(Photo by Chris Spears) With good reason, Todd Golden was relaxed and in a confident, not cocky, mood Wednesday morning. He spent more than 20 minutes answering questions that obviously began with the report that if Steve Kerr calls it a career with the Golden State Warriors, Golden will be first on the list that ownership contacts to make the leap from college basketball to the NBA.   “I definitely plan on coaching the Gators,” Golden answered.   And why not? In his four years at Florida, Golden has proven to be somewhat of a Da Vinci at the art of roster construction. His formula of player development combined with strategic infusions of help from the portal have brought him an NCAA championship (2025) and an SEC title (2026). The roster he’s putting together for the 2026-27 season isn’t quite finished but already it’s strong enough that CBS has the Gators ranked No. 1 in their too early poll.   Besides the good news Tuesday that Tommy Haugh was coming back, joining best buddy Alex Condon in foregoing the NBA for another shot at championship glory, Golden got further good news Wednesday morning that CJ Ingram and Viktor Mikic are signed, sealed and their return assured. Now there are only two questions but they should be answered positively relatively soon.   Denzel Aberdeen, who transferred back to Florida after a vacation to Kentucky, awaits a waiver or the NCAA voting in the 5-for-5 rule, whichever comes first. Consider the wait time merely a speed bump. He will be playing next year barring a disaster of a 40-days, 40-nights flood that engulfs the earth. Rueben Chinyelu put his name in the NBA Draft. That means the national defensive player of the year will be invited to the combine in Chicago in mid-May. He was there last year, learned enough that when implemented created a quantum leap in consistency and efficiency last season. The same flood that might keep Aberdeen from playing next year is probably the only thing that will keep Chinyelu from coming back. That and the sudden development of a 10 to 12-foot jump shot and would elevate him into the first round.   Haugh (110 career games), Condon (107) and Chinyelu (110) will give the Gators the best and most experienced front line in all of college basketball. Aberdeen, who averaged 13.5 points per game during his Kentucky hiatus, already knows the offensive and defensive schemes, plus he’s a relatively good 3-point shooter. He’s played 119 games in his career. Toss in Boogie Fland, who was jobbed when he didn’t make the All-SEC defensive team, and the Gators have a point guard whose speed while dribbling the basketball from end-to-end might be faster than anyone in the college game running without the ball.   Throw in a deep bench of SEC Sixth Man-of-the-Year Urban Klavzar, the Brown brothers (Isaiah and AJ), Ingram, Mikic, Alex Kovatchev and incoming 7-foot freshman Jones Lay and Golden not only has the most experienced roster in the country for next year, but also the deepest. Assuming Aberdeen and Chinyelu are back, the Gators will have 13 on scholarship leaving two available. Adding some more size is certainly one of the goals. Whether that is someone from the portal or a young international remains to be seen.   Another point guard is also a need although Golden indicated he expects Alex Lloyd to show dramatic improvement.   “I’m excited about Alex Lloyd,” Golden said. “I think he's going to take a big jump. Getting him through the freshman up and downs is not easy, but give him a lot of credit for sticking with it and being tough. He's already put on a lot of weight. He's getting strong.”   If not another point, it would seem another shooter would be ideal. The Gators spent the first two months of last season shooting threes like they had taken lessons from the man who developed Saddam Hussein’s SCUD missile program. They improved considerably once the Gators got to the SEC portion of the schedule.   In SEC play, Klavzar shot 43.9 percent from three while Isaiah Brown shot 41.9 percent and Haugh 35.2 percent. Although his shot samples are small, Ingram hit some threes in the final couple of weeks that seem to indicate he will help improve the team’s outside shooting. It should also be noted that AJ Brown, who took a redshirt after transferring in from Ohio U, shot 38.8 percent for the Bobcats in 2025.   “I think we'll shoot the ball better earlier and over the course of the season but I love  the collection of the team,” Golden said. “I think we'll have a really good club. I don't think 3-point shooting will be something that prevents us from getting where we want to go.”   Where the Gators want to go is back to the Final Four and a shot at another national championship. Winning it all once again has proven to be one of the key motivations to why Haugh and Condon came back, why Aberdeen wanted to transfer back to where his college career began and why it’s very likely Chinyelu will be back.   There are only so many chances you get to cut down the nets and hear “One Shining Moment” blaring while confetti falls from the ceiling. It says a lot that players like Haugh and Condon are willing to come back to school for another shot at a title and that Aberdeen wants to be a Gator once again. Chinyelu should come back again as well.   It also says plenty that only two players (Micah Handlogten and Olivier Rioux) departed for the portal, both in need of playing time that would be severely limited at Florida with so many experienced veterans returning. The young guys who came off the bench are back, which says plenty about the basketball culture that Golden has created. Winning has a lot to do with it and so does NIL money, but it goes beyond those factors. Golden has made it a priority to fill the roster with players who are willing to put team above self.   It is all part of a master plan of roster construction.   “We look at each guy in our program – we had 15 guys last year – they’re all really, really important to us, and they all play a role,” Golden said. “Externally, people watch, and they see the guys that are scoring the most, and obviously will think that they're the most important guys or whatever, but Alex Lloyd and C.J. Ingram were incredibly important pieces for us this year, and we think of those guys as being great people, great players, and guys that will be great Gators moving forward.   “Now, we have to work as coaches, and staff to kind of show them a vision and to give them something to believe in down the road. And I credit CJ. Tommy coming back makes it harder for him to get on the floor. That's just common sense. It's obvious. But CJ and Tommy are close. CJ looks at Tommy as kind of a bigger brother and I know they spoke last week prior to Tommy coming back and prior to CJ's decision to stay about what next year would look like. So when you have kind of that internal leadership and guys being on the same page, I think it makes it easier … But I think all those guys are really good players, and we wouldn't fight so hard to bring them back if we didn't think that they would be, you know, really impactful for us either this coming year or moving forward.”   These guys like being Gators. They like being teammates. They like their coaches. And they are a 5-for-5 rule change and a Chinyelu decision away from being this monstrosity of a team that on paper at least looks like one of the more powerful teams assembled in years.   “We hope Ruben's back,” Golden said. “He’s going to test and check out what's out there for him., but I’d be lying if I didn't think Tommy coming back and Condo coming back appealed to him to come back as well. Like, they're all boys and they all want to be together, so there's different variables out there. But yes, we'll be prepared to pivot if Ruben stays in the draft and the great thing is I think we have a really good group as it is. We'll probably need to add a little more size but there's nobody that's going to replace Ruben. Ruben is a pretty unique, amazing player. So it might have to be just kind of a whatever, just a different type of replacement. But again, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping we get the big fellow back.”

The 5-for-5 rule should make Denzel Aberdeen eligible without a waiver (Photo by Chris Spears) “Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call Don’t stand in the doorway, don’t block up the hall For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled The battle outside ragin’ Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls For the times, they are a-changin' ” – Bob Dylan, “The Times They Are A-Changin’”   Yes, the times are changing and for once, the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, did something reasonably intelligent by making the first move. At least some faction of the 5-for-5 executive order signed by President Donald Trump, is about to become part of the NCAA rulebook. Congress would really like to enact this into law – emphasis on would really like to – but Charlie Baker, who heads up the NCAA knows how these guys work and it could be months, even years, before they agree on anything even though there is probably a majority of them who understand the critical juncture we’re in with college sports.   There are some kinks that will have to be worked out of the 5-for-5 rule. The way it is being proposed is five years eligibility from high school graduation or age 19, whichever comes first. But what about junior college kids? What about kids who spend a post-graduation year at prep school? Florida’s Tommy Haugh did that. After graduating high school in New Oxford, Pennsylvania, he spent a year at the Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania before he signed with Todd Golden and the Gators.   The ripple effect of the new rule will force the NCAA to address so many contingencies, but most coaches in all sports would agree the foundation of the change has been too long in the making. Better late than never, though.   Monday we saw the immediate impact of 5-by-5 when the transfer portal became flooded with 4 th -year guys who posed for photos with their parents, hugged their coaches, and got framed jerseys on senior nights back in March. In anticipation of being grandfathered in when the NCAA votes to formally approve a 5-for-5 rule that has already gone through committee approval, SEC players such as LSU’s Max Mackinnon, Texas A&M’s Marcus Hill and Vanderbilt’s Tyler Nickel put their names in the portal. Seth Trimble, an All-ACC point guard at North Carolina, joined in as did Darrion Williams, the former Texas Tech All-Big 12 stud, who spent last season at North Carolina State. The list goes on and on.   When the rule is approved it will end the need for Denzel Aberdeen to get a waiver to play a fifth year now that he’s back home at the University of Florida after a 1-year hiatus – think of it as a paid vacation – to Kentucky. Aberdeen’s return along with that of Alex Condon, who will forego the draft to return to UF for his senior season, is why the Gators are top five in every way too early top 25. Rueben Chinyelu declared for the draft Monday, but he’s keeping his option open to return. He’s going for the evaluations at the draft combine in Chigago in mid-May. He went last year, got advice on where his game needed work, and came back to UF where he was one of the nation’s most improved players. What worked once is probably 99 percent likely to work again. He’ll get the evaluations, forego the draft and return to the Gators, who could win their second national championship in three years.   This sweeping change is going to alter the college basketball landscape significantly. For example, Tarris Ross Jr., who had such a brilliant NCAA Tournament run for UConn, is projected to be selected midway through the second round of the NBA Draft in June. He now has the option of returning for year five unless he wows everyone at the draft combine and pushes his draft stock into the first round. First round contracts are all multi-year and all with guaranteed money. Second round contracts are rarely multi-year and for only a fraction of the first round money. In other words, Ross can make more money back at UConn, where his presence along with Braylon Mullins and Duke transfer Nikolas Khamenia would solidify the Huskies as one of the three or four favorites to win it all next year.   Zuby Ejiofor returning to St. John’s is another possibility. He’s undersized as an NBA center but there is no questioning his impact on the college game.   What’s going on in basketball is just the beginning. At the University of Florida, for example, All-American gymnast Selena Harris-Miranda has the option of returning for one more year. The Gators finished third at last weekend’s NCAA Championships. She could make a difference and her return could give the Gators a legitimate shot at their first NCAA title since the Bridget Sloan-led three-peat that concluded in 2014.   Down the road we could see athletes in other sports who are fourth-year seniors elect to return for a fifth year. A 4 th -year quarterback who projects as a late rounder largely due to a small sample size of starts will now have the option to return for one more year to build a résumé worthy of the first or second round of the NFL Draft.   So, brace yourself. Change is coming and for once applaud the NCAA for going pro-active with rule changes that are long overdue.   CHINYELU AND THE NBA DRAFT Take a deep breath and step back from the ledge. Unless we have a miracle of the walls of Jericho tumbling down proportions, Rueben Chinyelu will be back next season. By declaring for the NBA Draft he will get an invitation to the pre-draft combine in Chicago in mid-May. He went there last year, got several days of competition and coaching then returned to Florida where he became one of the nation’s most improved players in 2025-26. Chinyelu was the national defensive player of the year and one of the top rebounders in the country.   What he lacked was consistency in his offensive game and range outside three feet. Even with these flaws he will get drafted but he’s not going to be a first rounder. To push his way into the first round, he will have to show more offensive moves, a shot that is accurate up to 10 feet from the basket, and rather than rely on that baby hook a penchant for power dunks on his stickbacks. During last season scouts wanted to see Rueben power through contact for dunks, which would also lead to more trips to the foul line.   In Chicago he will get the evaluations he needs and unless he has developed a more sophisticated offensive game in the weeks since the Gators lost their NCAA Tournament second round game to Iowa, he will be assured of second round status when the NBA drafts. He will make more money returning to Florida, have the opportunity to show his newly developed skills against good competition both in practice and in games next season, and he will have a chance to help the Gators win their second NCAA championship in three years.   Barring something totally unforeseen, Rueben will be back.   TODD GOLDEN ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE With speculation mounting that long-time Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr might call it a career and retire, the name Todd Golden is being floated as a potential replacement. Would Todd leave the University of Florida to coach in the NBA? It’s a reasonable question to ask, but the likelihood that it happens seems rather slim at this particular moment.   Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin is working on a new contract that will keep Golden at UF many more years while giving him a nice raise from the already $6.75 million (plus bonuses) that place him among the six or seven highest paid college coaches in the country. The new contract will likely be in the $9-10 million range which would surpass what Kansas pays Bill Self, currently the nation’s highest paid at $8.8 million.   It’s worth noting that there is no state income tax in Florida and the cost of living is significantly less than San Francisco. If Golden were to take the Warriors job he would subject himself to a 13.3 percent state income tax and a mandatory one percent “mental health” tax. Add the federal income tax of 37 percent and more than half Golden’s salary would be eaten up by taxes.   From a purely financial standpoint, staying at Florida makes much more sense. Plus, at Florida, Golden is well on his way to legendary status thanks to an NCAA championship in year three and getting to 100 wins quicker than any coach in school history. If Rueben Chinyelu comes back – 99 percent likely – and Tommy Haugh defies the odds by returning rather than stay in the NBA Draft where he’s likely a lottery pick, Florida will be favored to win another national championship.   If Golden were to leave for Golden State he would inherit an aging roster whose cornerstone stars – Steph Curry (38) and Draymond Green (36) – aren’t exactly spring chickens.   Golden is 40 years old, already with seven years head coaching experience in Division I. If he were to remain at Florida 10 more years, he would still be 50 years old, still young enough in the eyes of the NBA.   The verdict: Anything is possible, but in this case extraordinarily improbable. Figure he’s not going anywhere at least for awhile.

