On Thursday, CBS Sports released a ranking for SEC head coaches. As expected, following a 6-7 season in his first year at the helm, Billy Napier did not rank well. The Florida coach came in ranked as the No. 11 SEC coach, dropping two positions after being ranked No. 9 last season. He was also ranked as the No. 43 coach nationally. Ranking towards the bottom of the SEC is no easy pill for Napier, or Gators fans, to swallow. But is it deserved? For now, it is. Napier had a successful run at Louisiana, going 40-12 over the course of four seasons. Not to mention, four Sun Belt West Division titles, four bowl appearances, and a Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2021. There is a lot of potential there, to say the least. But, there were immediate questions after he was hired about how he would make the transition to the SEC. After year one, many would be quick to write him off and say that he can't coach at college football's top level. However, as is the case with almost all collegiate coaches, at least those who do not inherit a championship-caliber team, he needs some time. Napier is yet to field a team truly recruited by him and his staff. This 2023 roster will be the first real glimpse into what a "Napier Team" looks like. When examining the roster that Napier inherited last season, it's clear why Mullen was let go. The roster was a culmination of Mullen and even Jim McElwain's inability to recruit at a level needed to compete in the SEC. Even with some glimmer of success here and there within each coach's tenure, there was not enough consistency from either coach on the recruiting trail to consistently compete at the level Florida is accustomed to. Despite no more athletes in the program from the McElwain era, there was a "domino effect" of sorts that trickled down into the hand that Napier has been dealt. That is one of the main reasons for his ranking at No. 11. Moving forward, Napier now has the opportunity to prove the doubters wrong with a roster of his own. He has already made more noise on the recruiting trail than Gator fans have seen in a long, long time, but it is time to answer the call on the field. Florida is forced to replace several starters this upcoming season, including the No. 4 overall pick in Anthony Richardson. It will be a tall task for Napier to fill those voids and still take a step in the right direction, but the pieces may be there to see more success in year two of the Napier Era. CBS Sports SEC Head Coach Rankings No. 1: Nick Saban, Alabama (No. 1 Overall) No. 2: Kirby Smart, Georgia (No. 2 Overall) No. 3: Brian Kelly, LSU (No. 6 Overall) No. 4: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss (No. 14 Overall) No. 5: Josh Heupel, Tennessee (No. 16 Overall) No. 6: Mark Stoops, Kentucky (No. 18 Overall) No. 7: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M (No. 20 Overall) No. 8: Hugh Freeze, Auburn (No. 26 Overall) No. 9: Shane Beamer, South Carolina (No. 40 Overall) No. 10: Sam Pittman, Arkansas (No. 42 Overall) No. 11: Billy Napier, Florida (No. 43 Overall) No. 12: Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri (No. 51 Overall) No. 13: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt (No. 56 Overall) No. 14: Zach Arnett, Mississippi State (No. 68 Overall)

The long-anticipated 2023 MLB Draft begins on Sunday and the No. 1 overall pick is still very much up in the air.

After bursting onto the pro tennis scene last year, Ben Shelton saw his Wimbledon journey come to an end on Thursday. Shelton won his opening match against Taro Daniel on Tuesday before dropping his second round contest to Laslo Djere. Currently ranked as the No. 36 player in the world, Shelton certainly had high hopes entering the famed Wimbledon tournament. However, the future still looks extremely bright for the 20 year old who stormed the pro tennis world in January's Australian Open. In just his third career professional tournament and his first grand slam, Shelton advanced all the way into the quarter finals. He would end up losing to the then No. 35 player in the world, Tommy Paul, in five sets. Since jumping on the scene at the Australian Open, Shelton has won just seven matches to go against 15 losses. His professional career record now sits at 9-15, but there should be no reason to write him off anytime soon. Shelton has the benefit of working alongside one of the best tennis coaches in the country, who also happens to be his father, Bryan Shelton. Coach Shelton started coaching at the University of Florida in 2012 and led the Gators to 10 national tournaments. He also coached two singles national champions, the second of which was Ben and a team national championship group in 2021. Coach Shelton announced at the beginning of June 2023 that he would be stepping down as coach of the Gators to focus on his son's career. The expectation for both Shelton's moving forward is that Ben will have a long, successful career in the pro tennis circuit, but it will have to wait for the conclusion of Wimbledon. The next grand slam tournament will begin at the end of August with the U.S. Open, which will be Shelton's next shot at a grand slam run.

