A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: ONE MORE PRACTICE AND THE GATORS GO INTO GAME-WEEK MODE Ricky Pearsall not only returned to practice Tuesday after missing a couple of weeks with a bone bruise in his foot, but he caught a touchdown pass from Anthony Richardson. Later in the practice, freshman wide receiver Caleb Douglas caught a TDP from Jalen Kitna. That is important news for a team whose wide receiver corps is being viewed as the perhaps the team’s weakest link (9th by Phil Steele and Athlon, 10th by Lindy’s) by the major preseason publications. It’s also significant that Kitna, who missed a lot of practice in August with an injury, had a TD strike because the other two backup quarterbacks for the season opener are walk-on Kyle Engel and true freshman Max Brown. Pearsall, who transferred in from Arizona State this summer, may not have the greatest top speed of any Florida receiver, but he is certainly the best combination of speed and make-you-miss ability on the team. From the slot, he’s thought to have the kind of skills that will make him a mismatch nightmare in the passing game. Douglas has had more than his share of standout moments in August to the point that he’s thought to have moved past some inexperienced veterans in the rotation. He has excellent top-end speed and might prove to be the field stretcher that some experts have stated the Gators don’t have. With the thumb injury to Jack Miller III that will keep him out of at least the first two games of the season, getting Kitna on the field and playing well in practice is a very big deal. Asked on Sunday if he would be comfortable putting Kitna on the field against Utah, Billy Napier responded, “No doubt. Mentally, he’s one of the brighter kids in the [quarterback] room and really has worked as hard as anybody to get to this point.” Napier also said that Kitna’s understanding of what the Gators are doing “is as good as anybody in the room of what’s going on there.” Also back at practice: Starters Ethan White (LG) and Jason Marshall Jr. (CB). Five Gators make preseason Coaches All-SEC Led by first team selection O’Cyrus Torrence (offensive line), five Gators were selected to the preseason Coaches All-SEC team. Torrence is the only Gator to make first team. Outside linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. and defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Jr. were chosen second team while inside linebacker Ventrell Miller and safety Trey Dean III were selected to the third team. Florida’s five selections are dwarfed by Alabama, which claimed 19 selections (six first team, seven second team, six third team). Georgia, which had 15 players taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, had 10 chosen (four first team, five second, one third) and Texas A&M had nine (four first team, three second, two third). Other Gator sports news Men’s tennis: NCAA singles champion Ben Shelton, son of UF coach Bryan Shelton, will be turning professional. Shelton was ranked No. 547 in the world when the summer began, but after beating world No. 56 Casper Ruud of Norway in straight sets over the weekend, he vaulted up to 171. Men’s basketball: Aleks Szymczyk (6-11, 240), a Polish native who played basketball at an academy in Munich, Germany the last two years, has officially signed with the Gators and is now enrolled in school. Szymczyk committed to the Gators just a few weeks ago. SEC football Alabama: Obviously, Nick Saban isn’t planning to retire anytime soon. Saban signed a contract extension through 2029 worth $93.6 million, or $11.7 million per year … The Tide has an advertising partnership with NASCAR. Arkansas: KJ Jefferson has been named to the Manning Award watch list. The award is presented to the top quarterback in the nation. Auburn: Linebacker Owen Pappoe, tight end John Samuel Shenker and edge rusher Derrick Hall have been voted team captains by their peers. Georgia: Sophomore Devin Willock (6-7, 335) seems to have moved ahead of Warren Ericson as the starter at right guard. Kentucky: Senior outside linebacker Jordan Wright is being suspended for the opening game with Miami (OH) for an off-the-field incident. Wright has 106 career tackles with 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. He has scored two defensive touchdowns. LSU: Offensive linemen Kimo Makae’ole, Lanson Smith, Fitzgerald West Jr., Miles Frazier, Marcus Dumervil, Xavier Hill and Kardell Thomas have signed NIL deals with Hooters. Mississippi State: Coastal Carolina placekicker Massimo Biscardi hit all three of his field goal attempts in the Bulldogs’ Saturday scrimmage with a long of 43 yards to take the lead in the competition with Ben Rayborn and Jordan Kennedy. Missouri: Offensive captains for 2022 are quarterback Brady Cook, offensive lineman Javon Foster and wide receivers Barrett Bannister and Tauskie Dove. Defensive captains will be defensive back Martez Manuel, linebacker Chad Bailey and lineman Isaiah McGuire. Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin hasn’t decided on a starter between quarterbacks Luke Altmyer and Southern Cal transfer Jaxson Dart. “I feel like every day you could go out there and say one and the next day the other,” Kiffin said. “It’s been difficult, which is a good thing.” South Carolina: HBC Shane Beamer is optimistic that punter Kai Kroeger and running back Christian Beal-Smith will be available for the season opener with Georgia State. Also, running back MarShawn Lynch, who missed the first scrimmage, is back practicing at full speed. Tennessee: Linebacker William Mohan, who transferred in from Michigan prior to the 2021 season, has been suspended indefinitely for domestic aggravated battery. Texas A&M: Paul Finebaum on the SEC coach with the most pressure: “I think you start at the top, in the top 10 with Jimbo Fisher. I just can’t short-sell the importance of Jimbo Fisher having a big season. I know I’m not trying to make a headline here, but Jimbo Fisher knows that well. If he has another 8-3 season, or even a 9-4 season, people are going to start asking the question, what did we spend all that money on?”… Offensive linemen Layden Robinson, Smart Chibuzo and Aki Ogunbiyi signed NIL deals with Hooters. Vanderbilt: Dari Nokah of the SEC Network is predicting Vanderbilt will shock the world to start the season. On SiriusXM Radio Nokah said, “Vanderbilt is 4-0 going to Alabama. I think you’ve got a confident Vanderbilt team with some experience.” Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 Oklahoma: Defensive lineman Brynden Walker is retiring from football due to recurring back issues. Walker played in 17 games in his Oklahoma career … The placekicker battle is still unsettled with redshirt sophomore Zach Schmit and true freshman Marshall trying to win the job. Texas: Looking ahead to getting quarterback Quinn Ewers ready for the season opener with Louisiana-Monroe, HBC Steve Sarkisian says, “So we have to do a really good job as a staff getting through this week of really figuring out the things he’s comfortable with and the things that he’s good at.” Football is played other places beside the SEC Nebraska: The make-or-break season for HBC Scott Frost will begin Saturday morning in Dublin, Ireland against Northwestern. Round trip tickets from Omaha run about $2,000 with hotels running about $300 a night and up. That’s a lot of money to watch two teams that combined to win eight games last year. Troy: A former Troy football player has filed suit in federal court in Montgomery (AL) against a former teammate and three coaches stemming from an incident in December 2020. Dawson is claiming Title IX violations, sexual harassment, discrimination, negligence on the part of the coaches, intentional infliction of emotional distress, harassment and “molestation and violence.” The athlete was laying on his belly watching a football game on his phone when he was attacked from behind by a player who rammed a pool cue up his rectum. The assault was captured on video and circulated on social media. Players on the team watched. Named in the lawsuit are former Troy punter Jack Dawson, special teams coordinators Brian Blackmon and Dayne Brown, and director of player development Jamaal Smith. The athlete claims that teammates perceived him to be gay which led to the bullying and assault. Washington: Former Tampa prep star Michael Penix, who threw 29 touchdown passes in four years at Indiana, has been named the starting quarterback for the Huskies. West Virginia: JT Daniels, the QB by way of Southern Cal and Georgia, hasn’t played in more than five games since his freshman year at USC. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Florida State University president Richard McCollough told the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce back on Saturday that the school will be “very aggressive” as it seeks to join a new conference in the future. Nole Gameday says both the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference have shown an interest in adding FSU to their respective leagues, which you can file under “Oh really?” You could translate McCollough’s words to mean “we’ll crawl backward to SEC (Birmingham) or Big Ten (Chicago burbs) headquarters if you’ll let us into your league.” There is reason why the Seminoles are desperate for a new league. The Big Ten just signed a mega media deal with Fox, CBS and NBC worth $1.2 billion per year. The SEC’s new deal with ESPN will add $17 million to the annual payout raising it to more than $75 million per year, but negotiations are already taking place to rewrite the deal when Texas and Oklahoma join the league from the Big 12. Many economists project that the additions of the two orphans from the Big 12 will increase the yearly payout to something close to $100 million a year. Meanwhile, FSU is stuck in the ACC, whose media rights contract won’t reach $40 million a year until 2025. The ACC contract with ESPN is iron-clad and is binding until 2036. There is a grant of rights deal in place so that if FSU were to leave for another league prior to 2036 all the money made from media rights with the new league would be paid to the ACC. Basically, FSU will be in college sports purgatory unless some bright lawyer can figure out a loophole that will provide an escape at a time when either the SEC or Big Ten are willing to expand. You can just about figure there are two chances The Big Ten, in all its snootiness, will ask FSU to join: No way and no how. Of the league’s 16 members counting Southern Cal and UCLA, 15 are members of the academically prestigious American Association of Universities (AAU). The only non-AAU member is Nebraska, which was forced to leave in 2011. The four schools most often mentioned as potential expansion targets of the Big Ten are Oregon, Washington, California and Stanford, all of whom are AAU members. Comparitively speaking, FSU would fall under the category academically challenged. That leaves the SEC, which has a good thing going at 16 teams once Texas and Oklahoma join. Would Greg Sankey invite FSU, which turned down Roy Kramer when he invited the Seminoles to the SEC in 1991? Would Sankey think about adding Clemson, Miami and North Carolina as well as FSU to keep up with the Big Ten if the Big Ten elected to move to 20 teams? Since Florida already is the biggest draw by far in the Florida market, would Sankey think more about expanding the SEC footprint with Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech? Taking all things into consideration, you have to admire McCollough for talking about an aggressive approach to join a new league but FSU’s options are severely hamstrung by (a) the ACC media deal, (b) the lack of AAU membership (Florida is a member by the way) for the Big Ten, (c) Greg Sankey may decide to remain at 16 teams, or (d) bypass FSU and Miami for a bigger league footprint if and when it is time to expand. You might want to file McCollough’s remarks under wishful thinking.