Gator Bait Photo by Chris Spears A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: NATIONAL SIGNING DAY FEELING LIKE OLD TIMES ONCE AGAIN The suspense is back! The next 48 hours are going to be nerve-racking for Florida fans. Does Billy Napier bring home the goods with a memorable finish that could vault the Gators into the top 10 or will it be a good but not spectacular finish? It feels like old times all over again, the way it used to feel leading up to NSD before there was such a thing as the December early signing day. This would be a beast mode finish: LB Harold Perkins, S Jacoby Matthews, DL Caden Story, DL Jack Pyburn, WR DJ Allen, WR Caleb Douglas, TE Arlis Boardingham, TE Danny Lewis, OG Jalen Farmer and RB Trevonte Citizen. Prediction time: Perkins: I think Mom wins and he’s a Gator. Matthews: Ponchatoula is an hour from Baton Rouge. LSU. Story: No Brent Venables, no Clemson. Gator. Pyburn: He sees there is a future in Gainesville, not in Auburn. Allen: Florida or TCU. TCU will be throwing it from the moment the players get off the bus. Douglas: Napier recruited him at Louisiana and new UF WR coach Keary Colbert recruited him at Southern Cal. Gator. Boardingham: Oregon or UF. Cold and rain. Warm and sunshine. He takes the sunshine. Lewis: Let’s just say Brian Kelly isn’t John Travolta (see the video). No Pulp Fiction. Gators. Barely. Farmer: Alabama offered. Napier goes transfer portal shopping. Citizen: Not sure he will be a Gator, but also not sure he’ll go to LSU. Somebody’s signing day surprise. I’ll go with six of the ten signing with the good guys, which is really, really strong. Seven or more and Billy Napier goes down as a transition class legend. TIME TO GIVE KELLY RAE FINLEY THE FULL-TIME JOB Forget for a moment that the Gators (15-6, 5-3 SEC) lost 62-50 to the No. 1-ranked women’s team in the country Sunday afternoon. Seeing a 5-game SEC winning streak come to end before the largest O-Dome crowd (5,319) for a UF women’s game since 1999 was disappointing, but the fact the Gators overcame a 4-30 shooting start and battled the taller, more-talented Gamecocks to the end says plenty about the job Kelly Rae Finley has done. It would have been all too easy for the Gators to mail it in after an abysmal first quarter when they shot 1-19 and fell behind 19-3. It was 33-13 at the half and 45-19 with 4:44 left in the third quarter. Instead of giving up, the Gators found energy, amped up the pressure and fought their way back to respectability. This was not a moral victory. It was a loss, but it takes a lot of heart and character to continue to fight and battle even when the odds are so long. South Carolina has won a national championship and six SEC Tournaments. The Gators have yet to make a Final Four and they’ve never won the SEC. To get where South Carolina is, the Gators are going to need a coach that (a) knows how to get kids to relate to her, (b) knows the Xs and Os and isn’t overwhelmed by what the other team is doing, and (c) can recruit. Kelly Rae Finley checks every one of those boxes. Here is one more very important reason why athletic director Scott Stricklin needs to yank the interim tag off Kelly Rae and make her the full-time head coach. When former coach Cam Newbauer was fired for cause, Stricklin faced a walk-out by the entire team. When he announced that Finley was the interim, the entire roster reversed course and elected to stay. That is trust for you. Carol Ross retired in 2002 after 13 seasons at Florida in which she compiled a 247-121 record and took the Gators to nine NCAA Tournaments and seven top 25 finishes. Carolyn Peck, Amanda Butler and Newbauer could never replicate what Ross accomplished for a variety of reasons but if you talk to coaches and women’s basketball experts, they will all tell you that Florida is a potential gold mine if the right coach is hired. There are two choices here: (1) Hire an established coach who has a track record of winning or (2) go with the rookie, which is Finley. Peck, Butler and Newbauer all had impressive winning resumes when they arrived at Florida and all three failed. Finley is a fresh face with a fresh approach. Kids trust her. A week ago when LSU was in town, longtime friend Kim Mulkey, the highest paid women’s basketball coach in the country, told me, “Florida need to hire her permanently. That girl can flat out recruit.” Mulkey won three national championships at Baylor and is the fastest coach to 650 wins in women’s basketball history. She knows what she’s talking about. SHORT-HANDED, VERTICALLY CHALLENGED: WHITE, GATORS SCORE A BIG WIN They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Necessity called for Mike White to turn in one of the best coaching jobs he’s ever done for a single game Saturday at the O-Dome when the Gators rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to an 81-72 win over Oklahoma State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Playing without 6-11 All-SEC Colin Castleton and 6-11, 285-pound backup center Jason Jitoboh, the Gators were not only down two players but they faced a size deficit against the Cowboys, who own a win over then No. 1 Baylor in Waco. Out of necessity and perhaps even a sense of desperation, White turned to a most unconventional lineup to start the second half and when caught the Cowboys by surprise, the Gators began to resemble an amoeba, the way the lineups kept changing shape. To start the second half, White benched Anthony Duruji, Brandon McKissic and Phlandrous Fleming Jr., going with a lineup of Tyree Appleby and Kowacie Reeves, who started the game, and adding in sophomore Niels Lane and freshmen Elijah Kennedy and 6-9, 172-pound skinny as a rail Tuongthach Gatkek. Gatkek, Mitchell and Lane had combined for 51 points prior to the Okie State game and Lane hadn’t even played a minute since December 22. Gatkek would finish with a career-high eight points to go with three rebounds and three blocked shots. Lane impacted the game with his defense, coming up with two critical blocked shots and a steal in the game’s final seven minutes. When White reintroduced Duruji, McKissic, Fleming and Myreon Jones into the lineup, they played with a renewed sense of energy and purpose. That enabled White to start shuttling players in and out of the game at nearly every dead ball and with each substitution White adjusted what the Gators were doing at both ends of the floor. He spent the entire second half at least one step ahead of the Oklahoma State coaching staff. This was just one win and not even an SEC win at that, but it halted a two-game losing streak and perhaps more importantly, sent a signal up and down the bench that Mike White hasn’t thrown in the towel and neither should anyone who suits up. SEC BASKETBALL The SEC won the SEC/Big 12 Challenge once again, this time 6-4. Florida’s 81-72 win over Oklahoma State was a surprise because of the Gators’ injury situation, but no one should be surprised by Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss and Arkansas scoring wins. We consistently hear how great the Big Ten, Big 12, Big East and ACC are in basketball, but the SEC is as good or better than all four of those leagues. The Big Ten, in case no one is noticing, hasn’t had a national champ since 2000 and they don’t have a team that can or will win one in 2022. The Big 12 should get six teams in. The Big East is overrated, but has three legitimate tournament teams in Villanova, Providence and UConn. Duke is the only decent team in the ACC but the committee will take pity on North Carolina and at least one other. I wouldn’t be surprised if both Auburn and Kentucky get No. 1 seeds with Alabama, Tennessee, LSU and Arkansas in the tournament for sure with Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Florida – if Castleton returns within a week or so – all having a shot. Tuesday’s games: Texas A&M (15-6, 4-4 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (14-6, 5-3 SEC); South Carolina (13-7, 4-4 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-7, 4-3 SEC); Alabama (14-7, 4-4 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (20-1, 8-0 SEC); Ole Miss (11-10, 2-6 SEC) at No. 19 LSU 16-5, 4-4 SEC) Wednesday’s games: FLORIDA (13-8, 3-5 SEC) at Missouri (8-12, 2-5 SEC); Vanderbilt (11-9, 3-5 SEC) at No. 12 Kentucky (17-4, 6-2 SEC); Arkansas (16-5, 5-3 SEC) at Georgia (6-15, 1-7 SEC) SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: With Josh McDaniels off to Las Vegas to take over as the head coach of the Raiders, Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is thought to be the likely replacement. It would be the second stint with New England for O’Brien, who has coached wide receivers, quarterbacks and served as the offensive coordinator (2011) in the past. Arkansas: Running back Trelon Burks, who ran for 598 yards and five TDs in 2021, is transferring to TCU. Auburn: Former 4-star defensive lineman Marquis Robinson is in the transfer portal. Georgia: Bryan McClendon will coach the wide receivers, replacing Cortez Hankton, who left or LSU. McClendon was the OC at South Carolina from 2018-19 and spent 2020-21 coaching wide receivers at Oregon … Former Georgia QB Mike Bobo, who was Auburn’s offensive coordinator last year, will be an analyst for Georgia in 2022. Kentucky: Offensive coordinator Liam Coen is being targeted for the offensive coordinator’s job on Mario Cristobal’s staff at Miami. LSU: Wide receiver Devonta Lee is transferring to Louisiana Tech. He caught nine passes for 85 yards and a TD in 2021. Mississippi State: Defensive end Izuchukwu King Ani is in the transfer portal. He was a 4-star recruit in 2019. He played in three games in 2021. Missouri: Defensive lineman Ian Matthews, a 3-star recruit in 2021, is transferring to Mizzou. Ole Miss: Former Southern Cal teammates Jaxson Dart and Michael Trigg are transferring to Ole Miss. Dart started a few games after Kedon Slovis was injured and threw for 1,353 yards and nine touchdowns. Trigg, a Tampa native who is a former 4-star recruit, caught seven passes for the Trojans in 2021. Both Dart and Trigg have three years of eligibility remaining. South Carolina: Former Columbia running back Daniel “Little Turbo” Miller, will join South Carolina as a preferred walk-on after he graduates in May. He gained 1,281 yards and scored six touchdowns in 2021. Vanderbilt: Former UConn corner Jeremy Lucien will transfer to Vandy. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Joe Burrow has a Heisman Trophy and a national championship ring from his two years at LSU and now two years removed from that unbeaten season at LSU he haS quarterbacked the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl. I have to wonder how Ohio State fans must feel about now. They’ve had some very talented QBs like JT Barrett, Cardale Jones, Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields, but none of them have gotten the Buckeyes to the promised land nor since leaving Columbus have any of them gotten their NFL teams within sniffing distance of a Super Bowl. It has to be noted that Burrow doesn’t get a chance to add a Super Bowl title to his college national championship without a little help from a Gator. Evan McPherson kicked three field goals in Cincinnati’s 27-24 overtime win over Kansas City including a 52-yarder in addition to the game-winner. McPherson was 9-11 from 50 or more during the regular season. In the postseason he is 4-4.