Tommy Haugh, Todd Golden and Alex Condon after Florida's loss to Iowa (UAA Photo) Braylon Mullins, the freshman whose shot sent Duke packing in the East Regional championship game in Washington, DC, has decided to return to UConn for his sophomore season. Big deal? You bet, and it just might be a signal of things to come in the NBA Draft, in particular with the Florida Gators.   Mullins was a certain first rounder. He’s 6-6, a more than capable defender but more important to NBA folks, a shooter who is in 3-point range almost from the moment he steps off the bus. ESPN ranks him as the No. 17 prospect for the upcoming draft. No doubt about it, he’s walking away a guaranteed 4-year deal with all the money guaranteed.   Is he from a family of means? Who knows for sure, but three things for certain: (1) He is confident that the money will be there whenever he decides to ply his skills to the NBA; (2) he is content with the NIL money UConn is offering; and (3) he enjoys the college life and would rather be a kid at least one more year before basketball becomes as much business as it does a game.   We shouldn’t be surprised if there are a few more decisions similar to Braylon Mullins. College players have leverage now that wasn’t in play even a couple of years ago. NIL money is substantial and now it’s possible to get a fifth season of eligibility without having to go through the nerve-racking waiver process. Leaving college for the NBA, G-League or Europe is an option and no longer a necessity.   One player with substantial leverage is AJ Dybantsa, the 6-9 multi-skilled point guard/forward from BYU, considered the No. 1 prospect in the country after a scintillating freshman season where he averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 rebounds per game, has yet to declare for the draft. Even in the last few days he’s been telling the press in Utah that he and his mother are still deciding. Now, no one with a functioning brain believes Dybantsa will come back for a sophomore season at BYU, but it’s possible. BYU will pay through the nose to get him back. With point guard Robert Wright returning and Collin Chandler transferring in from Kentucky, BYU would likely be in every preseason top five if Dybantsa came back, too. Dybantsa can get paid well to play college basketball another year knowing fully well that he will still be the No. 1 player in next year’s draft. That is what is called leverage.   Not everyone has that kind of leverage, but with no guardrails on NIL money, returning to school for another year is an option. Already Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Flory Bidunga has transferred from Kansas to Louisville. The price: somewhere in the $4-5 million range. Bidunga figured to go in the bottom third of the first round or first few selections of the second, so from a financial standpoint, he made a solid business decision.   For players with star power and eligibility who fall outside the lottery projections, returning for another year of college basketball is a financially viable option. Second rounders, in particular, can potentially make more money returning to college where they will have a year to increase their draft stock. The No. 30 pick in the 2026 draft is slotted for an initial payday of $2,446,500. That comes with guaranteed money and a 4-year deal. The dropoff once the NBA Draft hits the second round is substantial. Most second round contracts are NBA rookie minimum and involve being farmed out to a G-League affiliate.   Some second rounders are fortunate, however. Last year, Florida’s Will Richard got a 4-year deal worth $8,690,000 with Golden State, first two years all guaranteed. Florida’s Chandler Parsons got a 4-year deal worth $3,700,000 with all money guaranteed when he was taken by the Houston Rockets with the eighth pick of the second round in 2011. Multi-year deals for second rounders with more than one of those years guaranteed money is the exception rather than the rule.   There is also the new 5-for-5 legislation which expects to be approved this week. UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr., the No. 42 prospect on the ESPN big board, has the leverage of returning to school for a fifth season rather than stay in the NBA Draft. His performance in the NCAA Tournament was spectacular but hasn’t moved the needle into the first round. He can play another year at UConn for as much or more money than he will make in the second round. Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz is projected late second or early third. With Iowa landing Saint Mary’s center Andrew McKeever (7-1, 285) through the portal, Stirtz might elect to return for a fifth year. It’s being talked that the Purdue threesome of Braeden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer may decide to return for a year five.   A return to Florida is an option for Tommy Haugh, projected as the No. 13 NBA prospect on ESPN’s big board. ESPN’s recent mock draft has Haugh going No. 12 to the San Antonio Spurs. Over at CBS, the two more recent mocks have Haugh going No. 14 to Charlotte or No. 15 to Chicago. Last year’s No. 14 (Carter Bryant) got a 4-year deal with first year pay set at $4,083,600, while the No. 15 (Thomas Sorber) got a 4-year contract that began at $3,879,200.   Could Florida match that kind of money? Doubtful, but Haugh will easily command more than $2 million to stay at UF. It’s being whispered that $5 million of the revenue sharing money from the NCAA will go to Florida men’s basketball, which will certainly sweeten the NIL purse not just for Haugh but up and down the roster.   With Haugh, however, money doesn’t seem to be the driving force in his decision, which should come sometime between now and May 15. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if he got on stage at the Morgan Wallen concert on the 15 th to announce to the huge crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that he’s coming back to Florida?   Unfinished business could very well factor in Haugh’s decision. The Gators were the first No. 1 seed to get knocked out of the NCAA Tournament, dropping a 73-72 decision to Iowa in the second round. After watching the tournament play out, the Gators were every bit as good as any of the teams that made the Final Four.   Since the Iowa loss, Alex Condon has announced he’s returning to Florida for his senior season and Denzel Aberdeen, an important cog in the 2025 national championship, is transferring back to UF after spending last season at Kentucky. Those are two of Haugh’s running buddies and best friends. Rueben Chinyelu, the national defensive player of the year, has yet to announce his return, but consensus opinion is that he’s already got one foot back in the Florida door with an “I’m back!” announcement imminent.   A Florida starting lineup of Haugh, Condon, Chinyelu, Aberdeen and Boogie Fland with SEC sixth man of the year Urban Klavzar, the Brown brothers (Isaiah and AJ), CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd off the bench has the look of a team very capable of winning the fourth NCAA title in school history and the second in three years.   PORTAL ADDITIONS IN THE SEC Alabama (3): Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245, JR, from Kentucky); Jamarion Davis-Fleming (6-10, 240, FR, from Mississippi State); Cole Cloer (6-7, 190, FR, from North Carolina State)   Arkansas (2): Cooper Bowser (6-11, 210, JR, from Furman); Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, SO, from Georgia)   Auburn (1): Bukky Oboye (7-1, 200, RSO, from Santa Clara)   FLORIDA (1): Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SR, from Kentucky)   Georgia (1): Freddie Dilione (6-5, 195, JR, from Penn State)   Kentucky (2): Zoom Diallo (6-3, 190, SO, from Washington); Alex Wilkins (6-5, 175, FR, from Furman)   Mississippi State (1): RJ Johnson (6-4, 225, SO, from Kennesaw State)   Missouri (3): Jaylen Carey (6-8, 245, JR, from Tennessee); Jamier Jones (6-6, 218, FR, from Providence); Bryson Tiller (6-10, 240, SO, from Kansas)   Oklahoma (2): Khani Rooths (6-8, 205, SO, from Louisville); Tyler Hendricks (6-5, 175, RJR, from Utah Valley)   Ole Miss (3): Roman Siulepa (6-6, 220, FR, from Pittsburgh); Adam Clark (5-10, 155, JR, from Seton Hall); ND Okafor (6-9, 235, RJR, from Washington State)   South Carolina (3): Kory Mincy (6-2, 185, JR, from George Mason); Aleksas Bieliauskas (6-10, 235, FR, from Wisconsin); Shane Blakeney (6-5, 175, JR, from Drexel)   Tennessee (4): Tyler Lundblade (6-5, 195, SR, from Belmont ); Dai Dai Ames (6-1, 185, JR, from California); Miles Rubin (6-10, 205, JR, from Loyola Chicago); Jalan Haralson (6-7, 220, FR, from Notre Dame); Terrence Hill Jr. (6-3, 180, SO, from VCU)   Texas (4): Isaiah Johnson (6-1, 170, FR, from Colorado); David Punch (6-7, 245, SO, from TCU); Amari Evans (6-5, 220, FR, from Tennessee); Elyjah Freeman (6-8, 185, SO, from Auburn)   Texas A&M (2): PJ Hagerty (6-3, 192, JR, from Kansas State); Cade Phillips (6-9, 212, JR, from Tennessee)   Vanderbilt (3): Berke Buyutuncel (6-9, 245, JR, from Nebraska); Ace Glass (6-3, 185, FR, from Washington State); Bangot Dak (6-9, 180, JR, from Colorado)

Florida started with a wobble and ended with a hop as the season came to a conclusion in Fort Worth with a third place finish. The Gators had the same rotation as Thursday, which was a favorable one. Their top two events Beam and Bars are where they would start and end with. So, off to a great start and a chance for a big score at the end. Unfortunately a 197.6875 just wasn’t high enough. 198’s win championships and Oklahoma had one on Thursday (198.300) and another on Saturday (198.1625) LSU was second at (198.075) Minnesota was fourth (197.375) Coach Rowland after the meet: “I saw this team unbreakable. I saw this team fight till the end. They didn’t back down. It was a “we over me team” this year and I saw so much growth and joy and happiness, and fierceness and competitiveness and all the things. I couldn’t be more proud of the team. It is not gymnastically what we wanted it at the end and emotionally this team gave it their all and left it all out there tonight.” Six Gymnasts competed, with Florida having the rotation of Balance Beam, Floor Exercise, Vault and Uneven Bars. The Five highest scores count. On to the recap: Beam: Semifinals: 49.4625. Average: 49.536, 1st in the Nation. Oklahoma: 49.523, 2nd nationally. LSU: 49.488, 3rd nationally. Minnesota: 49.070, 12th nationally. -Skylar Drasser:  Double backhand series. 360 turn. Wobble. Twisting front dismount 1 1/2 twist. Stuck- 9.8375 -Skye Blakely: Triple wolf turn. Front to back handspring. Gainer full twisting side dismount. Stuck - 9.9125 -eMjae Frazier: Springboard mount. Front flip to back flip arial. 360 turn. Maybe missed a series, looked off. Cartwheel to twisting dismount. Stuck.-9.800 -Kayla DiCello: Springboard candle mount. Wolf turn. Double back a handspring. Slight balance check. Front arial. Side dismount. Stuck.- 9.900 -Selena Harris-Miranda: Side split mount. Triple series back handspring. Front twisting dismount. Hop.- 9.9375 -Alyssa Arana: Double back handspring. Alyssa falls off the Beam. Gainer Full side dismount. Stuck - 9.1500 (The dropped score) 49.3875 -Tough start for the Gators. Below average score on an event they needed a huge score.  Oklahoma leads-49.600, some hops on Vault gives hope but a big score. LSU-49.5125, Minnesota-49.2625 after the first rotation. Florida is down by .2125 and in third place. Selena Harris-Miranda has been a key transfer for the Gators. (Photo UAA) Floor: Semifinals: 49.4375. Average: 49.436, 6th in the Nation. Oklahoma: 49.489, 4th nationally. LSU: 49.543, 1st nationally. Minnesota: 49.308, 14th nationally. -Gabby Disidore: 1st pass (The long runs from corner to corner)- Double layout into a leap. Hop. Need a big score to catch up. 2nd pass- Front twisting layout. Stuck.- 9.8625 (The dropped score) -Danie Ferris: 1st- Double tuck flip layout. Leaned back a bit. 2nd- Combination twisting layout into a Stag Jump-9.8750 -eMjae Frazier: 1st- Front double tuck flip. Huge height on this pass. Stuck. 2nd- Back cartwheel. Some movement here.- 9.8875 -Skye Blakely: 1st- Front handspring. Double flip to stag leap. Tiny hop. 2nd-Front double layout combination pass. Stuck- 9.9125 -Kayla DiCello: 1st- Big back flip pass. Stuck 2nd- Front flip into a Stag Jump. Foot slide - 9.8750 -Selena Harris-Miranda: 1st- Front double tuck. Great leaps. 2nd- Combination pass to stag leap- 9.900 49.4500- Florida comes out of the Floor with a solid score. However the Sooners keep the petal to the floor on Uneven Bars and LSU gets a 10 on Vault from Choi. Passing Trinity Thomas for second on the most 10’s in one season. The Gators are in third place at 98.8375. Oklahoma is first at 99.0875. LSU is second at 98.9875. Minnesota is fourth at 98.7125. The gap to first is now .250. Can Florida pull ahead with the dreaded Vault to come? Vault: Semifinals: 49.2250. Average: 49.256, 9th in the Nation. Oklahoma: Average: 49.543, 1st in the nation. LSU: 49.440, 2nd in the nation. Minnesota: 49.128, 15th in the nation. -Anya Pilgrim: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Step forward.