Flying in on Frontier to Orlando, flying out on Allegiant from Clearwater. Do you stay in Ocala? Or take it in to Gainesville? Tailgating? Where, when, and with who? In the last six years with the help of some really good people we have answered all of these questions and gained lifelong friends and priceless relationships while mastering gameday at The Swamp. Beginning in 2016, my wife and I became Gator Football season ticket holders. What began as a potential business investment has morphed into a lifestyle that ultimately saw us uproot our lives and ultimately relocate to Gainesville. In the last six years there has also been an education in what to do what not to do. Flying in on Frontier to Orlando, flying out on Allegiant from Clearwater. Do you stay in Ocala? Or take it in to Gainesville? Tailgating? Where, when, and with who? In the last six years with the help of some really good people we have answered all of these questions and gained lifelong friends and priceless relationships while mastering gameday at The Swamp. Here are some tips from two well-traveled OrangeAndBlueBlood Gators who devised this system strictly from trial and error Parking­--What most are not aware of is there are many no-cost public parking spaces in close proximity to the stadium. On campus, any unmarked spaces are open to the public on a “first come, first serve” basis. For fans requiring assistance, Lot 109 at the intersection of Gale Lemerand and Archer Road offer non-reserved ADA parking with restroom facilities. This location also offers a free shuttle that runs three hours before gametime and until 1 hour after. ADA Parking is also available on campus in non-reserved spaces with valid ADA pass. Off campus the best options for parking are west of the stadium between West University Avenue and SW 2nd Avenue where many residents offer parking for a reasonable fee. Connecting with other fans, don’t be a stranger: In the beginning we were tailgate orphans, simply walking the area around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and making the occasional visit to the UF Bookstore. What we found was if you simply walk up to fans and make simple conversation you can make lasting relationships. Florida alumni Joann Purdie and Fran Root were the first to invite us to tailgate as we walked near the Bull Gator lot on gameday. Their hospitality was priceless and helped make our gameday experience even better. Social media can be another valuable tool to connect with other fans. Facebook has been an extremely helpful tool to allow us to connect with fellow Gator fans on a daily basis. Through our connections made with the GatorBait Kingdom and GatorBaitMedia.com we have made great friends and even gained a godson. The key is to be genuine, outgoing, participate -- and know that the love of the Gators is what unites us all. How do you score tickets to Gator Games?--Outside of buying season tickets which can be purchased in February, the easiest way to obtain tickets for a Florida game is to simply call the Gator Ticket Office or visit the Ticket Office site on floridagators.com. There you will find single ticket options as well as the opportunity to purchase “mini game” plans where fans can choose to attend three of the six to seven home games that the Gators play. When buying home tickets try these options prior to going to outside ticket brokers as many charge fees that will increase your overall cost. Where to sit?--When purchasing tickets where you sit is all about the sun and the view. Only about 15 percent of the seats at Ben Hill Griffin provide some sort of cover. We have sat in sections 4, 1, and 2 during our visits to The Swamp with our current seats residing in Section 2. All three of these sections offer shade for most of a game anytime of the day. For the true football fan who wants to see it all develop, the upper levels of Sections 21-25 (north end) and Sections C-F (south end) are the best bet. Avoid sections 29-45 unless you fancy a tan that you may pay for later and a face full of rain. Section 2 allows a good view of the Gator bench, gator greats visiting campus and the nest view of “here comes the Gators”. Gameday Attire--In most cases one of the best things about attending games in The Swamp is that you are in shorts and t-shirt 90 per cent of the year. We always try to communicate with the UAA as to what color they would like fans to wear to the game and act accordingly. Whatever we wear, it is as breathable as possible. We also try to wear comfortable shoes (Nike/Jordan for me, sandals for Marsha) as there is always walking involved. The plastic poncho is always a good accessory due to the unpredictability of Florida weather during hurricane season. A hat to protect oneself from the Florida sun is a good idea as well. Not until week 11 or 12 should there be any need for a sweatshirt or jacket. Comfort is the key, it’s a long day. Tailgating--Our tailgating experience has involved a process of trial and error over the past few years. Even landing our group on the SEC Network’ s Saturday’s In the South. From the Gator Walk Village, Campusview Church and the Bull Gator Parking Lot we have experienced many options for our tailgating experience. What seems to fit our group the best is a little section that we have carved out on Center Drive near the Psychology Building. This location as of 2021 offered “first come, first serve” parking and easy access to Reitz Union. A short 10-minute walk to The Swamp makes this a great place for our group to meet and be merry. Our tailgate fare usually consists of donuts, coffee, and juice in the morning, followed by barbecue brisket, pork, and/or chicken, accompanied by cornbread, greens and green beans. Other Gameday Favorites--For any fan a trip to the UF Bookstore has become a pilgrimage. We also enjoy the Fan Fest in front of the O’Connell Center where fans can participate in interactive activities and giveaways. 2 hours before the game the Gator Walk takes place in front of the stadium on University Avenue, which we attend three to four times per year. In any case we are in the stadium no later than 90 minutes prior to the game to watch warm-ups and properly prepare ourselves for the game. While many people visit the concession stand during the games for their favorite entrée, our nerves usually prohibit us from eating food instead deferring to the refillable Pepsi, Gatorade or bottled water. If we must eat, the occasional “baseball steak” (hot dog) or Domino’s Pizza is the simple choice. Gameday Changes--We have been very fortunate to have some of the best days of our lives spent on the UF campus. Tailgating, socializing with friends, and the overall gameday experience has been unparalleled. We would not change much at all. However, what used to be our favorite experience was the “What Makes Us Rise” montage that is played in the stadium prior to the Gators taking the field. In 2021 the traditional video (narrator unknown) was replaced by the voice of former Gator Thaddeus Bullard who now narrates the video. With all due respect to Thaddeus Bullard the nostalgia of the original is what we enjoy the most and what made our first visit to The Swamp so special. I encourage the UAA to please return to the original narration. For us this part of the pre-game festivities is as important as “I Won’t Back Down”

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger Game week is finally here, the wait is over. Saturday at 7 the Gators will be running out to the chants of 90,000 fans hoping for their team to be victorious. Florida is not used to losing season openers in Gainesville, as they own the longest-active- home-opener win streak in the FBS with 32-straight wins. Florida fans have been through an emotional roller coaster the past decade with coaches coming in and out of the program since the departure of Urban Meyer. Although, there is a new buzz around town since Billy Napier arrived on campus. He has done nothing but shown that he is the man for the job since his arrival in Gainesville. Don’t Underestimate the Bear On the other hand, the Gators must come out ready in this one. While Florida may have a better roster than the Utes, this is one of the best-coached teams in the nation and is returning most of their starters who were Rose Bowl runners-up just a season ago. Yes, The Swamp and atmosphere will play a huge factor in the game, but it is no reason to take this Utah squad lightly. Kyle Whittingham has raised this Utah program to be in the conversation for College Football Playoffs going into his 18th season, good enough for the longest-tenured coach in the Pac-12. This is the first time since 1969that the Gators have been an underdog in their season opener, a pretty telling stat. Nonetheless, the Gators came out victorious with a win against No. 7 Houston at the time. 3 Keys to Success Right when that ball is snapped, Florida needs to establish their dominance in the trenches. In a Billy Napier offense running the ball is an eminent part of his scheme, without an established run game it is hard to maintain a rhythm. If the Gators can open up holes early for Nay’Quan Wright or Montrell Johnson to bust open the defense for some chunks of yards early it opens up the whole field for the rest of the game. Consequently, Anthony Richardson needs to be Anthony Richardson. Last year when we saw Anthony Richardson, it was a younger less-experienced version. I expect to see an AR with a full playbook at his expense along with the trust of Coach Napier to extend the play when he feels is necessary. In certain games this season Richardson’s legs may not need to be utilized as much to avoid overuse, nonetheless, Richardson needs to keep the Utes on their toes and show he can run with the best of them this weekend. Utah was constantly exposed last year when facing these dual-threat quarterbacks and gave them a problem. Last but not least, the Gators must win the turnover battle. In a night atmosphere at The Swamp, all it takes is for one tipped pass to fall into a defensive back’s possession for the place to be an absolute insane asylum. On the other hand, Richardson and the rest of the Gators must focus on maintaining possession along with limiting the mistakes. Billy Napier’s Debut Billy Napier is looking to become the first Florida head coach to beat a ranked team in his first game as head coach. There has not been this much hype around this Gators program since the early 2000s, Billy Napier along with the rest of his staff will be able to display their project under the lights Saturday. Going from the Louisiana Rajun’ Cajuns to one of the richest and most passionate programs in the country will be a change for Napier, but nothing he can’t handle. Let the Napier Era begin.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: HEAVY LIFTING IS OVER FOR SEASON OPENER WITH UTAH “The hay’s in the barn to some degree,” Billy Napier said Wednesday after the Florida Gators completed their final tough practice for Saturday night’s season opener in The Swamp against 7th-ranked Utah (7 p.m., ESPN). “I do think it’s important from this point forward it’s going to be a lot of mental work. We’ll polish this thing up tomorrow and certain again on Friday and then all the way up to the kickoff.” The Gators will be cleaning up a few loose ends from the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday practices today, then Friday will be a walk-through. After that, it’s game on. Napier answered a few questions Wednesday but really didn’t say anything revealing. It might have been the upset of the century if he had done that. He did release the depth chart for the game and will be doing that on Wednesday before every game this season. Here is the Florida depth chart ahead of the Utah game (starter in bold face): Offense WR: Xzavier Henderson; Daejon Reynolds or Marcus Burke WR: Justin Shorter; Ja’Quavion Fraziars WR: Ricky Pearsall or Trent Whittemore; Ja’Markis Weston LT: Richard Gouraige; Kamryn Waites LG: Ethan White; Richie Leonard IV C: Kingsley Eguakun; Jake Slaughter RG: O’Cyrus Torrence; Josh Braun RT: Michael Tarquin; Austin Barber TE: Dante Zanders; Keon Zipperer QB: Anthony Richardson; Jalen Kitna or Kyle Engel RB: Nay’Quan Wright; Montrell Johnson Jr. or Trevor Etienne Defense DE: Princely Uanmielen; Justus Boone NT: Jalen Lee; Desmond Watson; Jaelin Humphries; Jamari Lyons DE: Gervon Dexter Sr.; Tyreak Sapp; Chris McClellan JACK: Brenton Cox Jr.; Antwayn Powell-Ryland Jr.; Lloyd Summerall III or David Reese LB: Ventrell Miller; Scooby Williams; Derek Wingo LB: Amari Burney; Shemar James; Diwun Black STAR: Tre’Vez Johnson; Jadarrius Perkins; Kamar Wilcoxson CB: Jason Marshall Jr.; Devin Moore; Jordan Young CB: Avery Helm; Jalen Kimber; Ethan Pouncey S: Trey Dean III; Donovan McMillon or Miguel Mitchell S: Rashad Torrence III; Kamari Wilson; Corey Collier Jr. Special Teams KO/PK: Adam Mihalek or Trey Smack HOLDER: Jeremy Crashaw; Jacob Watkins P: Jeremy Crashaw; Jacob Watkins LS: Marco Ortiz; Rocco Underwood KOR: Ja’Markis Weston; Trevor Etienne or Nay’Quan Wright; Xzavier Henderson PR: Xzavier Henderson; Jason Marshall Jr. or Trevor Etienne Injured: TE Arlis Boardingham; CB Jaydon Hill; QB Jack Miller III; OT David Conner SEC football #1 Alabama (0-0): Nick Saban was asked for an update on the injury status of freshmen Aaron Anderson, Isaiah Hastings, Earl Little and Elijah Pritchett. His response: “I’m not gonna give an injury report in here every week, okay? When those guys are ready to play, we’ll let you know” … Bama is a 41.5-point favorite to beat Utah State Saturday. #19 Arkansas (0-0): ESPN analyst Greg McElroy the Razorbacks ground and pound approach will do to No. 23 Cincinnati what Alabama did to the Bearcats in last year’s College Football Playoff. “Arkansas is built very similar to Alabama … the only difference is Arkansas has a 230-pound quarterback in KJ Jefferson that also wants to contribute in the running game,” McElroy said … Arkansas is favored by 6.5 points. Auburn (0-0): Among the reasons HBC Bryan Harsin chose TJ Finley to be his starting QB for at least the season opener with Mercer: “He’s battle-tested in games. He’s gotten hit before.” #3 Georgia (0-0): Kirby Smart expects running back Kendal Milton to be ready to go Saturday against #11 Oregon. Milton has been nursing a tender hamstring … Georgia is a 17-point favorite. #20 Kentucky (0-0): For their season opener with Miami (OH), the Wildcats will be starting true freshmen Dane Key and Barion Brown at wide receiver … Kentucky is favored by 16 points. LSU (0-0): Either Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier will start at QB vs. FSU in New Orleans Monday night, but HBC Brian Kelly won’t publicly say which one although he says he knew 48 hours ago. “We were so close to the game that it didn’t make sense [to name a starter],” Kelly said, as if that makes much sense. LSU is favored to win by three. Mississippi State (0-0): Asked on the SEC Coaches Teleconference about the controversial call by an SEC officiating crew that cost the Bulldogs their game against Memphis, Mike Leach replied, “Well, I didn’t make the call. The officials did.” Leach is hoping for better officiating Saturday when Leach gets his rematch with Memphis in Starkville. The Bulldogs are 16-point favorites. Missouri (0-0): QB Brady Cook has thrown only 58 passes at Mizzou, but HBC Eli Drinkwitz says, “I have a lot of confidence in his ability.” Cook gets the start tonight when Mizzou takes on Louisiana Tech. The Tigers are favored by 20.5 points. #21 Ole Miss (0-0): On the SEC Coaches Teleconference HBC Lane Kiffin said he’s not holding back in naming a starting QB between Southern Cal transfer Jaxson Dart and Luke Altmeyer. “We haven’t made a decision so it’s not a competitive withhold or anything,” Kiffin said. “The guys are incredibly even” … Ole Miss is favored by 21.5 points in Saturday’s opener vs. Troy. South Carolina (0-0): The Gamecocks go into Saturday’s season opener with Georgia State in much better shape at QB with former Oklahoma starter Spencer Rattler and Luke Doty, who has started several games at South Carolina. “Last year at this time we were getting ready to go into a game with a guy who was a graduate assistant [at QB],” HBC Shane Beamer said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference … South Carolina is favored by 12.5 points. Tennessee (0-0): The Vols released a hype video ahead of their season opener with Ball State. Hype? For Ball State? Oh, sure. We forget that the AD at Tennessee is Danny White, who declared UCF national champs in 2017. The Vols are mere 36-point favorites. #6 Texas A&M (0-0): Jimbo Fisher says being a quarterback is a lot like being a mother. “You have to clean up everyone else’s messes,” Fisher said, a bit strange since he could start the mother superior at a convent against Sam Houston Saturday. Vanderbilt (1-0): Vanderbilt HBC Clark Lea dismissed freshman linebacker Daniel Martin and freshman running back Maurice Edward's. In announcing the dismissal, just days before the Commodores play Elon in their home opener, Lea said, “We have a lot of guys in the locker room we lean upon who are going to step into roles moving forward. We’re not going to bat an eye.” Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 #9 Oklahoma (0-0): Putting his roster in perspective ahead of Saturday’s season opener with UTEP, HBC Brent Venables said, “I believe it’s over 50 percent of our roster has never been in a Sooner football game.” Not that it really matters. Oklahoma is a 30.5-point favorite. Texas (0-0): Defensive back D’Shawn Jamison says the Longhorns are “a team that wants to win.” That’s probably comforting to HBC Steve Sarkisian, who will lose his job if the Longhorns don’t win. The Longhorns are 37.5-point favorites over Louisiana-Monroe, which promises to take its paycheck beating like real men. The SEC Soothsayer Thursday’s games Ball State (0-0) at Tennessee (0-0): If you’ve talked to any Vol fans lately or read some of their drivel on Twitter, then you know that they believe their football mojo has returned after a rather long hiatus. They think Josh Heupel has the Vols ready to pillage and plunder through an entire 12-game schedule that includes SEC games with Florida, Kentucky and Georgia from the SEC East as well as Alabama and LSU from the SEC West. On Monday you’ll be hearing more “we’re back, baby!” from Vol fans after they obliterate Ball State. The sayer says sooth!: Tennessee 52, Ball State 14 Louisiana Tech (0-0) at Missouri (0-0): There is good news ahead of tonight’s game with Louisiana Tech. Tech coach Sonny Cumbie is a Mike Leach Air Raid product, which means there will be very little in the way of a commitment to run the ball. Since Mizzou gave up 5.32 yards per carry and 32 rushing touchdowns last year, this can only be viewed as a sign from God that the Tigers will open the season 1-0. The Sayer says sooth!: Missouri 37, Louisiana Tech 24 Expanding the College Football Playoff A year ago, “The Alliance” of Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, ACC commissioner Little Jimmy Phillips and Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff formed the voting block that torpedoed expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams. Why? Because they were mad that Greg Sankey had beaten all three to the punch by adding Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. Now everybody is singing a different tune. The CFP Board of Managers will be holding a virtual meeting today that could lead to expansion by 2024. No longer is anyone holding on to the 4-team playoff, but 12 seems the minimum with 16 a possibility. AAC commissioner Mike Aresco thinks a 16-team playoff with all 10 conference champs and six at-large teams would be the best scenario.” Whether it’s agreeing to a 12-team playoff or one with 16 teams, the payout will expand from the current $450 million to perhaps three times that much. And that is precisely why there will be no self-serving idiots standing in the way of expansion this time. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The Big 12 Conference along with Fox and ESPN have agreed to begin negotiating a new TV deal ahead of the 2024 expiration of the one currently in place. The Big 12 has incentive to get a new deal in place and ESPN has the motivation to get a deal done since it could free up Texas and Oklahoma to join the Southeastern Conference in 2024 when the new ESPN deal with the SEC kicks in. This is where things get a little complicated. Unless Fox can land an exclusive deal with the Big 12 or prevent the Big Ten from destroying what’s left of the Pac-12, it will be broadcasting only Big Ten games on Saturdays. At some point, the network has to realize there will be a saturation point for Big Ten football so landing another conference gives some scheduling flexibility. Fox may be outbid by ESPN but it has the potential to throw a 2-year wrench into ESPN’s SEC plans. Texas and Oklahoma are bound by exit fees and grant of rights with the Big 12 that could total as much as $170 million each. ESPN, in exchange for releasing Texas and Oklahoma in 2024, could offer the Big 12 a media deal that would keep the league at or possibly a little bit beyond its current per year payout of $43 million. Of course, that might require ESPN, perhaps with a little help from the SEC, to kick in some of the exit fee/grant of rights money. Fox could refuse to enter into any agreement that would let Texas and Oklahoma leave the Big 12 early since it would prevent Fox from broadcasting any UT or OU games for those two years. There is also the possibility that Fox might agree to let Texas and Oklahoma go to the SEC in exchange for the exclusive media contract with the Big 12. Fox already stands to gain when the Big Ten does what everyone expects by poaching Stanford, California, Oregon and Washington from the Pac-12. When and if that happens, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado will join the Big 12. In Fox-think, that would give it media control of the Big Ten and Big 12, leaving ESPN with the SEC and ACC. Of course, the ACC would be happy if this were to occur since ESPN would probably throw about $300-400 million annually its way which would mean something like $60 million a year to distribute to each school. Fox definitely wants to delay the renegotiation of the ESPN deal with the SEC that will take place when Texas and Oklahoma are paroled by the Big 12. As Matt Hayes writes in Saturday Down South, “The SEC/ESPN deal begins in 2024, and once escalator clauses are executed with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, will pay at least $1.5 billion annually to the conference through 2034.” In other words, SEC schools will be making every bit as much if not more than the Big Ten with its Fox, CBS and NBC deal. And consider this: SEC games will generate more viewers than Big Ten so more advertising revenue will mean bigger payouts.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: GETTING TO 4D Since day one when he took over the Florida football program as its fourth head coach since 2011, Billy Napier has emphasized the concept that better people make better football players. There is no substitute for character in the Napier assessment of a football player. Monday, punter Jeremy Crashaw put into words what Napier’s commitment to character means to him: “If you can show up, if you can have integrity, if you can stand up to your own word outside of here. You say, yeah, I’ll help you. I’ll do this, I’ll do that. Outside of football, you can bring it in here. You already got that characteristic in here. I believe that I try to be the best man that I can be every day, and I hope that translates into football. I hope a lot of people can see that, but I definitely strive to be a good man all around.” Once he secures a commitment to character, Napier’s next task is getting players to commit to his 4-dimension concept. Here is how he described it back in the spring: “The first dimension is what you’re supposed to do. The second dimension is you know what every player in your position room is supposed to do. So you play Z-receiver, you know what the H and the X have to do. You play left guard, you know what all five linemen are supposed to do on the play. Third dimension is you understand all 11 players on offense, defense or in special teams, and then a 4-dimensional player which is really rare – he understands all 11 on his side of the ball and he knows and can comprehend and discuss what the 11 people on the other side of the ball are doing.” At the Monday press conference, tight end Dante Zanders mentioned quarterback Anthony Richardson as a 4D type. Asked if he’s reached the 4D level, Zanders replied candidly, “Me, personally, I’m not at the 4D. I understand what my job is. I understand like the other roles are around me. But still – there’s still things to always improve on. Even if you reach your peak, there’s still things to improve on.” Linebacker Amari Burney said he’s closing in on 4D. “Right now I would say I’m not a 4D player yet. I’m working my way up there. I’m 3D right now. 1D is just like getting lined up, knowing your position. 2D is kind of helping the other guys get lined up. 3D is knowing the people in front of you, and 4D is just knowing everything that’s going on on the field, even with the offense running.” UF Volleyball: Gators drop 5-set match to Stanford Mary Wise was smiling. Not what you would expect after the 13th-ranked Gators (3-1) lost a winnable 5-set match to 12th-ranked Stanford (29-31, 22-25, 25-16, 25-22, 10-15) before a crowd of 3,814 at the O-Dome. She knew the Gators could have won, actually should have won, but considering the youth of her team added with the number of injuries that have prevented a full team practice most of the preseason, Wise was beaming. “Imagine when we have actually six players on the court practicing,” Wise said. The first set got away from the Gators and cost them the match. UF had seven set points but just couldn’t put the Cardinal away before falling 31-29. The Gators lost set two to fall behind 2-0 before rallying to take the third and fourth sets to send to the match to the decisive fifth set. Bre Hall finished the night with a career best 10 blocks. Merritt Beason had 13 kills while Marina Markova had 12. Freshman setter Alexis Stucky finished with 45 assists. The Gators travel to Minneapolis Sunday to face 4th-ranked Minnesota. SEC football #1 Alabama (0-0): All eyes are on an Alabama offensive line that gave up 41 sacks last year. Prior to the season opener with Utah State the revamped O-line looks like LT Tyler Sheen, LG Kendall Randolph, C Darrion Dalcourt, RG Emil Ekiyor and RT JC Latham. #19 Arkansas (0-0): Cincinnati HBC Luke Fickell isn’t going to release the name if his starting QB until game time Saturday. Auburn (0-0): Center Nick Brahms, who had started 33 consecutive games and was a preseason All-SEC is retiring from football due to a slow-healing knee injury … With the retirement of Brahms, the Auburn O-line looks like LT Kilian Zierer, LG Brandon Council, C Tate Johnson, RG Keiondre Jones or Kameron Stutts, and RT Austin Troxell. #3 Georgia (0-0): Kenny McIntosh, who has gained 725 yards in three seasons as a backup, will be the starting running back when the Bulldogs open the season with Oregon. “I have always thought that Kenny was explosive and had great vision and was one of our best runners,” HBC Kirby Smart said. #20 Kentucky (0-0): Here is a shocker for you. Kentucky’s 4-game winning streak is the best in the Southeastern Conference … Despite the fact he’s suspended for what is expected to be multiple games for a DUI arrest during the summer months, running back Chris Rodriguez is one of UK’s team captains. Linebacker Jordan Wright, who will miss at least the first game for disciplinary reasons, will also serve as one of the Kentucky captains. LSU (0-0): Former Notre Dame HBC Lou Holtz fired a shot across the bow of former Notre Dame and now LSU head coach Brian Kelly. “I wrote Brian Kelly maybe eight positive letters during his time at Notre Dame and I go to the mailbox every day hoping I’m going to find an answer,” Holtz said. “He never responded to one of them.” Kelly was recently accused of lying to the parents of QB Phil Jurkovic, who was at Notre Dame before transferring to BC. Mississippi State (0-0): The Bulldogs, who open their season at home against Memphis, have won their last five season openers. Missouri (0-0): Brady Cook will get the start at QB against Louisiana Tech in the season opener, but a lot of people think before too long Southern Miss/Mississippi State transfer Jack Abraham will take over the job. #21 Ole Miss (0-0): Southern Cal transfer Jaxson Dart doesn’t know if he or Luke Altmeyer will start at quarterback against Troy Saturday. Dart says he’s not worried, just “focusing on the things you can control.” Altmeyer meanwhile says he has a good relationship with Dart: “We’re honestly great friends.” South Carolina (0-0): Wide receiver Corey Rucker is the only Gamecock questionable for the season opener with Georgia State … South Carolina is partnering with Everett Sports Management to form an in-house NIL firm that will give Gamecock athletes free access to put deals together. Tennessee (0-0): The starting left tackle for Saturday’s opener with Ball State could be Florida transfer Gerald Mincey (6-6, 337), who is listed on the depth chart as the No. 1 along with Jeremiah Crawford #6 Texas A&M (0-0): Despite numerous injuries that caused players to miss time during August camp, Jimbo Fisher said, “Not that I know of right now” when asked if any players may miss the season opener with Sam Houston because of injury. Vanderbilt (1-0): Effective with Saturday’s game with Elon, Vanderbilt Stadium changes names to FirstBank Stadium. Maybe Vandy can convince the bank to donate a few million dollars to transform the stadium into an SEC-worthy facility. Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 #9 Oklahoma (0-0): Speaking of UCF transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel, HBC Brent Venables said, “[He] has great pocket presence and awareness, can extend plays.” Texas (0-0): Seriously, HBC Steve Sarkisian said this about Louisiana-Monroe, which is coached by Little Terry Bowden, “It’s a big challenge on the defensive side of the ball with a lot of playmakers coming back.” Texas is a mere 37.5-point favorite. They play football in other places beside the SEC Florida State (1-0): Linebacker Amari Gainer, who has averaged 64 tackles a season in the previous three years, probably won’t be available Saturday against LSU due to an injury suffered in the season opener against Duquesne. UNLV (1-0): Whenever a UNLV player comes up with a turnover, he gets to play the slot machine on the sideline behind the bench. I’m not making this up. #5 Notre Dame (0-0): Is it a sign of disrespect or reality that the Irish are ranked 5th nationally yet they are 17.5-point underdogs for their Saturday opener with 2nd ranked Ohio State? ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Since the college football season kicks off in earnest Thursday night, it’s a midweek version of Countdown to Firing Day. On Life Support Scott Frost, Nebraska: The onside kick with a 28-17 lead over Northwestern probably seemed like a good idea at the moment. Like so many of Frost’s brilliant ideas since 2018, it turned out to be a dumb and dumber idea. He’s 15-30 since he took over with 21 losses by nine or fewer points. Nobody but nobody snatches defeat from the jaws of victory quite like Scott Frost. Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech: He never should have left Shirley Temple, where he was 15-10 in two seasons. At the North Avenue Trade School he’s 9-25, about to be 9-26 since Climpson is the season opener on Labor Day. If he loses to the Fighting Kerwin Bells of Western Carolina the following Saturday he may be cleaning out his office on Sunday. Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green: Lefty is a Peter Principle kind of coach. He has risen beyond his capability twice. He is a good QB coach who was not a good coordinator for the Fighting Addazios at Boston College. Yet somehow he was promoted again beyond his capability to be the HBC at Bowling Green. He has paycheck losses to UCLA (this week) and Mississippi State in the month of September. If he survives into October it’s only because they really don’t have enough money to buy out the rest of his contract. Dino Babers, Syracuse: He was good in D1AA at Eastern Illinois and at Bowling Green. Despite 16 returning starters things are looking grim. Buzzards are circling the antiquated stadium formerly known as the Carrier Dome. Neal Brown, West Virginia: Win seven games and he is still endangered. He needs three wins in September but that’s going to be very difficult with roadies at Pitt and Virginia Tech. Bryan Harsin, Auburn: The AD who hired him turns out the lights in his office the final time this evening, leaving Harsin unprotected and at the mercy of the alums and boosters who thought he was a bad hire to begin with. Harsin is actually a good coach. Maybe the smartest thing he could do is have his agent begin negotiating a buyout because anything short of 10 wins that include a win over Alabama won’t please the people who write the big checks. Endangered Species List Herm Edwards, Arizona State: He’s got some serious NCAA violations hanging over his head. Will the administration stick with him if he wins? Willie Taggart, Florida Atlantic: The Owls are off to a 1-0 start. That’s one down and six to go for Taggart to be gainfully employed next year at FAU. Jake Spavital, Texas State: He doubled the win total (from two to four) last year. He needs to win six this year to remain gainfully employed. Seth Littrell, North Texas: He started the season with a win over UTEP but now he’s got to deal with SMU. A win would temporarily calm the folks who want a change. Steve Sarkisian, Texas: There is a real balancing act going on at Texas. If Sark underperforms the alums would probably pony up whatever it would take to buy him out, but would buying him out cause Arch Manning to decide to go to Alabama? Mike Norvell, Florida State: Wins over Duqesne won’t save his job. Seven more wins would, though.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: PUTTING A GAME FACE ON Officially, game week for the Florida Gators began Sunday evening, but just to be sure he had everybody on the same page for the four practice days and Friday walk-through for Saturday’s close encounter in The Swamp with Utah, Billy Napier has been putting the Gators through the pre-game paces. They’ve gone to the team hotel for a night, gotten up to go through pre-game meals, meetings and rituals, done the Gator Walk and even run through the tunnel. Napier is so detail-oriented that he has his day planned out down to the minute. He is so into efficiency that many of the 39 alterations he specifically requested in the plans for the Bill Heavener Football Center were designed to maximize the 20 hours allotted by the NCAA for players spent practicing and in meetings each week. Doing run-throughs of game-week preparation is all about making sure every T is crossed and every I is dotted so that every player, coach, analyst, trainer, manager and support staffer is comfortable with the procedure. “We’ve done a lot of mock situations to prepare for this week,” Napier said at his Monday morning press conference. “I do think there’s some things – it’s important in a game week that you set priorities, that you avoid clutter. I think you’ve got to really focus on controlling distractions, and I think we’re trying to do that for players and staff, right? My wife, she’s burning me up last night with questions about game day but I think it’s important that we set priorities. We’ve got a very specific plan to get ready.” This is Napier’s first season opener at Florida, his fifth as a head coach. Each of the previous four openers, all at Louisiana, were different just as this one will be. When the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns took the field in Lafayette for that first season opener with Grambling, there was a plan in place, one that certainly has been tweaked to get to this point. There were 28,886 in attendance on opening day in Lafayette in 2018. Saturday night, there will be 90,000 shoehorned into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Instead of a D1AA opponent like Grambling, Napier’s fifth season opener will be against Utah, which comes into the game ranked 7th nationally. There will be jitters – “I don’t think I’m ever going to be beyond that,” Napier said – but the four previous years have prepared him for this moment. Jitters and all, there is a quiet confidence about Florida’s head football coach. Because he is so detail-oriented, because he plans things out so meticulously and because he’s had four previous season openers, Billy Napier seems at ease with his surroundings and unfazed by the magnitude of a game that will be the Saturday night feature on ESPN. The confidence and ease he owes to those four years at Louisiana. “I don’t know that I would feel as prepared or have a certain level of confidence without those four years of doing that,” he said. UF Volleyball: Gators face Stanford in early-season showdown Fresh off their Gator Invitational win against three outmatched opponents, the 13th-ranked Gators (3-0) will take a huge step up in competition tonight when they square off with 12th-ranked Stanford (2-0) at the O-Dome (7 p.m., SEC Network). The Gators rank third nationally in hitting percentage, fifth in aces per set and sixth in total aces. AVCA top 25 poll: 1. Texas 2-0; 2. Nebraska 3-0; 3. Louisville 3-0; 4. Minnesota 2-0; 5. Georgia Tech 2-0; 6. Wisconsin 1-1; 7. BYU 3-0; 8. Ohio State 0-2; 9. Baylor 1-1; 10. Pittsburgh 2-1; 11. Purdue 2-1; 12. Stanford 2-0; 13. FLORIDA 3-0; 14. Washington 1-1; 15. San Diego 3-0; 16. Kentucky 1-1; 17. Creighton 3-0; 18. Oregon 2-0; 19. Illinois 1-1; 20. Kansas 3-0; 21. Penn State 3-0; 22. Western Kentucky 3-0; 23. UCLA 1-1; 24. Marquette 2-0; 25. Southern Cal 3-0 SEC football #1 Alabama (0-0): Injured senior tight end Cam Latu has begun practicing again. He is listed day-to-day. #19 Arkansas (0-0): Although Cincinnati hasn’t announced whether the starting QB will be Ben Bryant or Evan Prater, HBC Sam Pittman said, “We’ve got enough defense in that we can attack whatever we see.” Auburn (0-0): Regarding the resignation of athletic director Allen Greene, who turns out the lights in his office for the final time Wednesday, Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network said the divorce was necessary on WJOX in Birmingham Monday morning. Finebaum took it a step further to criticize former Notre Dame/Duke athletic director Kevin White and his son, Tennessee AD Danny White for being critical of Auburn. “To me the most ridiculous part of Allen Green’s firing, resignation, whatever, was the fake outrage that we saw in the national media and from other people in the industry. I mean, the fact that a sitting SEC athletic director said what he did was very surprising. Most athletic directors are hired to worry about their own athletic department, not to tweet about what happens at other places when they may not know all the facts.” #3 Georgia (0-0): Tight end Arik Gilbert was involved in an auto accident that totaled his Mercedes. Reports are that Gilbert was uninjured … Asked if he is concerned about Oregon’s quarterback – Auburn transfer Bo Nix – Kirby Smart replied, “I know who the quarterback’s going to be so I’m not worried.” #20 Kentucky (0-0): In addition to running back Chris Rodriguez and linebacker Jordan Wright being unavailable for game one with Miami (OH) and probably multiple games afterward. In place of Rodriguez, 5th-year senior Kavosiey Smoke will get the start. Senior right guard Kenneth Horsey’s status is unknown due an injury. Redshirt freshman David Wohlabaugh Jr. will get the start at left tackle because Darrian Miller has been suspended for the season. LSU (0-0): HBC Brian Kelly knows who his starting QB – either Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels or Garrett Nussmeier – will be for the Florida State game but won’t announce it. Young said, “It doesn’t help us to play that card.” … Former 4-star linebacker Antoine Sampah has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Sampah played in four games in 2020 and missed all of last season with an injury. Mississippi State (0-0): Regarding the NCAA transfer portal, Mike Leach said at his Monday press conference, “It’s a very reckless approach in its current condition. Transfer if you want, but there out to be a window. For the most part, we lost two types of players: those that didn’t belong here or those that were great people who wanted an opportunity to play more.” Missouri (0-0): Former Miami defensive back Marcus Clarke is reportedly on the Mizzou campus and will be joining the Tigers although he will need a waiver to play immediately since he entered the transfer portal past the NCAA’s May 1 deadline to play in the fall. #21 Ole Miss (0-0): In an interview with Trey Wallace of Outkick.com, Lane Kiffin said, “I feel like I needed Oxford and Ole Miss more than Oxford and Ole Miss needed me. How people are here, it’s really been awesome for me. A lot of changes for me personally, I think a lot of that had to do with me coming here” … Kiffin says he has yet to decide a starting QB between Southern Cal transfer Jaxson Dart and Luke Altmeyer. South Carolina (0-0): I’m sure you’ve been on the edge of your seats awaiting this. The name of the new rooster mascot is “The General.” Among the suggested names fans sent in to The State newspaper were Cluck Norris, Coop, Marco Pollo, Brooster and Mr. Chicken Scratch. Some real creative geniuses they have up there in South Carolina. Tennessee (0-0): At his Monday press conference, HBC Josh Heupel said that getting Southern Cal transfer wide receiver Bru McCoy cleared to play by the NCAA “sent chills down my spine.” #6 Texas A&M (0-0): Although he has named Haynes King his starting QB over Max Johnson and Connor Weigman, at his Monday press conference Jimbo Fisher said, “We feel confident with all three quarterbacks.” Vanderbilt (1-0): Following Vandy’s 63-10 blowout win over Hawai’i, HBC Clark Lea said, “The journey is just beginning and so we’re not looking at this as an end point but a beginning. We’re excited to take the next step next week vs. Elon.” Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 #9 Oklahoma (0-0): Regarding quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby coached for two years when the two were at UCF, Lebby said, “I think we’ve asked him to do a lot of things through the spring and fall camp to get us where we are today and he’s had great growth and we’re in a good spot.” Texas (0-0): What made HBC Steve Sarkisian name Quinn Ewers as the starting QB over Hudson Card was “the ability to make all the throws in our system. I think he’s got playmaking ability. He’s got natural passing ability.” ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Jimbo Fisher acted like someone had stolen his puppy a few months back when Lane Kiffin asked if there shouldn’t be a salary cap after Texas A&M signed what some are calling a generational recruiting class. A few months later, Nick Saban came right out and said what everybody has been thinking for months – that the Aggies used NIL money to buy their recruiting class. Instead of sticking out his lip and pouting like he did when Lane called out the Aggie boosters, Jimbo went attack mode, going so far as accusing Nick of some unsavory things in the past. SEC commish Greg Sankey had to tell his coaches to zip it or deal with the consequences. Lane, Nick and Jimbo have been good boys lately, but in reality, Lane and Nick were right – Aggie boosters did buy the class – and Jimbo knows it. Everybody knows it because Texas A&M isn’t the only school buying recruits with NIL money. That used to be an NCAA violation before NIL – Now It’s Legal. When discussing how recruits are making college decisions based on NIL deals and playing one school against another, Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN told the Los Angeles Times, “That is a bunch of bull#$%!” In particular, Hebstreit is rankled by the $8 million NIL deal quarterback recruit Nico Iamaleava got to commit to Tennessee. “How can an adult with a good conscience say this is awesome for the sport,” Hebstreit said, adding, “Hopefully he’s a great player, but with the reports about [him receiving] three years, $8 million, what if he doesn’t? What if he struggles? What happens then? I mean that’s gonna happen eventually. How those guys in Knoxville gonna feel about that? How’s it gonna go over in a locker room, you know?” Those are fair questions that should cause the people in charge of college sports to find answers before NIL destroys the sport. There are some who think the only answer is to get the government involved, but as Mike Leach challenged the media back during the summer, “Tell me three things Congress has accomplished the last five years.” Leach is right. Congress will only make things worse. He told Paul Finebaum this is a college football problem that needs to be solved by college football people. Not politicians and certainly not academics, who understand very little about sports. Add the NCAA to that list because it has already abdicated its responsibility on the matter and seems to live by the mushroom theory, which begins with keeping everyone in the dark. More and more I conclude that the only way to solve NIL is for the Division I schools to secede from the NCAA and start a new organization from scratch with practical, common sense rules as well as common sense answers to problems that are only going to kill college sports if something isn’t done soon.

"There are more support staff in that picture than cabana boys at a Kardashian Spa & Fat Farm – by my count, more than one coach/attendant per player." (UAA Photo) By BUDDY MARTIN GatorBaitMedia.com Editor Before we declare it an Era, let’s see if they can make a first down and keep from getting boat-raced. Let’s wait on the anointment as William The Conquer's Empire until we see proof whether Billy’s Army can don its new uniforms properly and line up correctly. It is, indeed, a New Day in Florida football -- just not yet a New Era. Frankly, though, it does have the markings of something special. And they do look really impressive in that team photo, don’t they? All 256 of them. There are more support staff in that picture than cabana boys at a Kardashian Spa & Fat Farm – by my count, more than one coach/attendant per player. Of course that includes players, coaches and support personnel. But who’s counting? Besides, with all those massive dollars flowing from the new TV deals about to be signed, what’s a few million between friends? So let’s suspend the accusations of wretched excess in college football these days, even if everything looks, feels and smells like money. Which was the waft I detected this week on a media tour of the new Heavener. “Is that a ‘new car’ smell?” I asked a colleague after 15 minutes on the tour. “No,” he said. “That’s the smell of money.” Not just $85 million, we were told later, but when you factor in the $4 million maintenance building at the new Condron Family baseball park, which was part of the Heavener complex and is used for other purposes, it’s an $89 million tab. Let’s stop right there and draw a breath. We don’t come here to write and talk about bricks and mortar, a virtual legion of support staff, the care and feeding of athletes, fund-raisers for fat cats and everything that happens off and around the field or arena. We’re here for the games, athletes, spectatorship and fun. Oh yeah, and the winning. So I guess we’re really here for all of it. That same smell of money is a familiar aroma these days in Tuscaloosa, Athens, College Station, Austin, Norman, Columbus and all those other familiar college football datelines. Everybody’s school color these days is green. As over-the-top as it may sound and look, the James W. Heavener Football Training Center just keeps Florida up to speed and in the game. Full confession: I am just as confused and concerned as you are about the future of college sports and what all this means. I just didn’t expect to be as impressed with the Heavener. Perhaps, selfishly, because I root so hard for the game I love and the remaining bit of soul it may have to be retained not to be bought and sold. The truth is that just as Olympic athletes have training centers like Colorado Springs, so must other so-called non-professional sports. I keep thinking about Scott Stricklin standing there in the over-sized living room foyer with colleague Chip Howard, beaming like proud parents, not just proud to be keeping up with the Joneses, or the Sabans, or the Smarts, but proud of the mission and its purpose. What was the one thing different that sets the Heavener apart from others? It was Howard, when asked for one word to help describe what this athletic Taj Mahal represented, said: “Commitment.” Not as in the commitment of recruits, but the commitment by the university to its athletes. Never mind the state-of-the-art technology, cushy $15,000 lockers and lounge chairs, pool table, pool, cryogenics room, barber shop, basketball court – etc., etc., etc. Every single Gator athlete, including walk-ons (over 500), will be allowed to partake of the food and nutrition program, three meals a day, five days a week. And not just football – so it’s already much more than a football facility. The long play is remarkable. Its legacy is powerful. This is a masterpiece. About the only thing it doesn’t offer is paying off student loans! The great Carlos Alvarez once said of Florida football heritage that it’s right there in the stadium, where “everybody put in a brick.” Except now, if Ben Hill Griffin/Steve Spurrier Field is the Colosseum in Rome, then the Heavener is perhaps the architectural equivalent of Greece’s Parthenon. The spectacular slabs of marble, tile and glass are festooned with the iconic symbols like the “Work ‘Em Silly” slogan, “The Is Gator Country” and giant TV screens featuring famous video scenarios. And the sheer functionality of the design offers time-saving efficiency for a pressurized pell-mell schedule that is already beyond taxing for coaches and players. To say a buzz has been created this month about future of The Billy Napier Era would be an understatement. Adding in the late procurement of four 4-star recruits that vaulted Florida into all the Top Ten recruiting classes for 2023 and what became a veritable Gator bonanza stirred some Orange & Blue spirits. “Someday,” I said to Stricklin, “I’d like to sit down with you for ten minutes and recount what just happened.” As I have stated, there has never been such a momentous paradigm shift of a football program that has yet to even have its first snap. As for the good news about early commitments – whatever that may be – Stricklin took no credit and claims no knowledge of it being staged to coincide with the unveiling of the Heavener Masterpiece. Also, last week over 100 former well-known Gator athletes came to campus and took the Heavener tour. “They were walking around with their I-phones taking photos and videos, smiling and gawking like a bunch of recruits,” said Stricklin, himself overjoyed to see their reaction. It’s been a minute since the word “joy” was associated with Gator football. Take it and run. The harsh reality of the months ahead may not seem quite so penal. Sometimes you just have to settle for the smell of the coffee before you taste it. Or, in this case, the smell of money, and cautious optimism. That aroma of hope can go a long way toward establishing a new reality.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: UTAH’S LIFE DEPENDS ON BEATING THE GATORS? That’s what Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South wrote last week about the impending visit by 7th-ranked Utah to The Swamp to face the Gators in the season opener Saturday night. Hayes writes, “This isn’t about one game or one season. This is about the very life of Utah football.” He goes on to say, “And the only lifeboat for Utah is winning. Big. Not just beating Florida. Not just winning the Pac-12 again. But getting to the playoff and playing so well, the Utes can no longer be ignored. Their football life depends on it.” In Hayes’ opinion, Utah has to score a big win over the Gators, then go on to have a CFP season that will be so attractive that when the Big Ten elects to expand, the Utah Utes will be an obvious choice. Utah could rake in more than $90 million a year in an expanded Big Ten, which is bound and determined to collapse the Pac-12. If Utah doesn’t get invited, it will doomed to life as a wannabe in an expanded Big 12, which will probably dole out $50 million a year when it goes to 16 teams with a likely media contract from ESPN. There is no doubt the Utes will come to Gainesville feeling they have something to prove, not only to the world, but to themselves. Are they just another Pac-12 wannabe or are they the biggest thing to come out of Utah since Donnie and Marie did a remake of Puppy Love? It’s hard to gauge when you consider Utah hasn’t played an SEC team since 2008 and has ventured east of the Mississippi River only four times since 2009, the last one in 2018 to face Northern Illinois of the MAC. Kyle Whittingham is a fine football coach. He’s 144-70 in 17 years, 53-42 in the Pac-12. That kind of record will get you fired in the SEC. Florida has three coaches since 2011 to prove it. Billy Napier, the Gators’ latest coach, makes his UF debut against Utah. He’s got an unranked team with an inexperienced albeit talented QB in Anthony Richardson, so nobody can really get a handle on how good or how bad the Gators will be. Just know this. There is no pressure on Billy Napier. He has Florida heading back in a championship direction and that won’t change if he loses to Utah. If the Utes take it on the chin – Vegas must think they can since here they are ranked 7th and only 2.5-point favorites – it probably torpedoes their chances to make the CFP even if they win the Pac-12 and makes them a redheaded stepchild that the Big Ten doesn’t want to claim. So, yeah, the Utes are playing for their football lives here. You can bet the farm Billy Napier has advised the Gators accordingly. Other Gator news UF volleyball 3, everybody else 0 The 14th-ranked Gators (3-0) opened their season by taking the Gator Invitational with wins over North Florida, East Tennessee State and Virginia. The 3-0 win over Virginia Saturday was particularly encouraging since UF hit an impressive .521 as a team. Sophomore Merritt Beason was the tournament MVP while Syracuse transfer Marina Markova and freshman setter Alexis Stuckey both made the all-tournament team. The Gators will host No. 15 Stanford Tuesday night at the O-Dome. UF soccer goes oh-fer Texas The Gators are 1-3 on the season after a weekend roadie to Texas in which they dropped a 2-1 match to Baylor on Friday and a 3-2 match to Texas on Sunday. In both matches, the Gators gave up the winning goal in the last minutes. The Gators play host to South Florida Thursday and Florida State on Sunday, both matches at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. SEC football #1 Alabama: Let the Nick Saban Revenge Tour begin. Utah State, which barely beat a BAD UConn team, will discover that Stars Fell on Alabama in each of the last 13 recruiting classes … The Tide is a 40.5-point favorite. They will cover by halftime. Saturday’s game: vs. Utah State (1-0) #19 Arkansas (0-0): For She Put the Sin in Cincinnati (that was a chart topper in 1946 by Merle Travis) to have any hope of a second straight run to the playoffs, the Bearcats must beat Arkansas in Fayette Nam. It’s not going to happen. For Arkansas, which is favored by six, it’s another step on the road back to relevance. Saturday’s game: vs. #23 Cincinnati (0-0) Auburn (0-0): Allan Greene is cleaning out his desk this week ahead of a Wednesday evening sayonara as the Auburn AD. Former Notre Dame and Duke AD Kevin White (father of Mike) says it is a travesty. Auburn’s dysfunctional fan base begs to differ. Expect Auburn to hustle up a new AD who will hasten the exit of HBC Bryan Harsin and bring in some new coach who will gladly take abuse in exchange for a hefty buyout … TJ Finley will start at QB against Johnny Mercer. Saturday’s game: vs. Mercer (1-0) #3 Georgia (0-0): Nobody knows Georgia’s defensive personnel quite like Dan Lanning but he’ll be coaching The Oregon Trail (Fred MacMurray was the star of this 1959 classic) and the personnel he left behind in Poodlesville will show no mercy … Georgia is a 17.5-point favorite. Saturday’s game: vs. #11 Oregon (0-0) in Atlanta #20 Kentucky (0-0): My Old Kentucky Home is breaking in new wide receivers, three new starters on the O-line and will be playing without Chris Rodriguez. For the Cradle of Coaches to win this game, then it will take Woody, Bo, Ara and Col. Red Blaik to rise from their graves to help … UK is favored by 18 points. Saturday’s game: vs. Miami OH (0-0) LSU (0-0): Brian Kelly has spent the last few months trying convince people he was Born on the Bayou. If he figures out a way to lose Tallahassee Lassie, the folks in Louisiana might be asking themselves what the hell were we thinking when we ran off Coach O? … The Tigers are 3-point faves. Sunday’s game: vs. Florida State (1-0) in New Orleans Mississippi State (0-0): Mike Leach and the Bulldogs got jobbed out of a win against the Memphis Blues Again last year by horrendous officiating. This year the game is in Starkvegas. Paybacks are hell … Mississippi State is favored by 14.5 points. Saturday’s game: vs. Memphis (0-0) Missouri (0-0): Call this Eli (Drinkwitz) and the 13th Confession: “We ain’t worried about anything past Thursday night. Our sole focus energy, concentration, everything we’ve got, ready to roll. The best thing that we’ve been able to do through fall camp is prepare in that manner but have all of our game ending scenarios ready – got to have it calls.” Aha. Got to have it calls for 19-point underdog Louisiana Tech. Thursday’s game: vs. Louisiana Tech (0-0) #21 Ole Miss (0-0): For a team with 20 transfers, most of whom expect to either start or have prominent roles in the rotation, you couldn’t design a better season opener than Helen of Troy. It doesn’t matter who Lane Kiffin starts at QB, this one will over so quickly that The Grove will be the happening place to be by the end of the third quarter … The Rebels are 22-point favorites. Saturday’s game: vs. Troy (0-0) South Carolina (0-0): One of the chief topics of discussion among South Carolina fans is the nickname of the rooster that is the live mascot. There is a naming dispute between the chicken’s owners and the school. Is Rooster Cogburn taken? ... No matter what they name the mascot, South Carolina is favored by 12.5 points against the largest school in the state of Georgia. Saturday’s game: vs. Georgia State (0-0) Tennessee (0-0): The NCAA finally decided Bru McCoy could play immediately. Let’s see. He signed with Southern Cal then transferred to Texas. Before he played at Texas he transferred to Southern Cal where he picked up an arrest for domestic violence. Then he transferred to The Tennessee Waltz. What’s this rule about one free transfer, otherwise you sit a year? Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley because the NCAA rules were meant to be broken … McCoy’s presence won’t matter since the Vols are 33.5-points. Thursday’s game: vs. Ball State (0-0) #6 Texas A&M (0-0): Haynes King will be the starting QB. You have to wonder if Max Johnson (35 TDPs last two years at LSU) is questioning his decision to transfer to Aggieland. No matter who is the QB, the Bearkats will feel like Sam Houston did at The Alamo. They may play some Whitney Houston classics on the 50-mile bus ride after collecting a $500,000 paycheck. Saturday’s game: vs. Sam Houston (0-0) Vanderbilt (1-0): The Commodores, who scored 189 points in 12 games last year, hung 63 on Hawai’i Saturday night. Chalk this up to the combination of Vanderbilt being better than last year – how could they be worse? – and the Rainbow Warriors being atrociously worse than anyone expected. The Dores get D1AA Elon Musk Saturday, another beatdown win before they play Wake Forest Gump. Saturday’s game: vs. Elon (0-0) Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 #9 Oklahoma (0-0): UTEP is being paid $1 million to usher in the Brent Venables era at Baja Oklahoma … The Sooners are a mere 31.5-point favorite. Saturday’s game: vs. UTEP (0-0) Texas (0-0): Even if the Longhorns are looking ahead to big, bad Bama arriving Deep in the Heart of Texas, there will be no problems with Monroe Doctrine, in its second year under the astute coaching of Little Terry Bowden. Saturday’s game: vs. Louisiana-Monroe (0-0) Football is played elsewhere besides the SEC Florida State (1-0): The Seminoles ran for 406 yards on Duquesne. The Dukes of Hazard took their beating like men. They were playing for a paycheck to fund the women’s bowling, rowing, lacrosse and acrobatic and tumbling (yes, apparently that’s a sport) teams. After 529 games, this was the first FSU football game in which Gene Deckerhoff wasn’t doing the radio play-by-play. Nebraska (0-1): Cornhusker fans are thinking Frosty the Snowman can coach better than Scott Frost. When the Fighting Frosts lost 31-28 to Northwestern in Dublin Saturday, it marked the 21st of Scott Frost’s 30 losses decided by eight or fewer points. The Frosts lost nine games in 2021, the largest margin of defeat by nine (26-17) to Ohio State. Either Scott Frost is snakebit or else he needs the Linda Lovelace treatment so that he no longer chokes on the big ones. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: If you check the Houston Texans’ depth chart, you’ll find Dameon Pierce listed as the No. 1 running back. Since day one at the Texans’ training camp, Pierce has been the best back on the team, which pretty much validates the glowing report of Pro Football Focus. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Fox Sports wrote back in December that Pierce squatted 705 pounds, benched 390, had a 37-inch vertical and ran a 4.5 in the 40. With those kind of numbers you’re left to shake your head and ask why didn’t he get the football in his hands more often during his four years playing for the Gators? It wasn’t for a lack of productivity. Pierce carried the ball 329 times for 1,806 yards and scored 23 touchdowns in four years. That’s 5.5 yards per carry. He also caught 45 passes for 422 yards and five TDs. That’s 9.4 per catch, which is outstanding for a running back. Errict Rhett, the all-time receiver among SEC running backs (153 catches for 1,230 yards) only averaged 8.0. In 2021, Pierce carried 100 times for 574 yards (5.74 per carry) and 13 touchdowns while catching 19 passes for 216 yards (11.37 per catch) and three more TDs. Based on his senior season alone, he should have had a bigger role in the offense. Why he didn’t only former HBC Dan Mullen and former running backs coach Greg Knox know for sure and I’m not 100 percent certain they really have a good answer. There is one silver lining to Pierce’s four years at Florida, however. Because he was under-used, he has fresh legs for the NFL. The Texans think he’s their back of the future.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: CHANGE MY FIRST NAME TO CLAIRE AND MY LAST NAME TO VOYANT A dirty dozen college football predictions ahead of Saturday’s first games 1. The Florida O-line will be beastly The 2017 Louisiana Ragin Cajuns ran for 183.67 yards per game and averaged a very respectable 4.88 per carry. A year later in Billy Napier’s first year on the job with Rob Sale as his O-line coach, the Cajuns averaged 218.71 yards, 5.54 per carry and they scored 31 rushing touchdowns. Fast forward to 2021 when the Gators averaged 208.69 yards per game on the ground, 5.48 per carry and scored 26 TDs. That was with an offensive line that knew how to block but also had a penchant for shooting itself in the foot with false starts and holding penalties. The 2022 Gators will run the ball better than they did last year, largely because Sale will have the O-line in beast mode starting with game one against Utah. The starting O-line should be LT Richard Gouraige (6-5, 308), LG Ethan White (6-4, 331), C Kingsley Eguakun (6-3, 301), RG O’Cyrus Torrence (6-5, 347) and RT Michael Tarquin (6-5, 320). The second unit should be LT Austin Barber (6-6, 312), LG Richie Leonard IV (6-2, 318), C Leonard, RG Josh Braun (6-6, 351) and RT Kamryn Waites (6-8, 373). Also figuring in the rotation are Jake Slaughter (6-5, 300) and Jordan Herman (6-8, 373). 2. Utah, Kentucky and Tennessee can’t score if they can’t get the football As Louisiana opponents concluded in year one and in the subsequent three years, you can’t score if you can’t get the football back. The Ragin Cajuns scored 132 rushing touchdowns in four seasons. In addition to a big O-line that loved to punish opponents, Napier always had at least a 3-back rotation. Fresh legs and a powerful O-line kept the Louisiana offense on the field and the opposing offense off. The Gators have the big O-line, a 4-back rotation in Montrell Johnson, Nay’Quan Wright, Lorenzo Lingard and Trevor Etienne, plus the added dimension of QB Anthony Richardson, who has go the distance speed. It will be hard to stop the Gators from running the ball which means they will control the clock, pound opposing defenses and keep the other team’s offense on the sideline. They can’t score if they can’t get the football. 3. If the defense can stop the run, the Gators will surprise a lot of folks This is going to be the tricky part. When it comes to the back seven, the Gators are going to be really, really good. Up front it’s dicey. The lack of decent D-line recruiting the past few years sticks out like a sore thumb. For the Gators to be good (a) Gervon Dexter has to be dominant, (b) Jalen Lee and Desmond Watson have to show they can control the gap on either side of the center, and (c) Princely Umanmielen and Tyreak Sapp have to play very well at DE. The Gators are going to be very good at the linebacker spots and the secondary will be exceptional. The key will be stopping the run. If the Gators can make opponents one-dimensional, then this defense will shock the SEC. 4. Tennessee will not contend The Vols act like they woke up on third base thinking they just hit a triple. They’re feeling pretty cocky, particularly about game four when the Gators come to Neyland Stadium. Their defense, which gave up 29.1 points and 421.7 yards per game last year, isn’t going to be much better, in large part because Josh Heupel doesn’t give them a break with his a new play every 20 seconds offense. The Vols play (at) Pitt and Florida in September and then they still have (at) LSU, Alabama and Kentucky in October plus (at) Georgia in November. This will be a 7-5 team. 5. Beware of Mississippi State and Ole Miss Will Rogers is in his third year as a starter in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense. He threw for 4,739 yards and 36 TDs last year. Third-year QBs under Leach put up Star Wars numbers. Did you know Zach Arnett’s defense was fifth in the SEC and 31st nationally last year and he has nine starters back. Circle September 17. The Bulldogs are going to ambush LSU in Tiger Stadium. Lane Kiffin has loaded up with 20 transfers that should make the Rebels better than last year when they won 10 games and went to the Sugar Bowl. The 1-2 running punch of transfers Zach Evans and Ulysses Bentley will be lethal and no matter whether it’s Jaxson Dart or Luke Altmeyer at QB, he will be throwing to Jonathan Mingo (scary good), Louisville transfer Jordan Watkins (very, very fast) and tight end Michael Trigg, who could wind up being equal to Brock Bowers as the best in the SEC. The Rebels could be 7-0 before they face the gauntlet of (at) LSU, (at) Texas A&M, Alabama, and (at) Arkansas. 6. Money won’t buy the Big Ten any love For all the bluster about their mega media deal, there is still that teensy factor of weather. Adding Southern Cal and UCLA won’t alter the recruiting landscape enough to turn the Big Ten into a more powerful conference than the SEC. The other 14 teams still have to deal with weather that sucks. As Mike Farrell has pointed out, the faster, more talented kids will still go to the SEC because (a) the weather, (b) better coaches, (c) the weather, (d) only two national championships for Big Ten teams (both by Ohio State) since 2000 and only three since 1990, (d) the weather and (e) all of the above. Even when commish Kevin Warren stabs former alliance buddy George Kliavkoff in the back when he destroys the Pac-12 by adding Oregon, Washington, California and Stanford, the Big Ten will still be the country cousins to the SEC. 7. Get ready for four power conferences When the Pac-12 folds – perhaps by the end of the year – Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado will join the Big 12, which will add some negotiating power for a nice network deal since it will add the Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, Salt Lake, Denver and Colorado Springs TV markets into a league that already has Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Orlando and Tampa. The football won’t be bad and the basketball will be the best in the country with Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Houston, TCU, Arizona and BYU. 8. The Nick Saban revenge tour That’s what you can call Alabama football 2022. Nick lost to Jimbo and Kirby last year. It’s not nice to make the old boss mad. Nick has been living rent free in Jimbo Fisher’s head ever since he made those NIL remarks. You won’t convince me that wasn’t a shot across the bow of the SS Aggie. There was purpose to the remarks. Did the Aggies cheat? Sort of. They paid recruits, but remember NIL stands for Now It’s Legal. As for Kirby, that will have to wait for the SEC Championship Game. Nick destroyed Georgia in the SEC title game last year when he had a healthy Jameson Williams and John Metchie III. He lost to the Bulldogs without them. Bama has the wide receivers it needs this year and a defense that will remind Stetson Bennett the 12th that he’s really not that good. Georgia (a) lost too many good players and (b) will have to deal with a pissed off Nick Saban. 9. The best team in the Pac-12 will be … Southern Cal? Nope. Oregon? With Bo Nix at QB? Oh please. Utah? Maybe, but probably not. The answer is UCLA. Chip Kelly will win the Pac-12 then put himself on the market for a job in the SEC, especially in a state that has low to zero state income tax (he pays 13.3 percent now and there is a bill in the legislature that would raise it to 14.3 percent for everyone making more than $1 million. For all the talk about Caleb Williams at Southern Cal, the best QB in the league will be cross town in Westwood where Dorian Thompson-Robinson will inject himself into the Heisman Trophy watch list early on. UCLA has a cupcake schedule. Washington, Utah, Stanford and Southern Cal all have to play the Bruins in the Rose Bowl. 10. Miami will NOT win the Almost Competitive Conference Miami isn’t even the second best team in the ACC much less the best. Clemson is the best team in the league and North Carolina State is the second best. Period. Miami will get clocked by the Aggies in College Station in game three. They have to play at Virginia Tech in late October and they finish out the season with (at) Clemson and Pittsburgh. Clemson will win the league because the Tigers play North Carolina State and Miami in Death Valley. Clemson WILL beat Notre Dame in South Bend in early November. By then Cade Klubnik will be drawing comparisons to Trevor Lawrence. If any team can beat the Tigers it’s North Carolina State but the game is a homer for Clemson. 