Florida released their weekly depth chart for week 11 against LSU, there are a few noteworthy observations heading into Baton Rouge. Two defensive starters have been cleared to play this week. Junior defensive tackle Cam Jackson and redshirt sophomore defensive end Tyreak Sapp, who both had upper body injuries, missed the last game against Arkansas but are now back in action. Their return is seen as a positive boost for Florida's upcoming match against LSU. On the downside, sophomore EDGE Jack Pyburn is out for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL. This marks the second season-ending injury for the Gators in as many weeks, with starting sophomore linebacker Shemar James also sidelined. Despite the setbacks, Pyburn is showing exceptional determination in his recovery, already back in the gym working with a brace on. Coach Napier praised Pyburn's discipline, work ethic, and resilience, predicting a strong comeback. With Pyburn's absence, the Gators will be relying on true freshmen defensive ends Kelby Collins and Kamran James to step up. Collins had an impressive performance against Arkansas, earning high grades and setting personal bests in tackles and sacks. In addition to Pyburn, other players on the injury list include junior tight end Jonathan Odom (concussion) and sophomore receiver Caleb Douglas (lower body), who will both be missing their fifth consecutive game. Last week, the Gators faced challenges due to multiple defensive starters being unavailable, which contributed to Arkansas gaining a season-high 226 rushing yards. This week's matchup against LSU, who has a lethal offense led by dual-threat star Jayden Daniels, will require the Gators' defense to be at its best. Having Sapp and Jackson back will be crucial in this tough matchup. Regarding the safety position, sophomore Miguel Mitchell and freshman Bryce Thornton have been sharing starts throughout the season. Mitchell's injury led to Thornton's first career start, and he has performed well, earning solid grades. While Mitchell is still listed as a starter, Thornton's strong showings have earned him a significant role in the lineup alongside Jordan Castell. In terms of starters, Montrell Johnson is listed as the starter over Trevor Etienne in a personal game for him against LSU who did not offer him out of high school. Additionally, Jalen Kimber, who has been the starting cornerback, now has an "or" next to his name along with Devin Moore. Look for Moore to have a bigger role in this contest.

While the Gators have had their fair share of special teams woes throughout the course of the season, there has been one aspect that, for the most part, has been consistent. That aspect is Trey Smack, who did not even start the year as the starting kicker, but he is now a Lou Groza National Place-Kicker Award semifinalist. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced the semifinalists on Thursday morning. The list includes 25 total kickers and will be voted on by a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers to select three finalists. Finalists will be announced on November 28. Smack has earned a lot of recognition this season already for his kicking prowess, being named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week twice (week four and week seven) this year. He was also named the Lou Groza Star of the Week after those same games. Despite the heat Smack received after missing a potential game-winner against Arkansas, the Severna Park (Md.) native has been rock solid in his role. The sophomore has converted on 14 of 16 field goals (87.5%) and is 19 for 19 on extra point attempts (100%). He is also 8 of 8 on field goals shorter than 40 yards, as well as 2 of 2 from 50+ yards. Smack's best game came against Charlotte, in which he went 5/5 and made a career-long 54-yard field goal.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

One of the biggest areas for concern since Todd Golden took over the reins of the Florida basketball program was addressing height concerns. In just year two, Golden has added a lot of front court talent, and he did so again on Wednesday as the 'World's Tallest Teenager,' Olivier Rioux announced his commitment to the Gators.

Something needs to change in the off season concerning the lack of communication on the Florida Gator sidelines. Who better to answer those questions then two former Gator greats Chris Doering and Shane Mathews. Remember GatorBait Media subscribers, you can access and of our past episodes by clicking on The Buddy Martin Show menu tab on your desktop or Spaces mobile mobile app. Read our blogs while listening at the same time!

