“Was it our best? No. But it’s a great win,” said Knox. “That senior class wanted it.” Walking off a winner: Interim Greg Knox and escort: AD Scott Stricklin (Chris Spears photo) By CARLTON REESE GatorBait Columnist Not since Anthony Hopkins took over for an ill Sir Laurence Olivier at the London National Theatre, has an understudy thrown into the limelight performed with such transcendence. That would be Greg Knox, who is now perfect while standing in for a departed Dan Mullen following the Gators’ inspiring win over a resurgent FSU football team Saturday at Florida Field. Knox guided Mississippi State to a 31-27 victory over Louisville in the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl after Mullen left that team to take the Florida job. He made it 2-0 as an interim head coach with the 24-21 victory over FSU and will have a chance to make it 3-0 with a likely bowl invitation on the way. “We’re headed to a bowl game,” Knox said with glee and a broad smile after the win over the Seminoles. Florida’s players clearly exuded passion and drive they hadn’t since the Crimson Tide visited The Swamp. Perhaps it was the spears on the opposing team’s helmets which ignited the fire within the Gators, or maybe it was the thought of winning one for Knox – either way, Florida fans saw emotion from the team it hadn’t seen and was likely the missing culprit in a string of embarrassing losses. Knox’s foray into coaching a Gators’ program following an in-season coaching change is nothing new in Gainesville, where the “coachectomy” is a practice that could take place in a Shands operating theatre. His victory made UF 18-11 in games coached by either interims or lame duck head coaches following a mid-season dismissal. “Was it our best? No. But it’s a great win,” said Knox. “That senior class wanted it.” All coaching transitions in University of Florida football history were until recent times, conducted after the conclusion of the season. All tenures that would be terminated were not done so until after a season was completed until 1978 when days before the season finale against Miami, and after having just suffered a 38-21 loss at Florida State, head coach Doug Dickey and his entire staff was informed they would not return the next season. Doug Dickey became the first lame duck head coach in Florida football history. 1978: Doug Dickey, lame duck head coach (1 game) 0-1 In the season finale, Dickey’ Gators built a 21-3 halftime lead against the visiting Hurricanes which rallied behind running back Ottis Anderson to pull out a 22-21 victory. 1984: Galen Hall, interim head coach (8 games) 8-0 After the third game of the 1984 season, Charley Pell was fired amid an NCAA investigation, leaving offensive coordinator Galen Hall to take the reins for the remainder of the year. As interim, Hall was perfect as the Gators reeled off eight straight wins including the finale in Tallahassee, 27-17 over the Seminoles. After the season’s conclusion, the interim tag was removed from Hall’s title as he was officially named head football coach. That would last until Hall would be forced out mid-season 1989 under a cloud of minor violations. 1989: Gary Darnell, interim head coach (7 games) 3-4 Following the Gators’ thrilling 16-13 win at LSU the fifth game of the season, head coach Galen Hall was dismissed amid some violations he had committed regarding his direction of a graduate assistant to drive a player to court to face child support charges and paying two Florida assistant coaches $22,000 out of his own pocket. Hall’s dismissal put defensive coordinator Gary Darnell in charge the rest of the way. Darnell, with the large shadow of Steve Spurrier looming, saw the rest of the season as his tryout for the job. After unimpressive victories over Vanderbilt and New Mexico, Darnell’s Gators dropped a 10-7 heartbreaker at 12th-ranked Auburn, starting a slide of four losses in the last five games including a 24-17 hard-fought defeat at home to 6th-ranked FSU. When the Gators were pounded by Washington 34-7 in the Freedom Bowl, the 1980s would be history and the Steve Spurrier era was about to take hold. 2004: Ron Zook, lame duck head coach (4 games) 3-1 Following his team’s 38-31 loss at 1-5 Mississippi State, head coach Ron Zook was informed he would not be the coach next season, but would finish out the current one. Zook proved better in a lame duck role than a permanent, nearly guiding the Gators to a huge upset of 7th-ranked Georgia before posting wins at Vanderbilt, at home against South Carolina, then in the famous 20-13 at 10th-ranked Florida State when the school was christening “Bobby Bowden Field.” A figure lampooned during his tenure permanently endeared himself to the fanbase 2004: Charlie Strong, interim head coach (1 game) 0-1 Strong coached Florida’s Peach Bowl game against Miami, a 27-10 defeat. 2014: Will Muschamp, lame duck head coach (2 games) 1-1 After falling in overtime at home to South Carolina, Muschamp was relieved of his duties but would stay on with the team for the final two games. The Gators would crush Eastern Kentucky 52-3 before travelling to Tallahassee to face the top-ranked and defending national champion Seminoles. The game nearly turned into Muschamp’s re-make of Zook from 2004, guiding the Gators to a 9-0 lead and nearly pulling off a huge upset before eventually falling 24-19. 2014: D.J. Durkin, interim head coach (1 game) 1-0 Durkin took over the Gators for their Birmingham Bowl game, a 28-20 victory over East Carolina. 2017: Randy Shannon, interim head coach (4 games) 1-3 Following the Gators’ 42-7 humiliation at the hands of Georgia, Florida parted ways with Jim McElwain the final four games of the season. Florida would lose 45-16 at Missouri and 28-20 at South Carolina before returning home to beat UAB 36-7. In a bizarre season finale, FSU scored two defensive touchdowns and scoring drives of 20 and 16 yards in beating Florida 38-22 despite the Seminoles managing just 216 yards offense. 2021: Greg Knox, interim head coach (1 game) 1-0 With Dan Mullen’s dismissal following the loss at Missouri, Knox coached the final regular season game against FSU and came away with a 24-21 win. Knox will now coach the Gators in their bowl game following a 6-6 regular-season record.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT … There was a time when Florida-Florida State was one of the two or three most anticipated college football games every single season. From 1987-2000, Florida State finished no worse than No. 4 in the final Associated Press poll and won national championships in 1993 and 1999. From 1990-2001, Florida won at least nine games every year, finished no worse than 13th in the AP poll and won the 1996 national championship. It seems that was a lifetime ago when Steve Spurrier coached the Gators and Bobby Bowden coached the Seminoles. There have been pockets of success since then. With Urban Meyer, Florida went 65-15 from 2005-10, winning national championships in 2006 and 2008. Florida went to a bowl game every year from 1980-2012. Jimbo Fisher went 83-23 from 2010-17, winning the 2013 national championship. Florida State went to a bowl game every year from 1977-2018. Hard times have befallen both programs. Florida is a very average 87-51 since 2011 and the Gators are searching for their fourth coach since Meyer retired in 2010. Florida State, which is on its second coach since Fisher departed for Texas A&M after the 2017 season, is trying to avoid a fourth straight losing season, something that hasn’t happened since 1973-76. When the two teams meet Saturday at The Swamp, both the Seminoles (5-6) and the Gators (5-6) need a win to become bowl eligible. Florida is a very shaky 2.5-point favorite. The big question for UF is will the Gators mail it in or will the underclassmen use this game as an audition for whoever is the next head coach? FSU is probably viewed as having more motivation. They know that Mike Norvel will be their head coach next year and they believe good times are ahead. Do the Gators win one for the Gipper in abstentia since you know Dan Mullen will be watching? Do they view their Gipper as Greg Knox, the running backs coach who is the interim? Do they decide they aren’t going to lose to FSU or an ACC team? The Sayer says sooth: FLORIDA 30, Florida State 24 THE SEC SOOTHSAYER Friday’s game Missouri (6-5, 3-4 SEC) at No. 25 Arkansas (7-4, 3-4 SEC): Both teams have performed better than anyone could have imagined but Arkansas is the better team and home. Did any of you see Arkansas winning eight games? The Hogs are favored by 14.5 points. The Sayer says sooth: Arkansas 31, Missouri 17 Saturday’s games No. 1 Georgia (11-0) at Georgia Tech (3-8): Two things you can count on: (1) Georgia will finish the regular season unbeaten and (2) it will be a miracle of parting the Red Sea proportions if Geoff Collins has a job on Sunday. Georgia is favored by 35. Why so few? The Sayer says sooth: Georgia 45, Georgia Tech 3 No. 3 Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) at Auburn (6-5, 3-4 SEC): It might be a shock if Alabama plays down to the competition. Expect an angry Crimson Tide that wants to make a statement about next week’s SEC Championship Game. Bama is a 19.5-point favorite, but it feels like that’s not enough. The Sayer says sooth: Alabama 42, Auburn 14 No. 15 Texas A&M (8-3, 4-3 SEC) at LSU (5-6, 2-5 SEC): Can LSU pull off a win one for the Gipper in Coach Oeaux’s final game? Or are the Tigers ready to just get it all over with? The Aggies are a very shaky 6.5-point favorite. If the Aggies can’t get the running game going this will be white knuckles. The Sayer says sooth: Texas A&M 24, LSU 14 No. 23 Clemson (8-3) at South Carolina (6-5): Gamecock fans are full of themselves and believe they can beat Clemson for the first time since 2013. Clemson folks think the current four-game winning streak means the ship isn’t taking on water anymore. Clemson is favored to win by 11.5 points. The Sayer says sooth: Clemson 28, South Carolina 14 Kentucky (8-3) at Louisville (6-5): This could be a lot of fun. Don’t expect a lot of defense. The over/under is 57. The over is probably the safest. Louisville is a 3-point favorite. The Sayer says sooth: Kentucky 38, Louisville 30 Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7 SEC) at Tennessee (6-5, 3-4 SEC): No one in his right mind had Tennessee bowl eligible and on the verge of a seventh win. With two wins, Vanderbilt has actually met expectations. Expectations for this one are for Tennessee to win by 31.5 points. It may not be that close. The Sayer says sooth: Tennessee 48, Vanderbilt 10 Thursday’s score: Ole Miss (10-2, 6-2 SEC) 31, Mississippi State (7-5, 4-4 SEC) 21 SEC BASKETBALL Thursday’s scores: Iona (6-0) 72, No. 10 Alabama (4-1) 68; No. 19 Auburn (4-1) 62, Loyola Chicago (4-2) 53; Louisville (4-1) 72, Mississippi State (4-1) 58 Friday’s games: Tennessee Tech (2-3) at Tennessee (3-1); Mississippi Valley State (0-2) at Ole Miss (3-2); North Florida (1-5) at No. 10 Kentucky (4-1); Penn State (3-1) at LSU (5-0); Wichita State (4-1) at Missouri (3-2) Sunday’s games: Troy (4-2) at No. 23 FLORIDA (5-0); Rider (3-4) at South Carolina (4-1); Wofford (4-2) at Georgia (3-4); Pennsylvania (3-5) at No. 13 Arkansas (5-0) A FEW BASKETBALL ZEBRA REVIEWS IN THE ATHLETIC Brian Hamilton and Dana O’Neill of The Athletic polled Division I basketball coaches about their favorite and least favorite zebras. Since the NCAA frowns upon coaches speaking out publicly about their officials, the comments are anonymous but here are a few that you might recognize and thoughts of the coaches and my thoughts afterward: Pat Adams: “He’s a good communicator. There’s a humility there — ‘Hey I might’ve missed it,’ or, ‘Hey I’ll take a look at that.’ An ability to not be a know-it-all. To not be insulted if you ask a question.” My thoughts: I like him but he can carry a grudge for an entire season about a certain coach or player (see Billy Donovan 2013-14). Tim Clougherty: “I’m not a Tim Clougherty fan. I just don’t think he’s very good, to be frank.’’ My thoughts: I can’t imagine anyone who does think he’s very good. Mike Eades: “He’s very competent. He’ll communicate. He’s a guy that will come over and say, hey, your big fella keeps backing that guy down with the shoulder, I’m gonna get him. After a free throw he’ll say, ‘I’m not sure I like that last one. You let me know what you see on the film.’ Fantastic.” My thoughts: Competent, yes. Outstanding? Hardly. Patrick Evans: “Won’t communicate at all. Saw him doing a game on TV the other night, and he was doing the same thing. He was making a face at (the coach).” My thoughts: He’s not well liked and he’s barely competent. Tony Greene: “Needs to retire. Bad official. And here’s the thing about him: At one time, I didn’t feel like he was like that. First of all, he’s just bad. And you can’t say anything to him.” My thoughts: Nicest guy you’d ever want to meet. Lousy official. His sell-by date expired 10 years ago. Ron Groover: “Terrible personality and a bad official.” My thoughts: That might be the nicest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say about him. Anthony Jordan: “I think he tried to go to the NBA and it didn’t work out or he didn’t like it. I think he’s fair. He’ll communicate a little bit.” My thoughts: Put him with a great crew and he’s outstanding. Put him with a bad crew and he officiates to the level of his crew. Kipp Kissinger: “Kipp is approachable and someone you can talk to throughout the game and is consistent with his whistle.” My thoughts: He gets better every year. He was bad when he started. Joe Lindsay: “Joe Lindsay’s on your game? The game is going to be officiated great.’’ My thoughts: Above average but not great. Jamie Luckie: “The biggest arrogant prick ever.” My thoughts: This coach is being kind. Doug Shows: “Shows has a commanding presence. Keeps a firm control of the game. Very consistent.” My thoughts: You may not like the game he calls, but what he calls in the first five minutes of the game will be the same call in the last five. Doug Sirmons: “You know he’s an elite official. You just know you don’t test him. He’s a serious guy. And he’s really good. Anytime I’ve been like, I wasn’t sure about that, you catch the tape and say, he’s right most of the time, you leave him alone. You tell your players, that guy is working in the Final Four, and don’t question him.” My thoughts: I think he’s one of the two or three best zebras in the game. Ted Valentine: “Ted Valentine is the best. He’s the best. He doesn’t anticipate anything. Now there are some things that go along with having Teddy on your game. But if you have a big game, you want him on it. He’s seen every play, been in every situation.” My thoughts: His ego could apply for statehood but he knows the game, he’s consistent and he’s the one zebra you want your team to have on the road.” SIX GAMES TO WATCH Louisiana-Monroe (4-7) at Louisiana (10-1): This is on ESPNU Saturday (4 p.m.) if you’re hoping to get a glimpse of Billy Napier’s team in action. The Rajin Cajuns are 21.5-point faves to finish the season 11-1 over Little Terry Bowden, who has actually done a marvelous coaching job to get four wins out of that bunch. There will be good years ahead for Monroe Doctrine. We’ll see what happens with the Cajuns once Napier lights at his new destination. No. 2 Ohio State (10-1) at No. 5 Michigan (10-1): If Jim Harbaugh doesn’t beat Ohio State this year with this defense and playing at home, he never will. Ohio State is favored by eight. If C.J. Stroud comes up big he could win the Heisman. (Friday) No. 4 Cincinnati (11-0) at East Carolina (7-4): If the Bearcats catch themselves looking ahead to Houston in the AAC Championship Game they might get surprised. ECU is a team on the rise and Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium can get hostile. Cincinnati is a 14-point favorite, but it might be a lot closer than expected. No. 10 Oklahoma (10-1) at No. 7 Oklahoma State (10-1): Okie State has the best defense Oklahoma has seen this year. This is a bad time for Oklahoma’s offense to be sputtering like it has last two games. There are rumors swirling that Lincoln Riley is talking to LSU about bolting Oklahoma. Okie State is a 4-point favorite at home. Penn State (7-4) at No. 12 Michigan State (9-2): We could call this the Panic Bowl because the people at both Penn State and Michigan State panicked at the thought their coaches would go someplace else, so they signed them to ridiculous long term extensions. Penn State and James Franklin are 1.5-point favorites over Michigan State and Mel Tucker. No. 22 UT-San Antonio (11-0) at North Texas (5-6): Can the Roadrunners finish a perfect season for second-year coach Jeff Traylor? North Texas coach Seth Littell is possibly coaching for his UNT career. UTSA is a 10.5-point favorite. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The coaching carousel in 200 words or less. Billy Napier has not signed a deal with Florida but could. Lane Kiffin would like the Florida job if Napier says no, but may wind up at Miami if Miami will only fire Manny Diaz. LSU keeps offering mega money but nobody wants the job it seems. Lincoln Riley isn’t budging, at least at the moment even with a rumored $12 million a year on the table. Dave Aranda passed on $9.4 million from LSU and maybe more from Southern Cal for a long term deal at Baylor. Matt Campbell is available if Southern Cal or LSU want to sign him up. Is he a backup at UF if Napier and Lane aren’t available? Is Billy Napier holding out for LSU? Southern Cal and Washington seem clueless. Bill O’Brien would welcome a call from anyone. Billy Napier has said no to VaTech and TCU and Dave Clawson seems content to stay at Wake Forest Gump. Confused? Impatient? Take two Xanax and call me in the morning. The doctor will be in at that time.

“The defense never rests.” – F. Lee Bailey For much of Wednesday night in Fort Myers, the 23rd-ranked Florida Gators endured one of those games when they couldn’t have thrown the basketball into the ocean from the end of the pier. What saved the Gators from absorbing their first loss of the season was the grown men on the team took it upon themselves to play tough, physical defense for 40 minutes. In the end, everyone will remember the buzzer-beater three-pointer that Tyree Appleby nailed from 30 feet out that gave the Gators (5-0) their 71-68 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes (4-2), but a game-winning shot wouldn’t have been possible without mortal combat defense that resulted in 13 steals, 18 points off 18 turnovers and just seven second chance points. “Our team prides ourselves on defense,” Appleby said after this rock fight that ended in a UF win. “That’s what we do. I think physicality is what we want and if a team wants to bring that physicality back, that’s fine. I know we’ve got a tough, gritty team. Our team is together always. I don’t think anybody in the country is going to be as tough as we are night in and night out.” The toughness that carried the Gators to wins over Florida State’s grinders and to a win over California Monday night, was necessary from the opening whistle Wednesday night. Ohio State doesn’t have tremendous overall height, but the Buckeyes are a power team that is accustomed to outmuscling opponents. They tried to get physical against the Gators but instead of a finesse team that takes it and wilts, the Gators gave it right back. That’s quite a change from recent years. Last year, in particular, the Gators probably would have backed off. “We knew coming into the season everybody had low expectations of us,” Appleby said. “So, we doing really listen to the outside noise. Whatever stays between our team stays between our team. We know who we are. We know our identity and we know what we need to do to win every game.” It wasn’t a total wasteland offensively, but the Gators had trouble stringing together runs of points, particularly in the first half, but also in the second when they fell behind by as many as 10. Ohio State led, 47-37, with 13:06 to go but that’s when UF dug deep and found the extra toughness they needed to come back. “Going down by 10 late in the second half, we knew we just had to come together defensively and offensively, but mostly defensively because that’s what we pride ourselves on, the defensive end,” Appleby said. I think we picked up on the defensive end and then every huddle we knew … our coaches and the players on the bench, they kept saying we were going to win the game.” The rally got started on the defensive end when Myreon Jones got a steal. Down on the offensive end, C.J. Felder scored a layup off a Castleton pass and was fouled. His three-point play with 12:36 did more than just cut the Ohio State lead down to seven. It breathed life back into the Gators. Less than a minute later when Castleton scored on a stickback (11:16), the Gators closed within two (47-45), turning a very physical game into a backyard brawl the rest of the way. It wasn’t easy for UF because the Buckeyes kept building their lead back, twice to six points. But each time Ohio State got a little bit of momentum, the Gators worked their way back into the game. That’s the makeup of this team according to Fleming. The combination of the intensity on the defensive end and a relentless attack mentality on the offensive end that kept getting the Gators to the free throw line helped to compensate for when shots weren’t falling, allowing the Gators to stay in the game. “I kept telling Colin this is how we’re going to get back in the game – we gotta hit free throws, we gotta hit free throws!” Fleming said. “… I think that comes with older guys on the team being on the floor. We tried to attack them a lot because they were in foul trouble. That helped us a lot on the free throw line. We missed a lot but we made them when we needed them.” The game seemed Ohio State’s to win until the final 36 seconds when UF got an alley-oop dunk from Appleby to Anthony Duruji that tied the game at 68-68 and that was followed by Myreon Jones outhustling the Buckeyes for a long rebound along the sideline with four seconds to go. He pivoted, found Appleby up ahead and a couple of dribbles later, the game-winning shot was on the way. UF coach Mike White thought about calling a time out when Jones got the rebound, but instead let the game play out. “We found a way to get a stop, long rebound and the rest is a blur it happened so quick,” White said. “Myreon Jones comes up with a loose ball, a long rebound whatever it was, advanced to Tyree. Then the question is do you use one [time out], do you use one? I would have liked to have gotten the ball closer but that’s all Tyree needed. He found space and made a huge play.” The shot will be talked about a long time by Florida fans, but it would not have happened if this team hadn’t played with such intensity and physicality on the defensive end. Without a doubt, this is the best defensive team that White has had since he took over at Florida in 2015. It is the best Florida defensive team since the Gators made the Final Four in 2014. “I’m proud of this group,” White said. “This is something to build on. We beat one of the better programs in the country and you’ve got a lot of stuff that you can improve on. I’m really proud of Tyree and the way he finished of course, but really, throughout the game we had a lot of adversity and we found a way.” The Gators only shot 36.7 percent from the field (22-60) overall and 28.6 percent on three-pointers (4-14), so the offense was spotty at best. What the Gators did, however, was stifle Ohio State by forcing those 18 turnovers. Fleming knows that when the Florida offense catches up to the defensive intensity, the Gators will be ready to take things to a whole new level. “We can be so much better,” said the Charleston Southern transfer who was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the Big South Conference. “We missed a lot of free throws and we didn’t run our offense a lot to our capabilities in the first half. That’s the bright spot about it because we know we can be a lot better. Luckily, we scapped this one out and got the win.” As long as the Gators make it a point that the defense never rests, they’ll have chances to scrap out a lot of games and get the win. The Gators are idle until Sunday afternoon when they face Troy (4-2) of the Sun Belt Conference at the O-Dome.

