A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: NAPIER PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY; MONTRELL JOHNSON IS A GATOR Billy Napier will hold a press conference this morning, presumably to discuss his coaching staff, which should be all but completed. There is a chance UF will still have a vacancy on the D-line but that could be because the targeted coach – Los Angeles Rams’ Eric Henderson – has a playoff game to coach Monday night vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Henderson, a Georgia Tech grad, prepped at Edna Karr in New Orleans, where new UF running backs coach Jabbar Juluke won a Louisiana state championship as the head coach in 2012. Napier will certainly be asked about transfers Jack Miller III, Kamryn Waites and Montrell Johnson but it’s entirely possible there will be others announced since today is the last day for enrolling in the spring semester. Offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence, for example, didn’t enter the transfer portal with the intent of sitting out the spring. Most expectations have Torrence choosing Florida as his transfer destination. Johnson is a very good pickup since he has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Playing for Napier at Louisiana, Johnson had an extraordinary true freshman season in 2021 when he ran for 838 yards (5.17 per carry) and 12 touchdowns. Johnson, who The Athletic rated as the No. 25 player in the transfer portal at the time of his commitment, was a 3-star running back out of De La Salle in New Orleans coming out of high school. He had offers from Tennessee and Vanderbilt in the SEC, Colorado and Arizona from the Pac-12. Johnson will join a very strong Florida running backs room that features Nay’Quan Wright and former 5-star recruits Lorenzo Lingard and Demarkcus Bowman. SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL NEWS Alabama: Declaring for the NFL are wide receiver Jameson Williams and left tackle Evan Neal. Neal is a first rounder for sure. Williams tore his ACL in the national championship game against Georgia. Early reports are that he shouldn’t lose even a step off his reported 4.3 speed if the surgery is successful … Linebacker Shane Lee, a 2019 4-star recruit who made the All-SEC Freshman Team, is in the transfer portal. Lee was a diminishing return in his Alabama career. He had 95 tackles in three seasons, 86 of them in 2019. Another linebacker in the portal is Jaylen Moody, a 2018 recruit who had a pick six in 2021 ... Tight end Cameron Latu is expected to announce he’s returning for 2022. Latu caught a touchdown pass in the national championship game with Georgia. Arkansas: Basketball coach Eric Musselman will miss at least two games after undergoing rotator cuff surgery. Assistant coach Keith Smart will direct the team in Musselman’s absence. Auburn: Defensive back Eric Reed Jr. has had a change of heart and has removed his name from the NCAA transfer portal. He put his name in the portal earlier in the week … The Tigers will hold their A-Day spring game on April 9. Georgia: Former 3-star recruit Latavious Brini, a 2017 defensive back signee, announced he plans to play somewhere other than Georgia in 2022. Brini had 38 tackles and eight pass breakups in 2021. Kentucky: Freshman shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe (6-5, 185), who decided to skip the rest of his senior basketball season to enroll at UK, will wear No. 21 and should be dressed out when the Wildcats play host to Tennessee Saturday afternoon … Wide receiver Tre’von Morgan, who transferred to Kentucky from Michigan State in 2021, is on the move again. He didn’t make a single catch in 2021. LSU: Running back Noah Cain, a Baton Rouge native who spent three seasons at Penn State where he had a best season of 443 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019 and 806 yards for his career, is transferring to LSU … Former Arkansas DB Greg Brooks, who had 48 tackles and an interception in 2021, is joining former Razorback Joe Foucha in transferring to LSU … Right guard Chassenn Hines, who has played in 17 games the past two seasons, is in the portal. Mississippi State: Redshirt freshman placekicker Nolan McCord, who scored 50 points on 9-16 field goals and 23-23 extra points in 2021, is in the portal. Missouri: Cornerbacks coach Aaron Fletcher is leaving to coach the corners for Herm Edwards at Arizona State. Ole Miss: Former 4-star running back Henry Parrish, who chose Ole Miss over Florida in 2020, is in the portal. In 2021, Parrish ran for 551 yards and three touchdowns while catching 21 passes for 173 yards. Parrish is thought to be transferring to Miami, where his 2021 position coach Kevin Smith is the new RB coach … Lane Kiffin’s younger brother Chris, who coached the D-line for the Cleveland Browns the last two years, is about to be hired at Ole Miss as the co-defensive coordinator along with Chris Partridge. Also joining the Ole Miss staff will be Marquel Blackwell, formerly the running backs coach at Houston. South Carolina: Sterling Mitchell, who spent 2021 as an assistant D-line coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, is expected to join the South Carolina staff where he is expected to coach linebackers. Texas A&M: Defensive back Demanni Richardson, who was in on 65 tackles in 2021, will return for the 2022 season. Tennessee: Tight end Trinity Bell (6-7, 265), a former 3-star recruit who Florida recruited in 2020, is in the portal. SEC Basketball Saturday’s games: FLORIDA (9-6, 0-3 SEC) at South Carolina (10-5, 1-2 SEC); No. 22 Tennessee (11-4, 2-2 SEC) at No. 18 Kentucky (13-3, 3-1 SEC); Arkansas (11-5, 1-3 SEC) at No. 12 LSU (15-1, 3-1 SEC); Texas A&M (14-2, 3-0 SEC) at Missouri (7-8, 1-2 SEC); No. 24 Alabama (11-5, 2-2 SEC) at Mississippi State (11-4, 2-1 SEC); Vanderbilt (9-6, 1-2 SEC) at Georgia (5-11, 0-3 SEC); No. 4 Auburn (15-1, 4-0 SEC) at Ole Miss (9-6, 1-2 SEC) MATT HAYES WROTE IT … Discussing the bad television number of the College Football Playoff championship game (second worst ever) and the long-range implications for all of college football, Hayes, writing in Saturday Down South, offered the following gems: * “The SEC doesn’t’ need any change in the structure of the Playoff. It is dominating the postseason and set to make more money than any other conference when its new ESPN deal begins in two years. “The SEC will stay at 4 teams, go to 8 teams (all at-large selections) or go all the way to 12 teams (6 highest ranked conference champions as automatic qualifiers, 6 at-large).” * “The Big Ten has somehow convinced its two Alliance partners – the Pac-12 and ACC – that it’s a poor pauper chasing the mean SEC, just like them. The Big Ten makes more television money than any other conference and wants a Playoff expansion that consists of A5 conference champion guarantees. “This, of course, is nonsensical because it exposes universities to potential antitrust collusion lawsuits from, say, a Group of 5 conference (because everyone who has ever sued big-time college sports has won).” * The ACC, which without Clemson may as well be the defunct Big East, wants – are you ready for this? – an 8-team format with automatic A5 qualifiers. It claims wear and tear on college athletes is the reason (a legitimate question), but the reality is it’s a power play on Notre Dame. “The fewer at-large spots in any Playoff format, the less chance for Notre Dame to reach the Playoff. Translation: Join the ACC, our champion gets an automatic spot!” * The Pac-12 and Big 12 are open to everything because the Pac-12 and Big 12 are smart and desperate. There’s something to be said for knowing your place in the room.” * “The Group of 5 conferences will go along with whatever the Power 5 conferences decide because the option is to go along or watch them break off and form their own Playoff. Again, knowing your place in the room.” In conclusion, Hayes writes, “They can’t afford another season of bad television numbers. They can’t afford to not figure out their differences over the next month (the 12-team format is the smartest move) and potentially lose hundreds of millions in television dollars with that mistake.” ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: For years, Charley Pell has been vilified as one of the worst cheaters in the history of college football. Florida went on such a bad probation for the 109 NCAA violations that cost the Gators two years of being on television with no bowl game, two SEC championships (1984 stripped, 1985 ineligible even though UF had the best record) and such a reduction in scholarships (12 each for two years) that it opened the door for Miami and Florida State to establish their dynasties. Among Florida’s heinous crimes, Dale Dorminey never returned T-shirts and shorts that were given to him when Eastern Airlines lost his luggage on his official visit, and assistant coach Dwight “Hoss” Adams bought him a pack of Juicy Fruit and a Sprite at the Gainesville Airport when his return flight to Pensacola was delayed. Oh, there were a few violations of a more serious nature, but the bulk were the nickel and dime variety. On more than one occasion, the late Hoss Adams told me that rather than see his assistant coaches go down in flames, he fell on the sword for everybody. “Say what you want about Charley Pell, but I’ll tell you fact: He was a good man who took all the blame since it happened on his watch,” Hoss told me. “The NCAA was out to get Charley any way it could. What we got nailed for wasn’t even a tenth of some of the other stuff that was going on in the SEC at the same time or at Miami or at FSU.” During that same era, Auburn, Georgia (twice), Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, Florida State, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Southern Cal all went on probation, but nobody other than SMU, which turned cheating into an art form, got hit as hard as Florida. It’s worth mentioning Charley Pell because today’s NIL rules make the things that were going on at Florida during the Pell Era perfectly legal. Yet, the NCAA chose to do destroy him. It’s also worth mentioning that Florida fired Charley Pell and he never coached again. Georgia didn’t fire Vince Dooley. FSU never fired Bobby Bowden. Miami never fired Jimmy Johnson. I could go on and on. When I think of what happened to Charley Pell, I’m reminded of the words of Al Pacino in the movie “Scent of a Woman” … “If I were the man I was five years ago, I’d take a flamethrower to this place!” Someone needs to take a flamethrower to the NCAA. It won’t bring Charley Pell back from the grave but by golly it would be righteous.

Mike White remembers when mojo and his Florida basketball team got a legal separation. “At Oklahoma,” White said without hesitation Wednesday night after the Gators (9-6, 0-3 SEC) dropped their third straight SEC game to a ranked opponent, a 64-58 loss to No. 12 LSU. “We lost at Oklahoma. You remember what happened after that. We just didn’t respond well to it. It was this group’s first time experiencing adversity together. It didn’t end very well. We didn’t handle the adversity.” The Gators didn’t handle adversity that night and they’ve done a rather poor job of handling it in the games since. Wednesday night’s loss to LSU followed an all-too-familiar pattern. For the third straight game, the Gator were slapped in the face early and it took awhile for them to figure out they were capable of going toe-to-toe with the Tigers. In all three SEC losses, the Gators have fallen behind by more than 10 points, only to rally furiously to get the margin back to a workable number. But, once they’re back within striking distance, they don’t have finishing power enough to pull off a win. The Gators know how to make opponents sweat but they haven’t figured out how to put them away. Against LSU, the Gators fell behind by 14 in the first half, then got back to within six. At the outset of the second half, LSU jumped out to a 14-point lead before the Gators woke up and started chipping away. It was a grind, but with 6:08 to go in the game, the Gators had trimmed 13 points off the deficit and were down 54-53. That’s when they hit the wall. From that point onward, every time the Gators had an opportunity to either tie the game or take the lead, they missed a shot from the field, threw up a brick from the foul line or broke down defensively. The hole they dug was just a few shovels full of dirt too deep. This is a pattern that has been repeated so many times that it’s clearly weighing on White, who is every bit as frustrated as Florida fans that the Gators can’t seem to find any measure of consistency. Whatever happened to throw the Gators off stride that night in Norman when Oklahoma handed Florida its first loss has kept the Gators from regaining any sense of momentum. In all three of the SEC losses plus the out-of-conference losses to Oklahoma and Maryland, the Gators have shown they’re more than capable of going toe-to-toe for long stretches of a game, but when it’s time to take the lead and win the game, the shots won’t fall, either from the field or the foul line or there are critical turnovers or blown defensive assignments. Through the first six games of the season that didn’t happen. Looking back, White says, “I don’t think we embraced some of our deficiencies, some of our bad body language, some of our episodes of pouting, after our wins.” Perhaps all the problems we’re seeing in the last nine games were there all along, just cleverly disguised as the Gators looked like the surprise team in the nation and certainly Florida’s best team since White took the Gators to the Elite Eight in 2017. In that 6-0 start, the Gators staked out wins over Florida State, California and now 16th-ranked Ohio State by making enough shots, minimalizing the turnovers and playing defensive toughness that has been absent the last couple of years. Particularly against FSU and Ohio State, the Gators were tough guys who, when punched in the nose, punched back twice as hard. That team seems a distant memory. Since that 6-0 beginning, the Gators are 3-6. Five of the losses are to good teams, three of them (Alabama, Auburn and LSU) ranked in the top 25. The loss to Texas Southern, which came to the O-Dome 0-7, is beyond explaining. When things were going their way, the Gators played with swagger. When adversity showed up in an ugly way in Norman, mojo filed for a divorce and the separation since then has been painful. “This team hasn’t handled adversity very well,” White said. “We handled success early on very well.” There is only one non-conference game remaining on the schedule, a January 29 meeting in the O-Dome with Oklahoma State in the annual SEC/Big Eight Challenge. There are 15 SEC games remaining and it is those games plus the SEC Tournament that will determine if the Gators can make the NCAA for the fifth straight year (2020 doesn’t count since the entire NCAA Tournament was postponed due to COVID-19). So, getting the mojo back in a hurry is a requirement. But how? The obvious remedy would be for someone other than Colin Castleton step it up. Castleton has shown a warrior mentality and the ability to play through adversity. Every time out, Castleton knows what’s coming. The ball comes into the post and he’s surrounded immediately. He gets bumped, shoved, slapped, hacked and pushed but he fights back. Through Florida’s first 15 games he’s averaging 15.