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:

As you might expect, Todd Golden found plenty of things to nitpick after Florida’s 93-73 season opening win over Loyola (MD) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. He would have preferred if the Gators had hit a higher percentage of their free throws (15-30), played with more physicality at both ends of the floor, with a bit more consistency defensively and with far more intensity from start to finish. A better all-around effort would have been nice, but considering his 7-1 transfer center nailed a pair of threes and his 6-11 freshman from Australia hit his first two from downtown, not to mention next June’s future first round draft pick looked very much like he could go lottery, the good, it would seem, completely outweighed the things that have to be improved upon. Golden is right, however, that the Gators could have and probably should have played better, but it was the first game of the year. There are five transfers and three freshmen that are new pieces of the puzzle that should make this team better than the one that went 16-17 and made it to the NIT last year. With so many moving parts that still have to fit together, it’s easy to see flaws and room for improvement everywhere you look. Still, when Marshall transfer Micah Handlogten is shocking even his teammates by nailing 3-balls from the top of the key and Alex Condon is popping in threes in his collegiate debut while looking nothing like a kid from Down Under who only picked up the game four years ago, there is reason to be happy. That Riley Kugel picked up where he left off the last 10 games of last season by going off for 23 points, three rebounds, four assists, six steals and a blocked shot should be reason for Golden to be downright giddy. About the only thing Kugel didn’t do was knock down a three, but nobody really noticed because he showed that he’s more than capable of getting any shot he wants any time he wants. Plus, he’s so bouncy that every time he gets anywhere near the rack it’s an opportunity for a highlight reel play. Condon hits threes in practice, so while it was impressive that a newbie has such a confident stroke first time on the floor in a game that counts it was nothing teammates haven’t seen before. Handlogten? Different story altogether. “Micah, he didn't shoot one all year so when I saw him shoot both and make both, I was kind of like, woah, he really makes them,” Seton Hall transfer Tyreese Samuel said. Samuel had an impressive night himself, scoring 15 with eight rebounds and three assists in his Gator debut, but seeing Handlogten taking and making wide open threes was a very big deal. “He made two in a row so I was like, okay, keep on shooting them, I don't mind.” Then there was Kugel, the guy expected to take his game to a different level if the Gators are to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. He was explosive, unselfish and intense. He got in the lane when he wanted to, absorbed enough contact to get maybe 10 more free throws than the four the zebra crew awarded, and put the ball in the hole. Golden was impressed with Kugel’s 10-15 shooting night and the way he attacked the rim but the defensive effort seemed to please him most about his talented sophomore. “You know, to get six steals is really impressive, and that team is generally a really good ballhandling team,” Golden said. “You know, their front court handles it really well, and it wasn’t like he was taking advantage of picking on anybody. He was just being in the right place at the right time, but that’s an area that he excels in.” Kugel will be the centerpiece for the Gators, but overall, from top to bottom of the roster, there is more talent to go with more size and depth up front than last year, and it will be a vastly superior shooting team. Nobody is going to expect Condon and Hanglogten to combine to go 4-5 from the 3-point line every night out, but they both showed they’re capable if left alone. Handlogten scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and added a steal and a blocked shot. Condon had 13 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. The fourth big who played, freshman Thomas Hauck, scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in his Florida debut. With Cal-Riverside transfer Zyon Pullin serving the first of a 3-game NCAA-mandated suspension, Iona transfer and Lake Wales native Walter Clayton handled the point most of the night backed up by sophomore Denzel Aberdeen. Clayton finished with nine points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and a blocked shot. Aberdeen had three points and a pair of assists off the bench and San Francisco transfer Julian Rishwain, playing limited minutes while he works himself back into shape after knee surgery, nailed a three. It was an off night for Will Richard, limited to four shots and three points, but this was a night when his offense wasn’t necessary. Everybody knows Richard can heat up microwave quick. With perennial power Virginia next on the Florida agenda Friday night in Charlotte, Golden knows the Gators have some things to tighten up over the next couple of practice days, particularly when it comes to defense and maintaining the intensity. The Gators bolted to a 16-0 lead in the first 5:47 of the game, largely on a defense that overwhelmed the visiting Greyhounds, but once past that initial burst, the first half was played fairly evenly until the intermission. “The game after the first two minutes never got into a moment of where we were super stressed about the outcome, but that can’t be a reason why we relax and don’t play the way we need to the rest of the way,” Golden said. With a 42-30 lead at halftime, the Gators came out firing and playing with renewed intensity to start the second half. They stretched the 12-point margin to 26 (69-43) at the 12:38 mark of the second half, but they pretty much put it on cruise control from that point onward. The result was a 20-point win, but Golden knows it could have been and should have been much worse. Based on what he saw in Florida’s two preseason, closed-door scrimmages, Golden expected a better effort against Loyola. The Gators beat Miami, which returned most of its players from a Final Four run a year ago, in Coral Gables, then followed it up a week later with a blowout win over Florida International at the O-Dome. Comparitively speaking, the win over Loyola didn’t measure up. “I don’t think we played as well as we had in the first couple of scrimmages, to be honest,” Golden said. “I think [we were] a little jittery, a little bit of nerves that way. Defensively, we weren’t as physical as I thought we needed to be and then, obviously, we didn’t shoot the ball well from the line at all. And, you know, that can be an issue moving forward. It wasn’t tonight but, you know, as we play the tougher teams on our schedule, we just have to take advantage of the line better than we did tonight.” It was a win and while 20 points looks solid in the scorebooks, Golden knows margin of victory does matter when it comes to making the 64-team NCAA field. It’s not just about getting to a certain number of wins, it has everything to do with winning big. Not only can you not afford to lose pre-conference games against teams from weaker conferences, when you do win, it needs to be by as big a margin as possible. It can mean the difference between the NCAA and the NIT. “The thing about college basketball, we only get 32 games promised, right?” Golden said. So it’s not like the NBA where you can take a night off with load management. It can cost you a tournament big if you have an off night that way, and one of the things that we talk to our team about a lot is approaching every game as if it’s the national championship. You gotta put your best foot forward. “The way teams are evaluated now with KenPom and NET Rankings, margin of victory matters a lot. So, I’m coaching these guys in the last four minutes like it’s the first four minutes of the game.” Stats: Florida shot 58.1 percent (36-62) for the game and 37.5 percent (6-16) from the 3-point line. The Gators outrebounded Loyola 39-29. The Gators outscored the Greyhounds 21-12 on points off turnovers, 54-34 in the paint and 22-8 on fast breaks. After turning the ball over eight times in the first half, the Gators committed only three more in the second half. Loyola shot 45.8 percent from the field overall (27-59) and 34.6 percent on 3-pointers (9-26). UF women’s basketball: Florida 82, North Florida 65 Leilani Correa scored 21 points while Ra Shaya Kyle and Aliyah Matharu scored 15 each as the Gators opened their season with a 17-point win over North Florida. The Gators led only 32-26 at the half, but they put together 50 points in the second half to win going away. In addition to her 21 points, Correa had five rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and two steals. Kyle had a game-high 12 rebounds to go with a blocked shot and a steal, while Matharu had a pair of assists and two steals. The Gators shot 34-71 (47.9 percent) from the field, but only 2-12 from the 3-point line. The Gators outrebounded North Florida 40-33 and forced 20 turnovers which were converted into 23 points. The Gators will be home against Bethune-Cookman Thursday at the O-Dome.