This was not one of those just like we drew it up on the blackboard wins for the Florida Gators Saturday afternoon at the O-Dome. There is absolutely no way you can game plan coming back to win a game when your team is within a couple of breaths away from going belly up in the water at halftime. There is also no way you can write a script that calls for a rally led by a 6-9, 172-pound freshman center who just might be the skinniest player in all of Division I basketball and a guy so forgotten that most of the folks at the O-Dome and watching on ESPN2 were unaware that he was even still on the team. Imagine how surprised the Oklahoma State Cowboys were that the 13-point lead they held with 17:05 left in the game would dissipate because Tuongthach Gatkek and Niels Lane ignited spectacular reversal of fortune. The Cowboys had some video on the 6-9 Gatkek, who has seen his playing time increase substantially since injuries to Colin Castleton and Jason Jitoboh, but he never had anything like the kind of game he had Saturday. Lane hadn’t even sniffed the court since four minutes of mop-up time in Florida’s 87-62 blowout over Stony Brook just before Christmas. It’s hard to get more unknown than that. But there they were, two unexpected heroes lighting a match that became a five-alarm fire the way the Gators (13-8) went from one foot in the grave to an 81-72 win over Oklahoma State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Gatkek, who weighs more than 100 pounds less than the guy he replaced in the lineup (Jitoboh, who tips the scales at 285) scored a career high eight points. He was 4-6 from the foul line including a couple of critical free throws when the Cowboys were trying to trade fouls for possessions late in the game. In addition to his points, he had three rebounds, a steal and three blocked shots, the last one a spectacular two-handed roof of a rejection with 2:59 left in the game. He was quite the unexpected presence in the paint. “We got our two bigs out right now but every day in practice he pushes and pushes and pushes us,” Phlandrous Fleming Jr. said. Fleming finished the game with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal. “He got his chance today and he made a great impact. I’m real happy for Tuong.” Lane didn’t score a point, but his impact on the game can’t be measured at the offensive end. He did his damage on defense, playing 13 minutes after getting a surprise start at the outset of the second half. He was at the front of Florida’s 2-2-1 press that gave the Cowboys fits. After the Gators had erased the Oklahoma State deficit for a 58-56 lead, Lane came through with a spectacular block of a floater by Avery Anderson III with 7:40 left in the game that Tyree Appleby picked off and turned into a transition jumper at the other end. A little more than a minute later, Lane stuffed Anderson again. Then, with the Gators leading 65-61 with 4:26 to go Lane came up with a steal that led to Phlandrous Fleming Jr. nailing a three-pointer that extended the lead to seven. For his time on the court, the Gators were +14 points. “I thought Niels Lane was fantastic,” White said. “He played thirteen minutes and was +14. You’re +14 and you take one shot in thirteen minutes, it’s a good example for all young people and even his teammates that you can affect the game in so many ways. His energy level in press and half court was evident. It’s crazy how one guy can bring it like that, and it can rub off on the next guy who can rub off on the next guy.” Not the least bit surprised that Gatkek and Lane could play such critical roles were Appleby and Fleming. “They do it in practice every day so we weren’t surprised at how they can come out here and compete against another team,” Appleby said. He was Florida’s leading scorer with a career-high 21 points to go with three rebounds, four assists and three steals. This was different than practice, however, but when given a chance to produce when the Gators needed them most, both Gatkek and Lane didn’t blink. They came through as if they’ve been doing this all year. “They [coaches] told us before the game, if everyone did something that, one thing better than they have in the past and Niels and Tuong stepped up,” Fleming said. “They haven’t gotten as many minutes as they’ve wanted, but today they came in and made a great impact on the game.” That Gatkek and Lane were in the game at the outset of the second half had everything to do with White’s utter disgust with the way the Gators played the first 20 minutes. When the Cowboys went on an 11-0 run that doubled up the score (32-16), the Gators were off the rails at both ends of the floor. UF didn’t defend and couldn’t hit a shot. Toward the end of the half, the Gators got into an offensive rhythm which stopped the bleeding somewhat. The Gators went into the halftime locker room down 45-32 when Appleby was fouled with two seconds to go and he hit both free throws. How bad were the Gators defensively? In that first half, Oklahoma State hit 63.3 percent from the field overall and 70 percent (7-10) from the three-point line against a defense that okayed as if its feet were set in concrete. On the offensive end, the Gators were firing up SCUDs – 10-29 from the field and 5-20 from the three-point line. Bad defense and another appearance by the gang that can’t shoot straight. What more could go wrong? Perhaps the Gators expected a real tirade from White at halftime, but his outburst was confined to a single four-letter word. No, not one of those four-letter words you make it a point to avoid in mixed company nor was it one that would make comedian George Carlin’s list of the seven words you can never say on television. “Soft, soft … that’s all he said,” Tyree Appleby said when asked about White’s halftime speech. “Soft.” After he called his team soft, White decided to try something new so he altered his second half lineup substantially. The second half starters were Appleby and freshman Kowacie Reeves from the original starting five supplemented by freshman Elijah Kennedy, freshman Gatkek and sophomore Lane. On the bench were Fleming, Brandon McKissic and Anthony Duruji, who had started the game. Fleming took the benching personally. Asked what hurt more, starting the second half on the bench or being called soft by White, Fleming answered, “Soft … don’t nobody call me soft.” This was certainly a gamble on White’s part since Appleby was the only consistent scorer among the second half starters. Reeves has had a couple of 14-point games recently, but he’s still trying to figure things out so he’s up and down. Kennedy (30), Gatkek (13) and Lane (8) had combined for 51 points prior to Oklahoma State so who knew where the points were going to come from? White didn’t know the answer to that question either, but he did expect his second half starters to play hard and perhaps inspire the guys that he would bring off the bench. “We knew we had to shake something up,” White said. “Sometimes, honestly, you hate to admit it as a coach, but sometimes you are trying to tick a guy off or two. You’re trying to make a statement. Let’s just throw this lineup out there and maybe it will ignite somebody, and it did.” Where the new lineup clicked was on the defensive end. White was pressing full court and then mixing up his half court defense practically every possession. If the Cowboys were cool, calm and collected in the first half, the pack of pit bulls they saw at the beginning of the final 20 minutes unnerved them. Their lack of a quality ball handler among their point guards was an issue that the Gators pounced upon to seize control of the game. Oklahoma State had only four first half turnovers, but against Florida’s energized second half pressure, the Cowboys turned it over 12 times, which the Gators converted into 15 points. After hitting just about anything they threw up in the first half, Oklahoma State lost its touch and its offensive rhythm. The Cowboys were only 7-24 overall (29.1 percent) in the second half and only 1-8 (12.5 percent) from the three-point line. The reason Oklahoma State went stone cold in the second half had everything to do with the energy the Gators brought defensively. In the first half, the Cowboys got into the paint at will, scoring 20 of their 45 points inside against a Florida defense that lacked the will to move its feet. Even though the Gators were playing shorthanded and vertically challenged against the taller Cowboys, White expected the kind of effort he saw the entire game in Knoxville, where the Gators lost 78-71 on Wednesday. Even playing the entire second half against Tennessee without Jitoboh, who suffered an eye injury that has required surgery and will keep him out the rest of the season, the Gators never lacked for effort. “We are coming off a game where we played as hard as you can play,” White said. “We left every ounce of energy, fight, and level of physicality up in Knoxville.” It was obvious the Gators were lacking in every possible way in the first half, but things changed in the second. Much of it had to do with all those new faces in the starting lineup. Unexpected visits to the bench can be a stark reminder that a coach is willing to take his chances with guys who will give him the effort he expects. That four-letter word had quite an effect as well. “No one likes to be called soft, but we played soft in the first half,” White said. “We just did. Part of that is Oklahoma State played very tough and confidently, but we were good in the second twenty.” What happened in the second half is what the Gators are going to need if they are to remain competitive until Castleton can rejoin the lineup and provide an inside presence on both ends of the court. Without Castleton, the Gators are truly vertically challenged, but when they play with the energy, the hustle and determination they played with in the second half against Oklahoma State, they can overcome a number of deficiencies. The next three games – at Missouri (Wednesday), then home the next two against Ole Miss and Georgia – are winnable if the Gators play as hard and as tough as they did in the last 20 minutes against Oklahoma State. Win the next three and the Gators will be sitting at 16 wins and 6-5 in SEC play with seven to go. A 6-5 record in league play might sound mediocre to some, but as the SEC/Big 12 Challenge proved (SEC won 6-4), the SEC is as good as any conference in the country. Any team that can win nine or more games in the SEC has an exceptional chance to make the NCAA Tournament. Even with five losses and a 3-5 record in league play, the Gators are only two games out of third place. On paper this isn’t a team anyone would pick to make the NCAA Tournament but the games aren’t played on paper and any team that can play defense with the kind of ferocity we saw for a half Saturday, shouldn’t be discounted. The question is can the Gators play that hard consistently in the month of February? That’s what it will take to defy the odds and make the tournament despite so much adversity.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: THE LAST OFFICIAL VISIT WEEKEND IS HERE Back in the 1990s, the last official visit weekend was always reason for Florida fans to hold their collective breaths. That’s because Bobby Bowden and FSU held their football banquet that weekend and the Seminoles put on such a good event that they closed a remarkable number of highly regarded prospects. How many times during that era did the Gators go into that final weekend with a big lead on coveted prospects only to see FSU seal the deal on the final weekend? A lot has changed since then, particularly with the addition of an early signing date in December which has eliminate much of the February signing day suspense since 80 percent of the top prospects are already signed. This year is difference, however, because there seems to be more unsigned highly regarded prospects than we’ve seen since the implementation of the early signing day. The Gators and Billy Napier have already hosted linebacker Harold Perkins and safety Jacoby Matthews, but both are doing official visits to LSU this weekend as is wide receiver Caleb Douglas. If LSU doesn’t land them, there is a very good chance they’ll be Gators. Hybrid receiver Arlis Boardingham, who visited UF two weeks ago, is at Oregon this weekend. Running back TreVonte Citizen was at UF on an unofficial during the week, but he’s finishing out his official visits at Miami. Here are some of the prospects who will be in Gainesville: Wide receiver DJ Allen, offensive tackle Matthew McCoy, defensive lineman Caden Story, running back Jordan James and tight end Danny Lewis. If Allen and McCoy have good visits, they seem likely on Wednesday. Florida gets the last shot at Story, who was committed to Auburn but seems to be down to UF and Clemson. James is committed to Georgia but seems to be leaning to Oregon right now. Lewis visited Alabama last week. He’s from New Iberia, Louisiana, just down the road from Lafayette where Napier used to coach. I leave predicting recruiting classes to experts like Jason Higdon, but I do believe Florida fans aren’t going to be disappointed on Wednesday. This has the makings of one of the great recruiting comebacks in recent history. THE FLORIDA ROSTER AS OF JANUARY 28, 2022 (Counting signees, commitments and transfers) QUARTERBACKS (6) Emory Jones (6-2, 211, RJR), Anthony Richardson (6-4, 235, SO), Jack Miller III (6-4, 210, SO/Transfer from Ohio State), Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (6-2, 225, RFR), Jalen Kitna (6-4, 210, RFR) Committed: Max Brown (6-3, 200) RUNNING BACKS (5) NayQuan Wright (5-9, 196, JR), Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 203, RJR), Demarkcus Bowman (5-10, 193, SO), Montrell Johnson (5-11, 210, SO, Transferred from Louisiana) Committed (1): Trevor Etienne (5-9, 218) Gone (2): Dameon Pierce (5-10, 215, Graduate), Malik Davis (5-10, 207, Graduate) WIDE RECEIVERS (7) Justin Shorter (6-5, 228, SR), Trent Whittemore (6-4, 211, RSO), Ja’Markis Weston (6-3, 215, RSO), Xzavier Henderson (6-3, 195, SO), Ja’Quavion Fraziars (6-3, 220, SO), Marcus Burke (6-4, 187, RFR), Daejon Reynolds (6-2, 205, RFR) Gone (3): Jacob Copeland (6-0, 202, RJR, Transferred to Maryland), Rick Wells (6-1, 200, Graduate), Jordan Pouncey (6-1, 208, Graduate) TIGHT ENDS (6) Keon Zipperer (6-3, 242, JR), Jonathan Odom (6-5, 240, RFR), Gage Wilcox (6-4, 230, RFR), Nick Elksnis (6-6, 243, RFR) Signed (1): Tony Livingston (6-5, 265) Committed (1): Hayden Hanson (6-6, 255) Gone (1): Kemore Gamble (6-4, 243, Graduate, Transferred to UCF) OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (16) Richard Gouraige (6-5, 312, RJR), Ethan White (6-5, 319, JR), Kingsley Eguakun (6-4, 303, RSO), Josh Braun (6-6, 342, SO), Michael Tarquin (6-5, 302, RSO), Riley Simonds (6-3, 303, RSO), Will Harrod (6-5, 325, RSO), Richie Leonard (6-2, 310, SO), Austin Barber (6-6, 312, RFR), Yousef Mugharbil (6-4, 318, RFR) Jake Slaughter (6-5, 303, RFR), Kamryn Waites (6-8, 358, RFR/Transfer from Louisiana), O’Cyrus Torrence (6-5, 338, RJR/Transfer from Louisiana) Signed (2): David Conner (6-5, 295); Christian Williams (6-4, 319) Committed (1): Jalen Farmer (6-5, 325) Gone (3): Jean Delance (6-5, 307, Graduate); Stewart Reese (6-6, 345, Graduate); Gerald Mincey (6-6, 320, Transferred to Tennessee) DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (14) Griffin McDowell (6-4, 297, RJR), Dante Zanders (6-5, 291, RJR), Gervon Dexter (6-6, 303, SO), Princely Umanmeielen (6-4, 260, SO), Jaelin Humphries (6-3, 328, RSO), Desmond Watson (6-5, 390, SO), Jalen Lee (6-2, 305, SO), Lamar Goods (6-2, 332, RFR), Justus Boone (6-4, 252, RFR), Chris Thomas Jr. (6-5, 314, RFR), Tyreak Sapp (6-3, 251, RFR) Signed (2): Chris McClellan (6-3, 305); Jamari Lyons (6-4, 298) Committed (1): Andrew Savaiinaea (6-3, 260) Gone (4): Antonio Valentino (6-3, 312, Graduate), Daquan Newkirk (6-2, 308, Graduate), Tyrone Truesdell (6-2, 326, GR), Zachary Carter (6-4, 285, Graduate) LINEBACKERS/EDGE (10) Ventrell Miller (6-1, 226, SR), Brenton Cox Jr. (6-4, 253, RJR), David Reese (6-2, 230, RJR), Diwun Black (6-3, 228, JR), Lloyd Summerall III (6-5, 247, RSO), Derek Wingo (6-1, 224, SO), Antuan Powell (6-2, 255, RFR), Chief Borders (6-4, 241, RFR), Scooby Williams (6-2, 230, RFR) Signed (1): Shemar James (6-3, 215) Gone (6): Jeremiah Moon (6-5, 245, Graduate), Amari Burney (6-2, 239, Graduate), Lacedrick Brunson (6-2, 229, Graduate), Mohamoud Diabate (6-3, 227, Transferred to Utah), Khris Bogle (6-4, 240, transferred to Michigan State), Ty’Ron Hopper (6-2, 228, RSO, transferred to Missouri) SECONDARY (19) Trey Dean III (6-3, 206, RSR), Jedarrius Perkins (6-1, 182, JR), Jaydon Hill (6-0, 182, RSO), Avery Helm (6-1, 180, SO), Jason Marshall Jr. (6-0, 191, SO), Rashad Torrence II (6-0, 205, SO), Tre’Vez Johnson (5-11, 192, SO), Kamar Wilcoxson (6-1, 200, SO), Donovan McMillon (6-1, 197, SO), Mordecai McDaniel (6-1, 191, SO), Fenley Graham Jr. (5-9, 171, SO), Ethan Pouncey (6-1, 175, SO), Jordan Young (6-0, 185, RFR), Corey Collier Jr. (6-1, 180, RFR), Dakota Mitchell (5-11, 182, RFR), Jalen Kimber (6-0, 175, RFR/Transferred from Georgia) Signed (2): Kamari Wilson (6-0, 201), Devin Moore (6-3, 190) Committed (1): Miguel Mitchell (6-1, 205) Gone (1): Kaiir Elam (6-2, 196, NFL) SPECIAL TEAMS (4) Long snappers (2): Marco Ortiz (6-4, 233, RJR), Rocco Underwood (6-3, 229, RFR) Punter (1): Jeremy Crawshaw (6-4, 193, SO) Signed (1): Trey Smack (6-1, 200) HOW MANY HEALTHY BODIES WILL MIKE WHITE HAVE SATURDAY NIGHT? At some point, Mike White has to catch a break. He lost leading scorer and rebounder Colin Castleton indefinitely to a shoulder injury and it’s anybody’s guess how long he will be out of the lineup. He’s had to go the last two games without key reserve CJ Felder, who plays much larger than 6-7 and can defend four positions competently in addition to providing some offense off the bench. He’s lost several pounds in the last few days and if he’s able to play Saturday night when the Gators (12-8) host Oklahoma State (10-9) in the annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge how much strength and energy will be depleted? When Jason Jitoboh was on the floor Wednesday night when the Gators were playing Tennessee in Knoxville, the Gators were in control. At 6-11 and 285 pounds, he was a real presence on both ends of