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He’s among the nation’s leaders in blocked shots with 36. In the loss to LSU, Castleton had 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three blocked shots and a steal. He hit 7-10 shots from the field and 5-6 from the foul line. When the ball came into the post, he didn’t force the action but instead let the offense flow through him. Castleton might have had 10-12 assists if the Gators had simply hit open shots when he found open shooters out of the double- and triple-teams. The LSU game plan was pretty simple from the beginning – make Castleton work for everything with double teams and triple teams, even if it meant leaving open shooters on the perimeter. LSU trusted the Florida perimeter shooters to miss. They didn’t trust that they could stop Castleton one-on-one. When 7-0 Efton Reid and 6-8 power forward/center Tari Eason were in the game, every time the ball went into the post to Castleton someone doubled down from the perimeter or the baseline. When Reid and Eason fouled out trying to get too physical with Castleton, LSU decided two defenders were not enough to stop Castleton so for all but a couple of minutes in the second half, they went to surrounding him with three players every time the ball went into the post. Against a good shooting team it would be dangerous strategy. Against the Gators, it worked. While Castleton was highly efficient on those rare moments when he found an opening, Florida’s shooters weren’t. They launched 30 threes. Only seven found the bottom of the net. While Castleton hit 5-6 from the foul line, the rest of the team went 6-16 and there were numerous critical misses in the final six minutes. LSU’s defensive strategy would have backfired if only the Gators would have made even two or three more of their threes. White and the Florida staff anticipated the Tigers would do the cut the head off the snake strategy so the offense really ran through Castleton. The result was the offense probably worked as well as it has all season long except for one minor little detail. The Gators didn’t make their open shots and there were open shots to be had nearly every trip down the floor. “I’m not sure we’ve gotten better looks all year and what’s a little disheartening was this was against the No. 1 defensive team in the country,” White said. “We got good looks. In the second half we really settled into our decisions and our strength of moving the ball. We made unselfish plays … the extra [pass].” Whether it’s wide open shots like the Gators got against LSU or contested shots like the ones they took against Alabama, Auburn and Oklahoma, the results are consistently the same. The Gators shoot quite well against the bad teams. They struggle to make shots against the good ones. It seems to have nothing to do with the defense, but more to do with Florida’s shooters. These are the team numbers from the three-point line in the three SEC losses: Alabama 8-23; Auburn 6-22; LSU 7-30. The Gators were 5-24 in the loss to Texas Southern, 4-24 in the loss to Oklahoma and 11-27 in the loss to Maryland. So, in Florida’s SEC losses the Gators are 21-75 or 28 percent. In the three non-conference losses they are 20-75 or 26.6 percent. In the six losses, the Gators are 41-150 or 27.33 percent. In the nine wins the Gators are 73-220, which is 33.1 percent. For the season, UF is 114-374, which is 30.5 percent. The way basketball has evolved into a game dominated by perimeter shooting, it’s hard to be successful when you’re three-point shooters are that bad. These are the individual numbers for Florida’s most regular perimeter shooters in the six losses: Myreon Jones 10-43, Tyree Appleby 8-32, Brandon McKissic 8-23, Phlandrous Fleming Jr. 5-19, Anthony Duruji 4-14, C.J. Felder 5-11. For the entire season, Jones is 27-91 (29.7 percent), Appleby 20-67 (29.9 percent), McKissic 17-61 (27.9 percent), Fleming 17-47 (36.2 percent), Duruji 12-30 (40 percent), Felder (41.7 percent). Shooting isn’t the only issue for the Gators, but it is the most glaring problem. In each of the SEC games, for example, the Gators rallied furiously from double-digit deficits but they couldn’t hit big shots at the end when they needed them the most. Solving the shooting problem is no guarantee that the Gators can break out of their slump, but at least it would put them in better position to discover their missing mojo. For the most part, the Gators are playing good enough defense – opponents are averaging only 63.4 points per game and they’re being held to 30 percent from the three-point line – but someone has to step up to take the load off Castleton’s shoulders. Better yet, more than just one shooter needs to get his groove back. Balance the floor with a capable shooter on each side with Castleton in the middle and it will be very difficult to double down on the UF big man. The question, of course, is can the Gators shake out of the shooting doldrums or is this just the way it’s going to be the rest of the season? Shooters do catch fire, sometimes late in the season but if the Gators are going to start hitting shots, they have to quit putting so much pressure on themselves. Can they relax? Can they put that last miss behind them? “If it’s not weighing on us right now, something is wrong,” White said. But how do they eliminate that 900-pound gorilla on their shoulders? How do they stop the bleeding? How do the Gator shooters channel their inner Lee Humphrey? Is it as simple as learning to cope with adversity because the Gators are going to go face-to-face with it in Columbia Saturday afternoon when they face a South Carolina team that compensates for its lack of offensive skills by playing defense with piranha-like intensity? “We have to get some sort of mojo back,” White said. “We’re going to face some adversity in Columbia. We know it’s coming … It’s going to be a war. We’ve got to be ready for it.” The Gators are quite fortunate that only Auburn and Texas A&M in the SEC remain unbeaten. Maybe there is no catching Auburn, which is ranked fourth nationally, so a comeback to respectability is entirely possible. At this point, a 10-8 record in conference play will likely avoid playing on Wednesday in the SEC Tournament and could earn a double-bye into the Friday quarterfinals. A 10-8 conference record would put the Gators most likely needing one win at the SEC Tournament in Nashville to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament. So, there is still hope that the Gators could turn things around, but hope will only get the Gators so far. At some point, they have to start making some shots, particularly at crunch time. If they continue at their current pace, they not only will miss the NCAA Tournament but might not make any postseason event. White still likes this team, but he knows the Gators are on the clock. They better figure out this adversity thing and while they’re about it start putting the ball in the basket.

The pixies are back and this time they have everything it takes to win a national championship for the first time since Bridget Sloan and the Rhonda Faehn-coached Gators went back-to-back-to back from 2013-14. When Florida limped into Fort Worth for the 2021 championships, head coach Jenny Rowland was piecing together a lineup that could compensate for a high ankle sprain to Trinity Thomas, who has scored a perfect 10 on eight separate times in her illustrious Gator career. Had the NCAA Championships been held nine weeks earlier after the Gators had claimed their 13th Southeastern Conference regular season championship, Florida might very well have come home with a fourth national title (UF also won the 1982 AIAW national championship). Without a fully healthy Thomas, the Gators lacked the depth they needed in Fort Worth when they still finished fourth. The way last year’s season ended has been a real motivator for Rowland and her band of tiny athletes, who defy gravity and live on a dangerous edge. Last year's team had everything it took to win a national title except depth. This year's team, thanks to so many returning All-Americans and infused by talented freshmen, has the depth last year's team lacked and it has upgraded the talent from top to bottom on the roster. The memory of 2021 isn't going to go away, but it is a reminder that everybody has to work hard every single day to bring home the title that eluded the Gators last year. “I think it’s always a motivating factor for sure,” Rowland said after the Gators won their opening meet of the season. “I think it’s something this team does a really good job, they use what they need from last season but also it’s really important to start fresh and to attack each day to the best of their ability. We have a strong core and a strong heartbeat from our team last year and they have done a really great job of leading these freshmen and showing them the Gator way.” That strong core and the nation’s top freshman class gives Rowland depth she didn’t have in 2021. Thomas is back along with six others who have 40 All-America honors between them. Thomas, Alyssa Baumann, Leah Clapper, Nya Reed, Savannah Schoennher, Ellie Lazarri and Megan Skaggs are the foundation for what is perhaps the deepest and most talented roster top-to-bottom in Florida history. The freshman class features four former members of the United States Senior National Team and three who have claimed medals at the world championships. The team is so deep that the Gators wiped out Northern Illinois, Texas Woman’s University and Rutgers last Friday night at the O-Dome with Rowland making sure she keeps veterans like Thomas, Reed and Baumann rested by limiting their participation to two events. Among the freshmen, Sloane Blakely, a two-time member of the US Senior National Team (2018-19) won the all-around, but fellow freshman Leeanne Wong, the all-around silver medalist at the 2021 World Championships, only participated in two events while freshman Riley McCusker, a member of the gold medal US team at the 2018 World Championships, only worked the uneven parallel bars. Morgan Hurd, a 2017 silver medalist on the balance beam at the 2017 World Championships, missed the first meet and will miss the entire season after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL. At last week’s meet, super senior Alyssa Baumann, who answers to “Mom” and “Grandma” when called by her freshman teammates, scored a 9.925 on the balance beam and won the floor with a near perfect 9.975. Clapper scored a 9.95 on the beam to share the win with Blakely. Thomas won the vault with a 9.95 and Shoennherr and Wong won the bars with 9.875s. It will take contributions from the entire roster Sunday when the Gators, ranked second nationally in the preseason poll and second after one week of competition (197.675 team score), when they face preseason No. 6 Alabama, last year’s SEC championship meet winner and Super Six participant at the 2021 NCAA event. Starting off with an easy win helped Rowland get her freshmen used to the nuances of collegiate gymnastics compared to events on the national and world stage. For a veteran like Baumann, the pace of a quad meet where there is constant activity in all four events (vault, bars, beam, floor) was a good way to get a new season going. “I think it was really good to start with a meet like this where things are constantly going,” Baumann said. “This was a good to start with a meet like this, a quad meet where things are constantly going and it’s not just all eyes on you. Competing against an SEC school is a little bit different but this is a good first start … I’m really looking forward to a meet like Alabama.”

Stetson Bennett must be given credit, even if it makes Gator fans cringe. (CBS Sports Photo) '...there is a silver lining to this, even for Gator fans who all experienced the ipecac go down watching a Bulldog celebration: A fifth-year walk-on quarterback with a 5-star backing him up beat a Heisman Trophy quarterback.' By CARLTON REESE GatorBait Columnist Full disclosure: I thought Michigan was going to pound Georgia. When the Bulldogs completely dismantled the Wolverines they no longer looked like an inferior opponent to Alabama. Going into Monday night’s title game, it seemed eerily similar to Jan. 2, 1997, the night Florida won its first national championship by avenging its only loss of the season to Florida State. After that game in which the Gators clearly demonstrated its 24-21 loss the Seminoles a month earlier was a mirage, FSU head coach Bobby Bowden said, “Now you know why I didn’t want to play them again.” That could likely have been Nick Saban’s comment after Georgia prevented him from bagging his eighth national championship. Something tells me Alabama didn’t get Georgia’s best the night of the SEC Championship game and that may have actually been critical to the Bulldogs’ drive toward their first national championship since Lindsay Scott broke our hearts. In the SEC title matchup, Georgia played like a team that believed it was more than just destined, but entitled to wear the ring. When the Tide humiliated them that night in Atlanta, the Bulldogs became a better football team. A loss was coming; it was only a matter of if that loss would come in Atlanta or in the one-and-done situation of the playoffs. If Georgia wins the SEC Championship, Michigan rolls in the semis – I firmly believe this. College football is played by kids, and matters such as emotion, passion, confidence and overconfidence carry the game. In the pros it comes down to execution and nothing more – this is why the college game is still the most compelling of all. Against Michigan then again in the rematch with Alabama, Georgia played like a team that knew it could lose if it didn’t bring its best, and that made all the difference in the world. Georgia is the best team in college football for 2021 and there is a silver lining to this, even for Gator fans who all experienced the ipecac go down watching a Bulldog celebration: A fifth-year walk-on quarterback with a 5-star backing him up beat a Heisman Trophy quarterback. As much as we believe college football is determined by quarterbacks and coaches, Georgia showed the world that the team with the game’s second-best coach and the second-best quarterback can win because it simply had the better team. As much as this hurts, watching those putrid red helmets with that fat ‘G’ on the side prance around as the No.1 team in the land, I have to give credit where it is due. This victory has been several years in the making – Kirby Smart, ahem, has built a dominant force not through his coaching acumen or his brilliance as a strategist, but simply by out-recruiting everyone else. It was once said that coach Don Shula could take his players and whip you with yours, then take your players and whip you with his – anyone who says this about Kirby Smart will no longer be protected by the First Amendment. As amazing as it sounds, Georgia had better players than Alabama, including at the quarterback position where Stetson Bennet was still hearing the jeers from Dawg fans midway through the third quarter and Bryce Young played like he was wearing a blue No.5 jersey. Georgia should probably have won a championship before this one, but it didn’t and that’s how it almost always happens – rarely does a team show up from the depths of mediocrity and blast a grand slam in its first opportunity. Florida had teams good enough to win the title in 1994 and 1995, but endured the suffering necessary to make the 1996 championship a possibility. The Bulldogs suffered through some close calls when they may have had the best team, but those dividend checks were finally cashed in later. It was their turn and there is no denying this. As a Florida man, no, I am not happy at all about this. With three national championships in the last 25 years, Gator Nation has enjoyed membership in a small club of which Georgia I hoped would never gain admission. Now, the leg humpers are national champions and we haven’t won one in over a decade. No more mocking; instead, we’re looking at a program that has now earned yet another recruiting advantage over us. And that’s where Billy Napier comes to the rescue. At this moment in time, UF fans crowing about how their new coach is “getting it done” must seem laughable to Georgia fans. In 2009 (not that long ago, mind you), Florida beat Georgia 41-17 and the Bulldogs seemed little more than an afterthought to a Gators program that always had the better players and the better coach for close to 20 straight years. Georgia owning Florida and sitting on top of the college football world seemed like a science fiction tale, nothing that could happen in my lifetime. Yet, here we are: Georgia is No.1; Florida is on its sixth head coach in 19 seasons and fourth in the last 11. Let’s face it, when Kirby Smart started at Georgia, opponents weren’t exactly running for cover. He seems on the verge of tears every time he talks, even on his birthday. In 2016, his first as Georgia’s head coach, he struck no fear, but ever since he has been Bobby Bowden – he has had his team in the championship conversation every year and looks like he’s going to continue that momentum for a long time. That’s what Napier is facing: All of sudden, Florida’s biggest rival is the best program in the country. No one says it will be easy, and it may even be impossible, but hills are meant to be climbed. Georgia climbed the hill upon which Florida sat atop for almost 30 years and finally made it. Call me Pollyanna, but something tells me Gator Nation won’t have to watch a 30-year climb to plant its flag where the Dawgs now reside. Tennessee arduously climbed that hill and finally reached the top in 1998. Several years later the Vols had become a punchline. That title in 1998 was a fluke, though, while Georgia’s in 2021 is the Real McCoy, so don’t count on Georgia fading under the weight of its own hubris the way Tennessee did. As for Florida, well, it’s now up to Mr. Napier who in the language of big-time college football is yet to prove a thing, but somehow has instilled confidence in the Gator faithful. With very little evidence, Napier seems to be the right guy for the job, and at the moment that job is catching Georgia. Today is Georgia’s day. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: THE GANG THAT COULDN’T SHOOT STRAIGHT … The numbers from Wednesday night are appalling to say the least. The Gators (9-6, 0-3 SEC) were almost gift-wrapped a win over the No. 12 team in the country but because they couldn’t make free throws (11-22) and couldn’t throw a three-ball in the ocean if they were standing on the end of a very long pier at high tide (7-31), they lost 64-58 to LSU at the O-Dome. The Gators had everything going for them including the zebras, who called it very tight on the visiting Tigers, who saw 7-0 Efton Reid and 6-8 Tari Eason, their leading scorer, foul out early in the second half. Despite having to play small and most of the game with a makeshift lineup, LSU never lost the lead, which was as much as 14 points in the second half. It wasn’t like the Gators didn’t have opportunities. There were shots to be had, but other than Colin Castleton (7-10 from the field, 5-6 from the foul line) nobody could hit the big shot when the Gators needed it most. “I’m not sure we’ve gotten better looks all year and what’s disheartening was this was against the No. 1 defensive team in the country,” Florida coach Mike White said. The Gators trailed 54-51 with 7:51 to go in the game but missed a couple of free throws that would have closed the gap to one. With 6:08, Castleton tipped in a miss to make it 54-53, but after UF got a defensive stop, Myreon Jones missed a three. When it was 56-53, Brandon McKissic missed a three and Jones made only 1-2 from the foul line. That was with 4:06 to go. Castleton again brought the Gators within two (58-56) with 3:38 to go but LSU countered to make it a four-point deficit again at the 3:04 mark. Phlandrous Fleming Jr. and Jones both missed threes and McKissic went 0-2 at the foul line with 2:29 to go. Here are some numbers to digest: Jones, who came into the game having hit just 10 of his last 46 three-pointers, was 2-9. A 71.4 percent free throw shooter coming into the game, Jones went 3-6. McKissic, who came into the game having hit five of his last 19 threes, was 1-7 and he was 0-2 at the foul line. He was 63.6 percent heading into the game. The Gators held Eason and Reid to a combined eight points, 16 below their average, and yet the Gators were outscored 42-25 in the paint by a smaller lineup. The Gators forced 16 LSU turnovers and converted them to 19 points while LSU managed only six points on 14 Florida free throws and yet the Gators lost. This was not a case of Florida lacking chances to win the game. The chances were there, but Florida lacked the ability to step up and make big plays when they were needed. White pointed out the obvious postgame when he said the Gators are soft at times. That has something to do with a third straight loss to a ranked SEC team in which the Gators have dug themselves deep holes from which they were never able to come back. Can the Gators recover from this 0-3 start? It’s not totally hopeless. At least yet. Just a couple of weeks into the SEC portion of the schedule, 4th-ranked Auburn (15-1, 4-0 SEC) is the only team in the league that hasn’t taken a conference loss on the chin so it’s not like Florida can’t string some wins together and get back into the race to avoid the dreaded Wednesday games when the SEC Tournament begins in March. But, to stage a comeback, the Gators have to find the kind of mental and physical toughness they put on display when they started the season 6-0 (3-6 in the nine games since). “Mental toughness, confidence, swagger, whatever you want to call it, it’s got to improve with this group” White said. “As a staff we’ve got to figure out ways to help these guys step up.” It needs to be soon because the schedule isn’t going to get much easier. Castleton led the Gators with 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Fleming was the only other Gator in double figures, finishing with 11 while hitting 3-8 from the three-point line. SEC BASKETBALL Wednesday’s games: LSU (15-1, 3-1 SEC) 64, FLORIDA (9-6, 0-3 SEC) 58; Arkansas (11-5, 1-3 SEC) 87, Missouri (7-8, 1-2 SEC) 43; Mississippi State (11-4, 2-1 SEC) 88, Georgia (5-11, 0-3 SEC) 72 Saturday’s games: FLORIDA (9-6, 0-3 SEC) at South Carolina (10-5, 1-2 SEC); No. 22 Tennessee (11-4, 2-2 SEC) at No. 18 Kentucky (13-3, 3-1 SEC); Arkansas (11-5, 1-3 SEC) at No. 12 LSU (15-1, 3-1 SEC); Texas A&M (14-2, 3-0 SEC) at Missouri (7-8, 1-2 SEC); No. 24 Alabama (11-5, 202 SEC) at Mississippi State (11-4, 2-1 SEC); Vanderbilt (9-6, 1-2 SEC) at Georgia (5-11, 0-3 SEC); No. 4 Auburn (15-1, 4-0 SEC) at Ole Miss (9-6, 1-2 SEC) NAPIER ADDS CHESTON BLACKSHEAR TO GROWING STAFF Another of the 1996 national championship Gators is coming home. Cheston Blackshear, who lettered four years on the offensive line after prepping at Ed White in Jacksonville, has been added by Billy Napier as a quality control coach for the offensive line. Blackshear spent the previous five seasons working for former Gator assistant Buddy Teevins at Dartmouth where he was the offensive line coach. Blackshear also has worked previously at Columbia, Georgetown, Nevada and New Mexico. Napier has a Friday morning press conference in which it is expected he will announce his full coaching staff. One name that won’t be on the staff is former Minnesota Vikings corners coach Karl Scott, who is expected to take the corners job at Alabama, where he worked from 2018-20. Kemore Gamble in the portal: Tight end Kemore Gamble, who has a super senior season at his disposal (he played in 2020), has elected to go into the transfer portal instead of declaring for the National Football League. Gamble, who was recruited to Florida in 2017 by Jim McElwain, finishes his UF career with 48 receptions for 632 yards and seven touchdowns. He was Florida’s third-leading receiver in 2021 with a career high 31 catches for 414 yards and four touchdowns. Former UF coaches moving on: Wesley McGriff, who coached safeties at Florida in 2021, is the new co-defensive coordinator for Jeff Satterfield at Louisville. Jules Montinar, who coached Florida’s corners, will coach defensive backs for new Temple coach Stan Drayton, who coached running backs on Urban Meyer’s Florida staff from 2005-07 and again in 2010. SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: CB Josh Jobe is off for the NFL as is defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis … Football players transferring out are TE Jahleel Billingsley, backup QB Paul Tyson (Bear Bryant’s grandson), OL Tommy Brown, LB Drew Sanders and LB King Mwikuta … Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is getting interest from the NFL for both head coach and offensive coordinator openings … O-line coach Doug Marrone is not expected to return. Arkansas: DB Joe Foucha, the team’s fourth leading tackler, is transferring to LSU. Foucha had 75 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 5.0 pass breakups and an interception. Auburn: WR Kobe Hudson, who led the Tigers in receiving in 2021, is transferring to UCF. Hudson had 44 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns … DL Daniel Foster Allen, a 3-star recruit in 2020, is in the transfer portal … Edge rusher Eke Leota, who had seven sacks in 2021, is returning for the 2022 season. Georgia: WR Jaylen Johnson, a former 4-star recruit who had two catches in 2021, is in the transfer portal as is DB Jalen Kimber, a 4-star recruit in the 2020 class ... Running back James Cook who ran for 728 yards and four touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns in 2021, is off to the NFL. Kentucky: Starting offensive tackle Dare Rosenthal, who transferred in from LSU back in August, has declared for the NFL … Safety Zahquan Frazier, the No. 10 juco player in the nation who signed with Kentucky back in December, says he will enroll someplace else instead. LSU: Corner Mekhi Gardner, who made third team All-Sun Belt for Billy Napier at Louisiana, is transferring to LSU … WR Alex Adams is transferring to Akron. Mississippi State: Wide receiver Jordan Mosely, who caught one pass at Northwestern in 2021, is transferring to MSU. He is a former 4-star recruit who was the top signee in Northwestern’s 2021 class … DB Jackie Matthews, who had one interception and 42 tackles for West Virginia, is transferring to MSU. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Missouri: Special teams coordinator Erik Link has added tight ends to his responsibilities. D.J. Smith, who coaches linebackers, is now the recruiting coordinator … Missouri has added Louisiana Tech to its 2022 schedule to replace Middle Tennessee State. Ole Miss: LB Troy Brown, who recorded 212 tackles and five interceptions in four years at Central Michigan, will play his senior season at Ole Miss. In 2021, Brown had 66 tackles including seven for loss and a sack to go with one interception ... DB Tylan Knight, who had 37 tackles and a sack in 2021, is transferring out … Former Southern Cal quarterback Jaxson Dart is expected to visit Ole Miss this weekend. Dart threw for 1,353 yards and nine TDs in six games in 2021. He has three years of eligibility remaining. South Carolina: RB Christian Beal-Smith, who ran for 1,871 yards and 21 touchdowns during his Wake Forest career, is transferring to South Carolina … Spring practice will begin on March 15. Tennessee: K’rohn Tolbert, who started five games at RT two seasons ago, is in the transfer portal. Also in the portal is WR Addison Coby who caught one pass in 2021. They are the second and third players to transfer out since January 1. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel makes a pretty strong case for why the “alliance” of the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC stands in the way of College Football Playoff expansion even though it will be better for their leagues. A 12-team playoff will be beneficial to the “alliance” not only from a financial standpoint, but also in reversing the way the Southeastern Conference is siphoning talent from around the country to play in the league that has produced 12 of the last 16 national champions. Wetzel points out that the SEC is 12-3 against non-SEC teams in the playoff since 2014 with the last six wins by an average of 23.5 points. You would think the “alliance” would be begging for expansion. Here is why Wetzel says it isn’t happening: “The Pac-12 wants to protect the Rose Bowl’s television slot. The Big Ten is hung up on whether the six automatic bids should go to the six highest-rated conference champions or the so-called Power Five leagues plus the best of the rest (a distinction with hardly any practical difference. The ACC is trying to bully Notre Dame into becoming a full-time member so it can then renegotiate its horrific long-term TV contract … In other words, fiddling while the sport burns.” Kevin Warren (Big Ten), George Kliavkoff (Pac-12) and Jim Phillips (ACC) only think they can strongarm the rest of college football into doing things their way. The only thing they’re doing is further empowering the SEC and Greg Sankey. There can be no playoff without full participation of the SEC. There could be a playoff without the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC, however. The sooner the geniuses in the “alliance” figure that out, the sooner they will have a chance to slow down the freight train that is the Southeastern Conference.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: CAN THE GATORS STOP THE BLEEDING AGAINST NO. 12 LSU TONIGHT? For a team that has been struggling to get the ball in the basket consistently – Florida (9-5, 0-2 SEC) is shooting 42.9 percent this season, 12th in the SEC; 31.2 percent from the three-point line, 11th in the SEC – the last thing you want to see is a team that gets in your face and stays there. That’s 12th-ranked LSU (14-1, 2-1 SEC), the top team in the nation for defensive efficiency according to the Kenpom.com rankings. The Tigers give up only 34.9 percent overall from the field and 26.6 percent from the three-point line. The Gators have their work cut out for them against an in-your-face team that forces a lot of bad shots and turnovers. For Florida to win this game tonight at the O-Dome (7 p.m., ESPN2), the Gators have to find someone other than Colin Castleton (15.6 points, 9.1 rebounds per game) to score. If someone can’t hit some outside shots, the Tigers are just going to surround Castleton and shut down the inside game. Since going 4-9 on three-pointers against Oklahoma, Myreon Jones is 10-46. Tyree Appleby is 1-15 since a 5-8 showing from beyond the arc against Maryland. Brandon McKissic his hit five of his last 18. Phlandrous Fleming Jr. has hit 9-14 on threes in his last six games, but he’s only 14-39 for the season. Additionally, the Gators have turned it over 188 times this season and they have only 181 assists. If the Gators are going to stop the bleeding of two straight SEC losses LSU tonight they’re going to have to make some shots and they can’t have a negative assist-ot-turnover game. Right now, that seems impossible. SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday’s games: No. 18 Kentucky 13-2, 3-1 SEC) 78, Vanderbilt 9-6, 1-2 SEC) 66; No. 22 Tennessee (11-4, 2-2 SEC) 66, South Carolina (10-5, 1-2 SEC) 46; Texas A&M (13-2, 2-0 SEC) 67, Ole Miss (9-5, 1-1 SEC) 51; No. 4 Auburn (15-1, 4-0 SEC) 81, No. 24 Alabama (11-5, 2-2 SEC) 77 Wednesday’s games: No. 12 LSU (14-1, 2-1 SEC) at FLORIDA (9-5, 0-2 SEC); Georgia (5-10, 0-2 SEC) at Mississippi State (10-4, 1-1 SEC); Missouri (7-7, 1-1 SEC) at Arkansas (10-5, 0-3 SEC) ROB SALE OFFICIALLY HIRED AS OL/OC The worst kept secret in all of football was that Rob Sale was going to leave the New York Giants to become the offensive line coach at the University of Florida. Long before players and others in New York tweeted out that Sale was Florida-bound, only the stand-ins for the Tommy movie were unaware that Sale was leaving the pros for the Southeastern Conference. The University of Florida made it official Monday, but the timing of the announcement almost makes it seem as if Sale was on the next plane out of LaGuardia just moments before the Giants pink slipped head coach Joe Judge. In addition to being the offensive line coach, assisted by Darnell Stapleton, Sale will take on his familiar offensive coordinator role which he held three years at Louisiana when he was working for Billy Napier. Sale held the coordinator title, but Napier called the plays, which is likely the arrangement in Gainesville. During the three years they worked together at Louisiana (2018-20), the Rajin Cajuns had balanced offenses that got more than 50 percent of their yardage from a running game that averaged more than 213 yards per season each year. Their 2019 