Gators' sophomore edge rusher, Jack Pyburn, announced on Monday that he suffered a torn ACL during Florida's overtime loss to Arkansas in Week 10, which means he won't be able to play for the rest of the 2023 season. Pyburn expressed his gratitude for the support and well-wishes he received after the game on Saturday, sharing the news on social media. He assured everyone that he will come back stronger than before and emphasized his love for his team and teammates. "Thank you to everyone for the [prayers] and well wishes after Saturday's game," Pyburn wrote via X. "Unfortunately the injury I received on Saturday is a season-ending tear to my ACL. I can promise y’all one thing and that is I will be back soon and better than ever. Love this team and my brothers." Originally from Jacksonville, Pyburn joined the Florida team in 2022 and quickly became a valuable member of the special teams unit, playing 147 snaps in his rookie season. As a sophomore, Pyburn's role expanded significantly, contributing both on defense and special teams. Before his injury, he had played 124 defensive snaps and 152 special teams reps, making a total of 13 tackles, including one for a loss, in nine appearances during the 2023 season. Pyburn's first start in college came against Arkansas, filling in for the injured redshirt sophomore Tyreak Sapp. He made four total tackles before getting injured. With Pyburn out for the season and uncertainty surrounding Sapp's availability, freshman Kelby Collins may step in as the starting edge rusher alongside junior Princely Umanmielen. Collins has accumulated 16 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 11 run stops, 16 quarterback pressures, one forced fumble, and one pass breakup in nine appearances. Freshmen TJ Searcy and Kamran James also provide depth and rotational options behind Umanmielen, Collins, and Sapp. Searcy has recorded 19 tackles with 2.5 for a loss, one forced fumble, and seven quarterback pressures this season, while James has made four tackles.

