THE KICK: Painting by RICK REEVES. (COURTESY Whit Palmer Jr.) The Golden Boy Touch that he parlayed into a Hall of Fame Double as both a player and coach has apparently carried over into the cuisine world. By BUDDY MARTIN GatorBaitMedia.com Editor Truthfully, until Steve Spurrier arrived as coach, Florida football was not much to talk about. I’m on record as saying that the Legend of Spurrier looks even BIGGER in the rearview mirror. And yet still growing, even 32 years after he brought his alma mater out of the wilderness, put his indelible stamp on the Gator program and carved his name on the field. Think about this: Until his arrival as coach, Florida football was title-less, had an overall losing record and Gator players had an ugly reputation as perhaps the biggest bunch of under-achievers since the French foreign legion. So critical was Spurrier’s interjection as a player and then a coach into the UF’s historical profile that it has gerrymandered its own era. The way Gen Xers, Millennials and other age-specific sports cliques attempt to revise history in order fit in the timeline with the birth of ESPN in 1979, many Gator fans co-op their timeline of success for their football program as if it began in 1990. And why not? My late novelist/writer friend Dan Jenkins used to chirp at his Gator friends about their pseudo bragging rights: “Florida has the arrogance of Alabama,” Jenkins would say back in the 1980s, “and the tradition of Wake Forest.” But that all changed. Since Spurrier became coach in 1990, Dan (now deceased) may have eventually been forced to change his tune to “…AND the tradition of Alabama.” For his first six years, Spurrier owned the SEC like Elon Musk owns the electric car market. One could argue that the statue of him as a player ought to bear the title “Founder.” Not even the Greatest Coach On The Planet, Nick Saban, can match that early ‘90s streak of four straight SEC Championships. It was only in the 2020 season that the Crimson Tide legend finally passed the HBC in total SEC wins. It helped that Saban played an all-SEC Covid schedule. And that Spurrier had left coaching five years prior. I'm not here, though, for another coronation of Steve Spurrier. He’s had enough of those. And if he gets another trophy or medal – just a few months ago it was the Nick Saban Award – they’ll need to build an annex on Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille to accommodate all the hardware (more on that later.) Although at 19,000 square feet, one of the biggest restaurants in Florida, there may well already be ample room. Steve Spurrier is the gift that keeps on giving. At 77, he is a huge asset to his alma mater, both in his role as a consultant on campus and a Trophy Coach in the Athletic Director’s private box for football games. *. *. * You might say that not only is Ben Hill Griffin Stadium the House That Spurrier Built, but right up the road to the Southwest is a museum-restaurant that has become a destination stopover for newcomers, visitors and regulars. Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille has also become a bit of a recruiting weapon. The Golden Boy Touch that he parlayed into a Hall of Fame Double as both a player and coach has apparently carried over into the cuisine world. The early success of the upscale eatery in the aptly named Celebration Point – “Nobody liked to celebrate more than Steve Spurrier,” said Jeremey Foley – has been impressive, given that the opening was delayed by the Pandemic. Besides, it’s a restaurant on steroids – meaning it’s way bigger than needed to serve the area – and with a three-story building that includes an open-air rooftop bar called “Visors,” it offers a versatile environment like none other. And I haven’t even told you about the “museum” part. The HBC happens to have been a pack rat who has kept almost every photo, clipping, plaque, trophy or uniform regalia that he’s had since he was a kid in Johnson City. Which also makes him an awesome curator for his “museum.” He once opened a closet to his Crescent Beach home (since sold) and showed me his collection of 12 Gator windbreakers. “One from every year,” he said proudly. Problem is he didn’t know what to do with all of his bounty. One day his youngest daughter Amy came up with idea of a restaurant. Then Steve ran into Freddie Wehbe, who had just sold all 13 of his Alachua County Dominos, and pitched Spurrier on a concept of a restaurant-museum. It may have been the best connection Spurrier made since he first threw passes to All-American wide receiver Charlie Casey in the mid-1960s. Already an early success – Wehbe says business has been “excellent” for just dinner – and Spurrier’s has become a popular stopover for other coaches and media. It’s not uncommon to see some of the biggest names in football dropping by. And an in-restaurant podcast room, festooned with football helmets out of Steve’s past, adorns one wall. How do patrons get to see the guy whose name is on the joint? There’s no set schedule, so it’s pretty much luck, but he’s there at least twice most weeks and has been known to pose for selfies. Urban Meyer gifted HBC with championship ring. (Buddy Martin photo) But you can stroll around the place and photograph everything from his Heisman Trophy, to the shoe and ball used to kick his famous Auburn-beating field goal, right down to some of his favorite ball plays scratched out on men’s room wallpaper. It is an impressive array of bling, beautifully exhibited in glass. Which is why Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille has become such a strategic location for hosting recruits. Spurrier publicly thanked Billy Napier last week for embracing his restaurant and using it as a hosting site. At one point a few weeks ago on a personal tour, Napier could be seen snapping photos of the ball plays sketched on the bathroom wallpaper. *. *. * We found this table to our liking and enjoyed the food. l-R clockwise The Briggses, The Martins and The McCalls. (GatorBait Photo) On the Friday night before Father’s Day, we took a party of six to Spurrier’s GG for an early seating just before 5 p.m. to experience what we’d been hearing about. Several of us had dined there before, taken a guided tour and even sampled some menu items before they opened. I’d seen almost all the museum artifacts before but was reminded how authentic they were and how fortunate UF was to have them on display as almost an auxiliary. But I wanted to see it all in real time. We chose a table in the main room near the back, which suited acoustically to our liking and was well-attended by friendly, polite servers. We were told it was going to be a busy night with “about 300” arriving later for a private party (turns out it was football campers and recruiting prospects). After chatting with Steve earlier in the week, I had already determined I was going to order Spurrier’s favorite meal: The Spurrier House Salad was one of my favorites. (Buddy Martin Photo) Blackened fish (Red Snapper or Mahi-Mahi), the Spurrier House Salad and his favorite beverage (1966 Lager, HBC brand), which turned out to be a craft beer (“it sort of tastes like Coors,” he told me). Other members of our party had the Spurrier’s burger, Orange and Blue Shrimp and Chicken Marsala. Perhaps the favorite beverage of the night was the Blackberry Margarita. I loved the crunchiness of the salad. All agreed the food and service were very good, but said they would like to come back and try other dishes, since so much of dining out depends on your individual pallet matching the taste of the cuisine. Next time I’m thinking I am going with the Tomato Grilled Cheese sandwich made with Johnson City, Tenn. tomatoes, or maybe the Shrimp and Grits -- and one of those Blackberry Margaritas. It was a most enjoyable evening and I look forward to returning often. The one small glitch was a delay in our order arriving – perhaps because we gave the server no idea that we were in any rush (which we were not) – but it was made good. When we informed her that we had waited a bit, she quickly comped us all free dessert. And the cheesecake was to die for. 1966 Lager/HBC craft beer was recommend by HBC. I liked it. (Buddy Martin photo) As we left Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille – by the way, one excellent feature is ample parking and good accessibility just off I-75 – our driver Randy chose the “old route,” a country lane back to Jacksonville Road and U.S. 441 which was the perfect touch at dusk to cap off a superb evening with old friends. I was reminded of how fortunate I was to number UF law grads Randy Briggs and Wayne McCall as pals – Wayne being a teammate of Spurrier’s and Gator captain in 1967 -- both enhanced and educated by their longtime spouses Diana Briggs and Beth McCall. My best friend and boss Joni Martin agreed. We left all feeling proud of our friend Spurrier and how his powerful legacy keeps resonating, maybe even delineating between mediocrity and greatness in football at our alma mater. And his food ain’t bad, either. The burgers with the famous #11 were popular. (Buddy Martin Photo) Another friend of all ours, Dan Hightower, had gifted me with this homily at his 50th wedding anniversary celebration with bride Mary Shelton recently, which featured an impressive group of old Ocala types that seemed to fit the evening’s theme at Spurrier’s: You can make old-fashioned ice cream, You can make old-fashioned cocktails, But you can’t make old friends. --Author Unknown (For information on directions, hours of operation and how to make reservations to Spurrier's Gridiron Grille, go to: Spurrier's Gridiron Grille https://spurriers.com

By KYLE CURTIS GatorBaitMedia.com Way back in 2020, when Dan Mullen was at the helm of Florida Gator football, Mullen addressed the difference between the Gators and a College Football Playoff team. After the loss in the SEC championship to Alabama, he made a statement regarding the talent gap in the trenches between Florida at the time and the top four teams in the nation. A year later, 2021, Florida finished 84th out of a possible 130 teams in rush defense while allowing close to five yards an attempt along with 165 yards per game. Not College Football Playoff standards. An out of character front seven performance in 2021, after so many prominent defensive players have laid the groundwork for a historically (within the past 25 years) physical and dominant Florida defense. Billy Napier, in his first full recruiting cycle, has made the trenches a key priority early in the process. Of the 2023 commits, four out of seven are lineman. Isaiah Nixon Isaiah Nixon is a 6’4” 215-pound edge rusher from Saint Petersburg, Florida while attending Lakewood high school. A four-star player, and the 38th ranked edge in the state, Nixon will be a great addition to Coach Spencer’s (chaos) front seven and will be a great foundation for this staff’s first full cycle. Knijeah Harris Knijeah Harris is a 6’3” 335-pound interior offensive lineman out of Bradenton, Florida where he attends the infamous IMG Academy. Harris will be joining fellow IMG product Kamari Wilson in Gainesville after Wilson broke the IMG curse at Florida when he was the first five-star recruit from IMG to ever sign with Florida. A four-star in Harris, Napier will now have two IMG products in Gainesville come 2023 in less than a full calendar year in charge with still room to get more. Bryce Lovett Bryce Lovett is the third out of four commits for the 2023 class standing at 6’5” and 330 pounds. Lovett is from Rockledge, Florida where he plays offensive tackle at Rockledge high school. A great sized lineman will provide key run blocker for Napier’s run-heavy approach. Tommy Kinsler Tommy Kinsler is the most recent addition to the 2023 class and happens to also be from Ocala, Florida. Kinsler, a 6’6” 330-pound offensive tackle, went to Trinity Catholic and plays for the legendary John Brantley. Kinsler will hope to bring the #OcalaPowerCompany from baseball to football in the trenches of the Florida Gator line. Along with the four commits that will hold down the trenches, there are also three other athletes committed so far in the cycle. Creed Whittemore, brother of current Gator wide receiver Trent Whittemore, recently committed to the Gators. Whittemore resides right down the street in Gainesville and is the current quarterback at Buchholz high. He is listed as an athlete and the 5’11” 175-pound athlete could see his role being similar to his brother’s once he arrives on campus. Along with Whittemore, the Gators also have four-star athlete Aaron Gates out of Sharpsburg, Georgia. Gates chose Florida over schools such as Florida State, LSU and Michigan amongst others. Tyree Patterson, a 6’2” wide receiver from Eustis, Florida, rounds out the commits up to date. Patterson is a three-star prospect who has shown promise in camps and one-on-one drills in recent months. He will add depth in efforts to reestablish a strong wide receiver corp. Still very early in the cycle, Billy Napier and his crew still have a lot of time to build a top 15 class. Cormani McClain, the nation’s top corner back and third overall player, has been crystal balled to go to Florida. Along with McClain, Malik Bryant is another top target. Bryant the third overall linebacker in the class has also been predicted to take his talents to the swamp. With the potential addition of both Bryant and McClain in the coming months, Napier and his staff would find themselves with two key pieces in five-star talent to add to his defense. It will be exciting to see what Napier can do with a full cycle and the kind of talent he has already proven he can bring in during such a short time in Gainesville.