11. Notre Dame will NOT contend for a national championship The euphoria over Marcus Freeman will begin to die down next Saturday when Ohio State does a tap dance on the Fighting Irish in Columbus. Quick trivia question: Who was Ohio State’s leading tackler in the beatdown loss to Florida in the 2006 national championship game? Answer: Marcus Freeman. The Irish will lose that one and they will also lose to BYU in Las Vegas in October and to Clemson on November 5. This is a 3-loss team that (a) doesn’t have a stud QB and (b) even if it did there aren’t any decent wide receivers to throw the ball to. 12. The next coach at Auburn will be … I think Bryan Harsin is a good football coach. I think he will win enough games that the Auburn alums will grumble a lot but won’t mount a serious firing campaign. I think there will be enough good jobs opening up that Harsin will give Auburn the fickle finger of fate and leave for a place that will appreciate him. I believe Auburn would love to hire Mark Stoops from Kentucky, but I think he’s too smart to deal with the Auburn boosters. So the next coach will be either Jamey Chadwell (Coastal Carolina) or Hugh Freeze (Liberty) or Chip Kelly (UCLA). The SEC Soothsayer Vanderbilt (0-0) at Hawai’i (0-0) It’s not often that Vanderbilt has a chance to win a season opener against a Division I team but this one is (a) in Hawai’i and (b) the Rainbow Warriors are coached by Timmy Chang, who has brought back the run-and-shoot. Chang threw for more than 17,000 yards as the QB at Hawai’i from 2000-04. He’ll have the Warriors chunking it all over the yard Saturday against a Vandy team that (a) can’t rush the passer (9 last year) and (b) struggles to stop the pass. The Sayer Says Sooth: Hawai’i 37, Vanderbilt 21 ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: I was asked to name my top 10 college football coaches of all time Thursday, so here’s my list. 1. Nick Saban (Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama); 2. Bear Bryant (Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Alabama; 3. General Bob Neyland (Tennessee); 4. Steve Spurrier (Duke, Florida, South Carolina); 5. Knute Rockne (Notre Dame); 6. John McKay (Southern Cal); 7. Bobby Bowden (Samford, West Virginia, Florida State); 8. Urban Meyer (Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State); 9. Dr. Tom Osborne (Nebraska); 10. Joe Paterno (Penn State)

By FRANZ BEARD GatorBaitMedia.com “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” – Yogi Berra There are times – there must be – that Billy Napier thinks he’s re-living 2018 at the University of Louisiana. That was year one of Napier’s first head coaching gig. He took over a team that in the course of a 5-7 season in 2017 gave up 40 points a game, won an offensive shootout with a D1AA team, and lost games it should have won. The 2017 Ragin Cajuns committed too many penalties, turned the ball over too much and couldn’t get critical stops on third down. In part because they lost way too many games because of unforced errors and turnovers, Mark Hudspeth lost his job and Napier was hired. Does that sound familiar or what? The 2021 Florida Gators finished 6-7 and got to a forgettable bowl game only because they won a shootout with D1AA Samford and then beat a bad Florida State team in the final two regular season games. The Gators committed way too many penalties, turned the ball over too much and couldn’t get critical stops on third down. The 2021 Gators could have beaten SEC champion Alabama at home except for lack of focus mistakes. The Gators lost to 10-win Kentucky in Lexington in a game that could be best described as the great giveaway thanks to 15 UF penalties, a blocked field goal returned for a TD and an interception that gave Kentucky ideal field position for what proved to be the game-winning TD. In Baton Rouge the Gators lost a perfectly winnable game because they completed four passes to LSU defensive backs and couldn’t stop the same off-tackle blast play the Tigers ran at least 25 times. There is absolutely no excuse for Florida losing to South Carolina and Missouri. Any way you slice it, Florida should have won at least 10 football games in 2021 which would have gotten them a fourth straight New Year’s Six bowl game. Should have. Could have. Would have. Didn’t largely because this was an undisciplined team with a penchant for shooting itself in the foot and losing winnable games because of penalties, unforced errors and turnovers. That cost Dan Mullen his job and for the second time in his coaching career, Billy Napier was hired to clean up a mess. Just as cleaning up a mess isn’t uncharted territory for Billy Napier, turning to someone new to put Humpty Dumpty – also known as Florida football – back together again isn’t a newfangled idea at the University of Florida. Napier, it turns out, is the fourth Mr. Clean brought in to give the Gators a fresh start and regain championship aura gone astray. The blueprint for what Napier is doing at Florida, where the Gators open the 2022 season with Utah in The Swamp on September 3, was first put to the test at Louisiana back in 2018. Napier took over a team that had far too many holes to patch, but he someone kept the Ragin Cajuns’ heads above water in a thrill ride of a season in which they either won games in shootout fashion or went down in flames. Because they beat Arkansas State in an early season 47-43 shootout that turned out to be the tiebreaker for the Sun Belt Conference Western Division title and won their final three regular season games, Louisiana made it to the Sun Belt Championship Game and went bowling. That the Ragin Cajuns lost the championship game to Appalachian State and the Cure Bowl game to Tulane seems irrelevant now. Finishing 7-7 was important. Changing the football culture was the most important accomplishment that year. Florida offensive line coach Rob Sale, who was with Napier at Louisiana in 2018, says, “Coach Napier was able to – probably in my opinion – win games we probably weren’t supposed to be in there by slowing the pace of the game and then we were able to put it all together, play complimentary football in all three phases (offense, defense, special teams).” The culture changed. Recruiting changed. The Cajuns went 33-5 the next three years, finishing the Napier Era in Lafayette with a Sun Belt championship. Now Napier is in Gainesville finishing up his ninth month of restructuring the Florida football program from the ground up. Athletic director Scott Stricklin, who, like so many, sees a young Nick Saban in his football coach, has essentially given Napier carte blanche to restore Florida football to championship greatness. Essentially, whatever Billy wants, Billy gets. The requests haven’t been outlandish – an “army” of analysts and specialists have been hired but they were necessary and there were 39 key changes to the spectacular new Heavener Football Center – but what they’ve done is firmly establish that this is Billy Napier’s football program. Sure, Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain and Dan Mullen all had their chances to put their stamp on things, but either there was resistance at the top or a lack of vision on their part. Billy Napier has turned this into the football program everybody in the country better be paying attention to because there is a plan in place that covers every single imaginable detail. The only thing missing are the victories and with every press conference in which he outlines progress and answers questions from the media, Napier oozes a very unpretentious confidence. There isn’t the fanfare of Jimbo Fisher and his big deal at Texas A&M nor the newfound bravado of Georgia, fresh off its first national championship in 41 years. Nor is there Nick Saban’s chilling been there, done that, we’ll do it again monotone delivery that convinces you it will be a cold day in hell before Bama isn’t a threat to win another national championship. No, this is different. Napier’s entire demeanor is different. There is none of the “my dog Clarabelle” nonsense or Dan Mullen smartest guy in the room arrogance yet when he speaks it’s not difficult to believe. Perhaps it’s because he seems to have this whole person approach. His better people make for better football players approach – yes it sounds like it’s straight out of a “Better ingredients make better pizza” Papa John’s commercial – has not only won over the players, but it’s winning over recruits as well. “This is what are we trying to do with the players,” Napier said recently. “We’re No. 1 trying to improve character; No. 2 we’re trying to increase knowledge; and No. 3 we’re trying to develop skill. Notice, I didn’t say talent, we said skill level. So I think we projected, we took height, length and speed – and we worked hard on improving character. We were able to do that independent of the talent level, the physical traits.” Character first. Football second. The late, great Dean Smith always believed that if you win over the hearts and minds of your players, winning basketball games would take care of themselves. That’s what Napier did at Louisiana in doing a full 180 with the Rajin Cajuns, turning them from undisciplined losers into a Group of Five powerhouse. That’s what he intends to do with the Florida Gators. “Ninety percent of all mental errors are in your head” – Yogi Berra “You know more games are lost than won,” Napier said before reeling off victory-killers like undisciplined penalties such as eight false starts in the Kentucky loss in 2021, turnovers (four interceptions in the loss to LSU), lack of effort plays (illegal participation against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game in 2020, for instance, cost UF a TD in a game the Gators lost by six points) and focus flaws such as a missed assignment that cost the Gators a game-tying 2-point conversion in the loss to Alabama or the blocked field goal that Kentucky ran back for a touchdown. When it comes to penalties, Napier’s goal for 2022 is that the Gators will average no more than one penalty every 30 snaps. A year ago the Gators were 119th out of 130 Division I teams in penalties. Napier’s Louisiana team was 48th. Penalties have plagued the Gators the last 10 years. Only the 2019 Gators (36th) finished among the top 50 teams in the country. A year ago the Gators compounded the penalty situation by finishing dead last in interceptions thrown. Who knows how many blown assignments there were. Dan Mullen’s inability to get a handle on those things ultimately unhinged the confidence the team had in the coaching staff. Back in the 1970s, Doug Dickey drove Florida fans crazy when, on more than one occasion, he said, “Before you can win, first you have to avoid losing.” Never did it make Florida fans’ blood boil more than the 10-7 loss to Georgia that cost UF the SEC title. Dickey sent out his field goal kicker to try to tie the game on a muddy field rather than go for the first down that could have led to a game winning TD. Dickey’s philosophy was straight out of General Bob Neyland’s Seven Maxims of Football. There is a rather large measure of truth to that statement and Napier isn’t afraid to offer his own version of it. “We want to eliminate the chinks in the armor, make the other team beat you and we’ve always taken great pride in that,” he said. “I think incrementally each year at the previous stop we’ve gotten better in those areas.” Napier also isn’t afraid to keep bringing up the role character plays in winning football games. General Neyland never said the team with the most character has a better chance to win games. Billy Napier believes it does. Last Sunday, Napier was asked about the progress the Gators have made since he took over the team. After mentioning that the Gators have improved fundamentally, he said, “I do think we’re much more of a close-knit group. I think we know each other and that we’ve actually got true connection and I’m hopeful that will affect how we handle adversity, our ability to stick together. I think football is a game of momentum. It’s a game of emotion, but I think it’s important that we, you know … how is that going to affect our team? Are we going to splinter? Are we going to stick together? Is it going to galvanize our team? And I think one of the things we have taken great pride of in the past is we were a group that was together, right? I’m hopeful we can have that kind of team here.” “It’s too coincidental to be a coincidence.” – Yogi Berra Character will have a lot to do with the type of team Napier will have in season one in Gainesville, but so will depth. Every team in the Southeastern Conference has 22 good players. To win more than two or three games it takes at least 33 players. To be more than a break-even team, you have to have a full two-deep or 44 players capable of playing at an SEC level. To win championships you better have 50 ready to go and the bulk of them better have some experience. What Napier saw back in April when spring practice ended was a bit alarming, but all that did was make him and his assistant coaches work harder over the summer to get the team ready to play. What he sees now, four-and-a-half months later, is a two-deep that has enough talent to compete but is lacking experience. “I’ve always felt kind of like going after the spring, I would say we’ve got one-and-a-half units, if that makes sense, but I do believe we’ve made progress, right?” Napier said Wednesday. One-and-half units means 33 players. After summer workouts and August camp, there is far more confidence because he sees a team that is far more responsible and dependable. He also sees young guys who don’t lack for talent, but do lack for experience. “We need more players that can play winning football,” he said, adding that in the months since spring football “we’ve developed some players, right, that maybe had not played a significant role in the past.” He mentioned redshirt freshman Tyreak Sapp, so talented that he may wind up playing all three spots on the D-line. He mentioned unheralded redshirt freshman offensive tackle Austin Barber, who has carved his way into the top eight among O-linemen who