In so many respects, this is the football equivalent of the ages old question which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Billy Napier addressed the media for his weekly press conference fresh off of his worst loss as the head coach of the University of Florida. A two-win Arkansas team came in and ran all over the Gators in The Swamp and were able to pull off the upset, nonetheless, Napier appreciated the fight his team gave. "I think that having a chance to look at it a little bit closer, a lot of times, in this game, especially when it's really competitive, a lot of your battles are not really against the competition to some degree.We've got a group here that I think is totally committed to the cause," Napier said. "It's a coachable group. I think we've got a group of players that are really intentional about trying to be great teammates and do their best at their role relative to the team." Having a good group of guys in the locker room does not always translate to wins though. Having a good mindset and camaraderie amongst the guys will always help you on the field, but you still need to have the intangibles down. On Saturday, and throughout the season, there have been moments where Florida's biggest opponent is themselves. Nonetheless, Napier is confident in the process and the way his guys have progressed throughout the season despite the results. "So I do think that, after being around our team yesterday and listening to some of our key leaders, I do think that this group is in a good place," Napier said. "I know that may be hard for other people to understand. But we have a group that I respect, and I think they respect each other." Amongst other topics, one of the main boiling points among Gator fans throughout the season has been the need for an offensive coordinator and special teams coach. It seems that every week a field goal block unit is sent out on the field with ten players. While it may not be the deciding factor in the extra point, special teams execution has been historically bad this season and have cost the Gators points in close games. Additionally, Napier has been under scrutiny for holding on to play-calling duties. His play-calling has been criticized as too conservative in certain scenarios, along with pushing buttons at the wrong times of drives. Critics claim adding an offensive coordinator to the staff would take pressure off of Napier as a play-caller, but also as a head coach and allow him to allot more of his time to the team as a whole. He touched on the state of his staff in Monday's presser. "I think much like everything we do, I think there's some good and some bad. I think we adjust each year. I think when the season's over, you go back, you quality control," Napier said. "Sometimes you know mid-season, even in the offseason, I think you have an idea where you're going to make adjustments relative to what's required to get us where we want to go." Looks like Napier won't make any moves when it comes to his staff until the offseason. Names are already beginning to circulate around on who the potential new offensive coordinator will be, but it looks like Napier is heading in the direction of making an addition during the offseason. For this year, Napier is focused on coaching and working with people on his staff and in the locker room. Questions were raised if Napier would make a move following Lincoln Riley dismissing his defensive coordinator at USC following 45 points allowed against Washington. Napier shut down any possibility of mid season acquisitions or dismissals on Monday. "I think all those things are end-of-year approaches. Now's not the time to do that. You may be taking notes along the way. But I think from a process standpoint, we try to continue to get better," Napier said.

