On Sunday, Colorado State quarterback Clay Millen revealed his decision to transfer to Florida. Millen's commitment provides the Gators with an experienced backup quarterback, especially since Graham Mertz is set to return as the starting signal-caller for Florida in 2024. Additionally, DJ Lagway, a highly-rated freshman recruit, is on a fast-track for potential playing time.

The Florida Gators have been a bit slow in getting commitments from high school players for the Class of 2025. However, things picked up on Sunday night when Josiah Abdullah, a wide receiver from Atlanta, GA, decided to join the Gators. He's now the second player to commit for the upcoming cycle.

A stretch of course, but a frightening supposition. And if there are even shreds of evidence that it’s true, the thoughts are scary. Are there?

More good news came for the Gators on Friday afternoon when Montrell Johnson Jr. announced he would be returning to Florida for his senior year.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: If you are a Florida football fan you can relate. You know exactly what they’re feeling in Tuscaloosa and throughout the state of Alabama right now. Gator fans have been there twice before, the first time when Steve Spurrier called it quits after 12 seasons in 2001 and the second when Urban Meyer did in 2010 what he should have done in 2009, which is walk away. When Spurrier retired after 12 seasons with nine or more wins, a 122-27-1 record that included the 1996 national championship and the first six Southeastern Conference championships in University of Florida history, shock waves reverberated throughout the Gator Nation and all of college football. Some Gators cried and asked, “How could he do this to us?” Angry Gators asked the exact same question. In Athens and Knoxville there were celebrations. Spurrier went 11-1 against Georgia, 8-4 against Tennessee. In the days afterward, the entire college football world expected Florida to replace a legend with either a legend named Mike Shanahan or a legend in the making in Bobby Stoops. Jeremy Foley’s plane landed in Denver but there was no announcement that the Gators had snaked their former offensive coordinator away from the NFL Denver Broncos. When the plane landed in Norman, it was assumed that Stoops, Spurrier’s former defensive coordinator just one year removed from a national championship upset of Florida State had to be the guy. Snake eyes. It was Ron Zook. Foley to this day says with a straight face that Zooker is the only coach he interviewed. Twenty-two years later, you’d be hard pressed to find a Florida fan who was around in those days who won’t ask why? If Foley is telling the truth, then why the hell didn’t he interview more than just Ron Zook, who had never even been on a head coaching radar much less been in charge of his own program. The keys to the Cadillac were given to the cabana boy. A very fine assistant coach who made a name for himself as one of the great special teams coordinators in the National Football League was allowed to learn on the fly how to be a head football coach. Zooker wasn’t a complete disaster. He won games he shouldn’t have won against Georgia (2002-03) and national champ LSU (2003) but the Gators struggled against ranked teams. Eleven of the 14 losses during Zook’s three years were to ranked teams.  He kicked Florida State and Georgia on the recruiting trail. It should be noted that 20 of Florida’s 22 starters on the 2006 national championship team were Zook recruits. He got fired for the famous frat boy incident of 2004. The pink slip wasn’t delivered until weeks later when the Gators lost to a Mississippi State team that finished the season 3-8. UF president Bernie Machen wasn’t about to let the frat boys have the upper hand, so he waited until an appropriate loss to fire Zook. Lesson No. 1. You don’t replace greatness (Spurrier) by giving someone an owner’s manual and letting him take over. Ron Zook was replaced by Urban Meyer. One step removed from the legend of Steve Spurrier, Meyer delivered two SEC and two national championships in his