offense, which ranked eighth nationally (494.1 yards per game), was good for 257.43 yards per game on the ground, which ranked sixth nationally. Sale played on the offensive for Nick Saban at LSU from 2000-02. He worked for Saban at Alabama from 2007-11 on the strength staff and was the O-line coach for Mark Richt at Georgia in 2015. He hooked up with Napier in 2011 when Napier was an analyst for Saban and again in 2017, when Napier was the offensive coordinator for Todd Graham at Arizona State. SOME NAMES IN THE PORTAL TO BE WATCHING WR Kyren Lacy, formerly Louisiana: He’s 6-3, 213, with three years remaining eligibility. He’s a YAC specialist who had 50 catches for 683 yards and 10 touchdowns in two seasons playing for Napier. Dwight McGlothern, DB, formerly LSU: He is a big corner (6-2, 185) who spent the last two years being coached by now UF corners coach Corey Raymond. He had pick six, 32 tackles, five pass breakups and a forced fumble in 2021. Latrell McCutchin, DB, formerly Oklahoma: He’s a former 4-star out of Austin, who the Gators were recruiting in 2021. He played in nine games in 2021, mostly on special teams but had nine tackles, a pass breakup and two forced fumbles. He’s 6-1, 185 and has three years eligibility remaining. Ryan Swoboda, OT, formerly Virginia: He was a 3-star recruit out of Windemere Prep in 2017 who has great size (6-10, 325), 24 career starts at right tackle and a year of eligibility remaining. Plug and play guy at a position of need. Mason Brooks, OT, formerly Western Kentucky: He’s 6-6, 305, and a first team All-Conference USA right tackle with two years of eligibility. He has started two seasons and didn’t give up a sack in 12 of 14 games in 2021 in an offense that threw nearly 700 passes. Tommy Brown, OT, formerly Alabama: When he was a four-star prospect at Mater Dei in LA, Napier and Sale recruited him. He’s 6-7, 325 with two years eligibility remaining. West Weeks, LB, formerly Virginia: He was a skinny high school senior in North Georgia (3-star recruit) who has filled out to 6-2, 220. As a true freshman playing inside linebacker, he had 31 tackles with five pass breakups and two QB hurries. LSU, Southern Cal and South Carolina have already offered. VERY bright kid. FINAL TOP 25 FOOTBALL POLLS Associated Press: 1. Georgia; 2. Alabama; 3. Michigan; 4. Cincinnati; 5. Baylor; 6. Ohio State; 7. Oklahoma State; 8. Notre Dame; 9. Michigan State; 10. Oklahoma; 11. Ole Miss; 12. Utah; 13. Pittsburgh; 14. Clemson; 15. Wake Forest; 16. Louisiana; 17. Houston; 18. Kentucky; 19. BYU; 20 North Carolina State; 21. Arkansas; 22. Oregon; 23. Iowa; 24 Utah State; 25. San Diego State Coaches: 1. Georgia 14-1; 2. Alabama 13-2; 3. Michigan 12-2; 4. Cincinnati 13-1; 5. Ohio State; 6. Baylor; 7. Oklahoma State; 8. Michigan; 9. Notre Dame; 10. Oklahoma; 11. Ole Miss; 12. Utah; 13. Pittsburgh; 14. Wake Forest; 15. Kentucky; 16. Clemson; 17. Houston; 18. Louisiana; 19. North Carolina State; 20. Arkansas; 21. Oregon; 22. BYU; 23. Iowa; 24. Utah State; 25. Texas A&M EARLY 2022 TOP 25 POLLS TELL US IT’S TIME TO EXPAND THE PLAYOFFS When you read the all too early top 25 polls listed below, you’ll notice a certain amount of familiarity at the top. Alabama should be there because Bryce Young and Will Anderson, the best offensive and defensive players in the nation, are returning along with most of the 2021 team that beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game but lost to Georgia for the national championship. Beyond Alabama it is the usual suspects: Ohio State and Georgia two and three with three of the five polls placing Clemson and Oklahoma at No. 4. What this and the second lowest television ratings ever for a College Football Playoff national championship game should tell us is that the commissioners need to agree in a hurry on a plan to expand the playoff and get it on the market. They say that familiarity breeds contempt and while college football was welcomed back with open arms after a pandemic season, contempt isn’t far off if we keep seeing the same faces in the playoff. You remedy that with expansion. Mike DeCourcey of Sporting News makes a great observation when he points out that the UCLA dynasty in basketball occurred at a time when only a limited number of conference champions and select independents got in. From 1964-76 UCLA won 10 NCAA championships. The Tournament was open to 22-25 teams until 1968, after which it expanded to 32 where it remained until expansion to 40 teams. The tournament expanded two more times before getting to 64 teams in 1985. Since expanding beyond 32 teams, UCLA has won only one national championship. From 1975-2014 there were 23 different teams that have earned at least a share of a national championship in football. The state of Florida, which never had a national championship prior to the one Miami won in 1983, has 11 championships – Miami 5, Florida 3, Florida State 3. Since the advent of the College Football Playoff in 2014, we keep seeing the same teams in the Final Four. Since 1975, 22 different schools have won the NCAA basketball championship. Since 2014, which was when the CFP began, seven different teams have won a national championship (no tournament in 2020) and Villanova is the only team with two. Since Florida won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006-07, 10 different schools have won championships in 16 years. March Madness is an event because the same teams don’t win the national championship every year and teams like Butler and Gonzaga have played for the national title and Cinderellas like VCU and Loyola Chicago have made the Final Four. March Madness is also a cash cow. At a time when too many Division I football schools are wondering how they’re going to stay afloat, the solution is a 12-team playoff that will move the needle and bring in billions. If only the “alliance” would quit its attempted power play. They aren’t hurting the SEC, but they are hurting everyone else in college football. Early Top 25 Polls Sporting News: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Georgia; 4. Clemson; 5. Notre Dame; 6. Texas A&M; 7. Michigan; 8. Baylor; 9. Oregon; 10. Utah; 11. Wake Forest; 12. Kentucky; 13. Arkansas; 14. Cincinnati; 15. Michigan State; 16. Oklahoma; 17. Iowa; 18. Oklahoma State; 19. Ole Miss; 20. Texas; 21. Southern Cal; 22. FLORIDA; 23. LSU; 24. Pittsburgh; 25. Coastal Carolina ESPN: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Georgia; 4. Texas A&M; 5. Michigan; 6. Notre Dame; 7. Utah; 8. North Carolina State; 9. Oklahoma State; 10. Michigan State; 11. Clemson; 12. Oregon; 13. Houston; 14. Wake Forest; 15. Iowa; 16. Baylor; 17. Oklahoma; 18. BYU; 19. Cincinnati; 20. Arkansas; 21. Kentucky; 22. Southern Cal; 23. Ole Miss; 24. Wisconsin; 25. South Carolina CBS: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Georgia; 4. Oklahoma; 5. Texas A&M; 6. Baylor; 7. Notre Dame; 8. LSU; 9. Clemson; 10. Arkansas; 11. Michigan; 12. Miami; 13. Utah; 14. Southern Cal; 15. Tennessee; 16. Texas; 17. Wake Forest; 18. Oregon; 19. Wisconsin; 20. Michigan State; 21. BYU; 22. South Carolina; 23. Cincinnati; 24. Penn State; 25. Oklahoma State Sports Illustrated: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Georgia; 4. Clemson; 5. Utah; 6. Texas A&M; 7. Michigan; 8. Wake Forest; 9. Notre Dame; 10. Oklahoma State; 11. Michigan State; 12. Baylor; 13. Southern Cal; 14. Arkansas; 15. Oklahoma; 16. Tennessee; 17. Wisconsin; 18. Houston; 19. North Carolina State; 20. Oregon; 21. Kentucky; 22. Iowa; 23. Cincinnati; 24. Purdue; 25. Coastal Carolina The Athletic: 1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Georgia; 4. Utah; 5. Notre Dame; 6. Texas A&M; 7. Michigan; 8. Clemson; 9. North Carolina State; 10. Michigan State; 11. Pittsburgh; 12. Baylor; 13. Tennessee; 14. Oklahoma State; 15. Wake Forest; 16. Oregon; 17. Arkansas; 18. Minnesota; 19. Wisconsin; 20. Cincinnati; 21. Kentucky; 22. Houston; 23. Iowa; 24. Kansas State; 25. Oklahoma ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: We’re only in the foundational stage of the rebuild. Billy Napier still doesn’t have a full coaching staff, nor has he completed his “army” although each day new faces appear in the building ready to go to work for the new boss. There is no doubting the enormity of this job, proof is in this number: 64. That’s where the Florida Gators rank in The Athletic’s final power ranking for all 130 Division I football teams. Think about that a moment. Sixty-three teams including such heavyweights as Georgia State (63), Central Michigan (60), Nevada (47) and Northern Illinois (42) are thought to be better than UF. The school Napier left to coach Florida – Louisiana – is 16th in The Athletic and Associated Press rankings. Where the Gators are perceived is not rock bottom, but it is only one or two notches above. The task ahead for Billy Napier is monumental.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: ELAM TO THE NFL; TORRENCE AND JOHNSON ENROLLED AT UF? Although he waited until the last day before drop/add at the University of Florida to declare his intentions, corner Kaiir Elam has announced he is off to the National Football League. There had been some faint speculation that Elam might choose to play another year at UF to be coached by new cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, the man who made LSU known as DBU, but he chose to move on, which isn’t really a surprise. Elam’s draft stock may have dipped a little bit after an inconsistent 2021, but ESPN NFL Draft experts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay still have him as their No. 5 corner. McShay ranks Elam as his No. 25 player overall. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Elam going 20th in the draft to the Los Angeles Chargers while Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports has Elam at No. 14 to the Baltimore Ravens. He will have a chance to solidify his status as a first rounder with an outstanding combine and pro day. In announcing he’s off for the NFL, Elam posted a social media video in which he said, “I will forever be a Gator. I will forever be grateful for all the fans and all the real people who stuck with us through the ups and downs. Being able to come back to The Swamp is something I’ll cherish the rest of my life. Being a Gator is something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.” Elam finishes his Florida career with six interceptions and 26 passes defended. * * * Although nothing has been announced yet, apparently a pair of players who helped Billy Napier and Louisiana go 13-1 and win the Sun Belt Conference championship are enrolled at the University of Florida. Both have email addresses listed in the Florida student directory. Offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence (6-5, 338, two years eligibility remaining) and running back Montrell Johnson (5-11, 215, three years eligibility remaining) would mark the third and fourth transfers since Napier became Florida’s head coach and the third from Louisiana. Quarterback Jack Miller III (6-4, 210, four years eligibility remaining) transferred in from Ohio State and offensive lineman Kamryn Waite (6-8, 358, four years eligibility remaining) were the first two. The final day to enroll for the spring semester is Friday. GEORGIA WINS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP The 14,984-day wait is over for the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia won the national championship Monday night, exorcising 41 years of demons and knocking the monkey that has been riding on Kirby Smart’s back ever since 2017 when Alabama won the national championship game in overtime. For all the credit that will be given to Georgia’s defense, which showed up, unlike they did against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game back on December 4, the Bulldogs don’t win this one, 33-18, if Stetson Bennett IV doesn’t play the game of his life. You don’t have to be a Georgia fan to admire the former walk-on, who has endured far too much criticism from fans who spent the year begging for JT Daniels. Bennett got Georgia enough points to win the SEC title game, but the defense didn’t show. That didn’t stop Georgia fans and critics everywhere from blaming the loss on the QB. Well, guess who has the last laugh now? Bennett completed 17-26 passes for 224 yards and two second half touchdowns to lead the way. Granted, Georgia’s defense did play great football, particularly in the red zone where they denied Alabama first half touchdowns that could have made a huge difference, but Bennett has to be the hero of this one. Consider also that Bennett was never supposed to be THE guy at Georgia. He walked on, left for junior college, then came back even though he knew he would be buried on the quarterback depth chart. In 2020, he was supposed to back up Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman and former 4-star recruit D’wan Mathis, both of whom were bigger, stronger, faster and had better arms. Additionally, Daniels, a former 5-star recruit transferred in from Southern Cal in August. Newman quit before the 2020 season began amid reports that he was being outplayed in scrimmages by Bennett. Mathis started the first game in 2021 but transferred to Temple (he’s transferred again). In 2021, Daniels started two of the first three games, but once Bennett started taking the snaps, Daniels could only sit and watch. This was Georgia’s first national championship since the Bulldogs beat Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl to cap Herschel Walker’s brilliant freshman season. It was also the first win over Nick Saban since he became the Alabama head coach in 2007 after losing seven in a row including three in championship games (2017 national championship, 2018 SEC championship, 2021 SEC Championship). Alabama had to play the last 42 minutes of the game without Jameson Williams, who injured his knee at the Georgia 35 in the second quarter after catching a 40-yard pass from Bryce Young. No Williams and no John Metchie III (out since the SEC Championship Game) had a serious impact on the Alabama offense, but no excuses. You play with the guys you’ve got and the players Georgia had were better than the ones Alabama played with. So, hats off to Georgia, which just won the Southeastern Conference’s 12th national championship in football since 2006. Although Alabama has been the dominant program in all of college football since Saban took over, the SEC has had five different programs win the national championship since Florida started the domination in 2006. Alabama has won six national championships, Florida two, LSU two, Auburn one and now Georgia one. SEC FOOTBALL Arkansas: Linebacker Grant Morgan, who went from walk-on to All-American, is off to the NFL. Morgan finished with 312 tackles in his career including back-to-back 100+ seasons in 2020-21. Auburn: Redshirt freshman defensive back Eric Reed Jr., a former 4-star recruit, is transferring out. Kentucky: Citing the desire to be the first person in his family to earn a college degree, running back Chris Rodriguez will be back in 2022. After a season in which he gained 1,379 yards and scored nine touchdowns, Rodriguez has run for 2,739 yards and 26 touchdowns in his UK career. He’s within striking distance of the all-time UK rushing record of 3,835 held by Sonny Collins … Former Ohio State D-lineman and 4-star recruit Darrion Henry-Young is transferring to UK. He has four years of eligibility. LSU: Wide receiver Alex Adams is the fourth wide receiver to transfer out, joining Koy Moore, Deion Smith and Trey Palmer. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs, whose placekickers managed only 14-25 on field goals in 2021, have a commitment from 5-star juco transfer Gabriel Plascencia. Plascencia also punts. Missouri: Former 4-star corner Dreydon Norwood, who didn’t see any action at Texas A&M in 2021, is transferring to Mizzou. Norwood has four seasons of eligibility remaining. Ole Miss: Isheem Young, who was the Big 12’s co-freshman of the year in 2020, has chosen Ole Miss as his transfer destination over Southern Cal and Texas A&M. Young, who had 106 tackles and three interceptions in two years playing safety for the Cyclones, has three seasons of remaining eligibility. South Carolina: Wide receiver Antwain Wells, who caught 83 passes for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns for D1AA powerhouse James Madison in 2021, is transferring to South Carolina. Also transferring in is former Central Michigan safety Devonni Reed, who chose South Carolina over Texas, Wisconsin, Mississippi State and others. Reed had 287 tackles in his CMU career. SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday’s games: South Carolina (10-4, 1-1 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (10-4, 1-2 SEC); No. 16 Kentucky (12-3, 2-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (9-5, 1-1 SEC); Ole Miss (9-5, 1-1 SEC) at Texas A&M (13-2, 2-0 SEC); No. 9 Auburn (14-1, 3-0 SEC) at No. 15 Alabama (11-4, 2-1 SEC) Wednesday’s games: No. 21 LSU (14-1, 2-1 SEC) at FLORIDA (9-5, 0-2 SEC); Georgia (5-10, 0-2 SEC) at Mississippi State (10-4, 1-1 SEC); Missouri (7-7, 1-1 SEC) at Arkansas (10-5, 0-3 SEC) The Associated Press top 25: 1. Baylor 15-0; 2. Gonzaga 12-2; 3. UCLA 10-1; 4. Auburn 14-1; 5. Southern Cal 13-0; 6. Arizona 12-1; 7. Purdue 13-2; 8. Duke 12-2; 9. Kansas 12-2; 10. Michigan State 13-2; 11. Houston 14-2; 12. LSU 14-1; 13. Wisconsin 13-2; 14. Villanova 11-4; 15. Iowa State 13-2; 16. Ohio State 10-3; 17. Xavier 12-2; 18. Kentucky 12-3; 19. Texas Tech 11-3; 20. Seton Hall; 21. Texas 12-3; 22. Tennessee 10-4; 23. Providence 14-2; 24. Alabama 11-4; 25. Illinois 11-3 The Coaches top 25: 1. Baylor 15-0; 2. Gonzaga 12-2; 3. UCLA 10-1; 4. Auburn 14-1; 5. Purdue 13-2; 6. Arizona 12-1; 7. Southern Cal 13-0; 8. Duke 12-2; 9. Michigan State 13-2; 10. Kansas 12-2; 11. Houston 14-2; 12. LSU 14-1; 13. Wisconsin 13-2; 14. Villanova 11-4; 15. Ohio State 10-3; 16. Iowa State 13-2; 17. Kentucky 12-3; 18. Seton Hall 11-3; 19. Texas Tech 11-3; 20. Providence 14-2; 21. Xavier 12-2; 22. Texas 12-3; 24. Illinois 11-3; 25. Alabama 11-4 ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Don’t like the current four-team playoff format? You might want to get used to it because after three days of meetings in Indianapolis, the conference commissioners who make up the College Football Playoff Management Committee adjourned without getting anywhere near an agreement to expand. Had there been an agreement on the number of teams and format for an expanded playoff, there might have been either an eight- or 12-team playoff beginning with 2024. The current four-team format with all games broadcast on ESPN is under contract until 2025. The proposal that was brought forward last summer called for a 12-team playoff with the six highest ranked conference champions getting an automatic bid with six at-large teams. Since Notre Dame does not play a conference championship game, the Irish would not be allowed a first round bye or a top six seed in that format. Once Texas and Oklahoma announced they are departing the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference, the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 united to more or less roadblock expansion. One sticking point was the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 wanted guarantees that all five power conference champs would get an automatic bid. That slapped the face of the Group of Five, which was in favor of the original proposal. In 2020, for example, the Pac-12 champion wouldn’t have made the playoff. In 2021, all five power conference champs would have made it. This move really doesn’t hurt the SEC at all. Commissioner Greg Sankey has stated on more than one occasion that the SEC is perfectly fine with the four-team format and why not? The SEC commanded two of the four slots in this year’s playoff, the second time that’s happened. The SEC has a new contract with ESPN kicking in following the 2023 season that will assure every school in the league has an additional $17 million a year coming in. When Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC – which could be as soon as 2023 – each SEC school may be on the receiving end of another $9-17 million per year, which means a yearly payout of $72-80 million. If it’s $80 million it may be almost as much as the Pac-12, ACC and Big 12 combined. So, get used to four teams unless the geniuses who run the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 figure out that their “alliance” is only going to cost each school in their leagues the millions that a 12-team playoff would bring.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: THERE ARE 3,000+ DIVISION I AND D1AA PLAYERS IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL That is according to Sports Illustrated as of last Wednesday. Since there has been no slowdown of players announcing they’re bolting one place and looking for a better place to play, those numbers have probably increased by at least a couple hundred players. We’ll probably see wholesale movement in the portal this week as players will be looking to which coaches get a new gig coming out of the coaches convention in San Antonio. Two things you need to know. First, this is a buyer’s market and there are far more players in the portal than there are openings since the bulk of the outgoing transfers have already been accounted for and replaced by high school kids who signed back in December. Second, there is talent out there but the schools that are going to benefit most from the portal are the ones who have an entire department devoted to scouting/recruiting transfers. And now you another reason why Billy Napier announced back on December 5 that he was bringing in an “army” of support staff. The foundation of the Florida program will always be the high school and junior college kids, but anyone who thinks Napier won’t be a regular shopper in the portal has his head buried in the sand. You don’t put the toothpaste back in the tube so the portal is here to stay although we may see some tweaking of the rules in the near future. To deal with the transfers, Napier has an entire department that will be treating this much the way an NFL general manager deals with free agency. If you don’t have a player ready to step in at a certain position, you go find what you need in the portal and you bring him in. While I expect the Gators will eventually land somewhere between 10-15 transfers I wouldn’t be surprised to see Napier add only 2-3 this week. His first priority will be filling out the coaching staff. He’ll complete the offensive staff with Rob Sale, who it’s already being reported is leaving the New York Giants for Florida where he will be the O-line coach. Karl Scott (Minnesota Vikings) would be a great addition but he could be waiting to see what happens with the Alabama staff (coached for Nick Saban 2018-20). If Scott joins the staff, the Gators will have only one remaining opening (D-line) to fill. IF YOU THOUGHT AUBURN WAS PHYSICAL, JUST WAIT UNTIL WEDNESDAY As we wonder whatever happened to those tough guy Gators who spent 40 minutes outpushing and outshoving Florida State and Ohio State back in November, we have to prepare for what’s coming to Gainesville Wednesday night. FSU and the Buckeyes were very physical. So was Oklahoma but the Gators were pushed back every time the Sooners pushed them. The last two games against Alabama and Auburn, the Gators have come up short when it comes to matching physicality and now LSU comes to town, probably the most physical team in the SEC. In their most recent win, LSU brutalized Tennessee center John Fulkerson so badly that in his postgame remarks, Rick Barnes said that Fulkerson “can’t stand there with a team that we’ve talked about all week that’s going to reach, grab and poke at the ball and let the ball get away from his body.” Fulkerson had three points and five rebounds against LSU. That’s what the Gators can expect Wednesday and unless they’re willing to rediscover their inner tough guy and match LSU push for push and shove for shove, it might a third straight SEC loss. LSU will have seen the tapes of the Alabama and Auburn games so you can bet the Tigers are going to amp up the physicality with the hope of wearing the Gators down. The Gators are going to have to take the approach that when LSU punches, they’ll punch back twice as hard. If there is a silver lining to Florida’s 0-2 start in SEC play, it is that Auburn is now the only unbeaten team in the SEC. It is not too late for the Gators to turn things around, but they aren’t going to do it if they aren’t willing to get physical. SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday’s games: South Carolina (10-4, 1-1 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (10-4, 1-2 SEC); No. 16 Kentucky (12-3, 2-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (9-5, 1-1 SEC); Ole Miss (9-5, 1-1 SEC) at Texas A&M (13-2, 2-0 SEC); No. 9 Auburn (14-1, 3-0 SEC) at No. 15 Alabama (11-4, 2-1 SEC) Wednesday’s games: No. 21 LSU (14-1, 2-1 SEC) at FLORIDA (9-5, 0-2 SEC); Georgia (5-10, 0-2 SEC) at Mississippi State (10-4, 1-1 SEC); Missouri (7-7, 1-1 SEC) at Arkansas (10-5, 0-3 SEC) EXCUSE ME, BUT AM I MISSING SOMETHING? I’ve spent the last 10 days hearing one talking head after another tell me tonight’s national championship game between Georgia and Alabama will be different because (a) Georgia was embarrassed by Alabama the first time, (b) because Georgia’s generational defense just had a bad day at the office and (c) given a month to prepare, Georgia will be ready this time. Am I missing something? Yes, Georgia was embarrassed by Alabama. That happens a lot. I remember 2008 when Georgia was ranked No. 1. Nick Saban and Alabama led 31-0 at the half. Alabama has beaten Georgia 41-24 each of the last two years. There were close encounters Georgia had in 2012, 2017 and 2018 but they are embarrassments also because Georgia could have won all three games. Georgia fans say the Bulldogs choked. Nick is 7-0 against Georgia. SEVEN AND OH. Now, back to December 4. Alabama showed up and played to the level it’s capable of playing but Nick was talking about how the Tide could have and should have done better next day after beating Georgia 41-24. This is the youngest and least experienced team Saban has had in a long time, yet the last two games the Tide has devoured whatever got in its way. When Alabama is devouring opponents, you shouldn’t pick against them. Georgia’s “generational” defense was very good, but somebody remind me which homewrecker offensive juggernaut they actually shut down. Yes, they’re very good, but folks, they aren’t Alabama 2009 or 2011. When Alabama hung 41 big ones on Georgia back on December 4, Bryce Young sliced and diced that defense for 421 passing yards and three touchdowns. He was sacked ZERO times. The kid has presence in the pocket like few we have seen. He just instinctively knows how to move around, avoid the rush and find someone open in the secondary, which has everything to do with why he threw for 4,503 yards (9.2 per attempt) and 46 touchdowns with only five interceptions. There is a reason why he won the Heisman Trophy. Now for the month to get ready argument that a lot of people are throwing out there. Do these people ever stop to consider the fact that maybe, just maybe Nick Saban has used the last month to get ready for Georgia Part Deux as well? And, while Georgia didn’t exactly go off script against Michigan with something brand new that would keep Saban and the Alabama coaching staff working 22-hour days, Nick did go ground and pound against Cincinnati. Brian Robinson, 100 percent healthy for the first time in awhile, ran for 204 yards Alabama hammered away for 301 yard for a nifty little reminder to Kirby that if he chooses to drop seven or eight into coverage, Nick will grind out the first downs. I have no doubt Kirby Smart will try something new on Alabama and maybe it will work for awhile, but nobody in the college game has a staff more capable of making adjustments on the fly than Alabama. So, did I miss something somewhere? I watched the SEC Championship Game. I watched Alabama dominate Georgia in the trenches. This alleged one of the best defenses of all time finally met up with a decent offense and fell apart at the seams. So now I’ve spent a month listening to the talking heads make one excuse after another, even going so far as to blame Stetson Bennett IV for the December loss, calling Kirby Smart an idiot for playing him instead of JT Daniels. Uh, excuse me, but Stetson Bennett put 24 points up on Alabama and wouldn’t you think that’s more than enough for a “generational” defense to bring home a win? Finally, there is this teensy matter of who’s coaching Alabama. It’s the same guy who is 175-18 since 2008. None of those 18 losses is to Georgia. It’s the same guy whose only loss in an SEC Championship Game was way back in 2008 to Tim Tebow and a Florida team coached by Urban Meyer that won the national championship. It’s the same guy who is 9-0 in SEC Championship Games since that 2008 loss to the Gators. It’s the same guy who is 6-2 in national championship games, the only two losses to Clemson (2015, 2018). There may come a day when Alabama’s dynasty under Nick Saban flatlines. There may even come a time when he loses a big one to Kirby Smart but I don’t think it’s this year. The talking heads say Georgia wins and Vegas has the Bulldogs favored by three. Nothing like a little bit of rat poison for Nick Saban. I just don’t see Georgia beating him tonight. SEC FOOTBALL Arkansas: Linebacker Bumper Pool, who was in on 125 tackles in 2021, announced he will return for the 2022 season … Defensive lineman Jalen Williams is transferring to Southern Miss. Auburn: Former 4-star defensive back Ahmari Harvey is transferring to Georgia Tech. Kentucky: Mike Stoops, former head coach at Arizona and defensive coordinator at Oklahoma, is expected to join his brother, HBC Mark, on the Kentucky staff. Mike Stoops is expected to coach linebackers, replacing Joe Sumrall, who left to take the HBC job at Troy ... Outside linebacker Jordan Wright, who has 106 tackles in his career, is returning for 2022. LSU: Wide receiver Trey Palmer is headed to Nebraska where he will play for Mickey Joseph, who was his position coach at LSU. Missouri: Mizzou will have two D-line coaches next season. HBC Eli Drinkwitz hired Kevin Peoples from the Indiana staff and he plans to keep Al Davis. Ole Miss: Former starting QB John Rhys Plumlee, who spent the last two seasons toiling at wide receiver, is transferring to UCF, where he will play quarterback … Linebacker Chance Campbell, who led the Rebels with 106 tackles in 2021 after transferring in from Maryland, is off to the NFL … D-lineman Quentin Bivens is transferring to Southern Miss. He had 35 tackles and two sacks in four years at Ole Miss. South Carolina: Right tackle Dylan Wonnum, who has played in 32 games in his career, is returning for the 2022 season … Defensive lineman Terrell Dawkins has transferred in from North Carolina State … Former Gamecock O-lineman Vincent Murphy announced he is transferring to Western Kentucky. Tennessee: Wyoming wide receiver Isaiah Neyor is transferring in. He had 44 catches for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021 ... Defensive lineman Tyler Baron has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal. Baron has 30 tackles and four sacks in two seasons. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: On Full Ride last week, Rick Neuheisel stated that based on conversations he’s had with Dan Mullen, the former Florida coach wants nothing to do with college football again. Judging by the way things went sideways here at UF, I could understand that. He flirted with the NFL last year and though there was no serious offer, it was enough that the University of Florida started doing some just in case lists, of which, it turns out was fortuitous. There will be several offensive coordinator jobs opening in the NFL this week and Mullen probably will be a serious candidate for some of them. He won’t have to recruit and his main focus will be calling plays. He can do that. Quite well, actually.

