 100 players in the nation when ESPN handed out its list … He will be one of the top three or four playmaking threats in the SEC this year.      The rest of the wide receivers: Get the ball anywhere close to Chime Dike and it’s a catch … Elijhah Badger will back the safeties up because he has deep speed … KJack will thrive over the middle … Marcus Burke will see the ball coming his way. Deceptively fast … Tank Hawkins, TJ Abrams and Aidan Mizell can burn. Mizell caught a deep pass for a TD from someone Thursday, but don’t know if it was Mertz or DJ. Hawkins is more than just a deep threat … Ja’Quavion Fraziars has been hurt … No report on Andy Jean. Hoping I can get some info.   Tight ends: Hayden Hansen is like having a third tackle. He’s monstrous at 6-7 and 280ish … Air Force transfer Caleb Rillios has been hurt … Arlis Boardingham showing real skills especially over the middle … Freshman Amir Jackson is long and lean. Great speed and hands. He’s just 228 so when he plays it will be as a flex/move guy.   O-Line: Here’s what the starting five is looking like. LT Austin Barber, LG Knijeah Harris, C Jake Slaughter, RG Damieon George Jr., RT Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson … Jake Slaughter and Mertz share a brain. They are both super smart and they are super connected, which has to happen with a QB and his center. Jake will be one of the three best centers in the SEC … Austin Barber is practicing at a very high level now that he's fully healthy … Kam Waites is back at tackle, working behind Crenshaw-Dickson on the right side … Bryce Lovett has been in a non-contact jersey. He’s needed to shore up the depth at both guards … Consistency was an issue early on but progress is being made steadily … George had a good week of practice and seems to be solid as the RG.   D-Line: Losing Jamari Lyons hurt, but there is enough depth to compensate … Cam Jackson, Caleb Banks and Big Dez can be a really good NT rotation … Banks can play inside and outside … Joey Slackman had some sort of injury but nothing serious. He’s a player and a real leader … D’Antre Robinson is going to play even though he’s a freshman and still learning … Remember the name Kelby Collins … Napier likes Tarvorise Brown and Brien Taylor a lot … Michai Boireau could factor in the NT rotation, particularly if Banks spends more of his time at DT or DE.     EDGE: Northern Illinois transfer George Gumbs gets into the backfield regularly. He’s better than anyone expected. Freaky athlete who was a wide receiver when he started his college career. Now 6-5 and 250ish … TJ McCray goes beast mode and nobody can block him. Got to get him in that mindset every single play. He’s a stud at 6-6 and maybe 270 … So good having Justus Boone back. Easy to see what a difference he could have made a year ago, both for onfield productivity and leadership capability … TJ Searcy has had several impressive practices … Kamran James will be a real stud when he becomes consistent. Tremendous potential … Tyreak Sapp is the Swiss Army knife who can play anywhere on the D-line or on the edge.   LB: Pup Howard is beastly both to look at and the way he plays. He and Shemar James are so underrated as a tandem by the SEC and national media … Derek Wingo will be in the mix. He needs to stay healthy because he could be pivotal to the success of the unit. Seriously smart guy who knows where everyone is supposed to be on the field … Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles are good enough to play as true freshmen … RJ Moten is a converted safety who will be very helpful in coverage situations … Jaden Robinson is really good but overshadowed by Howard, James and the freshmen.   Secondary: Jason Marshall and Devin Moore will start at the corners, Asa Turner and Jordan Castell at the safeties. Who’s the STAR? Right now that would seem to be Aaron Gates, Sharif Denson another one … Freshman Greg Smith is very impressive at 6-3, 210 … Turner hits a ton. Maybe the hardest hitting safety UF has had since Major Wright … Turner and Castell could be the best safety tandem since Wright and Ahmad Black … DJ Douglas is going to play a lot at both safeties and STAR … Trikweze Bridges is good enough to play but the D-backfield is crowded with talent. Same with Bryce Thornton … Cormani McClain back practicing after missing time with an eye injury … Ja’Keem Jackson will be in the corner rotation and on the field a lot.   Special teams: Crawshaw hits moonshots. Brings back memories of Chas Henry, who Urb used to tell him, “Go in there and make it wet!” … Smack doesn’t miss and he’s added some range. Consistent mid-50s now … Rocco Underwood best long snapper since James Smith ... Is there a better gunner in the SEC than Ja’Markis Weston? …  All week there was a lot of emphasis on special teams.   Assistant coaches: Strength and conditioning coordinator Tyler Miles may be the difference maker in a break even team and one that can win eight, maybe even nine with a break or two. More muscle, less fat, more quickness and speed. The Miles Effect … Joe Houston coaching special teams is a godsend. What a difference-maker he is … Russ Callaway will be in the booth as Billy’s eyes for offense ... Ron Roberts will be calling in the defense to Austin Armstrong … Roberts is the real deal. This was a big time hire. He is the real deal. This defense will be MUCH IMPROVED … Will Harris (secondary) and Gerald Chatman (D-line) are big improvement over their predecessors … Rob Sale seems very confident his O-line will get the job done this year.