six years on the job. Meyer had three 13-win seasons over a four-year stretch. The pressure got to him in 2009, Tim Tebow’s fourth and final season. When Florida lost to Saban and Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, Meyer thought he was going to die when he got back to Gainesville. Anxiety mixed with some other health defects had taken their toll. He should have walked away after the 2009 season, but came back for one more year and went 8-5. Lesson No. 2. Don’t repeat Lesson 1. Bob Stoops could have been had. Instead of replacing a legend (Meyer) with a legend (Stoops), the replacement was Will Muschamp, who had never been a head coach. Well, at least Muschamp had been on head coaching radars, but the results were similar to those of Zook although it should be noted Zooker never had a losing season. Muschamp was 28-21 in his four years on the job. Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen and now Billy Napier. Florida is on its fourth coach since Meyer, its sixth coach overall since Spurrier resigned. Except for the pocket of success enjoyed by Meyer (65-15 in six years), the Gators are 97-66 with the four non-legend coaches since 1990 when Spurrier was first hired. Replacing a legend is next to impossible. About the only place one legend has been replaced by another one is Nebraska. Bob Devaney went 102-20-2, winning the 1972 national championship in his final year on the job. Dr. Tom Osborne replaced Devaney and went 255-49-3 with three national championships. It should be noted that it took Dr. Tom 20 years before he got his first national title. Nebraska is on its sixth head coach since Dr. Tom retired after his third national championship in 1997. At Oklahoma Barry Switzer retired in 1988. The Sooners went through three coaches before finding Stoops in 1999. The legendary Paul Dietzel (1958 national title) left LSU for Army after the 1961 season. LSU didn’t win another national championship until Saban did it in 2003, six coaches later. Ole Miss is still searching for its next Johnny Vaught. Michigan State is still looking for its next Duffy Daugherty. Since Ara Parseghian retired at Notre Dame after the 1973 season, the nine subsequent coaches have won two national championships (Dan Devine 1977, Lou Holtz 1988). Bear Bryant won six national championships at Alabama before retiring in 1982. Seven coaches tried to fill Bear’s shoes before Saban was hired in 2007. Seventeen seasons and six national championships later, athletic director Greg Byrne has to find someone willing to be the guy who follows the legend. History says unless he can find the next Dr. Tom Osborne, who had immediate success replacing Bob Devaney, that Alabama is going to take some steps backward. Ideally, you replace a legend with another legend but if there are no legends available, you go with someone who has all the ingredients to become one if given the right circumstances. Urban Meyer is a legend but he’s happily retired and living the good life on Longboat Key. The closest thing to an active college football coaching legend right now is Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who went from Romper Room to PhD in coaching at Saban’s feet. Kirby would be stupid to leave Georgia, which is his alma mater, which leaves Byrne and his staff sorting through numerous very good coaches in search of someone willing to defy the odds of following in a legend’s footsteps. Not an easy thing to do. Joe Namath, an Alabama legend in his own right, told CNN, “It’s going to take a brave heart to come in here.” Nunnery in the portal, Mazzccua to Nebraska Two more Gators from the 2023 roster are on the move again. Linebacker Mannie Nunnery, who transferred to Florida from Houston last January, is seeking his third college football home. Guard Micah Mazzccua, who came to UF from Baylor, has announced he will transfer to Nebraska. Nunnery, who made a real name for himself at Houston on special teams, played in 12 games for the Gators, mostly in a reserve role. He was in on 28 tackles but had a minimum impact either as a linebacker or on