the court, keeping the Vols out of the paint defensively and setting such good screens offensively that the Gators got an abundance of open shots. When he went down with an eye injury, everything changed. Already down Castleton and Felder, the Gators had no size to combat the Vols so White had to rotate a lineup not much taller than some high school teams. If the Gators at least have Felder and Jitoboh back Saturday, I like their chances against Oklahoma State. If the Gators are down three bigs, it might be a very long night. SEC BASKETBALL Saturday’s games: Oklahoma State (10-9) at FLORIDA (12-8); No. 19 LSU (16-4) at TCU (13-4); Oklahoma (13-7) at No. 1 Auburn (19-1); Missouri (8-11) at No. 23 Iowa State (15-5); West Virginia (13-6) at Arkansas (15-5); No. 4 Baylor (18-2) at Alabama (13-7); Kansas State (10-9) at Ole Miss (10-10); No. 12 Kentucky (15-4) at No. 5 Kansas (17-2); Mississippi State (13-6) at No. 13 Texas Tech (15-5); Georgia (6-14, 1-6 SEC) at Vanderbilt (10-9, 2-5 SEC); No. 18 Tennessee (14-5) at Texas (15-5); South Carolina (12-7, 3-4 SEC) at Texas A&M (15-5, 4-3 SEC) BOB BOWLSBY ON THE 12-TEAM PLAYOFF MODEL You have to give it up for Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who has had to deal with more in the last nine months than anyone in college football. ESPN and Fox have told him they aren’t willing to negotiate a new television contract at least for the near future. Texas and Oklahoma have departed for the SEC. BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston have joined the Big 12 and he still doesn’t know how long Texas and Oklahoma are going to hang around. Despite all this difficulty, Bowlsby is rock solid on his support of the 12-team College Football Playoff model that he helped author last summer. He believes the six highest ranked conference champions should get the automatic berths. Here are some comments Bowlsby made on Sirius XM on Thursday regarding the playoff: The 12-team model: “I continue to believe the 12-team model is the right model. I don’t think eight goes far enough and there are others who believe that way as well.: Belief that despite opposition to the plan there will be expansion: “The irony of all of it is 18 months from now we’re going to be up against a hard time deadline because we’re going to be getting to year 12 and there isn’t a playoff past year 12. We will end up with an expanded playoff. I don’t think there’s any question about it.” BIG TEN CONTEMPLATES CUTTING BACK TO 8 GAMES, ELIMINTATING DIVISIONS Remember how so many in the Big Ten criticized the SEC for its 8-game conference schedule? Well, now it turns out the Big Ten is seriously contemplating eliminating divisions altogether and dropping one conference game so that everybody plays eight. The way the plan would work for the 14-team league is three permanent rivals then five teams home and home, followed by the other five teams home and home. This way every team in the league would play every other team in the league home-and-home every four years. Because there are no divisions, the Big Ten Championship Game would be the teams with the two best records. The Big Ten believes that by making these alterations to the way it currently schedules that it will give the league a better chance of landing two teams in the College Football Playoff each year once the playoff expands to 12 teams. By dropping one conference game it will allow the Big Ten to schedule games with its “alliance” partners from the Pac-12 and ACC. Should the Big Ten elect to go with these changes it will only isolate the ACC even more. The Big Ten is in favor of expanding the playoff to 12 teams. The Pac-12 says it’s willing to go with what the majority want. Only the ACC is trying to convince everyone that the 8-team model is best for everyone but nobody is buying it. At some point, the ACC is going to figure out that it has backed itself into a corner. The playoff is going to expand. It’s not a requirement that the ACC will be part of the new playoff format.

Think of what has been happening on Florida’s football recruiting front as a sprint to the finish, which was the last thing anyone expected when Napier stood at the podium and answered questions for the media when he was introduced to the Gator Nation back on December 5. Back then, Florida recruiting was in shambles, in part because Dan Mullen and his entire staff had been dismissed, but long before Mullen was fired, recruiting was in the tank. Transition recruiting classes are notoriously mediocre but what Napier is doing has a chance to buck that trend. He’s done surprisingly well with the high school kids and by supplementing that group with five transfers who could all start next season, it’s possible the Gators will wind up with a top ten class and that is before the spring transfer season kicks in. Currently, the Gators rank 16th in the 247Sports overall composite that includes transfers. When Napier took over the Gators were in the 70s. To break into the top ten, the Gators will need a very strong National Signing Day, which takes place next Wednesday. Florida’s current class has 15 high school kids and five transfers. The Gators are still heavily involved with 14 high school kids including 5-star linebacker Harold Perkins, 4-star safety Jacoby Matthews, 4-star defensive lineman Caden Story and 4-star running back TreVonte Citizen. There will be very little activity with the transfer portal until after spring practice. Figuring how many scholarships Napier has at his disposal is a bit complicated, but it breaks down like this. Due to the NCAA transfer waiver, Napier can replace up to seven who transfer out after December 15, 2021 with seven incoming transfers without it counting against the 85 scholarship limit. Essentially, that means Napier can have 92 on scholarship if he has seven who entered the portal on or after December 15. The Gators signed 22 high school and jucos of their max 25 in 2021 so three of the 10 high school signees from December count back to last year. With seven already signed to go with five already enrolled transfers, the magic maximum number of remaining signees – high school, junior college and transfers – is 20. Only Napier knows what will be the final combination, but if he maxes out, it will probably be 20-22 high school and jucos, with a minimum of 10, a maximum of 12 transfers. If Florida hits all its targets on Wednesday, it’s likely the Gators will move up at least 10 places in the recruiting class rankings for high school and juco kids. Adding in the five transfers already enrolled and transfers expected later in the spring and Florida could wind up with a combined top ten signing class. Combine the fact that UF recruiting was ranked in the 70s in early December with transition classes are notoriously weak and this will rank among the better recruiting jobs by a brand new coach in recent history. Here is a position-by-position look at the players already signed or committed and the kids we know the Gators are continuing to recruit: QUARTERBACK Signed/Committed (2) Jack Miller III (6-4, 210, Scottsdale, AZ/Ohio State transfer): He has a big arm with exceptional accuracy. Miller is a pure pocket passer who got caught up in the numbers game at Ohio State. He’s a former 4-star recruit out of high school. Urban Meyer offered him at Ohio State after his sophomore season in high school. Max Brown (6-3, 200, Tulsa, OK Lincoln Christian School): Brown is a dual threat who throws exceptionally well on the move. He threw for 2,750 yards and 41 touchdowns as a high school senior while rushing for 1,343 yards and 20 more TDs. RUNNING BACK Signed/Committed (2) Montrell Johnson (5-11, 210, New Orleans, LA/Louisiana transfer): Johnson earned Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2021 when he ran for 838 yards (5.17 per carry) and 12 touchdowns in Billy Napier’s offense at Louisiana. He is a move the pile type who has good top speed once he gets to the second level. Trevor Etienne (5-9, 217, Jennings, LA): The younger brother of former Clemson All-American and Jacksonville Jaguars first round pick Travis Etienne, Trevor chose the Gators over LSU, Alabama and Clemson. He is a built low to the ground power back who is a one-cut type, who accelerates through tackles. He ran for 4,629 yards and 59 touchdowns in his high school career. Still recruiting (2) TreVonte Citizen (6-0, 217, Lake Charles, LA Lake Charles College Prep): Florida has been all over him ever since Napier took the job. He is a slasher of a runner who can find another gear once he gets to the second level. Some think he’s a longshot and that he will decide between LSU and Auburn but he is doing a midweek unofficial visit to Florida so the Gators are definitely in it. Jordan James (5-10, 205 Murfreesboro, TN Oakland): He is a between the tackles guy who breaks off a lot of long runs because he has great vision and cutback ability. He is a Georgia verbal but he’s not exactly a mortal lock because Florida and Oregon are definitely in it. Jabbar Juluke has gotten Florida in the door. WIDE RECEIVER Signed/Committed: None Still recruiting DJ Allen (6-0, 190, Gladewater, TX): He runs a 10.8 100 meters so this could be the deep threat the Gators are lacking. Allen plays four varsity sports – football, basketball, baseball and track. He decommitted TCU but new Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes has made him a priority. Florida is in great shape because of the relationship Allen has had with wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, who was recruiting him at Southern Cal. As a senior he threw for 741 yards, ran for 1,008 and caught 12 passes for 288 yards. Playing wide receiver only as a junior, he caught 59 passes for 1,316 yards and 17 TDs. Caleb Douglas (6-3, 185, Missouri City, TX): He’s a tall, rangy receiver who made the transition from quarterback as a junior. He caught 51 passes for 984 yards and eight TDs as a senior. It’s going to be either UF or LSU. He will visit LSU this weekend. Arlis Boardingham (6-4, 225, Van Nuys, CA): Some list him as an athlete and others as a tight end. He’s sort of a hybrid like Kyle Pitts in that he can flex out wide, play the slot or be the motion man. He caught 43 passes for 836 yards and 15 TDs. He’s down to two choices, Florida or Oregon. TIGHT END Signed/Committed (2) Tony Livingston (6-6, 265, Tampa, FL King): Signed back in December. Does he remain at tight end or does he grow into an offensive tackle? He’s very athletic and has good foot speed. Hayden Hanson (6-6, 255, Weatherford, TX): He was committed to Napier at Louisiana but followed the coach to UF. He has good hands and is a beast after the catch (he caught 38 passes for 369 yards and three TDs) but he has the kind of frame that could allow him to grow into an offensive tackle as well. Still recruiting (1) Danny Lewis, TE (6-4, 235, New Iberia, LA Westgate): He’s a hybrid receiver who has good enough speed to line up on the outside but he’s more likely a slot or motion guy in college. His recruiting has blown up recently. When he decides it will be between LSU, Alabama and Florida. OFFENSIVE LINE Signed/Committed (5) O’Cyrus Torrence (6-5, 338, Greensburg, LA/Louisiana transfer): Torrence was first team All-Sun Belt the last two years playing for Napier at Louisiana. He is a plug and play guy, who will start at one of the guards or possibly at right tackle. He is perhaps the most highly coveted O-line transfer in the country. Kamryn Waites (6-8, 358, Dallas, TX/Louisiana transfer): You can’t teach this kind of size. He is Florida’s largest offensive lineman since Trenton Brown, now a left tackle mainstay in the NFL. He’s powerful and has quick feet in pass protection. Christian Williams (6-5, 320, Missouri City, TX Fort Bend Marshall): He was committed to Napier and Louisiana. When Napier moved to Florida, he wanted to be a Gator. He is a 3-star recruit who will play guard at the next level. David Conner (6-6, 290, Deerfield Beach, FL): Conner is an offensive tackle who committed to the previous staff. He’s got long arms and good feet but will need a couple of years to get ready to play at the SEC level. Jalen Farmer (6-5, 325, Covington, GA): He’s a road grader of a guard who was committed to the previous staff. He did his official visit two weekends ago. He is committed but hasn’t signed. Kentucky is recruiting him hard. Still recruiting Matthew McCoy (6-6, 290, Saint Augustine, FL Creekside): Officially he’s still considering Florida and Miami. Unofficially, it will be a major upset if he’s anything but a Gator on signing day. He added 25 pounds of muscle from his junior to senior year and has the frame to add another 20 or so pounds. He’s a 3-star recruit who will probably project as a right tackle. DEFENSIVE LINE Signed/Committed (3) Chris McClellan (6-4, 299, Owasso, OK): This was a real coup for the Gators to land McClellan over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, reach out and touch distance from his home town. He’s a 4-star recruit who can play either tackle or end. Power guy who shucks O-linemen with his strong hands. Jamari Lyons (6-4, 300, Viera, FL): He chose the Gators over South Carolina after Napier and strength coach Mark Hocke visited. What sealed the deal was UF hiring former New York Giants D-line coach Sean Spencer as the co-defensive coordinator. Andrew Savaiinaea (6-4, 265, Graham, WA Graham-Kapowsin): He is a recent commitment who selected the Gators over Oregon, Washington and Nebraska. He’s a 3-star recruit, a bull rusher who plays the run very well. Still recruiting Caden Story, DL (6-3, 285, Lannett, AL): He is a 4-star D-lineman with a wingspan of nearly seven feet. He’s capable of playing every position on the D-line. He needs to add upper body strength but he has a powerful lower body. This will come down to Florida or Clemson with Auburn trying to make a late run. Jayson Jenkins (6-6, 257, Lawrenceville, NJ Notre Dame): He is a 3-star recruit who has picked up plenty of interest in recent weeks. He visited UF last weekend and will be doing an official visit to Tennessee this weekend. Whoever made the biggest impression these last two visits will get him. He will add another 20 pounds and play weakside defensive end in college. LINEBACKER Signed/Committed (1) Shemar James (6-3, 215, Mobile, AL Faith Academy): In the days leading up to the early signing day in December, he was expected to choose between Alabama and Georgia. Florida quietly moved in and landed him, quite a surprise for Nick Saban and Kirby Smart, who aren’t accustomed to losing 4-star recruiting battles to the Gators. He’s a sideline-to-sideline type who has run an 11.6 100 meters. He’s a Will Allen type who spends his life in the backfield. Still recruiting (4) Harold Perkins (6-3, 210, Cypress, TX Cy Park): He is a 5-star who was a longtime Texas A&M commitment who didn’t sign in December. When he made an official visit to UF, the Gators made up lost ground and got a huge assist from Kamari Wilson. Perkins de-committed the Aggies earlier in the week. LSU has tried to move in but so has Deion Sanders with Jackson State. The Aggies could prove to be quite persuasive in the next few days and reel Perkins back in but right now the Gators probably lead with the Aggies and Jackson State trying to change his mind. Kevonte Henry, LB (6-4, 225, Lawndale, CA): He decommitted Michigan and that decision probably sticks with Michigan DC Mike McDonald expected to leave for the NFL. He lines up all over the field but projects as an edge rusher at the next level. The 3-star recruit is expected to choose between Oklahoma and UF. Emmar’rion Winston (6-3, 240, Portland, OR Portland Catholic): He is a 3-star recruit and a prototypical inside linebacker. He became far more productive as a senior after losing about 15-20 pounds. Expectations are that he will choose between Florida and Washington, although Oregon gets him in for the final visit weekend and Tosh Lupoi will be recruiting him. Chase Fambro (6-2, 235, Griffin, GA Spalding): He is committed to Army, but he’s gotten a lot of recent interest from some power schools. Wake Forest is going after him hot and heavy. He was on campus this week at Florida. SECONDARY Signed/Committed (4) Kamari Wilson (6-0, 200, Fort Pierce, FL/Bradenton, FL IMG Academy): Wilson was thought to be a Georgia lock, but the Gators made a late move on the 5-star safety, getting a huge assist on Wilson from support staffer Jamar Chaney, who is from Fort Pierce. That got Napier in the door at IMG. When Napier and Toney crossed the state to visit Wilson’s mom, it sealed it that he would be a Gator. Devin Moore (6-2, 180, Naples, FL): He was an early signing day surprise. He was thought to be a lock for Notre Dame but when Brian Kelly left for LSU, Moore opened up his recruiting. What sealed the deal for Florida was hiring Corey Raymond as the corners coach. Moore is a big cover corner with great ball instincts. Jalen Kimber (6-0, 175, Mansfield, TX/Georgia transfer): This was a big pickup. Kimber was expected to be a starter in the Georgia secondary in 2021 but injuries limited him to one game. He was a 4-star recruit out of high school. He has four seasons of eligibility remaining. Miguel Mitchell (6-1, 205, Oxford, AL): He is a rangy 3-star safety who picked up a lot of interest from November onward. He picked Florida over offers from Tennessee, Oregon, LSU and Southern Cal largely because UF co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney was early to offer and stuck with him throughout the process. Still recruiting (1) Jacoby Mathews, S (6-2, 195, Ponchatoula, LA): Can the Gators steal one from right out under LSU’s nose? He’s a 4-star safety with a who’s who offer list that includes Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and Michigan. He’s tight with Wilson and Perkins plus Florida hired Corey Raymond from the LSU staff. Ponchatoula is an hour from Baton Rouge and that’s where he will be this weekend. LSU is probably the slight favorite, but Florida has a legitimate shot. SPECIAL TEAMS Signed/Committed (1) Trey Smack (6-2, 200, Severna Park, MD): He might be the closest thing the Gators have seen to Evan McPherson. A real thunder foot who puts kickoffs out of the end zone and with range to 60 yards on field goals. He’s a 3-star recruit but he will have a 5-star impact on the 2022 Gators.