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: THE NEW DIGS … SPECTACULAR! If the new William “Bill” Heavener Football Training Center could talk the first two words out of its mouth would be “spectacular” and “commitment.” It is spectacular. It is a sure sign of commitment by athletic director Scott Stricklin to give Florida football and UF athletics in general the best possible chance to win championships. Yes, its primary function is a football training facility but all 524 Florida athletes in every sport – both scholarship and walkon – will be using the dining facility for three meals per day and its spacious lounge which comes complete with a barber shop, zero gravity chairs, pool tables, a virtual reality room that will include a golf simulator, a resort-style pool and basketball and volleyball courts. Every player’s locker represents a $15,000 investment that includes a zero gravity chair and Hyperice Normatec 3-leg boots. The training room includes two cryotherapy chambers, a sauna and a steam room. There is a cold pool and two recovery pools. The weight room and training rooms open up to the practice fields and indoor practice facility. Every coach’s office overlooks the practice fields. This facility is a game-changer for Billy Napier and Florida football. This isn’t simply about football recruiting although it will certainly level the playing field for bringing in top talent. It is a commitment to the health and nutrition of every football player. The dining facility gives every UF athlete the chance to eat well three meals a day. Commitment starts at the top and Florida football has proof of commitment that you won’t find with our country cousins in Tallahassee or Miami. Work to do on both lines of scrimmage Asked Sunday if he’s seeing the development of depth along both lines of scrimmage with less than two weeks before the Gators open the season with Utah, Billy Napier responded, “I think we know who the sixth, seventh, and eighth players are on the offensive line. Who’s the fourth tackle? Who’s the next best inside player? I think we’ve got some parts there. “Defensively it’s very much the same. This is an area where I think we have made some progress. I think some of the guys that have had minimal experience have developed to some degree. I can’t emphasize enough, they’re going to get their first opportunities to play in the game and I really think that’s where the major improvements come. I think what’s been out there and knowing what it’s going to be like then next week there’s a different level of focus. There’s players like (Tyreak) Sapp, like (Justus) Boone, like Princely (Umanmielen), Antwuan Powell. We’ve got a number of players that maybe haven’t played college football that may have a significant role that I think have the ability to affect our team. They’re going to get their very first opportunity in a couple weeks. We’ve made some progress. I think we’ve got work to do there.” O’Cyrus Torrence second team Associated Press preseason All-America Asked Sunday what he expects from fellow Louisiana transfer O’Cyrus Torrence, running back Montrell Johnson said, “I expect him to move people, pancake blocks and all that stuff.” Apparently the voters for the Associated Press think the same way since they named Florida’s right guard to the second unit of their preseason All-America team. It should be noted that last in three seasons at Louisiana, Torrence didn’t allow a single sack, one quarterback hit and just 17 pressures in 1,146 pass blocking snaps. Game one thoughts for every team in the SEC FLORIDA: Utah has 17 starters returning including QB Cameron Rising and battering ram tailback Tavion Thomas. The Utes are the most physical team in the Pac-12. Emphasis on Pac-12. Why do you think Pac-12 teams rarely make it into the College Football Playoff? The league is weaker than the Almost Competitive Conference. That should tell you something. Oh, the Utes will put up a fight and if they win, you’ll think they’ve conquered Mt. Everest. Uh, didn’t the Gators go 6-7 last year? Well, there’s a new sheriff in town. Florida won’t be unprepared and Billy Napier is going to milk Utah being a 2.5-point favorite for all its worth. Alabama: Some folks are calling 2022 The Alabama Revenge Tour because Bama lost twice last year to former assistants. If there is one thing we should have learned over the past 13 or so years is that Nick Saban has a very long memory. He hasn’t forgotten. Vegas thinks Nick is pissed. They have established the Tide as 39-point favorites. Bama should cover by halftime. Arkansas: The Hogs can eliminate Cincinnati from a second straight College Football Playoff the first weekend. This game is a big deal for both teams. A win over a ranked team to start the season is huge for the Hogs. Winning on the road against an SEC team game one is huge for Cincy. Arkansas is favored by seven. Auburn: Auburn opens with a paycheck game with Mercer that it should win by at least four touchdowns. That isn’t going to calm the hostility some fans are feeling toward HBC Bryan Harsin. He needs a real win over a real team and he won’t play a real team until week three when Penn State comes to town. Georgia: The Bulldogs play Oregon in Atlanta in game one. Former UGa defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is the head coach at Oregon. Some people say he knows the Georgia personnel inside and out. Big deal. He doesn’t have the players to compete and Bo Nix is his quarterback. Georgia a 17.5-point favorite. Kentucky: Chris Rodriguez is suspended for at least three or four games to start the season. That would be a warning sign if the Wildcats had more than one SEC game in the first month. They don’t play Florida until game two. It’s on the road. They can sweat game two. Game one? Miami (OH) of the Big Mac. Chalk that up as a win. Kentucky is a 19-point favorite. LSU: The Brian Kelly era at LSU opens in New Orleans with Florida State. So, it’s a home game for the Tigers and a game they probably should win handily. If it’s white knuckles or a loss, then we’ll know plenty about both teams – that LSU may struggle and FSU might be better than people expect. Vegas must think more of FSU and not so much of LSU since LSU is a mere 3-point favorite. Mississippi State: A year ago in Memphis the Bulldogs experienced maybe the worst officiated game in all of Division I and lost. This year the Bulldogs are playing Memphis in StarkVegas and paybacks should be hell. Third-year starting quarterbacks for Mike Leach tend to have Star Wars stat lines. Last year Will Rogers threw for 4,739 yards and 36 TDs. Imagine what he will do if the trend holds up. Mississippi State is a 16-point favorite. Missouri: This has the making of a very forgettable season for Mizzou so the Tigers should savor every win they can possibly get. Louisiana Tech is a winnable game. Lose it and it will signal disaster or something close to it for the Tigers. Missouri is favored by 19. Ole Miss: In four of their final five games last year (1-4 record), Troy gave up 200 or more yards on the ground. The Trojans won the only game they held the opponent to fewer than 200. Ole Miss is going to run the football. Zach Evans and Ulysses Bentley are going to run wild in this game. Ole Miss is a 22.5-point favorite. South Carolina: The Gamecocks have a new QB in Spencer Rattler, better receivers than they had last year, the entire offensive line back and most of the defense. So why aren’t they favored by more than 13 points to beat Georgia State in the opener? Tennessee: Vol fans are cockier than they’ve been in years and they will only get cockier once Ball State is destroyed in the paycheck game opener (UT is a 32.5-point favorite). Let’s see how cocky they are in week two when they visit Pitt. Texas A&M: The Aggies are opening up with a paycheck game. Sam Houston will take a beating for a million dollars. The next five games won’t be so easy – Appalachian State, Miami, Arkansas, (at) Mississippi State and (at) Alabama. Vanderbilt: The Commodores make a week zero (this Saturday) roadie to Hawaii before taking on D1AA Elon in Nashville on September 3. There may be the only two winnable games on the Vandy schedule. Hawaii is returning to its run and shoot roots with Timmy Chang as the new head coach. This is the kind of roadie (6 hours flying, 5 hour time difference) that could be quite troublesome although the folks in Vegas have the Commodores as 6.5-point favorites. Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 Oklahoma: UTEP comes to Norman to pick up a paycheck. Brent Venables will be out to show the world why (a) he was the right choice to be the football coach and (b) why Sooner fans shouldn’t lament the departure of Lincoln Riley. Oklahoma is a 31.5-point favorite. Texas: Little Terry and Louisiana-Monroe come to Austin to pick up a paycheck. It’s a chance for Quinn Ewers to win the hearts of Longhorn fans everywhere. Texas will cover the 38.5-point spread but will Ewers be everything he’s cracked up to be? ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: ESPN is reporting that the SEC is “leaning” toward a 9-game conference schedule when Texas and Oklahoma join the league. It didn’t happen in May when the SEC held its spring meetings in Destin because there were a few stragglers holding on to the notion that by adding an SEC game in place of a paycheck game they may not make a bowl. Why are bowl games so important? Because college presidents and athletic directors can justify keeping a mediocre coach because he won enough games to earn a trip to Shreveport or Birmingham for a bowl game sponsored by someone like Chico’s Bail Bonds. Lose and you are required to stay an extra week in Birmingham or Shreveport. Anyway, Chris Low of ESPN reports that there has been movement among the league’s downtrodden and now they are favoring nine games. They didn’t just wake up in the middle of the night, slap themselves on the forehead and scream at the top of their lungs, “My God! What have I done!” No, this is about the Big Ten and its mega media deal with Fox, CBS and NBC. ESPN/ABC wants SEC teams playing a 9-game schedule and for Texas and Oklahoma to be part of the 2024 TV package. The current 14 SEC teams plus the Big 12 orphans want ESPN/ABC to be VERY generous when it re-negotiates its media deal with the SEC. They know ESPN put in a $380 million bid for part of the Big Ten package, so they know there is more money to be had for the SEC to get what it needs to remain equal to or superior to anything the Big Ten has. Also, ESPN/ABC is not about to allow the Big Ten to dominate the Saturday college football airwaves. Whereas there will be three networks in the Big Ten offering a weekly barrage of wonderful matchups like Rutgers-Northwestern, ABC/Disney has 12 networks at its disposal and money to make deals with the Big 12, Pac-12 and even with the ACC to make sure they give fans the best TV options. But, it will start with a package that assures the SEC will be distributing close to $100 million a year to its 16 schools. If the SEC ain’t happy, nobody will be happy so to ensure the SEC is a bunch of happy campers, ABC/ESPN will pay accordingly then make its deals with the Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC.

Jeremy Foley Makes "The Hall." His Own "Hall" Of Champions At UF By GatorBaitMedia.Com News Service You can see his resume right there with his legacy. Jeremy Foley's history and tradition with Gators Athletics is showcased in the new James W. "Bill" Heavener Football Training Center. The banners commemorate the Gators' 45 national and 266 conference titles. Foley celebrated more than half of Florida's national team titles, as the Gator claimed 27 crowns during his 25 seasons as UF's athletics director. A championship mindset became part of the Gator culture during Foley's tenure. When he started as Florida's athletic director in March of 1992, Florida trailed Tennessee by 10 in total Southeastern Conference titles. Foley saw the Gators claim 130 SEC titles during his tenure to lead all programs by 75 league team crowns. Three women's sports that weren't even among Florida's varsity offerings when Foley started - soccer, softball and lacrosse - have banners showcasing league-leading conference title totals. The Foley Hall of Champions compliments the Heavener Football Training Center areas that welcome all Gator student-athletes - the Bryan E. Kornblau Foyer, Gary Condron Family Dining Hall and Chris & Angela LaFace Student-Athlete Lounge. They Said: "It's hard for me to put into words how meaningful this is to me. Not only the recognition, but the way it embodies what I believe and what they still believe at the University of Florida; that all sports matter and all will compete at the highest level. It just ties a bow on my career and I'm so appreciative." UF Emeritus Athletic Director Jeremy Foley "For several years we've been trying to come up with a way to have all team championships in one location and to tie Jeremy's name to those championships. When we were going through the design of the Heavener Center, we had a really dramatic space in the entrance, with the dining center, the lobby and the recreation and amenity space. It just worked on a lot of levels. And now, every time we take those banners down to update them, we'll recognize how important a championship is and recognize someone who helped us win a bunch of them. "We would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to the alumni and friends who have generously supported this very deserving honor" - UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: WITH JUST THREE REAL PRACTICE DAYS TO GO … Billy Napier said plenty without actually saying anything at all Sunday afternoon when he was asked if the Gators have made as much progress as he had hoped since fall camp began three weeks ago. For all practical purposes, there are only three real practices remaining since the Gators begin game-prep for Utah on Thursday, so with the exception of a couple of positions where injuries affect the rotation or the competition for a starting job is too close to call, Napier has a pretty good idea who’s going to play, who’s going to back up and who’s going to be cheerleading on the sideline September 3. But, when asked about the progress, Napier went full gambler. He knows what cards he’s holding but it’s not quite time to show them. “The number of variables out there is really high right now, if that makes sense,” he answered. “I mean, what we do on offense, what we do on defense, the combination of those two. And, I think that's one of the good things about kind of narrowing our focus when we're working on an opponent, is ‘Okay, here's the ready list, here's what's up, here's the inventory things that each player has got to know,’ and I think that will help us.” Got that? Billy thinks the Gators have improved but he also thinks there will be players on a learning curve that continues well into the season. He emphasized that this is a new group of players who are being coached up by a brand new staff of coaches. Newness extends even to the building where the Sunday press conference was held – the not quite completely finished but still spectacular Heavener Football Center where he stood before an impressive electronic screen that literally screams Florida Gators to whoever is watching. “I think to go back to some of the things I've said before,” Napier said. “This is the first time we've done everything with a new group of players, at a new place with a new staff. Heck, we learn something about this building every day. So, just in general here, we're learning a little bit every day, but I do think we have a better understanding of our systems, I think we've improved fundamentally, I 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 play, how we handle adversity, our ability to stick together.” To paraphrase: There is a whole lot going on but we will have to wait until the games start for real before he tells us anything in specifics. Until then, generalities will have to do. And