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: RON POLK HAS AN ANSWER FOR THE PORTAL AND NIL Although he was addressing baseball with the 18-page letter he sent to the NCAA, the legendary coach (Georgia Southern, Mississippi State, Georgia and Mississippi State again) has suggestions he believes should be considered to bring the transfer portal and NIL under control. Regarding the portal, Polk believes players who leave on their own volition should have to sit a year. The exception is if a coach is fired, leaves for a new school or scholarship money is reduced (that applies more to baseball since it’s rare for a player to be on a full ride with only 11.7 available). “Some of these schools should change their name to portal university,” Polk told Stefan Krajisnik of the Clarion Ledger. Polk also believes NIL deals should be limited to $10,000, any more than that and the player becomes ineligible. Of course, the NCAA has thrown its hands up and claims it has no way to stop what’s going on with NIL, but Polk doesn’t buy it. Polk said, “The NCAA says, ‘Well, we have no control over it. This is something lawyers got involved in with Congress. Well, step up and fight. Step up and fight if it’s not right because you’re getting boosters involved in recruiting right now and that’s against NCAA by-laws.” I applaud Polk for taking a stance and offering solutions to a growing problem, but I’m of the opinion that (a) it’s too late and (b) if Congress gets involved the only thing that will happen is a bad problem will become worse. I hate this analogy because I’ve heard it way too many times in recent months, but the toothpaste is out of the tube. I can’t see going back to the former transfer rules and I can’t see the courts doing anything but striking down any effort or legislation that will restrict earnings, particularly since athletes are already cashing in and in some cases making millions. GATORS LAND POWER HITTING CF IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL If Colby Thomas doesn’t sign a professional contract after next month’s Major League Baseball Draft, then the Gators have found the replacement center fielder for Jud Fabian, who is expected to go in the first two rounds of the draft. Thomas hit .325 with 17 homers and 45 RBI before he suffered a torn labrum that cost him the final 16 games for the 40-18 Mercer Bears. Thomas is a Valdosta High product who was a 37th-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2019. He’s still a very highly regarded prospect so there is a very good chance he will be drafted. The question is will it be by a team he wants to play for and will the money be enough to entice him to sign? If he comes to Florida, Thomas will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. Due to Mac Guscette’s decision to enter the portal and the uncertainty regarding BT Riopelle, who could return to UF if he doesn’t like the team or the money when MLB drafts next month, the Gators are likely to be searching for a catcher via the transfer route. It is possible the answer could be in Collin Price, a Thomas teammate at Mercer. Price hit .315 for the Bears with 18 homers and 58 RBI. He struck out only 34 times in 203 at-bats. Price is well-regarded by MLB scouts not only because he’s a real talent behind the plate but because he’s also played first base, third base and center field effectively in his collegiate career. Another possibility in the transfer portal is West Virginia catcher McGwire Holbrook, an Orlando Bishop Moore product who has two years eligibility remaining. Holbrook hit .322 with six homers and 42 RBI in 2022. OLE MISS VS. OKLAHOMA FOR THE CWS CHAMPIONSHIP Three weeks ago the Ole Miss Rebels (43-23) were sweating out whether or not they would be selected as one of the 64 teams in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Three weeks later Ole Miss has punched its ticket to the championship series of the College World Series thanks to a complete game 4-hit shutout by Dylan DeLucia, who didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven in the Rebels 2-0 win over Arkansas (49-22). Ole Miss was one of the last four teams selected for the tournament, but the Rebels have spent the last three weeks playing like a team that not only was vastly underrated but one that belongs in the championship series where they will meet Oklahoma. In their 8-1 postseason run, the Rebels have gotten dominant pitching with three shutouts and two games in which they gave up only one run. In Omaha, DeLucia has thrown 16 innings, giving up eight hits and one run while striking out 17 without giving up a walk. The Rebels are playing like a team of destiny but winning the best two-of-three championship series that starts Saturday will be a challenge since they had to play an elimination game Thursday. Oklahoma (45-22), which last played Wednesday, won its bracket in three games and will be able to start ace Jake Bennett (10-3, 3.66 ERA) on a full week’s rest. DeLucia is the Ole Miss ace but since he had to pitch Thursday just to get the Rebels to the championship series it seems the only way he’ll be pitching is if the Rebels make it to game three Monday night and he’s only called on to throw a few innings. ARCH MANNING TO TEXAS The latest in the rather impressive line of Manning quarterbacks – Arch, grandson of Archie and nephew of Peyton and Eli – chose Texas as his college destination Thursday, picking the Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian over Georgia and Kirby Smart. While much is being made of Texas also being the choice of Arch Manning teammate and tight end Will Randle, the decision probably had more to do with what Sarkisian has done with quarterbacks in the past. Most recently, Mac Jones, whom Sark transformed into a Heisman finalist and first round draft pick of the New England Patriots when he was at Alabama as the offensive coordinator in 2020. That’s when Arch began a relationship with Sarkisian. It also doesn’t hurt that Sarkisian’s list of former pupils includes former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer (at Southern Cal), Jake Locker (Washington, former first rounder) and Cody Kessler, who set passing records at Southern Cal and was a third rounder. Texas already has Quinn Ewers, a former 5-star who spent last year at Ohio State only to ride the pine and transfer to UT in January, and former 4-star Hudson Card. Ewers will be draft eligible in 2023. Who knows if Card will stick around once Arch is on campus. SEC FOOTBALL/BASEBALL/BASKETBALL Alabama: A Mississippi court has dismissed the marijuana charge against cornerback Eli Ricks from a traffic stop back on May 1. Ricks was stopped for doing 90 in a 70 zone and for having no insurance. He was found to be in possession of a gram of marijuana, but the Mississippi court dismissed that charge. He copped a guilty plea to the speeding charge. Ricks is a transfer from LSU ... Heisman Trophy QB Bryce Young will probably be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Even with Arch Manning saying thankee but no thankee to Nick Saban, Bama still has a crowded QB room for 2023: Redshirt freshman and former 4-star Jalen Milroe, true freshman and former 5-star Ty Simpson and 4-star commitment Eli Holstein. You have to wonder which one(s) will transfer out … Point guard JD Davison was taken in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics with the 53rd overall pick. Arkansas: Now that the Hogs have been eliminated at the College World Series, head coach Dave Van Horn can be called the best current coach to never win the national championship. Van Horn has been to the CWS nine times, seven with Arkansas and two with Nebraska. Of course, what DVH has done pales in comparison to Mike Martin, whose 0-for-17 times at the CWS without winning at FSU is a record that will never be broken … Center Jaylin Williams was taken in the second round with the 34th overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Auburn: Jabari Smith was taken third by the Houston Rockets in the NBA Draft. He’s the highest drafted player in Auburn basketball history. Also take in the first round, with the 22nd pick by the Memphis Grizzlies, was center Walker Kessler. FLORIDA: Former UF point guard Andrew Nembhard, who spent the last two seasons at Gonzaga, was the first player taken in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. Nembhard, a former 5-star recruit to UF out of Montverde Academy, scored 636 points and passed for 367 assists in his two years for the Gators. He finished his 4-year collegiate career with 1,308 points and 691 assists. Georgia: Georgia, which came in second in the Arch Manning sweepstakes, has a crowded quarterback room. You have to wonder how long Kirby Smart will keep former 4-star Carson Beck and former 5-star Brock Vandagriff happy with Stetson Bennett IV likely to start every game if he’s healthy. And then there is 4-star Gunner Stockton, the true freshman from the 2022 recruiting class who enrolled early. Someone is likely to transfer. Kentucky: Shaedon Sharpe, who enrolled at Kentucky midyear and then never played a game, was drafted 7th in the NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers ... Point guard TyTy Washington, who averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season at Kentucky, was taken 29th in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies. LSU: Forward Tari Eason was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 17th pick of the first round in the NBA Draft. Tennessee: Point guard Kennedy Chandler was taken in the second round with the 38th overall pick in the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Texas A&M: Baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle is hoping the Aggies run to the final four in the College World Series will speed up renovations and possible expansion of Blue Bell Park. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The NBA has drafted once again and, as usual, there are a lot of disappointed kids who got bad advice and remained in the draft rather than return to college for another year. Memo to kids who think they should be playing in the league: If the scouts say you aren’t likely to go in the first round or the first 10 picks of the second, stay in school. There are only 60 picks in the draft, 11 of which were spent on international players. A lot of kids who weren’t picked are waking up this morning disappointed and after the disappointment wears off, they will start pointing fingers at someone who gave them bad advice, likely a good friend or well-meaning relative, an AAU coach or some wannabe runner who’s trying to score points with an agent. Besides shaking my head over the number of kids who should have gotten better advice, I’m also shaking my head at the draft from top to bottom. This has to be one of the weaker draft classes I’ve seen in years. There are a lot of good players who were taken but very few difference makers and not a one that I see capable of making a 10-wins of more difference to the team that selected him. Check out the box score of game seven of the recently concluded NBA championship finals. Of the nine players who saw action for the champion Golden State Warriors, only one was younger than 26 (Jordan Poole) and he’s been in the league since 2019. The best teams are almost always made up of veterans and they don’t rely on a rookie changing their fortunes.