NBA Summer League action kicked off in two locations earlier this week (Sacramento and Salt Lake City) with one more set to begin in Las Vegas on Friday and the Gators are well represented. Seven former Gators made rosters across the league, headlined by Colin Castleton and Tre Mann who have both quickly jumped into the spotlight. The seven former members of the Florida basketball program gracing the court this summer are Andrew Nembhard (Indiana Pacers), Anthony Duruji (Charlotte Hornets), Tyree Appleby (Chicago Bulls), Tre Mann (Oklahoma City Thunder), Keyontae Johnson (Oklahoma City Thunder), Colin Castleton (Los Angeles Lakers) and Alex Fudge (Los Angeles Lakers). The California Classic Summer League began on Monday and concluded on Wednesday, with six teams playing two games a piece. Castleton, Fudge and Duruji were all included in that tournament. However, only Fudge and Castleton saw any playing time. In the first game on Monday for the Lakers, Castleton played just over 15 minutes going 5-for-5 from the field and ending with 11 points. However, he did end the day with a -10 plus/minus while on the floor. Fudge did not play in the team's first contest. Moving to Wednesday, Castleton earned the start and played 32 minutes, the most of anybody in the game. He made the most of his time, scoring 18 points to go along with eight rebounds, six assists and four blocks. It should be noted that he did pick up seven fouls which would have seen him leave the game in a regular season contest. Meanwhile, Fudge played just under four minutes in relief and did not produce any points. The Salt Lake City Summer League also began on Monday, with four more teams competing, including Mann's Thunder squad. Mann led the game in minutes, playing almost 33 minutes while scoring 20. He added seven rebounds and three steals as well after getting the starting nod at guard. Not to mention, a highlight reel dunk over Micah Potter. The dunk quickly circulated around social media as many wondered how Mann was able to slam the ball down over Potter who holds a five-inch advantage. In the Thunder's second game, Mann again earned a starting role and led all scorers with an impressive 28 points. Heading into his third NBA season, the former Gators' star is primed to have a big role for OKC. Mann followed up his rookie season in which he averaged 10.4 points with another solid campaign which saw him total 7.7 ppg over the course of 67 games. Oklahoma City wrapped up their third and final game in the Salt League City tournament on Thursday night. Mann again put up a 20+ point performance, ending the evening with 23 points and eight rebounds. Keyontae Johnson was listed as out with an illness/injury for the team's first two games, but did not play in game three due to a coaching decision. The rest of the former Gators will make their 2023 summer league debuts starting on Friday when the NBA 2K24 Summer League begins on Friday.

Former Florida Gators quarterback Jalen Kitna had five child pornography charges dropped on Wednesday as part of a plea deal. Kitna was very publicly arrested in November in Gainesville on two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography. He was released after posting bond and returned to his family's home in Burleson, Texas in the days following the arrest. Kitna was also dismissed from the Gators shortly after the incident, putting an end to a brief career for the Orange & Blue. After redshirting during the 2021 season, Kitna made four appearances in 2022 logging 181 passing yards and a touchdown. In Wednesday's hearing, Kitna read a statement in the front of the Alachua County courthouse. “I want to start off by apologizing to my family, my friends and those that care about me,” Kitna said. “Their support through this whole ordeal has meant a lot to me. The hardest thing about this whole process has been seeing how it’s affected them." Among those in attendance were Kitna's mother and father, the latter of whom is former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna. With the plea deal, Kitna will not need to serve any jail time nor will he be registered as a sex offender. Instead, Eighth Judicial Circuit Judge Susan Miller-Jones placed him under a one year probation, which could be reduced to six months if the he abides by the conditions of parole. The deal resulted in Kitna pleading no contest to two misdemeanor counts of breach of the peace. In terms of what the future may hold, Kitna is currently taking classes online. Following the incident he was banned from the University of Florida campus effective through November 2025. He continues to hold collegiate eligibility if he wants to make an attempt at resuming his playing career, but he will have quite a hard time finding a program willing to give him a chance. GatorBait is actively investigating Kitna's options and whether or not he plans to return to the field.