- 9.8250 -Skylar Drasser: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Hop forward.- 9.8250 -eMjae Frazier: Yurchenko Double. Twisting to face the Vault. Small hop.- 9.8750 -Kayla DiCello: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Hop. Can we get a stick?- 9.8500 -Danie Ferris: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Hop backward. Oh, No!- 9.800 (The dropped score) -Selena Harris-Miranda: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Sideways hop.- 9.8750 49.2500 - Just an average score unfortunately. Florida is now in fourth place at 148.0875. LSU is first at 148.600, after a nice Uneven Bars. Oklahoma is second at 148.5250. Minnesota  is third at 148.1000. UF needs teams to have big mistakes and a 9.9+ from five Gators. At this point, with the quality teams here. It’s all about NOT finishing fourth. Uneven Bars: Semifinals: 49.6625. Average, 49.586, 1st in the Nation. Oklahoma: 49.443, 4th nationally. LSU: 49.445, 3rd nationally. Minnesota: 49.172, 17th nationally. -eMjae Frazier: Low bar mount. Strong handstands. Double layout dismout. Stuck. Should be a high score- 9.9125 -Anya Pilgrim: Low bar mount. Legs together. Full twisting double tuck dismount. Stuck- 9.900 -Skye Blakely: Springboard mount. Extra long handstands. Should be a high score. Inverted grip to a double half twist dismount. A small foot slide keeps this from a possible 10- 9.950 -Kayla DiCello: Springboard high bar mount. Legs together. Great handstands.Twisting layout dismount.Kayla didn’t hold her landing long enough- 9.8875 -Selena Harris-Miranda: Top bar mount.High bar to low bar into a handstand. Long handstands. Double layout dismount. Stuck- 9.950 Riley McCusker: Low Bar mount. Smooth routine. Great low to high bar transition. Textbook routine. Double tuck dismount. Hops sideways on landing- 9.8375 (The dropped score) 49.600 - Nice finish but too little too late. Florida at least moved to third with a 197.6875. Oklahoma is your National Champion, again with a 198.1625, with a 49.6375 on Floor. LSU is second at 198.0750 and Minnesota is fourth at 197.3750. LSU had a shot, needing a 9.985 from Kaitlin Chio on the last Beam routine. She hit a 9.90, almost. The 2026 season comes to a close. Some may complain however they are in Fort Worth again. Which is where the 85 teams in the nation that compete in gymnastics want to be. It is always hard to say goodbye to the senior class. This one was another special one and the positivity that this class has, has to pass down. Winning the SEC Tournament was definitely a highlight of the year and something that can never be taken away. Coach Rowland wore her Tim Tebow #15 jersey Saturday. Part of the seasons motivation was similar to the famous Tebow “Promise” after not making the Final Four last year. You could have the meet three times and have three different results but in the end it went as it was seeded. 1,2,3. Florida will reload, as will the others and we will see them again in Fort Worth, competing for a National Championship

Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo is expected to be Florida's starting QB (Photo by Chris Spears) The concerns are legitimate. The last time the Southeastern Conference won the college football national championship was Georgia in 2022. In the three years since, not only has a Big Ten team won the national title all three years, but the SEC hasn’t gotten a team to the championship game.   Consensus opinion is the Big Ten will make it four straight since everybody and his brother has Ohio State the favorite to win it all next season, but this might very well be the year in which the SEC reverses the trend and the reason is better quarterbacks starting with Texas and Arch Manning. All the experts have Texas ranked in their preseason top fives, but Manning has the ability to be the difference maker this year. Head coach Steve Sarkisian has loaded up his offense, plus brought in a stud defensive coordinator so the Longhorns are legit.   But Texas isn’t the only contender. Ole Miss, Georgia, Texas A&M and Oklahoma all made the playoff last year and all four return starting quarterbacks. Dual threat fans are going to love Byrum Brown at Auburn and LaNorris Sellers if South Carolina can overcome the stagnation of an offense run by Mike Shula. Top to bottom of the SEC the quarterback talent is the best it has been in awhile so reports of the SEC’s demise might be a teensy bit premature.   Here is a way too early ranking of the starting quarterbacks in the SEC:   1. Arch Manning, Texas: The hype and expectations last year were way overboard, but Manning never made excuses in the first half of the season when he was up one week, down the next. He will be the Heisman favorite this year largely because of what he did in the last half of 2025 when he threw for 14 touchdowns and just two picks. He opened eyes in the bowl win over Michigan when he ran for 155 yards and two more TDs. For the season the numbers were very good – 3,163 passing yards (7.8 per attempt) for 26 touchdowns (7 INTs) and 399 rushing yards for 10 more scores. Steve Sarkisian has loaded up the offense with linemen who can pass block and wide receivers who can stretch a defense. The best move Sark made was to bring in Will Muschamp as his defensive coordinator. A Muschamp defense means more opportunities for Arch to put points on the scoreboard.   2. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss: This will be his sixth year in college football thanks to friendly courts in the state of Mississippi. It will be the second year for Chambliss at Ole Miss, his first without Lane Kiffin coaching him up and Charlie Weis Jr. calling the plays. Chambliss led Ferris State to the Division II national championship in 2024 and had the Rebels a pass interference no-call against Miami from playing for the title last year. He threw for 3,937 yards (8.8 per attempt) and 22 touchdowns (just three picks), while running for 527 yards and eight more TDs. Joe Judge will be the QB coach and John David Baker, whose East Carolina offense was top 20 in the nation, will be running the show when the Rebels have the ball. If the new scheme brings out the best in Chambliss, then Ole Miss has a chance to get to the playoff again.   3. Gunner Stockton, Georgia: Georgia’s wide receivers last year were subpar, but Stockton still had a very good year while leading the Poodles to the SEC championship and the playoff. He threw for 2,894 yards (7.5 per attempt) and 24 touchdowns (5 INTs) and ran for 462 yards and 10 more TDs. He’s a solid although unspectacular quarterback who does a lot of winning things and makes few mistakes. Kirby Smart needs to upgrade the talent around Stockton if he intends for Georgia to win the SEC again and avoid a second straight one-and-done in the playoff.   4. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M: The Aggies got exposed in their losses to Texas and Miami at the end of the year when Reed was picked four times without throwing for a TD. He’s got a new offensive coordinator to work with this year (Holmon Wiggins) whose Bama background (Nick Saban’s wide receiver coach for five years) should open up the passing game. Last season Reed threw for 3,184 yards (8.4 per attempt) and 25 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He ran for 493 yards and six more TDs. He’s thrown for 40 career TDs and run for 13 more.   5. John Mateer, Oklahoma: Mateer was in everybody’s Heisman discussion until he got hurt in game four. He only missed one game but played hurt the rest of the way. Still, he got OU into the playoff. He threw for 2,885 yards (7.3 per attempt) and 14 touchdowns (11 interceptions). He was a dangerous runner with 431 yards and eight touchdowns. A lot of emphasis went into the offensive line. If he gets protection, the expectation is a season like the one he had at Washington State in 2024.   6. Byrum Brown, Auburn: Alex Golesh is following the Indiana blueprint by bringing in a bunch of his best players from South Florida to instigate a turnaround at Auburn. The most important new addition is quarterback Byrum Brown, who is about to make life miserable for every defensive coordinator in the SEC. At USF last year, Brown threw for 3,158 yards (9.3 per attempt) and 28 touchdowns (7 picks). He also ran for 1,008 and 14 more TDs. He’s going to remind Auburn fans of Cam Newton. He’s big, strong, fast and prone to making big plays.   7. Lanorris Sellers, South Carolina: Sellers began 2025 as one of the top five Heisman candidates, but the Gamecocks stunk it up on offense which led to coordinator Mike Shula being shown the door. Will a new OC regenerate Sellers as a dominator? Last year he threw for 2,437 yards (8.3 per attempt) and 13 touchdowns (8 INTs) while running for 270 yards (1.81 per carry) and five TDs. It should be noted he was playing behind an O-line that gave up 43 sacks. Constrast his numbers to those of 2024 when Sellers completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 2,534 yards (8.5 per attempt) and 18 toucdhowns (7 INTs). He ran for 677 yards and seven touchdowns.   8. Sam Leavitt, LSU: Expectations are that Leavitt will revert back to his freshman form with Lane Kiffin coaching him up and Charlie Weis Jr. calling the plays. As a freshman at Arizona State, Leavitt threw for 2,885 yards and 24 TDs (6 picks), while running for 443 and five touchdowns. Then came injuries, bad pass protection and an offense that wasn’t nearly as efficient. It led to seven games, 1,628 passing yards (6.8 per attempt) with 10 touchdown passes (3 picks). He ran for 306 yards and five touchdowns.   9. Austin Simmons, Missouri: Until he got hurt, he was the No. 1 QB at Ole Miss. Once Trinidad Chambliss took over, Simmons was the backup. He has a great arm and he’s an outstanding runner, but decision-making is questionable. He’s capable of the spectacular on one play, then something head-scratching the next. Played in eight games last season, completing 45-75 passes (60 percent) for 944 yards (9.9 per attempt with four TDPs and five picks. He ran 22 times for 71 yards and a TD.   10. Aaron Philo, Florida: Philo might not get the starting job in August, but right now he is ahead of Tramell Jones Jr. based on two years working in Buster Faulkner’s offense. When Faulker left Georgia Tech for UF, Philo followed. He has played in big games, completed 59-102 of his passes for 938 yards (9.0 per attempt) and two touchdowns (3 INTs). He ran 16 times for 95 yards and a TD. Familiarity with the offense gives Philo the nod but Jones might pass him in the fall.   11. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State: He played in 11 games as a freshman with a couple of starts at the end of the year including the bowl loss to Wake Forest. Jeff Lebby is counting on that experience to pay off this season with an offense that produces more touchdowns and fewer interceptions. Taylor’s numbers were good, 43-77 passing for 629 yards (8.2 per attempt) and five TDs with only one pick. He also ran for 458 yards (7.8 per attempt) and eight touchdowns. He’s the future at Mississippi State.   12. KJ Jackson, Arkansas: When it became obvious the Razorbacks’ season was in the tank last year, a lot of folks thought Jackson should have been given a chance to get more playing time. In the little bit he did play, he was a very impressive freshman, completing 33-54 passes for 441 yards (8.2 per attempt) with three touchdowns and no interceptions. When flushed from the pocket he ran for 52 yards and two more TDs. He’s 6-4, 225 and has both the arm and speed.   13. Austin Mack, Alabama: Neither Mack or redshirt freshman Keelon Russell have ever started a game. They are battling it out in the spring and it’s anybody’s guess which one will emerge as the starter, but because Mack has been in Tuscaloosa two years, he gets the immediate nod. He’s 26-35 passing in mop-up duty for 267 yards (7.6 per attempt) and three touchdowns. He has also run for 22 yards and a TD. In two games last year Russell was 11-15 for 143 yards (9.5 per attempt) and two touchdowns. He ran for 17 yards.   14. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky: Three seasons at Notre Dame produced 24-29 passing for 212 yards (7.3 per attempt) and 108 rushing yards (2 TDs). He never started a game. The Big Blue Nation is praying that new head coach Will Stein can do for Mincey what he did for Oregon quarterbacks.   15. Ryan Staub, Tennessee: Three years at Colorado produced 53-99 passing for 681 yards, four touchdowns, four interceptions and eight rushing yards (1 TD). He might not be the starter but he’s got more experience than redshirt freshman George MacIntyre (7-9 passing for 69 yards) and 5-star freshman Faizon Brandon.   16. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt: Vandy flipped Curtis from Georgia. He was a 5-star recruit out of high school and is considered an immense talent. He’s a freshman. It’s the SEC. The guy he’s replacing – Diego Pavia – is a forever Vandy legend. Don’t expect miracles.