By LOREN MEADOWS GatorBaitMedia.com Football Analyst Talitha Diggs is 19-year-old Sophomore from Saucon Valley, Pennsylvania who is looking to be part of American track and field’s future. In an event long dominated by American women she is working to make her footprint in one of track and field’s marquee races. Diggs is the reigning NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Champion at 400 Meters becoming only the fifth woman to run sub-50 seconds at the collegiate level. While she comes from what many call the “first family” of American Track and Field Talitha Diggs looks to do things at a little quicker pace than her family. Talitha Diggs mother is former Olympian Joetta Clark-Diggs, who along with her sister Hazel Clark, and sister-in-law and Jearl Miles-Clark dominated America the 800 Meter Run for nearly two decades. The younger Diggs however operates in the sprints, in two short years ranks in the top 10 in Florida Gators history in the 100, 200, and 400-meter dashes. A confident athlete Diggs also focuses on her academics carrying a double major in International Studies and Political Science. With law school as a goal in the future the focus on education may come from Diggs maternal grandfather American educator Joe Clark. With athletic pedigree and a good head on her shoulders Talitha Diggs looks to represent herself and her country on the world’s biggest stage. Diggs, has ran the fastest time of any American this year and is in contention for an individual spot on the Women’s National Team. Additionally, she could earn a spot in the 4x400 relay athlete pool as well. GatorBait sat down with the Florida sophomore to learn more about her as she was in preparation for this week’s USATF Outdoor National Championships. Q: “You’ve said your mother didn’t force track and field on you.” How did you develop your interest in the sport”? A: “I think when you know you are going to be good at something it makes it a lot easier.” “I knew I was going to be good at track and I knew if I trained and I worked hard that I could be good”. “I loved going to meets growing up and I loved the competition.” “So, I thought it was a perfect avenue for me.” Q: “Coming from such an accomplished family in the sport is there ever added pressure to perform at a high level.” A: “If you're born with a weight on your chest you don’t realize it’s a weight.” “So, I didn’t realize the pressure, and it certainly never came from my family.” Outside pressure is normal but the only standard I need to live up to is my own and God.” Q: “How does Coach Holloway prepare the team for the SEC and National championships.” A: “Coach Holloway will basically sit down and tell the team just do what you do, he never mentions the team title.” Q: “With your family background do you have any personal thoughts on the 50 th Anniversary Title IX”? “How important is that legislation to you.” A: “My mother’s second year at Tennessee was the first year for Title IX.” “She tells me stories of the AIW, and how it was a completely different world.” “To see how much it has grown since then and the opportunities those women built for us so that we could be treated equally I think it is something I definitely think about being so connected to it.” Q: “Thoughts on Name, Image, and Likeness? Where do you see NIL going as it progresses?” A: “NIL gives an opportunity to see the differences between this year and last year and how easy it is to connect with people.” “Also, the opportunity to represent your brand, and the University of Florida.” “I have an agent and it’s good to have someone to help you maximize, and think about the brands that you represent.” “NIL gives you the opportunity to learn more about the business, and the Gator Collective has given us a chance to do that as well.” Q: “Thoughts on Coach Holloway?” A: “Coach Holloway and I are really close. He is like a father figure to me. “He is tough on me he also very nurturing.” Coach Holloway knows what to say to push me.” Q: “If you did not participate in Track and Field in what sport would you like to participate in?” A: “I think I would be a figure skater or participate in horseback riding.” Talitha Diggs next race is scheduled for Thursday June 23 at 10:26 Eastern Time at the USATF Outdoor National Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

By FRANZ BEARD GatorBaitMedia.com Here we were thinking it was such a down year for Florida athletics when Mike Holloway and his men’s and women’s track and field teams reminded us that just because it’s a bad year for football and men’s basketball it does not mean the entire program is in the tank. In case you missed it, thanks to those two magnificent national championships – both in convincing fashion – at the NCAA meet in Eugene, Oregon, the Gators added 200 points to their Learfield Director’s Cup totals, elevating the Gators into a 5th-place finish. From just outside the top ten, which is where the Gators were prior to Eugene, to a dramatic finish that took the Gators past Arkansas and Kentucky along the way to take the top spot among Southeastern Conference schools. The top ten: 1. Texas 1376.50; 2. Stanford 1279.25; 3. Michigan 1195.25; 4. Ohio State 1184.50; 5. FLORIDA 1180.75; 6. North Carolina 1087.25; 7. Arkansas 967.75; 8. Notre Dame 943; 9. Kentucky 979.75; 10. Southern California 933.75. Other notables in the top 25: 12. Oklahoma 878.50; 13. Florida State 872.50; 16. Tennessee 857; 19. Alabama 841.25; 20. LSU 833.75; 21. Georgia 827.50. This is the 13th consecutive year the Gators have placed top five or better and the 38th consecutive year the Florida athletic program has finished in the top ten. The Director’s Cup is a yearly testament to commitment to a total athletic program and not just the high-profile sports. What makes this year’s top five finish so remarkable is that the Gators were able to do it with unusually poor performances from football, men’s basketball and soccer. Football finished with a losing record, went to a lower tier bowl game and had to fire head coach Dan Mullen. Men’s basketball, which hasn’t advanced to the Sweet 16 since 2017, at least got into the NCAA Tournament and typically got a first-round win. Well, that is until the recently concluded season. The day it was announced the Gators were NIT bound, head coach Mike White bolted for Georgia. Soccer, with its long history of advancing in the NCAAs, not only failed to make the tournament but saw its coach pink slipped as well. Think of that for a moment. Football had three straight top ten finishes and three straight New Year’s Six bowls under Dan Mullen. Basketball was so inconsistent that it failed to make the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament. Soccer, whose legacy under Becky Burleigh included a national championship, had a losing season made worse by first year head coach Tony Amato losing his job under a cloud of accusations about abuse. Throw in the fact that the Florida baseball team, almost always a threat to make it to Omaha for the College World Series, failed to get out of its own regional, in large part because the Gators lost ace pitcher Hunter Barco to Tommy John surgery, forcing head coach Kevin O’Sullivan to spend half a season shuffling a pitching rotation that was the youngest in the SEC and one of the youngest in the country. Yet for all those negatives in high profile programs, the athletic program didn’t spring any leaks. Athletic director Scott Stricklin oversees a program whose foundation is excellence. Good coaches, good athletes, a commitment to excellence – it all added up to another top five finish. So, how did the Gators do it? Florida had 11 top ten finishes nationally, the 20th consecutive season Florida has had ten or more teams finish in the top ten. The Gators had three national championships, the 13th year UF has had at least one national title; a national runner-up in gymnastics; a third-place finish in men’s swimming; 5th-place finishes in lacrosse, swimming and men’s tennis; 9th-place finishes (ties) by volleyball and women’s tennis; and a 10th-place finish (tie) for men’s golf. The Gators won four SEC titles (gymnastics, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, women’s outdoor track and field) and one American Athletic Conference title (lacrosse). There were 19 individual NCAA titles set by 17 Gators, breaking a record that had stood since 1982. The Gators had five individuals win national athlete of the year in their sport: Joseph Fahnbulleh, USTFCCA Outdoor Male Runner of the Year; Anna Hall, USTFCCA Outdoor Women’s Field Athlete of the Year; Jasmine Moore, USTFCCA Indoor Women’s Field Athlete of the Year; Ben Shelton, ITA (tennis) National Player of the year; Trinity Thomas, Honda Award (gymnastics). Eight Gators were conference athletes of the year in their sport: Maha Amer, SEC Co-Diver of the Year; McCartney Kessler, SEC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year; Jasmine Moore SEC Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year; Danielle Pavinelli, AAC Attacker of the Year (lacrosse); Sarah Reznick, AAC Goalkeeper of the Year (lacrosse); Ben Shelton, SEC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year; Trinity Thomas, SEC Gymnast of the Year; Emma Wightman, AAC Defender of the Year (lacrosse). That is incredible success, yet because three coaches had to be fired in sports that have a history of national championships (three football, two men’s basketball, one soccer) and postseason success, it feels as if the Gators under-achieved. A 5th-place finish in the Director’s Cup is a tremendous achievement, but football and men’s basketball in particular are high profile and when they have off-years, it seems as if a cloud descends on the athletic program. Soccer isn’t nearly as high profile, but Becky Burleigh made the NCAA 22 straight years and made it to the Sweet 16 or better 13 times. Go back to the Director’s Cup standings and take a look at what separated the Gators from a 3rd-place finish. The Gators finished 3.75 points behind 4th-place Ohio State and 14.5 behind 3rd-place Michigan. A New Year’s Six bowl in football would have been worth approximately 60 points which would have sent the Gators past both Ohio State and Michigan. Stanford’s baseball points haven’t been added but if Florida had a New Year’s Six bowl, the usual first round NCAA win in men’s basketball and a Sweet 16 in soccer, a second-place finish could have happened. I think Scott Stricklin does a great job giving Florida’s coaches everything they need to not only win but to do it the right way (92 percent graduation rate; 3.21 GPA by all the athletes in the program), but I would be a lot happier if Florida football, men’s basketball and soccer had done their part. Florida finished fifth in the Director’s Cup standings. I’m happy for the achievement, but I can’t help but wish football, basketball and soccer had chipped in. The athletic year at the University of Florida has ended and for all the successes, I have to admit I’m happy to put 2021-22 in the rearview. I’m already looking forward to a fresh start in August and a fantastic finish next June. In between I’m hoping Billy Napier (football), Todd Golden (men’s basketball) and Samantha Bohon (soccer) get their sports back on track. It just seems so much better when those sports are doing well.

By FRANZ BEARD GatorBaitMedia.com By the standards he set for himself and the Gators in 14 previous seasons, 2022 doesn’t measure up for Kevin O’Sullivan. The Gators finished 42-24 and had to stage a furious last month rally to even finish with a break-even (15-15) record in Southeastern Conference play. On the surface, that seems like a disappointing season, but looks can be deceiving. When you take into consideration that O’Sullivan lost his lefthanded ace – Hunter Barco – to Tommy John surgery at midseason, leaving the Gators without a single experienced starter or reliever, then what the Gators accomplished is nothing short of remarkable. Operating with the youngest pitching staff in the Southeastern Conference and one of the youngest staffs in all of college baseball, O’Sullivan coaxed a 9-3 record out of the Gators on their final four SEC weekends. In Hoover, the Gators won four times to make the final four in the tournament and secure a No. 13 national seed which allowed them to host an NCAA regional. In the regional, the Gators pushed Oklahoma to its limits. Yes, the same Oklahoma that has secured its spot in the championship round of the College World Series. If not for a 5-hour rain delay in the regional championship game, the Gators might have gone on to become that hot team in Omaha. The Gators are going to lose a few key pieces to the comeback season when Major League Baseball drafts July 17-19, but with All-American Wyatt Langford returning along with a pitching staff that had to grow up in the final six weeks of the season, the prospects of a return to Omaha for the College World Series seem very, very bright. It is possible the Gators could lose as many as seven to the draft but all seven have the option to return to UF if they don’t get drafted by a team they wish to play for, or if the money offered just doesn’t seem right. Outfielder/second baseman Sterlin Thompson had such a good season that he is certain to go in the first round and it’s highly unlikely that he will be back. Barco seems committed to the draft but he has had Tommy John surgery and that could alter his decision if he slips out of the first and second rounds. Jud Fabian is likely to go in the second or third rounds. He turned down second round money last year, but if he were to return again, his options would be severely limited, so figure he has both feet out the door. Brandon Sproat pitched his way into the second or third rounds so he’s