And it's time to try something different. My column -- Listen to The Buddy Martin Show tonight on You Tube Considering how hard they fought to overcome the 14-0 deficit that Arkansas pasted on them in the first three minutes and then scratch their way back to a 36-33 lead only to lose 39-36, it’s a pity to have to say “Epic Fail.” Last weekend it was a case of getting beat by a vastly superior team. This weekend it was a case of getting beat by a vastly inferior team. You can’t sell that as progress. And it’s tough to expect patience from rank and file Gators. They see pieces of the puzzle on the table, but can’t envision the picture on the box cover. At home, with a raucous crowd behind them, not only did these Gators not win or cover the spread, but with three ranked teams left on the schedule, it appears unlikely that they will even qualify for a bowl this season. Shame on these Gators. It would be easier and perhaps more gentlemanly to turn the other cheek and say how hard these Gators played in storming back from an instantaneous 14-0 black hole in the first 184 seconds of the game and then taking the visiting Razorbacks to the mat before succumbing to misfortune, a couple of bad no-calls and a rare miss by their kicker. But that’s not Alabama or Georgia in the white – that’s lowly Arkansas, losers of six straight in the SEC. That’s not going to fly around here, so you are now officially on the clock, Billy Napier, one step removed from the hot seat.
 This is called swimming for the isle of desperation. Never mind the injuries, bad breaks, bad calls or oopsies by young players. In the ninth game of the year, when you can’t even get the right unit on the field in a critical moment — despite a coaching staff that’s way bigger than your SEC traveling squad — then it could be time for heads to roll. Maybe time to hire a player personnel director — somebody to count noses and keep count of substitutions.
This is when it gets hard to justify anything but victory. And good luck, explaining why this team has not met expectations in the final half of the season. So far. If ever. For certain, time to reset expectations. With three ranked teams left on the schedule, don’t get your hopes up; at best, it’s eye candy.

Lower those expectations and quit comparing yourself to Georgia. I don’t want to disparage the Hope of loyal and dedicated Gator fans who are still out there scratching, clawing, hoping and praying, but Hope is not a game plan, just an emotion. So strap it on for the long haul, because it’s just clearly going to be a few minutes — or, pick one (hours, days, weeks,
months, years) — until this storm passes and the program under Napier can compete consistently at an SEC level. Perhaps you should learn to enjoy Florida Football for what it is now — 
a rebuilding program, a work in progress, not ready for prime time. Think Vandy or Kentucky or Auburn or Texas A&M.

 Mediocrity. Can you handle that? I’m not saying Napier is a bad coach, or that he should be fired because we have seen how that Rent-A-Coach system works around here. But clearly the system he brought to Gainesville – somebody called it a Nick Saban Starter Kit – is not the way to go. Adjustments must be made. Staff turnover is necessary and if that means hiring a special teams coach, or play caller, then so be it, because we are now officially fresh out of excuses. I was wrong about this team and this season because I thought Florida had a chance to win eight games this year, well above the 5 1/2 wins projected by Vegas.
That was a pipe dream. So status quo is no longer acceptable. Allowing a feeble team without an SEC victory to come in The Swamp and land a knockout punch like that is downright disgraceful and has now opened up the Sniper’s Gallery for any and all grousers to take their cheap shots. So get ready for the diatribe because now all those caustic comments have been validated. The true identity of the 2023 Florida Gator football team has emerged and whatever’s behind Door No. 3 isn’t going to save the day, or the season. Considering how hard they fought to overcome the 14-0 deficit that Arkansas pasted on them in the first three minutes and then fight their way back to a 36-33 lead only to lose 39-36, it’s a pity to have to say this, but barring a colossal upset over LSU, Missouri or FSU, Billy Napier’s 2023 season must be branded “Epic Fail.” Really there is no other way to say it. I hope you’re the kind of Gator who can live up to the credo to survive in all kinds of weather, because the skies are darkening and the storms are coming. As much as I’d like to pump you some Sunshine.