will see the field early and often. Freshman linebacker Shemar James has been impressive. Redshirt freshman Justus Boone is going to play defensive end and could play some on the inside even though he’s not quite 270 pounds. Sophomore Princely Umanmielen has spent a good portion of the fall pestering QBs from his defensive end position. Antwaun Powell-Ryland is a redshirt freshman who looks good coming off the edge. Redshirt freshman O-linemen Jake Slaughter and Kamryn Waites are going to play. It will be hard to keep freshman corner Devin Moore and freshman safety Kamari Wilson off the field and freshman wide receiver Caleb Douglas has been making plays in the passing game. Montrell Johnson, who was in the running back rotation for Napier at Louisiana where he scored 12 touchdowns last year as a sophomore, will probably be the No. 1 option at running back. Even quarterback Anthony Richardson fits that inexperienced mold. He’s completed 40 passes in his UF career. Everybody recognizes Richardson has first round talent but he hasn’t played much. “If I had to do it all over again, I’d do it all over again” – Yogi Berra The talent is better than Napier had year one at Louisiana. That’s the difference in the SEC and the Sun Belt. The 2018 Ragin Cajuns had to fill out their two-deep with younger, inexperienced players but it paid off in years two through four. Napier knows from experience that he will reap the benefit of playing the young guys now. It may take a year for some of these kids to start showing real consistency, but others he expects will show improvement week-to-week. “I do think we’re going to have a lot of players on this team that make significant strides throughout the season,” Napier said. Back in 2018, Napier signed unheralded offensive tackle Max Mitchell out of Monroe (LA) Neville. He arrived in Lafayette with no stars to his name, but he worked his way into the rotation, played in every game, and was getting significant minutes by season’s end. By 2021 Mitchell was a second team All-American who didn’t allow a sack and only 13 QB pressures as a senior. He was drafted by the New York Jets and will likely start as a rookie. A year later, Napier signed O’Cyrus Torrence out of Greensburg (LA) St. Helena Parrish. He transferred to UF when Napier became UF’s coach. He hasn’t allowed a sack in more than 1,300 passing protections. He started as a freshman, got better with every game and was first team All-Sun Belt the last two years. The history of Mitchell and Torrence tells you Napier has a keen eye for talent, but also lets you know he has a system of putting young players on the field, coaching them up and turning them into productive players from day one. “Keep trying. Stay humble, trust your instincts. Most importantly, act. When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” – Yogi Berra This final Yogi-ism might be the best way to sum up what we’ve seen and what we should expect from Billy Napier. He plans his day down to the minute so there is never going to be a lack of effort. He’s got the humble thing down pat. He trusts his instincts enough to rely on a basic blueprint that he’s willing to implement. If the years have taught him one thing, it’s you have to be flexible enough to take on something new. The Florida Gators are the fork in the road. Billy Napier took it and now he’s a little more than a week away from showing us just how much progress he’s made. Yogi once said you have to be careful because if you don’t know where you’re going you might not get there. Billy Napier knows exactly where he’s going and he knows what it’s going to take to get the Florida Gators there with him.

By KYLE CURTIS GatorBaitMedia.com With a little over a week left before kickoff, the Gators are coming into the Utah game with what appears to be a healthy roster. Besides a few players getting banged up along the way, which is expected in spring practice, Florida did not have any serious debilitating injuries during the offseason. The good news mid-week is that Billy Napier saw three starters return, although full status is not yet known. Here are a few updates on some of the players expected to miss some time along with updates with some guys already back in action. Ricky Pearsall When the news broke, Gator nation monitored it closely with enthusiasm. Pearsall has developed nicely since coming to Gainesville from Arizona State and has perhaps emerged as the top wide receiver in an already thin room who can stretch defenses. The news came out that he had injured his foot and speculation that he could miss significant time turned out wrong. Luckily for Gator nation, Pearsall’s X-rays were negative, and he has returned to practice as a full participant this past week. A major issue evaded for Anthony Richardson and the rest of the Gator offense. Jack Miller The biggest injury that occurred during spring practices was to Ohio State transfer quarterback Jack Miller, who had been taking second-team reps all spring and looking sharp before the injury. Miller broke his thumb, a thumb avulsion fracture, and is expected to miss some game time. Napier gave an update on Miller’s timetable. “Jack had a thumb avulsion fracture, which is really the same surgery that Drew Brees had a couple of years ago,” Napier said. “So, we anticipate him missing, I'm going to say the first two games. We’re hopeful that we’ll get him back in Week 3. He’ll be in a cast for a couple of weeks as things start to grow together, and we’ll start the rehab process.” With this news and Jalen Kitna going down with a minor procedure that left Three-Star true freshman Max Brown and walk-on Kyle Engel to backup Richardson in the meantime. Napier hinted at giving the edge to Engel if anything were to happen. Jalen Kitna Two weeks ago, the third-string quarterback underwent a “small procedure” according to Billy Napier. When addressing Kitna, Napier had nothing but praise for the redshirt freshman. “I would say Kitna is the player that I probably saw the most growth in from Spring practice,” Napier said. “Just to see him take another step fundamentally, I thought he’s throwing the ball much more consistently, much more accurate, better grasp.” With progress made, Kitna’s return will be needed. Other Updates In good other news, defensive back Jason Marshall Jr. has returned to practice as a full participant along with offensive lineman Ethan White. Both players had been seen in non-contact jerseys prior to this week. Marshall Jr. brings back his experience and contributes depth to a loaded defensive back room while having White back adds to a very promising offensive line unit for Florida. Injuries are anticipated and teams are expected to get banged up a little bit in preparation for the season. Napier and his staff seemed to do an excellent job of maintaining the health of the players in their first offseason in the Florida heat.

A native of Fort Lauderdale, Engel was also a standout lacrosse player at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. The son of former Gator volleyball standout Heidi Anderson, Engel has a story tailor-made for The Swamp should he be pressed into service. By LOREN MEADOWS GatorBaitMedia.com Football Analyst This year the Gators enter the season as grounded at the quarterback position since John Brantley IV last suited up for the Gators in 2011. Anthony Richardson will be the team’s starting quarterback and it looks to stay that way for the foreseeable future. However, the job of “next man up” is a little more concerning as the Gators move from training camp to their opening game prep for Utah. There’s a saying that has been around for years that “the most popular guy in town is the backup quarterback”. While no one can pinpoint exactly where the phrase originated but there is no shortage of examples throughout the history of pro football that stamps the validity of such a phrase. Recently the 49ers' Trey Lance was the darling of Bay Area sports writers and fans who could not wait for him to unseat much maligned Jimmy Garoppolo, who despite winning over 70 percent of his games could not make that “one big throw"? Backup quarterback Patrick Mahomes who would expedite the exit of Alex Smith from the Chiefs, spent a year as the most popular guy in the “Heart of America," as fans and media alike thought Smith didn’t push the envelope of the Chiefs passing game. Gators fans and the City of Gainesville embraced two quarterbacks who spent time as backups who gained popularity while taking fewer snaps. Kyle Trask spent the 2018 and the first part of the 2019 seasons as the “most popular guy in town” as the back up to Feleipe Franks. It wasn’t until an injury to Franks that Trask popularity matched his opportunity, and he led the Gators for the remainder of the 2019 season and all of 2020. Last year, local standout Anthony Richardson spent most of the season “as the most popular guy in town” as Emory Jones would struggle at times, causing whispers that Gainesville’s native son may be a better option. This year the Gators enter the season as grounded at the quarterback position since John Brantley IV last suited up for the Gators in 2011. Richardson will be the team’s starting quarterback and it looks to stay that way for the foreseeable future. However, the job of “next man up” is a little more disconcerting as the Gators move from training camp to their opening game prep for Utah. Perceived backup Jack Miller suffered a thumb injury in the middle of camp that will sideline him for three to four weeks. Thought to be a more than capable backup, Miller may have gained “popularity” if Richardson did not fulfill his potential for the Gators. With that said, it was assumed that Jalen Kitna would move up the depth chart and assume the back-up duties for the Gators. Kitna however suffered a lower body injury early in camp which allowed another signal-caller with Gator pedigree to enter the mix for the “most popular guy in town.” Fourth year quarterback Kyle Engel has used the opportunities presented by the absence of Miller and Kitna to steadily improve his craft and impress the Gator coaches. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Engel was also a standout lacrosse player at St. Thomas Aquinas High School where he led the 2018 Raider Men to the Florida State Championship Game. The son of former Gator volleyball standout Heidi Anderson, Engel has a story tailor made for the swamp should he be pressed into service. The Gator legacy has consistently garnered praise from his head coach who also coaches his position. “Engel has done some good things,” Napier said. “He’s provided some depth there and really has a good understanding. A smart intelligent player that’s got a lot of character and that brings a lot to our team and locker room.” Engel so impressed the Gator coaching staff that the walk-on was awarded a scholarship for the spring and summer semesters and could possibly garner the same for the fall. As Kitna returned to practice late last week, it is yet to be seen who will hold the clipboard as the substitute for Richardson. Whomever assumes the role they will now have some new digs to prepare, dine, and recuperate in. The new Heavener Football Training Center is now operational for the football team. The state-of-the-art facility is the crown jewel of the football operation. With lockers valued at $15,000 complete with wireless charging stations, zero gravity chairs, and Normatec dynamic air compression leggings it puts player comfort in a new stratosphere. When you walk into the Heavener Training Facility you are immediately met with the grandeur of what is “the everything school.” On display is Florida’s commitment not only to football but to all its varsity sports. The “Jeremy Foley Hall of Champions” banners of Florida’s many championship teams from men’s basketball, men’s tennis, gymnastics and softball. This hall is not just to celebrate athletes and teams from the past but to provide a functional space that all of Florida’s athletes can utilize. There is a two-story dining hall that will feed athletes from every varsity sport three meals a day, five days a week. There is also a lounge area with flat screen televisions, massage chairs, pool and ping-pong tables, a virtual reality room, and a barber shop. The barber shop which is complete with black “Gator” leather chairs is just one of the many details that make this facility expressly for Gators only. All athletes will also have access to an outdoor lounge area with a Las Vegas style pool area complete with a large hot tub for in and off-season relaxation. Imagine World Gold Medalist Talitha Diggs sharing a meal with women’s basketball transfer Leilani Correa while sitting in a massage chair. Athletic enlightenment at its finest. Returning to the football side, the Heavener Training Center is less about faces than function. While each player has an individual placard above their locker noting their position and hometown, the ability to access the weight room and training room from both the indoor and outdoor practice fields provides the ultimate in efficiency for training and recovery. Players can immediately leave the practice field, discard their equipment and go immediately into the cold plunge pool to immediately begin rehab and/or recovery. A state-of-the-art training room also allows for access to both the weight room and practice fields. There are also therapeutic pools, saunas and cryotherapy chamber that allow for both enhanced rehab as well as mental recovery. Just don’t forget your hat, mittens and socks (see Antonio Brown). In proximity on the second floor are the state-of-the-art team and position meeting rooms with comfortable seating, as well as the coaches’ offices and a visitors’ lounge. While the Heavener Football Training Center is not complete, like the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi, it is operational. With this, it is estimated that it will give the Florida Gators football team an extra 36 minutes per day to prepare, train and recuperate during the season. For analytics that is at least 28 hours of extra time to be the best team that they can be. When totally complete with the “bells and whistles” that will follow in the next few weeks it will be a wonder for all who tour the facility, and certainly help in leveling the playing field in recruiting and what Napier calls “The Player Experience.”