Florida continues to reshape their softball team after a subpar 2023 season that saw the Tim Walton led Gators miss the Super Regionals for only the third time since he was hired in 2006. One being his first year. Brooke Barnard transfers to the Gators out of Mississippi. The Ole Miss utility player played in 74 games during her freshman and sophomore years. Batting .257 with two walks, four extra-base hits and seven stolen bases in 2022. Barring .333 a double, a triple, and a home run to go along with nine RBIs and six runs scored In 2023. Joining Brooke from the portal is Louisville transfer Korbe Otis. Otis has started every game as an outfielder in 2022 and 2023 seasons. Batting .354 average, 18 doubles, 10 triples, 15 home runs with 73 RBI and 94 runs scored. Otis led the ACC and triples (7) and runs per game (1.12) While ranking nationally 5th and 7th respectively in those categories. Korbe has great speeds stealing 23 out of 24 attempted stolen bases and ran track in high school setting records in the 100 meter and 200 meter. These are welcome additions to the team and the number one recruiting class led by Gatorade Players of the Year, pitcher Ava Brown and pitcher Keagan Rothrock. Along with the players lost by graduation Charla Echols, Samantha Bender, Kinsey Goelz, Elizabeth Hightower, Sarah Longley and Pal Egan the Gators lose sophomore pitcher Lexi Delbrey and sophomore catcher Sam Roe who have transferred out. Another welcome change in the off-season is the addition of a new pitching coach Chelsey Dobbins. Dobbins has spent the last eight years at North Carolina coaching multiple pitchers to NFCA and ACC honors. You know coach Walton is looking to not only win a regional next year but get back to Oklahoma City and the Woman’s College World Series. He will not stand still and there's still room to make a few more moves this offseason. Hopefully, more new and positive changes coming soon.

July 4, 2023 A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: The old girl is about to get a facelift, a tummy tuck, a bit of lipo and some Botox. Yes, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is about to get a much-needed makeover. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin has set a price tag of $400 million to modernize the iconic stadium, a hefty, but necessary expense. The secret for this new do will be to modernize the stadium without losing ambience. Way too often something is lost when stadiums are refurbished and it would be a shame for BHG to lose some of the things that make it one of the more intimidating places to play in all of college football. It may involve decreasing capacity by a few thousand seats to eliminate the feeling everyone is shoehorned in. Chairbacks will definitely be a nice addition as will wider concourses and easier to access concession stands. While they’re about it, they should do something about a press box that ranks 13th among the 14 SEC schools. The only one worse is Vanderbilt, but Vanderbilt Stadium ranks dead last in everything. Don’t do anything that would lower the decibel level nor do anything that would make opposing teams feel less claustrophobic. One thing that might be a nice addition would be pink paint for the opposing locker room. Hayden Fry did that at Iowa years ago after psychological studies showed pink has a rather mellowing affect on people. A look at the SEC West Alabama Last year was supposed to be the Nick Saban Revenge Tour after the ambush in the 2021 national championship game. Well, Bama didn’t even make the SEC Championship Game much less the national championship game. Two years, no national championship and Kirby Smart being declared by many the best coach in the nation. So what does Nick do about it? He brings in Kevin Steele to coordinate the defense and Tommy Rees from Notre Dame to take over the offense. Not exactly overwhelming choices. Not even whelming choices. If it were anyone else but Nick Saban and anywhere else but Alabama, you would think the sun is setting on the Alabama dynasty, especially since the quarterbacks in the spring were so bad that Rees brought in Tyler Buchner, who has completed more passes to the other team (8) than he has thrown TDPs (6) in two years with the Domers. They said similar things in 2015 when FSU transfer Jacob Coker was the QB. All he did was lead Bama to a 14-1 season and a national championship. Talent is not an issue. In fact, there might be so much talent on defense that even Kevin Steele can’t screw it up. Offense? It will be ground and pound. Remember the name Justice Haynes. He is a beast who might break all the Alabama rushing records by the time he’s finished. Texas, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Tennessee are homers. The Aggies and Auburn are on the road. Anything less than 11 wins will have people ready to impale themselves on Ginsu knives they bought of an infomercial. Arkansas Arkansas finished dead last nationally in pass defense a year ago. Opponents sliced and diced the Hogs for 294 yards a game and 24 TDPs, which might have something to do with a 7-6 record. Arkansas should have won 10 games last year with that offense. They’re going to score points again this year, but new defensive coordinator Travis Williams doesn’t have the talent to stop anybody. KJ Jefferson has an Anthony Richardson body and arm. He’s 6-4, 245 pounds and will wow everyone at the NFL Combine with his size, speed and arm. Rocket Sanders is a 237-pound bull who requires two or three tacklers to bring him down. The O-line has