special teams. Mazzccua started nearly every game at left guard but had only average grades both as a run blocker or in pass protection per Pro Football Focus. Nunnery and Mazzccua bring to 22 the number of players from Florida’s 2023 roster to enter the transfer portal. So far, 15 have found new homes. Outgoing (22): OT Jordan Herman (6-8, 375, RSO) to Charlotte; WR Caleb Douglas (6-3, 200, SO) to Texas Tech; QB Max Brown (6-2, 220, RFR) to Charlotte; DL Will Norman (6-4, 300, RFR); S Kamari Wilson (6-0, 205, SO) to Arizona State; PK Adam Mihalek (6-2, 200, SO); DL Chris McClellan (6-3, 320, SO) to Missouri; TE Jonathan Odom (6-5, 250, RJR) to Eastern Michigan; WR Thai Chiaokhaio-Bowman (6-0, 200, SO); DT Keenan Landry (6-1, 305, RJR); TE Andrew Savaiianea (6-3, 270, RFR) to Nevada; OL Jalen Farmer (6-5, 310, RFR) to Kentucky; EDGE Princely Umanmielen (6-5, 255, JR) to Ole Miss; RB Trevor Etienne (5-9, 217, SO) to Georgia; Miguel Mitchell (6-1, 215, SO); S Jadarrius Perkins (6-2, 190, SR) to Toledo; CB Jalen Kimber (6-0, 185, RSR) to Penn State; OG Micah Mazzccua (6-5, 325, RJR) to Nebraska; Scooby Williams (6-2, 230, RSO) to Texas A&M; G Richie Leonard IV (6-2, 320, RJR); CB Jaydon Hill (6-0, 195, JR) to Texas A&M; LB Mannie Nunnery (6-1, 225, JR) Incoming (9): Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (6-6, 310, SR) from San Diego State; Joey Slackman (6-4, 300, SR) from Penn; DB Trikweze Bridges (6-3, 198, JR) from Oregon; WR Chimere Dike (6-1, 200, SR) from Wisconsin; LB Grayson Howard (6-4, 241, FR) from South Carolina; EDGE George Gumbs (6-4, 242, SO) from Northern Illinois; OT Devon Manuel (6-9, 310, SO) from Arkansas; S DJ Douglas (6-0, 205, JR) from Tulane; QB Aidan Warner (6-3, 205, FR) from Yale ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The NCAA hit Florida State with sanctions Thursday that resulted in two years of probation, a loss of five scholarships, a $5,000 fine and a one percent reduction in its football budget. The sanctions stem from offensive coordinator Alex Atkins arranging impermissible contact between a transfer, a booster  and an NIL collective. Atkins got the worst of the sanctions. He gets a two-year show cause and a three-game suspension at the start of the 2024 season. The booster and the NIL collective have been given their walking papers by the school. Although FSU head coach Mike Norvell wasn’t named in any of the allegations it happened on his watch. Norvell is considered one of three leading candidates to replace Nick Saban at Alabama. These are not considered Level I violations, but it’s taint just the same. Enough that Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne would eliminate Norvell as a candidate?

Think of what happened in Oxford as a bad day at the office for the Florida Gators (10-5, 0-2 SEC). Even on a night when the Gators didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, they still put 85 points on the board. This was in spite of getting 16 of their shots rejected, nine by 7-5 Jamarion Sharp, who, when he wasn’t swatting away Florida shots was intimidating anyone who came remotely close. The problem wasn’t scoring. The problem was trying to stop the Ole Miss Rebels (14-1, 1-1 SEC), especially in the second half. The Gators trailed by as many as nine points in the first half before whittling away to trail 44-40 at the break. Then came the second half and disaster. Ole Miss shot the ball well (47.6 percent) in the first half. In the second half it seemed the Rebels couldn’t miss no matter what they threw up at the rim. The Rebels hit a scorching 75 percent on 21-28 shooting in the second half to take a 103-85 win that wasn’t nearly as close as the 18-point margin would seem. “Credit to Ole Miss, the way they came out in the second half I thought they made a lot of really tough shots early, specifically [Allen] Flanigan hit two or three of those baseline fadeaways,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “Those are shots that we want him to take, and you’ve got to tip your cap that he was able to knock them down. Once it snowballed a little