not expected to return. Catcher/first baseman BT Riopelle is in an intriguing position. He hits for power and showed a very good arm behind the plate, plus the versatility to handle first base seamlessly, but he also struck out 78 times and that concern could push him farther down the draft order. Consider Riopelle likely to go, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he returns. Shortstop Josh Rivera and first baseman Kris Armstrong will probably be drafted, but their best interests may be served by a return to UF for one more season. O’Sullivan has an All-American showpiece to build the 2023 team around. Wyatt Langford was the bullpen catcher as a true freshman in 2021. In 2022 he became one of the most feared hitters in all of college baseball. He is almost certainly a first rounder next year and will probably be the preseason favorite to win SEC Player of the Year. Given what Jac Caglianone did at the plate in 28 games and it’s not hard to project the kind of numbers that will make Gainesville a required destination any time the Gators play. He was forced to DH this year as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. He is also a first round talent on the mound, so he could split time between first base, DH and a starting role on the mound on weekends. If Rivera returns, the left side of the infield will be set with Halter at third. Deric Fabian, the starter at third for the first three months of the season, could slide over to second base or he could also move to center field to replace his brother. Juco Tyler Shelnut, who hit 19 homers at Santa Fe College, could be the starter at second. The corner outfield positions are set with Langford in left and Ty Evans in right although Evans could also move to center field. Corey Robinson will get a shot at playing every day. The Gators got a transfer portal commitment from Mercer's standout right fielder Colby Thomas Thursday. Thomas hit .325 with 17 home runs for a 40-18 Mercer team last season. He projects as a center fielder if he isn't drafted high next month. Florida could also be in the market for a transfer catcher. Mercer's Collin Price, who hit 18 homer runs and is a mid-round draft projection is in the portal and could be looking to join Thomas in Gainesville. Florida is also in good position to land the top player in the portal, North Carolina State outfielder Tommy White, a Pinellas County native who had the top freshman season in the country with 27 homers and 79 RBI. Another Florida native in the portal who is thought to have a real interest in transferring to Florida is Orlando Trinity Christian product Ethan Groff, who hit .404 at Tulane with a .503 on-base percentage. The one position where there is great uncertainty is catcher. With Mac Guscette in the transfer portal and the possibility that Riopelle takes the draft money, UF won’t have an experienced catcher. Luke Heyman was injured early in his senior season at Lake Brantley and Rene Lastres had Tommy John so he seems more a candidate to DH next year than anything else. This seems to be a place where O’Sullivan will be looking to add someone from the portal as insurance. Where the Gators figure to improve the most will be on the mound. With Barco and Sproat gone, Brandon Neely figures to step into the Friday night role. There is no favorite to take over the Saturday and Sunday roles, but if Pierce Coppola and Caglianone are healthy, there is every good chance they’ll be in the mix. Tyler Nesbitt, Fisher Jameson, Nick Ficarrota and Carsten Finnvold could be the midweek starters. O’Sullivan signed a pair of juco starters in Magnus Ellerts and Clete Harzog, both of whom put up eye-popping strikeout numbers. If high school signees Jake Clemente and Cade Fisher aren’t drafted and signed, they will have a chance to earn some innings. Blake Purnell returns after a freshman All-American season as a long relief setup guy and Ryan Slater has the possibility to be a dynamic closer if he can get command of the strike zone. Phil Abner and Anthony Ursitti seem ready to be groomed as middle relievers. Both have big league stuff when they can throw strikes. There are only a couple of missing pieces the way the 2023 roster shapes up as of today. There is no shortage of talent in the field, good power and a pitching staff that likely changes from questionable to dependable and potentially dominant next year. In 15 years on the job, Kevin O’Sullivan has proven that he knows how to put a roster together that can make deep runs in the NCAA tournament. The Gators have been to Omaha seven times in O’Sullivan’s tenure at UF. UF has been a national top eight seed nine times. They should make it an even ten in 2023. No one was more disappointed than Kevin O’Sullivan that the Gators were eliminated in the Gainesville regional by an Oklahoma team that has earned its way into the championship round at the College World Series. No one knows and understands more than O’Sullivan just how good the Gators can be and should be in 2023. Perhaps this season didn’t turn out the way Gator fans are used to in 2022, but this was a rebuild that will pay great dividends in the future. Here is a look at the roster from top to bottom: DRAFT ELIGIBLE Jud Fabian, CF: He turned down second round money after the 2021 season to come back to UF. His batting average dipped to .239 but he had excellent power numbers with 24 homers and 55 RBI. He is an elite defender in center field and considered No. 38 prospect in the draft. He hit 56 homers in his career. Has the option of returning to play a COVID year. Sterlin Thompson, RF/2B: Thompson is a first round talent who enhanced his draft status by making an in-season switch from right field to second base almost seamlessly. He hit .354 with 11 homers and 51 RBI. In the Gainesville regional he went 11-19 with a home run. He has two seasons of eligibility but the odds he will return are slim to none. BT Riopelle, C/1B: After transferring in from Coastal Carolina, Riopelle made first team All-SEC while hitting .304 with 15 homers and 55 RBI. Toward the end of the season played a lot of first base. He has a year of eligibility remaining so if he doesn’t like where he’s drafted or by whom, he has the option of returning. Hunter Barco, LHP: Before he had season-ending Tommy John surgery he was a lock to go in the first two rounds. He’s still likely to be chosen in rounds one or two, but if he dips below that he could come back. He will be at the MLB Draft Combine, not to throw but to be interviewed by scouts. Brandon Sproat, RHP: He became the ace of the staff when Barco was lost for the season. For the year he had a 9-4 record with a 3.41 ERA, but he was 5-0 down the stretch with a 1.59 ERA. He dominated South Carolina for 8-1/3 innings in the SEC Tournament then came back to give up just one run in nine innings against Central Michigan in the regional. He probably pitched his way into the second round. Two years of eligibility if he decides to come back. Kris Armstrong, 1B: Big things were expected in 2022 but he was inconsistent at the plate, finishing with a .230 batting average with two homers and 10 RBI. He has tremendous power and could be a late round pick, but he probably comes back. He could make the transition to the mound if he returns. He’s ambidextrous and can pitch with both arms. Son of former Major Leaguer Jack Armstrong. Josh Rivera, SS: Rivera is a highly-regarded defender who can also play second base. In 2022, he hit .254 with nine homers and 30 RBI. He has two seasons of draft eligibility so unless he gets picked by the right team and gets the right money offer, he should be back in 2023. IN THE PORTAL Corey Robinson, OF: This was a bit of a surprise as Robinson was thought to be the heir apparent to Jud Fabian in center field. He played in 21 games as a true freshman in 2022, hitting .133 with a home run and three RBI. Mac Guscette, C: Some are viewing Guscette’s decision to go into the portal as a sign that BT Riopelle may be returning. If Riopelle leaves, the Gators are in a bit of a bind since Rene Lastres had Tommy John surgery and won’t be able to do much throwing until January or later. Signee Luke Heyman was injured and is expected to come to UF rather than sign but there is no guarantee there. Guscette had 30 starts in 2022, hitting .238 with five homers and 18 RBI. Nick Pogue, RHP: This came as a bit of a surprise since he was expected to be one of the weekend starters for 2023. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery in 2021 and spent the first half of 2022 trying to regain location on his pitches but that started to come around in the final third of the season. Pogue finished the year 4-3 with a 4.81 ERA, but in the last six weeks delivered five straight quality starts in which he went at least five innings. He is a graduate and he is draft-eligible. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Karl Hartman, RHP: As a true freshman, Hartman pitched 15 innings with a 9.00 ERA. He picked up a save when he struck out two in the ninth to preserve a win over Bethune-Cookman. He only pitched one inning after April 22. Jorge De Goti, SS: The infield will be crowded if Josh Rivera comes back so this isn’t a big surprise. He just wants to find a landing spot where he can play. As a true freshman De Goti hit .286 in nine games. He didn’t play after a 1-2 outing against South Florida in early May. Timmy Manning, LHP: A big time prospect coming out of Cardinal Gibbons in Pompano Beach, Manning seemed lost in space for two years although he had a quality 5-inning start against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament in which he held the Aggies scoreless and gave up just five hits. He was 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA. After that SEC Tournament outing, Manning’s transfer comes as a surprise, but perhaps he’s looking for more innings than he’s likely to get in 2023. RETURNEES Pitchers Brandon Neely, RHP: When Hunter Barco went down for the season Neely became the No. 2 starter. There were games he pitched like the freshman he was and a couple in which he pitched like a cold-hearted veteran assassin such as the 7-inning, 10-strikeout performance against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament or the 6-2/3 innings of domination against Oklahoma before the rains came in the Gainesville regional. He finished 3-3 with a 3.76 ERA. He figures to be the Friday starter when the 2023 season begins. Tyler Nesbitt, RHP: We tend to forget that he missed all of 2021 due to Tommy John surgery. It was hit and miss most of the season, but when Nesbitt got it going he had really good stuff. Finished the season 2-3 with a 4.51 ERA. His best outing was 3-1/3 innings against Florida State in which he gave up one hit and struck out five. He has three years eligibility remaining. He will be a factor in the rotation next year either as a starter or long reliever. Ryan Slater, RHP: He’s got the big arm and a closer’s mentality. The issue is command of the strike zone (25 walks and 12 hit batters in 57-1/3 inning). If he can throw strikes he can be a dominant closer. He was 6-4 with a 5.34 ERA. We tend to forget that he was just a freshman. Pitching for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod League this summer. Blake Purnell, RHP: A freshman All-American, Purnell went 3-3 with a 2.86 ERA and four saves in 50-1/3 innings, all of them out of the bullpen. He has sort of a rubber arm that lets him throw short or long relief on an almost daily basis. He figures to be Slater’s set-up guy in 2023. Pitching for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League this summer. Nick Ficarrotta, RHP: As a redshirt freshman, Ficarrotta had one start and 27 relief appearances, going 4-0 with a 3.90 ERA while racking up 63 strikeouts in 60 innings. His shining moment came in the SEC Tournament when he went 6-1/3 innings in relief against Alabama, giving up one hit and striking out six to pick up the win. He should push for a starter’s job next year, either midweek or even weekends. Fisher Jameson, RHP: He’s a big (6-5, 225) righthander with an easy motion who became a valuable contributor out of the bullpen in the last third of the season. In 19-1/3 innings all in relief, Jameson had a 1-0 record, 3.72 ERA and one save. The save was a 4-inning gem against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament in which he gave up just one hit while striking out four. Could factor either as a midweek starter or long reliever as a sophomore in 2023. Pitching for Charlottesville in the Valley League this summer. Anthony Ursitti, RHP: He has the power arm (26 strikeouts in 21-1/3 innings) but has to get a better command of the strike zone (8 walks, 4 hit batters, 4 wild pitches). He pitched in 15 games and was effective in all but one appearance. He has starter’s stuff but may have to pick up innings in middle relief as a sophomore next year. Pitching for Strasburg in the Valley League this summer. Pierce Coppola, LHP: The big (6-8, 220) lefty was set to be the Sunday starter when he injured his back in the first weekend of the season when he gave up five hits and struck out seven in 4-1/3 innings of work. He was shut down the rest of the season. If he’s healthy, he will be a weekend starter next year. He will get a medical redshirt and have four years of eligibility. Carsten Finnvold, LHP: Finnvold made the All-Tournament team at the Gainesville regional when he shut down Oklahoma on five hits over nine innings, all in relief. He doesn’t throw hard, but he changes speeds, has natural sink and a nice slider. Finnvold finished with a 2-1 record and a 5.00 ERA in six appearances. He’s gone from a nobody to someone who will be a factor in next season’s rotation. Pitching for Strasburg in