Gervon Dexter joined The Buddy Martin Show last week with Buddy, Ben Troupe and Franz Beard. This is a modified list of questions and answers, edited by Kyle Curtis of GatorBait. Question: Can you talk about the core group of the defense? Answer: “Ventrell [Miller] coming back is big, he has always been a leader to me on and off the field. He knows what the d-line, safeties, and even what the [opposing] offense is doing. Trey Dean coming back is huge too. In the d-line room, we are kind of young, but I will bring that leadership role to my group. Brenton Cox will bring his leadership to his outside linebacker group. It just works out that each group has a leader to look up to.” Coming off a season where Dexter was one of the few consistent parts of the team, contributing 50 total tackles with 2.5 sacks, he is ready to fully accept the leadership role of this defense. Question: How did Antonio Valentino help you step into your role this year? Answer: “Him coming in for me was huge, if it wasn’t for him coming, I would have had to step into a role I wasn’t fully prepared for. Off the field, Antonio is very smart he knows a lot about the life and history of the game. Teaching me the little things… Antonio coming was a huge blessing for me, he knew a lot more than I did and was a huge help for me.” Valentino, a grad transfer from Penn State, started in 8 of the 12 games he appeared in for the Gators while contributing 15 total tackles and a sack. He served as the veteran in the locker room and helped paved the way for guys, such as Dexter, to succeed in the trenches. Question: How has the Gator Collective helped you since joining? Answer: “It was a huge help to us financially and gave us a way to communicate and learn about people. I wished a kid a happy birthday, and just to see his face light up gives joy to both sides… The recruits are going to want to go the places with the best NIL deal… it will definitely help out in recruiting.” Getting a head start with this new era in college football and accepting the NIL deal will do nothing but help Florida on the recruiting trail, and even the transfer portal. As Gervon stated, these recruits are going to want to go the places where NIL deals are more attractive. The Gator Collective has done a "terrific job" up to this point at putting players first while getting the fans involved as well. Question: What part of your game have you been working on the most? Answer: “There are lots of techniques I have been working on. One of the biggest things I’ve taken on is learning more about the game. I’m very new to the game, there are things that happen to me during the game, and I didn’t know why that was happening to me. This off-season I’ve learned more about the game and schemes, different kinds of plays and schemes. I’ve been going with coach P (Pasqualoni) just learning through him since he has years of experience in NFL and college.” With Dexter having intentions of turning pro in the next few years, his physical ability is not a question. He is known for taking on multiple blockers and being a powerhouse in the backfield. Taking on the learning aspect of the game will improve IQ and performance on the field for this Gator front seven. Question: Do you feel like the team has something to prove? Answer: “Attitude is contagious. The attitude that Coach Napier and his staff have brought in has been a very positive change. I feel like they brought a winning attitude onto us… as long as we follow that and what they have planned for us I feel like it will be a good season.” Dexter’s comments regarding the coaching staff and the new mindset reflect the buy-in by the players -- not only the new staff but the culture. If Dexter’s thoughts are any indication of what the rest of his teammate’s thoughts are, Florida is in a strong position to move back up in the college football landscape. Question: Talk about the new strength staff and attitude in the weight room. Answer: “The new strength staff has been great for us; they are all competitors. Each position has their own strength coach, I like that because you have someone you can go to relate to. Each of them had all either played or are very familiar with that position, I feel like that has been a huge thing for us.” The effects of Napier’s "Army" are already showing benefits. Dexter pointed out that it is nice to have a big strength staff because it makes it easier to have more personal relationships and easier to relate. It also benefits that the coach knows the position, therefore knowing what sort of workouts need to be in place for certain positions and establishing that relationship. Question: If the game can slow down for you how dangerous can that make you as a player? Answer: “These past two years I mainly played off talent. If I can just take my game to the next level and just let it slow down for me, I know I can have a huge year. This spring I am focusing on using all my resources… that’s something I’m going to take on and use for sure.” Being able to utilize all the resources and new minds within the program will not only help out Dexter but everyone within the program. Question: Do you feel everyone on the team has accepted the new coaching change? Answer: “You get another chance to play again. You get a fresh start… Regardless of the coach some of those things should just be common-sense we can’t do those things again. Coach Napier came in and brought in that positive mindset. What he said to us that first meeting I felt he was 100% honest and I know all my teammates felt the same way as well. We’re ready to work for sure.” While it is hard to say goodbye to the coaching staff that recruited you, it seems from the outside looking in the players have looked at the coaching change with a glass half full mindset. Having the team buy into Napier’s vision is vital to success on this level and it seems he was able to achieve that within his first time talking to the team, according to Dexter. Question: What do you think of the new facilities? Answer: “It will play a huge, huge role in recruitment… It will give us a one-up because ours will be newer and have a lot of new things in it.” Having the new facilities being built will keep the Gators up to pace with the likes of the Alabama’s and Georgia’s of the world. This will be another recruiting tactic to use and be very beneficial to the current players as well.

She has won five straight SEC games, three against ranked team. (Photo by Chris Spears) It has been since 1998 that the Gators have reached a Sweet 16. Florida’s Scott Stricklin has indicated he doesn’t want to make an official decision on who the new permanent head coach will be until the season is over. By KYLE CURTIS GatorBait Intern Kelly Rae Finley is the interim head basketball coach at The University of Florida. But maybe not for long. Taking over a women’s program that has been through some hardships after the departure of previous coach, Cam Newbauer, in July her goal was to get her team back on the court and focus on success. That is just what she has done. Coming off back-to-back wins vs. ranked team in the same week she was able to capture ESPN’s coach of the week honors – unheard of from an interim coach in her first full season. She has her team in a position to make a run for the national tournament for the first time since 2016. Finley’s coaching career began at Harvard, where she was an assistant coach from 2008 to 2012. From there, she then had stints at Arizona and Colorado until finally winding up at Florida. While at Harvard, Finley had three postseason appearances in the WNIT from 2010 to 2012. One of her titles at Harvard was head recruiting coordinator, where she was able to recruit the Ivy League’s first-ever McDonald’s All-American in Temitope Fagbenle. She had similar roles at Colorado, where she assisted the Buffalo in gaining a top 25 recruiting class. Finley originally got to Gainesville and assumed the role of specializing in guard development as an assistant coach. Before becoming the interim head coach, she was able to get some head coaching experience under her belt whenever she had to step in last season, as Newbauer had to miss time due to health and safety protocols. Under Finley’s rein she has secured Florida’s first season above .500 since 2016-2017. Senior guard, Kiki Smith is averaging nearly 19 points per game and putting up a case for all-SEC honors at the end of the season. The Gators look to take the momentum they’ve gained behind their new leader into the conference tournament and hopefully, the NCAA Women’s Tournament come April. It has been since 1998 that the Gators have reached a Sweet 16. Florida’s Scott Stricklin has indicated he doesn’t want to make an official decision on who the new permanent head coach will be until the season is over. Nonetheless, Finley has made her strong case and has her team playing hard behind her, boasting a 15-5 record along with five straight SEC wins, three against ranked opponents. With these women playing their best basketball in recent years, it will be hard to not consider Finley for the job once the season concludes. Finley has taken the reins of a team that has been through so much together and overcome even more and has helped produce a winning attitude on the floor.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: SHORT-HANDED GATORS FALL SHORT AGAINST THE VOLS Colin Castleton missed his fourth straight basketball game Wednesday night when the Gators faced 18th-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville. CJ Felder, who’s been sick for the last few days and missed Monday night’s Ole Miss game, tried to give it a go in the second half but he’s lost a lot of weight and didn’t have his strength. Late in the first half, Jason Jitoboh, who has been starting at center in Castleton’s absence, took an inadvertent shot to the face by a Tennessee big guy. Hit in the eye, he was unable to play in the second half. As Florida coach Mike White pointed out after the Gators (12-8, 3-5 SEC) dropped a 78-71 decision to the Vols (14-5, 5-3 SEC) at Thompson-Boling Arena, nobody is going to feel sorry for the Gators because they played short-handed. We’ve been given no timeframe for Castleton’s return to the lineup and we won’t know the extent of Jitoboh’s injury until he’s seen by Florida’s doctors in Gainesville today. Felder should be back for Saturday’s game at the O-Dome with Oklahoma State (10-8) in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge but how effective will he be and how much of his strength has the illness drained from him? If they gave points for effort, then the Gators would have won the game Wednesday night. The Gators played so hard at both ends of the court, but they don’t give points or participation trophies for trying hard. Tennessee had more talent, made more shots did a better job defending in the second half. The Gators led by as many as 13 points in the first half and went into the locker ahead, 42-38, but when Jitoboh went down with 2:27 remaining everything changed at both ends of the court. With the 6-11, 285-pounder in the game, the Gators had a post presence defensively. The Vols scored only two points in the paint in the first half. Offensively, he set the screens that freed the Gators for one of their better shooting halves of the season – 15-29 from the field overall and 7-16 from the three-point line. Without Jitoboh in the second half, the Gators had to go small with Duruji at center or skinny with Tuongthach Gatkek. The Vols scored 18 in the paint and the Gators slumped to 11-31 shooting overall and just 3-17 from the three-point line. “Jason is our best screener, then they get to where they’re switching in the second half, and we can’t take advantage of those switches on the interior,” White said. “Just not much of an interior threat there in the second twenty.” Yet, despite the significant absence of Jitoboh, the Gators hung with the Vols and were within three – 74-71 – with 31 seconds left after Tyree Appleby bombed in a three-ball from the corner. That was as close at it got. The Vols went 4-4 from the foul line the rest of the way and the Gators couldn’t knock down a shot. Duruji and Appleby each scored 16 to lead the Gators, who got 11 from Phlandrous Fleming Jr. and 10 from Myreon Jones. SEC BASKETBALL Wednesday’s scores: No. 18 Tennessee (14-5, 5-3 SEC) 78, FLORIDA (12-8, 3-5 SEC) 71; Arkansas (15-5, 5-3 SEC) 64, Ole Miss (10-10, 2-6 SEC) 55; South Carolina (12-7, 3-4 SEC) 70, Vanderbilt (10-9, 2-5 SEC 61; No. 19 LSU (16-4, 4-4 SEC) 70, Texas A&M (15-5, 4-3 SEC) 64 Saturday’s games: Oklahoma State (10-9) at FLORIDA (12-8); No. 19 LSU (16-4) at TCU (13-4); Oklahoma (13-7) at No. 1 Auburn (19-1); Missouri (8-11) at No. 23 Iowa State (15-5); West Virginia (13-7) at Arkansas (15-5); No. 4 Baylor (18-2) at Alabama (13-7); Kansas State (10-9) at Ole Miss (10-10); No. 12 Kentucky (16-4) at No. 5 Kansas (17-2); Mississippi State (13-6) at Texas Tech (15-5); No. 18 Tennessee (14-5) at Texas (15-5) FOOTBALL TRANSFERS IN THE SEC AS OF JANUARY 26, 2022 Outgoing starters in boldface ALABAMA Out (12): WR Javon Baker (Kentucky); LB Shane Lee (Southern Cal); QB Paul Tyson (Arizona State); TE Jahleel Billingsley (Texas); OT Tommy Brown (Colorado); LB Drew Sanders (Arkansas); LB King Mwikuta (Arkansas State); LB Jackson Bratton (UAB); OT Pierce Quick (Georgia Tech); WR