three new starters, but any team Sam Pittman coaches will be good enough up front. Catching the ball? Question mark there. Stopping people? Forget about it. It’s not going to happen. The schedule says four wins max, but the Razorbacks probably will win a couple they shouldn’t in shootout form. Six wins. Seven is a dream. Auburn Only one coach has beaten Nick Saban in back-to-back years since he took the job at Alabama and that coach is now the HBC at Auburn after spending four seasons getting his sins cleansed at Liberty. When he was at Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze beat Alabama in Oxford in 2014 and again in Tuscaloosa in 2015. He is not going to be intimidated by Nick Saban nor the Alabama aura. Of course, the same thing was said about Gus Malzahn, who took his $24 million buyout to UCF. So how is Hugh Freeze going to pull Auburn into the same conversation with Alabama? It starts with the portal, where there have been serious upgrades, particularly at quarterback (Payton Thorne from Michigan State) and wide receiver (Zakhari Franklin from UT-San Antonio and Tre Harris from Louisiana Tech). At least 10 transfers will start for the Tigers, six on the offensive side of the football. A year ago Auburn couldn’t put points on the board, but that should change dramatically in 2023. Can Auburn stop anyone, particularly on the ground? That will be the question that has to be answered quickly. A year ago, the Tigers gave up 448 rushing yards to Ole Miss, 292 to Georgia, 276 to Arkansas and 245 to Penn State. If Auburn can figure a way to stuff opponents running the ball and get off the field, it’s going to be a surprising year. There is a four-game gauntlet of (at) Texas A&M, Georgia, (at) LSU and Ole Miss, plus the season-ender Iron Bowl game with Bama. On paper this looks like a 5-loss season, but figure Auburn will win at least one game it shouldn’t. Eight wins. LSU Kim Mulkey won the women’s basketball national title in year two and Jay Johnson just won the baseball national title in year two. So, in Tigerthink, Brian Kelly will win the national championship this year, right? Well, maybe. LSU has a lot of very good players, but are the Tigers better than Alabama, who they play in Tuscaloosa in November? If they win the SEC West are they better than Georgia? Georgia clobbered them in the SEC Championship Game last year. Kelly has gone heavy into the portal for a second straight year, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. The offense figures to be exceptional with Jayden Daniels at QB, four returning starters on the O-line and transfer running back Logan Diggs from Notre Dame. Stopping people should be easier with stud EDGE Harold Perkins and DT Mekhi Wingo returning, bolstered by Oregon State transfer MLB Omar Speights and Syracuse transfer CB Duce Chestnut. If LSU handles Florida State with ease in game one, buckle your seatbelt because there is every good chance they’ll be in the national title hunt, but it will still come down to this: Is LSU better than Alabama and Georgia? Maybe, but probably not. Ten or 11 wins, just not the one LSU will need in Tuscaloosa. Mississippi State The Bulldogs had a good thing going with Mike Leach because it takes more than a week to adequately prep for the Air Raid. When Leach died, Mississippi State promoted defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to HBC. He promptly tossed out the Air Raid for something more conventional. It will be back to pre-Dan Mullen in StarkVegas, which is to say three and four win seasons will be the norm. Mike Leach and QB Will Rogers were a scary tandem. Rogers is back but he’ll be under center a lot and handing the ball off a whole lot more because Arnett is convinced the Bulldogs need to run the football. How’s that going to happen with an entire offense that was recruited to throw the football 600 times a year? The defense will be good, but good enough to win against a schedule that includes LSU, (at) South Carolina, Alabama (at) Arkansas, (at) Texas A&M and Ole Miss? Joe Moorhead was fired after going 14-12 in two seasons after the departure of Mullen to Florida. Zach Arnett will be lucky to win that many. Four wins this season, five at the most. Ole Miss Nobody likes to play a Lane Kiffin-coached team because they know he will stretch their defense every which way and sideways. Lane’s going to put points on the board, always has, always will. Definitely will this year. Stopping people? That’s been a big problem. The guy who’s job it is to fix that teensy little issue is Pete Golding, formerly of Alabama. Officially, he left Bama on his own accord. Probably he got an ever so slight nudge from Nick, but his defenses were top five in the SEC every single year. Top five defensively at Ole Miss in 2023 is a pipe dream, but can Pete Golding give the Rebels one or two more possessions every game? The Rebels have the best quarterback situation in the SEC with Jaxson Dart and Spencer Sanders, the best RB in the country in Quinshon Judkins and quality receivers out the wazzoo. If tight end Michael Trigg stays healthy he will be somebody’s nightmare to defend. Four starters return on an O-line that gave up only 16 sacks and paved the way for 256 rushing yards per game. Pete Golding will have to figure out how to stop people. The schedule is daunting with (at) Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and (at) Auburn on consecutive weeks along with a late season visit to Georgia. Because the Rebels will score a lot of points, eight wins. Anyone but Lane