the Valley League this summer. Phil Abner, LHP: Abner has the big arm and electric stuff when he can get it over the plate. He walked 21 batters in 22-1/3 innings, but he also struck out 24. He was much better at the end of the season than he was in the first 2-1/2 months. If he can throw strikes consistently, he could be a factor as a starter next year. Pitching for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod League this summer. Sam Sloan, RHP: A Lakeland High School product, Sloan took a redshirt as a true freshman. Infielders: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP/DH: He had Tommy John surgery in high school so he didn’t pitch or play in the field in 2022. He has tremendous power and size (6-5, 240). Once he took over at DH, he hit .288 with seven homers and 27 RBI. Elite prospect whether at first base or as a lefty pitcher. Expect him to split time between first, DH and pitching in 2023. Colby Halter, 3B/2B: At one point he was hitting .447 but he slumped to finish .240. He showed power (8 homers) and made some spectacular plays once he moved from second over to third. Playing for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League this summer. Deric Fabian, 3B/SS: He was the starting third baseman until he hit a wall like most freshmen and went into a funk. Finished the season with a .218 average (4 HR, 22 RBI). Likely moves to shortstop if Rivera is drafted. Also could eventually wind up in center field. He’s playing for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League this summer. Kendrick Calilao, 1B/OF: Always a reliable hitter, Calilao went into an April slump and never recovered in 2022, finishing the season hitting .209 with six hits in his last 52 at bats. He has 13 homers and 90 RBI in his career at UF. He has already graduated. He can play first or either of the corners in the infield. Outfielders Wyatt Langford, LF: Langford went from the freshman bullpen catcher in 2021 to an All-American outfielder in the span of one year. He tied Florida’s single season home run record with 26 to go with 63 RBI and a .355 batting average. He made the transformation to the outfield flawlessly, playing errorless in the field while starting 66 games in left field. Langford is a likely first round draft pick in 2023. He is listed on the rosters of the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plain League and the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League. Ty Evans, RF: He started 26 games in right field and showed a tremendous glove, plus surprising power (5 HR, 16 RBI in 99 at-bats). He could move to center field to replace Jud Fabian. He’s playing for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League this summer. Michael Robertson, CF: Injured in 2022 so he took a redshirt. Big time prospect as an outfielder. Gap hitter with some power. He is playing for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League this summer. Tucker Talbott, OF/RHP: Played in seven games as a redshirt freshman in 2022. Went 4-5 with two RBI in a start against Stetson. Also pitches. Matt Prevesk: He played in 13 games as a true freshman in 2022, hitting .200. Was a gap hitter in high school at Apopka. He’s playing for Charlottesville in the Valley League this summer. HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEES Luke Heyman, C/1B: He’s a high level prospect who will enroll for Summer B, but could still leave for the MLB Draft if he gets with the right team and for the right money. Power hitter with serious tools behind the plate. Injured during the high school season at Lake Brantley and that could affect where he goes. Yoel Tejada Jr., 1B/OF/LHP: The big question will be where to play him? He’s a switch-hitter with excellent power who can play first or in the outfield. As a pitcher he throws low to mid-90s with a slider that is his out pitch. Xavier Isaac, 1B: He is a big time lefty hitting first baseman with great size (6-4, 240) and strength. He could go in the second or third round of the draft. Jake Clemente, RHP: Big righty who throws mid-90s consistently. If he’s picked in the first 4-5 rounds there is a real chance he signs. Cade Fisher, LHP: He’s considered a rounds 5-10 prospect but he could move up a bit in the draft. He throws low 90s but what has the scouts’ attention is he throws strikes and the ball moves. Expect him at UF unless he moves way up in the draft. Chris Arroyo, OF/LHP: Excellent outfield prospect who also pitches. As an outfielder he gets to a lot of balls in the gap. As a pitcher he throws high 80s and with command of his fast ball and slider. William Ross, RHP: He is 6-8 and 245 pounds. Doesn’t have a blazing fast ball but he throws for strikes. He could also spend time at first base. Salvador Alvarez, C: He’s a Miami kid who played at Montverde. Excellent defensive catcher who is a good contact hitter. Erik Blair, OF/LHP: He’s an outfielder who doubles as a lefty pitcher. Good speed and good defense in the outfield. Throws in the mid-to-upper 80s on the mound. JUCO SIGNEES Magnus Ellerts, RHP: He was a juco All-American as a freshman at Patrick Henry Community College in Virginia where he struck out 141 hitters in 86-2/3 innings. Transferred to Florida Southwestern where he struck out 101 batters in 69 innings last season while going 10-0. He was drafted last year and is once again draft eligible but seems committed to UF. Clete Hartzog, RHP: A Panama City native (Mosley HS), he played his juco ball in Alabama at Lurleen Wallace in Dothan where he struck out 98 batters in 74 innings while going 10-3. Alex Ulloa, IF: He’s a Miami native (Calvary Christian) who played juco ball in Arizona at Yavapi. He plays shortstop and third base, hits with power but swings and misses a lot. Tyler Shelnut, 2B: He had the most saves (12) in Division I juco in 2021 at Santa Fe. As a sophomore, playing second base, he had 19 homers and 57 RBI. He’s playing for Charlottesville in the Valley League this summer.

By KYLE CURTIS GatorBaitMedia.com Question: “How much have you learned from Coach Chaos (Spencer) in such a short amount of time?” Answer: “Captain Chaos, I mean that’s what you call him. He’s a good guy. He knows so much from coaching in the NFL and bringing that knowledge back to college. It’s been very valuable to have him in the hallways, I’ve been picking his brain since he got here. Just trying to figure out everything I need to do to improve my game when the draft time comes around, I’ll be prepared.” Question: “You chose to come back Brenton, why?” Answer: “I felt like I had a lot more left in the tank. Due to me getting surgery so late in the year, it forces me to get out there earlier in the season and I wasn’t at my best. I felt like I had to do it for the team, and I always thought ‘well I got two more years why not use this extra one to see if we can break some records. We can win a Natty. It was a no-brainer.” Question: “How big of a force do you think you and other guys like (Gervon) Dexter could be next year?” Answer: “It’s crazy how much potential me and Jabari have, and the other guys too, you can’t forget Princely, Big Dez, Tyreak Sapp. we have a lot of talent in that room. Antoine Powell, Lloyd Summerall and David Reese have been getting back on the field. We got things rolling, we start to connect more. The sky is the limit.” Question: “How different has the coaching change been and has anything changed with the scheme?” Answer: “I’m still coming off the edge, the main priority for me is to rush the passer. Just creating havoc. The scheme is simple, it’s basically fast-paced with little confusion. I think we should be good to go this year.” Question: “What part of your game has been you working on the most and how much better does this system allow you to do what you do best?” Answer: “In my game, it is just kind of tweaking the little things. For example, like watching the ball, getting penalties, no quarterback harassment penalties simple stuff like that. Just being a more poised player. Do my job, let everyone else do theirs and be a leader on this team.” Question: “In the past execution has been a problem, has the execution improved since the new coaching?” Answer: “Most definitely. That just comes with experience, a lot of guys were young. That was my second year playing for the Gators. Now I'm going into my third year, I've matured a lot. There are a lot of coaches who care about what I do and how I play the game. I think the sky is the limit for us, I really do. They are pushing us, we are pushing and working, and we are trying to get better every day. Always improving my game.” Question: “How has it been going through two different coaching changes, two different defensive coordinators? What have you learned here in Florida? Answer: “The different coaching staff taught me a lot. It taught me all the different positions I could play in different schemes. It taught me a lot about how different coaches want things differently. The coaching staff now is incredible, I’m seeing changes. I think we’re taking strides.” Question: “Brenton, tell me some things people don’t know about this team. Who are some of the strong personalities on that team?” Answer: “You got Jordan Young, he’s pretty funny; Lloyd Summerall too, he’s funny. We got a lot of younger guys so never a dull moment. It’s good to see young fun energy come in every day for an old guy like me who has been doing it for four or five years.” Question: “Talk about Billy Napier’s approach.” Answer: “At first, Napier’s a quiet guy, he’s a cool guy to be around. At first, he was winning the team over and I think he did a great job with that. We definitely trust the new coaching staff. As soon as he got here, he made instant changes to whatever was wrong whether that was food or parking. We got on board with him and ready to go work.”

“Tough. Gritty. Winner. That’s what he instilled in all of us,” – John Brantley. By BUDDY MARTIN GatorBaitMedia.com Editor Scot Brantley remembers him for being “happy.” Odd, because most everybody who played for Brent Hall feared his wrath. On the other hand, the former linebacker for the Florida Gators and Tampa Bay Bucs feared almost nobody – but greatly respected his former high school coach, admired his discipline and loved his teachings about life. Hall, 86, died a few days ago after a long illness. He was remembered as a beloved championship coach who came to Ocala and put Forest High on the map by winning back-to-back state championships in 1974 and 1975. He then went on to become Belleview High School’s first coach. Scot’s brother John, a Wildcat and Gator quarterback, remembers his old Forest High School coach as a fire-breather. “Tough. Gritty. Winner. That’s what he instilled in all of us,” said John, the head coach at Trinity Catholic. But he also understands his brother’s reference to Hall as “happy.” “I can see the funny part,” said John, who played quarterback for the two-time state championship Wildcats. “Because he knew what he had. He had a bunch of good players. He knew he had some good teams. “And at the end of the day when he left that field house to go home, he knew he had a good product. And that’s what we all try to do, as coaches, to put together a bunch of kids and to build a team. And not a ‘me’ situation, which is the toughest thing coaches are having to deal with right now.” John said he was with his former coach at the end through most of his final days and one thing they talked about was how different the players were today. “He knew he couldn’t coach today,” said John. “The way they kids are. And I tend to agree. We all have to make adjustments. But I’m going to tell you, he had a lot to be proud of and he left his legacy here in Ocala.” Among the things in Hall’s legacy, aside from the titles at Forest, was having the stadium at Belleview named after him. As the Brantley brothers harkened back to those days, they agreed they were not a team of stars under Hall – but mostly underachievers. “Other than Scot and linebacker Russell Kirk, we didn’t have many athletes who went on to play college or pro ball,” said John. “You gotta give coach Hall and his staff credit. They were about unity and building a team.” John noted that while he coaches at a private, parochial school, “I’m a product of the public school system – and our Marion County haven’t won a state championship since Dunnellon did it in 1979.” There were sweet reminiscences, but it was a sad occasion – especially for the Brantleys. “At least I was able to be with him to almost the end – right up to those last few days,” John said remorsefully. “He’d tell you he was ready to meet his maker. He had a great run. He had a great life. He’s got a great family.” According to the FHSAA records: He already had a long and distinguished career before coming out of retirement to coach at Belleview, where he would finish his career. In fact, Hall won a state title at Jefferson County (Monticello) in 1966 where he coached Gator great and NFL Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood before coming to Ocala. Hall was named the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1966, 1974, 1975 and 2000. He was named the head coach of the Florida All-Star Team for the 2001 Florida-Georgia All-Star. Hall's coaching career also included stints as an assistant coach at Suwannee (Live Oak), Leon (Tallahassee), Merritt Island, Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach) and Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) high schools. He also served as assistant principal at Godby High School in Tallahassee. “Tough. Gritty. Winner. That’s what he instilled in all of us,” In January 2002, Hall was inducted into the FACA Hall of Fame. Hall was born in Morgan County, Ohio and graduated from Marietta College.