bit, I didn’t think we did a good job pulling ourselves out. Obviously, our defensive effort tonight was atrocious, specifically in the second half. Again, this was a team that was coming off a really tough loss, and they responded really well. This was our first road game in the SEC, and we didn’t handle it very well.” No, the Gators didn’t handle things well. They got off to a decent start, taking a 17-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Walter Clayton Jr. with 13:38 left in the first half. The Gators were up 18-16 at the under-12 media timeout with 11:38 to go but that’s when things started going sideways. Led by freshman point guard Jaylen Murray, who hit two 3-pointers, Ole Miss went on a 13-4 run to take a 29-20 lead with 7:34 to go. The Gators fought back to within four several times in the final seven minutes, but each time they closed the gap, Ole Miss went on a short burst to maintain control. Still, it was only four at the half despite the Gators inability to score inside the paint on Sharp. But as tough as Sharp was protecting the rim in the first half, he completely dominated the inside in the second. Six of his nine blocked shots came in the final 20 minutes. The Gators kept attacking the rim, but Sharp and his buddies either blocked the shots or forced the Gators to miss badly. Florida finished the night a miserable 18-42 (27.8 percent) on layups. Florida didn’t shoot all that well from the outside (13-33) but it was far superior to what the Gators were getting on the inside. Ole Miss, meanwhile, couldn’t seem to miss. Jaemyn Brakefield scored 14 points in each half, finishing the game with 11-16 from the field and 2-4 from the 3-point line. Matt Murrell hit all five of his second half shots including 3-3 from the 3-point line for a 23-point night. Flanigan, who went 2-7 from the field in the first half, was perfect on all four second half shots as he finished the game with 17 points. Complicating matters, the Gators turned the ball over 13 times which led to 24 Ole Miss points. The Gators, meanwhile, forced only eight Ole Miss turnovers, converting them into eight points. “We didn’t handle their backcourt pressure very well at times with those turnovers,” Golden said. “They do a good job guarding with physicality. We didn’t get rewarded very well for taking it to the rim. Obviously, [Jamarion] Sharp did a good job with his rim protection, nine blocks, but I thought we did a good job of attacking and some of those I thought maybe could’ve been fouls. But again, they just got us tonight, bottom line, end of story, especially in the second half. Like I said, we cut it to four at half, and they went 21-for-28 in the second half. It’s just terrible defense, but at the same time you’ve got to tip your cap to them making all those shots.” The Gators finished the night hitting 31-75 overall from the field (41.3 percent) but only 5-17 from the 3-point line. There were plenty of opportunities – the Gators outrebounded Ole Miss 44-34 and 26 UF rebounds came on the offensive end – but the Gators couldn’t get the second chance points they needed. Of Florida’s 75 shots from the field, 37 came from Clayton (9-21) and Zyon Pullin (6-16). Clayton finished with 23 points while Pullin had 18. Tyrese Samuel had 11 but he managed only three rebounds. Freshman Alex Condon came off the bench to score 11 and he hauled in a game-high 15 rebounds. Asked if there were any positives to take away from the Gators’ effort, Golden responded, “Not really in the second half. I think in the first half when the lead got to nine, we were able to cut that thing down. I thought we played with good poise at the end of the half to cut it to four and had the ball coming out [of the half]. But turnovers starting the second half kind of set the tone, and we didn’t do a good job of battling that way. So nothing that I can take right now that I’m excited about or happy about.” Next up for the Gators is a Saturday home encounter with Arkansas (9-6, 0-2 SEC) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (4 p.m., ESPN). Wednesday’s scores: Ole Miss (14-1, 1-1 SEC) 103, FLORIDA (10-5, 0-2 SEC) 85; Mississippi State (12-3, 1-1 SEC) 77, No. 5 Tennessee (11-4, 1-1 SEC) 72; Georgia (12-3, 2-0 SEC) 76, Arkansas (9-6, 0-2 SEC) 66 Saturday’s games: Arkansas (9-6, 0-2 SEC) at FLORIDA (10-5, 0-2 SEC); No. 5 Tennessee (11-4, 1-1 SEC) at Georgia (12-3, 2-0 SEC); No. 6 Kentucky (12-2, 2-0 SEC) at Texas A&M (9-6, 0-2 SEC); LSU (10-5, 2-0 SEC) at No. 16 Auburn (13-2, 2-0 SEC); Vanderbilt (5-10, 0-2 SEC) at Ole Miss (14-1, 1-1 SEC); South Carolina (13-2, 1-1 SEC) at Missouri (8-7, 0-2 SEC); Alabama (10-5, 2-0 SEC) at Mississippi State (12-3, 1-1 SEC)