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: LET THE GAME WEEK PREP BEGIN! Think of Billy Napier as one of those glass half full guys. Some coaches might look at a two-deep that is going to be flooded with a lot of inexperienced players as a detriment, but Napier sees endless possibilities as starting today the Gators are officially in game-week preparation for the season opener with Utah on September 3. “There's a number of young players that I think their role will grow as we will continue to see, but you know, we've developed some of the players on our team that have minimal experience, and I think they’re ready for the show now,” Napier said at his Wednesday morning press conference. He reeled off a bunch of names like Tyreak Sapp (DL), Austin Barber (OL) and Shemar James (LB). A little later he talked about D-linemen Justus Boone and Princely Umanmielen, running back Trevor Etienne and wide receiver Caleb Douglas. These are all talented young guys who will see the field this fall, but all of them lack experience when the lights go on. It's one thing for these kids to do well in August when it’s practice and they’re going against teammates they see every day in the locker room. Once fall camp is concluded and game-week preps begin in earnest, the kids are still seeing the same buddies in the locker room and on the practice field, but everyone’s demeanor changes because now it’s about getting ready for another team, in this case the 7th-ranked team in the country. So, in the next few days, everything changes. “Now, how are they going to prepare, you know, the week of the game or 10 days, 10 days out from the game, you know?” Napier asked. “We officially turned the page today, so I think that, development in football, sometimes you’ve got to go out there and learn. You know, you think you understand what it’s going to be like out there to play in a game setting, but I think that's one of the exciting things to me about this team, is we got a lot of players that have minimal experience that I think are going to grow as the season goes.” Rather than lament backups at so many critical positions will be kids with minimal or no experience, Napier sees this as a growth opportunity. The glass isn’t half-empty. It’s half full in his opinion. Quote of the day: “I do think that we've developed some players, right, that maybe had not played a significant role for the Gators in the past. You know a few off the top of my head would be Tyreak Sapp, Austin Barber. You know those are two in particular that stand out to me that are, they’re starters in my mind. They may or may not be a starter on game day, but they're going to play, you know.” SEC football Alabama: Alabama is paying Nick Saban $11.7 million a year through 2029, which makes him the highest paid coach in college football. Dan Patrick says Saban is a bargain at that price and makes the comparison of Saban with CBS NFL broadcaster Tony Romo. Patrick said, “Tony Romo makes $18 million a year. Who is more impactful: Tony Romo with CBS or Nick Saban? It it’s not even close.” Arkansas: Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles believes QB KJ Jefferson will have an outstanding 2021. Briles said, “Everything he’s done, he’s put himself in position to have a great year. Bottom line is he is a winner. We know he’s a winner and to be a great quarterback you have to win football games.” Auburn: Tight end John Samuel Shelker, one of Auburn’s three team captains, says coming back for a sixth year is not for personal gain but says “it’s for Auburn.” Shelker caught 33 passes for 413 yards last season. Georgia: David Pollack, the former Georgia All-America defensive end who is a member of the College Gameday crew on ESPN says Georgia’s tight end room (Brock Bowers, Darnell Washington, Arik Gilbert) is one of the best “in the history of college football.” Bowers has produced at a high level. Washington never has and Gilbert has been a head case despite a good freshman year at LSU in 2020. Kentucky: Kentucky has gone to six consecutive bowl games. Five of those six teams were quarterbacked by players who arrived via the transfer portal. Says UK recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow, “There’s a lot of developed quarterbacks that are on other rosters ... This is actually a place they want to come to.” Will Levis, who is in his second year as the starter, transferred in from Penn State. LSU: Brian Kelly still hasn’t decided who his starting QB will be between Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier. “We are closing in on making a decision,” Kelly said. Bet the farm that Daniels is the starter at least when the season begins. You don’t bring in a high profile QB and sit him. Mississippi State: Defensive end Jordan Davis, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, is healthy and expected to be a force off the edge for the Bulldogs this season. Davis played linebacker in 2020 but he has moved to the D-line in Zach Arnett’s scheme. Missouri: Safety Ja’Marion Wayne will wear the No. 25 jersey this year that honors the memory of Aaron O’Neal, who collapsed and died during a football workout in 2005. Ole Miss: The Rebels have 19 wide receivers on their roster, five of which are transfers. The best of the transfers seems to be Jordan Watkins, who caught 35 passes for 544 yards and four touchdowns last season at Louisville. South Carolina: Oklahoma transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler has been named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list. At Oklahoma Rattler was 15-2 as a starter with 40 touchdown passes. Tennessee: The Vols continue to wait for a waiver that will allow Southern Cal transfer wide receiver Bru McCoy to play. Southern Cal issued a statement that the school isn’t standing in the way of McCoy’s eligibility in Knoxville, therefore pointing the finger at the NCAA. Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher says he has a good handle on what’s going on with his quarterback situation but as for naming a starter among Max Johnson, Haynes King and Connor Wiegman, says “we’ll announce it when we’re ready.” Vanderbilt: Mike Wright will be the starting quarterback when the Commodores open the season at Hawaii, which is no surprise. The surprise is that AJ Swann will be the backup over Ken Seals. Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 Oklahoma: Wanya Morris, who was expected to be the answer at left tackle when he transferred from Tennessee last year, wound up playing and backing up on the inside for much of the season. He’s at right tackle this year and his success is critical since he’s the blind side protector for lefty QB Dillon Gabriel. Texas: Offensive lineman Jalen Garth, a 4-star prospect when he signed in 2020, has placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Football is played in other places beside the SEC Arizona State: Former Gator QB Emory Jones is not only the starter for the Sun Devils, but he has become the unquestioned team leader. Jones told Devils Digest that he learned his leadership skills at Florida from Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask. Florida State: The Seminoles open their season Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium against D1AA Duquesne, a member of the Northeast Conference that plays in expansive 2,200-seat Art Rooney Stadium in Pittsburgh. It should be noted that the Dukes beat Mississippi State, 13-12, in the 1936 Orange Bowl and in 1941 finished ranked 8th in the final Associated Press poll. That was then. This is now. Now it’s a paycheck game and a cheap win to open the season for the Seminoles. Miami: Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports writes that Miami will win the ACC because Mario Cristobal is “building an SEC-like program in South Florida, just like he did at Oregon.” … Billionaire booster John Ruiz says the Hurricanes are planning to build a 60,000-seat stadium at Tropical Park, just 2.8 miles from the Coral Gables campus. North Carolina: Drake Maye, whose dad was a QB for UNC in the 1980s and brother Luke was a basketball All-American for the Tar Heels, will be the starting quarterback. Ohio State: Quarterback C.J. Stroud is the early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Stroud threw for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns last season. Oregon: There have been reports that Oregon sent a contingent to Chicago earlier in the week to meet with Big Ten officials about the possibility of the Ducks joining the Big Ten. Pittsburgh: Southern Cal transfer Kedon Slovis has won the starting QB job. In week one he will be facing West Virginia, which will be led by another former USC QB in JT Daniels, who is being coached by former USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Unlike last year, not a single college football coach has been fired prior to game one. So with the unveiling of the first Countdown to Firing Day edition, there will be no Extinct Species List. On Life Support Scott Frost, Nebraska: He took a paycut, fired some assistants and was saved by old buddy Trev Alberts, who is now the AD. Six wins won’t cut it. Seven or more saves the bacon. He’s got a chance if he can go 3-0 out the chute. Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech: Buzzards are circling over the North Avenue Trade School because the Jackets return four starters from a team that went 3-9 last year and whose best player from 2021 will be toting the rock for Alabama. Collins may not survive past Labor Day because the Jackets open with Clemson. Scot Loefler, Bowling Green: The good news is 18 starters return. That’s also the bad news because the Falcons stink. Dino Babers, Syracuse: He makes $3.5 million and five of his six Syracuse teams have been losers. The only surefire win on the schedule is D1AA Wagner. He does have 16 returning starters. Neal Brown, West Virginia: He is 17-18 in three seasons, has only nine starters returning from a 6-7 team and is trusting his career to JT Daniels, who hasn’t played a full season since 2018. More is expected in West Virginia. Endangered Species List Willie Taggart, Florida Atlantic: The folks in Boca know winning is possible. Lane Kiffin proved that. Willie is 10-11 in two seasons. Make or break time. Jake Spavital, Texas State: The Bobcats went from two wins in 2020 to four in 2021. They need to win six this year or the buzzards will start circling. Seth Littrell, North Texas: In 2018 Littrell was being touted for some big time jobs. Now the folks in Denton are wondering if they can afford to fire him if he has a losing season. Steve Sarkisian, Texas: If he (a) has a losing season and (b) Arch Manning decommits and goes someplace else then (c) Sark is in deepest and darkest. If Arch stays loyal to the cause Sark gets at least one more season. Mike Norvell, Florida State: He’s 8-13 in two seasons and FSU hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2017. Not exactly the kind of credentials that get your school invited to join either the SEC or Big Ten. They really can’t afford to fire him, so if Norvell has another loser, he may get a mercy year because there aren’t enough bake sales, garage sales and car washes that can raise the kind of cash it will take to send him packing.