My instincts seem to be telling me that’s NOT where Billy Napier is right now, but my instincts have also gotten me lost on a country road a time or two.

Asa Turner has faced Miami's Cam Ward and Quinn Ewers from Texas in previous seasons. By Loren Meadows GatorBaitMedia.com , Football Analyst Florida safety Asa Turner spent the previous five seasons in Seattle with the Washington Huskies where he was able to start 28 games during his time with the Pac-12 stalwart. While at Washington he also stared down some of the nation’s most dynamic quarterbacks. In the last five years Turner and the Huskies faced off against such prominent household names such as 2024 top NFL draft pick Caleb Williams, 2023 Heisman Winner Jayden Daniels, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy. This season there will be two more quarterbacks the Gators will face that Turner will definitely have intel on. Miami’s Cam Ward spent two seasons at Washington State after two seasons at Incarnate Word in Texas. In the 2022 Apple Cup, Washington and Turner were able to stifle Ward and the Cougars 51-33 while totaling 5 tackles and forcing Ward into a pedestrian 56.7 QBR. Turner missed last season's Apple Cup due to injury but the Huskies managed to take care of Ward again, forcing him into two interceptions winning 24-21. While Turner missed the game, it is certain that he watched a ton of film on Ward and will certainly have a list of tendencies to pass on to his teammates and coaching staff to create problems for Ward.  Florida safety Asa Turner (UAA photo)   Turner did return for the College Football Playoff Semifinal as the Huskies faced the Texas Longhorns and quarterback Quinn Ewers. Turner had one of his best games of the season totaling five tackles and a fumble recovery. Ewers would put up decent numbers but struggled early and managed a QBR of 73.0 with only one touchdown. This would be the second time that Turner would face Ewers as they faced off the previous year in the Alamo Bowl where Washington again bested Texas 27-20 with Turner managing five tackles while Ewers would tally a 68.9 QBR and just one touchdown through the air.    Billy Napier has stated that Asa Turner is extremely diligent in his preparation and noted that he has come the Heavener Center on many occasions and “there’s Asa.” Turner brings a ton of experience to a secondary in need of a reboot and his experience combined with familiarity with defensive backs coach Will Harris gives the Gators someone who is more than familiar with two of the Gators most talented foes. Florida struggled last season against some of the better quarterbacks on their schedule but Turner’s 3-0 record as a starter against Ward and Ewers is a bonus the Gator secondary will be happy to lean on. Miami and Ward will be up first for the Gators on Aug. 31 and Turner and the rest of the Gator defense will be chomping at the bit to wash the stench off of last season’s play on the road early. Turner seems to definitely be a note taker and will be certain to share his thoughts on Ward and Ewers with the rest of the class.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: “I feel like we’re not going to shock anyone, but like other people outside this building. We know what we have in here. We got a lot of talent. It might not be in newspapers or articles or anything like that, but we know what we have is great this year.” – Asa Turner   Apparently, Bill Connelly of ESPN isn’t going to be shocked if the Gators turn into a good football team this fall. Florida might not have scratched the top 25 in either the Associated Press or Coaches polls, and they certainly aren’t in any of the preseason predictions by Lindy’s, Athlon or Phil Steele. Connelly has the Gators No. 23 in his SP+ poll that combines returning production, recent recruiting and recent history.   Although the Gators have endured three consecutive losing seasons, apparently the returning production bolstered by a solid transfer portal recruiting class that included Asa Turner, a starting safety for Washington’s national championship runner-up a year ago, has Connelly thinking UF could be a very dangerous team for 2024.   Connelly’s analytics have the Gators as the No. 18 team offensively, No. 41 defensively and No. 9 on special teams.     The ESPN SP+ top 25: 1. Georgia; 2. Ohio State; 3. Oregon; 4. Alabama; 5. Texas; 6. Penn State; 7. Michigan; 8. Ole Miss; 9. Notre Dame; 10. LSU; 11. Missouri; 12. Florida State; 13. Oklahoma; 14. Texas A&M; 15. Tennessee; 16. Clemson; 17. Kansas State; 18. Utah; 19. Miami; 20. Oklahoma State; 21. Southern California; 22. Kentucky; 23. Florida; 24. Iowa; 25. Auburn   The rest of the SEC: 35. South Carolina; 44. Arkansas; 55. Mississippi State; 89. Vanderbilt   Crawshaw makes second team Sporting News All-American Florida punter Jeremy Crawshaw was selected second team Sporting News All-America. Crawshaw would have finished second nationally in each of the last two seasons if he had punted enough times. In 2022, Crawshaw averaged 47.94 on 35 punts. A year ago, he averaged 48.86 on 42 punts. For his Florida career, Crawshaw is averaging 46.7 per punt which ranks No. 1 in school history just ahead of Johnny Townsend (46.2) and Tommy Townsend (44.8).   What if for all 25 teams in the Associated Press poll 1. Georgia: Georgia has to deal with the weight high expectations and the three toughest road games in the country – at Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss. But what happens if the Bulldogs struggle right out of the gate with Clemson?    2. Ohio State: Because he hasn’t beaten Michigan in three years, Ryan Day is supposedly on a hot seat, but other than Iowa and a roadie to Oregon, there isn’t a tough game on his schedule until he gets Michigan at The Horseshoe. People seem to be overlooking Chip Kelly as the new offensive coordinator. What if the Buckeyes go scorched earth on offense?   