“So the Gators will go into the FSU game something akin to 'Varsity Blues' with no head coach, no offensive coordinator, no defensive coordinator and no offensive line coach. This makes for efficient preparation, how?” "How much goodwill had Mullen earned for himself entering the 2021 season? Most of us figured quite a bit – he had turned UF from a joke at the end of McElwain’s tenure to one that could legitimately be considered among the handful of teams in the national conversation." By CARLTON REESE GatorBait Columnist In the spring of 2018, Dan Mullen walked the University of Florida football camp, inspecting the carnage left behind in the wake of a disaster from the season before. Mullen was Patton to Jim McElwain’s Lloyd Fredendall, the disgraced commander who failed in his handling of the catastrophe at Kasserine Pass in World War II. Like the troops Patton inherited, morale was low, discipline lacked and the UF football program was a smoldering mess. The return of Mullen meant a “coming home” of sorts – fans, alums, administrators and boosters alike all shared in the glorious sentiment that the Gators had found the right man. Happy days were soon on the horizon. Indeed, they were. Mullen graced a hiring class that year which included Oregon’s Chip Kelly, Nebraska’s Scott Frost, Florida State’s Willie Taggart, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher, Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt and others. Two years later, all seemed gross disappointments save Mullen, who had turned the Gators into a winner playing on New Year’s Day. Even Fisher with his nine losses in College Station was making Aggie fans question that enormous check written out to the former FSU boss. Mullen’s loss to Kentucky in year one was forgivable, as he came back with road wins against Tennessee and 23rd-ranked Mississippi State. When the Gators beat a top-five LSU team the first week of October, the mediocrity of Jim McElwain had clearly been expunged. Mullen had turned things around more quickly than even the most optimistic of Gator fans had hoped – he was the toast of the town. After an expected loss to Georgia, there was the puzzling defeat at home to Missouri then what looked like a blowout loss at home to South Carolina. A huge comeback in that game set the stage for a strong finish including a rout of Florida State and a thunderous Peach Bowl win over a top-10 Michigan team. Mullen had salvaged a season that finished with a No.7 ranking, miles from where the program sat a year earlier. In 2019, the Gators were prominent in the national conversation, and it had everything to do with Mullen, a hot quarterback in Kyle Trask and some spectacular receivers. Nothing changed in 2020 – Mullen kept his Gators in the AP top 10 the entire season and heading into the Cotton Bowl as well. So where and when did it all break down? On Dec. 11, 2020, Mullen’s Gators enjoyed an 8-1 record, a No. 6 national ranking, a spot secured in the SEC Championship Game and a legitimate opportunity to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. For Mullen on this night, “white lace and feathers made up his bed – a gold covered mattress on which he was led.” A lucky man, yes, but on a foggy night at the Swamp all that would change. Marco Wilson’s inexplicable tossing of the shoe has gone down in UF infamy, along with “Fourth and Dumb,” “The Great Florida Flop” and “The Choke at Doak.” A bad LSU team took down the Gators and it should never have happened, and Mullen never recovered. No matter how admirable Florida was in its loss, there was no way in hell Alabama was going to lose the SEC title game. Hence, all had already been lost against LSU. Florida’s all-star lineup of gamebreakers was not in the lineup to face an Oklahoma team with a chip on its shoulder and that Cotton Bowl turned into a hall too big to run and hide. Even so, at that point there was no clamoring for Mullen’s head, no reason to believe the final slide of 2020 wasn’t an aberration as to where the program stood. How much goodwill had Mullen earned for himself entering the 2021 season? Most of us figured quite a bit – he had turned UF from a joke at the end of McElwain’s tenure to one that could legitimately be considered among the handful of teams in the national conversation. It was built over three years and on top of nine seasons as a miracle worker in Starkville, Miss. Turns out that goodwill never existed. His successes not only as a national championship offensive coordinator at Florida, but as a head coach for nine seasons at Mississippi State and for engineering a remarkable turnaround in less than three years at Florida, actually bought him less security than Taggart had earned heading to Tallahassee. Perhaps that has less to do with what Mullen had earned as opposed to where he was coaching. Once again, the University of Florida fanbase showed itself to be the impetuous rot that it is – the greatest fans in the game when the tide is high, but the PC babies of college football at the first sign of adversity and any measured temperament displayed on the subject is met with the insults of a vacuous simpleton. It becomes personal: The man in charge is a jerk, or a moron or suddenly grossly incompetent. In Mullen’s case, he was “a bad recruiter,” so sayeth the subscribers to rivals.com and the basement recruitnik nerds who actually take stock in the off-season standings sent to them in newsletters. A pathetic bunch, really, but who apparently enjoy a good mob or some Robespierre status in its influence of UF football policy. Because some pedestaled kids decided to back off “commitments” (now, there’s a word these players and their salivating recruitnik nerds surely do not understand), Mullen was now not only losing (temporarily) on the field, he was losing in the most important battle of all: the rivals.com rankings! A question for the recruitnik nerds among us: Which of the following key components of last year’s Gator team were 5-star recruits – Kyle Pits, Kadarius Toney, Kyle Trask and Trevon Grimes? The answer: None. In fact, Trask and Toney were merely 3-star recruits. Even if it is true that Mullen can’t get good enough players to Florida and that will never change, then how does showing him the door now create a better opportunity to beat Florida State? Beating your archrival on the field is what this is about, after all, isn’t it? So the Gators will go into the FSU game something akin to “Varsity Blues” with no head coach, no offensive coordinator, no defensive coordinator and no offensive line coach. This makes for efficient preparation, how? Perhaps the UF administration finds this week of recruiting more important than winning this football game. Perhaps I love competition and beating my archrival – call me ‘crazy’ I suppose – but beating FSU on Saturday means more than any of that other garbage. It all comes down to this regarding Mullen: the man did a poor job the last seven weeks. Perhaps his quarterbacks let him down with bad reads and poor decisions. Perhaps he failed to recognize some defensive deficiencies in time. Perhaps his banishment from in-person recruiting damaged the UF brand. Ultimately, Mullen is responsible for all of it, and he shoulders the blame. But all of these are correctable and someone with 12 successful seasons as a head coach had earned the opportunity to fix them before tossing the most important game on the schedule into the sewer and starting from scratch. The Gators take the field Saturday with more talent than the opponent on the other side – of this, there can be little doubt. To make it three straight wins in this series should have taken just the typical inspiration and juice that goes with playing your archrival and now it seems like a roll of the dice. Greg Knox will have been head coach for less than six days when the teams take the field, so it’s been a week of cramming for an exam. The Noles have been studying for this thing all year and their personal tutor will run onto the field with them, giving them a chance they should never have had. I don’t think I can stomach losing this game, but apparently for the school administration, the recruitnik nerds and the injudicious lot of fans, losing to that school out west just isn’t a big deal.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thanksgiving morning: THANKSGIVING, FSU … ONE OF THE BEST MEMORIES EVER As the Thanksgiving holiday approached in November of 2005, someone slipped word to Urban Meyer that my mom was in the hospital in Orlando, clinging to her life. She had undergone another spinal surgery and on this one, the doctor nicked her spinal column. After practice on Tuesday as the 19th-ranked Gators prepared for 23rd-ranked Florida State, Meyer grabbed me by the arm and asked about my mom. I explained briefly what was going on and he asked me if there was anything he and Shelley could do. Without hesitation, I asked if they could take a couple of minutes on Thanksgiving Day to call my mom. I told him I wasn’t sure she would make it to her birthday on Sunday and that call would certainly bring a smile. Urban said, “We’ll do it at noon if that’s okay.” Noon arrived on Thursday. My entire family was gathered in my mom’s room at ORMC. She was in tremendous pain and hadn’t slept much during the night, but she had a smile on her face and was trying to cheer everyone up. My cell phone rang and I answered. It was Urban and Shelley. I told my mom the call was for her and she, of course, asked who it was. When I told her that it was Urban and Shelley Meyer, she lit up like no one had seen here the entire month she had been hospitalized. I expected a two-minute call. They talked for more than 10 minutes. At the end of the conversation, Urban said, “I hear you have a birthday coming up on Sunday.” My mom answered affirmatively and then Urban asked, “I’d like to give you a gift for your birthday. Is there anything you would like?” My mom answered, “Well, you could beat FSU. That would be the perfect gift.” Urban responded, “We’ll do our best to make it a special day for you.” Saturday arrived. I was at the stadium in the press box. My mom and the entire family were in her ORMC room watching the game on television and eating pork sandwiches that had been smuggled in from Porkie’s in Apopka (I highly recommend them!). After a scoreless first quarter, the Gators took a 7-0 lead on an 8-yard pass from Chris Leak to Chad Jackson. Five minutes later, Marcus Thomas broke through the line to block a 44-yard field goal attempt by FSU’s Gary Cismesia with Reggie Lewis, the brother of former FSU wide receiver great Ronald Lewis scooping it up at the UF 48 and returning it untouched 52 yards for a TD. The Florida defense took over the game from there. Injuries in the Florida secondary thrust freshman Avery Atkins in the lineup to counter FSU’s three-receiver sets. FSU spent a good part of the day trying to isolate 6-6 Greg Carr on Avery but despite numerous tries, the Seminoles managed only one completion, a 45-yarder late in the fourth quarter when the game had already been decided. Avery finished the game with four tackles, a fumble recovery, an interception and two pass breakups. A year-and-a-half later, he had dropped out of school at UF and was found dead in his car in Daytona Beach, cause of death a drug overdose although carbon monoxide was also found in his system. In the South End Zone meeting room after the Gators had destroyed FSU, 34-7, Meyer walked by me and whacked me on the butt with his Gatorade bottle. “Tell your mom happy birthday!” he told me. Sunday I was down in Orlando. My mom, who had been clinging to life and had literally been close to death at least three times during that month-long stay at ORMC, was alert, happy and smiling. She lit up the room. One of the nurses told me she hadn’t seen such a remarkable turnaround in a patient in quite some time. My mom is still with us. She will be 93 Saturday when the Gators play FSU. She reminded me Wednesday of the birthday present Urban gave her back in 2005 and told me she wished he were still here because she knows he’d give her another great birthday present. I told her we all do. AR15 EXPECTED TO START AT QB VS. FSU With Emory Jones missing practice time after rolling his ankle during practice on Monday, redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson is expected to get his second career start at quarterback Saturday when the Gators (5-6, 2-6 SEC) play their regular season finale against Florida State (5-6) at The Swamp (12 noon, ESPN). In Richardson’s only other start, he turned the ball over three times (one fumble, two interceptions) in the final three minutes of the first half, turning a 3-0 deficit into a 24-0 game at halftime. Georgia beat the Gators 34-7. Jones played the fourth quarter, engineering Florida’s only touchdown of the game. Jones returned to practice Wednesday but it’s not clear how the reps were split up. For the season, Jones has thrown for 2,400 yards and 18 touchdowns while running for 673 yards and four more TDs. Richardson has thrown for 474 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 374 yard and three TDs. AS IF YOU NEEDED SOME CONFIRMATION: STOOPS ISN’T A CANDIDATE You really didn’t buy in to those Bob Stoops may come out of retirement to coach the Florida Gators now did you? Since the retirement of Steve Spurrier in 2001, Stoops has been on the candidate list at Florida after all five coaching changes (Ron Zook 