Nick Saban, a highly regarded college football coach with six national titles at Alabama, is retiring at the age of 72, according to sources reported by ESPN's Chris Low on Wednesday.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: In some respects, it’s like playing defense with your offense. Todd Golden’s push it up the court and play fast philosophy has the two-fold effect of getting good shots for the Gators while wearing opponents out. How fast is it? “They play as fast as we play if not faster,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after his 6th-ranked Wildcats eked out an 87-85 white knuckler at the O-Dome last Saturday. What makes it possible for Florida to play at a breakneck tempo that has the Gators (10-4, 0-1 SEC) averaging 86.2 points per game is the size to dominate the backboards. The Gators average 45.2 rebounds per game, which leads the nation. The Gators also average 15.79 offensive rebounds per game. Extra possessions lead to more scoring opportunities. It's all part of a philosophy that Golden came up with to adapt to his personnel. It certainly wasn’t like this last year when the Gators were vertically challenged, especially after Colin Castleton went down with a season-ending injury. This year, Golden has loaded up on size, starting 6-10 Tyrese Samuel and 7-1 Micah Handlogten, then coming off the bench with 6-11 Alex Condon and 6-9 Thomas Haugh, plus there’s 6-10 Aleks Szymczyk now available after missing the first 13 games recovering from a broken foot. With five bigs who can handle the ball and run, Golden has chosen a tempo game that goes a bit contrary to the style of his mentors Bruce Pearl (Auburn), Randy Smith (Saint Mary’s) and Kyle Smith (San Francisco). “It was more of just our personnel,” Golden said Tuesday before the Gators departed for Oxford where they face Ole Miss (13-2, 0-1 SEC) tonight (9 p.m., SEC Network). “We thought we had a really good backcourt this year. We thought we had multiple bigs that could run, really liked the athleticism in our front court and wanted to try to find a way to play a little bigger and get some easier baskets early on in the clock. I think schematically it's working, our early games are really good for us. “We've done a really good job getting on the glass. We just need to shoot the ball a little better. I think we're capable. I think we're getting some good looks. If we do that, I think then we take the jump from being a top 25-top 30 offense to a top 10-15 offense. If we can do that, over the next couple weeks, then we'll have a really good conference season." The combination of size, tempo and rebounding has plenty to do with Florida’s ability to go toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the country. Among Florida’s four losses are a 3-pointer to Virginia, a 4-pointer to Baylor and the 2-point loss to Kentucky a few days ago. Virginia, Baylor and Kentucky will all be in the NCAA Tournament and it’s a better than average chance all three will make it to the second weekend. Florida could get there. The Gators have the personnel and a style that not only works well for them, but is very difficult for opponents to simulate. One secret for sustained success moving ahead is for the Gators to play fast, but not too fast. “It’s a fine line of playing so fast that you’re not under control, right, and I think we’ve done a good job over the last couple of weeks specifically of playing with really good pace but also taking care of the ball,” Golden