3. Oregon: The Ducks have to play a Big Ten schedule that includes Ohio State and November roadies at Michigan and Wisconsin. The Ohio State game could be make or break. Win and the Ducks are faves to win the Big Ten. Lose and they’ve got a ton of pressure plus potentially Ice Age games at Michigan and Wisconsin.     4. Texas: The Longhorns have lost their top two running backs, but they have plenty of talent to compensate. The question is how are they going to handle an SEC schedule that includes Oklahoma, which has a habit of beating them, and Alabama on back-to-back weekends?     5. Alabama: Every Kalen DeBoer team scores plenty of points, so offense won’t be a problem. Defense? What if Kane Wommack’s 4-2-5 struggles? And how will that defense hold up against a schedule that includes roadies at Wisconsin, Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma plus a homer with Georgia?   6. Ole Miss: For years everybody has wondered what would Lake Kiffin do if he finally got a defense. He’s got one. He also has one of the brightest play callers in the country in Charlie Weis Jr. It seems Ole Miss loses a game every year that it should win. Can the Rebels stay focused all 12 games?   7. Notre Dame: The Irish won’t be as good as their record but they have a schedule that practically screams 12-0. They open with the Aggies in College Station, then they don’t have another difficult game until FSU.  Can they run the table?   8. Penn State: Everybody knows James Franklin is a good football coach, but the Lions habitually gag on the big one, which irks the faithful. The schedule says three losses but it says that every year. Can the Nittany Lions make the playoff and take the heat off Franklin?   9. Michigan: New HBC Sherrone Moore could be in serious hot water when the Netflix story about signal stealing comes out August 27. He’ll be in further hot water when he loses to Texas game two. Will Michigan stick with Moore if the NCAA decides to lower the boom?   10. Florida State: Finebaum calls the Seminoles one of the most overrated teams in the country, but they play an ACC schedule. Can they make the playoff with DJ Uiagalelei at quarterback?   11. Missouri: How did Mizzou get the easiest schedule in the Southeastern Conference? There are only three potential losses – at A&M, at Alabama and Oklahoma. Can the Tigers win one of those three and finish with 10 wins, which should get them into the College Football Playoff?   12. Utah: Cameron Rising is healthy and the Utes have a 12-game schedule that looks like a 4-lane highway to the playoff. There isn’t a game Utah shouldn’t be favored to win. Can they run the table and be a top five team by season’s end?   13. LSU: There is no Jayden Daniels and those first round wide receivers are gone as well. LSU couldn’t play a lick of defense last year. The defense will be pushed opening week with Southern Cal in Las Vegas. If the defense struggles game one, is that going to be an omen for an 8-9 win season now that they don’t have Daniels to bail them out?   14. Clemson: Everybody’s down on Dabo and down on QB Cade Klubnick. But the schedule says 10-11 wins once the Tigers get past Georgia in the opener. Could Dabo shock the world game one?   15. Tennessee: The Vols seem to think freshman QB Nico Iamaleava is the second coming of Peyton Manning. They also think Josh Heupel’s offense can light up any SEC scoreboard. Perhaps, but do the Vols have a defense that can get them more than eight wins?   16. Oklahoma: Brent Venables got the Sooners to 10 wins last year but that was against a Big 12 schedule and with Dillon Gabriel at QB. SEC schedule, no Dillon Gabriel. Can Oklahoma win seven or more first trip through the SEC?   17. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys find out how good they are in September with Arkansas, Utah and Kansas State on the agenda. After that there isn’t a game they should lose. Can Okie State survive September?   18. Kansas State: A schedule that doesn’t include Texas or Oklahoma? Chris Klieman has to be happy about that. He has an offense built for ground and pound and seven defensive starters but there are back-to-back September games with Tulane and Arizona that are troublesome. Can K-State win 11? That’s what it will take to make the playoff.   19. Miami: With this schedule, Mario Cristobal should be fired if he doesn’t win 10 games. The heat will be on if the Hurricanes lose week one at Florida, but after that there is just a roadie at Louisville and FSU at home. What if the Canes struggle starting game one? Will Miami be able to rebound from a game one loss if the Gators come out swinging?   20. Texas A&M: The Aggies could be on shaky ground from game one when Notre Dame comes to town. Two weeks later they’re in Gainesville and three weeks after that they have to face Missouri. Will fans be asking what the hell were we thinking when we fired Jimbo if the Aggies lose two of the first three?   21. Arizona: Back-to-back roadies at K-State and Utah in September will tell us just how good the Wildcats will be. There is a new coach, but he inherits skill people and veteran O-linemen. Can the defense survive K-State and Utah to keep Arizona in contention in the Big 12?   22. Kansas: The Jayhawks have one of the best quarterbacks you’ve never heard of in Jalon Daniels, who was injured all but three games last year. He’s a difference maker with both his arm and his feet. Offense won’t be the problem. Can last year’s bad defense improve enough to make KU serious contenders for the Big 12 title?   23. Southern California: It’s a rebuilding year that starts with LSU game one in Vegas. It could be downhill from that point onward. If Lincoln Riley somehow wins eight games will he be looking to bolt for an SEC job if one comes open?   24. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack is usually good, just not good enough. Grayson McCall transferred in from Coastal Carolina, so QB is upgraded and points shall be scored. There is only one defensive starter returning. Can the Wolfpack win seven or eight games?   