then he gave away what may or may not be keeping him and his coaching staff awake at night. “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?” Napier asked rhetorically. “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've taken great pride of in the past is we were a group that was together, right? I'm hopeful we can have that type of team here.” So, there you go. More Gator sports It was a big weekend for Gators Leanne Wong and Kayla DiCello at the US Gymnastics Championships at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Wong won the uneven bars gold medal while with her fourth place all-around finish, DiCello earned her third consecutive US Senior National Team berth. Florida soccer coach Samantha Bohon recorded her first win as a Gator Sunday afternoon when UF shut out Stetson, 3-0, in DeLand. The Gators are now 1-1 with a pair of road matches next weekend against Baylor and Texas. Florida women’s swimming made a huge addition when Caroline Pennington transferred in from Southern Cal. As a freshman at USC last year, Pennington won the Pac-12 1650m freestyle and scored 11 points for the Trojans at the NCAA Championships. SEC football/basketball Alabama: Nick Saban heaped praise upon junior wide receiver Traeshon Holden who had several catches in Saturday’s scrimmage. Holden caught 21 passes for 239 yards and one TD last season … Of the 11 scholarship basketball players currently on the Alabama roster that went on the European tour, eight are new to the program. Arkansas: Wide receiver Jaquayln Crawford, who caught three passes for 27 yards in seven games last season, is in the transfer portal. Crawford was a 4-star recruit out of high school who signed originally with Oklahoma in 2018. Auburn: Walk-on linebacker Jake Levant discovered he was being awarded a scholarship on the video board at Jordan-Hare Stadium after Saturday’s practice when the team was gathered around HBC Bryan Harsin at midfield. It seems the entire team saw the board before Levant and they quickly mobbed their teammate … During Auburn’s 3-game tour in Israel, Morehead State transfer Johni Broome averaged 17.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. Georgia: Running back Kendal Milton (hamstring), wide receiver Kearis Jackson (Achilles) and offensive tackle Earnest Greene (upper leg) are trying to work through injuries. Additionally, freshman running back Andrew Paul was injured in Saturday’s scrimmage. Kentucky: All-SEC running back Chris Rodriguez will be suspended for three or four games including the SEC opener with Florida as a result of a DUI back in July. Rodriguez has run for 2,740 yards and 26 touchdowns in his UK career. LSU: Running back John Emery, who was academically ineligible last season, will be suspended the two games of 2022. Emery has run for 576 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons (2019-20) ... Corner Raydarious Jones is suspended for the entire 2022 season for academics. Mississippi State: Incumbent starting QB Will Rogers completed 6-13 passes for 86 yards and a TD in Saturday’s scrimmage. Freshman Sawyer Robertson was 8-15 for 66 yards and two TDs but suffered an interception. Former South Alabama QB Chance Lovertich was 9-13 for 82 yards and a TD. Missouri: Linebackers Carmycah Glass and Chuck Hicks will miss the entire 2022 season. Glass had season-ending surgery on Friday. Hicks suffered a torso injury in Mizzou’s scrimmage. Ole Miss: Former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee has earned the starting QB job at UCF. As a true freshman in 2019, Plumlee ran for 1,023 yards and 12 touchdowns while throwing for 903 yards and four more TDs. South Carolina: Pat DiMarco, who was an analyst and assistant director of football relations, is moving to a role with name, image and likeness for Gamecock football players. Tennessee: Running back Lyn-J Dixon is no longer with the team. Texas A&M: ESPN’s Chris Low believes Haynes King will win the 3-way battle for QB that includes LSU transfer Max Johnson and 5-star freshman Conner Wiegman. “Feeling I get is that Haynes King will be the starter,” Low tweeted. “King has thrown it well in camp and is one of the fastest players on the team.” Vanderbilt: Ahead of their August 27 season opener in Honolulu, University of Hawaii director of player development Jeff Reinebold said, “Vanderbilt has no idea what they’re getting into.” Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 Oklahoma: HBC Brent Venables expects young defensive ends Reggie Grimes and Ethan Downs to be difference-makers. Grimes was in on 18 tackles last year with two sacks, while Downs had 14 tackles and a half sack. Texas: Former 5-star recruit and Ohio State transfer Quinn Ewers has been named the starter for the Longhorns’ opener against Louisiana-Monroe. Football is played other places beside the SEC Stewart Mandel of The Athletic on the Big Ten: “Yes, the Big Ten is the second-best conference. But when you look at it closely, Ohio State is the only program that is truly equipped to win a national championship. Yes, Michigan State and Michigan have both advanced to the Playoff, but neither was built to beat Alabama or an Alabama-like team two games in the postseason. There is a huge gap between making the Playoff and winning it all.” As the (Quarterback) World Turns: Quinn Ewers who was the fourth string QB at Ohio State will be the starting QB at Texas. Casey Thompson, who was the starting QB at Texas until Quinnie and his blonde mullet transferred in, will be the starting QB at Nebraska. Adrian Martinez, who was the starting QB at Nebraska but decided he needed a change of scenery, will be the QB at Kansas State. Utah: Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South, writing about the importance of the Utes winning their season opener with Florida: “That starts in Gainesville, where Florida and the rest of the SEC – and yes, the Big Ten – will see what everyone in the Pac-12 has known for years. The Utes have always been physical on the lines of scrimmage but haven’t had a quarterback this impactful (Cameron Rising) since the days of Alex Smith and Brian Johnson … Ohio State couldn’t figure out Utah’s tight end-based pass offense, and Florida will struggle with it too ... If defenses go smaller to cover, Utah runs on the edge. If defenses go bigger to stop the run, then Utah throws off play-action.” ONE FINAL PITHY: Back in the day when he led the New York Yankees to the 1977-78 World Championships, Reggie Jackson described himself as “the straw that stirs the drink.” Essentially, that’s what Billy Napier has called quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson may have completed only 40 passes and run for 462 yards in his abbreviated Florida career, but he is the only QB with any SEC game experience. Jack Miller III, who has had thumb surgery and probably won’t be back until game three, threw 14 passes in two seasons buried on the Ohio State depth chart before transferring. Jalen Kitna, now the No. 2, is a redshirt freshman who hasn’t played a single down. Kyle Engel is a walk-on and No. 3. Max Brown is still trying to figure out where to go and what to do as a true freshman. With the backup situation so precarious, some coaches might tell Richardson to cool it when it comes to taking off running, but Napier made it perfectly clear Sunday that “for us to win, Anthony Richardson’s got to – we’re going to play to his strengths, right? The guy’s a phenomenal athlete. He can make plays with his feet, some of those being designed, some of those being a threat and some of those are unannounced. And I think the key here is that he makes the right decision. And I think a lot of that is going to be determined dependent on our situation at that position, but there's no question we’re going to use Anthony’s legs. It's got to be a part of who we are and what we do.” It goes beyond Richardson’s ability to run the football or throw a laser-guided dart to a wide receiver. For the Gators to win, Napier believes Richardson has to be the example everyone else on the team wants to and needs to follow. “I think playing quarterback is a lot about how you influence other people, and the expectations that you have in your example,” Napier said. “So, I think that’s the great big challenge with Anthony right now, for him to fully embrace ‘I am the standard’ and match my detail, match my intensity, match my focus, match my approach in walking around. If anybody’s got any question about how things should be done when it comes to the University of Florida and our football program, they should be able to look at the quarterback and say, ‘Okay, I’m going to watch him and then I’m going to do it like he does.’”

By BUDDY MARTIN GatorBaitMedia.com Editor It’s some of the best advice Florida’s two-time national championship coach ever received. And it made a huge difference in the way Meyer approached THE Ohio State. Did it win the game for the Gators? Probably not, but it played an important role in the 41-14 thumping of the Buckeyes. “It made me rethink the entire practice plans,” Urban told me this week. “It broke preparation into three phases: 1. Fundamentals. 2. Preliminary Game Plan. 3. Game Plan.” The lesson re-learned was patience. We don’t always get what we want when we want it. Which is what the biblical scripture (Galatians 4:4-7) references with “in the fullness of time.” It will happen. Eventually. At the appropriate time. Wait. “Don’t play that game before January 8th at 8 p.m.” --Lou Holtz to Urban Meyer, December 2006, a few weeks before the BCS National Championship. You don’t have to explain that to Billy Napier. His impeccable sense of timing was nothing short of bombastic last week when he whipped out the names of four 4-star commitments like he was ordering at Starbucks. And then he opened the gates of Heaven(er) – a palatial complex that could never have even been imagined by the likes of Knute Rockne, Gen. Robert Neyland or Bronco Nagurski. Or for that matter, even Steve Spurrier or Shane Matthews. You could see the joy on the faces of the Gator football players as they swung open the doors of the $85M facility for all UF athletes and romped through it with the look of “Is this real, or am I dreaming it?” They say you can play a virtual live football game against a video of your man in the Gator Room, which players are raving about. Never mind the barber shop, cryogenics room and other bright shiny things. The lounge-chair lockers with all the necessities for electronic plug-ins are so enticing that some players may never go home for the night. “I remember we put all our gear – dirty jock strap, helmet, etc. – in a mesh bag and laid it on the floor,” Matthews recalled of the early 1990s. “Then if I wanted to grab a 10-minute nap before the game, that was my pillow. You can imagine how that felt – and how it smelled.” Just the short cuts of having the weight room, meeting rooms, video room within an Anthony Richardson touchdown pass distance is estimated to save 36 minutes a day. Supposedly, the NCAA mandates that coaches only get 20 hours a week for “athletic-related activities.” “Efficiency,” said Napier. “Efficiency,” echoed players like veteran Trey Dean. “You walk in the (Gator) room and simulate the game as another plus on your opponent, because we know the more times you get the more game reps in your head, it’s going to make the game easier. Practice makes perfect. Preparation prevents poor performance." In all my years of writing, reporting and talking sports, I don’t remember such a momentum swing by a team, coach or program without so much as seeing the first snap of a game. Some people close to the Gator program are left scratching their heads and wondering whether Napier could have possibly orchestrated the recruiting bonanza to be unveiled concurrently with the crown jewel facility. Some of that “fullness of time” patience has got to rub off on those of us who want to see that Utah game right now, right here! Not to pop the balloons and rain on the Orange & Blue parade, because the Sept. 3, 7 p.m. game has created the biggest buzz around the Swamp since the beginning of The Mosquito. The question remains, however: Was last week’s bonanza just a temporary momentum changer, or a paradigm shift? Grand as it might have felt, none of those off-field victories last week will translate to wins on the field this season – unless you count mood. All the commitments are for next year. Sure, all of it will help recruiting, but those new recruits won’t be putting up points or making stops against Utah. As sorely as it was needed to help bring the fans in out of the cold, here is the reality check: Utah is very good at football, with a coach who is very good at coaching and 17 returning starters who are very good at playing – nine of them all-Pac 12 off the conference champions who barely lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, 48-45. (One of the Utes’ featured newcomers is 5-7 running back Jaylon Glover from Lakeland, ugh a 4-star running back who scored 80 touchdowns for Lake Gibson.) Which is why the guys in Las Vegas, who are very good at evaluating point spreads, have made the Utes a field goal or so favorites – and, yes in The Swamp, where you’ll probably still be able to fry an egg on the bench by kickoff. Don’t make light of Coach Kyle Whittingham’s “turn up the heat” practices because he’s extremely good at prep and has lasted 17 years at this coaching business in an era where some guys last only 17 games. Whittingham is not providing the media with a depth chart. Meanwhile, Napier is putting the finishing touches on his three-deep as he explained this week, deciding who will be getting the majority of the reps these final 10 days of practice and, ultimately, the last two scrimmages. Then it’s time to play that game. As counted down by the guy who has “quality controlled every second” of fall practice, according to a Billy Napier assistant. Right about then is when we’ll know it has reached The Fullness of Time status.