Florida and LSU will join #1 Oklahoma and #13 Minnesota on Saturday at 3:30 EST winner take all. Florida looks for its fifth nation championship, its first since 2015. Florida advanced to the Final Four after an afternoon session high of 197.7875, outscoring #2 LSU, who finished second with a 197.4375. Thursday’s session saw some low scoring overall. With no perfect 10’s given in the afternoon or evening session. Oklahoma pulled out the highest score with a 198.300. One of the highlights of the day was Riley McCusker’s high score of 9.9875 on the Uneven Bars. Riley’s routine was her only routine of the day and the Gators finished on Bars, so she waited all day to hit her routine. Earning an individual national championship. Individual campions are crowned from the Thursday session and the team championship is decided on Saturday. Six Gymnasts competed, with Florida having the rotation of Balance Beam, Floor Exercise, Vault and Uneven Bars. The Five highest scores count. On to the recap: Beam: Last Meet: 49.550. Average: 49.536, 1st in the Nation. Georgia: 49.286, 8th nationally. LSU: 49.488, 3rd nationally. Stanford: 49.070, 7th nationally. -Skylar Drasser:  Double backhand series. Wobbles on split jump. Twisting front dismount 1 1/2 twist. Stuck- 9.85 -Alyssa Arana: Double back handspring. Alyssa almost falls off the Beam. Gainer Full side dismount. Stuck - 9.70 (The dropped score) -Skye Blakely: Double wolf turn. Front to back handspring. Gainer full twisting side dismount. Stuck - 9.9125 -eMjae Frazier: Springboard mount. Front flip to back flip arial. 360 turn. Split jumps. Cartwheel to twisting dismount. Stuck.-9.9250 -Kayla DiCello: Springboard candle mount. Wolf turn. Double back a handspring. Front arial. Side dismount. Stuck.- 9.8875 -Selena Harris-Miranda: Side split mount. Triple series back handspring. Mist start of a turn. Front twisting dismount. Hop.- 9.8875 49.4625 - Some tight scoring and a few bobbles keep this score a little down. LSU-49.4750, Stanford-49.2500 and Georgia-49.1500 after the first rotation. Florida is down by .0125 and in second place by .2125. The key is finishing in the top two in this session. Floor: Last Meet: 49.450. Average: 49.436, 6th in the Nation. Georgia: 49.493, 3rd nationally. LSU: 49.543, 1st nationally. Stanford: 49.443, 5th nationally. -Gabby Disidore: 1st pass (The long runs from corner to corner)- Double layout into a leap. Hop. Strong start for Florida. 2nd pass- Front twisting layout. Stuck.- 9.8875 -Danie Ferris: 1st- Double tuck flip layout. Leaned back a bit. 2nd- Combination twisting layout into a Stag Jump-9.8750 -eMjae Frazier: 1st- Front double tuck flip. Huge height on this pass. Stuck. 2nd- Back cartwheel. Stuck.- 9.9375 eMjae with the two top scores, so far, for the Gators. Nice to see. -Skye Blakely: 1st- Front handspring. Double flip to stag leap. Lands on the line. 2nd-Front double layout combination pass. Stuck- 9.8500 -Kayla DiCello: 1st- Big back flip pass. Stuck 2nd- Front flip into a Stag Jump. - 9.8875 -Selena Harris-Miranda: 1st- Front double tuck. Missed her landing and danced out of it. 2nd- Combination pass to stag leap- 9.8375 (The dropped score) 49.4375- eMjae cracks 9.9 while LSU has a sub par Uneven Bar routine. The Gators are in first at 98.900. LSU is second at 98.6625. Georgia is third at 98.4000 and Stanford is fourth at 98.125.  UF is first by .2375 and .500 above third. All important Vault is next!! eMjae Frazier finishes 2nd in the AA. (Photo UAA) Vault: Last Meet: 49.375. Average: 49.256, 9th in the Nation. Georgia: Average: 49.323, 5th in the nation. LSU: 49.440, 2nd in the nation. Stanford: 49.128, 15th in the nation. -Anya Pilgrim: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Hop.- 9.850 -Skylar Drasser: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Big hop forward.- 9.7875 (The dropped score) -eMjae Frazier: Yurchenko Double. Twisting to face the Vault. Small hop.- 9.8750 -Kayla DiCello: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Hop forward. BIG Vault!- 9.8625 -Danie Ferris: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Adjusted feet on landing- 9.8250 -Selena Harris-Miranda: Yurchenko 1 1/2. Small hop.- 9.8125. Florida will need Selena’s A game on Saturday. 49.2250 -The step backward for Selena was a big deduction.  Florida is still in first at 148.1250. UGA is now second at 147.9375 after a huge Floor exercise. These Dawg fans barking like it’s a football game have to go. LSU is third having to count two 9.7’s on Beam at 147.9125. Stanford is fourth at 147.4125. UF is in the lead by .1875 and are .2125 out of third place. With one of their best events to go. Uneven Bars: Last Meet: 49.575. Average, 49.586, 1st in the Nation. Georgia: 49.345, 7th nationally. LSU: 49.445, 3rd nationally. Stanford: 49.375, 6th nationally. -eMjae Frazier: Low bar mount. Strong handstands. Double layout dismout. Hop back- 9.8250 -Anya Pilgrim: Low bar mount. Legs together. Full twisting double tuck dismount. Stuck- 9.8750 (The dropped score) -Skye Blakely: Springboard mount. Extra long handstands. Should be a high score. Inverted grip to a double half twist dismount. Stuck.- 9.9750. Skye is 3rd in the NCAA’s on Uneven Bars on the season. -Kayla DiCello: Springboard high bar mount. Legs together. Great handstands.Twisting layout dismount. Tiny hop keeps this from being a monster score- 9.90 -Selena Harris-Miranda: Top bar mount.High bar to low bar into a handstand. Long handstands. Double layout dismount. Stuck- 9.9250 Riley McCusker: Low Bar mount. Smooth routine. Great low to high bar transition. Textbook routine. Double tuck dismount. Stuck- 9.9975 49.6625 -Wow! Huge finish for the Gators! McCusker gets the high score for the evening. With a possible National Championship on this event. Florida takes first place. 197.7875, LSU is second and moves on to Saturday with a 197.4375, UGA is third (Goodbye Dawgs) 197.2625 and Stanford is fourth at 196.9375 Individual Champions Keira Wells, Oklahoma: Vault Riley McCusker, Florida: Bars Brooklyn Rowray, Minnesota: Beam Jordan Chiles, UCLA: Floor Faith Torrez, Oklahoma: All-Around Coach Rowland after the Meet: “Extremely proud of this team, this story that they have written around the promise, it is something that they have lived by daily and from the very last day of season last year, they have been extremely intentional and motivated to support, to elevate, to do whatever they can. There were no regrets this year and we can say that there have been no regrets this year. I can say that extremely proud. No journey is ever perfect or is linear and I think that’s what makes this team so special. They have brought a lot joy to the staff, to this team and incredibly excited to continue dancing and competing one more day with this team.” The Gators are RED HOT at the right time. The extra, extra tight scoring in Nationals keeps UF from six straight 198+. OU had a record breaking score on Vault, 49.750. The highest score in NCAA Semifinal history. Hopefully they come back to earth with a score closer to their 49.350 during the SEC Championship on Saturday. All you can control is your own team and your own routine. One stick at a time and Florida has a chance.