25. Iowa: The Hawkeyes ranked dead last in the country in total offense a year ago. They were seventh in total defense. Kirk Ferentz hired a new offensive coordinator (Tim Lester). Iowa won 10 games with a terrible offense a year ago. Can a new OC get the Hawkeyes in playoff contention?   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: In a rather novel approach to corporate sponsorship, Tennessee struck a deal with the Pilot/Flying J truck stop people over branding and naming rights for Neyland Stadium. The stadium name will remain the same, but the Tennessee news release said, “Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.”   It won’t be that simple. The Pilot name will be displayed prominently anywhere you venture a look but Neyland Stadium will still be Neyland Stadium. How and where you see Pilot logos is a decision that still has to be made. Will other corporate sponsors see their logos squeezed out or will it simply be Pilot gets all the best locations for its logos. Money from the corporate arrangement will help fund Tennessee’s $337 million renovation project at the old stadium.   As the University of Florida goes about renovating Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, what happened with Tennessee seems like a next step for UF. Florida has already taken on corporate sponsorship with the O-Dome, now known as Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The baseball stadium is now known as Condron Family Ballpark at McKethan Stadium. Would the Griffin family object to sharing its name with a corporation? And who would be the corporate sponsor? The one that comes to mind is longtime corporate partner Publix, headquartered in Lakeland and a respected corporation that is always associated with the state of Florida. The other name that would seem to be a natural would be Gatorade since it was developed at the University of Florida by Dr. Robert Cade in the 1960s.   Or, would the University of Florida be able to close a deal for sponsorship the way Tennessee did it without infringing on the stadium name? Just know this, at some point and probably not that far away, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is going to have a corporate partner, perhaps anywhere you look around the ball yard.

Billy Napier talks things over with freshman quarterback DJ Lagway (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: Having endured two seasons in which the Gators lacked sufficient depth, Billy Napier and his coaching staff find themselves trying to figure out what to do with adequate numbers at every position. That’s what Napier and his coaches were doing over the weekend following Florida’s first scrimmage. “I think we come out of that scrimmage and we kind of reboot the computer and organize them in a way for this week, then we'll scrimmage again next week, and I think ultimately that's where we'll start paring it down,” Napier said. “Even this week, we have to continue to work contingency plans. If this guy goes down, how do we shuffle the deck?” The deck this week has to be shuffled at the nose tackle position where Jamari Lyons is done for the year. Lyons suffered a fractured ankle Saturday and that changes the dynamic of the entire defensive line. There is experience at nose tackle where Cam Jackson, Caleb Banks and Desmond Watson can step in, but Lyons’ flexibility made him seriously valuable. Napier peeled off the names of several Gators who might find themselves playing both inside or outside of the D-line. "I think the biggest thing was Jamari could play nose and end; he had some position flex,” Napier said. “You're going to see Michai Boirea more, Kelby Collins more, and then we've got some guys that can develop there: Brien Taylor, D'Antre (Robinson), Tarvorise (Brown). That's an area where we've got some players. There’s some depth there but I think those roles will be a little bit different. There will be some adjustment, but the biggest thing was Jamari can play nose and end. That's where we're going to have to shuffle the deck a little bit. We can also move (Tyreak) Sapp over there. He's played some end before in the past." There are options which is different from the previous two seasons. In addition to having more players with real game experience at his disposal, Napier has players capable of adjusting to a new position on the fly. “The reality is you only get to put 11 out there at once, right?” Napier said. “We're going to get 11 every play this year. We get to put 11 out, and right now it's challenging to say who gets to play? We're going to have a lot of rotation of players, and I would imagine that week to week it will be competitive based off performance and what we observe each week. That's a good thing, it's a good problem to have. We've had the other problems before, I'd much rather have these.” Depth at wide receiver showed up at the scrimmage where freshman Tank Hawkins who caught a pair of touchdown passes, one on a bomb from freshman quarterback DJ Lagway. A burner with serious vertical field-stretching speed, Hawkins split the middle of a cover two.   Napier said Lagway “threaded the needle there” but he went on to ask rhetorically “the first question you ask is who was the middle runner in cover two?” That is one of those questions that will have to be answered in the next couple of weeks, but overall Napier was pleased with what he saw of a secondary whose moving parts kept being shuffled. The Gators were out there for 122 plays so the coaches got to get a good look at everybody. “… we put play counts on some guys, so we played a mixture of players,” Napier said. “That's the challenging thing about scrimmages. You’re trying to spread out the workload, so the combination of players sometimes is not as pretty as you'd like it to be, so you're trying to evaluate the individual players. No concern there, just need to do a little bit better.” Napier on how helmet communication is helping freshman QB DJ Lagway: “Ultimately, I've just seen it impact DJ Lagway as a young player. You eliminate a language that he has to learn basically. It's like hey, not only do you have to learn this verbal language, you've gotta learn sign language too. I think