2002, Urban Meyer 2011, Will Muschamp 2014, Jim McElwain 2017 and Dan Mullen 2021). Speaking on The Sports Animal radio show Wednesday, Stoops shot down the latest rumor that he’ll coach the Gators. “I love what I’m doing with TV,” he said. “I enjoy watching my son play and the Sooners. I’m not looking to get into that job.” Stoops finished his Oklahoma coaching career with a 190-48 record and the 2000 national championship. SEC BASKETBALL Wednesday’s scores: NO. 23 FLORIDA (5-0) 71, Ohio State (4-2) 68; No. 22 UConn (5-0) 115, No. 19 Auburn (3-1) 109; Vanderbilt (4-1) 68, Pittsburgh (2-3) 52; Texas A&M 73, Notre Dame (3-2) 67 Thursday’s games: No. 19 Auburn (3-1) vs. Loyola Chicago (4-10) in Nassau; No. 10 Alabama (4-0) vs. Iona (5-0) in Orlando; Louisville (3-1) vs. Mississippi State (4-0) in Nassau THE SEC SOOTHSAYER No. 8 Ole Miss (9-2, 5-2 SEC) at Mississippi State (7-4, 4-3 SEC): The Sayer says sooth: SEC FOOTBALL Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC): Defensive tackle D.J. Dale is practicing and will play against Auburn although not at 100 percent. Linebacker Drew Sanders has a cast on his hand but will play against Auburn. Arkansas (7-4, 3-4 SEC): HBC Sam Pittman, who has engineered a surprising return to respectability for the Razorbacks says, “Our days of getting our teeth kicked in are over.” Auburn (6-5, 3-4 SEC): Quarterback TJ Finley, who made his first Auburn start last week against South Carolina, says he is “calm and steady” as he prepares for Alabama. Georgia (11-0, 8-0 SEC): Freshman corner Nyland Green has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies including carrying a loaded weapon in a school safety zone plus two counts of misdemeanor reckless conduct. Green was a top 100 recruit last year and the No. 4 corner in the country. Kentucky (8-3, 5-3 SEC): The challenge for Kentucky Saturday at Louisville is slowing down quarterback Malik Cunningham, who has passed for 18 touchdowns and run for 18 touchdowns this season. LSU (5-6, 2-5 SEC): Corner Elias Ricks, who has placed his name in the transfer portal, says he will consider transferring to Southern Cal, Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia. Missouri (6-5, 3-4 SEC): Listed as questionable for Saturday’s game with Arkansas are corner Akayleb Evans, tight end Daniel Parker Jr., right tackle Hyrin White and running back Elijah Young. Out are defensive back Ish Burdine, offensive tackle Bobby Lawrence, safety Shawn Robinson and defensive back Chris Shearin. South Carolina (6-5, 3-4 SEC): South Carolina has sold out its Saturday game with arch-rival Clemson. Tennessee (6-5, 3-4 SEC): The Vols are expected to be chosen to play either in the Music City Bowl in Nashville or the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte. Texas A&M (8-3, 4-3 SEC): The Aggies are 10-26-1 all time vs. LSU at Tiger Stadium. Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7 SEC): Mike Wright will get the start at quarterback against Tennessee. FOOTBALL IN THE MINOR LEAGUES Mel Tucker has signed his 10-year extension with Michigan State (9-2). He’ll make $92 million over the course of the country. Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell, who has been linked to practically every open coaching job in the country in the last few weeks, will be staying at Cincinnati (11-0), which is the first Group of Five team in history to make the top four in the College Football Playoff poll. The Bearcats have one regular season game remaining (at East Carolina) and the American Athletic Conference Championship Game (at Lousiana). Win them both and the Bearcats are almost certain to make the playoff and earn Fickell a length contract extension and raise. New Mexico State has fired Doug Martin. Expected to replace him is former Northern Illinois and Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill, who is serving as the interim head coach at TCU. Martin finished his career at NMSU with a 24-74 record. He had one winning season in 2017 the Aggies went 7-6 and won the Arizona Bowl. Kill has a career record of 150-99. According to the Tipico Sports book, Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud is the current favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Trailing (in order) Stroud are Bryce Young, QB (Alabama), Matt Corral, QB (Ole Miss), Kenneth Walker III, RB (Michigan State) and Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh. In leading the Buckeyes to a 10-1 record heading into their showdown game with Michigan, Stroud has thrown for 3,468 yards and 36 touchdowns. Young has thrown for 3,584 yards and 38 touchdowns. Corral has thrown for 3,105 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for 552 yards and 10 touchdowns. Walker is second in the nation in rushing with 1,498 yards and 17 touchdowns. Pickett has thrown for 3,857 yards and 36 touchdowns. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope you have reason to be happy and thankful on this day. My prayer for each of you is that the next year will bring you peace in your heart, safety for each member of your family and daily opportunities to share love and care with everyone you meet. We are truly blessed to be Gators. We will have a new coach soon and hopefully, next year this time we will be giving thanks that we have the right man leading the Florida football program on a lengthy road of sustained prosperity.

“Here on Thanksgiving Eve, I believe AD Scott Stricklin has shortened his list down to one and it's Billy Napier of Louisiana, who my trusted contacts in Baton Rouge say is 'a done deal.' Honestly, I can't say I know that yet, but it certainly seems to be trending that way." Sitting down at the family’s Thanksgiving table this week, I will be giving a sincere thanks as I reflect on the best and worst of this holiday, while also being honest about my own intentions and shortcomings. I do admit to my addiction for pie, especially pecan. The worst? I’m not one of those who complain about being with family, because for me it’s pure joy to share a sumptuous meal with these wonderful generations with which my wife and I have been blessed. Besides, they cook great food. So I’m bound to overeat. The good? The aforementioned family being nearly the greatest on the planet. Gratitude. Blessings. And, of course, off-the-charts hospitality. As for other human frailties, I love football. So you can see why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. (And no gifts!) There’s a sure bet football, along with the subject of Dan Mullen and Florida’s next coach, will come up before, during and maybe after dinner. So I’ll get right to that now, with the caveat being that it can change on any day, if not any hour. But I don't think so this time. Here on Thanksgiving Eve, I believe AD Scott Stricklin has shortened his list down to one and it's Billy Napier of Louisiana, who my trusted contacts in Baton Rouge say is "a done deal." Matt Moscona, host of the popular "After Further Review" at 104.5/104.9 ESPN Baton Rouge came on The Buddy Martin Show Wednesday night and told me that Napier wanted the LSU job, but they suggested he might want to take the Florida job if offered. Moscona told me he believes Napier has committed and the paperwork was being drawn up. Of course as of this writing it cannot be confirmed. Stricklin was in Louisiana and believed to be headed to Starkville for Thanksgiving. I expected Stricklin to move post-haste because of the recruiting crunch. And going past the weekend without a coach would not good optics for future Gator prospects because recruiting is already leaking oil. The recruiting will probably self-correct in time, but time is the very essence. Napier, or someone, will be immediately charged with pimping the new $85M football facility, but it's already too late to impact this year’s class. The shelves of the new coaching staff will have to be stocked from the transfer portal until then. So that was among the chief topics at my Thanksgiving table. By late Thursday evening, I will have overindulged in food, followed by remorse, followed by overindulgence in football, followed by football fatigue, followed by more remorse, followed by a short nap. Meanwhile, I doubt my family will talk much about politics and religion. Football, perhaps. I have a football savvy group, with very smart young men and ladies in my large family who are also conversive, but it will no doubt fall to me for Show And Tell at some point. Because it’s my job. And I regularly take daily deep dives into the subject, searching the ocean floor for shipwrecked treasures and remnants of info. Maybe this buried treasure will suffice for the day. I set out to brush up on my Billy Napier file before the holiday. Which included this fine story by Ross Dellenger: Napier has used the Nick Saban model to build the Ragin' Cajun program. At Thanksgiving dinner, if asked, I will tell: 1)What I think. 2)What I feel. 3)What I know. Let’s go backwards on that, without all the frilly thoughts. 3)What I know right now after processing a boatload on information over four days from every conceivable source I’ve got in my I-Phone, including coaches, former player, writers, broadcasters, a few lawyers and a neighbor or two with a hunch or a vision is that there appears to be very little other movement among possible candidates. I was confident Lane Kiffin's name would be on Stricklin's list but information is hard to come by. The problem is that well-meaning people tell you stuff they think is accurate but wrong. These kinds of stories bring out the pseudo, self-styled Woodward-Bernsteins in everybody. Everybody has a story to tell, even if they heard it from another person. I trust the journalists mostly. They aren’t trying to convince you or sell you anything, they’re just a conduit to what they hope are good sources. And by “journalists,” I don’t mean the guy with a Twitter account that has 38 followers. I mean people with a conscience, pretty well informed, well-trained professionals who know the drill. In tracking these stories for almost 60 years, I’ve been burned, lied to, gotten it wrong, and have learned the hard way after quoting so-called “unimpeachable sources” who were later impeached by their own words or eventual denial. People lie to cover their own stuff or promote their self-serving agenda. And people who “know” often don’t really know. Because targets also change and facts evolve. I once wrote a story about new Florida basketball coach that was about to be named – a horrible choice – and by the time I wrote and printed it, the AD had changed his mind. Even though my information came off a rough draft of a press release, it turned out to be wrong. So WHEN you write it matters, too. Another time I had a personal letter written to me by the head of the NCAA, Walter Byers, back when the NCAA had credibility and respect from CFB, saying that the University of Florida football program was being investigated on matters of ethics. Even though I had documented evidence, the university president denied it and called me a “liar” in print. Later it came out I was right. As The Messenger, I have lived and died several lives. Part of it is our own fault. The trouble is, we often don’t tell our readers the difference between fact-based analysis, conjecture, opinion or social media fabrication. All of which has some merit, but different levels of authenticity. And digging down to excavate the truth often takes more time and sticks of dynamite than one can muster. So it’s just easier to pass long what you read on Twitter. Enough preaching. 2)What I feel. (Most of this is opinion and only part of it is fact-based.) Even though he played it as if there was no sense of urgency, Scott Stricklin was feeling the heat to get it done. He has had his eyes on a couple of candidates and no doubt carried on at least third-party conversations with several others before landing his man. However, this is what real estate people call a “sellers’ market,” which means inventory is low and prices are not only escalated, but off the charts. As for 3) What I think – Stricklin has got to get this one right. As highly as he is regarded by his peers, Stricklin faces stiff competition in the marketplace – even if Florida is a Top 5 job. There are just so many available candidates and very few hot prospects. When I asked him about that competitive pressure last week in his press conference, Stricklin sort of played it off, responding that he and the UF would not base their decisions on what other schools were doing. Sorry, not disrespecting Stricklin, but we’ve seen others come along and cherry pick the candidates – as UCLA did four years ago with Kelly and Nebraska did in signing Scott Frost. But I think it’s a smart strategy by Stricklin if he’s sitting at a poker table with three of a kind and betting like it was a full house. Meanwhile, what blows me away is how deeply passionate the Florida fans are about picking the future coach of their football team, almost if they were electing the president of their country. There is nothing that stirs the soul of the Gator Nation like picking their ultimate Next Man Up. It had best be the right one. Meanwhile, it’s Florida-FSU week and until now I haven’t mentioned a word about it. “Wouldn’t it be something,” said a person very close to the UF program, “if the Gators beat the ‘Noles by a big score and went to a bowl? Wouldn’t Scott Stricklin at least be obliged to give Greg Knox an interview?”

“Be quick, but don’t hurry” – John Wooden Back on September 13, two days after a 42-28 loss to Stanford that was called “embarrassing” and played before a Los Angeles Coliseum that was only about two-thirds full, Southern Cal fired football coach Clay Helton. There had been plenty of opportunities to fire Helton in the past but USC athletic director Mike Bohn chose to cut ties with Helton two games into the 2021 season, which was Helton’s seventh. In announcing the firing, Bohn said, “Clay is one of the finest human beings I have met in this industry and he has been a tremendous role model and mentor to our young men. We appreciate his many years of service to our university and wish him nothing but the best.” It’s what Mike Bohn didn’t say that is important. Southern Cal was 1-1 at the time but the fear was that if the team got healthy Helton might get the Trojans on a roll, win the Pac-12 championship and then the school would be stuck with a coach whose firing had been demanded by alumni and boosters for years. So, the loss to Stanford was simply a convenient opportunity to fire Helton, give him his $10 million severance package and get a head start on the search for a new head football coach. Funny how things work out sometimes. Here we are with two games remaining on the Southern Cal schedule (Saturday vs. BYU and December 4 at California) and the head start Bohn thought he had, really hasn’t panned out. Since he hired Luke Fickell at Cincinnati, everybody figured that would be the No. 1 choice, but Fickell has the Bearcats unbeaten (11-0), ranked fourth in the latest College Football Playoff poll and looking very much like they’ll become the first Group of Five team to ever crash the playoff party. Should the Bearcats make the playoff, there’s no way Fickell will leave Cincinnati even if Southern Cal is willing to throw a boatload of money at him. Fickell wasn’t the only prominent name on the Southern Cal wish list early on. James Franklin was a hot name until Penn State lost some games to fall out of the Big Ten East race, but even then Penn State wasn’t taking any chances. Franklin now has a 10-year contract extension that pays Franklin a guaranteed $7.5 million a year with incentives that can raise it to $10 million. It is thought Southern Cal is down to its B-list candidates and that might mean getting into a bidding war with LSU, which is also down to B-listers. LSU’s situation is much like Southern Cal. The Tigers fired Ed Orgeron back on October 16, a move that could have waited until the end of the year, but AD Scott Woodward wanted the time to land the replacement in plenty of time to impact recruiting since the early signing period begins on December 15. Anticipating that Woodward would be making a play for Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M gave Fisher a 10-year extension and raised his salary immediately from $7.5 million to $9.16 million with all the money guaranteed. With Fisher off the table, Woodward’s next two targets were Michigan State’s Mel Tucker, who was on Nick Saban’s first staff at LSU back in 2000, and Franklin. Michigan State put the kibosh on that notion by giving Tucker a 10-year, $100 million extension. Franklin got his big extension, too. At or near the top of both the LSU and Southern Cal B-lists is Dave Aranda, who was the defensive coordinator for Coach Oeaux when he took the Tigers to the 2019 national championship. Aranda is 9-2 this year at Baylor and if he wins this weekend and Oklahoma loses the Bedlam game with Oklahoma State, he’ll be in the Big 12 Championship Game. There are unconfirmed reports that LSU has made Aranda a $9.4 million a year offer but Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports, who usually has his finger on the pulse of matters in the SEC, believes Aranda won’t land at LSU, but instead at either Southern Cal or Washington, which also has an opening. So if not Aranda at LSU, then who? Billy Napier is less than an hour down the road, has three consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins under his belt, has the Louisiana Rajin Cajuns in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game and he’s apprenticed under Dabo Swinney at Clemson and Nick Saban at Alabama. Apparently, Napier is down the food chain on the LSU most wanted list, and that has raised the eyebrows of Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, who tweeted, “If LSU lets Florida come into Louisiana and grab Billy Napier without making a serious push for him it could end up being a serious miscalculation. Napier is ready for a big job and he already has great relationships with HS coaches in the state.” There are conflicting reports regarding LSU and Napier, some saying he’s very much in conversations with LSU and others saying LSU hasn’t even bothered to interview him. Is it because LSU has no interest, or is it because Napier has his sights set on Florida? Napier to Florida has been picking up steam the last several days, to the point that it was stated on 1010XL in Jacksonville Wednesday that Napier is the guy and the official announcement will come at a press conference in Gainesville whether Sunday or Monday. This would seem to indicate that Napier was athletic director Scott Stricklin’s first choice once Dan Mullen was relieved of his duties, but this entire coaching carousel has been shaped all along by Southern Cal and LSU being in too big a hurry. By jumping the gun on firing their head coaches too early during the season, both Southern Cal and LSU thought they would have a distinct advantage in landing a big name replacement, but what has happened is they have given athletic directors at Texas A&M, Michigan State and Penn State opportunities to lock up their head coaches with long term deals. That has actually played into the hands of Scott Stricklin. Florida was never going to be in the running for Fisher or Tucker and the Gator Nation wouldn’t have handled hiring Franklin well when you consider he has four losses already this season. Why hire a coach whose team is completely out of the Big Ten East race and who is 0-4 against the ranked teams he has faced. Florida fans would probably agree that it would have been just as advantageous to keep Mullen as it would be to hire Franklin. So, while Southern Cal and LSU are still on the clock with fan bases starting to feel the nerves about landing a coach worthy of heading up programs with multiple national championships in their history, Florida is on the verge of bringing in a young coach accustomed to winning (31-5 in the last three seasons), who has been mentored by the two head coaches who have dominated college football since 2009 in Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney. We can speculate all day what might have been if Fisher or Tucker or Franklin had made an early move or if LSU’s bid to pull Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma with a mega money deal had been accepted, but the ones who should be asking the what if questions are Southern Cal and LSU. They moved quickly but still haven't found their man and the pool of big name candidates they sought has shrunk considerably. Is there a big name candidate ready to leave his current position to take the job at Southern Cal or LSU? Billy Napier may not have the big name with the instant recognition nationally, but the Gators apparently have the coach who is the best fit for a program that needs consistency both on the field and on the recruiting tails. Napier may not have been a head coach at a Power Five school, but he's been preparing for this moment his entire coaching career. The son of a legendary high school coach, a former college quarterback at Furman and and a relentless recruiter who learned that art from coaches who know and understand that it’s the lifeblood of a championship program, Napier seems to be the answer Florida needs desperately. If Napier is indeed announced either Sunday or Monday, it will be perceived as one of the quickest coaching searches in recent memory, but considering all that has happened everywhere else, it’s safe to say Scott Stricklin may have been quick, but he didn’t hurry to land his man.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Diehard Gator fans Marsha and Loren Meadows chose to move to Gainesville from Ohio so they could get more sun and be more involved as Florida fans. It has turned out a little different that expected, but they are both delighted in their new homeplace. By LOREN MEADOWS GatorBait Member/Gainesville Since FDR in 1933, the First 100 Days has been the measuring stick for every new presidential administration, business, and in the case of this author, a move from one end of I-75 to the other. So as I look back on the first 100 days of my move to “Hogtown” I find that this evaluation can only truly be measured by what matters most to those in the 352, Gator Football. When I arrived in Gainesville it came with the promise of Florida sunshine, palm and pine blowing and southern seas flowing. What I soon found that Gainesville -- commonly known as “Hogtown” -- had taken on the more humorous but appropriate name of “Rainsville.” Coming from Dayton Ohio, as my wife and I longed for evidence of the warmth the state nickname provides, we found that if the sun was not going to warm us on those days shortly after our move, the upcoming football season would bring the sentimental song of “all hail Florida hail,” Soon enough the clouds cleared and the 2021 version of Florida Gators football would dash onto the field with its first two competitions seen as pseudo-scrimmages against two in-state programs with a combined 44 years of football tradition. As the “Boys From Old’ Florida” rang from the voices of the Gator faithful after two victories the dark clouds were brewing again in “Rainesville.” By this time it was about day 45. I was getting my feet wet, figuratively. I was learning where to eat, how to avoid Archer Road at 4:30 p.m. on a weekday, and, of course, which Publix had the best selections and the shortest lines. I also found that wearing a Gator shirt at these establishments of local eats and fine produce came expert analysis of what down to blitz, situational play calling, and most of all who should start at quarterback against the defending national champion Crimson Tide. As any football fan I love the banter between us “experts”-- I mean, let’s face it, we all have watched or played enough football to handle the 40 seconds of madness in between the carnage to call a play or handle defensive signals and substitutions, right? Nonetheless, day 50 in my new city could be described as overcast as it followed the clouds of a two-point loss to the top ranked team in the nation or the warmth of a two-point loss the top ranked team in the nation. At the halfway point you could say the that the pilgrimage to what the self-proclaimed “OhioGator4Life” considers the “holy grail” had been a success. I was learning alternative routes to get home, I dined at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille (even got to see the HBC a few times), and found that if you don’t like the Publix near you there’s another right around the corner. I also discovered that the clouds that initially met us when we arrived had begun to circle around our beloved football program. Losses to a school more known for Rupp’s Runts, than Bear Bryant and a lackluster performance against the “Harvard of the South” put a target on those who shall not be named and eventually led to the fate of their gainful employment. The observation from the cheap seats was “whoa”! Fire who?!! Bring in who?!! It was perplexing to me that less than 75 days into my First 100 Days that the harsh reality of a world where my favorite native New Hampshirite may not make these 100 days with me. Sure, there was the “froze my you-know-what’s” off experience in Baton Rouge, the “Three Minutes of Purgatory” in Duval County and the “What Just Happened in Rooster Country”? Surely my new friends will rally around a coach who mentored our most patron saint and who’s departure almost surely ushered in the age of Saban. So where are we now? Day 100 has passed and gone (an now so has another HBC) and the city that I call home is cloudy and warm. Like FDR, the priority is taking actions that will require significant decisions that many in the 352 hope will revive not a struggling economy, but a program longing for the roaring 90’s and early 2000’s. My First 100 days, it turns out has not been enough to make a call on this relocation. For instance, on day 114 Mike White made the sun come out with a win that scratched a seven-year itch. On that day as I walked out of the O’Connell Center I thought to myself. “What will day 376 look like”? As many in “Hogtown” know, we will likely have to ask Oxford, Miss., Eugene, Ore., or Lafayette, Louisiana for their help. Because it is sunny in “Rainesville” and I can’t see a thing.

“How much goodwill had Mullen earned for himself entering the 2021 season? Most of us figured quite a bit – he had turned UF from a joke at the end of McElwain’s tenure to one that could legitimately be considered among the handful of teams in the national conversation." It was a good day when I met Dan Mullen and got this photo taken at Spurrier's Gridiron Grille. Photo by Dan Bond By DAN BOND GatorBait Member/Dallas It’s dark and uncertain times now for the Florida football team, as I write this Dan Mullen is gone. Who would have called this at the beginning of the season? With it so close to Thanksgiving I’m reminded of a famous Turkey scene from Christmas Story, “When our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us.” The next door neighbors dogs come in and take away the family Turkey, it’s gone. Like the losses descended upon Mullen and took him away. The Ralphie Parker family worked it out at the end and so will the Gators. I’m Thankful for the athletic program. There has been a lot to celebrate recently. I haven’t had the pleasure to stay in Gainesville for an extended time, living in Dallas. So when I was there all weekend for the Alabama football game, I looked around, naturally. I saw construction everywhere. That way overdue football facility. All the new structures on campus. The fabulous new baseball and softball stadiums. It’s getting there. I’ve been to many other SEC campuses and it’s nice to see Florida catch up. I’m Thankful for all the success the University had at the Summer Olympics. Some 31 former athletes won 17 medals. Third most of any school and would have been seventeenth beat if UF was a country. Who will forget Caeleb Dressel winning five gold metals? Making him the fifth American to win five in a single Olympic Games since 1970. There were Gators to watch almost every day. Michelle Moultrie; Aubree Munro and Kelsey Stewart bringing home Silver in the anticipated return of Softball to the Olympics. Sister Grace Palaia and I at Florida-Georgia game -- always a good day. (Dan Bond photo) I’m thankful for those Diamond Gators. Softball national championship in 2014 and 2015. Runner-up three times. SEC regular season or tournament champions six of the last seven years. Baseball national champions in 2017, runner up twice. 21 straight NCAA tournament appearances and eight College World Series since 2005. How fun were those deep runs for softball and baseball. I really got into softball when I moved closer to Oklahoma City and attended the Women’s College World Series in 2008. If you haven’t gone, make the trip. If you haven’t been to a Gator softball game, get out the schedule and GO! You’re missing out. I’m Thankful for all those other sports. Tennis winning it all for the first time this year after 89 years. Florida beating the defending national champion Texas and the No. 2 seed Baylor. The men’s swimming team winning its ninth straight SEC Championship, best for third longest in SEC History. The gymnastics team and their undefeated run the last two years, unfortunately short of a national championship. Robbed by COVID in 2020 and a freak injury to Trinity Thomas in 2021. Trinity scoring a 39.9 vs LSU with a team score of 198.15. Highest score in UF History, fifth best in NCAA History. Again, if you have not gone to a meet. GO NOW! It’s a great show and something, as a fan, you can be proud of. I’m Thankful most of all, for the people, the friends and the memories every year. Whether it’s the Keyontae Johnson recovery and the game ball he received after that huge FSU win on November 14th. The 34 out of the last 36 years at the World’s Largest Cocktail Party full Florida and Georgia family and friends. The road trips, Gator Nation taking each other in. Especially meeting face to face Buddy Martin and all the GNK crew on Alabama weekend. There’s many things to be Thankful for when you’re a Gator Fan. Go Gators from Dallas, Texas! Joining GatorBait gang at an Alabama-Florida tailgate. That's me sitting, second from the left.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: THE HIGH COST OF DOING BUSINESS The cost of doing business for the next head coach at the University of Florida whether it’s Billy Napier, Lane Kiffin or anyone else, took a shot upward Tuesday morning when Penn State coach James Franklin signed a 10-year extension with $70 million guaranteed, retention bonuses of $500,000 a year every year as long as he remains at Penn State, and incentives that could add another $1.5 million per year to the deal. The buyout clause for the new deal starts at $12 million for 2022 and descends yearly until it hits $1 million in 2025. Mel Tucker has a 10-year, $100 million deal on his desk at Michigan State that he either has signed or has agreed to in principle. Earlier this year Jimbo Fisher signed a 10-year extension at Texas A&M that has already bumped his pay by $1.6 million per year to more than $9.1 million and includes escalation and incentive clauses. Don’t think for a second that the fine folks at Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame haven’t noticed. They aren’t about to let their head coaches make less money than coaches who have never made the College Football Playoff. At Kentucky, where Mark Stoops ($6 million) is on hot lists to move somewhere else, the risk is to lose the second winningest coach in school history (Bear somebody is the first) if a similar long term deal isn’t agreed to in a hurry. State law in Mississippi forbids any coach from getting more than a 4-year deal, so both Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) and Mike Leach (Mississippi State) are expected to be offered new deals that add at least a couple million or so to their current contracts that pay $5 million. Kiffin is said to be on Florida’s short list. Leach is a BYU grad who coached for years at Washington State and Washington is currently open. Oregon pays Mario Cristobal $5 million but is willing to pay whatever is necessary to keep him from leaving for Miami or Florida, where he’s home and the weather is warmer. Even Liberty, which will be joining Conference USA no later than 2023, has ripped up Hugh Freeze’s old deal and given him a new seven-year deal with $28 million guaranteed and much more in incentives. By saying no to LSU, which was willing to make Jimbo Fisher the highest paid coach in the country, Jimbo Fisher essentially has forced AD Scott Woodward to pay bigger bucks than what the market price might have borne out just a few weeks ago for Dave Aranda (Baylor), Billy Napier (Louisiana), Matt Campbell (Iowa State) or Bill O’Brien (Alabama offensive coordinator) to replace Ed Orgeron (was paid $9 million, got $17.1 million buyout money). Aranda has leverage because Southern Cal wants him and will pay in upwards of $8 million with a long term deal if he agrees to bring Joe Brady (former LSU OC, now OC Carolina Panthers) to run the offense. Baylor is also working on a long term deal worth a lot more than the $4 million Aranda is being paid to keep him in Waco. If LSU wants Aranda, the price won’t be cheap. Napier makes $1.2 million per year and his incentives that include winning the Sun Belt Conference championship game in two weeks could total more than $300,000. Florida has given Napier an offer sheet that lets him know he’s the No. 1 choice to take over the Gators. Speculation is that it’s a six-year deal worth at least $6 million. If LSU makes Napier the object of its affection with a longer term deal worth more money, how high is Scott Stricklin ready to go to seal the deal for Florida? There is no shortage of money at UF, but what is the ceiling for a coach who has never headed a Power Five program much less one in the Southeastern Conference? Also, what is the ceiling for Stricklin’s backup plan, thought by some reasonably well informed people to be Kiffin? Kiffin already makes $5 million at Ole Miss and by Saturday may have the leverage of Miami, which could part ways with Manny Diaz. Numerous former Miami football players that are openly campaigning for The U to jettison Diaz and hire Kiffin. In a best case scenario as far as Napier and the University of Florida are concerned, the offer sheet is being converted into a legal document and there is no turning back. Chances are it’s for more money than anyone would have dreamed of spending even a few weeks ago but Florida isn’t responsible for the high cost of doing business. Fortunately, however, the Gators have the financial resources to compete. OHIO STATE JUMPS BAMA IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF POLL; CINCY 4TH Oregon’s blowout loss at the hands of Utah last Saturday night created the first real shuffling in the College Football Playoff Poll. With Oregon absorbing its second loss to drop out of the top four, the Pac-12’s playoff hopes went down the chute, but that opened the door for Cincinnati to become the first Group of Five team in the history of the playoff to move into playoff contention. Cincinnati gaining the No. 4 ranking wasn’t the only serious move on Tuesday, however. Former No. 4 Ohio State leapfrogged Alabama for No. 2 with Bama dropping down to No. 3. If the playoff were held today, No. 1 Georgia would face Cincinnati in one semifinal with Ohio State and Alabama in the other. In the next two weeks, we could see plenty of movement in the top four if Alabama beats Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, No. 5 Michigan beats Ohio State Saturday, and Cincinnati loses either to East Carolina Saturday or to No. 24 Houston in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. Additionally, the door remains cracked at least for No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 7 Oklahoma State, who play this weekend, and for Notre Dame, which should finish the season 11-1 and doesn’t have to play a conference championship game. The College Football Playoff poll, Week 4: 1. Georgia 11-0; 2. Ohio State 10-1; 3. Alabama 10-1; 4. Cincinnati 11-0; 5. Michigan 10-1; 6. Notre Dame 10-1; 7. Oklahoma State 10-1; 8. Baylor 9-2; 9. Ole Miss 9-2; 10. Oklahoma 10-1; 11. Oregon 9-2; 12. Michigan State 9-2; 13. BYU 9-2; 14. Wisconsin 8-3; 15. Texas A&M 8-3; 16. Iowa 9-2; 17. Pittsburgh 9-2; 18. Wake Forest 9-2; 19. Utah 8-3; 20. North Carolina State 8-3; 21. San Diego State 10-1; 22. Texas-San Antonio 11-0; 23. Clemson 8-3; 24. Houston 10-1; 25. Arkansas 7-4 GATORS HAVE DIFFICULT CHALLENGE IN FORT MYERS TIP-OFF Having answered the question of how the No. 23 Gators (4-0) will play in their first basketball game away from the friendly confines of the O-Dome, Florida faces what should be their most difficult challenge of the season tonight when they face Ohio State (4-1) in the championship game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off (8:30 p.m., FS1 TV). The Gators got to the championship game with yet another outstanding defensive effort to knock off California, 80-59, Monday night. Ohio State advanced with a 79-76 win over No. 21 Seton Hall. The Gators are off to their best defensive start in years. They’re giving up only 55.3 points per game and 28.1 percent from the 3-point line. In their last two games, the Gators have allowed Milwaukee and Cal a combined 4-22 (22.2 percent) on three-pointers. Colin Castleton leads the Gators in scoring (17.0) and rebounding (9.8). He has blocked 14 shots so far. Also averaging in double figures are Myreon Jones (13.0, 41.7 percent on 3-pointers), Tyree Appleby (12.0 points, 4.0 assists) and Anthony Duruji (10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds). The focus of Florida’s defense should be on 6-7, 240-pound E.J. Liddell, who is stuffing the stat sheet with 22.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.6 blocked shots per game. Liddell also shoots 38.1 percent from the three-point line. As a team, the Buckeyes hit 39.1 percent of their three-pointers and a very respectable 46.7 percent from the field overall. The Buckeyes go five deep off their bench and have 10 players averaging 11.5 minutes per game. SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday’s games: Northwestern (5-1) 78, Georgia (2-4) 62; Texas A&M (5-1) 57, Butler (3-3) 50; South Carolina (4-1) 85, Wofford (4-2) 74 Wednesday’s games: Ohio State (4-1) vs. No. 23 FLORIDA (4-0) at Fort Myers; No. 22 UConn 4-0 vs. No. 19 Auburn (3-0) at Nassau, Bahamas; Vanderbilt (3-1) at Pittsburgh (2-2) OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC (FOOTBALL) Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC): Linebacker Will Anderson Jr. has 13.5 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss. Arkansas (7-4, 3-4 SEC): Wide receiver Treylon Burks has been able to practice and is expected to play against Missouri. Auburn (6-5, 3-4 SEC): Auburn has allowed 19 touchdown passes, bad news considering the Tigers will be facing Bryce Young (Alabama), who has thrown 38 TDPs with only three picks this season) on Saturday. Georgia (11-0, 8-0 SEC): Wide receiver George Pickens still hasn’t been cleared to play although he has been practicing. Kentucky (8-3, 5-3 SEC): Kentucky goes into the Louisville game averaging 230.6 passing yards per game. A year ago the Wildcats averaged only 121.5. LSU (5-6, 2-5 SEC): This is the worst LSU offense (27.1 points per game, 370 yards) in years. Since 2009, the only worse offense were 2009 (24.8 points) and 2011 (355.1 yards). Mississippi State (7-4, 4-3 SEC): Steve Spurrier says if he were to vote for the Heisman Trophy today, his vote would go to MSU quarterback Will Rogers. Missouri (6-5, 3-4 SEC): Tyler Badie (1,385 yards, 13 touchdowns) leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally in rushing. Ole Miss (9-2, 5-2 SEC): Ole Miss running back Jerion Ealy doesn’t like Starkville where Ole Miss plays Thursday night. “It’s Stinkville to me,” Ealy said earlier in the week. South Carolina (6-5, 3-5 SEC): The Gamecocks are 11.5-point underdogs at home for Saturday’s matchup with arch-rival Clemson. Tennessee (6-5, 3-4 SEC): ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit says the Vols under first year HBC Josh Heupel have “become a fun team to watch and they’re going to recruit very well.” Texas A&M (8-3, 4-3 SEC): The Aggies rank third in the SEC (319.8 yards per game) and 17th nationally in total defense. Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7 SEC): The Commodores rank dead last in the SEC in both total offense (311.9 yards per game) and total defense (458.8). ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: One of the true professionals in all of sports journalism passed away Tuesday. Cecil Hurt, the longtime sports editor and columnist of the Tuscaloosa News, died in Birmingham due to complications from pneumonia. Cecil was a warm, engaging man who loved writing about the ball games and personalities but was hardly consumed by sports. On a Thursday afternoon at the 2011 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, I found Cecil sitting in the sunshine with his iPad handy for taking notes about a game the Gators would win 6-0 and a non-fiction book about history that he would read a page here, a page there during delays in the action. We talked for about 15-20 minutes, a little bit about baseball, a bit about Florida football and how I thought the Gators were going to do in their first season under new coach Will Muschamp, and a lot about friends and family. He was genuine and legitimately left you with the feeling he really cared about everyone he met. It showed in the way he wrote about sports. Cecil understood that the final score is only a part of the story, that these are only games played by real people who pour their hearts and souls and often the hopes and dreams of their entire families into their sport. In that respect, Cecil was a dinosaur, a dying breed of wonderful writers who could make you appreciate the athletes who play the games we watch. I’m going to miss him.

It isn’t about adjustments that Mike White made in the huddle at the 7:43 media time out in the first half of the Gators’ 80-59 win over the Cal Bears Monday night in the Fort Myers Tip-Off event. At that point the Gators held a slim, 19-17, lead over the Bears and this game had the makings of a white knuckles affair with both teams scoring something like a combined 100 points. White made some suggestions, of course, but it was the chatter among teammates that really got the Gators (4-0) going. “We came out slopping and not to our standard,” Colin Castleton said. “We didn’t play to our standard. That’s what we’re going to keep harping on and we talked about it. If we don’t play to that standard, the coaches are going to get on us. I’m going to get on everybody. We’re all going to get on each other. We’re all capable guys and we know what we’re capable of, so when we’re not playing the way we should we’re going to have to switch it up quickly, because versus other teams we can’t have a letdown.” In the first 12:17 of the first half, the Gators forced one turnover. They forced six over the final 7:43. The 19-17 margin ballooned to 46-27 at the half. Florida pressed full court and when the Bears broke the press, they faced relentless pressure, particularly on the perimeter. White heaped the praise on his team for stepping up the tempo and pressure. “I think you have to credit our guys more than the adjustments,” White said. “I thought our energy level picked up. I thought we were a little bit flat defensively the first few minutes. Our first time playing away from home without our fans at ExactTech Arena screaming for us, it took a while to adjust I think to that new environment. We did jump the ball as well. We trapped more in the backcourt in the second half of the first half, the second 10 minutes and I thought it was good for us. Led by Anthony Duruji, he was really good in press tonight.” Duruji didn’t have an overwhelming game statistically – just seven points, three rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot – but he didn’t have to. It was his presence, particularly on the front end of the press that created so much havoc for California. In the 2-2-1 that White has been employing this season, he plays the 6-7 Duruji up front, a bit unconventional since he’s the only other big (Castleton is 6-11) in the starting lineup but there is method to this madness. With his length, leaping ability and quickness it’s a problem getting the ball past that first entry pass when Duruji comes to complete the double team for the trap. “Anthony is as quick and fast as any of our guards so he gives you the ability to crash the offensive glass and be in position if we do score to be right there on the front line if we’re trying to funnel a ball handler or denying the ball handler,” White explained. “He’s got great size for a guy who can move like that so he creates great problems. We like him to be pressuring the ball.” Against California, White got production from Boston College transfer C.J. Felder, who came off the bench to give Duruji a rest. He not only handled the front end of the press, but he contributed a season-high eight points to go with three rebounds and an assist. Felder was one of the top defensive players in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year. He’s not known for his offense, but if he is able to give the Gators some point production, it will make life a lot easier for White, who is still trying to get his rotations set. “We’d like to see him more active, using his athleticism and attacking the basket,” White said. “Being one of our more talented defenders and rebounders, we would like to see him be high level in those areas in time. He’s still adjusting to a new system and he spent a lot of time in the offseason developing his skill level, particularly shooting the three. He’s shooting it well but he can’t hang his hat on that of course. When he’s open, I don’t want him to overthink it. I want him to shoot it if it’s a good shot for our team.” Florida shot the three well. The Gators weren’t totally enamored with the long range shots but they were timely. UF hit 8-19 (42.1 percent) and 51.9 percent overall (27-52) and that including a 14-26 second half. Castleton had another impressive game going against a Cal front line that measured 6-9, 6-9 and 6-9 and came off the bench even taller. He scored double figures (16 points) for the fourth straight game and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to go with three assists, a blocked shot and a steal. White said much of Castleton’s offense was due to his own mobility and creativity with the ball. What Castleton was able to do was force the Bears to collapse to try to stop him, but when they did that, they left others open for good shots. “The overall level of unselfishness that we talk about is very important for the offense to have,” White said. “We shared it. Colin led us and some of those plays he made with his back to the basket he made for himself. He created those shots. Outside of him, being prolific on the block tonight I did think we shared and moved pretty well. Our assist numbers are not as high as we’d like to see it but to score 80 against a Mark Fox-coached team, you must have done something good because they’re always so solid and disciplined and prepared.” It wasn’t all about back to the basket for Castleton, however. With a little more than 18 minutes remaining in the second half, he came down with an offensive rebound, then channeled his inner Joakim Noah by breaking out of the pack on the dribble, delivering a perfect bounce pass to Duruji, who finished with a two-handed dunk that put the Gators up, 52-24 “He’s earned the right to bust out” White said. “That’s what we call it busting out, using his bust out dribble and making plays as long as he’s making the right decisions. A guy his size and length that can do that to complement the rest of the team shows you how talented he is.” Following Castleton in the Florida scoring column was Tyree Appleby, who had 15, while Myreon Jones added 13 (3-6 on three-pointers) and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. had 11. The Gators held California, which came into the game shooting early and often from the three-point line, to just 10 attempts beyond the arc and 20 percent shooting. Florida forced 18 California turnovers that were turned into 18 points. The Gators, who are ranked 23rd in the Associated Press poll and 24th in the Coaches poll, will face Ohio State Wednesday night in the championship of the Fort Myers Tip-off. Ohio State advanced by upsetting 21st-ranked Seton Hall in the first game of the evening.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: THIS COACH SEARCH WILL NOT LINGER A LONG TIME There are two things Scott Stricklin has to know as he tries to reel in the next football coach at the University of Florida: (1) He can’t turn this into a Tennessee-like fiasco that lingers on and ends up with the sixth or seventh choice; and (2) he better get this hire right. Stricklin said Sunday that the Gators have no timeline for finding a new football coach but he knows as well as everyone else that the longer this goes on the less likely it is that he will land the coach he wants. With the early signing day on December 15, he’s got to act quickly to give the next coach a shot at salvaging a disintegrating recruiting class and to get a head start on the transfer portal. During Jeremy Foley’s tenure as athletic director, four football coaches were hired – Ron Zook, Urban Meyer, Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain. He had to fire three of them and Meyer retired for stress-related health issues. Stricklin is 0-for-1. He knows he has to land the right coach, one who’s going to be here and be successful for more than four years. Of the coaches who have been here since Steve Spurrier retired in 2001, Meyer is the only one who lasted more than four years and he was gone after six. If Florida is to get back to a championship level and be able to compete with Georgia in the SEC East, then Scott Stricklin cannot fail. The ones to watch as of midnight Monday: The two at the top of the leaderboard as we make the clubhouse turn are Billy Napier and Lane Kiffin. Napier, at this point, seems to be the front runner. Will Louisiana playing a Saturday game and then the Fun Belt Conference championship game be a problem? Will LSU come in and make a big cash bid at the last moment? Can Kiffin’s bad boy past be overlooked? Inquiring minds want to know! FINEBAUM AND KIRBY SMART RE: THE FIRING OF DAN MULLEN Paul Finebaum: “The Spurrier wing of the party had had enough of Dan Mullen. They didn’t like his attitude, they didn’t like his quirkiness. They didn’t like the way he berated assistant coaches in front of others and it rubbed them the wrong way. That much I can tell you. I’m not saying Steve Spurrier pulled the trigger but I sincerely doubt this decision was made without Steve Spurrier’s blessing.” Kirby Smart: “The stakes have gotten higher, the pay has gotten higher and with that comes expectation. It’s a much tougher job, and I think you see a lot of people in our level go to the next level because it has a little less strain on your family. I know it’s a tough atmosphere but most people would say they pay you so much it doesn’t matter, but at the end of the day I hate it for Dan because I think Dan’s a good person and it’s a tough situation. But, it’s the profession we chose to be in and I know Dan will be fine. He’ll be perfectly fine.” NO. 23 GATORS PUT TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON CAL, MOVE TO 4-0 What sets this Florida (4-0) basketball team apart from recent Gator teams is the defensive intensity. The Gators gave the Cal Golden Bears (2-3) a lesson in full court and perimeter pressure Monday night when they kept their record perfect with an 80-59 blowout win. The Gators held a 19-17 lead at the 7:43 media time out in the first half when the defensive pressure began to get to the Bears. Up until that time, Cal had committed only one turnover, but in those last eight minutes the Gators turned the Bears over six times as UF went on a 27-10 run to end the half. Up 46-27 at the half, the Gators kept pouring it on defensive in the second half, forcing 11 more turnovers. The Bears never got closer than 19 points the rest of the game. Although Cal had a distinct size advantage, the Gators negated it by forcing the Bears to set up way outside their comfort zone in their offense. Forced to set up their offense 2-3 feet beyond normal, Florida turned it into a nightmare shooting night from beyond the arc. Cal came into the game shooting 37 percent on its three-balls. The Bears were only able to launch 10 shots and made just two. Colin Castleton led the Gators with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Tyree Appleby scored 15 while Myreon Jones had 13 and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. had 11. The Gators shot 51.9 percent for the game and 42.1 percent on three-pointers. Florida scored 19 points off California turnovers. The AP Top 25 basketball poll: 1. Gonzaga 4-0; 2. Gonzaga 4-0; 3. Purdue 5-0; 4. Kansas 3-0; 5. Duke 5-0; 6. Baylor 4-0; 7. Villanova 3-2; 8. Texas 3-1; 9. Memphis 4-0; 10. (Tie) Alabama 4-0, Kentucky 3-1; 12. Houston 3-0; 13. Arkansas 3-0; 14. Illinois 2-1; 15. Tennessee 3-1; 16. St. Bonaventure 5-0; 17. Arizona 5-0; 18. BYU 4-0; 19. Auburn 3-0; 20. Michigan 3-2; 21. Seton Hall 3-0; 22. UConn 4-0; 23. FLORIDA 3-0; 24. Southern Cal 3-0; 25. Xavier 4-0 The Coaches Top 25 basketball poll: 1. Gonzaga 4-0; 2. UCLA 4-0; 3. Kansas 3-0; 4. Purdue 5-0; 5. Baylor 4-0; 6. Duke 5-0; 7. Villanova 3-2; 8. Texas 3-1; 9. Alabama 4-0; 10. Memphis 4-0; 11. Houston 3-0; 12. Arkansas 3-0; 13. (Tie) Michigan 3-2, Kentucky 3-1; 15. Illinois 2-1; 16. St. Bonaventure 5-0; 17. Tennessee 3-1; 18. BYU 4-0; 19. Arizona 5-0; 20. Seton Hall 3-0; 21. UConn 4-0; 22. Auburn 3-0; 23. Oregon 2-1; 24. FLORIDA 3-0; 25. Southern Cal 3-0 SEC BASKETBALL ROUNDUP Monday’s games: No. 10 Kentucky (4-1) 86, Albany (0-5) 61; LSU (5-0) 83, Belmont (3-2) 53; Virginia (3-2) 65, Georgia (2-3) 55; Wisconsin (3-1) 69, Texas A&M (4-1) 58; Florida State (4-1) 81, Missouri (3-2) 58; No. 13 Arkansas (4-0) 72, Kansas State (2-1) 64 OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC (FOOTBALL) No. 3 Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC): Since the loss to Texas A&M, Bryce Young has thrown for 1,850 yards (10.8 per attempt), completing 127-171 passes for 18 touchdowns without an interception. For the year, he’s thrown for 3,584 yards (9.8 per attempt) with 38 TDPs and only three picks. No. 25 Arkansas (7-4, 3-4 SEC): Wide receiver Treylon Burks (59-975, 10 TDs) is banged up but expected to be ready to play against Missouri. Auburn (6-5, 3-4 SEC): Auburn starts strong but fades late, prompting HBC Bryan Harsin to say at his Monday press conference, “We’re not finishing games. I know we can finish better. If we made it happen in the first half, I know we can make it happen in the second half.” No. 1 Georgia (11-0, 8-0 SEC): Georgia will be facing a Georgia Tech team this weekend that has allowed at least 480 yards in its last seven games, the worst streak for any ACC defense since 2004. Kentucky (8-3, 5-3 SEC): Although he’s been linked to job openings at LSU and Florida, HBC Mark Stoops says he is “nothing but committed” to Kentucky. LSU (5-6, 2-5 SEC): Jim Nagy, the Senior Bowl director, says, “If LSU lets Florida come into Louisiana and grad Billy Napier without making a serious push for him it could end up being a serious miscalculation. Napier is ready for a big job and already has great relationships with HS coaches in the state.” Mississippi State (7-4, 4-3 SEC): The win over Tennessee State was the 150th in Mike Leach’s coaching career. In the SEC, only Nick Saban has more career victories as a head coach. Missouri (6-5, 3-4 SEC): HBC Eli Drinkwitz says Missouri began to turn its season around when the team stopped threw out the egos and figured out who really wants to be there. Ole Miss (9-2, 5-2 SEC): Matt Corral ripped into teammates after their win over Vandy, saying, “If we play like that against Mississippi State we’re going to get blown out.” South Carolina (6-5, 3-4 SEC): Placekicker Parker White needs four points against Clemson Saturday to break Elliott Fry’s career scoring record (359 points). Tennessee (6-5, 3-4 SEC): Speaking of his seniors Monday, first year HBC Josh Heupel said, “They bought in to a new coaching staff and have become great leaders.” Texas A&M (8-3, 4-3 SEC): Freshman wide receiver Demond Demas (15-235, 1 TD) will miss the rest of the season with a leg injury. Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-8 SEC): Former Vandy and NFL running back Zac Stacy in in jail in Orlando on charges of domestic violence against the mother of his son, who he allegedly punched in the head several times. COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY WEEK TEN Extinct Species List Les Miles, Kansas (Permanent replacement Lance Leipold) Randy Edsall, UConn (Permanent replacement Jim Mora Jr.) Clay Helton, Southern Cal Chad Lunsford, Georgia Southern (Permanent replacement Clay Helton) Ed Orgeron, LSU Nick Rolovich, Washington State Matt Wells, Texas Tech (Permanent replacement Joey McGuire) Gary Patterson, TCU Tom Arth, Akron Walt Bell, UMass (Permanent replacement Don Brown) Jimmy Lake, Washington Butch Davis, Florida International Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech: Chip Lindsey, Troy Dan Mullen, Florida On Life Support Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech: It’s surprising Georgia Tech didn’t fire him Saturday after that 55-0 beatdown at the hands of Notre Dame. If they think that was bad then wait until Georgia gets hold of the Jackets next Saturday. Manny Diaz, Miami: Former players want Manny gone and there will be a new AD but will they wait until the new AD is in place to not only fire Manny but hire his own guy? Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green: It seems just a matter of time before he gets the old heave-ho. The Falcons are 3-8 but the finale with Ohio U is winnable. Rod Carey, Temple: He’s 4-14 since 2020 and the Shirley Temple alums aren’t happy with another last place finish in the AAC. If he isn’t canned he’ll be on the shortest of leashes next year. Steve Addazio, Colorado State: Things are not going well for Addazio, who gets to lose to Nevada to finish 3-9. Does Urban need someone helping out on the O-line? Endangered Species List Steve Sarkisian, Texas: How do you lose six in a row at Texas with all that talent? If he loses to K-State Saturday will he be a one-and-done or will they give him a chance to be a two-and-through with one more year to prove he can actually coach? Dino Babers, Syracuse: Just three weeks ago, Dino was in good shape, a win away from bowl eligible. He’s still one win a way and about to get a third straight loss to No. 18 Pitt. Chip Kelly, UCLA: He’s 7-4 and nothing is ever certain at UCLA, which still thinks there is another John Wooden out there to win seven NCAA basketball championships. It’s hard to imagine that they’ll fire him even if he loses to Cal but just to be safe he needs to win this one. Seth Littrell, North Texas: He had one foot in the proverbial coaching grave three weeks ago but now he has the Mean Green winning three straight and a threat to end the magic for unbeaten UTSA. But what if he loses and finishes 5-7? That could be dicey. Phil Montgomery, Tulsa: Cincinnati wasted SMU which gives the Phighting Phils hope that the Schmooz show up hung over from their clobbering. A win and its bowl game city for Tulsa Time! Whodathunkit six weeks ago? Justin Wilcox, California: All he needs to do is beat UCLA and Southern Cal to be bowl eligible. Southern Cal possible? UCLA longshot. If he gets offered a job somewhere else, he needs to take it. Jeff Scott, South Florida: He fired his defensive coordinator, which is probably a good thing since the Bulls are giving up 38 a game. They get to close their season at the Bounce House with a loss to UCF. Next year he has to deliver more than one win against a Division I team. David Cutcliffe, Duke: Next week Cut gets to save Manny Diaz’s job while losing his own. Not really a fair trade since David Cutcliffe is one of the nicest guys in all of college football, but nice guys rarely finish first at schools where the average SAT score is about 1400 or so. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: With one week remaining in college football’s regular season, brace yourself for the craziness that will begin sometime around Friday evening. We’ve had 15 coaches fired and probably another five or so will get canned this weekend, but that is just the beginning because fired coaches will have to be replaced, and coaches who lose a coach to another school will have to find replacements as well. My over/under for coaching changes is 21 this year. It’s pure insanity for this much change, but in this world where the average Division I coach is paid seven times what we pay the president of the United States, there is no such thing as patience. It’s win or be gone and if you’ve got a chance to go from an average $2.8 million a year to SEC level $5 million or more, you don’t wait around for something better. You take it. That’s the world we live in these days.