“I was surprised and really appreciate the honor,” Spurrier told me, sounding equal parts humbled and amused. There are moments in Florida athletics when the past and present don’t just shake hands — they lock arms and march together. This was one of them. Jenny Rowland didn’t need to say a word. She let the wardrobe do the talking. And somewhere, you could almost hear Steve Spurrier chuckling gratefully. I heard it in real time. “I was surprised and really appreciate the honor,” Spurrier told me, sounding equal parts humbled and amused. “It makes sense because this is her 11th season as coach. Last year they put some letters on their pants, but I didn’t expect this. Hopefully it will be their good luck charm in the finals.” Good luck charm? Try statement piece. Because what Rowland’s Gators did wasn’t just advance — they announced. In a pressure cooker semifinal that felt more like a Saturday night in Death Valley than a gymnastics arena, Florida didn’t blink. The Gators soared, stuck and strutted their way to the top, finishing first while the LSU Tigers— no slouch themselves — grabbed the second golden ticket. And just like that, the Gators are one meet away from something bigger than a trophy. They’re chasing a legacy. Let’s go ahead and say it out loud, because the scoreboard — and the balance beam — demands it: We’re not a football school. We’re not a basketball school. Right now? We’re a gymnastics school! In line for a natty. The Gators secured their spot by winning their semifinal with a score of 197.7875, marking their 18th national final appearance in 21 semifinal attempts. Senior Riley McCusker also won the individual uneven bars national championship with a 9.9875 score during the semifinal round And before you fire off that email or dust off your old VHS tapes of Spurrier dialing up fun ‘n’ gun, understand this — greatness isn’t jealous. It recognizes itself. That’s what made Rowland’s tribute so fitting. Spurrier built a culture of confidence, a swagger wrapped in precision and expectation. You didn’t hope to win — you expected to.  Sound familiar? That same DNA is flipping, twisting, and sticking landings under Rowland. Her Gators don’t just perform. They compete with an edge — a quiet belief that when the lights get hottest, they get better. Semifinals proved it. Now comes the final exam. One meet. One more climb. One more chance to turn a tribute into a title. And if the wardrobe magic holds? Well, don’t be surprised if a little bit of Spurrier swagger shows up on the podium. Along with that iconic #11 jersey.

Under the new rules, Condon, Chinyelu and Haugh would have two more years of eligibility (Photo by Chris Spears) The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, is on the verge of implementing Donald Trump’s 5-for-5 executive order. In other words, five years eligibility from the day an athlete graduates from high school or his 19 th birthday, whichever comes first. Paired with the one free transfer and all transfers thereafter you sit a year that is expected to pass, this legislation can bring sanity back into college sports.   Well, sort of.   As Ross Dellenger of On3 writes today, it could happen and be in place starting with the 2026-27 athletic/academic year. But here’s the kicker: Does that mean current seniors can come back for one more year?   Dellenger writes, “We don’t know the NCAA’s exact thinking here, but based on its past actions, there’s a good chance the association would grandfather in at least a segment of athletes. Why? To potentially avoid more legal troubles and because —  hey, look here  — it’s the right thing to do.    “After all, those athletes who are completing or have completed this year their fourth season of eligibility within a four-year window would theoretically be eligible for a fifth season under the concept. This all assumes that the concept is formally adopted — and that might not happen until the summer, if it happens at all.”   To put it into perspective, if seniors were grandfathered in, undrafted football players who never redshirted and had been at the University of Florida could come back for another year. Corner Devin Moore played four years without a redshirt so he would be eligible to come back if he isn't drafted. Basketball’s Xaivian Lee isn’t likely to be drafted by the NBA. He could have another year. Denzel Aberdeen, who has petitioned the NCAA for a fifth year, would be immediately eligible for the upcoming season. The Florida gymnastics team, which competes at the NCAA Championships today in Fort Worth could potentially return the spectacular Selena Harris-Miranda and All-American eMjae Frazier.   Here is another thought: Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu could play TWO MORE seasons of basketball.   Consider the ripple effect through the Southeastern Conference in basketball where schools like Tennessee could potentially return leading scorer Ja’Kobi Gillespie and rim protector Felix Okpara. Or at Texas where Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope could come back. None of those guys will be drafted but they’re very good collegiate players and both Tennessee and Texas have plenty of available scholarships.   This could also change perspectives about the portal. Rather than seeing a junior in the portal as a one-and-done, coaches might be more inclined to take a longer look considering two years are possible.   WHAT ABOUT TOMMY HAUGH? Alex Condon’s return is secured and the best intel on Rueben Chinyelu says the national defensive player of the year will be announcing soon. So, what about Tommy Haugh? Although he’s expected to be taken in the bottom third of the lottery (picks 11-15), he still hasn’t declared for the NBA Draft.   A year ago, the 15 th pick in the draft was assured of a 4-year deal valued at $22,513,733. The No. 20 pick was assured of four years for $17,730,606. All first round contracts are four years and the money is guaranteed. Considering he’s so highly regarded for his versatility and energy, Haugh most likely goes in the lottery but it would be shocking if he were to dip below No. 20.   That is generational money. Haugh has to ask himself will he be worth anything close to the same amount if he comes back to Florida for one more year? Expect he will make at least $2 million at Florida if he comes back, but the NBA money is double that.   There is precedent at Florida for coming back. Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer were all three assured of going in the top five picks of the 2006 NBA Draft, but they elected to come back to school. And, this is before there was such a thing as NIL money. They led the Gators to a second straight NCAA title, then declared for the 2007 NBA Draft where Horford was picked third, Brewer seventh and Noah ninth. They sacrificed some money but got that second straight championship.   WHEN RUEBEN SAYS YES, THE FLORIDA ROSTER WILL BE LOADED It isn’t official yet, but the indicators are that Rueben Chinyelu will return, assuring Todd Golden of a loaded roster. If Haugh were to return, the Gators be the odds-on favorite to win it all, but no matter, Florida start the 2026-27 season ranked among the top three or four teams.   With Condon and Chinyelu returning, Florida will have 12 on scholarship, leaving three to fill since NCAA rules now allow 15. One spot that could be filled immediately is Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic. There is plenty of talk that if Haugh goes pro, Momcilovic will be a Gator, but Florida should have vastly improved shooting on the perimeter with or without Momcilovic. A more pressing matter is size for the future. Condon and Chinyelu are doubtful beyond next year and with Micah Handlogten in the portal plus Haugh gone, the size void sees only Viktor Mikic and freshman Jones Lay to fill it.   There is also a need for another point guard. Boogie Fland will have three more years based on the new NCAA ruling, but he’s probably NBA-bound after this season. Denzel Aberdeen is a combo guard who can give solid backup minutes at the point but he will be out of eligibility after next season. Alex Lloyd seems more combo than pure point.   So, the thought here is that Golden brings in two bigs – perhaps one from the portal and maybe one of those young, promising 7-footers from Europe – and a point guard with a couple of years of eligibility from the portal.   SEC HOOPS FIVE DAYS BEFORE THE PORTAL WINDOW CLOSES ALABAMA: After getting beaten up in the SEC by Florida and in the NCAA Tournament by Michigan – both bigger and stronger on the inside – Nate Oats is going for size, picking up Kentucky’s Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245, JR) and Mississippi State’s Jamarion Davis-Fleming (6-10, 245, FR) in the portal. With Labaron Philon and Latrell Wrightsell gone and Aden Holloway battling drug charges, Oats needs to find some shooters in the worst way. The Crimson Tide has five returning players, none of them starters, and three freshmen. Alabama has five open scholarships.   ARKANSAS: John Calipari is having a rather good spring. Though he loses Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas to the NBA, Billy Richmond III seems intent on coming back along with Maliq Ewin. The Hogs have three stud recruits, one of whom is Jordan Smith Jr., the No. 3 high school prospect in the country. From the portal, Cal has landed Jeremiah Wilkinson from Georgia and Furman rim protector Cooper Bowser. Arkansas has five scholarships to fill. Don’t be shocked if Cal somehow pulls off a coup by landing Dylan Mingo, who de-committed from North Carolina.   AUBURN: The good news for Steven Pearl is that Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford are coming back. The bad news is he needs big guys and so far nobody is taking the Auburn bait. Flory Bidunga, who chose Kansas over Auburn out of high school, took $4 million and his shot blocking defense to Louisville. Seven scholarships are filled, so Pearl has eight openings.   GEORGIA: Mike White must be wondering who to call to undo this black cloud hanging over Georgia basketball. He has four returning players, no high school recruits and right now he’s whiffing in the portal. Somto Cyril has departed for Miami and Jeremiah Wilkinson to Arkansas. White has 11 scholarships to fill and not many folks are beating a path to Athens.   KENTUCKY: Buzzards are circling the basketball offices after Mark Pope whiffed on Tyran Stokes, the nation’s number one high school prospect; Robert Wright III, the stud point guard who chose to return to BYU rather than take Kentucky millions; Aiden Sherrill, the Alabama big man who chose Indiana; Flory Bidunga, the Kansas center who was Big 12 defensive player of the year and now heading to Louisville; and Georgia shooter Jeremiah Wilkinson, who added insult to UK by choosing John Calipari and Arkansas. On top of that, Denzel Aberdeen has returned to Florida, Collin Chandler is off to BYU, Brandon Garrison has departed for Alabama, Jaland Lowe is Georgetown bound and Andrija Jelavic is now a Buckeye.   Mark Pope has four returnees, none of them starters, one high school recruit (Mason Williams), who is ranked the 110 th prospect nationally, and a point guard (Zoom Diallo) who is transferring in from Washington. Pope has bags of money and nine scholarships to fill, but right now he’s selling and not many are buying.   LSU: Between graduation and the portal, Will Wade has one returning player and two incoming freshmen. Twelve open scholarships and not a whole lot of movement from the portal so far. The current situation is bleak.   MISSISSIPPI STATE: Chris Jans held on to All-SEC guard Josh Hubbard but three seniors are gone and six players are in the portal. Counting Hubbard, Jans has five returning players and three signees. He’s got eight scholarships to fill from the portal.   MISSOURI: The Tigers lost all three of their point guards and their two best bigs. Dennis Gates got a serviceable power forward in Tennessee transfer Jaylen Carey but he’s not the second coming of Mark Mitchell. A lot of effort was put into landing Santa Clara point guard Christian Hammond, but he picked North Carolina State over Mizzou. Gates has six returning players, three signees and two from the portal. He’s got four open scholarships and needs to spend them on scorers.   OKLAHOMA: The Sooners are rebuilding from the ground up. Five returning players and only one signee. Louisville transfer Khani Rooths is a good defender, but he’s never been a starter. Porter Moser has eight scholarships open and not a lot of interest from the portal so far. He needs size and shooters.   OLE MISS: The situation at Ole Miss is grim. Not LSU grim, but not far off. Among the three returnees is Patton Pinkins, a future star, but he needs a lot of help. Pitt transfer Roman Siulepa is a quality addition, but Chris Beard needs 10 more players from the portal or else a good international haul.   SOUTH CAROLINA: Lamont Paris picked up Texas starter Cameron Heide Wednesday night to go with George Mason transfer Kory Mincy. Mincy is a scoring point who will help make up for the graduation loss of Meechie Johnson. The two returnees combined for six points a game. There is one incoming freshmen so there are 10 scholarships available. The Gamecocks have no size whatsoever.   TENNESSEE: Rick Barnes has been very active in the portal picking up four instant starters, the most recent Notre Dame’s Jalen Haralson, who averaged 16.2 points and 4.0 rebounds as a freshman. He also got Belmont shooter Tyler Lundblade (15.6 per game), Cal point guard Dai Dai Ames (16.9 per game) and rim protector Miles Rubin from Loyola (11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds). The three freshmen are perimeter guys, so the focus from here on out in the portal will be adding more size. Six scholarships are open.   TEXAS: Everything hinges on 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis. If he comes back Texas will be good. If he goes to the NBA Sean Miller has trouble since he’s losing four starters including his three top scorers. The Longhorns return four, signed four and have landed two from the portal including Colorado point Isaiah Johnson (16.9 points per game) and TCU power guy David Punch (14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds). Finding a backup for Vokietaitis and some scoring on the wing will be imperative with the five open scholarships.   TEXAS A&M: All the starters and all the scoring departed either by graduation or the portal, so Bucky McMillan is rebuilding from the ground up. He has four returnees, an incoming freshman and among the two from the portal is K-State transfer PJ Haggerty, who was among the nation’s leading scorers at 23.4 per game. For Bucky Ball to work, McMillan has to find players who can full court press from bell to bell. He’s got eight scholarships to work with and needs help everywhere.   VANDERBILT: Does Tyler Tanner leave for the NBA or does he come back? That’s the big question for Mike Byington, who will be replacing his top six scorers if Tanner bolts. Right now he’s picked late in the first round. If Tanner comes back, Vandy will have seven on scholarship (4 returnees, 3 freshman signees). So far no one has signed on from the portal.