(UAA Graphic) The biggest “get” was the flipping of a four-star edge rusher from St.Petersburg Lakewood. Florida’s seventh 2023 commit was 6-foot-4, 215-pound Isaiah Nixon. By BUDDY MARTIN GatorBaitMedia.com Editor For all the talk about four-or-five-star quarterbacks and the likes, Billy Napier and his recruiters quietly laid some solid bricks in the foundation of his Gator football program this week, that could have a significant impact. The biggest “get” was the flipping of a four-star edge rusher from St. Petersburg Lakewood. Florida’s seventh 2023 commit was 6-foot-4, 215-pound Isaiah Nixon. And who would have thought getting a flipper from UCF would be such a big deal? Meanwhile, of the seven 2023 commits Florida has added, four will play in the trenches — three offensive linemen and Nixon the edge rusher… the last three road graders averaging 6-5, 330. Hopefully this will help tranquilize the terror among the recruiting crazies, who need to learn to chill and let Napier’s staff do its thing. There are no quick fixes. CHEW ON THIS ONE IN AUBURN Matt Hayes dropped the name of Urban Meyer on Tuesday’s Paul Finebaum Show as the leading candidate to replace Brian Harsin should Auburn fire him. Given his dislike for Urban, you can imagine how Finebaum gagged. So that will be a hot topic leading up to SEC Media Days. IT SEZ HERE: A trio of NCAA titles led 11 top-10 team finishes as the University of Florida athletics program placed fifth in the 2021-22 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings. This is Florida's 13th consecutive top-five national all-sports finish. Florida is the only program to finish among the nation's top 10 in each of the last 38 national all-sports standings. JUD’S BIG GAMBLE From Maria Torres, the Athletic, on Jud Fabian’s bold decision:“The gamble to return to Florida seems likely to pay off, though perhaps just modestly. In his first mock draft, Law wrote that Fabian could sneak into the first round this summer as the 28th overall selection. The value of the pick, which is held by the Astros, is $2.62 million, some $760,000 more than Fabian’s slot last year. Even if he falls among the top three selections of the second round (Nos. 40-42), the slot value would be slightly more than that of his draft position in 2021.” HE'S A PALADIN HALL OF FAMER Billy Napier, the Paladins quarterback from 1999-2002, was named to the Furman University Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022. It sez here Napier helped engineer one of the greatest seasons in Furman history connecting on all 12 pass attempts for 159 yards and a touchdown in a 24-17 triumph over Georgia Southern in the I-AA playoff semifinals, halting the Eagles’ 39-game home winning streak. GATORBAIT BITES: Per Scott Carter of Floridagators.com. “Former #Gators RHP Jack Leftwich tossing up some good numbers with Lynchburg of Carolina League: 3-1, 2.06 ERA, 70 SO in 48 IP” … Florida will host against Missouri on Oct. 8 for homecoming. Gators are a 70-26-2 record in homecoming games all-time, including a 28-5 mark since 1989 – although that’s not all that impressive since the caliber of competition was below average ... Saturday Down South ranks these as top five schools for doing best in the transfer portal to date. 5. Oklahoma 4.LSU 3.Michigan St. 2.Ole Miss 1. USC OFF THE BEATEN GATOR PATH: We golf fans got nostalgic over the recent U.S. Open, remembering the good ole days after the “perfect” major championship at Brookline. I tweeted out, “I saw the future of golf today, mano-a-mano, right down to the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open, Englishman (Matt) Fitzpatrick besting American (Will) Zalatoris in a spectacular finish and spectacular setting. The future is bright and I did not miss those LIV guys. Thank you gentlemen.” After he missed the putt for a playoff, Zalatoris went up to Fitzpatrick’s parents and said: “If I had to lose to anyone, I’m happy it was your son.” It’s why I love golf. It is a game of honor. ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT GOLF’S FUTURE: Each of the last five men's major champions have been in their 20s, the longest streak since the 1920s. And its past: Wish he hadn’t done it, but Bruce Koepka won’t be missed that much on the PGA Tour. He chose another lifestyle because clearly golf is a job for him which he doesn’t love and finds difficult to commit to. FALDO TO THE LIV? With the news that Nick Faldo is retiring and Trevor Immelman taking his place as CBS golf analyst, one of the Euro writers revisited the most major wins by Europeans since WWII. 6. – Nick Faldo 5. – Seve Ballesteros 4. – Rory McIlroy 3. – Padraig Harrington 2. – Tony Jacklin, Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal, Martin Kaymer and Sandy Lyle 1. -- 14 other golfers MY PERSONAL FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE WEEK: My hero, Randy of Ocala Heating and AC, arrived at my house when the temperature was soaring above 90 as a heat wave was sweeping the country, to attend to my 25-year-old central air that went kapoot. I feared Randy would be giving it last rites. Do you know how much a new one would cost? After 45 minutes, the air was back on. When I asked him how much the bill was, Randy said: “Oh, just the amount of the service call, $99.” I’m not Catholic, but I wanted to genuflect. IMPORTANT PROGRAMING NOTE: Both GatorBait and The Buddy Martin Show will be on hiatus next week, starting Monday June 27 through July 4. One of our rare pauses in two years. This week’s Double Issue should be enough to hold you over. My thanks to a dedicated staff of Franz Beard, Loren Meadows, Kyle Curtis, Madeline Lawson, Chris Spears and countless other contributors. (By the way, I made a major turnover in neglecting to mention two of our hardest working dudes who carry us every week — our Co-Captains and volunteer associate editors, Chad Ritch and Mike McGinnis. Take a lap Buddy, you dimwit!) A TWEET WORTH REMEMBERING: To my pal Shane Matthews, this was about his home state: “The State of Mississippi is to College Baseball, what the State of Alabama is to College Football.” Well, maybe not for a long as ‘Bama, but yeah – that’s impressive.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: “My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives” – Hedley Lamarr from “Blazing Saddles” A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO BASTE, PART DEUX 1. A winning season begins here … : In 2021, the Gators allowed opponents 70 running plays that gained more than 10 yards, which ranked 10th in the Southeastern Conference and tied the Gators for 93rd nationally. The Gators gave up 20 opponent carries that gained 20 or more yards. That ranked 12th in the SEC, 98th nationally. Ten opponent running plays went for 30 or more yards. That’s 13th in the SEC and 97th nationally. By contrast, Georgia and Alabama ranked 1-2 in fewest running plays of 10-20 or 30 or more yards. They also played for both the Southeastern Conference and national championships. Florida, meanwhile, went 6-7. Just two years earlier, the Gators were a top ten team nationally against the run (8th, 102.77 yards per game; 3.19 per carry) and in fewest big plays allowed on the ground (7th, 41 plays of 10 or more yards, 14 for 20 or more). That Florida defense ranked 9th in total defense nationally (304.8 yards per game). There aren’t enough fingers of blame to point to everyone and everything responsible for the Gators inability to stop the run. Personnel had something to do with it. Scheme maybe even more. Coaching? Certainly. We hear that old adage that good defense begins with stopping the run all too often when we listen to commentators and coaches but it’s true. Florida’s 2006 national championship team allowed only 72.5 yards per game on the ground and just 2.7 per carry. The 2008 national championship team gave up 105.4 on the ground and just 3.4 per carry. For the Gators to be anything more than .500 or a game above in 2022, it begins with stopping the run and holding opponents to 120 or fewer yards per game. 2. Sankey should throw out the first ball at the CWS today: They have arrived at the final four of the College World Series and it should come as no surprise that the last four teams standing are current SEC members Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas A&M along with future SEC member Oklahoma. That means the College World Series champ this year will either be an existing SEC member or one that will be joining the league most likely in 2024. SEC commish Greg Sankey is in Omaha. He should do the honors of throwing out the first pitch today when No. 5 seed Texas A&M faces Oklahoma (2 p.m.) and Ole Miss and Arkansas square off at 7 p.m. Texas A&M (47-19) lived to play another day Tuesday with a 5-1 loser go home win over Notre Dame, a game that has Florida State fans wondering if Link Jarrett will bolt South Bend to return to his Tallahassee roots. To make the championship round of the CWS, the Aggies have to beat Oklahoma twice. Oklahoma beat the Aggies, 13-8, in the first game of the College World Series. Arkansas (48-21) avoided a bus ride back to Fayette Nam Tuesday night when they put an 11-1 whipping on 14th-seeded Auburn (46-22), ending the Tigers’ season. The Razorbacks, who lost to Ole Miss, 13-5, Monday night, have to beat the Rebels twice to make the CWS championship round. 3. Scheduling in a 16-team SEC: Get used to an end to divisions in both football and baseball. Basketball eliminated divisions a few years ago, and while scheduling for 14 teams has proven inefficient and quite awkward, the SEC has survived just fine. The addition of Texas and Oklahoma will actually make scheduling easier in all three sports. Football: It is going to be a 3-6 format with three permanent opponents. There have been some holdouts for an 8-game schedule because nine conference games will eliminate a paycheck game that can make the difference in bowl eligibility. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey prefers the 3-6 model because it will ensure every team in the league will do a home and home with every other team in the league at least every four years. This is also the model that ESPN prefers and since they’re guaranteeing a $17 million raise from the current contract with CBS, what ESPN wants ESPN will get. The only question is who will be the permanent three opponents for every team? Instead of division champs meeting in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, it will be the two teams with the best records. This, again, is favored by Sankey there won’t be a fluke year when a 7-5 divisional champ gets to Atlanta where it springs an upset. With the College Football Playoff likely to wind up the original model Sankey presented last summer – six highest ranked conference champs, six at large – you could bet the farm that the SEC champ would always be one of the six highest ranked conference titles, something you couldn’t do if a 7-5 team sprung the upset in Atlanta. Basketball: Basketball is expected to stay with the 18-game schedule but we’ll probably double football’s 3-6 format with home and home arrangements. Just like football, it ensures every team in the league will be playing home and home every four years. Baseball: Baseball currently operates with divisions and 10 3-game weekends. The 10 3-game weekends will continue, but it will most likely be under a 5-5 format with five permanent opponents. Every team in the league will play home and home at least once every four years. 4. What the SEC gets with Texas and Oklahoma joining the league: There is the obvious, which is the 11 national championships in football (Texas 4, Oklahoma 7) they bring, but it goes well beyond football. The Director’s Cup standings is a nice indicator. Texas has won the 2021-22 Director’s Cup while Oklahoma currently ranks 12th. Florida finished fifth, the highest of any current SEC school. Oklahoma could score the maximum 100 points if it wins the College World Series, which would the Sooners into 9th place. They’re in the final four of the CWS so they will move past Virginia and Southern Cal into 10th even if they don’t make it to the championship series. The SEC has already won national championships this year in football (Georgia), women’s basketball (South Carolina), women’s indoor track and field (Florida), rifle (Kentucky), men’s outdoor track and field (Florida) and women’s outdoor track and field (Florida). Texas won national championships this year in men’s indoor track and field, men’s golf and women’s tennis. Oklahoma won national championships in gymnastics and softball. Since the final four teams in baseball are current SEC members Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Arkansas plus future SEC member Oklahoma, it means 12 national championships for this sports year for current or future SEC members. Additionally, Texas finished runner-up in both men’s and women’s swimming and women’s indoor track and field. COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY EARLY SUMMER EDITION On Life Support Bryan Harsin, Auburn: They tried to fire him after he went 6-6 in 2022. If Tank Bigsby had remembered to stay in bounds, he would have beaten Alabama and would have been given a contract extension. He’s not a good fit but at least Bo Nix own’t be his QB this year. Anything less than eight wins and he can make reservations with U-Haul. Dino Babers, Syracuse: He went 1-10 in 2020 but improved to 5-7 last year. If he doesn’t get to a bowl game, he’s a goner. He has a 4-game gauntlet of North Carolina State, at Clemson, Notre Dame and at Pitt that probably determines whether he’s staying or going. Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech: He’s 9-25, his best player (Jahmyr Gibbs) transferred to Alabama and he opens the season with Clemson. After a paycheck game, he has Ole Miss, at UCF and at Pitt. Miami is on the schedule. So is Georgia. Scot Loefler, Bowling Green: Lefty is 7-22 in three years. Three of the first four games are at UCLA, Marshall and at Mississippi State. There isn’t much chance he recovers. Mike Bloomgren, Rice: He is 11-31 in four years. Three of the first four games are at Southern Cal, Louisiana and at Houston. The find firing coaches distasteful at Rice so he will last until the end of the year. Jake Spavital, Texas State: Progress was made last year – four wins – but the folks in San Marcos are quite envious of their country cousins in San Antonio where UTSA blew up and went 12-2 last year. Texas State folks think if that’s possible at UTSA, then why not here? Jake is 9-27 in three years. He needs six this year. Baylor is the only guaranteed loss on the schedule. Endangered Species List Mike Norvell, Florida State: He is 8-13 in two seasons, which has extended the non-bowl streak to five years for the Seminoles. Duquesne – I didn’t know they play football – so the Seminoles will win one game for sure. Among the more daunting games on the rest of the schedule: LSU (in New Orleans), Wake Forest Gump, at North Carolina State, Clemson, at Miami and Florida. That looks like 5-7 or 6-6. If he’s coaching at FSU next year, it could have everything to do with a monstrous buyout. Marcus Arroyo, UNLV: The schedule isn’t all that bad. The only surefire losses are at California, at San Diego State, Air Force, at Notre Dame and at San Diego State. Arroyo is 2-16 in two seasons. They won’t fire him if he can get to four or five wins. Scott Frost, Nebraska: He spent all last year On Life Support, but got a reprieve year, which could salvage his career. If he goes 5-1 out of the chute – entirely possible since the only game he definitely loses will be Oklahoma on September 17 – a 7-5 or better record is likely. In the second half of the season, Michigan is the only surefire loss on the schedule. Neal Brown, West Virginia: He’s 17-17 in three years but they expect much better. He’s staking his job on JT Daniels, which may not be the brightest thing to do. He has to play at Pittsburgh, at Virginia Tech, at Texas, at Iowa State and at Oklahoma State. He also has to play Oklahoma. That has six losses written all over it and 6-6 isn’t going to save his job. Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee State: The Blue Raiders went 7-6 last year and won the Bahamas Bowl, which was viewed by at least 1,000 people in Nassau and maybe 50,000 football-starved souls back in the US. Stockstill is 100-98 in his career which means he’s typically good for a break-even year. Folks in Murfreesboro are weary of break even. He needs eight wins before MTSU goes into football purgatory with the remnants of Conference USA in 2023. Phil Montgomery, Tulsa: He’s just good enough to stay one step ahead of the pink slip. One of these days they’ll fire him. One of these days could be this year. Phil is 37-46 in seven years on the job. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Sporting News has come up with its preseason top 25 teams and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Gators aren’t included. The Gators probably aren’t as bad as some would have us believe and at this point in time, at least, they aren’t as good as some wishful fans think they should be. Consider the Gators a work in progress. If they can somehow get through September (Utah, Kentucky, South Florida at home, Tennessee on the road), then we have reason to believe they were undervalued from day one. Until then, patience Grasshopper. Sporting News preseason top 25: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Georgia; 4. Clemson; 5. Texas A&M; 6. Michigan; 7. Notre Dame; 8. Utah; 9. Oregon; 10. Baylor; 11. Oklahoma; 12. Oklahoma State; 13. Michigan State; 14. Southern Cal; 15. Arkansas; 16. Ole Miss; 17. Kentucky; 18. Wake Forest; 19. North Carolina State; 20. Iowa; 21. Pittsburgh; 22. Cincinnati; 23. Houston; 24. Tennessee; 25. Texas

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: “My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention.” – Hedley Lamarr from “Blazing Saddles” A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO BASTE 1. Matt Hayes ranks the SEC football coaches: In his weekly column at Saturday Down South, Matt Hayes ranks the 14 SEC football coaches. He ranks Kirby Smart ahead of Nick Saban. I’m of the opinion when Kirby has won a national championship against an Alabama team playing without its two stud wide receivers, then maybe. Until then. Absolutely not. Curiously, he also has Mark Stoops of Kentucky on his top tier. Here are the Hayes rankings: Tier one: 1. Kirby Smart, Georgia; 2. Nick Saban, Alabama; 3. Mark Stoops, Kentucky Tier two: 4. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M; 5. Brian Kelly, LSU; 6. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss; 7. Sam Pittman, Arkansas Tier three: 8. Mike Leach, Mississippi State; 9. Shane Beamer, South Carolina; 10. Josh Heupel, Tennessee; 11. BILLY NAPIER, FLORIDA Tier four (hot seats): 12. Brian Harsin, Auburn; 13. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri; 14. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt Here is how I rank them: 1. Saban; 2. Smart; 3. Kiffin; 4. Fisher; 5. Stoops; 6. Leach; 7. Kelly; 8. Pittman; 9. NAPIER; 10. Heupel; 11. Beamer; 12. Harsin; 13. Drinkwitz; 14. Lea. 2. Hottie Toddy! Ole Miss is 2-0 at the CWS; Auburn still alive; Stanford his-to-ry: So much for the NCAA selection committee which had Ole Miss (42-22) as one of the last teams to make it into this year’s tournament. The Rebels are unbeaten in the postseason and they’re 2-0 in Omaha after their crushing 13-5 win over Arkansas (47-21) Monday night. That means no game for the Rebels until Wednesday night as they wait the winner of tonight’s elimination game between Arkansas and Auburn (46-21). Auburn staved off elimination Monday afternoon by erupting for six straight runs to send No. 2 seed Stanford packing, 6-2. Ole Miss hammered seven Arkansas pitchers for 13 hits including Tim Elko’s 23rd, a 2-run homer in the top of the second, and a 2-run homer from No. 9 hitter Calvin Harris, a 2-run shot in the fifth. Harris also had two doubles. Leadoff hitter Justin Bench had a 4-hit day. Freshman Hunter Elliott (5-3) got the win, giving up three runs and six hits in 6-1/3 innings. For five innings Auburn seemed as if it was on the verge of elimination, but the Tigers pushed across four runs in the top of the sixth, scoring three on a bases-clearing double by Cole Foster to take command of the game. When Stanford threatened to rally in the seventh, Auburn brought on stopper Blake Burkhalter, who struck out five of the eight batters he faced to pick up his 16th save of the season. Auburn’s win assures that the SEC will have at least one team making it to the championship final. In Tuesday’s other elimination game, 5th-seeded Texas A&M (46-19) will face Notre Dame with the winner moving on to face unbeaten Oklahoma on Wednesday. Five of the six teams still standing in Omaha are either currently in the SEC or soon to be joining. 3. Still not sold on Brian Kelly at LSU: Yes, I know the argument. If Coach O can win a national championship at LSU, then so can Brian Kelly. Brian Kelly won national championships at Grand Valley State in Michigan, won at Central Michigan and Cincinnati, and he made the College Football Playoff at Notre Dame. What do all these schools have in common? They are in the Midwest and none of them play in the SEC. When Notre Dame faced SEC teams in the playoff, the Irish got hosed. That does not give me the warm and fuzzies about Kelly challenging for championships any time soon. 4. Aggie fans will grow impatient if Jimbo doesn’t win the SEC West in the next two years: As much as Aggie fans are loving that Jimbo Fisher has beaten Nick Saban on the field, beaten him on the recruiting trail (with a little help from some gozillionaire friends) and he’s taken on Nick in a verbal war of words, they still want to win championships. They rewrote the original 10-year, $75 million deal. The new one will pay him in excess of $94 million through 2031. Subtract $9.4 million for each year he’s on the job through 2021 to figure out the buyout money, but let’s face it, if the Aggie boosters get super restless in a couple of years, they’ll write the checks without blinking. Remember, only God and the Longhorns have more money than the Aggies. Meanwhile, Jimbo has won the same number of SEC East championships as predecessor Kevin Sumlin. At least Kevin produced a Heisman Trophy winner (Johnny Manziel). Not to be belaboring a point, but the Aggies haven’t won a national championship since 1939 and a conference championship since the 1998 Big 12. Jimbo is 34-14 in four years on the job with one New Year’s Six bowl. Dan Mullen was 34-15. He went to three New Year’s Six bowls. 5. FSU can’t afford to fire Mike Norvell even if he doesn’t win eight games this year: Florida State fans are starting to feel Norvell’s contract runs through 2025 and is set to pay him $4.5 million in 2023, $5 million in each of 2024 and 2025. His buyout is 85 percent of whatever is owed so if FSU has a losing season in 2022, it would cost 85 percent of the $14.5 million left on his contract. FSU doesn’t have $12,325,000 to spare. They’re stuck with Norvell if he doesn’t win. 6. Ole Miss will have the toughest offense to defend in the SEC: The Rebels lost Matt Corral, Jerion Ealy, Snoop Conner, Henry Parrish Jr., Dontario Drummond and Braylon Sanders. Big deal. Lane Kiffin went to the transfer portal and brought in quarterback Jaxon Dart (Southern Cal), running backs Zach Evans (TCU) and Ulysses Bennett (SMU), receivers Jalen Knox (Missouri) and Malik Heath (Mississippi State) and right tackle Mason Brooks (Western Kentucky). Now throw in four returning starters on the offensive line and the single most underrated receiver in the SEC in Jonathan Mingo and you have the makings of an offense that could be every bit as good and maybe better than last year when Ole Miss averaged 492.5 yards and 33.7 points per game. Because the Rebels run the ball so well (217 yards per game and 33 rushing touchdowns last year), they can play defense with their offense by keeping an undermanned defense off the field. 7. I’m not buying the hype for Notre Dame or Southern Cal: Marcus Freeman is the new coach on the block that has the media thinking he’s the guy who’s going to do what Brian Kelly never could do at Notre Dame, which is to actually win a playoff game. He’s breaking in a new quarterback, his best running back has moved on to the NFL and you time his receivers with a sundial. Over on defense he has four returning starters. The Irish will seem to be better than they are because of a pansy schedule. Pencil in losses to Ohio State, BYU and Clemson. Southern Cal will certainly be better than last year’s 4-8 and Lincoln Riley will make the offense exciting, but who are we fooling? There are only four difficult games on that schedule – Fresno State, at Utah, UCLA and Notre Dame. Like Notre Dame, the Trojans will be better on paper than they are on the field. Riley and the Trojans are going to have a very difficult time winning the Southern Division of the Pac-12. I think both Utah and UCLA are better. 8. The Orlando Magic have the No. 1 draft pick … again: Decisions, decisions, decisions. The Magic are contemplating whether to take Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren or Auburn’s Jabari Smith with the first pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft. They could also trade the top pick, which would seem the merciful thing to do since whoever Orlando chooses is destined to get off to a lousy start for his career. I gave up on the Magic years ago when they drafted Chris Webber but chose to trade him to Golden State on draft day for Penny Hardaway. Then the Magic let Shaq get away to the Los Angeles Lakers where he teamed up with Kobe Bryant to win three championship rings. The Magic are still trying to win their first NBA title. I call it the curse of Shaq. For example, Grant Hill was in the midst of a brilliant NBA career when he signed a free agent deal with the Magic. He spent most of seven seasons with the Magic in the training room and was a shell of his former self in his final six seasons after departing Orlando. So no matter who the Magic choose Thursday night, I expect him to underwhelm us and for nothing to change. Friends who live in Orlando call them the Tragic. I agree. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, has put forward a proposal for changes to the transfer portal that will be sent to the Division I Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will meet on July 3 where the proposal will be discussed. If they like it, they’ll send the proposal to the Division I Council for feedback on July 20. The feedback will be forwarded to the Board of Directors which will vote on August 3. Confused? You should be, but this is how the NCAA works, which goes a long way toward understanding why it’s time for the football schools to secede and form their own organization. Far too many important issues faced by the NCAA – particularly those involving football, which pays the freight for everything from water ballet to co-ed squamish championships – get caught up in this paper shuffle that goes from one committee to the other. This is a simple discussion. The current transfer portals aren’t working. We’ve got thousands of kids in the portal, a large portion of which won’t have scholarships when the dust clears. The way the portal is currently designed coaches have to spend nearly as much time re-recruiting their own players as they do recruiting new ones to come in and replace those who will be in departing. The portal isn’t a bad thing. Coaches can leave for a job without having to sit out a year, so why shouldn’t players have the same right? However, things could be simplified if windows were established for players to enter the portal. The American Football Coaches Association has proposed two windows – one that is from the final Sunday of November until the December 15 start of the early signing period; the other from April 15-May 1. Players who wish to transfer would only be allowed to place their name in the portal during that time. Putting some guidelines like windows to the transfer process should slow things down and in many cases, eliminate that hasty decision made during the season or immediately after National Signing Day. You would think that if the NCAA were really concerned about athletes it would speed up this process by eliminating the paper shuffle that’s going on and get new guidelines in place as quickly as possible. The college football and fall sports season will begin in a matter of weeks. One other item of note. The NCAA is also said to trying to speed up the infractions process. It’s fairly obvious that the current system isn’t working when you consider that schools like LSU and Kansas (and several others) still haven’t had their day in court for basketball violations that occurred six years ago. It would be interesting for someone to go through each school’s alleged list of crimes to determine which ones would be considered violations now that we have NIL, also known as “Now it’s legal.”

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: AL DAVIS SAID IT BEST: “JUST WIN BABY” Perhaps it’s time to put to rest this long-held notion that Florida fans would rather lose 41-38 than win a game 24-17. It’s great to put points on the board with a quick-strike offense but take a look at some of the scores of the last three years. The Gators lost shootout games to LSU in Baton Rouge in 2019 (42-28), to Texas A&M in College Station in 2020 (41-38), to LSU in Gainesville in 2020 (37-34), to Alabama in the 2020 SEC Championship Game (52-46) and to LSU in Baton Rouge in 2021 (49-42). Win those five games and Dan Mullen is still Florida’s football coach although we would still be staring down talent deficits due to recruiting issues. Mullen was good for putting points on the board but the inability to keep other people from scoring has plenty to do with why Billy Napier is now the UF football coach. Napier’s offense isn’t nearly as creative as the one Mullen put on the field but history says it works and it wins. Under Napier, there will be a serious commitment to running the football which controls the clock and keeps the defense fresh. If opponents choose to load up the box and take their chances one-on-one with the wide receivers, Napier will have Anthony Richardson throwing going over the top. And, don’t buy this notion that receivers like Justin Shorter and Xzavier Henderson are incapable of getting open. They got open when Kyle Trask was throwing the ball. They were open when Emory Jones was throwing it, too, just that Jones had this habit of throwing off his back foot and completing too many passes to the other team. If opponents try to play the Gators straight up without loading the box, then we can expect Florida to run the football. People I’ve talked to seem to think Florida’s receivers are better than expected so it’s going to be difficult to load up the box. It’s a numbers game. Anthony Richardson will come to the line of scrimmage and do some simple math. If he counts eight at or near the line of scrimmage, the ball goes over the top. If he has four receivers in the game and opponents are playing one-on-one with a safety over the top, the Gators will run it with Montrell Johnson, Nay’Quan Wright, Lorenzo Lingard or Demarkcus Bowman. And, oh, by the way, AR15 can run it, too. Quite effectively. This may not be as sexy as the Mullen offense but it’s designed to control the clock, wear down opponents and minimize the amount of time the defense is on the field. It’s also designed to win football games. If Billy Napier’s offense wins games and delivers championships, nobody will mind if the Gators grind away and beat opponents into submission. LOSING TO OU IN THE GAINESVILLE REGIONAL DOESN’T SEEM NEARLY AS PAINFUL Since leaving Gainesville after knocking off the Gators in the final game of the regional, Oklahoma has gone to Blacksburg to eliminate 4th-seeded Virginia Tech and gone 2-0 at the College World Series with wins over 5th-seeded Texas A&M and Notre Dame. The experts warned us that Oklahoma was as hot as any team in the country before they arrived in Gainesville and the Sooners haven’t done anything to disprove them. This is a well-coached OU team that is a nice combination of timely hitting, aggressive baserunning and excellent pitching. That is what it took to beat the Gators twice in in the Gainesville regional. We’ll never know what the Gators might have done if they had beaten the Sooners in that last game, but one thing for certain – there is no shame in a team that had one of the youngest pitching staffs in the country losing to OU. It wouldn’t be a shock for Oklahoma to make it to the CWS championship round nor would it be a surprise if they won it. As for the Gators, think of 2022 as a season in the aging vat. They will be one of the teams expected to make it to Omaha in 2023. As for the SEC in Omaha: Arkansas (47-20) blew the doors off No. 2 seed Stanford, 17-2, Saturday afternoon. The Razorbacks will face Ole Miss (41-22) tonight in a winner’s bracket game (7 p.m.). Ole Miss beat No. 14 seed Auburn (45-21), 5-1, Saturday night. Auburn will face Stanford (47-17) this afternoon (2 p.m.) in a winner goes home game. Sunday afternoon, Texas A&M (46-19) stayed alive by bushwhacking Texas, 10-2, in an elimination game. The Aggies will face Notre Dame (41-16) Tuesday afternoon in an elimination game with the winner facing Oklahoma (44-22) on Wednesday. Monday’s games: Ole Miss, which has allowed only one run in the last 29 innings, will be throwing freshman lefty Elliott Hunter (4-3, 2.82 ERA) against Arkansas. In his regional and super regional outings, Hunter went 12 innings, gave up six hits and only one run while striking out 18. He has 92 strikeouts in 67 innings this season. I like the Rebels to prevail over Arkansas, which is likely to go with Will McEntire (1-2, 2.81 ERA), who went 5-2/3 shutout innings in the Hogs’ Chapel Hill super regional clinching win over North Carolina. In the afternoon elimination game, I like Auburn. I wasn’t sold on Stanford prior to the College World Series and after watching the way Arkansas knocked Stanford ace Alex Williams out of the box Saturday, I think Auburn will prevail. SEC FOOTBALL/BASEBALL/BASKETBALL Alabama: All-American linebacker Will Anderson has NIL figured out the right way. Anderson is getting help from NFL players to form his own agency designed to help educate young players how to deal with things like contracts, agents, etc. “I know for me and my family, we didn’t know too much about contracts and stuff like that,” Anderson said on the Paul Finebaum Show. Arkansas: Righthanded pitcher Connor Noland, who threw 7-2/3 brilliant innings Saturday in the Razorbacks’ 17-2 win over Stanford, began his career at Arkansas as a quarterback, recruited by Bret Bielema. Auburn: Western Kentucky edge rusher Marcus Bragg is transferring to Auburn. Last season he had 38 tackles including four sacks. Kentucky: Mike Pratt’s long battle with colon and liver cancer has ended. The former Kentucky basketball star and radio color commentator on the UK network, passed away Thursday night. He was 72 years old. Pratt was an All-American at UK in 1970. For his collegiate career he averaged 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. LSU: Pitching coach Jason Kelly is leaving to become the head baseball coach at Washington. Missouri: Mizzou has landed transfer Isaiah Mosley, who averaged 20.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last year at Missouri State. Ole Miss: Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco is a Pinellas County native (Seminole High School), who played juco at Indian River before going to LSU to play for Skip Bertman. NCAA INVESTIGATING MIAMI/RUIZ FOR NIL VIOLATIONS The NCAA has dispatched some of its enforcement staff to Coral Gables to investigate The Ewe and its gozillionaire booster John Ruiz. There is every reason to believe Ruiz and The Ewe are doing whatever they please in an attempt to bring back the glory days of the past, but Ruiz isn’t simply limiting his efforts to Coral Gables. He has signed 115 athletes to NIL deals including players from North Carolina and Florida International. Ruiz admits to an NIL payroll in the $7 million range. Ruiz insists he hasn’t done anything wrong, which is probably true when you consider the NCAA never bothered to give us any rules or guidelines in the aftermath of its run-rule, 9-0, loss in the Supreme Court in the Alston case. Considering the lack of rules, how does the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, think it can enforce any rules? They can’t, and that’s why this visit to Coral Gables is nothing more than a show. Anything the NCAA does at this point will be seen as an attempt to restrict athletes from earning money. The NCAA tries to tell us it’s all for the athletes making money but it wants to limit what a booster can do. As Ruiz and other NIL collectives believe, to limit boosters from engaging in NIL is an attempt to restrict. Additionally, what many states have legislated regarding NIL deals runs contrary to the NCAA and state laws supersede NCAA rules and regulations so, as always, the NCAA is too little, too late. There is no question NIL is out of control but the NCAA should have thought about that long ago. Of course, that would require the NCAA to think and by now we should know that goes against its by-laws. SHUFFLING THE AAC DECK With American Athletic Conference members Cincinnati, UCF and Houston departing for the Big 12 in 2023, the AAC announced those three will be replaced by Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA, which are departing Conference USA. That will make the AAC a 14-team league with remaining members East Carolina, Memphis, South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa and Navy (football only). The 14th member of the league for all sports other than football will be Wichita State. Keep an eye on what happens with the Big 12 following the departure of Texas and Oklahoma at a date that has yet to be determined but expected by some experts to be 2024. With the buyout money it gets from the early departures of UT and OU, the Big 12 may decide to poach the AAC for Memphis, South Florida, SMU and East Carolina for a 16-team league. If that happens, there will be a ripple effect throughout college football as more leagues expand and contract. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: It only figured that eventually there would be signs of intelligent life coming from “The Alliance.” Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff successfully derailed expanding the College Football Playoff earlier in the year but in recent months Kliavkoff has concluded that the playoff has to expand and he’s all for whatever plan that can succeed as long as it brings much needed cash to his league, which distributed less than $20 million for the COVID year (SEC distributed a record $56.4 million). Now Kliavkoff and Phillips have spoken out that it’s time for football to govern itself beyond the reach of the NCAA. These two have finally understood that the bureaucratic nightmare that is the NCAA is incapable of governing college football with its one size fits all approach, particularly since the advent of the transfer portal and the Alston vs. NCAA ruling for NIL by the Supreme Court. “Having a trade organization that represents more than 1,000 schools (across Divisions I, II and III) that operate in very different business models is very difficult,” Kliavkoff said. “Coming up with a common set of rules that make sense for everybody was difficult before Alston, and after Alston coming up with rules and particularly enforcing those rules has proven to be nearly impossible.” There are currently 131 football schools at the highest level of Division I. They need to re-organize separate from the NCAA, set up their own set of rules, figure out how to enforce them and come up with governance that does not require the approval of the non-football schools. The NCAA basically punted on the transfer portal and NIL, so there is no reason to believe it is possible for any organization headed by the clueless Mark Emmert and his band of academics to come up with any kind of reasonable solution to the problems facing football in the future. The NCAA runs a rather nice basketball tournament, College World Series, etc. To withdraw all sports from the NCAA makes no sense at this time since it would require too much bureaucracy and take way too much time to set it all up, but there needs to be a reset within the organization particularly when it comes to rules and enforcement. You can’t have schools that operate with bare bones budgets, limited sports and too few scholarships to make the rules for the schools that operate on a much higher plane. The only answer is for the football schools to secede and form a football-only organization.