said. “Although we let it slip in the second half [against Kentucky] and we had some bad turnovers, we only had 11 for the game. I think our turnover rate was 13 percent, which, you know, that’s top-25 in the country. That’s really, really good. “So if we can continue to play that way and take care of the ball, you know, we’ll continue to do it, but it’s part of what’s made our identity, it’s part of what’s allowed us to get on the glass, because we have depth in the frontcourt, and we’re playing at this pace that’s hard for other teams to keep up. And it’s been beneficial for us, for sure.” Anticipated starting lineups FLORIDA (10-4, 0-1 SEC): 6-10 Tyrese Samuel (13.5 points, 8.7 rebounds); 7-1 Micah Handlogten (6.8 points, 7.5 rebounds); 6-4 Zyon Pullin (14.9 points, 4.8 assists); 6-2 Walter Clayton Jr. (15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds); 6-4 Will Richard (11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds) Ole Miss (13-2, 0-1 SEC): 7-5 Jamarion Sharp (3.9 points, 4.4 rebounds); 6-8 Jaemyn Brakefield (11.6 points, 5.7 rebounds); 5-11 Jaylin Murray (14.4 points, 2.5 rebounds); 6-6 Allen Flanigan (16.2 points, 7.3 rebounds); 6-4 Matthew Murrell (16.4 points, 3.8 rebounds) SEC basketball Tuesday’s scores: No. 6 Kentucky (12-2, 2-0 SEC) 90, Missouri (8-7, 0-2 SEC) 77; No. 16 Auburn (13-2, 2-0 SEC) 66, Texas A&M (9-6, 0-2 SEC) 55; Alabama (10-5, 2-0 SEC) 74, South Carolina (13-2, 1-1 SEC) 47; LSU (10-5, 2-0 SEC) 77, Vanderbilt (5-10, 0-2 SEC) 69 Today’s games: FLORIDA (10-4, 0-1 SEC) at No. 22 Ole Miss (13-1, 0-1 SEC); No. 5 Tennessee (11-3, 1-0 SEC) at Mississippi State (11-3, 0-1 SEC); Arkansas (9-5, 0-1 SEC) at Georgia (11-3, 1-0 SEC) SEC lands six in final AP, Coaches polls; eight if you count Texas, Oklahoma Associated Press final 2023 top 25: 1. Michigan 15-0; 2. Washington 14-1; 3. Texas 12-2; 4. Georgia 13-1; 5. Alabama 12-2; 6. (Tie) Florida State 13-1 and Oregon 12-2; 8. Missouri 11-2; 9. Ole Miss 11-2; 10. Ohio State 11-2; 11. Arizona 10-3; 12. LSU 10-3; 13. Penn State 10-3; 14. Notre Dame 10-3; 15. Oklahoma 10-3; 16. Oklahoma State 10-4; 17. Tennessee 9-4; 18. Kansas State 9-4; 19. Louisville 10-4; 20. Clemson 9-4; 21. North Carolina State 9-4; 22. SMU 11-3; 23. Kansas 9-4; 24. Iowa 10-4; 25. Liberty 13-1 Coaches final 2023 top 25: 1. Michigan 15-0; 2. Washington 14-1; 3. Georgia 13-1; 4. Texas 12-2; 5. Alabama 12-2; 6. Florida State 13-1; 7. Oregon 12-2; 8. Missouri 11-2; 9. Ole Miss 11-2; 10. Ohio State 11-2; 11. Arizona 10-3; 12. LSU 10-3; 13. Penn State 10-3; 14. Notre Dame 10-3; 15. Oklahoma 10-3; 16. Oklahoma State 10-4; 17. Tennessee 9-4; 18. Louisville 10-4; 19. Kansas State 9-4; 20. Clemson 9-4; 21. North Carolina State 9-4; 22. Iowa 10-4; 23. Kansas 9-4; 24. SMU 11-3; 25. West Virginia 9-4 ESPN too early top 25 for 2024: 1. Georgia; 2. Texas; 3. Oregon; 4. Alabama; 5. Ohio State; 6. Michigan; 7. Ole Miss; 8. Missouri; 9. Arizona; 10. Notre Dame; 11. Washington; 12. Penn State; 13. Utah; 14. LSU; 15. Oklahoma; 16. Florida State; 17. Tennessee; 18. Oklahoma State; 19. Clemson; 20. North Carolina State; 21. Kansas State; 22. Louisville; 23. Kansas; 24. SMU; 25. Iowa CBS too early top 25 for 2024: 1. Georgia; 2. Alabama; 3. Michigan; 4. Oregon; 5. Ole Miss; 6. Ohio State; 7. Texas; 8. Missouri; 9. Notre Dame; 10. Arizona; 11. Oklahoma; 12. LSU; 13. Utah; 14. Tennessee; 15. Washington; 16. Penn State; 17. Kansas State; 18. SMU; 19. Florida State; 20. Kansas; 21. Clemson; 22. North Carolina State; 23. Oklahoma State; 24. Texas A&M; 25. Louisville The Athletic too early top 25 for 2024: 1. Georgia; 2. Alabama; 3. Oregon; 4. Ohio State; 5. Texas; 6. Michigan; 7. Washington; 8. Ole Miss; 9. Notre Dame; 10. Clemson; 11. Utah; 12. Oklahoma State; 13. Arizona; 14. Tennessee; 15. Oklahoma; 16. Louisville; 17. Kansas; 18. Penn State; 19. Florida State; 20. LSU; 21. Missouri; 22. Iowa; 23. Iowa State; 24. Kansas State; 25. West Virginia ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: With two games remaining on the 2023 football schedule, Texas A&M elected to fire HBC Jimbo Fisher even though the Aggies