it's sped up his development.” Napier on running back Ja’Kobi Jackson: “ So Ja'Kobi is 220 pounds. He's got great instincts, great vision, good patience, he sees it well, he's decisive, he's a good practice player, has a good attitude. He's definitely a guy is not a lot of stars, but I think a very capable player.” Napier on Washington transfer safety Asa Turner: “He definitely has rubbed off on the group just in terms of self-discipline. I mean, this guy, he's in the building as much as I am. Sometimes I come over here on the weekend and there's Asa. I think he has a very professional attitude … He's definitely brought that to our team and I think that's been beneficial for our group.” Napier on the offense: “We moved the ball really well. We were very consistent. We scored a lot of points. But I'm just saying, we know that explosive plays are a significant piece of winning. So we were a little short of our goal, and that's an area where we're trying to put an emphasis this week.” GEORGIA GETS NO. 1 RANKING FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS AP top 25: 1. Georgia; 2. Ohio State; 3. Oregon; 4. Texas; 5. Alabama; 6. Ole Miss; 7. Notre Dame; 8. Penn State; 9. Michigan; 10. Florida State; 11. Missouri; 12. Utah; 13. LSU; 14. Clemson; 15. Tennessee; 16. Oklahoma; 17. Oklahoma State; 18. Kansas State; 19. Miami; 20. Texas A&M; 21. Arizona; 22. Kansas; 23. Southern California; 24. North Carolina State; 25. Iowa SEC FOOTBALL No. 5 Alabama: Under new defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, the Crimson Tide is abandoning the 3-4 it ran for 17 years under Nick Saban in favor of a 4-2-5 ... Four of the five DBs seem set: Malachi Moore (S), who started 13 games for Bama last year; Michigan transfer Keon Sabb (S); Southern Cal transfer Domani Jones (CB) and Wake Forest transfer DaShawn Jones (CB) … C Parker Brailsford and kicker Graham Nicholson were Bama’s first team preseason USA Today All-Americans. Making the second team were guard Tyler Booker and LB Deontae Lawson.   Arkansas: Running back Rodney Hill says he was forced to leave Florida State because his parents got a bad agent, who started texting other schools and word got back to FSU HBC Mike Norvell.   Auburn: QB Payton Thorne believes the Tigers will be much better on offense this year because Auburn has better personnel.   No. 1 Georgia: Quarterback Carson Beck, safety Malaki Starks and guard Tate Ratledge were all named to USA Today’s first team preseason All-America. Pass rusher Mykel Williams made second team.   Kentucky: DT Deone Walker and all-purpose Barrion Brown were named second team USA Today preseason All-Americans.   No. 13 LSU: OT Will Campbell and LB Harold Perkins were named USA Today first team preseason All-America … Running back John Emery suffered a knee injury during Monday practice, the extent of which is to be determined.   Mississippi State: The Bulldogs will have a brand new starter at every offensive position when the season kicks off.   No. 11 Missouri: Wide receiver Luther Burden III was named to the USA Today preseason All-America team.   No. 16 Oklahoma: QB Jackson Arnold’s progress has been handicapped by a new offensive coordinator and a completely new offensive line.   No. 6 Ole Miss: WR Juice Wells, who is expected to be a starter when the season begins, was in a non-contact jersey when the Rebels scrimmaged.   South Carolina: Walkon linebacker Ronnie Porter and walkon running back Bradley Dunn were awarded scholarships by HBC Shane Beamer Monday.   No. 15 Tennessee: DE James Pearce was named first team and C Cooper Mays was named second team USA Today preseason All-America.   No. 4 Texas: OT Kelvin Banks was named first team USA Today preseason All-America.   No. 20 Texas A&M: DE Nic Scourton was named second team USA Today preseason All-America.   Vanderbilt: DE Linus Zunk, a native of Germany, was one of the defensive standouts of Vanderbilt’s Saturday evening scrimmage.   Of interest to UF fans: No. 19 Miami: PK Andrew Borregales was named second team USA Today preseason All-America … Washington transfer Meesh Powell has made the move from nickel to safety.   UCF: HBC Gus Malzahn has turned the emphasis to defense this training camp.   No. 10 Florida State: Nickel Kevin Knowles II has had three interceptions in the last two practices.   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The Paris Olympics were well on their way to a happy conclusion when the International Olympic Committee found itself embroiled in a dispute involving the third place medal awarded to American gymnast Jordan Chiles but reallocated to Romania’s Ana Barbosu.   After Chiles finished her routine, the scores went up declaring Barbosu winner of the bronze. Team USA filed a protest claiming that Chiles was not rewarded for degree of difficulty. When her score was recalibrated, Chiles moved up from fifth to third. That was hearbreaking for Barbosu who had seen her name on the final score as the third place finisher.   The Romanian team petitioned the IOC’s Court of Arbitration, which claimed Team USA coach Cecile Landi filed her protest one minute and four seconds after the scores went up, four seconds too late. Team USA presented video evidence that Landi filed her protest after only 47 seconds – a full 13 seconds within the window. But the Court of Arbitration rejected the appeal.   The Romanians asked for both Chiles and Barbosu to both be awarded bronze medals but the court rejected that appeal.   The Romanians were right. That is what the Court of Arbitration should have done. The International Olympic Committee should have stepped in, overruled the court and awarded Chiles and Barbosu medals. That is the only fair thing and it’s shocking that it wasn’t done.   Fair is fair and this is not fair. How difficult would it be for the Court of Arbitration to do the right thing and if they weren’t willing, then for the IOC to step in? Instead there is one broken hearted gymnast and another who, while a hero back in Romania, will always have her bronze medal viewed in controversy.

Florida Gators took another one the chin Saturday with the apparent loss of big defensive lineman Jamari Lyons

Todd Golden’s goal of turning the Florida basketball roster into one capable of sustaining greatness at the highest levels got a shot in the arm Monday when CJ Ingram (6-6, 195, Hawthorne, FL) committed to the Gators. The son of former Gator football star Cornelius Ingram, CJ took only one official visit and that was to UF although he had more than 20 offers including Kansas, Michigan, Texas A&M and Georgia.   A consensus 4-star prospect, Ingram is the No. 26 prospect in the nation per On3, which makes him borderline 5-star. Ingram joins another 4-star, Alexander Lloyd (6-4, 170, Miami, FL Westminster Academy) in the 2025 recruiting class. Lloyd is currently the No. 58 player in the On3 rankings.   Per Joe Tipton of On3, Ingram chose the Gators because “It always felt like home,” he said. “The atmosphere is just different with the fans. My visit just felt almost perfect and I’m doing at home in front of friends and family. Coach Todd (Golden), Coach Taurean Green, Coach (Carlin) Hartmann and Coach (Jordan) Talley, they tell me every day what I can be in the future, how I can develop, and how I fit in the system.”   Jamie Shaw, the On3 basketball talent evaluator, wrote this about CJ after watching him at the prestigious Pangos All-American camp: “Throughout the camp, Ingram showed a high-flying arsenal of dunks. His ability to make a move and get downhill toward the rim was as impressive as his vicious and purposeful play above the rim, in traffic. He finished the camp with multiple dunks that were among the top five for the week. “However, for me, moreso than the high-flying athleticism, Ingram consistently made some impressive passing reads. Not only processing the play on the ball, but delivering passes with pin-point accuracy to open teammates for easy baskets. There is a real scenario where Ingram could play on ball as a primary initiator in the future. At the very least, a team should be able to run some fun actions with him as a secondary guy in the half-court.” CJ Ingram has the same traits as his dad, who was a two-sport All-American at Hawthorne who actually played basketball at Florida his freshman year in 2004-05. Cornelius was a 6-5, 225-pound all-purpose player who could dominate inside or outside. He had a lethal step back three and was a power dunker off the bounce. CJ’s game is virtually a clone of his dad. At Hawthorne last season he averaged 24 points, 3.7 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 3.7 steals per game.   CJ quarterbacked Hawthorne to back-to-back state championships in football. In 2023 he threw for 38 touchdown passes with only seven interceptions while running for six touchdowns. He also led the Hornets to back-to-back final fours in basketball, and played for the Florida Rebels on the Nike EYBL circuit where his recruiting blew up this summer.   The Gators were recruiting CJ as a wide receiver in football, but he chose to give up football to concentrate on basketball.     “I know it was always a dream of his to play basketball, and I wanted to give him that,” Cornelius Ingram told Mike Ridaught of the Mainstreet Daily News recently. “So, this past spring, he really locked in with his trainer and just focused on basketball. I can’t even imagine what he’ll become in the near future, because he’s still only 16.”     With Ingram and Lloyd committed and the scholarship limits for all NCAA teams to rise to 15 in 2025, Todd Golden still has two scholarships to give based on every eligible player returning. Currently the Gators are considered the leaders for twins Cameron Boozer (6-9, 205, Miami, FL Christopher Columbus) and Cayden Boozer (6-3, 190, Miami, FL Christopher Columbus). Cameron is a power forward ranked as the nation’s No. 2 recruit while Cayden is a point guard, ranked No. 17. The two of them led Christopher Columbus to the Florida class 7A championship last year.   POTENTIAL 2025-26 ROSTER Big guys (7): Sam Alexis 6-9, 240, JR); Micah Handlogten (7-1, 235, RJR); Alex Condon (6-11, 240, JR); Thomas Haugh (6-9, 220, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 250, JR); Olivier Rioux (7-9, 290, SO); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 240, SO)   Perimeter guys (6): Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SR); Kajus Kublickas (6-2, 171, JR); Isaiah Brown (6-4, 190, SO); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 190, SO); Alexander Lloyd (6-4, 170, FR); CJ Ingram (6-6, 195, FR)