would be lucky to break even. Texas A&M Instead of a Jimbo vs. Nick conversation starter we have the shotgun marriage of Jimbo to new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino to talk about. The Aggies need an infusion of new blood to deal with all that talent Jimbo Fisher has assembled, but Bobby Petrino, when Kendal Briles, who knows Texas like the back of his hand, was available (he wound up at TCU)? Maybe Jimbo knows something nobody else knows. This is either going to work magnificently well or else it’s going to end in divorce. Smart money is on divorce. Jimbo is on the hot seat. He lost six games in a row last year, something that hadn’t been done since 1972. He’s halfway through the buyout, not that finding the money to pay off a coach is a big deal to big bucks Aggie boosters. It is said – and true – that the only ones with more money than the Aggies are God and the Longhorns. For Jimbo to remain in the good graces of folks whose bank account numbers are separated by multiple commas, Conner Weigman better be good all season long as he was when the Aggies ambushed LSU in the final regular season game. Nine starters return from a defense that was middle of the pack in the SEC. Does a year older make them a year better? Anything less than eight wins and Jimbo might as well call the local Two Men and a Truck guys to clean out his office. We’ll know how good the Aggies are when they complete the four-game stretch of Auburn, Arkansas (in Arlington), Alabama and (at) Tennessee. There are also roadies to Ole Miss and LSU. Seven wins. Eight at the most. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Today is the Fourth of July. We celebrate 247 years of independence as a country. For all our problems – there are many – there aren’t any that can’t be solved if our people can simply take the time to talk things through. Arguing incessantly isn’t solving anything. Talk. Then listen. Amazing what might happen if we get the people in charge to give that a shot. One thing a free country has given us is the marvelous gift of college sports. I can’t think of anything that has brought more people from diverse backgrounds together the way college sports have throughout the years. Entire communities have been lifted up because college sports have provided the scholarships to young people who may not have afforded an education. They’ve gone back to the communities from which they came and offered helping hands to other young people and the entire community benefitted. I grew up in the old south as the barriers of segregation began to tumble down. I think back to those years and then see how so much has changed in the last 60 or so years. It’s not perfect by a long shot, but I see how far we’ve come. As a writer I see how sports – college sports especially – have had such an important role in fundamentally changing our society. They’ve helped to teach us that it’s possible to work together for a common goal, that all the athletes we cheer for on the field or on the court sweat the exact same color. That is worth celebrating. Happy Fourth!

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to Undergo Major Transformation, UAA Announces GAINESVILLE, FL. - The University Athletic Association (UAA) has revealed plans for a significant renovation of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The $400 million dollar project looks to modernize the fan experience at "The Swamp" while still preserving what fans love the most --traditions that have made the stadium iconic to Gator fans for the past 90 years. After extensive studies and evaluations over the last five-plus years, the UAA is now preparing to select an architect to lead the design phase of this ambitious project. The upcoming renovation is expected to be the largest facility project in the history of the UAA. "We've engaged with vendors specializing in iconic venues and stadium experiences to explore various solutions," said Scott Stricklin, Athletics Director at the University of Florida. "Now, we are seeking an architect who can present renovation, construction, and phasing options for The Swamp." The architectural team will oversee every aspect of the fan experience, including upgrades to the concourse, entry gates, seating, concessions, restrooms, video board, and sound system. The goal is to enhance the stadium while maintaining the long-standing relationship Gator fans have with their game-day traditions. The financial estimates for the project start at approximately $400 million, and the funding will be secured through an aggressive fundraising campaign, similar to previous facility projects at the University of Florida. The UAA will adhere to the university's policies and procedures throughout all phases of the project. The search for the project's architect will commence in July through a formal bidding process coordinated with the UF Campus Planning, Design, and Construction Office. The chosen architectural team will not only be responsible for the design but will also develop a planning strategy and determine the project's phasing components. While many details are yet to be determined, including final costs, seating capacity, and specific timelines, Scott Stricklin emphasized that the focus is on finding an architect who can provide options and help shape the future of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. For now, Gator fans await the unveiling of the architectural team's vision with the promise of blended modernization and tradition that honors the real legacy of The Swamp.