Xavier Williams (Utah State); CB Marcus Banks (Mississippi State); P Ty Perine In (2): RB Jaymyr Gibbs (Georgia Tech); CB Eli Ricks (LSU); WR Jermaine Burton (Georgia) ARKANSAS Out (16): LB Andrew Parker; RB Trelon Smith; CB Greg Brooks Jr. (LSU); S Joe Foucha (LSU); DL Jalen Williams (Southern Miss); CB Devin Bush; CB Nick Turner (Toledo); WR Kendall Catalon; OT Ray Curry Jr.; WR Darin Turner (Alabama A&M); S Jermaine Hampton-Jordan; LB JT Towers; DL Andy Boykin; RB Josh Oglesby (Stephen F. Austin); K Vito Calvaruso; DL Solomon Wright In (6): CB Dwight McGlothern (LSU); LB Drew Sanders (Alabama); EDGE Landon Jackson (LSU); WR Jadon Haselwood (Oklahoma); QB Cade Fortin (South Florida); S Latavious Brini (Georgia) AUBURN Out (14): DL Ian Matthews; OT/TE J.J. Pegues (Ole Miss); DL Lee Hunter (UCF); LB Romello Height (Southern Cal); DL Daniel Foster-Allen (South Alabama); CB Eric Reed; CB Dreshun Miller; WR Kobe Hudson (UCF); LB Nick Curtis; DL Dre Butler (Liberty); S Ahmari Harvey (Georgia Tech); QB Bo Nix (Oregon); OL Tashawn Manning (Kentucky); S Ladarius Tennison (Ole Miss); WR Elijah Canion (Purdue); RB Shaun Shivers (Indiana); EDGE Caleb Johnson In (5): QB Robby Ashford (Oregon); DL Jayson Jones (Oregon); QB Zach Calzada (Texas A&M); CB DJ James (Oregon); LB Eugene Asanta (North Carolina) FLORIDA Out (7): LB Mohamoud Diabate (Utah); WR Jacob Copeland (Maryland); EDGE Khris Bogle (Michigan State); OL Gerald Mincey (Tennessee); CB Elijah Blades (Buffalo); TE Kemore Gamble (UCF); LB Ty’Ron Hopper (Missouri) In (5): Jalen Kimber (Georgia); RB Montrell Johnson (Louisiana); OL O’Cyrus Torrence (Louisiana); OL Kamryn Waites (Louisiana); QB Jack Miller III (Ohio State) GEORGIA Out (8): WR Jermaine Burton (Alabama); QB JT Daniels; S Latavious Brini (Arkansas); CB Lovasea Carroll (South Carolina); CB Jalen Kimber (Florida); WR Justin Robinson (Mississippi State); CB Ameer Speed (Michigan State); WR Jaylen Johnson In: None KENTUCKY Out (13): CB Cedric Dort (Wisconsin); WR Isaiah Epps (Tulsa); LB Marquez Bembry; S Moses Douglass (Kent State); DL Isaiah Gibson (Marshall); LB KD McDaniel (UCF); RB Torrance Davis; LB Jared Casey (Indiana); OT Naasir Watkins; RB Travis Tisdale; OT Jake Pope; QB Nik Scalzo; WR Tre’von Morgan In (4): QB Deuce Hogan (Iowa); DL Darrion Henry-Young (Ohio State); DL Tashawn Manning (Auburn); WR Tayvion Robinson (Virginia Tech) LSU Out (11): CB Dwight McGlothern (Arkansas); WR Alex Adams (Akron); WR Trey Palmer (Nebraska); WR Deion Smith; QB Max Johnson (Texas A&M); EDGE Landon Jackson (Arkansas); CB Eli Ricks (Alabama); LB Navonteque Strong; WR Koy Moore; DL Eric Taylor; WR Devonta Lee In (12): DL Mekhi Wingo (Missouri); OT Tre’Mond Shorts (East Tennessee State); P Jay Bramblett (Notre Dame); LB West Weeks (Virginia); WR Kyren Lacey (Louisiana); RB Noah Cain (Penn State); CB Greg Brooks Jr. (Arkansas); S Mekhi Williams-Garner (Louisiana); S Joe Foucha (Arkansas); Long snapper Slade Roy (East Carolina); OT Miles Frazier (Florida International); CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse (Oklahoma State) MISSISSIPPI STATE Out (12): WR Theodore Knox; WR Malik Heath; S Landon Guidry; K Nolan McCord; CB Kyle Cass; WR Quinton Torbor; OT Calvin McMillian (Southern Miss); EDGE Aaron Odom (Southern Miss); DL Armondous Cooley (Southern Miss); S Janari Dean (Southern Miss); LB Aaron Brule (Michigan State); S Londyn Craft; QB Jack Abraham In (7): K Ben Rayben (Northern Colorado); K Massimo Biscardi (Coastal Carolina); WR Justin Robinson (Georgia); WR Jordan Mosley (Northwestern); CB Jackie Matthews (West Virginia); LB Marcus Banks (Alabama); OL Steve Losoya (Middle Tennessee) MISSOURI Out (12): DL Mekhi Wingo (LSU); S Shawn Robinson (Kansas State); QB Connor Bazelak (Indiana); WR Jay Maclin (North Texas); EDGE Jatorian Hansford (South Florida); S Ishmael Burdine (TCU); TE Messiah Swinson (Arizona State); TE Daniel Parker (Oklahoma); OT Chris Shearin; LB Jamie Pettway (Florida Atlantic); OT J’Marion Gooch; RB Simi Bakare In (7): OG Bence Polgar (Buffalo); LB Tyrone Hopper (North Carolina); OT Jayden Jenigan (Oklahoma State); CB Dreyden Norwood (Texas A&M); S Joseph Charleston (Clemson); LB Ty’Ron Hopper (Florida); RB Nathaniel Peat (Stanford) OLE MISS Out (18): RB Henry Parrish (Miami); DB Tylan Knight (Southern Miss); CB Jalen Jordan (South Alabama); OL Bryce Ramsey (Southern Miss); WR Jadon Jackson; QB John Rhys Plumlee (UCF); CB JaKorey Hawkins (Wyoming); DL Quentin Bivens (Southern Miss); DL Sincere David; WR Jamar Richardson (South Alabama); TE DaMarcus Thomas (South Alabama); DL Patrick Lucas (Indiana); DL LeDarrius Cox (Indiana); LB Daylen Gill (Southern Miss); LB Mohamed Sanogo (Louisville); WR Brice Johnson (Houston); S Dink Jackson; CB Keidron Smith In (7): OT/TE J.J. Pegues (Auburn); LB Troy Brown (Central Michigan); S Isheem Young (Iowa State); OT Mason Brooks (Western Kentucky); WR Jordan Watkins (Louisville); S Ladarius Tennison (Auburn); RB Zach Evans (TCU) SOUTH CAROLINA Out (8): TE Keveon Mullins (Jackson State); QB Jason Brown (Virginia Tech); OL Vincent Murphy (Western Kentucky); WR Dominick Hill; LB Jahmar Brown; WR Ger-Caro Caldwell; LB Rosendo Louis; WR OrTre Smith; LB Kolbe Fields In (7): CB Lovasea Carroll (Georgia); WR Antwane Wells (James Madison); RB Christian Beal-Smith (Wake Forest); S Devonni Reed (Central Michigan); DL Terrell Dawkins (North Carolina State); TE Austin Stogner (Oklahoma); QB Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma) TENNESSEE Out (12): WR Kaemen Marley; TE Trinity Bell; OT K’Rojhn Calbert (Eastern Kentucky); WR Andison Coby; Long Snapper Will Albright; RB Dee Beckwith; RB Tiyon Evans (Louisville); LB Morven Joseph (Florida Atlantic); QB Harrison Bailey (UNLV); RB Carlin Fils-aime; RB Tee Hodge (Indiana State); QB Brian Mauer (Stephen F. Austin); DL Chris Akporoghene In (4): TE Charlie Browder (UCF); QB Navy Shuler (Appalachian State); OT Gerald Mincey (Florida); LB Jackson Hannah (Nebraska) TEXAS A&M Out (7): RB Darvon Hubbard (Temple); S Erick Young; RB Deondre Jackson (Nebraska); QB Zach Calzada (Auburn); CB Dreyden Norwood (Missouri); EDGE Antonio Doyle (Jackson State); EDGE RJ Orebo In (1): QB Max Johnson (LSU) VANDERBILT Out (14): OT Tyler Steen; Edge Alex Williams; LB Brayden DeVault-Smith; S Brendon Harris; WR Amir Abdur-Rahim; WR Cam Johnson; DL Lorenza Surgers (Minnesota); CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally; DL Terion Sugick (Arkansas State); QB Jeremy Moussa (Florida A&M); DL Marcus Bradley (UMass); DL Jacques Hunter; RB Ja’Veon Marlow; S Dashaun Jenkins In (1): LB Kane Patterson (Clemson) ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: University of North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham made this comment to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports when talking about the future of collegiate athletics: “I do think we’re probably 2-3 years away from having a different relationship with our student-athletes. It won’t necessarily be the student and the university. It may be the employee-employer.” Translation: If you believe there is such a thing as a “student-athlete” then enjoy the next two or three years because it won’t exist much longer. Writing for another publication several years ago I threw out the concept that we weren’t that far away from athletes being given the choice of becoming contracted, salaried employees whose job it is to play and train for their sport or scholarship athletes who get a stipend along with room, board, tuition, books and fees. I believe there will be the scholarship option because the majority of scholarship athletes know they better get a degree since they are not going to play professionally when their college days are over. As for the athletes under contract, imagine this: A QB who is an employee has a bad game. He comes to work on Monday morning only to find his locker has been cleaned out and a note to go see the boss because he’s been terminated. A kid whose dream it has been to be a Gator all his life arrives on the same day only to find out he’s been traded to Boise State for a punter and a linebacker to be named later. The traditional Florida jersey will prominently display corporate logos. Are you ready for the Publix Gators? Maybe you think this is preposterous and that it can’t or won’t happen. Maybe not exactly as I have described it, but trust me, I’m not all that far off.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: THE ROAD BACK TO SUPER POWER STATUS 1. Once a college football super power … : From 1990-2009 the Florida Gators had the best record in all of college football – 202-52-1 – with eight SEC championships and three national championships to show for their efforts. Trailing the Gators in the top ten for that era are Ohio State (193-54-3), Nebraska (192-60-1), Miami (184-60), Texas (184-63-2), Florida State (182-67-1), Tennessee (182-62-2), Virginia Tech (176-76-1), Penn State (174-72) and Michigan (174-69-3). Since 2010, here are the records of that 1990-2009 top ten and their national rank: Florida 95-57 (28); Ohio State 123-21 (4); Nebraska 81-68 (56); Miami 90-61 (38); Texas 83-67 (52); Florida State 104-50 (13); Tennessee 73-75 (68); Virginia Tech 95-62 (28); Penn State 98-53 (21) and Michigan 99-50 (21). Now, here is the top ten since 2010 and where they ranked from 1990-2009: Alabama 150-17 (36); Clemson 137-28 (25); Oklahoma 129-29 (11); Ohio State 123-21 (2); Georgia 122-39 (12); Boise State 119-33 (40); Wisconsin 115-41 (19); Oregon 115-39 (16); LSU 114-40 (22) and Oklahoma State 113-42 (69). It should be noted that Alabama and Clemson have had the same coach the last 12 years. During the same time span, Florida has gone through four – Urban Meyer (“retired” after 2010); Will Muschamp (2011-14); Jim McElwain (2015-17) and Dan Mullen (2018-21). That has plenty to do with why the Gators are 55 games behind Alabama in the win column and 40 in the loss column; 43 wins and 29 losses behind Clemson. Georgia, Florida’s most intense rival, was 170-74-1 from 1990-2009, 32 games behind the Gators in the win column and 22 behind in the loss column. Since 2010, the Gators are 27 behind Georgia in the win column and 18 in the loss column. Georgia, it must be noted, has had only two coaches in the last 12 years and Kirby Smart had a strong foundation left by Mark Richt from which to take the Bulldogs to another level. It is worth pointing out the won-loss discrepancies to understand the daunting task ahead of Billy Napier. A lot of the problem is perception. This is a what have you done for me lately era and Alabama and Georgia have done plenty in the last 12 years while Muschamp, McElwain and Mullen each authored a losing season. There is also something to be said about embracing the facilities arms race, which factors heavily in recruiting. Florida is playing catch-up in that regard and that’s something that should have NEVER happened. 2. Regaining super power status … : For this, Nebraska will be ignored. The Huskers are now in the Big Ten where they’ve never been a good fit and where Ohio State and whoever wins the Big Ten East will dominate. The focus will be on Florida, Florida State, Miami and Tennessee; Florida State and Miami, obviously, because they are Florida’s in-state rivals and Tennessee because other than Georgia the Vols are Florida’s chief SEC rival. FLORIDA: The road back to super power status begins with three things: (1) Stability at the top; (2) competing with and winning recruiting battles with Alabama and Georgia; and (3) becoming the dominant recruiting power for Florida high school kids. Napier HAS to be here for the long haul and he has to have the cooperation of the administration when it comes to internal infrastructure and continued upgrading of facilities. Florida cannot ever again find itself so far behind when it comes to support staff, a critical element in keeping the state’s best recruits home and playing in the SEC. The arms race in the SEC is NOT going to end so the opening of the football facility won’t be the last upgrade necessary if the Gators are to keep up with the SEC Joneses. It helps that the University of Florida will have an SEC paycheck of more than $63 million a year within two years, maybe $80 million when Oklahoma and Texas make the leap from the Big 12 to the SEC. Florida will have the financial resources to ensure that Billy Napier will require. Prospects to regain super power status: Napier will have everything he needs to succeed. If he can recruit at an Alabama or SEC level, then he’s going to win big on the field. Florida’s path back to super power status won’t be easy, but it’s a better path than the ones facing FSU, Miami and Tennessee. Florida State: The Seminoles are in BAD shape in every way imaginable. They have had four consecutive losing seasons for a 19-27 since 2018, which ranks 99th in the country. FSU has been in a tailspin since Jimbo Fisher’s last year before he took the money and ran to Aggieland. FSU made a grave mistake by hiring Willie Taggart who sunk the program to levels it hadn’t seen since the 1970s. He lasted two years, leaving a daunting task for successor Mike Norvell. Norvell is a very good football coach, but he doesn’t have support staff and facilities are lagging way behind. And then there is the budget. FSU is stuck with the bottom feeder payouts from the ACC through 2036. FSU will be depositing ACC checks for less than $35 million which pales in comparison to Florida’s SEC checks. Prospects to regain super power status: I’m reminded of Laura Nyro’s soulful remake of the 1960s classic by the Royalettes: “It’s Going to Take a Miracle.” It will take something close to parting the Red Sea for the Seminoles to become relevant again. Florida is set to dominate the state recruiting. Mario Cristobal is going to take players from South Florida that FSU used to get. Facilities and lack of funds will relegate the Seminoles to third world status. Miami: Now that there is NIL, what used to be cheating is legal, which means Miami alums have been set free. Now, will they pitch in to build a decent stadium that is (a) all theirs and (b) doesn’t require overnight hotel reservations for the long journey from Coral Gables to the ball yard? Everyone seems to think Mario Cristobal is the answer because he’s “a Cane,” but, of course, so was Mark Richt and he couldn’t make it happen. Manny Diaz’s dad is the former Mayor of Miami. If anyone should have turned on the alums and boosters, he should have but he is gone after three years and a 21-15 record. Cristobal was 35-13 as the head coach at Oregon, but he never restored the Ducks to the super power status they enjoyed early in the previous 12 years. Can he do at Miami what he couldn’t do at Oregon? He should be able to recruit South Florida very well but can he bring in the kind of linemen it is going to take to win in the trenches? Will the alums, boosters and administration fork over the money to build a stadium near the Coral Gables campus and upgrade the facilities? They will have to because the ACC payout is going to be the equivalent of living on Social Security. Prospects to regain super power status: They’re better than FSU’s. Even though it’s been 20 years since the Canes won a national championship, the right coach who can bring in enough talent from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach can make the Canes relevant again. They do play in the ACC and they’re in the opposite division from Clemson so that’s a plus. But, Clemson’s boosters are committed and have been for years. Miami’s have to prove it, but now they can cheat legally thanks to NIL. That will help some, but they still have to deal with staff and facilities issues. Tennessee: The Vols last won the national championship in 1998, which also happens to be the last time they won the SEC. The Vols are on their fifth coach since Phil Fulmer was fired after the 2008 season. Josh Heupel pulled off one of the better coaching jobs anywhere in the country in 2021 when he took a team devastated by transfers and pieced together a 7-6 record. He’s got most of the team back for 2022 so improvement is expected but is Heupel the long term answer? He took over a great situation at UCF and the record got progressively worse each year. His history is great offense and rotten defense. Expectations are that he’ll have another great offense in 2022. The defense? Suspect. Does he grasp the idea of winning in the trenches which is what it will take to beat Alabama, Georgia and Florida, which are all on the schedule every year. Tennessee is SEC so there will be a lot of money flowing in. Neyland Stadium is huge and iconic. Facilities are first rate. The question on every Vol fan’s mind is can Heupel turn the Vols into a national power again? Prospects to regain super power status: On one hand it’s Tennessee, but on the other hand, this is a state that doesn’t produce an abundance of high school talent and now that Georgia is a super power, the Vols are going to struggle to delve into metro Atlanta like they did in the past. Can Heupel prove he’s capable of recruiting nationally to a program that has produced seven losing seasons since 2010? That’s what it’s going to take for the Vols to become a super power again. It’s more likely that Heupel can make them consistently good than consistently great. Will consistently good be good enough for Vol fans who haven’t tasted a championship since 1998? EVEN IF FELDER CAN PLAY, GATORS WILL HAVE A TOUGH TIME AT UT Without CJ Felder in the rotation Monday night in Oxford, the Gators (12-7, 3-4 SEC) found themselves lacking at both ends of the court. Felder is 6-7, plays taller, and is capable of defending four positions on the court. When he was too sick to play against Ole Miss, the Gators had to go with a three-man rotation in the paint and Jason Jitoboh, Anthony Duruji and Tuongthach Gatgek didn’t have enough firepower or defensive presence to make a difference. Felder’s status for tonight’s game in Knoxville against No. 18 Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC) isn’t known but even if he is able to play, this is going to be a very difficult game for the Gators to win. This will be Florida’s fourth game in eight days and third since Saturday. The Gators will be going against a rested Tennessee team that has a deep, tall and talented bench. For the Gators to pull off a win, they’re going to have to make shots. The Gators were 4-29 (13.8 percent) from the three-point line in the loss to Ole Miss and they’re a combined 13-65 (20 percent) in their last two. SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday’s scores: Georgia (6-14, 1-6 SEC) 82, Alabama (13-7, 4-4 SEC) 76; No. 1 Auburn (19-1, 7-0 SEC) 55, Missouri (8-11, 2-5 SEC) 54; No. 12 Kentucky (16-4, 5-2 SEC) 82, Mississippi State (13-6, 4-3 SEC) 74 Wednesday’s games: FLORIDA (12-7, 3-4 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC); Vanderbilt (10-8, 2-4 SEC) at South Carolina (11-7, 2-4 SEC); Arkansas (14-5, 4-3 SEC) at Ole Miss (10-9, 2-5 SEC); Texas A&M (15-4, 4-2 SEC) at No. 19 LSU (15-4, 3-4 SEC) ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: David Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. The numbers – 541 homers, 1,768 RBI – say he belongs but there were always those suspicions that he had some “help” along the way. Did he juice or is that just a rumor? There will always be suspicions that hall members Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez juiced and there may be others in the hall who actually used performance enhancing drugs. Because we’ll never know just how many players found better living through chemistry, should Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa be denied membership in the hall?

Over your bowl of mouth-watering Hardee County apples, pears and cantaloupe, a piece of lightly toasted Cuban bread from the La Segunda Bakery in Ybor City, guava pastry from the Samaria Café, served with a chilled spoon from Ulele, a small slice of a filet mignon from Bern’s Steakhouse, a glass of freshly squeezed Polk County grapefruit juice and Cuban Coffee from The Blind Tiger Café. (In honor of Tom McEwen’s Breakfast Bonus Menu) The last time I saw Tom McEwen, he was in a canister. His ashes were about to be committed to a private cemetery on the front lawn of Dr. Barbara Carlton in Wauchula, where her late husband Albert, their friend Carl Simmons and the best bird dog she ever hunted behind, a Brittany named Peaches, already lay. That was over a decade ago. His spirit is about to come alive again Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Without Tom McEwen, there might not even be a Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL franchise, let alone Super Bowl LV. “If only his ashes could rise up now and tell us some stories,” said his hunting partner, sometimes golfing buddy and cousin by marriage, Dr. Carlton, who at 88 still practices medicine, owns and manages the 400 acre-estate called Glen Okra and hunts wild turkey there. A long time ago, when sports columnists were major influencers and newspapers still mattered, men constructed stories on manual typewriters in the press box. Their voices resonated not just on sports, but on many major issues throughout their community and their footprints were indelible. Tom McEwen was the Big Foot of Tampa Bay, and nobody will ever come close to his community clout. “He did more for Tampa than Dick Greco, or any of those other Tampa mayors combined,” said Dr. Carlton. Example: In what started out as somewhat of a two-man campaign, McEwen and activist Bill Marcum began promoting the idea of holding NFL exhibitions in the new Tampa Stadium, later to be known as “The Sombrero.” That begat the Bucs, which begat the Super Bowl. I don’t write much about other sports writers, especially those against whom I once competed. But as one who called McEwen my friend for nearly 50 years and also benefitted from his advocacy journalism, it would be hypocritical not to pay homage this week of The Tom McEwen Bowl. Without him, there may not have even been a fictitious place called Tampa Bay. Largely because of his vision and determination, I along with other members of the press had the privilege of practicing my craft in a big-league venue. We were friends and became friendly rivals of sort. As a couple of small town boys from Ocala and Wauchula, we traipsed down the Dusty Trail of Sports Writing together, covering the Florida Gators and SEC football for different newspapers – he finally from the Tampa Tribune, me finally from the St. Petersburg Times. He started at the Fort Myers News-Press, fresh out of the military, then on to run a three-man staff of the Tampa Daily Times, where my dad was once city editor. I watched Tom closely as I cut my teeth at my hometown Ocala Star-Banner, and studied his moves as he built his bully pulpit at the Tampa Tribune with media market saturation like no other sportswriter, ever. The Tampa-born, Wauchula-raised McEwen is said to have delivered newspaper on horseback and fit the stereotype of the barefoot country boy. He played golf in high school, where his team once almost had to forfeit a match because they lost their only three golf balls. Forever the resourceful one, McEwen managed to borrow a couple of balls from a local lawyer, Grady Burton, to finish the match. Later he encouraged me to take up golf more seriously, “because you can make so many good contacts and even interview people while you’re playing with them.” That was after he came to Ocala for a Chamber of Commerce golf outing and left with all the loot as a 12-handicapper. I did, and eventually went into the business as media director of the Colorado PGA Tour event, the International. He influenced many of us about golf. Barbara Carlton once showed up for his invite to play a scramble in Tampa with Tom. “Our playing partners were George Steinbrenner and Johnny Bench.” McEwen boasted a Rolodex of a power-broker with a litany of personal relationships in politics, show biz, sports and life. He knew how to conduct a conversation that wasn’t threatening or imposing, could tell a good story, was a bit a prankster who loved to make people laugh and about as good a toastmaster and eulogist as I’ve ever seen. In fact, when McEwen passed in June of 2011 people were asking why he couldn’t be available for his own eulogy, because nobody could have done it better. “He was just very passionate,” said Dr. Carlton, a good friend and hunting companion. “And he was very observant. He had a way about him that he could extract things out of the people he interviewed. You might say he was almost ‘cunning.’” Interesting adjective of choice. I tried to conjure up a comparable personality and kept thinking: A little touch of P.T. Barnum, a dash of Tony Robbins and a slice of Jeff Foxworthy. Steve Spurrier credits McEwen with getting him his first break to become a head coach. When the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL formed under owner John Bassett, McEwen suggested he contact the young offensive coordinator from Duke. And thus the HBC title was born. Spurrier remembers after Florida won its first national championship in 1996, McEwen showed up at the hotel party as the only media guy allowed in. “He was thrilled and just said, ‘thank you for winning a national championship for my Gators before I died.’ And he was around to see the Bucs win the Super Bowl.” Retired Associate Athletic Director Norm Carlson, Spurrier’s close friend who is largely credited with boosting his chances for winning the 1966 Heisman Trophy, remembers McEwen fondly. “He was honest, he loved the Gators, but he didn’t let it creep into his writing,” said Carlson. “He had a way about him. I don’t know anybody who didn’t like Tom McEwen.” Well there was at least one, for a while. The first coach of the Bucs, John McKay, and McEwen were good friends and almost gray-haired doppelgangers, but they had a falling out over some issue, which caused him to call Tom “asshole” one day. Even then, McEwen played it off by writing a semi-humorous column. “I would have preferred he call me Mister,” wrote McEwen. He later had a nameplate made for his desk (probably by George or Leonard Levy, according to Joe Henderson) that read: “Mister A-hole.” He never missed an opportunity for a good laugh, even if it was on him. ”He was a giant — didn’t always follow the rules of journalism as far as being an activist and didn’t really care what anybody thought,” recalled Henderson, whom McEwen tapped off his staff to follow him as Tribune columnist. “He was all in for the good of Tampa.” At the end when Tom slowed down, his newspaper somewhat abandoned him, apparently unhappy about his chummy relationship with sources and powerful people. The Tribune showed him the door, but Tom was like a bad penny and kept showing up like a good penny — even when he had to be rolled into the press box in a wheelchair. Tom McEwen WAS Tampa. “Tom has been more important to Tampa than cigars,” said sports columnist Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times. Tom Edrington, former Tribune sportswriter once wrote: “For as long as anyone can remember, he was the Sports Editor of The Tampa Tribune. He was the Godfather of any and everything sports related in Tampa.” “I don’t like any sports writers,” Ted Williams once groused. “But I like Tom McEwen.” In this topsy-turvy day of the Pandemic, when sports has its own identity crisis, some good has come of it. As one comic put it, the Pandemic has “even forced the Super Bowl to stay home.” Super Bowl LV was moved to Raymond James from Los Angeles, which affords this rare moment for all of Tampa Bay to sparkle in the sunlight as the Sports Mecca of the World. The Lightning brought the Stanley Cup, the Rays the American League pennant and now, could it be possible for the Bucs to win a Super Bowl played in its own stadium – one that Tom McEwen helped build? They have a legitimate shot, thanks largely to a pair of Toms: McEwen and Brady. Tampa’s success has Boston pissed off. And it has caused Patriots fans and Bill Belichick worshippers to face this bitter truth, as written by Boston Globe Columnist Dan Shaughnessy: “They don’t have Duck Boats in Tampa. Or Swan Boats. Or Harvard. Or Yo-Yo Ma. Or Fenway Park. “But you know what they do have? “Better teams than we have.” Tom McEwen must be rolling over in his canister laughing. Except not in Wauchula. About a year ago, his widow Linda asked Barbara Carlton if she could have his ashes back. He’s in Tampa for the big game. Ironically his old newspaper, The Trib, is out of business. Somehow I’ve just got a feeling Tom McEwen planned all this, because he wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: NAPIER KEEPS CHIPPING AWAY This was more good news Monday for Florida football coach Billy Napier, who got commitments from defensive end Andrew Savaiinaea (6-4, 258, Graham, WA Graham-Kapowsin) and quarterback Max Brown (6-3, 200, Tulsa, OK Lincoln Christian School), a couple of three-star recruits. The best news, however, came from Aggieland where 5-star linebacker Harold Perkins (6-3, 200, Cypress, TX Cy Park) decommitted from Texas A&M. Although Perkins also has LSU on his radar, Florida is thought to be the team to beat, particularly after Perkins had an official visit two weeks ago that he raved about. With the commitments of Savaiinaea and Brown, the Gators have 15 high school kids either signed or committed with National Signing Day looming on February 2. The Gators have five transfers already enrolled. There will be more transfers but right now the focus is on National Signing Day in eight days. Can Billy Napier sustain the momentum he has quietly been building on the recruiting trail for a fast finish? Perkins could very well create a mini-landslide on February 2 if he signs with UF and that’s followed by 5-star safety Jacoby Matthews (6-2, 195, Ponchatoula, LA), 4-star wide receiver DJ Allen (6-0, 190, Gladewater, TX), 4-star linebacker TJ Dudley (6-3, 222, Montgomery, AL Montgomery Catholic) and bookend 3-star offensive tackles Ramier Lewis (6-7, 330, Clearwater, FL American Collegiate) and Matthew McCoy (6-6, 290, St. John’s, FL Creekside). Maybe that’s wishful thinking, but back on December 5 how many thought the Gators would even be in the ball park for these guys? COULDN’T FIND THE OCEAN FROM THE END OF THE PIER Florida’s already vertically challenged Gators had to make a go of it without CJ Felder Monday night in Oxford, leaving Jason Jitoboh, Anthony Duruji and pencil-thin Tuongthach Gatgek as the only Gators taller than 6-6. The three of them weren’t bad, combining for 26 points on 11-16 shooting from the field and 4-5 from the foul line. The problem was Florida’s guards who struggled through an abysmal night at the gym. They were a combined 8-34 overall from the field, including 22 of Florida’s 26 missed three-pointers (Gators were 4-29) as the Gators saw their three-game winning streak come to an end, 70-54, in Oxford. Had the Gators shot a mere 25 percent from the three-point line, even playing without a key frontline reserve they might have had a chance to beat Ole Miss (10-9, 2-5 SEC). Had the Gators also managed to do a better job of protecting the basketball UF might have stood a better chance, but rotten shooting and 14 turnovers that are converted into 23 points will do you in every time. This is a Florida basketball team that plays very hard for Mike White. With the exception of the loss to Texas Southern, you can’t fault the Gators for effort this season but in Florida’s seven losses the Gators are a combined 40-180 from the three-point line or 22 percent. You can play with tremendous effort on the defensive end and work hard to get open looks offensively but when you can’t knock down shots, you lose a lot of basketball games. Against Ole Miss, the shooting was bad and so was the second half defense. The Gators held the Rebels to 22 first half points, but Ole Miss scored 48 in the second half. Some of that can be attributed to a shortened rotation up front with Felder’s absence, but that is only part of the problem. A few games back, White talked openly that the Gators tend to lose their defensive focus when their shots aren’t going in. He alluded to that after the loss to Ole Miss. “I don’t know that I can put a finger on it,” White said. “I thought we had some looks. On the road in a tough environment when the other team is making a run, sometimes you can put a little bit more heat on yourselves mentally than you should. That said, I don’t know how, defensively, we could be that good in one half and struggle that much in the second half. We can sit here and talk about shots and that’s part of our bigger issue … you’re either locked in or you’re not. We’ve all got a conscience and these guys play with a conscience. When you’re executing defensively, when you’re executing on the glass, when you’re taking good shots, and you’re getting stops, sometimes it just goes in at a higher percentage.” Jitoboh led the Gators with 12 points and five rebounds while Duruji had 11 and Tyree Appleby had 11. Appleby was 3-8 on three-pointers. The rest of the team was 1-21. The Gators will be in Knoxville Wednesday night to take on 18th-ranked Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC) and return home Saturday to face Oklahoma State (10-8) in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. SEC BASKETBALL Monday’s game: Ole Miss (10-9, 2-5 SEC) 70, FLORIDA (12-7, 3-4 SEC) 54 Tuesday’s games: Alabama (13-6, 4-3 SEC) at Georgia (5-14, 0-6 SEC); No. 1 Auburn (18-1, 7-0 SEC) at Missouri (8-10, 2-4 SEC); Mississippi State (13-5, 4-2 SEC) at No. 12 Kentucky (15-4, 5-2 SEC) Wednesday’s games: FLORIDA (12-7, 3-4 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC); Vanderbilt (10-8, 2-4 SEC) at South Carolina (11-7, 2-4 SEC); Arkansas (14-5, 4-3 SEC) at Ole Miss (10-9, 2-5 SEC); Texas A&M (15-4, 4-2 SEC) at No. 19 LSU (15-4, 3-4 SEC) The Associated Press Top 25: 1. Auburn 18-1; 2. Gonzaga 15-2; 3. Arizona 16-1; 4. Baylor 17-2; 5. Kansas 16-2; 6. Purdue 16-3; 7. (tie) Houston 17-2 and UCLA 13-2; 9. Duke 15-3; 10. Michigan State 15-3; 11. Wisconsin 15-3; 12. Kentucky 15-4; 13. Texas Tech 15-4; 14. Villanova 14-5; 15. Southern Cal 16-2; 16. Ohio State 12-4; 17. Providence 16-2; 18. Tennessee 13-5; 19. LSU 15-4; 20. UConn 13-4; 21. Xavier 14-4; 22. Marquette 14-5; 23. Iowa State 14-5; 24. Illinois 13-5; 25. Davidson 16-2 The Coaches Top 25: 1. Gonzaga 15-2; 2. Auburn 18-1; 3. Arizona 16-1; 4. Baylor 17-2; 5. Kansas 16-2; 6. Purdue 16-3; 7. Duke 15-3; 8. UCLA 13-2; 9. Houston 17-2; 10. Michigan State 15-3; 11. Wisconsin 15-3; 13. Kentucky 15-4; 14. Texas Tech 15-4; 15. Southern Cal 16-2; 16. Ohio State 12-4; 17. Providence 16-2; 18. LSU 15-4; 19. UConn 13-4; 20. Tennessee 13-5; 21. Illinois 13-5; 22. Colorado State 15-1; 23. Xavier 14-4; 24. Iowa State 14-5; 25. Texas 14-5 GATORS NO. 6 IN BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON POLL Baseball America released its top 25 preseason poll Monday, placing the Florida Gators No. 6. This is the third publication to rank Kevin O’Sullivan’s Gators in the top ten. Besides Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball has the Gators ranked sixth and D1Baseball places the Gators ninth. Only Perfect Game ranks the Gators (23rd) outside the top 10. Baseball America ranks six Southeastern Conference teams in the top 10 and 12 in the top 25. The Top 25: 1. Texas; 2. Vanderbilt; 3. Mississippi State; 4. Notre Dame; 5. Virginia; 6. FLORIDA; 7. Stanford; 8. Arkansas; 9. Ole Miss; 10. LSU; 11. Oregon State; 12. Florida State; 13. Arizona; 14. Georgia; 15. East Carolina; 16. North Carolina State; 17. Tennessee; 18. UC-Irvine; 19. Oklahoma State; 20. Nebraska; 21. Georgia Tech; 22. UCLA; 23. Texas Tech; 24. Old Dominion; 25. Miami URBAN MEYER ON HIS NFL EXPERIENCE As a college football coach, Urban Meyer won three national championships and his record at four schools including Florida was 187-32 or .854. Only Knute Rockne (105-12-5, .881) and Frank Leahy (107-13-9, .864) have better winning percentages than Meyer. So, what went wrong at Jacksonville? How could a coach who won big at all four his stops (Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State) in college fare so poorly in the National Football League? Some of it had to do with the different football culture in the NFL where it is the players’ full-time job, but in Meyer’s case, the biggest difference was growing accustomed to the losing. Because he took over a team that was 1-15 the year before, year one in Jacksonville was destined to be a loser. In college football, if Meyer saw deficiencies in any one area he could simply recruit enough players to fill a void. In the NFL, there is the draft and with few exceptions, it takes awhile to rebuild a roster to the point it’s capable of winning. Even then, excellent NFL teams lose three and four games a year. Vince Lombardi, probably the greatest NFL coach in history, only had a .738 winning percentage (96-34-6). The great Don Shula, the only coach in NFL history with a perfect season, had a .677 percentage. Bill Belichick comes in at .673. On several radio shows in the months prior to Meyer’s first NFL game, I was asked what would be the biggest adjustment for the former Gator head coach? My answer was always the same: the losing. No coach that I’ve ever met in college football took losing a game harder than Meyer and I knew he would have at least one, but probably two or three losing years before he got the people he needed to win. I knew losing would drive him nuts but I thought he would last more than one year. Here are some excerpts from an interview that Meyer did with Dan Dakich on Outkick, talking about what went wrong: “It eats away at your soul. I tried to train myself to say, ‘Okay, it happens in the NFL.’ At one point, the Jaguars lost 20 in a row. Think about that: 20 games where you’re leaving the field where you lost, and we lost five in a row at one point and I remember I … just couldn’t function. I was trying to rally myself up. “I was in charge of the team, obviously, and then we won two out of three, and I really felt we flipped that thing. You know, our defense was playing excellent. At one point our defense was No. 1 in the league. We held Josh Allen to six points. Two field goals, and playing high level football. Offense, we were really coming, and then quit scoring points. We just really struggled offensively and that’s when we went on another losing streak. I really struggled with that.” I am a firm believer in The Peter Principle, which basically says when you leave what you’re good at, there is an enhanced chance you will fail. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: If you are into such things, check out Southeastern Conference basketball rosters for the 2021-22 season. You’ll find 56 players transferred into SEC schools this year, by far the most of any of the power conferences. Check the football transfer list, which is rather fluid at the moment so these numbers probably aren’t accurate. So far, 153 or so players have entered the transfer portal. Something like 65 have found homes among the 14 SEC schools but it’s still early. Attrition after spring football will likely hit record numbers, both coming and going from the SEC. This isn’t exactly what was envisioned when the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, opened the transfer floodgates without first coming up with some checks and balances but it’s what we have now and things aren’t going to change. As we hear too often, you don’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. I think players should have the right to leave if they’re not happy and go to any school that will have them, but I think there should be an academic requirement. If you don’t have a 2.5 or better in the classroom, then you have to sit out a year. If you have a 2.5 or better, you get immediate eligibility. In my mind that would have made sense, but that is the problem with the NCAA. They do a lot of things without stopping to ask the question does it make sense?

Gator Bait Photo by Chris Spears A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: CAN THE GATORS GET A FOURTH STRAIGHT AT OLE MISS TONIGHT? In the second half Saturday, the Vanderbilt Commodores made only three of their 22 shots from the field. They were 0-9 from the three-point line and the only place they scored in the game’s final 10:47 was from the foul line. It was a miserable shooting night for sure, but the Florida Gators had plenty to do with the Commodores’ bad day at the office. “You guys are seeing what we are capable of,” Brandon McKissic said after the Gators (12-6, 3-3 SEC) evened up their SEC record with a third straight win, 61-42, before an announced crowd of 10,345 at the O-Dome. “We’ve been really looking at our identity the past few games and that’s what we’ve been emphasizing in the locker room – be us, be us to the fullest – and max out. That’s what we’re working towards … that’s what we are, a defensive team.” Florida’s defense, even without shot blocker Colin Castleton for the second straight game and for the foreseeable future, has been impressive and it has been a collective effort. To compensate for Castleton’s ability to protect the rim, the Gators have kept the bodies rotating in to stay fresh on the defensive end. The only size is 6-11, 285-pound Jason Jitoboh, who isn’t a threat to block shots the way Castleton did, but who eats space in the paint and moves his feet. Jitoboh played 27 minutes against Vandy. He scored eight points, grabbed 10 rebounds blocked a shot and had a steal, but he was able to wall up against the Vandy bigs in the paint and they couldn’t get past him. Jitoboh was a big part of Florida’s defense, but it was, indeed, a collective effort shared by the entire team. “When we’re just locked in like that, we’re not even thinking about whether our shots are going in or out, we’re just getting back on defense and we’re working hard,” McKissic said. “We just guarded. Regardless of what happened on the offensive end, we just guarded.” Can the Gators win a third straight game without Castleton tonight (7 p.m., SEC Network +) when they face Ole Miss in a makeup game for the COVID postponed game of December 29? To do it will take another collective effort on the defensive end. The Gators aren’t going to win any shooting contests, but defense does travel and it keeps you in games when made shots are hard to come by. “WE ARE ENOUGH” – KELLY RAE FINLEY That’s what Florida’s interim women’s basketball coach said Sunday afternoon after the Gators (15-5, 5-2 SEC) scored their fifth straight SEC win and third win in the last five over a ranked opponent, taking down No. 11 LSU (17-3, 5-2 SEC), 73-72 at the O-Dome. The Gators weren’t the biggest team on the floor and they probably couldn’t match up to the talent level of some of Kim Mulkey’s Tigers, but when you add everything Finley has transformed the Gators into, they are indeed enough. On the offensive end, they make extra passes to find open shooters. They remember to box out when a shot goes up at either end of the floor, which had a lot to do with just a seven-rebound deficit to a much taller team. Defensively, whenever LSU tried to get a pass into the low blocks, the Gators were like a school of piranhas the way they surrounded the LSU bigs and yet when the ball was passed out to the perimeter, UF was quick enough to close out on shooters. So much so, that LSU only squeezed off nine three-pointers the entire game (made one, 11.1 percent). “I think we really did a good job on scout,” forward Jordyn Merritt (16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 4 steals) said. “That was one of the things we really focused on. We knew going in that they had those bigs and we knew that if our bigs need help we had to be able to rotate and trust each other. I just think that’s what it was. We just all trusted that the help was going to be there so that whenever it did go in we were able to rotate in and when it kicked back out our guards are quick enough to get back out there.” Florida guards KiKi Smith (23 points, 10-13 free throws), 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals) and Zippy Broughton (14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals) were indeed quick enough and their pressure and ability to score in transition helped UF score 22 points off LSU turnovers. Finley explained it, “Night in and night out, a belief that we are enough and when you operate from that space everything becomes a lot easier.” Denying Kim Mulkey the 650th win of her storied coaching career wasn’t easy, but the Gators were indeed enough. They have been for some time now and that’s a good reason why athletic director Scott Stricklin ought to give serious thought to removing the interim tag on Finley, the sooner the better. THE CLOCK IS TICKING AND BILLY NAPIER IS ON A ROLL There was only one commitment from Florida’s football visit weekend – 3-star tight end Hayden Hanson (6-6, 255, Weatherford, TX) – but this seems like the calm before an all hell breaks loose storm that will take place one week from Wednesday. If the rave reviews the Gators are getting from recruits who have been in Gainesville the last two official visit weekends are a fair indicator of things to come, then Billy Napier is on the verge of pulling off one of the great recruiting comebacks in recent memory. The Gators have gone from off-the-charts bad in the days before Napier became Florida’s head coach to a combined ranking for high school/juco recruits and transfers of 17th as of Sunday night. Currently, the Gators have 13 high school recruits either signed or committed with five transfers already enrolled. It’s likely Napier will add another seven high school recruits and then save as many as seven spots for transfers. SEC BASKETBALL Alabama (13-6, 4-3 SEC): Alabama rallied from a 10-point second half deficit to knock off Missouri, 86-76. It helped that the zebra crew headed by Pat Adams sent Alabama to the line for 29 free throws while Mizzou got to the line for six … Alabama launches more three-pointers than any team in the league (534, 28 per game) but the Tide hits only 31.1 percent. Tuesday’s game: at Georgia (5-14, 0-6 SEC) Arkansas (14-5, 4-3 SEC): After starting 0-3 out the game in SEC play, the Hogs have won four in a row including Saturday night’s overtime win over the Aggies. Wednesday’s game: at Ole Miss (9-9, 1-5 SEC) No. 2 Auburn (18-1, 7-0 SEC): The Tigers have won 15 in a row. Was their 9-point win over No. 12 Kentucky enough to push them past Gonzaga for the first No. 1 basketball ranking in school history? … Walker Kessler ranks second in the nation in blocked shots at 4.16 per game. Tuesday’s game: at Missouri (8-10, 2-4 SEC) Georgia (5-14, 0-6 SEC): Georgia led South Carolina by six at the half Saturday but lost by 17 when the Bulldogs were outscored 47-24 in the second half … Tom Crean is probably going to be feeling the heat if he can’t get at least a few SEC wins. Crean is 46-63 for his tenure at Georgia, 14-46 in SEC play. Tuesday’s game: Alabama (13-6, 4-3 SEC) No. 12 Kentucky (15-4, 5-2 SEC): Kentucky’s chances to beat Auburn went down the drain when stud freshman point guard TyTy Washington had to leave the game with an ankle injury. Washington is day-to-day and could be back for Tuesday, but almost certainly for the Wildcats’ Big 12/SEC Challenge game with Kansas … Oscar Tschweibwe leads the nation in rebounding at 14.83 per game. Kentucky outrebounds opponents by 14.67 rebounds per game. Tuesday’s game: vs. Mississippi State (13-5, 4-2 SEC) No. 13 LSU (15-4, 3-4 SEC): Since SEC play began, the Tigers are shooting only 40.9 percent from the field, which led Will Wade to hint that lineup changes are likely this week … The Tigers are holding opponents to 26 percent from the three-point line. Wednesday’s game: vs. Texas A&M (15-4, 4-2 SEC) Mississippi State (13-5, 4-2 SEC): Tolu Smith, the Bulldogs’ 6-11 starting center, has a partially dislocated knee but there is no structural damage. He is listed week-to-week ... With 20 points in the win over Ole Miss Saturday Iverson Molinar became the 41st player in Mississippi State history to score 1,000 or more points. Tuesday’s game: at Kentucky (15-4, 5-2 SEC) Missouri (8-10, 2-4 SEC): Redshirt freshman Sean Durugordon, a 6-7 forward, has put his name in the transfer portal. Tuesday’s game: Auburn (18-1, 7-0 SEC) Ole Miss (9-9, 1-5 SEC): After shooting a sizzling 61.5 percent from the field in the first half, the Rebels shot only 33 percent in the second half when they scored only 19 points to fall to Mississippi State, 78-60. Monday’s game: vs. FLORIDA (12-6, 3-3 SEC); Wednesday’s game: vs. Arkansas (14-5, 4-3 SEC) South Carolina (11-7, 2-4 SEC): Jermain Couisinard and Keyshawn Bryant combined to hit 11-15 shots for 24 points in the second half to lead the Gamecocks to an 83-66 win over Georgia Saturday night. Bryant finished the game with 19 points while Cousinard had 15. Wednesday’s game: at Vanderbilt (10-8, 2-4 SEC) No. 24 Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC): John Fulkerson, who has struggled since he tested positive for COVID back in December, was replaced in the lineup by Uros Plavsic in the Vols’ 64-50 win over No. 13 LSU. Plavsic responded with 12 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot. Wednesday’s game: vs. FLORIDA (12-6, 3-3 SEC) Texas A&M (15-4, 4-2 SEC): After back-to-back losses, the Aggies have dropped down to a No. 60 NCAA Net Ranking … In the Aggies loss to Arkansas, freshman Wade Taylor IV came off the bench to score 25 points. Wednesday’s game: at LSU (15-4, 3-4 SEC) Vanderbilt (10-8, 2-4 SEC): Despite going 1-10 from the field and scoring only six points against Florida, Scotty Pippen Jr. still leads the SEC in scoring at 18.1 points per game. Wednesday’s game: vs. South Carolina (11-7, 2-4 SEC) SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: Jermaine Burton, who caught 26 passes for 497 yards and five touchdowns during Georgia’s run to the national championship, is transferring to Alabama. Arkansas: Former Georgia starting safety Lativious Brini is transferring to Arkansas. He had 38 tackles and eight pass breakups for Georgia in 2021. Auburn: Former Auburn linebacker Romello Height is transferring to Southern Cal. He has three years of eligibility remaining. Mississippi State: Backup QB Jack Abraham, who transferred in from Southern Miss but never played in 2021 due to an injury, is in the transfer portal. Ole Miss: Defensive back MJ Daniels has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal just 24 hours after he put his name in the portal. Vanderbilt: Linebacker Brayden Devault-Smith is leaving as a graduate transfer who will get a “super senior” sixth season due to the 2020 COVID year. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: If you have a few minutes to spare over the next few days, find John Underwood’s Sports Illustrated piece, “The NCAA Splits Its Decision” from January 23, 1978 in which he talks about when the NCAA formed Division I and Division I-AA for football. There were doubts that college football would survive the split, but it has and is actually more popular today than it was back then. Now we have arrived at another crossroads only this time it’s not just football but all collegiate sports that need to be re-organized. I think there are too many Division I football schools (130) and too many schools in Division I (350) regardless of whether they have a football team or not. I wonder if it is possible to get meaningful change in this era when it seems everything is so polarized? I think collegiate sports will survive but I believe that if we can’t get some common sense injected we won’t recognize them five years from now.

“Man I got my own parking at the stadium and good food all day long, life is great!” -- Derek Wingo Tweet By KYLE CURTIS GatorBait Intern With the recent arrival of Billy Napier, Gator nation has been buzzing about his culture change and visions for the program. In recent press conferences, he has outlined that vision and how he hopes to take the professional approach in rebuilding his program and bringing it back to the top. Already in his first 40-plus days on campus, Napier seems to have already made a popular move in the locker room. One of Napier’s focal points since taking over the Florida football program has been embracing and implementing the new Name/Image/Likeness deal that the NCAA has passed. NIL allows players to get money based off their social media influence and off the field presence. Napier has fully accepted this new era of college football and has staff members dedicated to insuring the players are making the right decision when making NIL deals with companies. He reportedly has told one NIL group that he plans to make the NIL a big part of his program. This level of initiation and drive by Napier goes farther than just NIL. In an interview on the Buddy Martin Show, Derek Wingo, a sophomore linebacker, touched on how one of Napier’s first moves as coach was asking the players what they thought needed to be changed. One of the first answers was lack of parking in and around the stadium. If you have ever attended the University of Florida and used a car or scooter regularly, you are aware of a parking problem many face. Throughout campus it has always been a hassle to find a spot on the way to class, whether you are out by Ben Hill Griffin or the engineering school. What many don’t realize is that Gator players for years have been issued tickets and parking violations at the stadium while at practice due to a lack of parking. Some have even had boots placed on their cars and been forced to play large fines. Many football players, and athletes in general, tend to live off campus forcing them to commute via scooters or cars. It is already stressful enough being a college student, let alone a student-athlete. Coaches don’t want to add another layer of stress over receiving a parking violation while at morning lifts. After a hard, grueling practice, the last thing they want to see as an athlete is a ticket violation on their dashboard. From the players point of view, that had to of been aggravating and frustrating. The likes of Percy Harvin, Kyle Pitts, Kyle Trask and even Tim Tebow have all experienced inadequate parking procedures during their time here in Gainesville. Napier made his presence felt by taking that one on as one of his first assignments. Within his first week on the job, Napier and his staff were able to accommodate the players by setting up the players with prime parking on the north end lawn of the stadium – even though it is temporary. Once the new athletic facility is finished that problem should go away. Napier’s quick action resonated with his players. Derek Wingo chimed in on the Buddy Martin Show about the parking: “In and out, real easy for us. We can leave our cars there as long as we need to. It’s amazing!” Current players have also expressed their appreciation for this through social media. Wingo also brought his thoughts to Twitter, “Man I got my own parking at the stadium and good food all day long, life is great!” Right after that Napier and his newly staff treated the team to lobster tails and steak. Wingo was not the only player to chime in on the gestures by Napier, most all players seemed energetic and excited by this move. Napier’s attention to detail along with his passion for going above and beyond with how he treats his players has been established prior to any snaps played under the lights of Ben Hill Griffin stadium. Furthermore, on the Buddy Martin Show, Wingo proceeded to dive deeper into the kind of impact Napier has had on the program since stepping on campus. “People felt closer as a team. Guys we’re pushing each other. Having the right attitude, right work ethic... the enthusiasm is the best I have ever seen before,” he said. While getting parking spots for players or even getting a nice dinner may not seem like the biggest gesture, it is a brick that has been placed on the path for this program to be successful. Paying attention to small details, as Napier has proven during his short time here, will hopefully transfer onto the field as well. Winning over the players quickly has allowed Napier to implement his thoughts. Based off the thoughts of Wingo and Twitter of current players, things seem to be trending upward for Gators.