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: So here we are two weeks from the end of camp, three weeks from the season opener with Miami. For the most part, the same people who thought the Gators were going to crash and burn back in the spring still think Billy Napier is on a fast track to the paid well to not coach line. A few of the spring naysayers have changed their minds, but not many.   A columnist for Saturday Down South predicts the Gators will start the season 5-0 but finish 6-6 with UF athletic director Scott Stricklin and Napier canned. That’s an interesting theory that doesn’t get much traction among the people who write the big checks. The SDS columnist and a bunch of others from national, regional and state media don’t seem to understand that barring a total collapse – say 2-10 or worse – Napier will be the head coach next year and Scott Stricklin will still be the AD.   Now if things aren’t peachy keen by the end of 2025 both of their lawyers will be negotiating buyout money but that's a long way off.   Things do have to change at UF. That much is a necessity, but folks who write the checks do understand that if Napier goes, you can kiss DJ Lagway good bye. Florida isn’t stupid enough to take a chance on losing a quarterback who’s considered a generational talent. Florida fans have been begging for the next Tim Tebow since he graduated after the 2009 season. In Lagway they may have him.   Those same well heeled folks with money to spare also understand that Napier is the sixth coach at UF since Steve Spurrier walked away in 2001. Of Napier’s five predecessors, only Urban Meyer walked away. The others were pink slipped and every one of them got a fat going away check. Yes, somehow, someway, Old Yeller even got a see ya’ later check. How and why that happened is one of life’s unexplained mysteries.   If Napier is feeling the heat from the administration or from fan expectations, he’s not showing it, at least now when it’s August and camp is in full swing. When he speaks, he sounds more confident than he has at any point in the previous two years. That has something to do with having the deepest and most talented roster he’s had. The Gators look like grown men for a change and you don’t win without grown men in the Southeastern Conference.     It probably has something to do with a revamped defensive staff. The Gators are 11-14 in Napier’s two seasons, a defensive play or two in a handful of games away from 19-6. There wouldn’t be any conversation about a hot seat if the Gators were sitting 19-6 heading into year three. The talk would be all about the College Football Playoff. Napier likes his defensive staff, but especially he’s comfortable having Ron Roberts back in the saddle with him. Roberts is a guru whose creeper scheme has been copied and tinkered with to fit the personnel on hand at every level of football from high school to the pros. He is a born difference maker, which is why skeptical Florida fans might want to bite their critical tongues and give him a chance to implement a new and improved way of getting opponents off the field before they score another TD while taking six minutes off the clock.   People who have actually played the game at the highest levels and who have seen the Gators practice tell me they see a team that is going to win seven or at football games at a bare minimum, more if they get a break or two along the way. I asked why and here is a sampling of answers:   Graham Mertz: Looks better than he did last year when he completed 72.9 percent of his passes. In complete command of the offense.   Running backs: The deepest the Gators have been in years ... When Montrell Johnson is healthy five backs who can impact a game ... Beware of Ja’Kobi Jackson.   Wide receivers: The Gators are capable of going vertical every single play with at least four receivers ... Someone is going to overlook Kahliel Jackson this year and they’ll pay a serious price for their stupidity ... Tre Wilson has to get the ball 10 times a game.   O-line: Jake Slaughter and Austin Barber have been consistent and playing lights out. Knijeah Harris has played well … They’re still shuffling two of the other three positions to find the best combinations although they played better overall as a unit in the scrimmage … Right now it looks like Kam Waites and Damien George Jr. will be at right guard … Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson is at right tackle but he hasn’t been as consistent in August as he was in the spring.   D-line: Desmond Watson has lost 68 pounds of fat and added more than 50 pounds of muscle. He could be a real factor at the nose … Joey Slackman is a real player, while (Caleb) Banks and (Cam) Jackson are looking much better … Gerald Chatman will bring out the best in this group … Kelby Collins will be on the field somewhere … Losing Jamari Lyons (serious leg injury in the scrimmage) will hurt.   Linebackers/EDGE: Shemar James and Pup Howard are the real deal in the middle. Derek Wingo is going to be on the field a lot … A lot more pressure from the outside. Tyreak Sapp and Justus Boone are players … Love the kid (LJ McCray). He’s going to be a stud, maybe even this year.   Secondary: Tighten your jock if you’re going across the middle. Asa Turner loves to hit people … Turner and Jordan Castell are locked in at safety. Jason Marshall Jr. and Devin Moore at corner. Looks like Aaron Gates or Sharif Denson at STAR … DJ Douglas will play somewhere. Too good to sit.   SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: Alabama’s first team O-line appears to be LT Kadyn Proctor, LG Geno VanDemark, C Parker Brailsford, RG Roq Montgomery, RT Wilkin Formby.   Arkansas: HBC Sam Pittman says offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino “brings that swag to our program.”   Auburn: The standouts at the Auburn scrimmage were wide receivers Malcolm Simmons and Bryce Cain. Simmons caught three passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns including a 71-yarder. Cain caught four for 80 including a 52-yarder.   Georgia: Earnest Greene III started all 14 games last year at LT but he’s now in a battle with Monroe Freeling for the starting job with some observers predicting Freeling will win the job.   Kentucky: Former Gator Jalen Farmer seems a lock to start at right guard for the Wildcats. Another former Gator, Gerald Mincey, who is at UK after a detour to Tennessee, should be the starter at right tackle.   LSU: The starting O-line looks to be LT Will Campbell, LG Grant Dellinger, C DJ Chester, RG Miles Frazier and RT Emery Jones.   Mississippi State: The Bulldogs lost all five starters on the O-line. Four transfers are in the mix to start: Ethan Miner, Makylan Pounders, Jacoby Jackson and Marlon Martinez.   Missouri: Wide receiver Joshua Manning had six catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns in Mizzou’s scrimmage Saturday … Appalachian State transfer Nate Noel and Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll seem to be running neck and neck for the starting running back job.   Oklahoma: Baylor transfer Jake Roberts, who began his career at North Texas, seems to be a lock for the starting tight end job. He caught 23 passes for 231 yards and a TD last year at Baylor.    Ole Miss: Former Gator Princely Umanmielen is recovering from a bum shoulder that has kept him in a non-contact jersey. He doesn’t expect to miss any game time starting with the season opener against Furman.   South Carolina: Running 1-2 at quarterback are redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers and Auburn transfer Robby Ashford.   Tennessee: The Vols were the most penalized team in the SEC a year ago. HBC Josh Heupel was pleased that the zebras threw very few flags at the Vols’ first scrimmage Friday night.   Texas: The defense dominated when Texas held its first scrimmage Saturday afternoon. Clemson transfer Andrew Mukuba picked off Quinn Ewers and Jelani McDonald had a pick off Arch Manning.   Texas A&M: Running back Rueben Owens was injured in Saturday’s scrimmage and will miss the entire 2024 season. Amari Daniels and Le’Veon Moss are the replacements. Vanderbilt: Corners Mark Davis (Achilles) and Marlon Jones Jr. (illness) will miss the entire 2024 season.   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Last week the National Collegiate Athletic Association put a 4-year show cause on former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. As if that’s likely to cause Harbaugh sleepless nights. He’s moved on to the NFL Los Angeles Chargers and has made it plenty clear that he has no intention of ever coaching college football again.   I’m reminded of the three formative years when my family was exiled to Mississippi. Buddy Prestridge, a local banker, lived across the street from us on Westview Circle. He had a toothless dog who had fallen out of a moving vehicle when he was just a puppy. That didn’t stop him from trying to bite people whenever he got loose from the Prestridge’s back yard. The dog did his best to cause irreparable harm to me whenever he saw me, but the best he ever did was make me change my socks or pants because of all the dog slobber.     The NCAA is toothless, slobbering dog when it comes to Harbaugh. They probably had a legitimate case against him for the signal stealing that went on for years before the Wolverines won the national championship last year. According to a lengthy report in The Athletic, it turns out the NCAA had the goods on Harbaugh for recruiting violations and not telling the truth when confronted by investigators.   When it comes to Jim Harbaugh, there isn’t a damn thing the NCAA can do. But, there is something the NCAA can do to Michigan. Just because they can’t kick Jim Harbaugh around anymore doesn’t mean they can’t stick it to Michigan. They’ve already got the goods on new head coach Sherrone Moore for deleting emails that pertained to the signal stealing. Former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions, who was the alleged brains behind the signal stealing, has a Netflix documentary coming out on August 27 that could damage the Michigan brand even further.   Four days after the Stalions documentary, Michigan will open its season in the Big House with Fresno State. Michigan has already announced that Jim Harbaugh will be the honorary captain for the game. Most folks would take that as Michigan’s ultimate up yours to the NCAA.   Michigan is the winningest program in college football history, a true blueblood. Until the signal stealing and recruiting cases that involved Harbaugh came up, the only time in school history football had run afoul of the NCAA was in 2010 when it got hit with three years probation but no loss of scholarships or show cause for then head coach Rich Rodriguez.   Perhaps Michigan thinks of the NCAA the way I thought about the Prestridge’s dog, slobber on the leg that caused me to change pants and socks but no damage. The NCAA has the power to stick it to Michigan with sanctions, scholarship reductions and other penalties. Perhaps the question that has to be asked is does the NCAA have the guts to go after a blueblood?   I am of the opinion the NCAA’s sell-by date expired years ago and that it’s time for a brand new organization complete with a set of rules that it’s willing to enforce equally whether the offender is a blueblood or a wannabe. If the NCAA doesn’t go ahead and drop the hammer on Michigan, then any chance it has to survive just got flushed down the toilet.