were 6-4, his career record at A&M was 45-25 and the cost to buy out his contract was a mere $77 million. Prior to Jimbo, the folks in Aggieland fired Kevin Sumlin after six seasons despite a 7-5 record in 2017 and a 51-26 career mark. Sumlin was paid $30 million in buyout money. Twelve years. No championships but a 96-51 record. $107 million in buyout money. That’s how much they want to win a national championship at Texas A&M. The only national title they’ve ever won in Aggieland was in 1939. The last time they won a conference championship was in 1998 when A&M was a member of the Big 12. Monday night, Michigan won the national championship in Jim Harbaugh’s ninth season as the head football coach. Harbaugh was hired in 2015 to (a) beat Ohio State and (b) win a national championship. It wasn’t until year seven that Harbaugh finally beat Ohio State, which was the single most important reason Michigan hired him in the first place. Harbaugh has beaten Ohio State three straight years, won three straight Big Ten championships and finally, on his third crack at the College Football Playoff, there is a national championship trophy to collect dust in the case. It’s the first national championship for a Big Ten team since Ohio State did it in 2014, the first year of the College Football Playoff. It is Michigan’s first national title since the split title (with Nebraska) in 1998 and the first non-split title since 1948. That this is year nine for Harbaugh is important in more ways than one. In the 2020 COVID year, Michigan went 2-4, after which Harbaugh took a massive paycut. Michigan is 40-3 since then. Additionally, there are accusations that Harbaugh lied to the NCAA about recruiting violations. Harbaugh denies he lied. For that, Harbaugh was suspended the first three games of the 2023 season in a self-imposed punishment by Michigan.  Michigan is accused of sign stealing for the past three years. A staffer has been fired. Harbaugh says he knew nothing of what was going on but he was suspended by the Big Ten the final three games of the 2023 regular season. Some schools would have fired Harbaugh long before the 2023 issues. He was 0-5 against Ohio State (didn’t play in 2020). He was hired to beat the Buckeyes and didn’t do it. But, Michigan stuck with him. The NCAA can’t seem to decide between burning Harbaugh at the stake or staging a public hanging for the alleged recruiting violations and the sign stealing. Michigan, meanwhile is telling the NCAA to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine by offering Harbaugh a contract extension with a Star Wars raise. Unlike the Aggies and dozens of other schools who have had to go to the boosters to raise ginormous amounts of buyout money, Michigan stuck with its coach and let him get the football program built in a way it can sustain winning big. And, unlike so many schools that are intimidated by an NCAA which demands firing a coach, Michigan is committed to Jim Harbaugh. Now, Harbaugh might choose to go to the NFL rather than face continued harassment by the pointy headed geeks who run the NCAA, but if he elects to stay, Michigan has his back. There are times when it becomes blatantly obvious that a coach isn’t working out and should be given a pink slip, but there is a time also for patience. Everybody wants to chase that coach (Nick Saban comes to mind) who was an instant winner, but sometimes you have to wait your turn. I think about this now more than ever before as I hear Gator fans talking about firing another coach. Billy Napier is the sixth coach at Florida since Steve Spurrier retired. Georgia is on its second since the end of the Spurrier era at Florida. Alabama has had the same coach since 2007. I can’t say for sure if Billy Napier is the right coach or not at the University of Florida, but I do know that if he were to be fired today as some Gator fans suggest, it would take millions to buy him out, millions to hire a new coach and then the football program would be starting from scratch. Again. Something to think about.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: