Off and running on a picture perfect day at Churchill Duwns When The Derby Gets In Your Blood In my world as a young sportswriter, just breaking into what we lovingly called “The Toy Department,” the Kentucky Derby was not merely an assignment. It was a summons. You started out covering high schools, learning how to write fast, spell names right and find the story hiding under a muddy jersey. Then, if you were lucky, you got the beat on the local college team. After that came the dreams: Maybe the Masters, maybe the Final Four, maybe the big fight. And somewhere high on that sacred list was Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. For me, the Derby was the first major event outside the Masters that made me feel like I had crossed over. I loved every minute of the 16 Kentucky Derbies I was fortunate enough to see. The color, the noise, the horses, the hats, the brass bands, the smell of the barns and the sudden silence just before the gate opened. You don’t have to know a thing about bloodlines or fractions or Beyer figures to understand the Kentucky Derby. It explains itself in thunder. And if I wasn’t already hooked by the time I got there, Secretariat finished the job. That magnificent red horse did not just win the Triple Crown. He rearranged the imagination. His 31-length victory in the Belmont remains the most dominating performance I have ever seen in a championship event. Not a race, really. More like a revelation. Maybe I was destined for this. I was a native of Ocala, the “Horse Capital of the World,” where names like Needles and Carry Back were not just printed in record books. They were part of the local gospel. When your hometown has Derby winners in its bloodstream, the Run for the Roses feels personal. That is why I still watch, still care and still get pulled back in every spring. I did not have the winner this time. Most of us didn’t. Golden Tempo came rolling home and gave trainer Cherie DeVaux a place in history as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. But even when your ticket is torn up, the Derby never leaves you empty-handed. There is always another story. Always another reason to look twice. This year, one of them was a horse named So Happy, trained by Mark Glatt, whose Derby dream came only months after the death of his wife, Dena. A horse with a joyful name carrying a brokenhearted man to the biggest stage in American racing. That is the Derby for you. It can be cruel and beautiful in the same breath. The race lasts barely two minutes, but the stories live a lot longer. That is what I learned as a young writer in The Toy Department. We thought we were going to cover games and races. What we were really covering was life — hope, grief, luck, courage and the occasional miracle wearing silks. The Kentucky Derby still has all of that. And every May, when the horses turn for home and the crowd rises as one, I am young again, notebook in hand, trying to catch the thunder before it gets away.

A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: It is being reported that the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, will enact the 5-for-5 rule effective the 2026-27 season, in all probability prior to Memorial Day weekend. Furthermore, it is being reported that it will affect all sports and none of the seniors from the 2025-26 season who have already played four years, will be grandfathered in. The new rule will set a timeline – the 5-year clock starts ticking on high school graduation day or when the athlete turns 19, whichever comes first. Expect the court dockets to be filled immediately with athletes who want to play another year as well as those who will challenge the timeline. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss will be the poster child for those seeking another year. Denied a waiver by the NCAA, Chambliss took his case to the state courts in Mississippi where he won. By the time the NCAA can appeal this decision and get it before a federal magistrate, the 2026 football season will be under way, so rather than fight on, the NCAA added the Chambliss case to its long list of nuclear winters suffered in court rooms across the country. Trinidad Chambliss began his college football career at Ferris State in Michigan in 2021. He spent four years at Ferris, and spent last year at Ole Miss, where he quarterbacked the Rebels into the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. This will be his sixth year since high school graduation. He will be 24 years old in August. If implemented the new rule, which also eliminates waivers, has a direct effect on Denzel Aberdeen, who is petitioning for a fifth season of eligibility. As a freshman at the University of Florida in 2022, Aberdeen played 40 minutes, nine of which were against UCF in an NIT game. It is in Aberdeen’s favor that the NCAA doesn’t have set guidelines for all sports when it comes to redshirting. For basketball, playing one game eliminates the redshirt, but a football player can play in four games as a freshman and earn a redshirt season. For example, Austin Barber, who was drafted last week by the Cleveland Browns, played in three games as a freshman in 2021. That was a redshirt year. He played another four, the last three as a starter. If the NCAA doesn’t grant Aberdeen’s appeal, then he can certainly take his case to the state courts where he is likely to win based on precedent of others getting waivers and the unequal application of redshirt rules. Whether or not the NCAA grandfathers in seniors, figure Denzel Aberdeen will win in court and will be playing for Todd Golden and the Gators next year. Figure also that the NCAA will be dispatching lawyers to courts across the country where it is likely to do what it always does: Lose! THE RICH KEEP GETTING RICHER The gap between the haves of college sports – the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference – and the have nots continues to grow. Big Ten schools took home $76.1 million per school last year while the SEC schools pulled in $72.4 million. The Atlantic Coast Conference distributed around $45 million, while the Big 12 distributed $40 per school. The dropoff to the Group of Six is significant as Memphis (American) got $11 million from the conference’s media agreements. Significant growth is expected in Big Ten and SEC revenues, which expect to exceed $100 million a year within the next couple of years. Meanwhile, the ACC, Big 12 and bottom feeders in the Group of Six have no way to keep up. In the ACC, Florida State is seeking a private equity deal that can help it deal with its massive $475 million athletic department debt. Duke just signed a deal with Amazon Prime Video to broadcast three basketball games. It is a multi-year deal, but under the ACC media rights agreement with ESPN will Duke have to share the money with the other schools? SMU doesn’t take ACC money. As part of its agreement to join the ACC, SMU oil gozillionaires ponied up big bucks so the school doesn’t need the media money. Does that free SMU to join another conference? Is there another conference that even wants SMU? The Big 12 just signed an equity agreement with Red Bird Capital that will infuse $12.5 million into the league and give each of its 16 member schools access to a $30 million line of credit. The catch to the line of credit is borrowing requires pay back with double digit interest. Cody Campbell, who made billions pumping for West Texas oil, is spending like crazy up and down the Texas Tech athletic program. He bankrolled softball pitcher Nijaree Canady to the tune of $1.05 million. How many Big 12 schools have a booster willing to spend the big bucks to keep up with the Big Ten and SEC Joneses? Making matters worse is the lack of guardrails for the transfer portal and nothing in the way of restrictions on NIL spending, which make the Group of Six schools the equivalent of baseball’s minor leagues. Unless changes are made – and quickly – their sole purpose will be to take high school kids and prepare them for the portal. There are suggestions to go to an NFL model which would essentially pare down Division I to around 80 or so schools with all media money pooled so that there is equal distribution. This would involve leaving the NCAA – not a bad idea when you think about it – and hiring an all-powerful commissioner. It would involve business people taking over college sports rather than college presidents. This is a move that would take time and probably would involve fierce resistance from the academics in charge of schools. Would they be willing to cede power for the money it takes to sustain the athletic program? And what about the Group of Six? Some might be absorbed into the power conferences if they’re lucky, but what about the others? The solution could be to create a new division, give it its own championship and to avoid anti-trust lawsuits, of which there would be many, give them enough television exposure that they could keep the lights on without serious cutbacks. What we have is a problem that threatens the existence of college sports as we know them. While it is great that fans of Big Ten and SEC schools have these gigantic revenue deals, at some point the issues that affect the little guys will have to be addressed. When they start dropping athletic programs, the ripple effect will be a shrinking talent pool for their big brothers and that is a problem that needs to be addressed sooner and not later. A SIGN OF THE TIMES Arkansas was among four NCAA Division I schools to announce it will discontinue its men’s and women’s tennis programs earlier in the week. Fiscally, it doesn’t make a lot of sense because the programs cost Arkansas a fraction more than $2.5 million combined and the school had athletic department revenues in excess of $195 million. Some folks want to claim it’s all because of football and NIL. Correct when it comes to the non-power conference schools, but among the power conferences, which have far more money, the move is fueled by fewer and fewer Americans are into tennis these days. A look at the men’s and women’s tennis rosters at the University of Florida is a good example. Of the ten listed on Florida’s men’s roster, only three are Americans. The other six are from Venezuela, Sweden, England, Australia, Thailand, Spain and Cyprus. On the women’s roster, the only American is India Houghton, a graduate transfer who played at Iowa State and Miami before landing in Gainesville. The other seven are from England (2), Slovakia, Russia, Canada, China and France. Only two of the top ten ranked Division I collegiate men are American, three women. The last time an American man won the US Open tennis title was 2003 when Andy Roddick took the title. An American man hasn’t won Wimbledon since Pete Sampras did it in 1999. On the women’s side, Serena Williams is the last American to win the US Open (2014) and Wimbledon (2016). Former Gator Ben Shelton (6) and Taylor Fritz (7) are the only Americans in the top ten on the men’s pro tour. On the women’s pro tour, CoCo Grauf (3), Jessica Pegula (5) and Amanda Anisimova (6) are the only Americans in the top ten. The sport is in decline in the US and until more Americans excel in tennis, more and more schools are going to choose to expend their resources in other sports. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: No one seems to know who coined the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but someone needs to remind the NCAA, which, in its infinite wisdom is going to expand the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams. Just what we need, an infusion of mediocrity into a tournament that basically rules the sports world during the month of March. Instead of four play-in games involving eight teams on two nights in Dayton, another eight games and 16 teams will be added, perhaps at two other sites. Ya-hoo. The 12 winners of these games will complete the NCAA Tournament field of 64 teams. Supposedly, this will open things up so typical one-bid leagues can get a second team in if their regular season champion gets ambushed in the conference tournament. That happens all the time but how many of those teams are actual threats to win the national championship? And, doesn’t this open the door for more mediocre teams at the power conference level to sneak in? If the tournament had been expanded last season, Auburn, which was 17-16 after the SEC Tournament, would have gotten in. Yes, Auburn won the NIT, but does anyone with a functioning brain believe the Tigers would have been a threat to win it all? Of course, expansion almost surely means the death of the NIT, which has become known as the Nobody’s Interested Tournament. Expanding the NCAA Tournament seriously deletes the pool of so-so teams that get a chance to play on after they take a powder in their conference tournament. The increase in television revenue from adding eight more play-in games won’t be significant so why add more games? The tournament is far from broken and doesn’t need fixing. But, lest we forget, this is the NCAA we are talking about, the same organization that Brian Bosworth once called the “National Communists Against Athletes.” Lots of folks laughed when he wore the T-shirt with that slogan emblazoned on it. Nobody should be laughing now.

(Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Sunday morning: You can’t blame Anthony Richardson for leaving Florida for the NFL after the 2022 season. In his one season as the Gators’ starting quarterback, Richardson oozed potential even though it was a year filled with inconsistency. NFL scouts thought that with some coaching they could bring out the best in Richardson, whose size, speed and arm strength made him the prototype of the future. Indianapolis took him with the fourth pick of the first round. Fast forward to last Friday and those same Indianapolis Colts declined the fifth-year option on Richardson’s rookie contract. In the NFL that’s the equivalent of dead man walking. The Colts have already moved on. They’re on the hook for Richardson’s money and he will be on their training camp roster unless they can unload him to another team. So what went wrong here? The easy thing would be to point fingers at former Florida coach Billy Napier, his predictable offense and underwhelming staff. Those things played a part in this debacle, but the real answer lies in experience. Drafted ahead of Richardson in 2023 were Bryce Young (Alabama, 28 career starts) and CJ Stroud (Ohio State, 25 career starts). Not only did they start but they won. A lot. Young was 28-5 as Alabama’s starter. Stroud was 21-4. Anthony Richardson started 12 games for the Gators, going 6-6. He had a choice to return to Florida to refine his skills but chose the NFL route. You can’t blame him. He got a 4-year deal worth more than $33 million. That’s generational money and there are no guarantees he would have had the same opportunity to earn the same kind of contract had he returned to Florida for another year. Anthony Richardson is in limbo now. He’s on a team that has moved on to another quarterback and while he’s publicly stated he would like to be traded, so far there haven’t been any offers. Is his career salvageable? That we don’t know. What we do know is all the talent in the world can’t trump experience and good coaching. THE SILLY SEASON TAKES ON NEW MEANING We used to call the time between the end of spring football and the start of fall practice the silly season because this was when athletes and police had close encounters of the arresting kind. Florida was famous for it during the Urban Meyer years. Georgia seems to have picked up the slack during Kirby Smart’s tenure, enough so that the Fulmer Cup should be retired and placed prominently in Athens. Well, it’s not just athletes cornering the market on brain dead moments anymore. The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, is making headlines with its soon to be law of the land 5-for-5 rule, which is a vote away from eliminating waivers and grandfathering in 4th-year seniors from 2025. As if we need further proof the NCAA desperately needs real leadership, it plans to expand its cash cow NCAA Tournament to 76 teams. There is good and bad in the 5-for-5, which will also set a timeframe for athletes in every sport that starts on high school graduation day or age 19, whichever comes first. The new rule should also be amended to include one free transfer during the five years and sit out a year for any transfers beyond that. That would go a long way toward cleaning up the out-of-control portal. The 5-for-5 is bad because by not grandfathering in the 4th-year seniors it will open the floodgates for lawsuits. Have you taken a look lately at all the 4th-year seniors who put their names in the basketball transfer portal? Bet the farm that most of them have already lawyered up and ready to bombard the NCAA with lawsuit after lawsuit. The athletes will win this one, too, because there is the precedent of hundreds of waivers in recent years that granted fifth, sixth and even seventh years of eligibility. To avoid the lawsuits, the NCAA will need to amend its rule to grandfather in all athletes who were in school for the 2025-26 athletic year. If not, the NCAA will be dispatching lawyers to every nook and cranny of the country to do battle with local and state court judges. The NCAA should check its records for Trinidad Chambliss to see how that worked out. As if embarrassed that the NCAA is stealing all the headlines, the College Football Playoff is embroiled in a feud over expansion of the playoff from its current 12 teams to the 16 favored by most conferences and the 24 favored by Big Ten commish Tony Petiti. We’re two years into the 12-team model and it’s doing fine although it needs some tweaks since the top four teams get bye weeks and most of them lose when they go to the second round having not played a game for three weeks. Indiana was an exception this year as the No. 1, but No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech weren’t so lucky, losing to lower seeded teams that played the week before. The ideal way to deal with the bye week problem is to eliminate them completely and you do that by expanding to 16 teams. It takes three weeks to get the trash fish out of the pond, leaving only two teams standing for the championship game. Play the first two weeks on campuses, then bowl venues for the semifinals followed by a championship game that is rotated among Atlanta, Dallas, Miami or Tampa, Phoenix and Los Angeles. Although 16 teams does make sense in terms of eliminating bye weeks, it does open the door for teams that truly don’t deserve a chance to play for a national championship. Do we really want a three-or-four loss team to be crowned national champ? Yeah, it happens in basketball, but the national champ has gone through a 40-game marathon that includes three 2-game weekends back-to-back-to-back before they play “One Shining Moment.” One way to do 16 teams would be the champs from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC guaranteed, the four highest ranked teams from Notre Dame and the Group of Six plus eight at-large teams. But, that’s not going to pass muster with the powers that be since we saw what happened to Tulane and James Madison when they got into the playoff last year. Ole Miss hung 41 on Tulane and Oregon 51 on James Madison. The power schools will argue for less access by the Group of Six teams, which means we should get ready for three and four-loss teams in the playoff. A four-loss team in the playoffs? If the College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams, we can expect that to happen. To make a 24-team playoff work, it would start with eight games (16 teams) with eight teams (conference champions?) getting a first round bye. Then there would be eight games in week two, four games in week three, two games in week four and then then championship game. Throw in conference championship games the week after the final regular season game and we might have an 18-game season for the winning team. The 2025 championship game was played on January 19, 2026. Adding more layers to the playoff would further extend the season. One thought that is being pushed around is to eliminate conference championship games. Considering how much money the Southeastern Conference makes on the annual pilgrimage to Atlanta, that idea has a snowball’s chance of passing. The solution is to start the season a week or two earlier in August but that means fall practice would begin in mid-July, the hottest time of the year. What the problems of the NCAA and the College Football Playoff emphasize is the need for real leadership. Both the NCAA and CFP go work on the theory that everything is best decided by a committee. We do not need committees. We need strong leaders to emerge. We need business people in charge and commissioners who know and understand the concept of money and sport in charge. What we don’t need are committees that include clones of Robert Marston, Marshall Criser and Kent Fuchs making decisions. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Having struck out numerous times while attempting to build a championship roster, Mark Pope of Kentucky found himself in Tel Aviv over the weekend trying to lure a 23-year-old Israeli professional to join a roster that analyst Aaron Gershon evaluated last week like this: “Objectively, on paper, Kentucky has a bottom five roster in the SEC right now and it’s about to be May.” Well, it is May and Kentucky, with all its tradition and cash for basketball, is, by UK standards, angling for disaster. Last week, Tyran Stokes, the nation’s number one high school recruit, chose Kansas over Kentucky. Kentucky was in it for Sayon Keita, a 7-footer who plays for Barcelona in the Spanish League. Keita chose North Carolina instead. That 0-for-2 week has not settled well with the Big Blue Nation which is already plotting to excommunicate the Pope next March unless things change in a hurry. Last year spending $22 million on its roster netted 14 losses, proof positive that money doesn’t always buy you love. Despite a willingness to spend freely to lure the best transfers to Lexington, Kentucky has basically struck out. The seven players who departed via the portal have been replaced by Zoom Diallo (Washington), Alex Wilkins (Furman), Justin McBride (James Madison) and Jerone Morton (Washington State). Not exactly household names, and with the exception of Diallo, who is a very good point guard, unlikely to make a dent in the SEC. If Malachi Moreno ups his draft stock significantly at the NBA combine – entirely possible since he’s 7-0, skilled and just 18 years old – it’s entirely possible he won’t return to Kentucky for his sophomore season. If he doesn’t come back, buzzards will be circling the Kentucky basketball complex and the Big Blue Nation will be plotting to excommunicate the Pope with Billy Donovan the targeted replacement.

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One coaches’ clinic blog put it well: Buster’s offense “eliminates the defensive coordinator” because the 40-year-old in the press box can’t dial up the blitz he worked on all week — the 20-year-old kid on the field has to make the call in real time. I’m far from an expert, but let me give you a tip folks, based on my many trips around the Sun as a Gator and the many moons as a paid observer. I’ve covered Florida football long enough to know the difference between a coordinator hire that makes the message boards purr and one that actually makes a difference on Saturday afternoon. This one — Buster Faulkner — has the chance to be the second kind. And no, I’m not going to draw you a chalkboard or talk your ear off about gap schemes and zone reads. Save that for the X’s-and-O’s gearheads on YouTube. This is for the rest of us — Gator fans who just want to know what Saturdays in The Swamp are about to look and feel like. Here’s the short version: it’s going to be more fun. This is a light touch based on gut instincts about what we think we might know: Buster Fuller’s Favorite Things in His Offense 1. A pulling guard who arrives in a bad mood. 2. A fullback with no neck and limited interest in diplomacy. 3. Third-and-2, because football was not invented for poets. 4. A tight end who blocks like somebody insulted his mama. 5. The off-tackle play, because subtlety is for bridge clubs. 6. A quarterback smart enough to hand it off and stay out of the literature. 7. A defense that knows what’s coming and still gets introduced to local real estate. 8. The forward pass, in moderation, like dessert or dental surgery. 9. A five-minute drive that leaves the other sideline looking for legal counsel. 10. Touchdowns that arrive with grass stains, not choreography. Back To This As A Serious Story. About A Coach Who Likes the Ball to Fly. Buster Faulkner grew up in the Atlanta suburbs at a time when Georgia Tech meant Joe Hamilton slinging it all over the yard and a quarterback named Reggie Ball pitching it to a kid named Calvin Johnson. Buster played quarterback himself at Valdosta State, where a young Mike Leach left behind the bones of the Air Raid before he ever made it famous in Lubbock. So when Faulkner says he wants to put the ball in playmakers’ hands and let them run, that’s not a coachspeak soundbite. That’s who he is. Then he spent three years in Athens learning at Todd Monken’s elbow, helping turn Stetson Bennett — Stetson Bennett! The former walk-on, mind you — into a Heisman finalist and a two-time national champion. Make of that what you will about the pending choice for quarterback. That’s the apprenticeship. That’s where a smart Group-of-Five coordinator became one of the highest-paid assistants in the country. Last December, the company FootballScoop folks picked Faulkner as the 2025 Offensive Coordinator of the Year — an award previously won by Lincoln Riley, Lane Kiffin and Mike Shanahan (Independent Florida Alligator). Florida did not hire a project. Florida hired a closer. The Big Word: Explosive Forget the schematic alphabet soup. The number you need to remember is twenty. As in 20-yard plays. Faulkner’s last Georgia Tech offense finished top-15 in the country in explosive runs of 20 yards or more. They were 12th nationally in total offense at 466.3 yards a game — and they did it with Georgia Tech’s groceries, not Florida’s. That’s the part that ought to make Gator fans sit up. The way Faulkner gets there is sneaky simple. He doesn’t have a thousand plays — he has a handful, and he dresses them up a thousand different ways. Shifts. Motions. Bunch sets. Empty backfields. By the time the ball is snapped, the safety’s still pointing, the linebacker’s still hollering, and Florida’s best playmaker is running into a window of grass that wasn’t there two seconds ago. One coaches’ clinic blog put it well: Buster’s offense “eliminates the defensive coordinator” because the 40-year-old in the press box can’t dial up the blitz he worked on all week — the 20-year-old kid on the field has to make the call in real time. That’s the whole game. Make the defense think. Make them communicate. Then hit them where they aren’t. The Quarterback Becomes the Star Again I have missed watching a Florida quarterback be the centerpiece of a football team. Haven’t you? Buster Faulkner’s quarterbacks don’t just throw — they run, they extend, they make plays after the play breaks down. Haynes King at Georgia Tech threw for over 2,000 yards with a 70-percent completion rate and only two interceptions one season (Georgia Tech) — and ran for 11 touchdowns the next. Faulkner himself loves to quote his old boss Monken: “Quarterbacks who can make off-schedule plays are the future” (The Athletic). Off-schedule. That’s a fancy way of saying: When it all goes sideways, the quarterback makes something out of nothing. Tim Tebow used to do that. Rex Grossman did it on his good days. It’s how Florida quarterbacks are supposed to play. Buster’s offense is built for exactly that kid. Less Hero Ball, More Easy Buttons Here’s the part I love. Faulkner doesn’t ask his quarterback to be Superman on every snap. He gives him easy buttons — quick screens, jet sweeps, layups in the flat — that turn into chunk plays because the receiver catches it with a head of steam and grass in front of him. Then, when the defense bites, he rips a double-move over the top for fifty yards. The screens set up the bombs. The runs set up the play action. The motions set up the matchups. Everything ties to everything. Florida’s receivers, who too often last year ran routes nobody bothered to look for, are about to get targeted. With purpose. In space. Junior Micah Mays Jr. already feels the difference — “It’s a lot of dynamic components,” he said this spring, “It’s incredibly explosive, too”. Mays caught two touchdowns in the spring game and went for 122 yards. That wasn’t an accident. That was a coordinator deciding his good players ought to touch the ball. What Saturdays Will Feel Like Faster. That’s the first thing you’ll notice. Faulkner runs tempo. He told his Georgia Tech room last summer, “We move quickly here. We’re not like the NFL where everything operates at a snail’s pace.” The Florida offense will get to the line, look around, send a tight end in motion, send a receiver across the formation, and the ball will be gone before the orange-and-blue student section finishes their first chant. Tougher, too. Don’t let the Air Raid roots fool you. Buster’s run game punches you in the mouth. He’ll line up in two tight ends, two backs, smashmouth as you please, and run counter at you until you tap out — then go four-wide and throw it over your head on the next snap. Brent Key wanted “discipline, physical toughness” at Georgia Tech alongside the fireworks. I believe the last offensive coordinator that the Gators hired from Georgia Tech was named Pepper Rodgers, who brought his “new-fangled (1960) motion offense with him under the Ray Graves regime and coached a quarterback named Steve Spurrier. Jon Sumrall, an old linebacker, is going to want the same thing in Gainesville. Buster gives you both. And here’s the good news — Faulkner’s last Georgia Tech offense gave up the fewest sacks in the ACC three years running. The Translation: the quarterback gets the ball out, the line knows what it’s doing, and you don’t spend half your Saturday watching your guy run for his life. We’ve all watched enough of those movies, haven’t we? A Hire That Just Feels Right Look — I’m not going to sit here and promise you ten wins. We don’t know who’s playing quarterback yet. The portal is still doing its annual rumba. The line has questions. There’s work to do. But I will tell you this: For the first time in a while, Florida has an offensive mind whose résumé matches his mouth. A guy who took the triple-option mausoleum at Georgia Tech and turned it into a top-15 fireworks show in three years. A guy who beat Clemson, beat Duke, beat Syracuse, and got rolled into the top ten with a roster nobody confused with Alabama’s (FootballScoop). Now he’s got Florida’s groceries. Florida’s recruiting base. Florida’s stadium on a Saturday night. I don’t need a chalkboard to tell you what’s coming. I just need you to find your seat early and keep your eye on the football. You’re going to want to see where it goes.

There is no hotter recruiter in the country than Jon Sumrall (Photo by Chris Spears) “It’s not the Xs and Os, it’s the Jimmys and Joes.” – Darrell Royal As the month of April comes to a close, has anyone had a better college football recruiting month than Jon Sumrall? He has yet to coach his first game at Florida, but since he was named head coach to replace Billy Napier back in December he is proving to be the relentless recruiter that has been missing at Florida since the first three years of the Will Muschamp era. With only days to salvage the 2026 recruiting class back in December, Sumrall landed a respectable group that On3.com ranked No. 13. He supplemented the freshmen by mining the NCAA transfer portal for experience and depth at key positions, and in doing so has changed perceptions about the direction in which Florida football is going. Prior to April, Florida’s 2027 class was looking rather grim, but since April 1 Sumrall and his staff have been on a tear, landing seven commitments including 5-star offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller and corner Aamaury Fountain. On3.com currently has the Gators at No. 7 and if Sumrall retains his Midas touch in the months ahead it’s not out of the question for Florida to wind up with its first top five recruiting class since Muschamp did it back-to-back in 2013. Largely regarded as the single most connected of all the recruiting gurus who focus their attention on the Florida Gators, Jason Higdon of 1standTenFlorida.com gave Gator Bait some insight to how and why Sumrall has Florida taking off like a Space X rocket. Here are five questions with Higdon about Florida’s red hot recruiting pace: 1. At its current pace, does Jon Sumrall’s first full recruiting class have the makings of the best Florida recruiting class since Will Muschamp’s 2012 class, which ranked third nationally? At 1standTenFlorida.com, we do all of our own rankings for high school football prospects. Head coach Jon Sumrall and the Florida Gators have taken the recruiting world by storm since arriving in Gainesville. The Gators have 10 verbal commitments: 2 five-stars, 7 four-stars, and 1 three-star. It’s very difficult to predict a top 3 class without knowing the full recruiting boards of all the top programs in America, which will ultimately battle it out for the top class in the country this cycle. FLORIDA COMMIT LIST: Aamaury Fountain 5-Star CB Maxwell Hiller 5-Star OT Amare Nugent 4-Star CB Jackson Ballinger 4-Star TE Tramond Collins 4-Star WR Davin Davidson 4-Star QB Tommy Douglas 3-Star TE Anthony Jennings 4-Star WR De'Voun Kendrick 4-Star DT Peyton Miller 4-Star OG Florida has some major targets still left on the board, including my number one overall player in America, regardless of position, defensive tackle Jalen Brewster. The Gators are sitting in a very favorable position with numerous recruits, which is reflected in our RedZone Predictions: REDZONE WATCH LIST: Kailib Dillard May, 5th Announcement Stive-Bentley Keumajou Youndui, May 6th Announcement Elias PearlAmare Patterson Kamauri Whitfield Kamarion Johnson Frederick Ards I would expect to see this class rank 3-5 if things fall their way down the stretch. 2. What makes Sumrall’s recruiting approach so successful compared to those by McElwain, Mullen, and Napier before him? Coach Sumrall is very relatable, as is the rest of the staff. One of the most impressive things he has done in his short time in Gainesville is the staff he has assembled. Everywhere you look, you will find major SEC experience and play-calling experience from both the OC and the DC. It doesn't matter where you turn, you will find a very relatable coach or support staff member with an extremely high passion for recruiting. This staff, with its blue-collar mentality, approach to recruiting, honesty, integrity, and an organized plan of attack, has been refreshing to watch and, more importantly, to watch them execute the plan to the fullest of their abilities. 3. Florida’s recruiting at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball has been underwhelming for years. Would you discuss the impact Phil Trautwein has had on the offensive line? And things seem to be picking up with the defensive line recruiting. Outside of the strength and conditioning hire, the biggest hire, in my opinion, was the announcement of offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. “In Traut We Trust” has echoed all across The Swamp and rightfully so. He has done an outstanding job in his short time back in Gainesville. Gator Nation can expect 4-5 in the offensive line class on National Signing Day. The Gators will have their choice from some very highly rated players. Offensive Line Prospects to Watch: Maxwell Hiller, Florida verbal Peyton Miller, Florida verbal Elijah Hutcheson Timi Aliu Jordan Agbanoma Terrance Smith Layton Von Brandt Jasper Ngokwere Oluwasemilore OlubobolaIan Walker Junior Saunders Kennedee Jackson Ismael Camara Albert Simien Reis Russell Reed Ramsier Mark Matthews As good a job as Trautwein has done, defensive line coach Gerald Chatman has been equally impressive in the early stages. De'Voun Kendrick, a 4-star defensive tackle who just recently announced his intentions to join the Gator Nation, has the highest upside of anyone in the Southeast, regardless of position. This was a tremendous addition to the class, program, and community. Stive-Bentley Keumajou Youndui will have his announcement ceremony on May 6th, and I predict he will join the class. He is a big-time interior tackle highly coveted by the Gators. Defensive Tackle Prospects to Watch: De'Voun Kendrick, Florida verbal Stive-Bentley Keumajou YounduiTyler Alexander John ArcherJason Johnson Kennedee Jackson Waylon Wooten Maleek Lee Jamar Thompson Brayden Parks Kaiden Robinson-Vickers Mitchell Turner Jalen Brewster, Texas Tech verbal 4. Sumrall is the head coach, but he seems to have brought in outstanding coordinators. Has the change in coordinators on both sides of the ball had a significant impact on recruiting? Are kids seeing Buster Faulkner’s vision for the offense? And does Brad White resonate with the troops? Recruiting is and always will be based on relationships, which will never change. We always see factors impacting recruiting, such as NIL, location, and tradition, but at the top of the list will always be about relationships. Both coaches White and Faulkner have that chip on their shoulder they carry from the weight room, practice field, film room, and the classroom. However, the relationships they have forged over the years with families, recruits, high school coaches, and others are paying off for the Gators and Sumrall. Both of these coaches are on the younger side, full of energy, excitement, and passion. That is the biggest difference from top to bottom with this staff vs. previous staffs, other than the Urban Meyer era. 5. The portal has become so important. Do you foresee a time when recruiting is along the lines of 50-50 – 50 percent high school kids and 50 percent veterans from the portal? Once things start to settle with roster management, the portal numbers will slowly decrease unless you see a mass exodus from the program after the season. This could be caused by numerous factors, but at the top of the list is a head coaching change. Florida and many other programs will use the portal to fill gaps and voids left by players entering the portal, leaving the team in a bad spot at that position. Recruiting rankings by year for each UF coach from 2010-2027 From 1990-2010, the Florida Gators were the winningest program in all of college football (210-57-1). During that time the Gators won three national championships, eight SEC titles and were a constant in the top ten end of the year rankings. Since Urban Meyer retired after the 2010 season, the Gators have gone through four head coaches whose combined record was 118-84. Much of Florida’s inability to win at a championship level can be attributed to recruiting. With the exception of Muschamp, who was a brilliant recruiter, the year-by-year recruiting rankings show why there has been such a decline in winning. Will Muschamp: (10) 2011; (3) 2012; (3) 2013; (8) 2014 Jim McElwain: (28) 2015; (16) 2016; (10) 2017 Dan Mullen: (16) 2018; (11) 2019; (8) 2020; (13) 2021 Billy Napier: (14) 2022; (13) 2023; (10) 2024; (10) 2025 Jon Sumrall: (13) 2026; * (7) 2027 * Class is ongoing

Aortas Butajevas (UAA Photo) Already a master at the art of roster construction, Todd Golden added another strong piece to the 2026-27 puzzle Monday when he signed Lithuanian big man Arturas Butajevas (6-10, 220), who spent the past season playing for Unicas Malaga in Spain where he averaged 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds for the under-22 team. Butajevas is a 19-year-old who has plenty of international experience from playing with the Lithuanian national team both on the European and world stage. At the FIBA under-18 EuroBasket in 2025, he averaged 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds. At the 2024 FIBA under-17 World Cup, he averaged 14.4 points and 11.3 rebounds. At the 2023 FIBA under-16 European championships he averaged 15.6 points and 9.9 rebounds. Adding Butajevas leaves Golden with one scholarship at his disposal, which he can use either on a transfer or another international player. The Gators haven’t been ruled out completely for Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic although that seems less likely. Among the international players who supposedly have had contact with the Gators are Domen Petrovic (6-9, 220, from Slovenia); Sergio DeLarrea (6-6, 180, from Spain); and Noa Kouakoe-Heugue (6-10, 207, from France via the Perth Wildcats in the Australian league). ESPN Too Early Top 25 for 2026-27: 1. FLORIDA; 2. Duke; 3. Michigan; 4. Illinois; 5. UConn; 6. Arkansas; 7. Texas; 8. Alabama; 9. Michigan State; 10. Arizona; 11. Tennessee; 12. Houston; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Southern California; 15. Louisville; 16. Nebraska; 17. Virginia; 18. Iowa State; 19. St. John’s; 20. Missouri; 21. Miami; 22. Purdue; 23. Saint Louis; 24. Gonzaga; 25. Indiana THE FLORIDA ROSTER AS OF APRIL 27 Big guys (6): Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Alex Condon (6-11, 236, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, JR); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 260, SO); Incoming: Jones Lay (7-0, 230); Arturas Butajevas (6-10, 220) Perimeer (8): Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, JR); AJ Brown (6-5, 210, RJR); Alex Kovatchev (6-5, 195, RSO); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, SO); Isaiah Brown (6-5, 210, SO); CJ Ingram (6-7, 210, FR); Alex Lloyd (6-4, 180, FR); From the portal: Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SR, from Kentucky) THE REST OF THE SEC ALABAMA With nine departures and the uncertainty of Aden Holloway’s legal status, Nate Oats has to find shooters for his bombs away offense and some big guys to get rebounds. He’s helped with the big guys. Brandon Garrison (from Kentucky) was a necessity since he rebounds and defends with a very physical presence. Drew Fielder (from Boise State) is a big who can shoot. Oats has four returnees, four from the portal and three freshmen. He has four open scholarships. From the portal (4): Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245, JR, from Kentucky); Jamarion Davis-Fleming (6-10, 240, FR, from Mississippi State); Cole Cloer (6-7, 190, FR, from North Carolina State); Drew Fielder (6-10, 216, JR, from Boise State) Incoming freshmen (3): Tarris Bouie (6-4, 175); Quayden Samuels (6-6, 200); Jaxson Richardson (6-6, 200) ARKANSAS Right now Meleek Thomas is borderline first round. If he slides back to the second round it’s likely he returns. Thomas, Billy Richmond III and four outstanding freshmen give John Calipari a core foundation. He picked up a scorer in Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson and Furman transfer Cooper Bowser gives him rim protection. Malique Ewin could come back for a fifth year when the 5-for-5 rule passes. Among the freshmen are Jordan Smith, the top point guard in 2026 and 5-star bigs JaShawn Andrews and Miika Muurinen. Cal has five scholarships to work with. From the portal (2): Cooper Bowser (6-11, 210, JR, from Furman); Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, SO, from Georgia) Incoming freshmen (4): Jordan Smith Jr. (6-2, 180); JaShawn Andrews (6-4, 195); Abdou Toure (6-6, 200); Miika Murrikan (6-11, 210) AUBURN The key returnees for Steven Pearl were shooters Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford. He has gone strong in the portal for a pair of scorers in Adam Olsen and Thomas Dowd. Bukky Oboye is the rim protector. Pearl has three returnees, two freshmen signees and five from the portal, so he still needs five to fill out his roster. From the portal (5): Bukky Oboye (7-1, 200, RSO, from Santa Clara); Owen Freeman (6-10, 230, JR, from Creighton); Thomas Dowd (6-8, 225, JR, from Troy); Adam Olsen (6-8, 225, FR, from South Alabama); George Kimble III (6-2, 184, SO, from Vanderbilt) Incoming freshmen: Caleb Williams (6-5, 195); Narcisse Ngoy (6-11, 220) GEORGIA The portal has been unkind to Mike White, who lost Somto Cyril and Jeremiah Wilkinson along with four others. Three starters return in Blue Cain, Smurf Millender and Kanon Catchings. Freddie Dilione (from Penn State) is the only notable transfer. There are no incoming freshmen. Four returnees and three from the portal leaves White with eight scholarships to fill. From the portal (3): Freddie Dilione (6-5, 195, JR, from Penn State); Brady Dunlap (6-7, 190, SO, from Saint Louis); Andrew Osasuyi (6-9, 205, FR, from St. Bonaventure) KENTUCKY Will the success of the Louisville Cardinals force a conclave in Lexington where Big Blue Nation will look for three puffs of smoke to indicate if there is a replacement Pope? Mark Pope is in deepest and darkest with four inexperienced returnees, just one freshman and three newbies, two from the portal and one an international. If Malachi Moreno stays in the draft, international signee Ousmane N’Diaye will have to play big minutes immediately. Washington transfer Zoom Diallo is a point and Furman transfer Alex Wilkins can score. There are five open scholarships. Pope needs to use them judiciously or else Kentucky will be seeking a new coach next year. From the portal (2): Zoom Diallo (6-3, 190, SO, from Washington); Alex Wilkins (6-5, 175, FR, from Furman) Qq Incoming freshmen (1): Mason Williams (6-2, 185) International signee (1): Ousmane N’Diaye (6-11, 210, from Senegal) LSU There was a mass exodus when Matt McMahon was fired. It continued after Will Wade was hired. There are ZERO returning players, only one incoming freshman and only one signee from the portal. The situation is grim. Wade needs eight players just so he can have a 5-on-5 scrimmage, 13 to fill out the roster. Going to be a very long year in Baton Rouge. From the portal (1): Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, JR, from Kentucky) Incoming freshmen (1): Kevin Thomas (6-6, 195) MISSISSIPPI STATE Of the four returning players, only Josh Hubbard stands out. All the size graduated or went into the portal. From the portal, the pickings have been slim. Only RJ Johnson averaged double figures (14.4 at Kennesaw State). Chris Jans has five open scholarships and he needs size and at least one complementary scorer to take the heat off Hubbard. Three seniors with size went into the portal so when 5-for-5 is passed, they could return to provide immediate help. From the portal (3): RJ Johnson (6-4, 225, SO, from Kennesaw State); Kendyl Sanders (6-8, 230, FR, from Utah); TJ Simpkins (6-4, 185, JR, from Seton Hall) Incoming freshmen (3): Tristan Reed (6-9, 230); Jalyn Collingwood (6-5, 190); Willie Burnett III (6-4, 175) MISSOURI Dennis Gates lost all his guards and the inside presence of Mark Mitchell, but he has brought in 5-star recruits Jason Crowe Jr. and Toni Bryant to build around. There is plenty of size but still a need for scoring from the portal and Providence transfer Jamier Jones will help fill that void. The three freshmen will have to play. As it stands right now, Gates has 12 on his roster with three open scholarships. From the portal (3): Jaylen Carey (6-8, 245, JR, from Tennessee); Jamier Jones (6-6, 218, FR, from Providence); Bryson Tiller (6-10, 240, SO, from Kansas) Incoming freshmen (3): Jason Crowe Jr. (6-3, 170); Aidan Chronister (6-7, 180); Toni Bryant (6-9, 215) OKLAHOMA Porter Moser’s Sooners got hot at the end of last season, saving his job. Now he has a total rebuild. He has two good returning guards in Xzayvier Brown and Dayton Foster. Pop Isaacs (from Texas A&M) is the best of the three from the portal. Only one freshman was signed. Moser has to find size and toughness with the six scholarships he has to work with. From the portal (3): Khani Rooths (6-8, 205, SO, from Louisville); Tyler Hendricks (6-5, 175, RJR, from Utah Valley); Pop Isaacs (6-2, 170, SR, from Texas A&M) Incoming freshman (1): Gage Mayfield (6-7, 200) OLE MISS This isn’t as bad as LSU, but it’s close. The one returning player (Patton Pinkins) can flat out play. Three of the four portal pickups are solid starting with former Seton Hall point Adam Clark and power guy ND Okafor from Washington State. Chris Beard has nine scholarships to work with and he needs help everywhere. From the portal (5): Roman Siulepa (6-6, 220, FR, from Pittsburgh); Adam Clark (5-10, 155, JR, from Seton Hall); ND Okafor (6-9, 235, RJR, from Washington State); Christian Brown (6-8, 236, FR, from James Madison); Dasear Hawkins (6-8, 200, SO, from St. Joseph’s) Incoming freshman (1): Yohance Connor (6-2, 170) SOUTH CAROLINA A year after a season to forget, Lamont Paris is starting from scratch. He has two returning players, both nondescript, only one incoming freshman and five from the portal from which to build a roster. He got shooters in Kory Mincy and Shake Blakeney plus some size, but nothing to write home about. Another long year is shaping up unless Paris can find seven more from the portal who can play. From the portal (5): Kory Mincy (6-2, 185, JR, from George Mason); Aleksas Bieliauskas (6-10, 235, FR, from Wisconsin); Shane Blakeney (6-5, 175, JR, from Drexel); Camden Heide (6-7, 205, JR, from Texas); Jakub Nekas (6-10, 240, JR, from Duquesne) Incoming freshman (1): Marcus Johnson (6-2, 180) TENNESSEE Graduation, the NBA and the portal wiped out the Vols so Rick Barnes will field a team built around the portal and four outstanding freshmen. He got guards in point Dai Dai Ames and Terrence Hill Jr., rim protection in Miles Rubin and Braden Lue plus a shooter in Tyler Lundblade. Barnes has three remaining scholarships. He has assembled some talent but can they play defense the way he likes? From the portal (6): Tyler Lundblade (6-5, 195, SR, from Belmont); Dai Dai Ames (6-1, 185, JR, from California); Miles Rubin (6-10, 205, JR, from Loyola Chicago); Jalan Haralson (6-7, 220, FR, from Notre Dame); Terrence Hill Jr. (6-3, 180, SO, from VCU); Braeden Lue (6-8, 223, SO, from Kennesaw State) Incoming freshmen (4); Chris Washington Jr. (6-8, 190); Ralph Scott (6-8, 195); Manny Green (6-6, 205); Marquis Clark (6-2, 165) TEXAS Ten players are gone although Chendall Weaver and Jordan Pope could return when 5-for-5 is enacted. Sean Miller returns 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis, which is a strong building block from which he can assemble a good roster. The freshman class of four is very good. From the portal David Punch (from TCU), Isaiah Johnson (from Colorado) and Amari Evans (from Tennessee) should be instant starters. Texas has six open scholarships with a need for a couple of bigs to back of Vokietaitis and a shooter or two. From the portal (5): Isaiah Johnson (6-1, 170, FR, from Colorado); David Punch (6-7, 245, SO, from TCU); Amari Evans (6-5, 220, FR, from Tennessee); Elyjah Freeman (6-8, 185, SO, from Auburn); Mikey Lewis (6-3, 180, SO, from Saint Mary’s) Incoming freshmen (4): Austin Goosby (6-5, 186); Bo Ogden (6-5, 195); Joe Sterling (6-4, 180); Coleman Elkins (6-10, 240) TEXAS A&M Bucky Ball got wiped out by graduation and the portal. Bucky McMillan has nine scholarships available and with the exception of K-State transfer PJ Hagerty, he needs help everywhere. Hagerty is good for 20 a night and he will thrive in the Aggie system. There is a serious need for rebounding that hasn’t been found in the portal. From the portal (5): PJ Hagerty (6-3, 192, JR, from Kansas State); Cade Phillips (6-9, 212, JR, from Tennessee); Jalen Reece (6-0, 185, FR, from LSU); Tyshawn Archie (6-1, 175, JR, from McNeese State); Jalen Shelley (6-8, 190, SO, from Loyola Marymount) Incoming freshman (1): Josh Irving (6-10, 200) VANDERBILT If Tyler Tanner pulls out of the draft and Tyler Nickel, Okereke and PJ Washington get their fifth years, then Mike Byington will have a very good team to work with. Transfer Ace Glass will make up for the loss of Duke Miles and T.O. Barrett will be good on the wing or at the point if Tanner stays in the draft. Transfer Bangot Dak is an inside presence and Auburn transfer Sebastian Williams-Adams should blossom. Right now there are three available scholarships. From the portal (5): Berke Buyunktuncel (6-9, 245, JR, from Nebraska); Ace Glass (6-3, 185, FR, from Washington State); Bangot Dak (6-11, 180, JR, from Colorado); Sebastian Williams-Adams (6-8, 230, FR, from Auburn); T.O. Barrett (6-4, 200, SO, from Missouri) Incoming freshmen (3): Ethan Mgbako (6-6, 215); Anthony Brown (6-1, 160); Jackson Sheffield (6-9, 240)

He’ll *Probably Be Coming Through the Orange And Blue Back Door There is something about Gainesville in the fall that knows how to forgive. The oaks do it first, leaning over University Avenue like old ushers in a church aisle. The brick buildings do it next, warm from the sun and full of memory. Then come the people, the ones in orange and blue, some with long memories, some with short tempers, all of them carrying the same question when Denzel Aberdeen walks back through the door: Can a Gator go to Kentucky and still come home? Apparently, yes. Aberdeen, the 6-foot-5 guard from Orlando, is headed back to Florida after one season at Kentucky, planning to re-enroll in Gainesville and hoping for an NCAA waiver that would let him play one more season for Florjda. He spent three campaigns here, helping the Gators win the 2025 national championship, then going north to Lexington for what everyone thought would be his final year. And now he is back. *Probably. Most likely. Almost certainly, unless he gets choked to death by the red-tape bureaucrats... — This is college basketball in 2026, where loyalty has a transfer portal window, a NIL price tag and sometimes a second chance. Once upon a time, leaving Florida for Kentucky would have sounded like a border crossing to Siberia, with no return ticket. Today it is part business, part basketball, part survival and part young-man decision made inside a game that has changed faster than the people watching it can keep up with. There were hard feelings. Of course there were. You don’t lace ‘em up with the boys in orange and blue, help cut down nets, then put on Kentucky blue without leaving a bruise somewhere in the fan base. Some Gators took it personally. Todd Golden, at least publicly, did not. Golden later said the conversation to bring Aberdeen back was quick: “Hey, do you want to come back?” and Aberdeen answered “yes.” That may be the shortest recruiting pitch in the modern portal era. No steakhouse tour. No brass band. No sales brochure. Just an old coach-player bond, a familiar locker room and the plain truth that sometimes both sides know what they had only after it is gone. Aberdeen grew up last season. That is the part easy to miss if you only see the uniform he wore. At Kentucky, he became a starter, averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds and shot 36.3 percent from 3-point range. That was not a sabbatical. That was an apprenticeship under the brightest, loudest lights in the sport. He left Gainesville as a valuable piece. He returns, if the NCAA gives its blessing, as something closer to a finished product. That waiver is the hinge on which this whole story swings. Aberdeen played only 12 games and 41 total minutes as a freshman at Florida, and he is asking the NCAA to treat that season like a redshirt year. Golden called it a “common-sense situation” and pointed to possible NCAA rule changes that could allow athletes to play five seasons in five years. Common sense and the NCAA have not always shared an office. But if common sense wins this one, Florida’s backcourt gets older, tougher and more dangerous. Aberdeen would likely step into the spot opened by Xaivian Lee’s departure and pair with Boogie Fland, giving Golden a backcourt with scoring, size, experience and late-clock courage. This is not just a roster move. It is a mood change. Florida basketball has been building something under Golden that feels less like a hot streak and more like long-term architecture. The national championship gave the program its third banner and gave every player on that team a permanent place in Gator memory. Aberdeen was part of that. He knows the halls. He knows the language. He knows what Golden wants before Golden finishes the sentence. And now he knows what it feels like to be on the other side. That matters. — When Kentucky came to town, there were boos. There always are when a former son comes home in the wrong colors. But boos are funny things. Sometimes they are anger. Sometimes they are hurt. Sometimes they are just applause turned inside out. Aberdeen heard them. He played through them. He lost to Florida three times while at Kentucky. Somewhere in all of that, maybe he remembered what the building sounded like when the noise was for him instead of against him. — Sports are full of clean little phrases that rarely tell the whole truth. “He transferred.” “He returned.” “He committed.” Those are transaction words. They fit on a graphic. They do not explain the ache of leaving, the pride of proving yourself somewhere else, or the quiet humility it takes to come back. Aberdeen’s return is not a fairy tale. It is messier and more modern than that. NIL was part of the leaving. Opportunity was part of it. Timing was part of it. The transfer portal makes every roster feel like wet cement and coaches have to build while the ground is still moving. But here is the part that still feels old-fashioned: A player wanted to finish where he started. Aberdeen wrote that he was thankful for the opportunity to finish his academic journey “back home at the place where it started,” according to ESPN. Back home. Those two words still carry weight in Gainesville. They always have. Home is not just where they cheer for you. Sometimes home is where they boo you first, then talk themselves into forgiving you by November. Home is where the security guard still knows your name, where the practice gym smells the same, where the manager remembers how you like your tape. Home is where you can be remembered for leaving and still be welcomed for returning. Denzel Aberdeen is not coming back as the same player who left. He is coming back with Kentucky miles on him. He is coming back with starter’s minutes in his legs, SEC scars on his shoulders, and a better understanding of how quickly affection can turn into accusation. He is coming back to a Florida team that does not need nostalgia. It needs a grown man guard who can make shots, make reads, guard his yard and not blink when March turns cruel. That is why this reunion makes basketball sense. It also makes human sense. Maybe that is what Golden saw. Maybe that is why the call was short. Maybe in an era when everyone wants to over-explain every movement, the simplest explanation is still the truest one. Denzel Aberdeen went away. Denzel Aberdeen got better. Denzel Aberdeen came home. And if the NCAA lets him, there will come a night this fall when the lights rise inside Exactech Arena, the band leans into the fight song, and No. whatever-he-wears-this-time checks in wearing Florida across his chest again. Some will clap right away. Some will wait. Some will pretend they never cared. But Gainesville has a way of remembering its own. And come fall, when the ball goes up and the O-Dome starts to shake, Denzel Aberdeen will not have to wonder which side he is on anymore.

Placekicker Trey Smack was selected by the Green Bay Packers (Photo by Chris Spears) If you weren’t already convinced then the National Football League Draft proved conclusively the Florida Gators were under-coached the last four years. Seven Gators were taken in the 2206 draft which concluded Saturday afternoon, one in each of the seven rounds. That is tied for fourth in the SEC, more than 10 other schools in the most competitive and talented league in the country. Nationally, only nine other schools had more players drafted than Florida and four others who had seven each. Here are the Florida draft picks and the round in which they were selected: (1) NT Caleb Banks, Minnesota; (2) C Jake Slaughter, Los Angeles Chargers; (3) OT Austin Barber, Cleveland; (4) CB Devin Moore, Dallas; (5) EDGE George Gumbs Jr., Indianapolis; (6) PK Trey Smack, Green Bay; (7) P Tommy Dorman, Buffalo. Expect a handful of players will be offered free agent deals in the next few days. It should be noted that Slaughter, Barber, Moore and Smack were leftovers from Dan Mullen. Counting those four, during Billy Napier’s reign 12 Mullen-recruited players were drafted and another five signed free agent deals and spent at least one year on an NFL roster. Banks (from Memphis), Gumbs (from Northern Illinois) and Dorman (from Michigan) all transferred in. Of the 21 players drafted during the Napier years, 12 were Mullen recruits and the other nine transferred in. Three former Gators were drafted: DT Chris McClellan (from Kentucky), WR Caleb Douglas (from Texas Tech) and OG Jalen Farmer (from Kentucky). All three were Napier recruits who were developed into NFL draftworthy somewhere else. In four years on the job, not one Florida player recruited and developed by Billy Napier was drafted. That is not only a fact, but an indictment. With the rules completely out of hand, transfers are simply a regular part of the college football landscape, but sustaining a winning program does require sound recruiting and good player development. Florida had three losing seasons and only one winner in Napier’s four years on the job. While he did bring in some quality transfers including O’Cyrus Torrence (Buffalo, second round 2023), Ricky Pearsall (San Francisco, first round 2024) and Chimere Dike (Tennessee, fourth round 2025, Pro Bowl), there were far more busts than successes from the portal. Not enough successful talent from the portal and not enough good players recruited and developed equals a 4-year recipe for a sub-.500 record. Considering the lack of offensive success in the Napier years, two quarterbacks (Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis first round; Graham Mertz, Houston sixth round) were drafted along with three wide receivers (Justin Shorter, Buffalo fifth round; Pearsall, San Francisco first round; Dike, Tennessee fourth round). The lack of points (Gators never averaged 30 points a game in the last four years) with that kind of talent available points a finger at Napier, who insisted on calling the plays and running the offense. There were numerous special teams blunders, yet three kickers from the Napier era were drafted (P Jeremy Crawshaw; PK Smack; P Dorman). Offensive ineptitude, special teams mistakes. There was talent but the lack of winning speaks volumes that the Gators were under-coached. Under-coached. That’s a kind way of saying Napier and his staff failed miserably. The lack of a single recruited and developed player taken in the draft not only speaks to the lack of success by Napier, but is a firm indicator of the monumental task facing Jon Sumrall, who is charged with picking up the pieces and doing a complete rebuild of the UF program. THE SEC REMAINS THE TOP PRODUCER OF NFL TALENT “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” – Mark Twain Those reports running ever so wild that last rites have been read for the Southeastern Conference are also an exaggeration. Yes, it’s true that the SEC hasn’t won a national championship nor put a team in the College Football Playoff semifinals in football since Georgia did the second of its back-to-backs in 2022. In that span, the Big Ten (plus eight) has won three in a row. Throw in Michigan’s national championship in basketball and it is understandable that the folks up north feel as if they’ve overtaken the SEC. The championships are very real, but if you are inclined to think the SEC is on a ventilator about now, then check out Exhibit A, also known as the recently concluded National Football League Draft. While it is true the Big Ten (plus eight) won the first round – 10 first rounders to the SEC’s seven – the SEC put a stomping on its 18-team (does it mean there are 10 snooty schools and eight wannabes?) rival. The numbers don’t lie. SEC: 87, which breaks the all-time record. Big Ten (plus eight): 68, which is three fewer than last year. ACC: 38 Big 12: 38 Independents): 7, which is Notre Dame 6, UConn 1. American: 4 MAC: 4 Mountain West: 3 Sun Belt: 2 Missouri Valley (D1AA): 2 Southland (D1AA): 2 Conference USA: 1 If the SEC is trending downward, then why is it the league once again sent more to the NFL than the Big Ten, ACC or Big 12? The argument for the Big Ten is all about championships, but let’s get real here. Does anyone with a functioning brain think a Big Ten schedule is easier than the SEC? And, the SEC just got tougher by going to a 9-game schedule. The talent is still in the SEC and it will continue to flow in the SEC direction. Think of the championship drought as a speed bump. Remember this: Since 1992, six different Southeastern Conference teams have won 17 national championships. Oklahoma won one in 2000 and Texas won one in 2006, but that was when they were members of the Big 12. During that same time frame, the Big Ten has won six. Here is the school by school breakdown of draft choices from the SEC: Alabama (10); Texas A&M (10); Georgia (8); FLORIDA (7); Texas (7); LSU (7); Missouri (6); Oklahoma (6); Auburn (5); Tennessee (5); Arkansas (4); Kentucky (4); South Carolina (3); Mississippi State (2); Ole Miss (2); Vanderbilt (1). Here is the school by school breakdown of draft choices from the Big Ten: Ohio State (11); Indiana (8); Penn State (8); Oregon (7); Washington (7); Iowa (7); Michigan (6); Southern California (3); Illinois (3); Michigan State (2); Northwestern (2); Maryland (1); Nebraska (1); Rutgers (1); Minnesota (1). Here is the school by school breakdown of draft choices from the ACC: Miami (9); Clemson (9); Boston College (4); Duke (3); Georgia Tech (2); Stanford (2); Wake Forest (2); Louisville (1); Florida State (1); SMU (1); Pittsburgh (1); California (1). Here is the school by school breakdown of draft choices from the Big 12: Texas Tech (9); Arizona State (4); Arizona (4); Cincinnati (4); TCU (3); Utah (3); Kansas (2); Baylor (2); Kansas State (2); BYU (2); Iowa State (1); UCF (1); Houston (1). Everybody else: Notre Dame (6); Navy (2); North Dakota State (2); UConn (1); Memphis (1); East Carolina (1); Toledo (1); Miami Ohio (1); Buffalo (1); San Diego State (1); Boise State (1); New Mexico (1); Georgia State (1); Louisiana (1); Southeastern Louisiana (1); Stephen F. Austin (1); Middle Tennessee State (1).

Tommy Haugh is returning for his senior season at Florida (Photo by Chris Spears) "Most guys in my position in the draft, it would be a no-brainer to go to the NBA. It's not just the NIL. It's a chance to play with my boys. To play for coach [Todd] Golden. To go to the school I love to play for. It was definitely a tougher decision than last year, but it was best for my career and future." – Tommy Haugh, speaking to ESPN Money isn’t everything. If it were, Tommy Haugh would be working out every day with a coach provided by his agent to prep for the NBA Draft where he could expect to be a lottery pick. Instead, Haugh, a first team All-SEC and second team All-American, is returning to the University of Florida for his senior season. But, here’s the kicker: With the NCAA on the verge of enacting 5-for-5 eligibility legislation, Haugh actually has two years of college eligibility remaining. In other words, two more chances to move on to the NBA. Two more chances to go from a lower third of the lottery into the top ten picks. But again, money isn’t everything. Haugh won’t be lacking for financial resources. NIL money will ensure he is well compensated. More important is a chance to play at least one more season for the Gators, this time with a happier ending. Florida’s last minute, 73-72, loss to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament left a sour taste in Haugh’s mouth, something he hopes to remedy while playing for a Florida team that will project as a top three team when the 2026-27 season begins. Speaking to ESPN, Haugh said, “I think that lit a fire underneath me. I [didn't] want my last memory of Florida basketball to be that." In the days after the Iowa loss, Haugh seemed resigned to leaving Florida, but Golden told ESPN, "When the season ended the way it did for us, it was a little bit of a punch in the stomach. Allowed a little more to reflect. Not only on that game, but how the season ended and where we are. That moment allowed for this to happen." Haugh’s roomie and best friend Alex Condon already made the decision to return for his senior season a couple of weeks ago. Condon was a second team All-SEC selection who projected as a second rounder in the NBA Draft. Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 Florida NCAA championship team who spent last season at Kentucky, has transferred back to UF. With the 5-for-5 legislation about to go on the books, Aberdeen won’t need a waiver for a fifth season. Rueben Chinyelu has declared for the NBA Draft, but left the door open for his return to Florida. People who know Chinyelu believe it’s 99 percent certain Chinyelu, the national defensive player of the year and a top three rebounder nationally, will be back. With point guard Boogie Fland already announced as a returnee, Florida will present the most experienced and one of the most imposing starting lineups in the entire country – Haugh, Condon and Chinyelu up front; Fland and Aberdeen on the perimeter – and bring experience off the bench in SEC sixth man of the year Urban Klavzar, the Brown brothers (Isiah and AJ), CJ Ingram, Alex Lloyd and Alex Kovatchev. Gary Parrish, the college basketball guru at CBS Sports has already elevated Florida to the No. 1 position in his Top 25 and-1 rankings. It’s almost certain that ESPN, The Athletic, Sports Illustrated and others will follow suit. After spending two years as a reserve who almost exclusively played in Florida’s front court, Haugh moved to the wing last season, started and flourished in the new role, averaging 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has scored 1,111 points in his Florida career, which places him among the top 50 all-time scorers in school history. Condon averaged 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Chinyelu averaged 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Fland averaged 11.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. At Kentucky, Aberdeen was good for 13.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Klavzar, who hit 40.6 percent of his threes, scored 9.6 points while Isaiah Brown averaged 5.5 as a sophomore. AJ Brown took a redshirt last year, but he scored 13.2 per game at Ohio U in 2025. This is a team with size, firepower, experience and a coach who has already won more than 100 games in four years with an NCAA title to show for his efforts. It’s not over-hype to regard the Gators as the team to beat for next season months ahead of the first game in November. Golden knows the expectations will be through the roof, but he has a team well prepared to deal with them. "Getting this group of guys back together for one last run, they're going to have a lot of attention and notoriety, a lot of it deserved," Golden told ESPN. "We're going to have a ton of pressure, a ton of eyeballs on us this year. But it's a privilege. Use it to fuel us the right way. Can't allow it to splinter us. But we'd much rather be the hunted than the hunters. We just have to accept there's a lot of pressure that comes with that." For Haugh it is homecoming. He wasn’t pressured to return but rather made the decision to come back to play another season with his best friends and perhaps get a second national championship in three years. “They didn't do much recruiting,” Haugh told ESPN. “I grew up a Florida fan. Tim Tebow. The back-to-back national championships. The 2014 team, I remember. They didn't really have to sell me." FLORIDA ROSTER AS OF APRIL 21, 2026 Seniors/graduated (1): Xaivian Lee (6-4, 185) Portal (2): Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, RFR); Micah Handlogten (7-1, 260) Returning (11): Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Alex Condon (6-11, 236, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, JR); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, JR); AJ Brown (6-5, 210, RJR); Alex Kovatchev (6-5, 195, RSO); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, SO); Isaiah Brown (6-5, 210, SO); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 260, SO); CJ Ingram (6-7, 210, FR); Alex Lloyd (6-4, 180, FR) Signed (1): Jones Lay (7-0, 230) From the portal (1): Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SR, from Kentucky)

A Story About Things That Mattered More Than Money To A College Athlete Who Put Loyalty And Love Of The Game First Once upon a time, about 850 miles and a million dreams away from where it was seeded, there lived a very tall boy named Tommy. They called him, “Little Tommy, which was funny, because Tommy was not little at all. He would grow up to be 6-9 in his socks, with arms that reached nearly to the clouds and a basketball in his hands that looked about the size of a grapefruit. He wore orange and blue, and when he ran down the court, the floor trembled with respect — the polite way that floors have of saying hello to someone important. Tommy had come a long way from New Oxford, Pa., a small and quiet town where the trees grew thick and the winters were cold and a boy’s dreams were the warmest thing around. He had Florida decals on his book bag representing his dreams of the future and his admiration of Tim Tebow. He already knew what and who he wanted to be. He had come south to play for a place he called his dream school, to play for a coach named Coach Golden and to play alongside boys who had become more than teammates — they had become his people. And oh, how Tommy could play. The world of basketball — that beautiful, screeching-sneaker, swish-of-the-net world — has a door at the very top. A golden door. And behind that golden door lives a thing called the NBA, where the very best players in the world go to play, and where the paychecks are so large you could wallpaper a house with them and still have some left over for the garage. Every boy who picks up a basketball dreams about that door. And in the springtime, after Tommy’s third year with the Gators, when the Florida season was over and the last confetti had been swept from the floor, the men who guard that golden door came calling. They had notebooks and IPads and clipboards and numbers — very large numbers — and they said: “Tommy. Little Tommy. We have been watching you. You scored seventeen points a game. You grabbed six rebounds. You are long and quick and smart and only twenty-two years old. We want you. Come through the door. Here is your fortune.” They called him a lottery pick, which is a very fancy way of saying: We will pay you millions of dollars to play the game you love. Millions. Of. Dollars. The whole basketball world leaned in, held its breath, and waited. --- Because here is what you must understand about the modern world of basketball, and indeed about the modern world of almost everything: The story is always supposed to go one way: A boy gets good at something. The men with money show up. The boy takes the money. He goes. That is the story. That has always been the story. Players follow the dollars the way rivers follow the valley — there is no fighting it, no questioning it. It simply is. Coaches do it too. When Tommy’s coach, the already trending-toward-greatness Todd Golden was being whispered about by the Golden State Warriors — there is that gold reference again — the famous, glittering Golden State Warriors, out there in California where the sun sets over the Pacific and the basketball is fast and the money is faster — people shook their heads and said: “Well. There goes Coach Golden. Golden to Golden State. What a story. What a headline.” You see where we’re going with all these references to gold and Golden – clearly that is the metaphor of nuggets in little Tommy’s story. Was he going for the gold or staying for/with Golden? Everyone assumed they knew. Everyone always assumes. The rivers run to the sea. The players take the money. The coaches follow. That is just how it goes. --- Except. Except Tommy had a secret. Not the kind of secret you whisper behind your hand, but the kind that sits quiet and warm in your chest, that you only discover when everything around you gets very loud and you go very still inside. Tommy had unfinished business. There were teammates who had stayed — big Alex Condon, his frontcourt brother, his friend from far-off Australia who had also looked at that golden door and said, not yet. If Alex could say no, Tommy thought, maybe saying no was not so strange after all. There was a court that still smelled like possibility. There was orange and blue still pressed against his heart. There was a national championship banner already hanging in the rafters — the Gators had won it all, when Tommy was barely getting started — and somewhere deep inside his six-foot-nine frame, a voice whispered: What if we could hang another one? --- And so, on a Tuesday morning in April, when the whole basketball world was leaning forward with its hands on its knees, waiting for Tommy to say yes to the millions and the golden door and the story that always goes one way — Tommy cleared his throat. And he said no. Not an angry no. Not a sad no. A warm, sure, eyes-wide-open no. “It’s not just about NIL,” he said, which is the fancy way players talk about money these days. “It’s about the opportunity to compete alongside my teammates, play for Coach Golden, and represent a university that I love.” The room got very quiet. Then the whole basketball world made a sound like a record player scratching to a stop. --- What? He said no? To the millions? To the lottery pick? But nobody does that. Nobody has done that since Miles Bridges at Michigan State way back in 2017. You can’t just — you can’t — that’s not — but the money — but the door — but — Yes. Tommy said no. And across the building, Coach Golden looked at the Warriors and their Pacific sunsets and their shining arena and said: I am definitely planning on coaching the Gators. And suddenly the old story — the rivers always run to the sea story, the players always take the money story, the coaches always chase the bright lights story — that old story had a crack right down the middle. Because it turns out stories can surprise you. --- Some people said Tommy was foolish. Some people said he was smart — after all, there was still good money to be made right there in Gainesville, through NIL deals and the kind of love a whole state gives a boy who stays. But Tommy, if you looked at him closely, did not look like a boy doing math. He looked like a boy who knew something. He looked like a boy who understood that there are things you cannot buy with a lottery pick, things that have no price written on them in any notebook or on any clipboard: The way your teammates look at you on the court when the game is on the line. The way a student section sounds when it erupts in orange and blue. The particular weight of unfinished business — heavier than any trophy, lighter than any regret. --- So little Tommy laced up his shoes again. And Alex Condon, the big Australian, laced up his, too. And Coach Golden walked back into the practice gym and drew up a play on his whiteboard. And in Gainesville, in the warm Spanish-moss-and-sunshine land where a tall boy from Pennsylvania had once arrived with dreams, something old-fashioned and almost forgotten stirred back to life. It was loyalty. The kind that does not have a price tag. The kind that shows up when the golden door swings wide open and the room beyond it glitters, and you look at it — you really look at it — and then you turn around and walk back to your people. --- The story is not over, of course. Stories about unfinished business never are. The Gators will play again come November, in their orange and blue environs of their ExactTech Arena, already teeming with anticipation. Little Tommy — now tall, unhurried, big-hearted Tommy now a full grown man with one dream accomplished and maybe another one on the way. Some will say he made the wrong choice. Some will say he made the right one. But all of them, every last one, will watch. And maybe, just maybe, they will be reminded of something they had nearly forgotten: That the things we love — really love, with all the bones in our six-foot-nine frames — are worth staying and fighting for. Even when the golden door is wide open. Even when the whole world says: go. --- And so little Tommy stayed. And that, more than any fortune, is a story worth telling. The End. (For the Gator Nation, and for everyone who ever turned around at the golden door.) ---

Jake Slaughter (66) was taken by the Chargers in the second round (Photo by Chris Spears) People keep underestimating Jake Slaughter, much to their detriment. A couple of years ago Slaughter didn’t make first, second or third team All-SEC when the coaches voted, yet that same year he was a consensus first team All-America by all the major services. He followed that up with an All-SEC and second team All-America year in 2025. Mel Kiper, who did consider Slaughter the best center in the 2026 National Football League Draft, had Slaughter going in the fourth round. Like the SEC coaches in 2024, he underestimated Slaughter. The Los Angeles Chargers didn’t. Friday evening the Chargers chose Slaughter in the second round with the 63rd overall pick in the draft. The Chargers, who recently signed 6-year veteran center Tyler Biadaz to a 3-year, $30 million deal, announced Slaughter as a guard. At guard he will compete with Trevor Penning (left) and Cole Strange (right) for a starting job. Penning has a 1-year deal worth $4.5 million while Strange was signed for two years and $13 million. As a late second round selection, Slaughter is expected to get a 4-year deal worth somewhere in the $7.5-7.7 million range. Ryan Kelly of CBS Sports wrote: “Jake Slaughter is a powerful, athletic center who plays with a consistent anchor, even against bigger, more powerful defensive tackles. He excels at moving defenders off the line of scrimmage and uses his low pad level to win the leverage battle. Whether he’s blocking between the tackles or finding targets in open space, his combination of power and mobility allows him to sustain blocks and create clear lanes for running backs.” Another who defied the odds was Florida left tackle Austin Barber, taken by the Cleveland Browns in the third round with the No. 86 overall pick. Most mock drafts had Barber going mid-to-late fourth round. Since the Browns took Utah left tackle Spencer Fano with the ninth pick in the first round, Barber is expected to shift over to the right side where he will compete with 8-year veteran Tytus Howard. Barber is expected to get a 4-year deal in the $6-6.2 million range. From Matt Miller of ESPN: “I've been a vocal critic of the Browns' draft strategy since I've been old enough to talk, but their front office is putting together a very solid class with the idea of building a foundation for a quarterback to be added in the 2027 draft. Barber will join first-rounder Spencer Fano on the offensive line, and he could be a Year 1 starter at either left or right tackle given his experience at both spots in college, just like Fano. Barber's 39 college starts will help him see the field early, but he has to clean up his punch timing and lower body technique.” Slaughter is the second Gator selected. Thursday night, defensive tackle Caleb Banks was chosen by the Minnesota Vikings with the 16th pick of the first round. Banks spent most of the 2025 season injured, but his play at the end of the 2024 season plus his measurables at the combine had him considered late first to early second round. The Vikings, however, already list Banks as the starting nose tackle in their 3-4 scheme. Banks is slotted to get a 3-or-4-year deal valued in the $21-22 million range. Ben Solak of ESPN wrote: “His 2024 film was electric, showing a highly dynamic and powerful defensive tackle who can penetrate on one play and swallow up space on another. But Banks has broken his foot multiple times since that 2024 season and played only three games in 2025. It's risky to take big players with foot injuries, as those don't often go away. But Banks was a clear first-round (and arguably top-10) pick if injuries weren't considered. The Vikings are taking a big swing on an extremely thin position after losing both Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen this offseason. If this pick hits, their line takes a huge leap – as do their playoff odds.” Five more Gators are expected to be taken in rounds four through seven when the draft concludes Saturday. DRAFT SCOREBOARD Big Ten (29): First round (10); second round (9); third round (10) SEC (36): First round (7); second round (15); third round (14) ACC (14): First round (6); second round (2); third round (6) Big 12 (14): First round (6); second round (5); third round (3) Notre Dame (3): First round (2); second round (0); third round (2) Group of Five, etc. (3): First round (1); second round (1); third round (1)