(Photo by Chris Spears) That wasn’t a hurricane-force gust of wind felt as far north as Atlanta and as far south as Miami. It was the exhale of Florida basketball coach Todd Golden now that Alex Condon has decided to return for a senior season with the Gators rather than declare for the NBA Draft.   Twice an All-SEC second team selection, Condon (6-11, 236) was considered a borderline first round selection. Most of the pre-draft evaluations ranked him somewhere between 34-38 as a prospect. Given that NBA second rounders rarely get multi-year contracts and make the NBA rookie minimum, Condon made what most will consider a very wise decision. In coming back, he gets another year to work with Florida associate head coach Carlin Hartman, who is one of the best in the entire country at developing big men, plus he gets another shot at a second NCAA championship because Florida’s roster next season is going to be loaded.   By returning, Condon also gets another year to work on developing a reasonably consistent jump shot. He’s very good around the rim and in the second half of last season showed a lethal floater from inside eight feet. He needs to extend his range to the foul line at least. If he could hit an occasional three, that would be like icing on the cake.   A native of Perth, Australia, Condon has started two of his three seasons at Florida. Coming off the bench as a freshman, he averaged 7.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while being selected to the SEC all-freshman team. During Florida’s run to the 2025 NCAA championship, he improved to 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while making second team All-SEC.   There is a lasting image of Condon that etched his name forever in Gator basketball lore. On the final play of the 2025 NCAA championship game with Houston, Emmanuel Sharpe dropped the basketball on the court when Walter Clayton Jr. came flying by, preventing him from taking what might have been a game-winning 3-pointer. With the ball rolling on the court, Condon sprinted past Joseph Tugler to corral the loose ball, sealing Florida’s 65-63 win over the Cougars.   This past season, his numbers improved to 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He finished second in the SEC in field goal percentage (55.6 percent), fourth in rebounds, 12 th in assists and eighth in blocked shots.   From February onward, Condon was the best and most consistent big man in the SEC, averaging 17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.   Condon is a member of Florida’s 1,000-point club (1,181). Already with 762 rebounds, he should become one of three Gators with more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for a career. Neal Walk (1,600 points/1184 rebounds) and Eugene McDowell (1,565 points/1,063) are the other two.   Condon is the first domino to fall in Golden’s roster reconstruction for next season. He awaits a final decision from Rueben Chinyelu, the national defensive player of the year. Chinyelu (6-11, 265) is expected to forego the NBA to return for his senior season. Like Condon he’s projected as a second round, and, like Condon, stands to make more NIL money at Florida than he would as an NBA second rounder.   The other domino is Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215), who is projected as an NBA lottery selection. Most evaluations have him going somewhere between 12 and 16. ESPN ranks him as the 13 th -ranked draft prospect while CBS ranks him No. 12.   Most of the too early top 25s have the Gators solidly in the top three, but with Condon and Chinyelu, the Gators might elevate to the No. 1 position. If Haugh joins, then it would be the upset of the century if the Gators aren’t the top ranked preseason team.   Florida currently has 10 returning players (Chinyelu counted), one freshman signee and Denzel Aberdeen returning to the Gators from the portal after a one-year hiatus to Kentucky. That leaves three available scholarships of which Golden is likely to bring in two from the portal and one international.   Currently, the Gators are one of the favorites to land Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic (6-8, 225, JR), who shot an amazing 48.7 percent from the 3-point line last season.     Here is where the Florida roster stands today:   Seniors/graduated (1): Xaivian Lee (6-4, 185) NBA expected (1): Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR) Portal (2): Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, RFR); Micah Handlogten (7-1, 260) Returning (10): Alex Condon (6-11, 236, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, JR); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, JR); AJ Brown (6-5, 210, RJR); Alex Kovatchev (6-5, 195, RSO); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, SO); Isaiah Brown (6-5, 210, SO); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 260, SO); CJ Ingram (6-7, 210, FR); Alex Lloyd (6-4, 180, FR) Signed (1): Jones Lay (7-0, 230) From the portal (1): Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SR, from Kentucky)   THE REST OF THE SEC Alabama Seniors (3): Latrell Wrightsell (6-3, 189); Houston Mallette (6-5, 185); Noah Williamson (7-0, 244) NBA (2): Labaron Philon (6-4, 177, SO); Amari Allen (6-7, 205, FR) Legal issues (1): Aden Holloway (6-1, 178, JR) Portal (3):  Taylor Bol Bowen (6-10, 195, JR); Aiden Sherrell (6-10, 240, SO, to Indiana ); Jalil Bethea (6-5, 190, SO, to Pittsburgh ) Returning (5): London Jemison (6-8, 205, FR); Keitenn Bristow (6-8, 190, SO); Davion Hannah (6-6, 190, FR); Preston Murphy (6-1, 175, JR); Collins Onyejiaka (6-11, 265, FR) Signed (3): Tarris Bouie (6-4, 175); Quayden Samuels (6-6, 200); Jaxson Richardson (6-6, 200) From the portal (2): Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245, JR, from Kentucky); Jamarion Davis-Fleming (6-10, 240, FR, from Mississippi State)   Arkansas Seniors (2): Nick Pringle (6-9, 220); Trevon Brazille (6-9, 215) NBA (2): Darius Acuff Jr. (6-3, 190, FR); Meleek Thomas (6-5, 185, FR) Portal (4): Karter Knox (6-6, 211, SO, to Louisville ); DJ Wagner (6-3, 175, JR); Kaim Rtail (6-7, 205, FR); Elmir Dzafic (7-0, 285, FR) Returning (5): Maliq Ewin (6-10, 220, JR); Billy Richmond (6-5, 205, SO); Jaden Karuletwa (6-5, 185, SO); Isaiah Sealy (6-7, 200, FR); Paulo Semedo (7-1, 225, FR) Signed (3): Jordan Smith Jr. (6-2, 180); JaShawn Andrews (6-4, 195); Abdou Toure (6-6, 200) From the portal: Cooper Bowser (6-11, 210, JR, from Furman); Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, SO, from Georgia)   Auburn Seniors (2): Keyshawn Hall (6-7, 250); Keyshawn Murphy (6-10, 245) Portal (4): Filip Jovic (6-8, 225, FR, to UCLA ); Kaden Magwood (6-2, 175, FR); Elyjah Freeman (6-8, 185, SO); Abdul Bashir (6-7, 195, JR) Returning (5): Kevin Overton (6-5, 180, JR); Tahaad Pettiford (6-1, 175, SO); Emeka Opurum (7-0, 205, SO); Sebastian Williams-Adams (6-8, 230, FR); Simon Walker (6-4, 195, FR) Signed (2): Caleb Williams (6-5, 195); Narcisse Ngoy (6-11, 220)   Georgia Seniors (2): Justin Bailey (6-3, 195); Justin Abson (6-9, 235) Portal (6): Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, SO, to Arkansas ); Dylan James (6-9, 235, JR); Somto Cyril (6-11, 260, SO, to Miami ); Jackson McVey (7-1, 240, FR); Jordan Ross (6-3, 175, JR); Jake Wilkins (6-9, 185, FR, to California ) Returning (4): Blue Cain (6-5, 190, JR); Marcus Millender (5-11, 180, JR); Kanon Catchings (6-9, 190, SO); Kareem Stagg (6-8, 230, FR)   Kentucky Seniors (1): Otega Oweh (6-5, 210) NBA (2): Jayden Quaintance (6-9, 225, SO); Malachi Moreno (7-0, 250, FR) Portal (7): Jaland Lowe (6-2, 170, JR, to Georgetown ); Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245, JR, to Alabama ); Jasper Johnson (6-5, 180, FR); Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, JR); Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SR, to FLORIDA ); Andrija Jelavic (6-11, 225, FR, to Ohio State ); Collin Chandler (6-5, 202, SO , to BYU ) Returning (4): Reece Potter (7-1, 210, JR); Kam Williams (6-8, 190, SO); Trent Noah (6-5, 220, SO); Brayden Hawthorne (6-8, 190, FR) Signed (1): Mason Williams (6-2, 185) From the portal (1): Zoom Diallo (6-3, 190, SO, from Washington)   LSU Seniors (5): Max Mackinnon (6-5, 205); Marquel Sutton (6-7, 205); Pablo Tamba (6-6, 210); Rashad King (6-6, 198); PJ Carter (6-5, 175) Portal (8): Dedan Thomas Jr. (6-1, 178, JR, to Houston ); Jalen Reed (6-10, 230, SR); Mazi Mosley (6-5, 169, FR); Matt Gilhool (6-11, 213, FR, to Kansas State ); Ron Zipper (6-5, 209, FR); Marcus Vaughns (6-8, 221, FR, to Arizona State ); Mike Nwoko (6-10, 245, JR, to Xavier ); Robert Miller III (6-10, 220, JR) Returning (1): Jalen Reece (6-0, 185, FR) Signed (2): Kevin Thomas (6-6, 195); Herly Brutus (6-5, 180)   Mississippi State Seniors (3): Jayden Epps (6-2, 190); Ja’Borri McGhee (6-0, 200); Quincy Ballard (6-11, 240) Portal (6): Jamarion Davis-Fleming (6-10, 240, FR, to Alabama ); Dellquan Waren (6-1, 160, FR); Sergej Macura (6-9, 220, FR, to UCLA ); Amier Ali (6-8, 185, SO); Brandon Walker (6-8, 255, SR); Achor Achor (6-9, 222, SR) Returning (5): Josh Hubbard (5-10, 185, JR); Gai Chol (6-11, 245, JR); King Grace (6-5, 195, FR); Cameren Paul (6-7, 210, FR); Tee Bartlett (6-11, 290, FR) Signed (3): Tristan Reed (6-9, 230); Jalyn Collingwood (6-5, 190); Willie Burnett III (6-4, 175) From the portal (1): RJ Johnson (6-4, 225, SO, from Kennesaw State)   Missouri Seniors (5): Mark Mitchell (6-8, 220); Jayden Stone (6-4, 180); Shawn Phillips (7-0, 245); Jevon Porter (6-11, 220) Portal (3): Anthony Robinson II (6-2, 175, JR); Sebastian Mack (6-3, 195, JR); T.O. Barrett (6-4, 200, SO); Jacob Crews (6-7, 210) Returning (6): Trent Pierce (6-10, 210, JR); Luke Norweather (6-11, 232, JR); Trent Burns (7-5, 235, SO); Annor Boateng (6-6, 215, SO); Nicholas Randall (6-9, 240, FR); Aaron Rowe (6-2, 155, FR) Signed (3): Jason Crowe Jr. (6-3, 170); Aidan Chronister (6-7, 180); Toni Bryant (6-9, 215) From the portal: Jaylen Carey (6-8, 245, JR, from Tennessee); Jamier Jones (6-6, 218, FR, from Providence)   Oklahoma Seniors (5): Nijel Pack (6-0, 180); Tae Davis (6-9, 204); Mohamed Wague (6-10, 225); Jadon Jones (6-5, 190); Kirill Elatontsev (6-11, 240) Portal (4): Andreas Holst (7-0, 200, FR); Kuol Atak (6-9, 190, FR, to Virginia Tech ); Jake Hansen (6-0, 170, FR); Jeff Nwankwo (6-6, 220, SR, to Youngstown State ) Returning (5): Xzayvier Brown (6-2, 165, JR); Dayton Forsythe (6-2, 187, SO); Derrion Reed (6-8, 220, SO); Kai Rogers (6-10, 247, FR); Alec Blair (6-7, 192, FR) Signed (1): Gage Mayfield (6-7, 200) From the portal: Khani Rooths (6-8, 205, SO, from Louisville)   Ole Miss Seniors (3): AJ Storr (6-6, 200); Malik Dia (6-9, 240); Kezza Giffa (6-2, 165) Portal (8): Eduardo Klafke (6-5, 190, SO, to Butler ); Ilias Kamardine (6-5, 185, JR); Hobert Grayson IV (6-4, 205, SR); Corey Chest (6-8, 210, RSO); Koren Johnson (6-2, 175, RJR); Augusto Cassia (6-8, 220, JR); Tylis Jordan (6-9, 215, FR, to Georgia Tech ); Travis Perry (6-1, 188, SO) Returning (3): James Scott (6-11, 210, JR); Patton Pinkins (6-5, 200, FR); Niko Bundalo (6-10, 215, FR) Signed (1): Yohance Connor (6-2, 170) From the portal (1): Roman Siulepa (6-6, 220, FR, from Pittsburgh)   South Carolina Seniors (5): Meechie Johnson (6-2, 175); Mike Sharavjamts (6-8, 180); Kobe Knox (6-5, 185); Myles Stute (6-7, 215, SR); Nordin Kapic (6-8, 245) Portal (7): Eli Ellis (6-0, 192, FR); Elijah Strong (6-8, 225, JR); EJ Walker (6-7, 253, FR); Jordan Butler (7-0, 240, JR); Christ Essandoko (7-0, 285, RJR); Abu Yarmah (6-6, 209, FR); Cam Scott (6-6, 170, RFR) Returning (2): Grant Polk (6-6, 197, FR); Hayden Assemian (6-6, 230, FR) Signed (1): Marcus Johnson (6-2, 180) From the portal (1): Kory Mincy (6-2, 185, JR, from George Mason)   Tennessee Seniors (3): Ja’Kobi (6-0, 175); Felix Okpara (6-11, 220); Amaree Abram (6-4, 190) NBA (1): Nate Ament (6-10, 205, FR) Portal (7): Cade Phillips (6-9, 212, JR); Clarence Massamba (6-5, 192, FR); JP Estrella (6-11, 241, RSO, to Michigan ); Bishop Boswell (6-4, 203, SO, to Maryland ); Jaylen Carey (6-8, 245, JR, to Missouri ); Troy Henderson (6-1, 186, FR); Amari Evans (6-5, 220, FR) Returning (2): Ethan Burg (6-3, 199, SO); DeWayne Brown II (6-8, 251, FR) Signed (3): Ralph Scott (6-8, 195); Manny Green (6-6, 205); Marquis Clark (6-1, 175) From the portal (4): Tyler Lundblade (6-5, 195, SR, from Belmont ); Dai Dai Ames (6-1, 185, JR, from California); Miles Rubin (6-10, 205, JR, from Loyola Chicago); Jalan Haralson (6-7, 220, FR, from Notre Dame)   Texas Seniors (4): Tramon Mark (6-5, 190); Jordan Pope (6-2, 165); Chendall Weaver (6-3, 164); Lassina Traore (6-9, 215) NBA (1): Dailyn Swain (6-7, 200, JR) Portal (4): Nic Codie (6-8, 200, SO); Simeon Wilcher (6-4, 180, JR, to Seton Hall ); Camden Heide (6-7, 205, JR); Declan Duru Jr. (6-8, 235, FR) Returning (4): Matas Vokietaitis (7-0, 245, SO); Anthon McDermott (6-4, 200, FR); John Clark (6-8, 200, FR); Lewis Obiorah (7-0, 250, FR) Signed (4): Austin Goosby (6-5, 186); Bo Ogden (6-5, 195); Joe Sterling (6-4, 180); Coleman Elkins (6-10, 240) From the portal (2): Isaiah Johnson (6-1, 170, FR, from Colorado); David Punch (6-7, 245, SO, from TCU)   Texas A&M Seniors (7): Rashaun Agee (6-7, 210); Rylan Griffen (6-5, 180); Marcus Hill (6-4, 185); Zach Clemente (6-10, 225); Jacari Lane (6-0, 178); Federiko Federiko (6-11, 220); Ali Abdou Dibba (6-5, 185) Portal (3): Josh Holloway (6-1, 178, JR); Pop Isaacs (6-2, 170); Ruben Dominguez (6-6, 213, FR, to Xavier ) Returning (4): McKenzie Mgbako (6-8, 217, JR); Jamie Vinson (6-11, 225, SO); Chris McDermott (6-7, 225, SO); Jeremiah Green (6-3, 189, FR) Signed (1): Josh Irving (6-10, 200) From the portal (1): PJ Hagerty (6-3, 192, JR, from Kansas State)   Vanderbilt Seniors (5): Duke Miles (6-2, 175); Tyler Nickel (6-7, 200); AK Okereke (6-7, 220); Devin McGlockton (6-7, 220); Jalen Washington (6-10, 225);   Portal (6): Frankie Collins (6-1, 185, SR); Jaylon Dean-Vines (6-4, 181, FR); Tyler Harris (6-8, 190, JR); George Kimble III (6-2, 184, SO); Mike James (6-5, 198, RSR); Mason Nicholson (6-10, 280, SR)  Returning (4): Tyler Tanner (6-0, 170, SO); Chandler Bing (6-5, 211, FR); Jayden Leverett (6-11, 245, FR); Jaylon Dean-Vines (6-4, 181, FR) Signed (3): Ethan Mgbako (6-6, 215); Anthony Brown (6-1, 160); Jackson Sheffield (6-9, 240)

Onis Konanbanny hauls in an interception of a Will Griffin pass during Saturday's Orange and Blue game. The statistics all even out if you’re a Gator fan. Would a dormant offense have portended something dire for the season, or will it have signaled a defense that is ready to flex its muscle this season? How would anyone know? By CARLTON REESE GatorBaitMedia.com   GAINESVILLE -- To draw any conclusions from Saturday’s Orange and Blue scrimmage would be as foolish as determining a life strategy following the first date of a potential courtship. As such, there will be neither chest thumping nor doldrums resulting from what transpired at The Swamp.   A nice-sized crowd of around 47,000 watched the Gators tie the Gators in some pseudo card-game scoring methodology. When a Gator made a spectacular play on a deep ball, the excitement could only be tempered with the understanding that it was also a Gator who got burned on the play. Every time a Gator broke a tackle at the line, there also was a Gator missing a tackle. When a Gator linebacker showed great instincts in picking off a pass, there too was a Gator quarterback having made a poor decision to cost his team.   It's up to the coaching staff to evaluate individual efforts and performances, something above my pay grade and so I won’t try to impress anyone with some faux insight as to who looked good and who didn’t. Tape reveals that the next day to Jon Sumrall and his staff.   What most fans are looking for in such a scrimmage is for a new breakout star to emerge. We saw Jadan Baugh break through in this game several years ago, and there always seems to be someone, usually on the offensive side of the ball, that punches his ticket to the fast line up the depth chart. Today, it was hard to find such a player.   My hope in the Orange and Blue game is to get more acquainted with the roster, which has more turnover than the Danish Bakery. The statistics all even out if you’re a Gator fan. Would a dormant offense have portended something dire for the season, or will it have signaled a defense that is ready to flex its muscle this season? How would anyone know?   The low-hanging fruit in these games is the quarterback position where the DJ Lagway saga has moved to what he hopes are greener pastures (quite literally in this case, Waco, Texas) and a new gunslinger must emerge. The battle looks to be between redshirt freshman Tramell Jones, Jr., and redshirt sophomore Aaron Philo, the Georgia Tech transfer. If you were hoping for some fireworks and a second-coming of Sammy Baugh, you will have to wait.   Early on, both Jones and Philo could only showcase short dinks and dumps – something we’ll likely see much of this year with Florida’s playmakers on the edge. During the early moments, the Gator defense dominated and gave the fans very little to phone home about. Philo would throw two interceptions, one into the arms of senior linebacker DJ Coleman, a Baylor transfer, and another that caromed off the hands of a receiver to junior safety and Kentucky transfer Cam Dooley. Admittedly, the Coleman interception came about as a great instinctive defensive play, but Philo earns a share of blame for his decision on what was essentially a run/pass option. All in all, a non-descript performance for Philo, who did later connect with a wide-open Vernell Brown, Jr., on a deep touchdown. His numbers, for whatever they’re worth, read 21-for-28 passes for 193 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He seemed comfortable throwing to his former Rambling Wreck teammate Bailey Stockton and senior Auburn transfer Eric Singleton, Jr., who looks ready to round out what should be a solid UF receiving corps despite losing Aidan Mizell and Eugene Wilson III.   In seven possessions, Philo directed two TD drives, one field goal and two turnovers. He showed promise, but by no means dazzled anyone.   Jones might have taken a slight lead in the QB race with his performance Saturday, but marginally at best. He looks like a stud in waiting, and for now we wait. Saturdays’ scrimmage felt like the time for Jones to rip the QB role away and put on a show that would have Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler reminding everyone throughout the season. While Jones turned in a good performance, there were no ‘oohs!’ and ‘aahs!’ to create water cooler discussions during the week.   On his first pass, Jones threw behind Stockton on a crossing route and on his second possession lost his footing on a scramble for an 11-yard loss. In the second quarter, following two impressive first down runs by Byron Louis, Jones went to the air to connect his first downfield throw, a beautiful pass to Singleton for the game’s first touchdown. The next play after Philo connected with Brown for a TD, Jones hooked up with Micah Mays, the redshirt sophomore transfer from Wake Forest, on a 75-yard bomb that turned some heads.   Jones’ final line was 13-for-17 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.   We’ve seen Aidan Warner before, and of all the QBs he may have looked the most comfortable, but only attempted seven passes. His 20-yard scoring run was indeed beautiful, but who was really trying their best to go after the quarterback anyway? Warner led two drives, both that ended in points, and that certainly works in his favor.   Many curious eyes fell upon freshman Will Griffin, who was unable to produce much thanks to a pass rush that seemed more fierce when he was on the field. He did seem poised and confident, sans one call for intentional grounding, but he remains a work in progress. Griffin’s best moment came when he fired a sidearm bullet to junior Jaylen Lloyd, an Oklahoma State transfer, for a first down late in the game. If there is going to be water cooler talk from this game, it will most likely come from the receivers. Brown electrified the way everyone is accustom, but Singleton brings a fair amount of hype with him from Auburn and at the Orange and Blue game he lived up to the talk. Mays could be the sleeper in that no one really expects much from someone transferring in from Wake Forest, but as a state champion sprinter with reliable hands, he looks to be a very dangerous weapon for the Gator offense. The two transfer wide receivers stole the show: Mays finishing with four receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while Singleton made six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Throw in redshirt sophomore TJ Abrams, who finished with six catches for 56 yards and we’re talking about a seriously deep unit. Keep in mind, Dallas Wilson did not play, but he was seen walking the field – albeit gingerly – without a boot. With a healthy Wilson, Brown, the two transfers mentioned, Abrams, Stockton and Oklahoma State transfer Jaylen Lloyd, this unit could make whoever wins the starting QB job look pretty good.   The Florida defense which dominated the first part of the game, showed no signs of tackling deficiencies, something that has plagued it in the past. Ball carriers were wrapped up and taken down, and even stacked up Baugh early on.   I’m looking at character, and I did notice one thing that caught my attention, and it came in the form of redshirt freshman cornerback Onis Konanbanny. Early in the second half, Konanbanny blasted the Gator receiver on an incomplete pass then went to high-fiving teammates. No one told him it was just a scrimmage, but Konanbanny was told to go play football on this day and that’s exactly what he did.   Not long after, Konanbanny was beat on a play by Kamir Jackson, leading to a pass interference in the end zone. The kid wasn’t done making his presence felt, as he then picked off a Will Griffin pass on a deep ball. It’s only a scrimmage, but I love to see a player like Konanbanny just go out there and ball. If that’s the spirit of a Sumrall-coached team, that's a good reason to get me excited.