Napier has stated “that our expectations are greater than anyone on the outside.” When looking at the quarterbacks, this philosophy is put on display every day. By LOREN MEADOWS GatorBait Football Analyst The quarterback position is a legacy of greatness at the University of Florida. One only has to drive down Gale Lemerand Blvd. to see that. Clearly, playing quarterback for the Gators is not to be taken lightly. Along with the statued Spurrier, Wuerffel and Tebow, the Gator fans fondly speak of other QBs like Reaves, Matthews, Grossman and Trask. In 2022, the Gators find themselves in void of the unknown. Not because they are absent of talent, but because they lack experience. What is perceived to be their three-deep roster of QBs has completed a total of 46 career passes on 73 attempts. What is known is that Billy Napier is hands-on with his quarterbacks. While Dan Mullen was known as the “quarterback whisperer,” Napier may just be "The Quarterback Mentor." Like Spurrier, he played the position -- Mullen didn't. And Dan left the bulk of the individual coaching to assistants Brian Johnson and Garrick McGee. Napier is far more involved, rarely leaving his position group for other duties during practice. While Offensive Analyst Ryan O’Hara has been a fixture with the quarterback group as well, it is Napier that handles the bulk of the coaching, correcting, and motivating his quarterbacks during fall camp. Napier expects his quarterbacks to first-and-foremost cherish the football and not commit turnovers that can affect the Gators ability to play “complimentary” football. Second, he expects the Gators quarterbacks to be well-prepared During Napier’s time at Louisiana, the quarterbacks were given “Lesson Plans” in the summer that corresponded with “optional” team activities to prepare for camp install and their opponents for the season. Included in those lesson plans were three to four activities that were required as part of the summer program. The quarterbacks were first required to draw six plays of the day on a pad, detailing pass routes, protection, progressions, and blitz (hot) reads if necessary, each drawing to scale. The quarterbacks are required to detail route depth, as well as any checks and alerts that may be required. Included in this drawing is what Napier calls “the gift,” which is an initial opportunity for the big play in any passing situation should the defense allow. This “gift” speaks to Napier’s “scared money don’t make money” mantra as he will always have his quarterback looking to take the big play. In the second part of the lesson plan, the quarterbacks are asked to complete what Napier calls “opponent emphasis,” which is watching the first half of an opponent’s defense versus another offense. The quarterback must then draw both the opponents defense and the offense on the film and translate that into the offensive and defensive terminology used by his team allowing them to recognize a play no matter who is running it. In addition, the quarterback is asked to draw the pressure of the day and the coverage of the day complete with defensive front alignment and back end coverage. Finally, each quarterback is asked to watch “Ignition Reels.” This is a daily motivational piece where each player will watch film of those considered to be the best at the quarterback position from either the college or pro level. In the case of the Gators, it could be clips of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson Louisiana’s Levi Lewis, possibly Florida’s own Danny Wuerffel. All in an effort to motivate and excite the quarterback to take a little piece from the clip and apply it to his craft. With the success of Levi Lewis as Napier’s primary signal caller at Louisiana it is almost certain these “Lesson Plans” will be utilized with the quarterbacks at Florida. Napier has said you win with “people, strategy, and competition.” At Florida he has a quarterback room that could continue to build on that philosophy at a high level. Anthony Richardson has started to separate himself as the clear leader of the group and has drawn praise from his Head Coach. “I really believe Anthony is an elite talent,” Napier has stated. “I think he is smart, and processes well. “Our system is quarterback driven. I think Anthony is excited about the opportunities that come with that.” Napier went a step further in praising Anthony’s preparation for the summer. “Our summer routine for the quarterbacks is pretty rigorous but I wouldn’t trade him I promise you that.” Competing with Richardson has been Jack Miller, the Ohio State transfer who has been on the radar of Billy Napier since his time as a prep star in Arizona and Napier was the offensive coordinator for the Sun Devils. While not the runner Anthony Richardson is, Miller throws a very catchable ball and as Napier has stated provides the Gators with another quarterback that can play winning football this season. “(I’m) very pleased with Jack. We gave him a few reps with the first group just as a healthy experience for him. I thought he did some really good things, you know, in this setting. Jack is very capable.” Miller who has been absent this week from practice with an undisclosed reason should be well prepared if called upon when healthy and available. Battling for the third spot are second and first-year players Jalen Kitna and Max Brown. Kitna, the son of former NFL veteran Jon Kitna, is steadily improving despite being sidelined for a short portion of training camp for a small knee procedure. “Kitna is probably the player I saw the most growth in from the spring practices.” said Napier “Just to see him take another step fundamentally, he’s throwing the ball (with) much more consistency, more accuracy.” Max Brown, a freshman from Tulsa, is what Napier expects from most of the young players on his team who are adjusting to the college game in their first year. “He’s going through the growing pains that most rookie quarterbacks go through,” Napier stated. “Everybody’s a bit bigger, a bit faster, lot of information, a lot to process. He’s a reflection of most of the rookies on our team.” Napier will remain critical of his quarterbacks as he continues their hands-on education. They must endure what their coach calls "designed difficulty" in fall practice. Napier has played winning football as the quarterback of the Furman Paladins in the early 2000’s. He was two-time All-Southern Conference performer who in 2001 led Furman to the NCAA Division 1-AA Championship game. A career 64.8 percent passer, Napier will demand that same efficiency from his quarterback as he demands that “they compete with their accuracy” in drills to make each other better. Napier has stated that he and Anthony Richardson are not just on the same page but “almost on the same sentence,” which means the homework and lesson plans are hitting home with his top-signal caller. Perhaps, best of all, it appears to be working for "The Mentor." After publication it was revealed that Jack Miller's absence was due to a broken thumb on his throwing hand that required surgery. With Jack Miller sidelined the backup duties to Anthony Richardson will most likely fall to 1st year quarterback Max Brown or Jalen Kitna who has been dealing with injuries during training camp as well. Walk-on Kyle Engel could be added to the mix if Kitna is not able to return to adequate health.

By KYLE CURTIS GatorBaitMedia.com Here we go again -- another recruiting roundup -- a topic I will never tire of reporting on; how the Gators continue to prove they belong with the top competitors on the recruiting trail. In case you missed it, they just did it again. The Gators landed four more blue-chip recruits, bringing the 2023 class total to 20 commits. Along with landing four 4-star defensive linemen in the 2023 class, Billy Napier was also able to land a top-50 recruit to kick off the 2024 class as well in LB Myles Graham, son of former running back Earnest Graham, who played for Steve Spurrier. Florida and its staff claim this is just the beginning of recruiting excitement in Gainesville. “The Gators aren’t going anywhere on the recruiting trail,” Napier said. Some fans hit the panic button in late May, and early June. Napier has responded with 15 recruits commits since the last week of June. This latest wave of recruits featured a flurry of defensive line commitments to build the trenches for Coach Chaos Sean Spencer. Let's break down each of the newest commits and how they can help wreak havoc in the trenches of The Swamp in the near future. Kelby Collins: 4-Star Defensive Lineman A 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive lineman out of Gardendale, Collins already has an NFL body. Collins chose the Gators over the giants of Alabama and Georgia amongst others (a massive win on the recruiting trail for Napier against both Smart and Saban). An interior lineman, who has an explosive first quick step combined with size will give the opposing line a matchup nightmare. He is the no. 24 rated defensive lineman according to 247 and top 200 players nationally. Growing in the system under Coach Spencer, Collins could see playing time as a true freshman in a defensive line room that needs depth. Will Norman: 4-Star Defensive Lineman Another player with an NFL body, Norman is a 6-foot-5, 290-pound interior lineman out of IMG academy. Norman will join forces with former IMG teammate Kamari Wilson, who will look to make an impact for the Gators this upcoming season as a true freshman. One of the top defensive tackles in the country, Norman is rated as the No. 18 prospect along with being the No. 36 player in the state of Florida according to 247. Norman was drawn to the Gators due to his fascination with Coach Chaos’s scheme and how he feels he will fit in nicely. “I’m a big guy, but I’m also athletic so just knowing that they’ll have me slanting, knowing they’ll have me in different run games … that’s definitely eye-opening,” Norman said. “I don’t want to be one of those D-lineman that’s just full blow nose guard, I kind of want to get to move around, maybe do some stunts, let me slant here and there.” (https://www.si.com/college/florida) The versatility of this new Gator's defense is drawing the attention of the nation’s top players. Kamran James: 4-Star Defensive Lineman A7 6-foot-6, 265-pounds, Kamran James fits the part of a dominant SEC interior force. Out of Orlando, James chose the Gators over the likes of Alabama and Georgia amongst others. More of a pass-rusher than a run-stopper, James will provide versatility for different sets Coach Toney and Spencer want to throw at the opposing offensive line. Growing up playing basketball at Olympia high school, football began to take over once he realized the level pf capability he had.. He totaled 21 tackles for loss along with 47 total tackles, James will be another great addition for Coach Chaos. Jaden Robinson- 4-Star Linebacker. He is a 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker out of Columbia high school, which happens to be just down the road from campus. Robinson, previously committed to South Carolina, flipped to the Gators during Friday Night Lights while making it public over the weekend. He is the 32nd-ranked linebacker nationally according to 247. A true sideline-to-sideline attacker, Robinson has the potential to be the heart and soul of the Gator's defense in the coming years. Robinson chose the Gators over Michigan, Maryland, Kentucky and of course, South Carolina. Wrap-Up In Billy Napier’s first full recruiting cycle he has given priory to players close to home. With a 91.9% blue-collar rating, Billy Napier is on the trail of something great. All we must do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

By FRANZ BEARD GatorBaitMedia.com With two weeks to go until the Billy Napier Era officially begins with the 2022 season opener with Utah in The Swamp, Florida’s depth chart is starting to shape up. From top to bottom, this roster isn’t nearly as deep as Napier knows it has to be for the Gators to compete for championships on a consistent basis but there is talent and even depth at certain positions. The three places right now that depth seems to be the biggest concern are quarterback, the offensive line and nose tackle. At quarterback Anthony Richardson is the clear No. 1, but Jack Miller III hasn’t practiced in a couple of days after hitting his hand on a helmet while making a throw, and Jalen Kitna hasn’t been practicing as he rehabs from an injury. This week, the backups to Richardson have been freshman Max Brown and walk-on Kyle Engel. Napier said Monday that he’s got eight offensive linemen who are game ready, but he knows it takes 10 to make it through an SEC season. Given the rugged September schedule that includes No. 7 Utah, No. 20 Kentucky and Tennessee on the road, Napier has to have 10 ready to go linemen so these next days will be critical to finalizing the last two sports on the depth chart. Nose tackle is maybe the biggest concern on the team. Jalen Lee lacks experience and at 300 pounds, he’s far from ideal size for the position. Desmond Watson is monstrous at 415 pounds, but he’s not physically capable of stringing together several consecutive plays, particularly when the Gators face Tennessee where they try to get off a snap every 20 seconds. The Gators will hold their final scrimmage of August camp on Saturday and next week will be the final practice week. After that they go into game prep, so these next seven days are critical to determine a final depth chart for the Utah game. Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the Florida roster two weeks out QB: Anthony Richardson (6-4, 232, SO) Richardson is the clear No. 1. Lots of pro scouts believe he has the highest ceiling of any quarterback who will be draft eligible in April. He’s a legitimate dual threat with 4.4 speed in the 40 and one of the stronger arms in the country. Ohio State transfer Jack Miller III (6-3, 211) has been the No. 2 since he arrived on campus but he has a banged up hand that has kept him sidelined the last few days. Miller has an accurate arm and very good feet, but lacks experience. Jalen Kitna (6-4, 208, RFR) added 20 pounds in the offseason and made excellent progress, but injuries have kept him from practicing in the last couple of weeks. The plan for Max Brown (6-2, 200, FR) was to redshirt him, but with the injury situation, he could be dressed and ready to go on game day. He’s shown plenty of promise in August practices. Walk-on Kyle Engel (6-1, 190, SO) has been getting a lot of reps due to the injuries. He throws a nice deep ball and seems to have a good command of the offense. Like Max Brown, he may be further up the depth chart than he could have anticipated when camp began in August. RB: Montrell Johnson Jr. (5-11, 218, SO) The preseason magazines are going to look a bit silly here because they rate the Florida running backs in the lower third of the Southeastern Conference. The Gators are loaded with four backs who will share the carries, each one with a different skill set that offer Napier a good bit of flexibility in his play calling. Johnson, who followed Napier from Louisiana, is a power back who is a punishing runner between the tackles. He has deceptively good speed. Johnson gained 838 yards (5.17 per carry) and scored a team-leading 12 touchdowns as a true freshman last year at Louisiana. Finally healthy, Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 209, RJR) has been breaking long runs in practice. He was a 5-star recruit out of high school. Lingard has go the distance speed so he’s a threat to break a long run any time he touches the ball. Remember how Nay’Quan Wright took over that 99-yard touchdown drive against Alabama last year? When he’s healthy, he is difficult to defend because he’s a serious run-catch threat. Last year he ran for 326 yards and a TD while catching 14 passes for 178 yards and another TD. There were thoughts last year of playing him in the slot because he’s so good catching the ball and making people miss after the catch. If Wright can stay healthy he will be a major contributor. Trevor Etienne (5-9, 217, FR), younger brother of the former Clemson All-American, is probably better than anyone expected, a nice combination of power and quickness who has had several highlight reel runs in practice. Slot: Ricky Pearsall (6-1, 200, JR) Pearsall is coming back from a bone bruise in his foot, but if he’s healthy and good to go, he will see the football early and often. He is one of the faster receivers on the team, but what sets him apart is his after the catch ability. At Arizona State last year, Pearsall caught 48 passes for 580 yards and four touchdowns. Trent Whittemore (6-3, 206, RSO) will be in the slot as well as outside. A former high school QB, he has a good hands plus a real understanding of finding open space. Last season he caught 19 passes for 210 yards and a TD plus he completed 3-4 of his passes for 41 yards and two TDs. Daejon Reynolds (6-2, 204, RFR) has been looking good here. WR: Justin Shorter (6-4, 223, RJR) Some folks might be surprised that Todd McShay rates Shorter as his No. 18 draft-eligible wide receiver. The knock on Shorter has been that he poses no threat to stretch a defense, but he had a highly productive 2021 when he caught 41 passes for 550 yards and three touchdowns. He was open a lot but didn’t get the football. Ja’Markis Weston (6-3, 212, RSO) has size and speed, but he’s never put it all together consistently (6 career catches for 81 yards and a TD). Marcus Burke (6-4, 183, RFR) may have more potential than any receiver on the roster, but it has always been a matter of consistency (2 catches for 73 yards last year, both against South Carolina). If he can eliminate the lack of focus and mistakes, he will be on the field a lot. WR: Xzavier Henderson (6-3, 195, SO) Henderson was under-utilized in the previous offense. He has speed enough to run the deeper routes, but spent almost all of 2021 running drags and bubble screens where he caught 26 passes for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His route-running has improved and he’s shown flashes of getting open on deeper routes this August. The backups are Ja’Quavion Fraziars (6-4, 212, SO), who is loaded with potential but hasn’t seen the playing field, much less the football (6 career catches, 40 yards) although he’s a regular on special teams. He caught a couple of touchdown passes last year. Caleb Douglas (6-3, 191, FR) has been impressive and could be a factor as the season progresses. He has excellent speed but has to run precise routes. TE: Dante Zanders (6-5, 262, RJR) Zanders came to Florida as a tight end, put on 30 pounds and moved to defensive end. Now he’s slimmed down, moved back to tight end and following a breakout performance in the spring, is running No. 1 in the fall where he’s expected to be a major contributor. Keon Zipperer (6-1, 246, JR) doesn’t have ideal size but he has good hands and can work as a motion tight end or even outside. Nick Elksnis (6-6, 234, RFR) was expected to play a lot last year, but injuries set him back. Noah Keeter (6-6, 230) was a linebacker who grew up in Gainesville, signed with UCLA and then transferred home. When pressed into action at tight end in the spring he played well. LT: Richard Gouraige (6-5, 308, RJR) This will be the third year starting for Gouraige (29 starts, 5 at left guard, 24 at left tackle). He is a very good run blocker and last year proved that he is more than capable of handling quick rushers off the edge. Austin Barber (6-6, 312, RFR) has built off a solid spring to emerge as the backup to Gouraige. He’s played well and is among that group of eight that Napier talked about as game-ready. Coming on strong lately is juco transfer Jordan Herman (6-8, 370, SO). LG: Ethan White (6-4, 331, JR) White (8 career starts) looks nothing like the 400-pounder who showed up as a freshman. He’s had some injury issues so staying healthy and on the field will be his No. 1 challenge. If he’s healthy he’s a beast in the run game. Richie Leonard IV (6-2, 318, SO) has played well at LG when White missed a few August practices. C: Kingsley Eguakun (6-3, 301, RSO) Eguakun started all 13 games at center last year and he’s the starter again this year. He doesn’t have ideal size for the position but he’s smart, experienced and great at reading the defenses and making the line calls. Richie Leonard IV (6-2, 318, SO) played in every game last year and got a start at guard when White was unable to go. He’s built low to the ground and tough to knock around. Jake Slaughter (6-5, 292, RFR) has made better progress than expected. He can back up at center or either guard. He has a future. RG: O’Cyrus Torrence (6-6, 340, SR) Todd McShay projects Torrence as the No. 2 guard prospect for the 2023 NFL Draft. Playing for Napier at Louisiana, Torrence made All-Sun Belt Conference twice and started 35 games. He is very capable of playing outside but OL coach Rob Sale likes having a mauler next to center and that’s exactly what Torrence is. Josh Braun (6-6, 351, SO), lost about 20 pounds in the offseason giving him the capability of sliding outside to RT if anything happens to Michael Torrence. Braun has seven career starts and can back up both guard positions. RT: Michael Tarquin (6-5, 320, RSO) Tarquin (1 career start) has been the August surprise. He’s healthy and certainly stronger with 20 pounds of added muscle since the spring. Coaches rave about his consistency and work ethic. He can run block, but is he quick enough to handle an edge rusher without help? Either Braun or Kamryn Waites (6-8, 373, RFR) is the backup here. Waites was a basketball player who didn’t start playing football until late in high school so he’s inexperienced but doesn’t lack for talent. DEFENSE DE: Princely Umanmielen (6-5, 245, RSO) Princely (17 tackles, 1.5 sacks in 13 games with 1 start in 2021) had an excellent spring. What he’s done in August has solidified his first team job. He has always been able to rush the passer, but now he’s showing he can hold his own against the run. Tyreak Sapp (6-3, 263, RFR) is playing bigger than his size. He’s strong, physical and quick. He will be in the rotation and he may be used in all three positions along the D-line depending on circumstances. Justus Boone (6-4, 260, RFR) is another very athletic DE who can be used up and down the line. He’s been very good off the edge so far. NT: Jalen Lee (6-2, 300, SO) Lee seems to be the winner at nose tackle by default. He played in eight games last year (9 tackles) and got a start in the Gasparilla Bowl. The coaches wish Desmond Watson (6-5, 415, SO) was in the kind of physical condition that would allow him to play for protracted periods of time, but he’s probably 30 pounds away from that. So, meanwhile, Lee is the nose tackle. He’s played hard and he’s played fairly well, but he isn’t that two-gap beast they want over the center. Don’t be surprised to see Sapp lining up over the nose against pass-first teams. He's physical and quick enough to cause problems rushing the passer. DT: Gervon Dexter (6-6, 312) This is a contract year for Dexter, who is draft-eligible in April, so big things are expected of him. He seems a natural fit in this scheme. There isn’t a position on the D-line he can’t play so expect to see him plugged in wherever there is a potential matchup advantage. Last season Dexter had 51 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Chris McClellan (6-3, 305, FR) seems pretty advanced for a rookie. He’s going to be in the rotation. OLB: Brenton Cox Jr. (6-3, 252, RJR) Brenton Cox is healthy and playing with a huge chip on his shoulder. He’s out to enhance his draft status for one thing, but out to prove that the people who gave him five stars coming out of high school knew what they were talking about. He had 14.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks last year. He thinks this year he breaks Alex Brown’s school record for sacks in a single season (13). His backup is Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. (6-3, 243, SO) who has had a very good camp. You could expect to see Cox and Powell-Ryland on the field at the same time in obvious passing situations. Lloyd Summerall III (6-5, 231, RSO) has finally added the upper body muscle needed. He's not just a skinny quick guy anymore. He’s going to play. ILB: Ventrell Miller (6-0, 221, RSR) Getting Miller to return was one of Napier’s best recruiting jobs. Not only do the Gators get a steady presence in the middle who plugs holes and stuffs the run, they get a traffic cop, who knows where all his players should be and how to get them properly aligned. That is indeed a very big deal. Because he missed last season, Miller feels that he has something to prove so expect a big year from him. He has 164 tackles and 7.5 sacks in his career. Derek Wingo (6-1, 226, SO) has finally found a place he can call home in the middle. He’s very quick to the ball and will be on the field a lot. Diwun Black (6-3, 233, JR) has loads of potential and he’s very solid in coverage. He will be in the rotation. ILB: Scooby Williams (6-2, 235, RFR) Williams has built on a solid, consistent spring to emerge as the front runner to start even over veteran Amari Burney (6-2, 228, SR). Both will be on the field a lot as the coaches want fresh bodies on the field at all times. Shemar James (6-1, 230, FR) has picked everything up quickly. He didn’t come to the University of Florida to sit. Nickel: Tre’Vez Johnson (5-11, 194, SO) In this scheme, the nickel has to be able to tackle like a linebacker, get after the passer like an edge rusher and cover like a DB. Johnson and Jadarrius Perkins (6-1, 182, JR) will be splitting time here. Both tackle very well and have solid coverage skills. Johnson had 23 tackles and an interception last year while Perkins was in on 25 tackles. Kamar Wilcoxson (6-1, 193, RFR) could be in the regular rotation if he can stay healthy. CB: Jason Marshall Jr. (6-1, 198, SO) Marshall got burned early as a true freshman but he made progress every game and was a solid cover guy by season’s end. He had a solid spring and is having an even better August. He had 23 tackles and an interception last year. Devin Moore (6-3, 198, FR) has safety size and cornerback feet. He’s been solid and sometimes spectacular in camp. Jordan Young (6-0, 192, RFR) has added muscle and confidence. He will see the field a lot. CB: Avery Helm (6-1, 170, SO) Helm was a surprise last year as a true freshman when he was in on 22 tackles while playing well in coverage. He’s having a good August and his play has kept him slightly ahead of Georgia transfer Jalen Kimber (6-0, 178, RSO). Kimber has played well enough that he will probably split snaps with Helm. When healthy, Jaydon Hill (6-0, 181, RSO) will be in the rotation. He has starter skills. S: Trey Dean III (6-3, 207, SR) Since he’s been at Florida, Dean has played all over the secondary and rarely for the same position coach two seasons in a row. He has responded better than expected to co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, who coaches the safeties. He has had a very good August after a rather good spring. Dean led the Gators with 91 tackles last season. He has four picks for his career. Talent has never been an issue. He’s finally showing real consistency. Kamari Wilson (6-0, 209, FR) was a signing day coup. He’s a 5-star talent who didn’t come to Florida to sit. He’s earning snaps with every practice. S: Rashad Torrence II (6-0, 202, SO) Torrence was Florida’s leading ball hawk (3 interceptions) and second leading tackler last year with 87 stops. Paired with Dean, this is an outstanding combo that ranks with the best tandems in the Southeastern Conference. Backing up Torrence is Donovan McMillon (6-1, 205, SO), one of the hardest hitters on the team (10 tackles last year as a true freshman). Miguel Mitchell (6-1, 203, FR) has made plays in August practices. He’s going to be seeing the field. SPECIAL TEAMS P: Jeremy Crashaw (6-4, 198, SO) Crashaw, who averaged 44.1 yards per punt last year, has been crushing the ball in August. The backups are walk-ons Jack Brady (5-11, 190, RSO) and Tyler Waxman (5-9, 171, RSO). K: Trey Smack (6-1, 200, FR) or Adam Mihalek (6-1, 193, RFR) Smack was one of the top prep kickers in the nation last year, but he’s facing stiff competition in August from Adam Mihalek, who hit field goals of 52 and 47 yards in the Orange and Blue Game. The No. 1 may not be decided until the week of the Utah game.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: “Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December; But the days grow short, when you reach September” – From “September Song” by Willie Nelson The days indeed are growing short for a Florida football team that opens its season with Utah in The Swamp on September 3. Billy Napier will conduct the Gators’ final scrimmage of the preseason Saturday afternoon and after that there will be only five real practices remaining because game week preparation begins starting Sunday evening, August 28. Depending on the injury situation at quarterback, Napier may be looking for a backup quarterback to Anthony Richardson at Saturday’s scrimmage. Jack Miller III has been unable to practice the last few days after hitting his hand on a helmet as he let a pass fly. Third teamer Jalen Kitna hasn’t practiced in a couple of weeks while recuperating from an undisclosed injury. That leaves walk-on Kyle Engel and true freshman Max Brown as the potential backups for Richardson. Along the offensive line, assistants Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton will be looking for the ninth and tenth game-ready linemen. At his Monday press conference, Napier said he had eight but needed to find two more. Seven we know – Richard Gouraige, Ethan White, Kingsley Eguakun, O’Cyrus Torrence, Michael Tarquin, Josh Braun and Richie Leonard IV. Most folks agree Austin Barber is No. 8. The other two probably come from this threesome – Kamryn Waites, Jordan Herman and Jake Slaughter. What to do about nose tackle is another issue. Jalen Lee played in eight games last year and got a start against UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl, but he’s a bit on the light side (300 pounds) for what is considered ideal for the position and he doesn’t have a lot of experience. Desmond Watson is 415 pounds. While he can move amazingly well for someone his size, he’s still not ready to be in the game for several plays at a time. Beyond those two, the options are limited. Who’s going to be the placekicker? There is a serious battle going on between true freshman Trey Smack and Adam Mihalek, the walk-on who hit field goals of 52 and 47 yards in the Orange and Blue Game back in the spring. After Saturday’s scrimmage, coaches will be cleaning up the mistakes and fine-tuning the depth chart in the five practices next week. So, consider Saturday the single most important date of the preseason. O’Cyrus Torrence makes The Athletic’s first team preseason All-America team In naming Torrence to its first team preseason All-America squad, The Athletic staff wrote: “Torrence followed Billy Napier to Florida from Louisiana, where he was a stalwart who started 35 games in three seasons in which the Ragin’ Cajuns went 34-5. At 6-5, 347 pounds Torrence is a powerful mauler in the run game, and, according to TruMedia, he allowed zero sacks and just four pressures in 377 pass-block snaps last season.” Gator sports stuff The Florida soccer team dropped its season opener to UCF, 3-0, Thursday evening in Orlando. Next up for the Gators is a Sunday match with Stetson in DeLand. Florida men’s swimming, winners of the last nine Southeastern Conference championships, landed Canadian Olympian Joshua Liendo, who has four seasons of collegiate eligibility. Liendo holds Canadian national records in the 50m free, 50m butterfly and 100m butterfly. Liendo won the gold medal in the 50m butterfly at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England this summer and bronzes in the 100m free and 100m butterfly at the FINA World Championships. Little birdies chirping The chirping continues in South Florida. Linebacker Bobby Washington and his brother, wide receiver Robby, are denying they will be taking official visits to Louisville in the fall. There is all sorts of chatter that 4-star linebacker Malik Bryant and 5-star offensive lineman Francis Mauioga have cold feet about their commitments to The Ewe and are shopping for a potential landing spot. Is Miami’s class starting to unravel a bit? SEC football/baseball Alabama: LSU transfer corner Eli Ricks hasn’t been practicing the last few days because of what Nick Saban calls “a little back problem” … Former 5-star recruit Eyabi Amoma, who has previously transferred twice, has moved again, this time as a grad transfer to Michigan. Anoma left Alabama for Houston, then last year surfaced at UT-Martin where he recorded six sacks. Arkansas: Safety Myles Slusher has been moved to nickel. Defensive coordinator Barry Odom said, “Our best opportunity for us to be good on defense is for him to play nickel.” Auburn: Jeremiah Wright (6-5, 335), who was a nose guard in the spring, has made the move to the other side of the ball. Wright was working at left guard Thursday. Georgia: Broderick Jones (6-4, 315), who got four starts in 15 games last year, is the man to beat at left tackle. Kentucky: Former Gator and now SEC Network analyst Chris Doering is predicting the Wildcats to go 11-1 this season and making it to the SEC Championship Game. Doering has the Wildcats losing only to Tennessee during the regular season. LSU: Malik Nabers, who caught 28 passes for 417 yards and four TDs last year as a freshman, has been moved inside to the slot. The two outside receivers will likely be Kayshon Boutte (38-508, 9 TDs) and Jaray Jenkins (34-502, 6 TDs) Mississippi State: Defensive back Collin Duncan says, “This is the most complete team I’ve been around at Mississippi State.” Missouri: New defensive coordinator Blake Baker has installed a 4-2-5 scheme. One of his two starting linebackers is Florida transfer Ty’ron Hopper. Ole Miss: A year ago the starters on the Ole Miss defense were on the field an average of 53 plays per game. Better depth should make the defense much better in 2023 says corner Miles Battle. “Our depth is a strong suit for us this year,” Battle said. We did bring some people in from the transfer portal and being able to build that depth in all the rooms is essential.” South Carolina: Assistant baseball coach Chad Caillet, who was the team’s recruiting coordinator, is retiring for family reasons. He will be replaced by Monte Lee, a former Gamecock assistant who has been the head coach at College of Charleston and Clemson. Tennessee: How well does QB Hendon Hooker know the playbook? “He’s even correcting some of the coaches on some play calls,” says running back Jabari Small. Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher has yet to name a starting QB and he may not after Saturday’s scrimmage. “I’m not putting a timetable on it,” Fisher said Thursday. “I’ll know when I know.” It’s a three-way battle for the job between LSU transfer Max Johnson, Haynes King and freshman Connor Wiegman. Vanderbilt: The three candidates to replace injured edge rusher Miles Capers are Michael Owusu, Darren Agu or BJ Diakite. Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 Oklahoma: The Sooners are breaking in a new quarterback (Dillon Gabriel) and a new offensive coordinator (Jeff Lebby), but the offense looks very explosive. HBC Brent Venables says, “I love our wide outs, tight ends and backs.” Texas: The Anointed One may not win the starting QB job. Apparently Hudson Card, who passed for 590 yards and five TDs in backup duty, is outplaying Quinn Ewers in camp. Football is also played elsewhere beside the SEC Arizona State: Former Florida quarterback Emory Jones has won the starting job at Arizona State, beating out Alabama transfer Paul Tyson for the job. Jones threw for 2,734 yards and 19 touchdowns (13 completions to the bad guys) and ran for 759 yards and four TDs for the Gators last year. Florida State: FSU’s official offer letter to 4-star edge rusher Lamont Green Jr. is making the rounds on Twitter. The genius in charge misspelled the word official at the top of the letter. On the letter it’s spelled “Offcial.” North Carolina: For the life of me I’m wondering how this happened – Carolina will play back-to-back road games AT Appalachian State and AT Georgia State. I believe it’s not a bad thing to be nice to brethren in the Group of Five, but back-to-back and playing in stadiums that seat fewer than 30,000? Someone in Chapel Hill must have been doing some heavy drinking or smoking something when the contracts were signed for these games. Utah: Safety Zemiah Vaughn says Utah’s corners (Clark Phillips III, JaTravis Broughton, Faybian Banks and Malone Mataele) are the best in the Pac-12. “We work harder, we do more,” Vaughn said. A year ago Utah gave up 22 touchdown passes and 222.3 passing yards per game, which ranked sixth out of 12 teams in the league. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: There was a meeting on Zoom earlier in the week in which the 11 college presidents and chancellors who make up the College Football Playoff Board of Managers discussed college football being moved outside the jurisdiction of the NCAA and presumably under the umbrella of the College Football Playoff. Pete Thamel of ESPN writes that this is “the first known discussion among a group that would seemingly have the power to put such a plan in action.” There needs to be some sort of plan in action to divorce Division I football from the clutches of the NCAA. Whether it is the people who run the College Football Playoff or someone else who ultimately makes the decision, the future of college football not only requires a divorce but a complete new organization built from the ground up. The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, does a dandy job running the basketball tournament and championships in all the non-revenue sports. It is clueless when it comes to college football, at least at the Division I level, largely because it never has come to grips with the fact that the more it tries to legislate equality the more problems it creates. The NCAA’s one size fits all approach might work perfectly well for other sports, but Division I college football is a totally different animal with a unique set of issues that can’t be legislated by academics. College football at the Division I level is a multi-billion dollar sport that pays the freight for all the non-revenue sports under the NCAA umbrella, therefore requiring an autonomous organization run by business people and not academics. The practical solution is an organization with a rather uncomplicated set of rules and a commissioner with Pete Rozelle-like authority to enforce them. There can’t be sacred cows (see how North Carolina escaped penalties with the most serious academic fraud case in NCAA history) and there can’t be schools waiting five-plus years for their day in NCAA court for absolutely blatant recruiting transgressions (see LSU, Kansas, Arizona and a slew of others). There has to be an all-powerful El Guapo to make it all work. We can’t try getting things done by consensus (see “The Alliance” shooting down CFP expansion last year) ever again. Choose a maximum, supreme leader who commands respect and give him the authority to rule with an iron hand. Yes, that sounds like a dictator, but that’s what it’s going to take. Do you trust any committee whose members include Kevin Warren, Little Jimmy Phillips or George Kliavkoff? I don’t. You shouldn’t either. This is just the first step. Hopefully, it won’t be long before serious discussions are taking place and a time frame is set to extricate Division I college football from the NCAA. I believe it is imperative that conference realignment and expansion be halted until a new organization can be formed, rules and enforcement procedures established and a commissioner with real leadership skills chosen. There are far too many problems facing college football to trust the future to the NCAA.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: DOING WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO WIN GAMES This is a learning process. Make no mistake about it and the way Billy Napier looks at things, coaching football will always be a learning process. At each step of the journey you learn something. You discard what doesn’t work, put some things in a file for future use if the situation or circumstances are right, and you keep improving on the things you find useful. There is a track record of success doing it like that. Go back to that first year (2018) at Louisiana. The Ragin Cajuns were coming off a third straight losing season, one in which they gave up 40 points and 492.7 yards per game. Twice that 2017 team allowed 60 or more points. Three times they gave up 608 or more yards. The cupboard Napier inherited wasn’t completely bare. There was some talent, particularly at running back where the previous coach had recruited Trey Ragas, Elijah Mitchell and Raymond Calais. All three play in the NFL There was a young quarterback in Levi Lewis, barely 5-11 in his cleats and not exactly possessed with a gun of an arm, but he knew how to make smart plays and he had good feet. Those four helped the Cajuns go 7-7 in 2018. They won the Sun Belt Conference West Division and got to the school’s first bowl game since 2014. Ragas ran for 1,181 yards and eight touchdowns. Mitchell ran for 977 yards and 13 touchdowns. Calais averaged an astonishing 9.31 per carry as he ran for 754 yards and seven TDs. Lewis threw for seven touchdown passes while playing in all 14 games as a backup. A year later, the Cajuns went 10-3 with Mitchell running for 1,147 yards and 16 touchdowns, Calais running for 886 and six TDs and Ragas going for 820 and seven TDs. Mitchell threw for 26 touchdowns and ran for three more. Louisiana won the Sun Belt West again, lost to Appalachian State in the championship game, then won the bowl game. What the Cajuns were doing those first couple of years is playing defense with the offense. They ran the football, forcing opponents to commit so many in the box that the passing game opened up. There was method to the madness. The Cajuns got more than just respectable and it allowed Napier to bring in better talent. In the two years it took Napier to rebuild the roster, he developed a blueprint for winning games, some of which were against more talented opponents. “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,” offensive line coach Rob Sale says. Sale was with Napier at Arizona State in 2017 and with him at Louisiana those first three years. Winning led to better talent and better football: a 23-2 record those last two seasons with a breakthrough 13-1 2021 highlighted by the Sun Belt Conference championship. What Napier did those first two years at wasn’t that different than what he did the last two years. The difference better talent to work with although the level of talent was far different than what he is working with in year one at Florida. “At Louisiana we didn’t get the 5-star,” Napier said recently. “We started from scratch with a lot of players. We projected. We took height, length and speed. We had to teach football at a much different level and I think it made us better as coaches.” Napier isn’t exactly starting from scratch at UF, but what he has learned along the way, particularly what he learned in those four years at Louisiana, is what could transform Florida from a team that lost games to less talented teams a year ago en route to a 6-7 record. Teaching is back in vogue. This isn’t “Football for Dummies” but it is back to basics where fundamentals and discipline are at the heart of everything the Gators do whether it’s in the meeting rooms or on the practice field. Once the Gators take the field in September, expect fundamentals, discipline, run the ball and play defense with the offense. Rule No. 1. Don’t beat yourself with fundamental mistakes and breakdowns in discipline. Rule No. 2. The other team can’t beat you if they can’t get you off the field so run the ball, control the clock and limit the amount of time the UF defense is on the field. If this sounds vaguely familiar, then you may remember the 1984 Gators. That Florida team had three stud running backs who were all future No. 1 draft picks (Neal Anderson, John L. Williams and Lorenzo Hampton), a former walk-on redshirt freshman QB in Kerwin Bell, a huge, talented offensive line (The Great Wall) and great talent on defense. The Gators pounded teams into submission with the running game and threw sparingly but for big yardage over the top. The defense spent less than 20 minutes per game on the field. At season’s end, the Gators were 9-1-1 and the best team in the country, bar none. No one will predict 9-1-1 out of this Florida team, but thanks to a proven offensive scheme infused by a better QB than Napier ever had at Louisiana (Anthony Richardson), four stud running backs (Montrell Johnson, Lorenzo Lingard, Nay’Quan Wright and Trevor Etienne) and a big, powerful O-line led by CBS Sports preseason second team All-America O’Cyrus Torrence, the Gators might very well be what Phil Steele predicts will be the second most improved team in the country. If Napier can get the offense to do its part, the defense won’t have to spend as much time on the field and this defense, by the way, is a substantial upgrade to the previous two seasons. SEC football/basketball Alabama: Named first team preseason All-America by CBS Sports were quarterback Bryce Young, linebacker Will Anderson Jr. and defensive back Jordan Battle. Offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor, corner Eli Ricks and all-purpose Jahmyr Gibbs. Arkansas: Safety Jalen Catalon was named preseason second team All-America by CBS Sports. Auburn: D-line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh says the goal this season is 8-10 players in the rotation. There were six transfers who left the program after last season but two transferred in plus a juco was signed to go with four returning players from last season. Georgia: Named first team preseason All-America by CBS Sports were tight end Brock Bowers, defensive lineman Jalen Carter and corner Kelee Ringo. Second teamers were linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. and defensive back Tykee Smith. Kentucky: “If we stay focused and together, I don’t see any team that can beat us,” says Oscar Tshiebwe, who came back for another year at UK after averaging 17.4 points and leading the nation in rebounding at 15.2 per game. LSU: Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels seems to have the upper hand in the quarterback battle … Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was named second team preseason All-America by CBS Sports. Mississippi State: On ESPN’s Ryan and Marty show, Mike Leach got into a discussion about fashion in which he explained that the khaki pants he wore to SEC Media Days were likely from Banana Republic or possibly from the Mississippi State equipment room. One reason why Leach loves cargo shorts is they give him room for “bigger, clunkier sheets of paper and even a small notebook” … Former walk-on LB Sherman Timbs, mostly a special teams player the last three years, has worked his way into the two-deep on defense. Missouri: Placekicker Harrison Mevis was named second team placekicker on the CBS Sports preseason All-America team. Ole Miss: The starting O-line with two weeks to go before the first game is LT Mason Brooks, LG Nick Broeker, C Caleb Warren, RG Eli Acker and RT Jeremy James. South Carolina: Corner Cam Smith was named second team preseason All-America by CBS Sports … DB Marcellas Dial, who had 33 tackles last year is working out at both corner and nickel. Tennessee: Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy admits that he was offered the Tennessee job on three different occasions. “Tennessee put together an unbelievable package and it’s hard to tell somebody no when that happens, but I made the right decision,” Gundy told ESPN’s Chris Low. Texas A&M: Defensive back Antonio Johnson and punt returner Ainias Smith were named first team CBS preseason All-America. Vanderbilt: Defensive end Miles Capers will miss the entire season after a knee injury. Capers was in on three tackles. Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 Oklahoma: George Washington transfer guard Joe Bamisile, who averaged 16.3 points and 5.0 rebounds last season, has been cleared to play immediately by the NCAA. Texas: Running back Bijan Robinson was named first team preseason All-America by CBS Sports … When it comes to the transfer portal and NIL, UT basketball coach Chris Beard told John Fanta of Fox Sports, “I don’t think those things are bad. It’s on us coaches to adapt and grow from these changes.” ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Little birdies are chirping about Florida football recruiting. Billy Napier has turned up the heat on the recruiting trail to the point that the Gators are now 8th in the Rivals team rankings, 10th by both On3 and 247Sports. Leading up to July 1 Florida recruiting was rather tepid. It’s quite hot at the moment and could be blast furnace hot in the next couple of weeks especially if there is a measure of truth to the chirpy little birdies. Chirp No. 1 involves 5-star Tampa Berkeley Prep edge rusher Keon Keely (6-6, 265), who was committed to Notre Dame until Wednesday. The folks at On3 and 247 seem to think he’s now a lock for Alabama. Lee Corso might say, “Not so fast, my friends.” Florida might be surging here. Two things to consider: (1) Keely is being recruited by Sean Spencer, who’s been coaching in the NFL, and Mike Peterson, a former Pro Bowler; and (2) Keely is a Tampa kid who may find the chance to get in on the ground floor of a Florida program restored to greatness very much to his liking. Chirp No. 2 involves 4-star Orlando Jones linebacker Malik Bryant (6-2, 234), who is committed to Miami. Little birdies are chirping that Miami is becoming an unsteady branch and Bryant is quietly shopping. He chose The Ewe over Florida. Is he getting cold feet? His high school coach is Eli Williams, a Gator great. That new football standalone facility is probably looking very good when compared to the spartan Miami facilities. And UF will play in a packed iconic stadium. The Ewe plays an overnight hike from Coral Gables in the antiseptic stadium that’s home of the Dolphins. Chirp No. 3 involves another Miami commit Francis Mauioga (6-5, 327, San Bernadino, CA/Bradenton, FL IMG Academy). Little birdies chirp that he’s not all that convinced The Ewe’s NIL money is worth it. He’s a left coast kid whose brothers played at Washington State. Tennessee is begging. Southern Cal, too. Alabama needs him. So does Florida and the Gators just got a commitment from IMG teammate Will Norman, plus Mauioga’s O-line buddy Knijeah Harris has been committed to UF for the last 3-1/2 months. If his teammates convince him to visit UF for Utah or Kentucky and UF wins … just sayin’.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: GAME ONE: THE PRESSURE IS ALL ON UTAH Two weeks from Saturday, foot hits football a little after 7 p.m. and the Billy Napier Era at the University of Florida will begin against 7th-ranked Utah, which won the Pac-12 championship last year but lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Utah is favored to win, as it should be, but the early line out of Las Vegas is just 2.5 points. That doesn’t seem like much when you consider the Utes won 10 games last year while the Gators were a meltdown looking for a place to happen. Most of the experts who follow Pac-12 football think Utah will win the league championship by wiping out media darlings Southern Cal and Oregon. Given the overall weakness of schedule there is thinking that Utah can run the table and do something no Pac-12 team has done since 2017, which is make the College Football Playoff. That’s a lot of pressure for a team that hasn’t ventured east of the Mississippi since 2014 and hasn’t played an SEC team since beating Alabama in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. Alabama says it was so bummed out from losing to Florida in the SEC Championship Game that its heart wasn’t in the Sugar Bowl. Utah folks say that’s just sour grapes on the part of Alabama fans. The Utes did, after all, run the table (13-0). That was then. This is now. Utah returns 14 starts (8 offense, 6 defense) from a team that went 10-4 in 2021. The Utes are certainly talented enough to win the Pac-12 again. They like their offense, which pounds it between the tackles and goes over the top when opponents try to stack the box. Defensively, the Utes run a 4-3 that worked pretty well against Pac-12 opponents but got lit up for 683 yards (573 passing) by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Offensively, they have a stud QB in Cameron Rising (2,493 passing yards, 20 TDs; 499 rushing yards, 6 TDs last year) and a between-the-tackles thumper at running back in Tavion Thomas, all 6-2, and 238 pounds of him. He ran for 1,108 yards (5.43 per carry) and 21 TDs last year. The Utes averaged 217.21 rushing yards 5.58 yards per carry last season, which wasn’t all that much better than Florida, which averaged 208.69 yards and 5.48 per carry. Utah’s offense scored 36.1 points per game with 37 rushing TDs and 30 through the air. Defensively, the Utes finished third in the Pac-12 in total defense, 28th nationally at 344.1 yards per game. They gave up 11 rushing touchdowns and 22 through the air, an average of 22.1 points allowed per game. The Utes force 16 turnovers, six fumbles and 10 picks. If you go by the numbers, Utah should be very good this year. Expectations are certainly through the roof in Salt Lake City so there is pressure. A year ago, the Utes were nowhere to be found in the preseason rankings so this is new and uncharted territory. There will also be the pressure of beating an unranked Florida team. Lose to an unranked team in game one, even if it is on the road and in a hostile venue, and it can have the effect of a slow leak in a balloon. Two other things to consider: (1) It’s fairly easy for the Gators to scout Utah, but not so easy for the Utes to scout the Gators; and (2) the heat and humidity. Utah is going to do what Utah has done ever since Kyle Whittingham succeeded Urban Meyer back in 2005. Personnel changes every year but the schemes haven’t changed all that much and Whittingham isn’t going to tinker with an offense that was so productive last year. No matter who the coordinator is, it’s Whittingham’s defense, which is to say it’s a 4-3 with an emphasis on good tackling and stuffing the run. Billy Napier can look at film of the last 13 years and he’ll see Utah doing the same exact things. Utah can look at what Napier did at Louisiana and maybe know what to expect from a scheme standpoint, but Florida players are bigger, stronger and faster than the ones Napier had at Louisiana. There is no way that Utah can scheme for Anthony Richardson and fact is, the only O-line the Utes had to face last year that was better than the UF O-line of 2022 was Ohio State (683 yards, 48 points). And then there is the heat. Oh it was 95 in Salt Lake on Tuesday. It gets hot in the desert. The average humidity in the month of August is expected to be mid-30s to low-40s. The average humidity in Gainesville in August is low-to-high-80s and it won’t change much once we get into September. You can’t simulate the combination of heat and humidity, particularly at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, where the playing surface is about 35-40 feet below street level. It’s a sauna in the stadium. There is nothing Utah can do to prepare for it. Now, none of this is to say that Florida will win the season opener but the Gators will have some advantages and there is no question when you add in the weight of expectations firmly on Utah’s shoulders, it bodes well for Billy Napier’s first game as Florida’s head coach. If Napier loses game one, the national media will chalk it up to a veteran Utah team that is nationally-ranked doing what it’s supposed to do. If Utah loses, there will be record cases of apoplexy in Salt Lake and throughout the state. The pressure is on Utah. SEC football/basketball Alabama: Paul Finebaum says Ohio State is Alabama’s most serious threat. “Ohio State is built for this,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s “Get Up” show … The Tuscaloosa city council approved an alcohol license for Bryant-Denny Stadium. Since when did people need a license to drink at Alabama games? Arkansas: During their European tour, the Razorbacks committed 20 or more turnovers in three games including more than 30 against the Bakken Bears. “The turnovers are ridiculous,” head basketball coach Eric Musselman said. “Words can’t describe how concerned I am.” Auburn: Ben Patton, who handled the placekicking duties when Anders Carlson went down with an ACL injury last year, has entered the transfer portal … The first team offensive line so far during camp is LT Kilian Zierer, LG Kam Stutts, C Tate Johnson, RG Keiondre Jones and RT Austin Troxell. Georgia: Georgia paid Florida $1.3 million to buy out the contract of Mike White. White will be paid $3.4 million this year and $3.9 million in the last year of the contract in 2027-28. Kentucky: Offensive coordinator Rich Scangello says, “We’ve installed almost our entire offense, so now it’s just honing in on what you’re gonna do in game plan weeks against teams.” LSU: Arizona State transfer QB Jayden Daniels says he can tell the difference in the talent level of SEC defensive linemen from those he faced in the Pac-12. Mississippi State: For every touchdown pass Will Rogers throws this season Simmons Erosion Control Inc. will donate $1,000 to the Mississippi Make-a-Wish Foundation … Coastal Carolina transfer Massimo Biscardi, who hit 46-57 field goals in the last four years, is expected to be the No. 1 kicker for the Bulldogs, whose kickers last year were only 14-25 on field goal attempts. Missouri: Placekicker Harrison Mevis, who hit 23-25 field goals last year with a long of 56, says, “I want to make all the kicks this year, 92 percent is unacceptable. I’ve gotta be 100 percent this year.” Ole Miss: The first Ole Miss scrimmage was open to the public. South Carolina: The Gamecocks have nine transfers on scholarship this fall. QB Spencer Rattler is obviously the headliner among the transfers but the defense got a boost with the additions of former Georgia DB Lovesea Carroll and North Carolina State DE Terrell Dawkins. Tennessee: Running back Jabari Small, who ran for 796 yards and nine TDs in 2021, has gained 15 pounds of muscle because he wants to be stronger in the second half of games and handle duties as the short yardage back. Texas A&M: On ESPN’s “First Take” show, host Stephen A. Smith told Paul Finebaum, “I feel bad for what’s going to happen to Texas A&M when they go down to Alabama. Them boys in trouble.” Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 Oklahoma: Linebacker T.D. Roof, son of defensive coordinator Ted Roof, is out for the season after a torn biceps injury that requires surgery. Texas: HBC Steve Sarkisian says that “when the time is right” suspended Alabama transfer wide receiver Argiye Hall will be allowed back on the team. ‘’ ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: While everybody seems so focused on the absolute brilliance (sarcasm injection here) of Big Ten commish Kevin Warren for landing what is anticipated to be a $1 billion a year mega media deal with Fox, CBS and NBC, no one seems to be paying much attention to the divorce with ESPN. Forty years of Big Ten sports on ESPN will come to an end in 2024 when the new Big Ten media deal kicks in and ESPN begins its partnership with the Southeastern Conference. Warren should take a victory lap for getting all that money for the 16 schools that will be making up the Big Ten in 2024 and with Fox taking the noon game, CBS the game at 3:30 and NBC getting prime time on Saturday evenings, it’s a full day of Big Ten football. In getting the big deal for the Big Ten, Warren rejected a generous bid from ESPN to be included in the Big Ten package. On the surface it would appear ESPN came out the loser, but is it really? While the Big Ten is locked in on those three networks, ESPN has the SEC, the ACC and now will have the chance to sew up the Big 12 and whatever is left of the Pac-12. The SEC will outdraw the Big Ten. Period. And while the Big Ten is trying to sell folks on another thrilling encounter between Rutgers and Northwestern to fill out its programming day, ESPN has seven networks minimum (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN News, SEC Network and ACC Network) and the potential for four of the power five conferences plus several Notre Dame games. Plus there is the possibility to add Disney and Hulu for streaming. The Big 12 is locked into a media deal through 2025, but ESPN needs Oklahoma and Texas to join the SEC in 2024, so in exchange for releasing those two, ESPN can offer a media deal that is at least equal to what the Big 12 has now (more than $40 million a year). By offering a scheduling deal with the Big 12, ESPN can offer the Pac-12 a similar deal (Pac-12 teams have been getting around $33 million) which would save the league when Southern Cal and UCLA bolt. The Pac-12 has been playing games on Friday and Saturday nights. ESPN could have Friday night programming and late night Pac-12 games. The ACC has this rotten deal that won’t hit $40 million until 2026 unless it can pick up some basketball money since CBS won’t be broadcasting ACC games anymore. More money could be thrown the ACC way to encourage scheduling games with the SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12. Meanwhile, the SEC will be distributing $100 million a year (or more) to each school when Texas and Oklahoma join the league and Notre Dame is going to remain independent with a deal that will likely land close to $100 million a year for its home games from NBC. Most divorces are painful, but if ESPN plays its cards right, it will end up with a far better situation than what the Big Ten will get from its new media deal.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: THE NEXT WEEK IS CRITICAL AS GATORS GET READY FOR THE OPENER It started out as a question about the offensive line and development of depth but before Billy Napier was through with his answer to that question Monday morning, the focus was expanded to what happens in practice this week and how it relates to the season opener with Utah on September 3. Back in the spring, Napier stressed the importance of being two-deep on the offensive line. Judging from reports that have trickled out of practice, Florida’s offensive line is doing a great job in the running game, so obviously there is reason to think the Gators could be strong up front. Napier didn’t seem dissatisfied with the productivity but did question where the depth will be. “I’m very comfortable with that group,” he said. “I think there’s competition there. I think we know who six, seven and eight are. We’re looking for the next, who’s nine, who’s 10, who’s going to get reps in a game week, why’s not, who are our rotational players? I think we’ve got probably eight players that deserve to play if we had a game today, you know, and okay, who’s the ninth player? Who’s the 10th player?” From how the Gators finished spring and the reports that have surfaced through the first scrimmage, the first unit O-line looks like this: LT Richard Gouraige, LG Ethan White, C Kingsley Eguakun; RG O’Cyrus Torrence; RT Michael Tarquin. Six and seven are Josh Braun who is a right side guy (RG/RT) and Richie Leonard, backup at center and LG. No. 8? Probably Kamryn Waites or it could be Austin Barber. Napier then began stressing what happens in this next week. “This week, in particular here, practices 10 to 15 are going to be very competitive on our football team,” he said. “I think when we evaluate our team right now, we moved out of the hotel yesterday. Can we maintain that discipline now that we’re in our normal living circumstance? Can we be on time? Can we go to bed at night? Can we make our way through the day efficiently in terms of transitioning back and forth from where we live? Can we manage the distractions as the students come back into town? “One of our things is can we get the facility and the organization and the players in-season ready? Yesterday, I think we’re 10 days out before we turn the page to the first game. I think between now and then we have to iron out the wrinkles and we’ve got to uncover any issues that will affect our preparation for a game.” And that led to talk about the special teams. “I think on special teams we have to get the game-changers game-ready. We’ve got competition at kicker. We’ve got to improve our operation. We have to get really good at covering kicks and certainly we have to get ready to make some game-changing plays.” From special teams it was back to depth charts with mention of the offensive line, which was the original question. “Those depth charts there’s so much competition on the team relative to who’s the one, who’s the two? Week four we travel on the road. We’re going to have to cut it down to 70 for the travel roster. Overall depth, the offensive line is an area, but I think overall, the whole team, who’s earning time? Who’s going to earn time? We talk about being one of the 11 we put between the lines to represent the University of Florida. This is a special privilege. Who are those people? This week, 10-15, this is going to be … there’s going to be some urgency. It’s going to be intense and there’s going to be a ton of competition.” Then for the finale, we got into team discipline and how it relates to on the field performance. Earlier in the press conference I asked him about discipline regarding penalties. He didn’t get into it much with that first question, but he did as he wrapped up an answer to this one. “I also think we’ll be focused on eliminating what has nothing to do with the opponent – undisciplined penalties, turnovers, mental errors, fundamental and technique issues, hidden yardage and special teams. All these things that contribute to winning and have nothing to do with who we play or where we play or what time we play.” So, after attending numerous Billy Napier press conferences, I know we will get a well thought out answer. He doesn’t get into names and specifics all that much, probably for a reason. He’s still trying to shape his roster and depth chart so that he knows what to expect once the games begin. I believe that once the season begins we will see more detailed press conferences and reports. For now, access is limited as is the amount of time Napier gives us so we have to settle for press conferences that don’t give us nearly the amount of information we’d like to have. Still, the answers are good to the questions we ask. The Associated Press preseason top 25: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Georgia; 4. Clemson; 5. Notre Dame; 6. Texas A&M; 7. Utah; 8. Michigan; 9. Oklahoma; 10. Baylor; 11. Oregon; 12. Oklahoma State; 13. North Carolina State; 14. Southern California; 15. Michigan State; 16. Miami; 17. Pittsburgh; 18. Wisconsin; 19. Arkansas; 20 Kentucky; 21. Ole Miss; 22. Wake Forest; 23. Cincinnati; 24. Houston; 25. BYU SEC football/basketball Alabama: Explaining why he chose to leave national champ Georgia, where he caught 26 passes for 497 yards and five TDs last year, for Alabama, the team Georgia beat in the national championship game, wide receiver Jermaine Burton said, “I’m just trying to make the best decision I can for me and my family.” Arkansas: Backup quarterback Malik Hornsby will also see the field at wide receiver this fall, prompting starting QB KJ Jefferson to say, “With two quarterbacks on the field you don’t know what’s going on. You don’t know who’s gonna have the ball.” Auburn: Edge rushers Derrick Hall and Eku Leota believe they can improve on last year when they combined for 16 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles. Georgia: Mike White will be returning to Florida when Georgia faces St. Joseph’s in the Sunshine Slam tournament in Daytona Beach on November 21. Georgia will face either UAB or South Florida the next day. Kentucky: On WJOX in Birmingham Monday morning, Paul Finebaum ripped into John Calipari for making the comment that Kentucky is a basketball school. Finebaum said, “And, listen I don’t need to explain Kentucky basketball but you and I understand in 2022 when billion dollar deals are being made across the board, it’s about football. It’s not about basketball … I mean are you guys telling me you can’t find a coach better than John Calipari right now? Billy Donovan? I’m just throwing a name out there. A young coach who is up-and-coming? Take your pick. John Calipari is really no longer the best option for the University of Kentucky.” LSU: Myles Brennan’s football career is over, not by his choice but by Brian Kelly’s. Writes Matt Hayes at Saturday Down South, “Now he’s finally walking away, told this weekend by Kelly that he wasn’t in the plans moving forward in the 3-way quarterback competition. Six years, multiple serious injuries and 13 career touchdowns later, he’s still an LSU graduate.” Mississippi State: Mississippi State will honor Frank Dowsing Jr. and Robert Bell, the first two African-American football players at the school, with specially designed uniforms at the season opener with Bowling Green. Dowsing became an All-America defensive back who also won All-SEC honors twice. Bell was a 3-year starter on the D-line. Missouri: HBC Eli Drinkwitz wants a tougher team that can win in spite of adversity. “If we’re content with being average, that’s fine,” Drinkwitz said Monday. “We can pat them on the back and give them popsicles, but we need to continue to be tougher and more physical, and we’ve got to respond to every period in practice.” Ole Miss: The new punter is Charlie Pollock, who used to punt at Nevada. HBC Lane Kiffin says, “Yeah, I don’t know a whole lot about him. I think he was down at the frat house, like at a keg party or something, where they got him from.” South Carolina: Walk-on wide receiver Payton Mangrum, who has played in 14 games the last two seasons as both a wideout and on special teams, has been awarded a scholarship. Tennessee: The reason it is taking so long for Tennessee to get clearance for Southern Cal transfer wide receiver Bru McCoy is because McCoy has already transferred multiple times. McCoy began at Southern Cal, transferred to Texas and then back to Southern Cal all before he transferred to UT. Texas A&M: ESPN writes that “Jimbo Fisher is recruiting like a title contender, but he hasn’t figured out how to craft strong quarterback play since Jameis Winston left Florida State in 2014. If he gets it this year, A&M is a top five team and playoff contender. If not, the Aggies might have to settle for four more losses and potential spoiler status. At some point, that might start to get old.” Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt hasn’t had a winning season since 2013. Since then the Commodores are 29-66 overall, 10-55 in the SEC. Vanderbilt hasn’t won an SEC game since October 19, 2019 when it beat Missouri 21-14. Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 Oklahoma: Since 2000, Oklahoma has won 239 games, the best total in all of Division I. Texas: HBC Steve Sarkisian confirmed that wide receiver Isaiah Neyor and O-lineman Junior Angilau will miss the entire season due to knee injuries suffered in Saturday’s scrimmage. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Billy Napier calls the new Bill Heavener football facility a game-changer because it means the Gators are no longer lagging behind the schools that have catapulted past UF in the 13 years since Florida’s last SEC/national championship. If you don’t think facilities matter, then take a look at what they have at Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Auburn, Georgia and Ohio State. The only national champion that has rotten facilities since Florida’s last one is Florida State, which has everything to do with why Jimbo Fisher jumped ship to Texas A&M. With Texas A&M’s facilities and willingness to spend whatever it takes to bring championships to Aggieland, leaving FSU wasn’t all that difficult a decision. FSU has won three national championships – one by Jimbo – since the last time the Aggies won one (1939), but the facilities and money are proof of commitment that Jimbo knew FSU would never have. Proof of commitment is what the Heavener Center represents for Napier and the Gators. It is a standalone facility that rivals or exceeds any that you will find anywhere in the country, allowing Napier to go toe-to-toe with the best recruits. It puts the Gators light years ahead of in-state rivals FSU and Miami. We may see astronauts landing on Mars before either of them can afford to build anything close to the Heavener Center. Throw in the $100 million payout that will be coming Florida’s way once Texas and Oklahoma join the Southeastern Conference (expect 2024) and FSU and The Ewe will be experiencing the football equivalent of third world status with their $40 million payouts from the ACC plus their lack of serious television exposure. We are already seeing what commitment and organization do on the recruiting trail. Buckle your seatbelts because it will get better. Six of Florida’s first seven games are at home, which means recruits will get the best game-day atmosphere plus first-hand looks at facilities that FSU and The Ewe can only dream about.