It only took one swing to let everyone at Condron Family Ballpark know that Jac Caglianone is still the most compelling figure in all of college baseball for a 2024 season that is still three months away. It was the bottom of the first in Florida’s final fall doubleheader against the Stetson Hatters. The Gators already led, 1-0, on a run-scoring double to right center by Alabama transfer Colby Shelton that scored Michael Robertson from second. On the first pitch he saw, Caglianone launched a 447-foot homer that left his bat at 111 miles per hour. It bounced off the back wall of the stadium. Another two or three feet and it would have left the ballpark completely. For good measure, Caglianone hit a 2-run double in the bottom of the sixth to help the Gators to a 7-4 win in game one, an 8-inning affair. The Gators won game two in shutout fashion, 7-0. Caglianone got the start in game one, going one inning in which he gave up a hit, walked a batter and struck out one. Caglianone was one of seven pitchers head coach Kevin O’Sullivan paraded out to the mound. They gave up six hits and walked five while striking out 10. The Gators managed only six hits off Stetson pitchers in game one, but they were helped by 10 walks. Seven pitcher contributed an inning each in the 7-inning win in game two. The most impressive was freshman Liam Peterson, who got the start and needed only 13 pitches to induce a leadoff ground out followed by a pair of strikeouts. At the plate, the Gators again managed only six hits, but one of them was an opposite field homer to right by Tyler Shelnut, who also had a single. Shelnut played left field in game one, but went to first in game two and then finished the game at third. Cade Kurland delivered a pair of run-scoring singles and Liberty transfer Jalen Guy came through with a 2-run single. Sunday observations Caglianone: He probably remains the Sunday starter on the mound to take advantage of his hitting in the first two games on the weekend. He’s likely to play first on Friday, DH on Saturday and then pitch on Sunday. Colby Shelton: The Alabama transfer has serious power (20 homers as a true freshman in Tuscaloosa) but makes good, consistent contact. There won’t be much, if any dropoff in the field as Shelton replaces Josh Rivera at shortstop. Pitching rotation: Last year’s closer, Brandon Neely, probably moves into the Friday night starting role. Either Peterson or Cade Fisher probably starts on Saturday with Caglianone starting on Sunday. Peterson or Fisher will probably be the main weekday starter along with freshman Luke McNeillie. Ryan Slater is likely to take on the closer role with Blake Purnell the setup man. If and when Pierce Coppola is cleared to go (surgery on his back in 2022; surgery on his elbow last year), expect he will do weekday and relief work while trying to get him ready for the final regular season stretch in SEC play. Third base: Dale Thomas played both games at third against Stetson. He was a second baseman at Coastal Carolina but can play second or third. He has power and makes good contact. Tyler Shelnut played third at Santa Fe before he transferred to UF. He played left and first base Sunday, but is a natural third baseman. Center field: Defensively, Michael Robertson is outstanding, but he didn’t hit last year and then had a difficult time at Cape Cod in the summer. If he can hit, he will be in the lineup for his defense and his speed. Liberty transfer Jalen Guy will get his chances, especially if he can hit. He is the real deal defensively. Catcher: Luke Heyman and Virginia Tech transfer Brody Donay are power hitters who can catch, play first and DH. Coastal Carolina transfer Tanner Garrison is probably the best defensive catcher of the three but he doesn’t have the raw power of Heyman and Donay. A possible scenario: Heyman catches Friday night with Donay at DH and Caglianone at 1B. Saturday, Heyman to 1B with Donay catching and Caglianone at DH. Sunday, Caglianone starts on the mound with Heyman catching and Donay at 1B. Don’t be surprised if the starting lineup in the field looks like this: 1B Caglianone, Heyman or Donay; 2B Kurland; SS Shelton; 3B Thomas or Shelnut; LF Shelnut or Landon Russel; CF Robertson or Guy; RF Ty Evans; C Heyman, Donay or Garrison. Team makeup by class: 5 seniors, 6 juniors, 9 sophomores, 16 freshmen