Jon Sumrall seems to have what it takes to lead the Gators back to national prominence (Photo by Chris Spears) The lights are flashing yellow, reminding me that Jon Sumrall still hasn’t coached his first game at the University of Florida. I want to be cautious. I should be cautious. Yet everything about Sumrall indicates that after four straight misfires, the Gators might have finally found a coach who is truly capable of leading them back into national prominence.   He is confident, not cocky. He doesn’t think he knows everything, therefore he has hired excellent assistant coaches, whom he allows to coach. He recruits well. He understands that football is a violent game whose champions and contenders are just the right blend of boy scouts and borderline psychopaths.   Jon Sumrall has me willing to believe again even though I’ve been burned four times since Urban Meyer retired after the 2010 season. The Gator in me had me believing the previous four coaches had what it takes to win championships. I admit it. I drank the Kool-Aid, believing Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen and Billy Napier were made of the right stuff.   Well, I was wrong.   In the immortal words of Harvard professor turned parody song writer Tom Lehrer: “Get into that long processional, step into that small confessional; There the guy who’s got religion’ll tell you if you’re sin’s original.”   My sin? It’s not original, but years of being a Gator have seen too many times when optimism overwhelmed my sense of logic. Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Muschamp, McElwain, Mullen and Napier all had their quirks that made them unique, but in reality they were the same coach over and over again. The fact that Sumrall is now Florida’s fifth football coach since 2011 is all the proof you need that we have endured 15 straight years of total insanity.   My heart and emotions tell me that Sumrall can and will do it. Of course, there were times during the tenures of the previous four guys that my heart and emotions were telling me the exact same thing. Now it’s time to confess reason and accountability were blanketed by heart and emotions. I should have, but didn’t speak out in all four cases until it was too late. There were warning signs for Muschamp, McElwain, Mullen and Napier that I ignored. I think most Gator fans did the same thing, ignoring the speed bumps that constantly prevented anything but a smooth ride.   So, Father forgive me. I thought I knew what I was doing. Turned out I didn’t and now I must confess: I was wrong. Big time.     Self-assessment is good for the soul, so here goes.   1. Will Muschamp: Urban Meyer was 65-15 with two national championships the previous six years. Why replace a coach who put up legendary numbers with a coach with absolutely zero head coaching experience. Didn’t Jeremy Foley learn his lesson years before when he hired Ron Zook to succeed the retiring Steve Spurrier?   I was convinced that Muschamp was going to get it done when he went 11-2 in 2012, losing only to Georgia and then in the Sugar Bowl to Louisville. Then came 2013 with all the quarterback injuries and the loss to Georgia Southern followed by 2014 with three critical losses (LSU, South Carolina, Florida State) by a combined 11 points. The Gators were so close to 10-2, but 7-5 got Muschamp fired.   What went wrong? Three years of bad offensive coordinators – Charlie Weis year one, Brent Pease years two and three. Great defenses but terrible offenses for four straight years.   2. Jim McElwain: I thought he would be a good coach since he had been Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator for two national championship team. In retrospect, I should have waved red flags at his opening press conference when he said he could “win with his dog Clarabelle playing quarterback.” He actually said that. Come to think of it, I’m not sure Clarabelle wouldn’t have been better than Treon Harris, Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby. Mac won 19 games his first two seasons, both times making it to the SEC Championship Game, largely because Muschamp left behind what amounted to an NFL defense. When Muschamp’s players graduated and moved on to the pros, the wins ran out for Big Mac. The losses and the lies caught up to him in 2017 and he got fired.   During his tenure at UF, McElwain couldn’t give a straight answer which should have been another ginormous red flag. He gave the impression that he was trying to emulate the cool kid from high school who drove a Mustang convertible and never wore socks with his loafers. Unlike Muschamp, McElwain did have some head coaching experience, but in no way was he prepared for a job as complex and demanding as Florida.   What went wrong? No backup plan for when the Muschamp recruits departed and three years of terrible offense. The Gators never averaged 30 points a game and this guy was supposed to be an offensive genius. Hardly.   3. Dan Mullen: Mullen was Plan B. Chip Kelly was Plan A but he played Scott Stricklin for a contract offer that was used to leverage into the UCLA job. He won 21 games (lost five) in his first two years and had the Gators on the verge of the College Football Playoff in the COVID year of 2020 when Marco Wilson’s shoe began a losing cycle that was never broken.   Mullen gave us four years of scoring at least 30 points a game and three straight New Year’s Eve Six bowl games. What he didn’t do right was hang on to defensive coordinator Todd Grantham who turned third downs into predictable disasters. He also didn’t replace lazy recruiters with hungry assistants who understand you can’t win at Florida with players best suited for Mississippi State. Sub-standard recruiting on the lines of scrimmage turned what could have been into the disaster it was.   What went wrong? Not encouraging Grantham to take a pro job when offered after 2019. A lack of team discipline in 2020 and 2021. Too much reliance on his belief that he could dial up an offense that could outscore anyone the Gators played.   4. Billy Napier: The Gators could have hired Lane Kiffin to replace Mullen. Lane wanted the job but Scott Stricklin zeroed in on Billy Napier and never considered anyone else. File that one under it seemed like a good idea at the moment.   It took three years for Napier to produce a winner. Eight wins in 2024 had a lot to do with the impact Graham Mertz had on freshman QB DJ Lagway. When Mertz – no relation to Fred and Ethel – went to the pros, there was no one left to mentor DJ, who reverted back to his bad habits. A bad, predictable offense prone to interceptions and a defense that had too many no show games, not to mention way too many boy scouts and not enough borderline psychopaths. Disaster again.   What went wrong? Napier was fantastic from Sunday through Friday, but never seemed to grasp that good citizens during the weekdays don’t necessarily translate to wins on Saturday and you get paid to win on Saturday. Napier also believed he was immensely qualified to call the offensive plays. Maybe it would have worked if Clarabelle had been his QB.   Now consider this: Since Will Muschamp’s first year in 2011 until Billy Napier’s last season in 2025, the Gators are 118-84. That’s the 43 rd best record in the country. In the SEC, the Gators have the seventh best record. Middle of the pack. From 1990-2025 Florida had the best record in all of college football – 210-57-1, which is eight more wins than second place Nebraska, 17 more than Ohio State and 34 more than Georgia.   In the last 15 years Florida has become what Florida was during the Bob Woodruff years, which is to say dull, predictable and treading water while Alabama, Georgia and LSU have won national championships. Should you elect to point fingers at the responsible culprits for Florida’s demise, look beyond Muschamp, McElwain, Mullen and Napier. They were offered multi-year, multi-million contracts and they did the smart thing by taking the job even though they weren’t nearly ready for it.   The people responsible are Jeremy Foley and Scott Stricklin, neither of whom was willing to pay the big bucks to bring in a coach capable of carrying the Florida torch while making the Gators relevant nationally once again. Florida went cheap and now it’s up to Jon Sumrall to not only elevate the Gators back into the national limelight but to save Stricklin’s job. Yes, if Jon Sumrall is overwhelmed by the job and goes belly up, you can bet the ranch Stricklin won’t survive either. Something about Sumrall tells me that this time – finally – Stricklin got the right football coach.   In the eyes of the Gator Nation, Jon Sumrall is either another Moses leading UF to the promised land or Jonah getting swallowed up by a whale. He comes across like Moses but he still hasn't coached a game and it will be months before we see what he's accomplished in the months leading up to the season opener. There is a lot of pressure on Sumrall, but something about his demeanor indicates that he’s more than ready to take on a task this monumental and able to deliver the goods.   If not, then it’s another glass filled with Kool-Aid

Keagan Rothrock was theRock again. UAA photo) After the weekend, the Gators are in third place with a 14-4 record trailing Alabama by one game and Oklahoma by two in the loss column.   By EDDIE GILLEY GatorBaitMedia.com The Gators needed to take at least two of three to keep pace with the other leaders at the top of the SEC. Alabama swept Auburn in Auburn who has been struggling of late. Oklahoma two of the three games at Texas. Florida did them one better and swept the Gamecocks.  After the weekend, the Gators are in third place with a 14-4 record trailing Alabama by one game and Oklahoma by two in the loss column.  Florida got a gem in the circle from ace Keagan Rothrock on Friday night. She walked 5 Gamecocks and struck out 8 while throwing a complete-game no-hitter! It’s been almost 7 years since that had been done against an SEC opponent for the Gators.  The last time a Gator pitcher had done that in Columbia was 26 years ago.  The offense was led by Townsen Thomas who went 3-4 at the plate. She also hit her third home runs of the season in the 7th with Kenleigh Cahalan on to pad the Gator’s margin to 5 runs which made the final 5-0.  The Gator bats got hot on Saturday in Columbia. They  got 16 hits and scored 15 runs in the 5-inning run rule shortened game.  The Gators trailed 2-0 going into the third inning after starter Katelynn Oxley gave up the two runs in the second. On the day the Gators hit 4 three-run homers. Two by Jocelyn Erickson including her first one in the third that put the Gators up 3-2.  In that same inning Cassidy McLellan hit a laser shot to right field for the second three- run homer by the Gators in the inning. In a case of déjà vu, Erickson blasted another three-runbomb in the fourth.  Kenleigh Cahalan joined the three-run bomb squad with one of her own in the 5th inning. The Gators scored 15 unanswered runs to win the series and take the heart out of the Gamecock squad.  Olivia Miller came in to relieve Oxley to pick up the win by finishing the next three innings with 4 hits and 1 strike out.  The Gators swept the Gamecocks by winning the getaway game,  6-1. After the Gators scored in the first inning on a Jocelyn Erickson single that scored Taylor Shumaker who led off the game with a double that just missed clearing the fence in left field, SC tied the game with a solo shot in the 3rd.  The Gators scored twice in the fourth on a Madison Walker double and a fielding error by the Gamecocks’ first baseman on a ball hit hard by Gabi Comia. In the 5th, Kendall Grover hit a double in the gap to score Thomas, Cahalan, and Erickson to wrap up the scoring for the weekend.  Keagan Rothrock picked up the win, going 5.2 innings, giving up only 4 hits and the one earned run. Miller came in to seal the deal by going the final 1.1 innings. Rothrock moves to 21-4 on the season. Cassidy McLellan paced the Gators with a .625 batting average and three walks for the series. Erickson had one more hit and went 6-10 for the weekend with five extra base hits including the two home runs on Saturday. Each of them drove in 7 runs for the weekend.