"Why am I here today? I'm here to encourage you. I want you to know you have a role.” —Billy Napier. When he clutched the hand mic and addressed Florida Gator football fans directly for the first time, Billy Napier began his biggest pitch as a Recruiter/Coach. It was an invitation to those at Exactech Arena to “come be a part of our program.” An altar call, if you will, for fans already there supporting the basketball team. So Napier was preaching to a congregation and choir that was already baptized. However, it was more than just a Wednesday disciples gathering for Napier, who was also about to write the first paragraph of the new Gator football narrative. For weeks now the storytellers have been picking up breadcrumbs along the trail, hoping to knit together some kind of accurate portrait of the University of Florida’s 28th head coach. Upon first glance Wednesday night, Napier was impressive in his debut. According to the Floridagators.com’s Scott Carter, who was in attendance: “The crowd roared when the 42-year-old Napier was introduced and gave him a standing ovation. When it was time for Napier to say a few words, he urged the fans in attendance to keep the energy up in the second half, and when football season arrives, to make their way over to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to help out in his first year on the job.” Napier told the fans: “Why am I here today? I'm here to encourage you. I want you to know you have a role. You're a member of the team. You're going to contribute to our success. We are going to need the same energy next fall in the Swamp." The first paragraph of the new draft of the Florida football narrative was thus written when he told them: “That’s enough about me. Listen, I want everybody to know how humbling that is. I want you to know how important it is to me to represent you the right way … I wish that my wife Ali and my three kids could have been here to experience that moment right there.” The honeymoon period is about to begin. Of course there’s a caveat here, remembering that it was four short years that Dan Mullen was introduced in the O-Dome as Florida’s new head coach, following that up with 21 wins his first two seasons. By the time Mullen had amassed 29 wins vs. just six losses, they were making room in the trophy case for him to be commemorated as one of Florida’s all-time greatest coaches. Let the good times roll! And then suddenly he wasn’t. Instead, before Thanksgiving week, the program went into a free fall when Mullen fired two trusted aides, only to be fired himself a few weeks later. You know the rest. Scott Stricklin went out and got his man, the fourth Gator coach in 11 years, and that feeling of a banana republic football program crossed our minds. All the while, Nick Saban was winning almost 150 games and collecting titles like green stamps (millennials, ask your grandparents) for those 11 seasons. So you understand while Gator fans now long for continuity and longevity. If you’re just reading tea leaves, scanning resumes and listening to some of his former colleagues, Billy Napier comes off almost as a potential rock star. But this is Florida, where there has been more famine than feast for the past 11 years. And what looked like an ascent back to the top a little over a year ago crashed and burned. We are left scratching our heads about why. While we’re not recommending that Scott Stricklin should be making room for a statue or a place in the Ring of Honor just yet, this Billy Napier guy seems to be resonating with the Gator Nation in a short period of time. Certainly help appears to be on the way. Graphic Courtesy of FloridaGators.com There’s a new joke going around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the football offices: “Get your new roster of Florida football’s Army right here! You can’t tell the coaches and support staff without your program! Players? We’ll have to get back to you on that in few months.” By one estimate, just Napier’s new coaches and “support staff” alone will number at least 78. He accurately dubbed it an “Army” long ago and before it’s over they may need a pentagon-sized building to hold the work force. It wasn’t that long ago that the scholarship players on the football roster wasn’t as large. I hear the hottest new items in demand are work space and a parking place. “All of a sudden, we’re spending a lot of money around here,” said Steve Spurrier. “Especially when it involves recruiting.” I asked Spurrier what his list of coaches and support staff looked like when he came to Florida in 1990. He laughed. “I was asked if we had a nutritionist,” the HBC mused. “And I said, ‘yeah, me!’” He said his self-styled job was to walk around the training room and tell his players to ’put something green on your plate.’” Seems like of the 30 or so already hired at UF that a large portion of them hail from Louisiana. So I’m wondering if the new nutritionist(s) will be putting a lot red on their players’ plates. Red, as in Louisiana hot sauce. I’m trying to decide if the best new business opportunity in Gainesville isn’t to open up a new Cajun restaurant on Archer Road – maybe a Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille II? If not that, then perhaps a moving company to bring in the rest of the 78-person Army of new employees? As we follow the new Orange & Blue Brick Road, looking for clues about this new Florida football regime, there is cautious optimism, buffered by the reality of what we have just witnessed: A total collapse. All week long on The Buddy Martin Show (Facebook 9 p.m. M-Th) I’ve asked guests and experts to help me write the first paragraph of the new Gator football narrative. Doing his best to shun the spotlight, Napier has tried to keep himself away from being the program’s focal point, with comments like he made to the O-Dome audience: “You will quickly find this out, it's not about me,” Napier warned the crowd. “It's going to be about our football team.” Well, not really Coach Napier, but we get your drift. The key word to that new draft is what he emphasized: Humility. While admirable, however, the truth is whether Billy Napier likes it or not, he is the face of the program. One reason is what nobody else’s face comes to mind yet because we don’t know which players will make it to the field – or even who all will be coaching them. Certainly the massive “Army” that he has formed gets our attention. And while we are familiar with names like Mike Peterson, Corey Raymond, Vernell Brown and Paul Pasqualoni, the Napier “Army” is so large that they don’t even know each other yet. Going by their reputation, the latest hires of Auburn director of football operations Josh Thompson and USC wide receiver coach Keary Colbert were widely praised by other football people. It does appear that Napier has transported his entire staff from Louisiana, including Assistant Head Coach/Director of Football Strength & Conditioning Mark Hoche, Co-defensive Coordinator Patrick Toney, Assistant Offensive Line Coach Darnell Stadium – plus the rumored addition soon of New York Giants Offensive Line Coach Rob Sale. And a lot more. Let’s get back to the reality of what it’s really about – the players. The main reason Napier is here, essentially, is because Dan Mullen took the Great Fall and began to lose his grip on recruiting. One reasons for the big $5 million budget line item for his “Army” is to shore that up. Rob Sale of the NYGiants: Is he next? UAA Photo While there have been a couple of pleasant surprises, like 5-star safety Kamari Wilson of IMG Academy, the jury is still out on how Florida will fare in a few weeks on the second national signing day -- the good news being that there appears to be a small shift in attitude. News that safety Trey Dean has taken his name out of the transfer portal was a badly needed boost. And it may not be over yet. Word is that Kaiir Elam is considering the same move. Is there enough time salvage the program with what Napier calls the “acquisition of talent” through the transfer portal? The best that can be said is that the Gators and Napier are “trending” in the right direction. There is a good vibe buzzing after the Napier appearance at halftime of the Alabama basketball game. The message of “humility” has been delivered for the narrative. I suppose that the next line Gator fans want to hear is, “Lights! Camera! Action.” The Billy Napier Show is about to be on the air. Meanwhile, the Mullens sweat... (Dan Mullen Tweet)

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: REMEMBER THIS NAME Bird Sherrill. Doesn’t ring a bell, does it? He never played college football but he worked for Nick Saban’s recruiting department at Alabama. More recently, he’s been with the Detroit Lions evaluating players for the NFL Draft and free agent acquisitions. This week he was named Florida’s director of college personnel. In particular, he’s the guy who will be evaluating players in the transfer portal, helping Billy Napier decide which potential transfers might fit the Florida plan to succeed. What this tells us is that Napier is following the same path his buddy Mel Tucker took at Michigan State. Tucker took an NFL approach to the transfer portal, bringing in 21 including former Wake Forest running back Kenneth Walker III (1,636 yards), former Tennessee linebacker Quavaris Crouch (75 tackles), former Alabama safety Ronald Williams (31 tackles, 1 interception, 8 pass breakups), former Florida corner Chester Kimbrough (40 tackles, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups) and former All-Sun Belt left tackle Jarrett Horst from Arkansas State. There were other contributors, but these were the most significant. The foundation of any team will always be high school and juco players who come up in a system and can be developed, but the portal is the equivalent of free agency and it gives a coach like Napier an opportunity to find plug and play types who can fill an immediate need. The Gators are thought to be the likely landing pad for O’Cyrus Torrence, a 6-5, 338-pound All-Sun Belt performer who has two years of eligibility remaining. Napier needs wide receivers, defensive tackles and a linebacker or two wouldn’t hurt. Bird Sherrill is the guy who’s going to take an NFL approach to the portal. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Billy Napier isn’t planning on losing in 2022. VERNELL BROWN IS AN EXCELLENT ADDITION TO NAPIER’S STAFF I have four very prominent memories of Vernell Brown that should tell you why I think his hiring as the director of student-athlete development and alumni relations is important. 1. The night before Vernell signed as part of Steve Spurrier’s 2001 recruiting class, Spurrier called Gainesville coaching legend Jim Niblack, asking if Brown – then all of 5-8 and 139 pounds – could play in the Southeastern Conference. Niblack told Spurrier, “If he can’t play, I’ll write a check for the cost of his scholarship for four years.” Vernell signed, played in 45 games, started at corner as a senior when he was team captain. 2. When the Florida charter touched down in Gainesville in the evening after the Gators lost to South Carolina in Columbia in 2005, Vernell, Jeremy Mincey and Jarvis Herring held an impromptu get with the program or get out meeting in the plane while it was on the tarmac. Nobody got off the plane until those three had their say. Vernell was on crutches, having broken his leg the week before against Vanderbilt. He was the smallest of the three but his voice carried the most weight. Some guys got the message and left as soon as the 2005 season ended. 3. When the Gators played FSU in the regular season finale it was Senior Day at The Swamp. When Vernell Brown came out of the tunnel on crutches, the roar from the crowd was deafening. He spent the game coaching up the late Avery Atkins, who had to start at corner. Avery intercepted a pass and had a huge pass breakup late in the game. Postgame, Avery Atkins in tears told the Gators with a ton of top recruits (Tim Tebow was one) how Vernell believed in him and helped him play the game of his life. 4. At the Outback Bowl against Iowa a month later, Vernell finished off his career with a 60-yard pick six, a game the Gators won, 31-24. Vernell may have been a little guy, but no Gator ever had more heart. Vernell Brown bleeds orange and blue. This is the kind of staffer the Gators need. He will make a difference, particularly in bringing back former players into the family. SEC BASKETBALL Auburn has been established as a 9.5-point favorite to hand the Gators their second straight SEC loss Saturday night at Auburn Arena (8 p.m., ESPN2). Saturday’s games: FLORIDA (9-4, 0-1 SEC) at No. 9 Auburn (13-1, 2-0 SEC); South Carolina (9-4, 0-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (9-4, 1-0 SEC); Arkansas (10-4, 0-2) at Texas A&M (12-2, 1-0 SEC); No. 15 Alabama (11-3, 2-0 SEC) at Missouri (6-7, 0-1 SEC); Georgia (5-9, 0-1 SEC) at No. 16 Kentucky (11-3, 1-1 SEC); No. 18 Tennessee (10-3, 1-1 SEC) at No. 21 LSU (13-1, 1-1 SEC); Mississippi State (10-3, 1-0 SEC) at Ole Miss (8-5, 0-1 SEC) GATORS RANK 23rd IN PERFECT GAME PRESEASON BASEBALL POLL (SEC teams in bold face) 1.Vanderbilt; 2. Texas; 3. Stanford; 4. LSU; 5. Notre Dame; 6. Mississippi State; 7. North Carolina State; 8. TCU; 9. Arkansas; 10. Ole Miss; 11. Georgia Tech; 12. Texas Tech; 13. East Carolina; 14. Arizona; 15. Florida State; 16. Oklahoma State; 17. UCLA; 18. Miami; 19. Oregon; 20. UC-Irvine; 21. Tennessee; 22. Nebraska; 23. FLORIDA; 24. Long Beach State; 25. Liberty SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: It has been 14,981 days since Georgia last won a national championship. Nobody in the Alabama camp is mentioning the fact that since Georgia brought home the big trophy for the 1980 national championship, Alabama has won seven national championships while Miami has won five and Florida, LSU, Clemson three each. Why even Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Auburn have all won one. The pressure is all on Georgia and Vegas helped by establishing the Bulldogs as 3-point favorites. Rat poison is what Nick Saban has probably been telling his team all week. If Nick loses the national championship game it won’t be the first time. Clemson has beaten him twice. Nick survived and won a couple more national championships. Jimbo Fisher became the first former Saban assistant to get a win over the boss this year. If Kirby Smart does it, it won’t be the end of Nick’s world or the last time Alabama plays for a national championship. If Kirby loses? Now that’s another story altogether and nobody knows this better than Kirby Smart. The way Georgia steamrolled 12 opponents in the regular season had folks talking about a generational defense and perhaps a team for the ages. When Alabama destroyed Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, folks made excuses. The best one I’ve heard on satellite radio is that Georgia didn’t play its best, knowing win or lose it would make the playoff. Right. There has also been all this blame placed on Stetson Bennett IV. He put up 24 points on Alabama. The “generational” defense gave up 41. The games are played on the field and not in the media, so Georgia certainly has a 50-50 chance to end the 41-year drought, but the only thing “generational” I think I will see Monday night is the coach in the Alabama sideline. I used to think Bear Bryant was the best there ever was in college football. Well, I was wrong. It’s Nick Saban. Georgia: In the SEC Championship Game, Georgia didn’t sack Alabama quarterback Bryce Young even once. Young threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns in the game, all but sealing the Heisman Trophy. Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning says the Bulldogs have a strategy to get to Young in Monday night’s national championship game. “We want to get after Bryce,” Lanning said. “As far as how to do it, I don’t want to give away our secrets yet, but wait until the game to figure that out. We want to generate pressure and certainly, there’s a lot of different ways to do that. There’s a lot of different ways we can do it.” Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith says he cried after the Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the SEC title game. “Want the God’s honest truth?” Smith said. “I cried. I’m 20 now. I’ve been playing football since I was four: 16 years, haven’t won anything. Haven’t won a championship. I won a couple of bowl games, but anything big, any championship, I never won yet.” The rest of the league: Arkansas: Three Hogs are in the transfer portal including starting DB Greg Brooks, who has 112 tackles and four interceptions in his career. Also in the portal are backup quarterback Malik Hornsby and defensive lineman John Ridgeway III. Ridgeway is a big loss since he had 39 tackles and two sacks on the Hogs’ front four. Auburn: Auburn is the transfer destination for last year’s starting QB at Texas A&M, Zach Calzada, who threw for 2,185 yards and 17 TDs while leading the Aggies to an 8-4 record and a win over then No. 1 Alabama. Kentucky: Punter Colin Goodfellow, who averaged 45.94 yards per punt with a longest of 70 yards, is in the transfer portal … Also in the portal is corner Cedric Dort Jr., who has 13 starts in his career. LSU: All-America corner Derek Stingley Jr. will enter the NFL Draft. The No. 1 corner on Mel Kiper’s Big Board, Stingley only played in three games in 2021 and just seven in 2020. He played in 15 games in 2019 when he intercepted six passes … Linebacker Micah Baskerville, who played in 40 games during his LSU career and recorded 83 tackles in 2021, is leaving for the NFL with a super senior year available. Mississippi State: Punter Tucker Day is heading to the NFL Draft. His best year at Mississippi State was 2020 when he averaged 42.9 per punt. Missouri: Quarterback Connor Bazelac is transferring to Indiana. He threw for 2,548 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021, 5,058 yards and 23 touchdowns in three years at Mizzou Ole Miss: As expected, former 5-star running back Zach Evans is transferring in from TCU. He ran for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns in two seasons at TCU … South Carolina: Quarterback Jason Brown, who engineered South Carolina’s stunning 40-17 win over Florida in November, is transferring to Virginia Tech. In seven games, Brown threw for 721 yards and seven touchdowns. Tennessee: Defensive end Tyler Baron, running back Dee Beckworth and long snapper Will Albright have all entered the transfer portal. Baron had 6.5 tackles in 2021. Beckwith played in only two games in 2021, three in 2020 … Director of player development Patrick Abernathy has resigned Texas A&M: Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports says the Aggies are finalizing a 3-year deal to bring former Florida and Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin from Ole Miss to College Station. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: If Florida football and the recent slump of Florida basketball has you feeling depressed, then perhaps a blowout of epic proportions will raise your spirits. That’s what we’re going to get tonight (6:45 p.m., SEC Network+) at the O-Dome when Florida’s 2nd-ranked gymnastics team opens the season with a quad meet featuring Northern Illinois, Rutgers and Texas Woman’s University. The Gators won’t be anything close to midseason form, but none of these three teams can match up to a Florida team that returns seven All-Americans from last season and three newcomers who earned team or individual medals at the most recent world championships including 2017 gold medalist Morgan Hurd and 2021 silver medalist Leanne Wong. The Gators will also have a healthy Trinity Thomas, who was the nation’s best all-around gymnast in 2021 until late season injuries curtailed her and prevented the Gators from winning the national championship (UF finished fourth). Thomas has scored seven perfect 10s in her collegiate career. I’ve seen enough losing efforts in the last four months. I need a good old-fashioned blowout in the worst way.

Photos by Chris Spears For half a game Wednesday night at the O-Dome, the Florida Gators had 15th-ranked Alabama, conquerors of mighty Gonzaga and Tennessee already this season, on the ropes. The Gators were playing great defense, getting a lot of productivity off the bench and they had all of Bama’s big guys in foul trouble. It was 39-36. The O-Dome crowd, excited because Billy Napier would be speaking at halftime, sensed an upset. In the halftime locker room, the Gators must have pinched themselves back into reality because in the second half, Alabama played like a team that is better than its No. 15 ranking. The Gators? Well, they played like the Gators that have become so much like the Florida football team of the fall – so capable of playing up to the competition only to confound everyone by sinking back into a funk that causes them to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. For all their talent, for all the play calling genius of one Dan Mullen, the football Gators just never could find it within themselves to play a complete game. They came close a few times, but as the old adage goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Dan Mullen lost enough close encounters with victory that he will have to squeeze by on $12 million of unemployment courtesy of the University of Florida. He gets all that money whether he works again or decides to caddy for son Canon, a rather brilliant pre-teen golfer who hits it long and straight. And here we are 13 games into the basketball season and the Gators are eerily mimicking their football brethren. Yes, they stomped Florida State, beating the Seminoles for the first time since the Obama administration, and yes, they found a way to beat an Ohio State team that is ranked just outside the top ten and has a Duke notch in its victory belt. But, even in those wins there was something missing for the Gators. They’ve played well at times, well enough to beat some very good teams and yet now they’re slumping. The 6-0 start to the season had the Gators ranked just outside the top ten nationally. Perhaps they couldn’t handle prosperity because they haven’t beaten a decent team since. A 3-4 record since the perfect start has the experts wondering if the Gators can avoid playing a Wednesday first round game in the SEC Tournament. The first loss of the season by 15 points at the hands of previously winless Texas Southern set off alarm bells that haven’t stopped ringing. Inexcusable is a kind way of putting what happened that night at the O-Dome. Wednesday night’s 83-70 loss to Alabama left the O-Dome crowd and ESPN2 viewers wondering if this was an omen of a rather forgettable traverse through a Southeastern Conference that is as strong top to bottom as it has ever been. No. 9 Auburn is next followed by No. 21 LSU, which just whacked No. 16 Kentucky. They are the kind of teams that almost require a perfect game to beat and so far, the Gators haven’t come anywhere close to perfect. All signs point to an 0-3 start in league play. It seems so strange that the Gators have the ability play so well in stretches but can’t seem to play a full 40 minutes with the kind of intensity and energy it takes to hang with the big boys. When the Gators get locked in on defense, they’re really good. When they’re scoring baskets in transition, they can light it up. When the energy vaporizes in the locker room at the half, you have what happened against Alabama. Asked how the Gators lost all their momentum when the second half began Wednesday, UF coach Mike White said, “Off the top of my head, early second half, our energy level coming out of the locker room was not correct and theirs was. They threw the first few punches the second half.” Not only did Alabama throw the first punches – the Tide put up 22 points before the Gators hit their first shot from the field – but they forced one bad shot after another. Florida hit 13-26 from the field in the first half, just 9-26 in the second. And of course, there was the age-old problem that has plagued the Gators ever since Andrew Nembhard took his boringly efficient point guard game to Gonzaga – more turnovers than assists. The Gators went 15-10 during last year’s COVID season largely because they turned it over more times than they made good passes that led to baskets. Against Alabama, the Gators had 12 assists and 20 turnovers. Ideally, you want a 2-to-1 positive ratio, but for the season these Gators have 169 assists and 176 turnovers. Last year it was 293 assists and 375 turnovers. You lose a lot of games, especially against good teams, when you have so many empty possessions. Twenty turnovers. That helps explain why Alabama had 20 more shots from the field (72) than the Gators (52). The Gators run three guys at the point – Tyree Appleby, Brandon McKissic and Myreon Jones. Appleby has 42 assists and 32 turnovers. McKissic has 22 assists and 20 turnovers. Jones has 24 assists and 20 turnovers. Contrast that to Nembhard in the 2019-20 season when he had 173 assists and 80 turnovers in 31 games. Oh, what the Gators would do to have Andrew Nembhard running the point for them this year. Nembhard isn’t here, however, and the passing needs to get better in a hurry. Nice, catchable passes, not these lazy lobs that are easy pickings for defenders. Catching the ball when it’s passed would also help. Too many go through the wickets. How about boxing out when a shot goes up, whether on the offensive end or the defensive end? White calls boxing out “hits” as in putting a body on an opponent for rebounding position. The Gators gave up 20 offensive rebounds to Alabama which means a lot of “hits” were missed. Now, the Gators do have some good pieces to the winning puzzle. Colin Castleton, for example, leads the Gators in scoring (15.9), rebounding (9.2) and he ranks second in the SEC in blocked shots (3.1 per game). Anthony Duruji is quietly putting together a season that makes you wish he were a bit more selfish because a lot of good things happen when he has the ball in his hands or at the defensive end. He is scoring 8.8 per game but he’s hitting 45.5 percent of his 3-point attempts and 57.5 percent of his shots from the field. He rebounds (4.3). He hustles. He blocks shots. He plays the point on Florida’s full court press. Charleston Southern grad transfer Phlandrous Fleming Jr., who played against Alabama despite not practicing since before Christmas, scores (10.9), rebounds (3.5), defends four positions well and blocks shots. McKissic has 22 steals. CJ Felder is an emerging presence off the bench (5.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 10 blocked shots) and the giant within Jason Jitoboh is rising (38 points off the bench in the last four games). But, to make it all work, White has to punch whatever buttons are necessary to get this team to play with intensity bell-to-bell. He gave a laundry list of things the Gators need in abundance to improve on after the Bama loss. “Mental and physical toughness,” White said. “Connectivity. Guys wanting to fight for one another. Sometimes it’s as simple as execution, both offensively and defensively. I think this team is emotional at times. It’s something that’s a hurdle and we’ve got to overcome. It’s a positive for us at times and it’s a negative at times. I think this team is very competitive, and when things are going well for us, we tend to play better and execute better, but when we face some adversity, we’ve got to be better with how we address that adversity, whether that’s a call, whether it’s a late clock score by the opponent, a missed hit, or, ‘Oh, coach is about to get on me.’ You know, stuff like that. We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to play with emotion, but we’ve got to be a little bit less emotional.” Too many times we see the Gators frustrated with calls – or lack of – from the zebra crew. Alabama got physical with the Gators and for some reason, the Gators chose to let their emotions get the best of them too many times. No, there weren’t any technical fouls called by the crew headed by Mike Nance, but the frustration was clear. The frustration wasn’t there earlier in the season when the Gators put such a physical beating on Florida State that veteran FSU coach Leonard Hamilton remarked, “They out-Florida Stated Florida State.” Nor was it there in the win over Ohio State when Buckeye coach Chris Holtman remarked that the Gators were every bit as physical if not more so than any team they would face in the Big Ten. Certainly, the Gators have to be aware of foul troubles since Castleton (6-11) and Jitoboh (6-11) are the only players on the roster taller than 6-7, but they got physical early in the season and it gave hope to the notion that this was a Florida team capable of earning a bye until Friday in the SEC Tournament. Now, we’re left to wonder where the physicality and toughness have disappeared to. Now, we’re left to wonder if this is just a phase the Gators are going through or a foretelling of things to come. If the Gators have to play opening day of the SEC Tournament you can bet the farm that if they’re playing in the postseason it will be in the Nobody’s Interested Tournament (NIT). The problem is the SEC schedule is unrelenting and there is a Big 12/SEC Challenge game with a physically tough Oklahoma State team later this month. Currently, there are four SEC teams ranked in the Associated Press top 25 and the Gators will play all of four of them including Auburn and No. 16 twice each. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi projects six SEC teams make the NCAA Tournament field. Surprisingly, he has Florida among the last four teams that avoid the dreaded play-in games to fill out the field of 64. That is a razor thin margin that White and the Gators have to work with. How do they put themselves solidly in the NCAA field? The best place to start is with the turnover-to-assist ratio. You don’t beat good teams when you have so many empty possessions. Better passing equals better shots and better shots mean more assists. Maybe a 2-to-1 margin is too much to ask of this team but how about 3-to-2? That would be an improvement over the negative ratio the Gators currently have. And how about better intensity? It was there for 20 minutes Wednesday night, then it went on vacation. “For whatever reason, in the first minutes of the second half, we just looked a little flat,” White said. Do that Saturday against Auburn and again next Wednesday against LSU and the Gators will be 9-7, struggling to keep their heads above the water. The season isn’t over. Yet. It can be salvaged, but not with a second half effort the likes of which we saw against Alabama, and not without figuring out how to avoid mirroring the Florida football team. We know how it all ended for the football Gators in 2021. We can’t help but wonder if the basketball team can do what the football team couldn’t which is to figure out how to play a game bell-to-bell with intensity and consistency. Just once, wouldn’t it be great to see a Florida team play a game that we could say was complete in every phase? It didn’t happen in football. It hasn’t happened in basketball, but we can wish, can’t we? It’s 2022. The 2021 year is behind us, so maybe, just maybe, this is a year when wishes come true.

Gator Bait Photo by Chris Spears A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S A 40 MINUTE GAME For a half, the Florida Gators (9-4, 0-1 SEC) went toe-to-toe with 15th-ranked Alabama (11-3, 2-0 SEC) and gave the Crimson Tide everything they could handle. The Gators led 39-36 at halftime and had Alabama’s big guys in foul trouble, then came a disaster of a second half in which Alabama outscored the Gators 47-31 for an 83-70 win at the O-Dome. It was in the first 7:42 of the second half that Alabama outscored the Gators, 22-4, that did the Gators in. It wasn’t until Myreon Jones hit a 3-pointer with 11:48 to go in the game that UF got its first points from the field and by that time the Gators had dug themselves too deep a hole. Oh, sure, they cut the lead to five, 66-61, when C.J. Felder hit a 3-pointer from the corner and Colin Castleton added a free throw with 6:06 left, but Alabama ballooned the lead back out to 11 with 4:33 to go. Another mini-rally on a Brandon McKissic 3-pointer and a dunk by Castleton that got it back to 73-67 with 3:07 to go, but the Gators had no answers in the final three minutes. “I loved our energy level at the tip and I thought we played really hard for the first 20,” Florida coach Mike White said. “For whatever reason, in the first minutes of the second half we just looked a little flat, but, of course, they had something to do with that.” It wasn’t only the first eight or so minutes of the second half, it was the entire second half. The Gators shot 13-26 from the field in the first half but just 9-26 in the second. The Gators turned the ball over 12 times in the second half, 20 for the game, and that allowed Alabama to score 21 points. Additionally, the Crimson Tide had 20 offensive rebounds and scored 40 points in the paint. Here are two sets of numbers that do an even better job of telling the story of what went wrong: Florida had a negative assist-to-turnover night – 12 assists to 20 turnovers – and Alabama took 20 more shots – 72-52 – than the Gators. You don’t win a lot of basketball games with those kind of numbers. Next up for the Gators is a Saturday excursion to No. 9 Auburn (13-1, 2-0 SEC). SEC BASKETBALL Wednesday’s scores: No. 15 Alabama (11-3, 2-0 SEC) 83, FLORIDA (9-4, 0-1 SEC) 70; No. 18 Tennessee (10-3, 1-1 SEC) 66, Ole Miss (8-5, 0-1 SEC) 60 Saturday’s games: FLORIDA (9-4, 0-1 SEC) at No. 9 Auburn (13-1, 2-0 SEC); South Carolina (9-4, 0-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (9-4, 1-0 SEC); Arkansas (10-4, 0-2) at Texas A&M (12-2, 1-0 SEC); No. 15 Alabama (11-3, 2-0 SEC) at Missouri (6-7, 0-1 SEC); Georgia (5-9, 0-1 SEC) at No. 16 Kentucky (11-3, 1-1 SEC); No. 18 Tennessee (10-3, 1-1 SEC) at No. 21 LSU (13-1, 1-1 SEC); Mississippi State (10-3, 1-0 SEC) at Ole Miss (8-5, 0-1 SEC) EMORY ENROLLED IN SCHOOL, TREY DEAN STAYING ANOTHER YEAR … If you think you’ve got this roster management thing down to a science, then perhaps you should think again because Emory Jones does not have his name in the transfer portal and Trey Dean III has decided to give it the old college try one more year rather than bolt to the NFL. Buckle up, because we may have a few more surprises coming our way now that the bowl game is over and Billy Napier is in complete charge of all things Florida football. It’s obvious, if you heard him at the half of the Florida-Alabama basketball game or during one of his earlier press conferences, that he can be quite persuasive. Some may decide to leave and others to stay. Let’s start with Emory Jones. He wants to play quarterback although it seems it will take an exorcist to deliver him from all the demons that make him throw off his back foot and throw into coverage when there are receivers running wide open down the middle of the field. Can Napier cure him in one spring of all that ails him so that he becomes a legitimate stud SEC QB? Is it possible that by staying for the spring semester he (a) graduates with a degree from the University of Florida and (b) the transfer portal as it relates to quarterbacks will be more settled giving him a clearer idea of where he needs to go? My guess is that with Anthony Richardson returning and Jack Miller III transferring in from Ohio State, EJ will be feeling the squeeze in May and will find himself a nice landing spot. He’s a great kid who has some talent, but I’m unaware that he can get it done at the SEC level with any consistency. Trey Dean would be a combine and workout warrior that the NFL scouts would consider using a third day pick for in the April draft. He’s 6-3, 206, led the Gators in tackles in 2021 (92, 179 for his career) and had a team-high nine pass breakups (Kaiir Elam was second with five). He played on special teams all four years. I also believe that he’s been poorly coached since he arrived on campus in 2018. I’m of the opinion that having talked it over with Napier and co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney (safeties coach), that Dean believes he can respond to better coaching and not only be a better contributor to the Gators in 2022, but can enhance his draft stock. This is a very bright kid (3-time All-SEC Academic). I’ll be eager to see how he responds to a new coaching staff that leans heavily on NFL experience. SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: On the Paul Finebaum Show, ESPN’s Marty Smith said, “The best thing to happen to this Alabama team was losing to Texas A&M. This is a young team. Maybe this team losing sight on what it takes to become a national champion … that was quite a wakeup call for a lot of these young players.” … Booger McFarland thinks the oddsmakers in Las Vegas are giving Alabama a helping hand by making the Crimson Tide a 3-point underdog to Georgia in the national championship game. On the Tony Kornheiser podcast, McFarland said, “I think right now the fact that Vegas has Georgia as a slight favorite is a disservice to Georgia, because Alabama, even though they beat Georgia by 20 points [in the SEC Championship Game] is going to play the underdog card … Even though Alabama won by 20, they still have the motivation of being the underdog.” Arkansas: Defensive back Joe Foucha, who had 72 tackles including 7.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, five pass breakups and a forced fumble in 2021, is transferring out. Auburn: Wide receiver Kobe Hudson, last year’s leading receiver who entered the transfer portal, says on Instagram that “I never wanted to leave Auburn ever … I was kicked off the team.” Hudson caught 44 passes for 580 yards and four touchdowns in 2021 at Auburn. He will have plenty of offers but smart money says he’ll go to UCF to play for Gus Malzahn, who recruited him to Auburn in 2019 ... Defensive back Dreshun Miller, who transferred to Auburn from West Virginia, is in the transfer portal. He appeared in one game and had no stats, but had eight pass breakups and an interception at West Virginia in 2020. Georgia: Appearing on the Tony Kornheiser podcast, Booger McFarland offered this about Stetson Bennett IV ahead of Georgia’s national championship game with Alabama on Monday night: “The motivation to show up for Georgia is at an all-time high. Now my question, Tony, is really simple. Do we think Stetson Bennett can beat Nick Saban? I personally don’t. I don’t think that Nick Saban does, but it really doesn’t matter because Stetson Bennett has to think that he can win, and Kirby Smart has to think that he can win.” Kentucky: Wan’Dale Robinson, who caught 104 passes for 1,334 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021, is off to the NFL … Defensive tackle Marquan McCall, all 6-3 and 379 pounds of him, is off to the NFL. LSU: Defensive back Cordale Flott, who played in 35 games in his LSU career and had 41 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception in 2021, is leaving for the NFL. Mississippi State: Offensive tackle Calvin McMillan, who has four years of eligibility remaining, is entering the transfer portal … Defensive lineman Aaron Odom, who has only one year of eligibility remaining, is also in the transfer portal. Odom played in 28 games in his MSU career. Missouri: Shawn Robinson, who converted from quarterback to safety and had 31 tackles, a sack and an interception in 2021, is in the transfer portal. He transferred to Mizzou from TCU in 2020. Ole Miss: Running back Snoop Conner, who ran for 647 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2021, is leaving for the NFL. Also declaring for the NFL is linebacker Mark Robinson, who had 92 tackles and three sacks … Offensive guard Bryce Ramsey (6-3, 336) is in the transfer portal. He played in 12 games in 2021 with one start and has three years eligibility remaining South Carolina: Edge Rusher Jordan Strachan, who had 23 tackles and three sacks, is returning for another season … Also expected to return is wide receiver Josh Vann, who had 43 catches for 679 yards in 2021. Texas A&M: Wide receiver Ainias Smith, who caught 47 passes for 509 yards and six touchdowns plus ran back 23 punts for 259 yards and a TD, has decided to return for the 2022 season. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Former Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch and Game Above Capital are offering University of Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams $1 million to transfer to Eastern Michigan. Somehow, I don’t think this is exactly what was envisioned when NIL became the law of the land and for that we can only point a finger at Mark Emmert, who proves the old Redd Foxx adage that PhD means “piled higher and deeper.” The transfer portal created free agency for college sports, but NIL is about to change it into true play for pay. If Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference can offer a stud QB like Caleb Williams a $1 million deal and Quinn Ewers can get more than $1 million before he ever suited up in a college uniform (he got two snaps in at Ohio State and has now transferred to Texas), then what’s to stop the deep pocket boosters at Texas A&M from doubling or tripling that deal? What’s to stop Nick Saban, who owns four Mercedes-Benz dealerships, from offering a player he needs a fat contract to advertise his for one of his dealerships. If boosters can do it, can’t coaches? Don’t blame the kids if they’re taking the money and running with it, and don’t really blame the boosters who have been told it’s now okay to legally open their wallets to bring in the best talent money can buy. For this, all fingers point to Indianapolis where the NCAA and its bloated bureaucracy is run by Emmert. Emmert knew darn good and well what was coming with NIL three years ago and rather than take positive steps to address a coming problem, he tried to punt it to Congress, which rarely does anything except call for hearings that accomplish little or nothing. I’m reminded of the immortal words of Ronald Reagan, who said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Scary. The only thing more inept than the NCAA is our Congress. Don’t believe it? Consider if Congress ran the NCAA Tournament. The 64-team bracket would probably be ended in favor of something more inclusive – say 1,000 teams – and gender neutral with double elimination and participation trophies just to make sure no one got their feelings hurt. I give Mark Emmert credit for one thing and one thing only: He hasn’t screwed up the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Yet.