For historical perspective, Florida was the system’s national champion in 1984 and not BYU, something that sang loudly the veracity of his numbers over polls. By CARLTON REESE Do not let the byline confuse you – when I write of “Carlton the Doorman” it is not of myself, just a happenstance that the subject here shares the same name. I write of “Carlton the Doorman” because as his name suggests, he has come across many people in his life including those of great wealth, stature and intellect. While I am one of those acquaintances that falls in none of those categories, I am fortunate enough to have befriended Carlton many years ago and gained a somewhat third-party access to his connections. As a college football fan, this has been of notable benefit both in terms of several wagers over the years and through a simple non-biased understanding of the true strengths of teams. You see, Carlton the Doorman has been privy to a numbers system devised by one of his contacts who fancies himself a mathematics guru and who figured out a long time ago the best way to rate college football teams. Part Jeff Sagarin, part John Nash and part Jimmy the Greek, this numerologist who requests his anonymity developed a college football ratings system in the mid-1980s and has used it to rank teams and find valuable underdogs and sure-fire favorites along the way. For historical perspective, Florida was the system’s national champion in 1984 and not BYU, something that sang loudly the veracity of his numbers over polls. I’ve never met this person, and Carlton’s intimate knowledge and timely disclosures has led me to think perhaps there is no mysterious numbers guy at all, that indeed the system is Carlton’s very own. But Carlton the Doorman does have a social life despite his title, and as such would seem to be one who would not invest the time needed for such schemes. Until I discover otherwise, I take Carlton at his word – he has a guy with a system for ranking college football teams and picking winners. About the system, I only know that our guy has created an algorithm such that every team is represented by a number, or rating, which increases or decreases depending on the actual results of games compared to expected results. There is a system line for each game and when held up against the Vegas lines, certain trends are sought out to determine which games are most likely to come up winners. As for the algorithms involved, this remains top-secret. Our guy calls his system “The Koran” as though it is akin to some holy book with answers. I’m told he felt calling it “The Gospel” was sacrilegious to his own Christian faith, so he went with another of the Abrahamic religions. I guess this explains his desire for anonymity so as not to end up on the wrong end of some fatwa. Recently the 2021 preseason rankings came out and they’re none too pretty, especially for Gator fans. Preseason rankings are devised using a formula that involves numbers of returning starters from the previous season, the veteran status of the starting quarterback and plotting those numbers on a grid with the last year’s final rating. The Gators’ late-season slide, their return of only nine starters that did not include their quarterback, means a low rating that keeps them far from the top 20. My first reaction to The Koran’s Top 20 was to laugh in derision. What you will find are teams such as Coastal Carolina, Liberty, Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulsa, Ball State and San Jose State all with top-20 rankings. Our guy explains this as a result of a bizarre 2020 season in which teams rarely left their conferences to play games, a factor that is tantamount to creating a national ranking system. As such, teams were able to build high ratings without facing foes needed to make useful comparable comparisons. The Doorman assures me these imperfections and idiosyncracies will work themselves out the first couple weeks of the 2021 season. So here is the The Koran’s 2021 preseason top 20. Gator and Georgia Bulldogs fans, prepare too boo, (rating in parantheses): 1. Alabama (103) 2. Iowa State (101.5) 3. Oklahoma (92) 4. Texas A&M (86) 5. Clemson (85) 6. Indiana (84) 7. Ohio State (82.5) 8. North Carolina (82.5) 9. Coastal Carolina (79.5) 10. Liberty (79.5) 11. Iowa (76.5) 12. Cincinnati (74.5) 13. Louisiana-Lafayette (74.5) 14. Ole Miss (74) 15. Miami (74) 16. Wisconsin (74) 17. Tulsa (73.5) 18. Georgia (72.5) 19. Ball State (71) 20. San Jose State (70.5) SEC Ratings: 1. Alabama 2. Texas A&M 3. Ole Miss 4. Georgia 5. Auburn (66.5) 6. LSU (59.5) 7. Mississippi State (59.5) 8. Florida (45) 9. Arkansas (43) 10. Missouri (38) 11. Kentucky (26.5) 12. Tennessee (15.5) 13. Vanderbilt (14.5) 14. South Carolina (9) Other teams of interest: Florida State (14.5; 13th of 14 ACC teams); Michigan (29; 13th of 14 Big Ten teams); Texas (67.5; 3rd of 10 Big 12 teams); UCLA (68.5; 1st in Pac 12); Notre Dame (49; 3rd among independents); Central Florida (50.5; 5th in AAC); South Florida (16; 9th in AAC); Florida Atlantic (43.5; 4th in CUSA); Florida International (0; 13th in CUSA). Before opening week, I am assured The Koran will have its margins and any picks on the betting line deemed worthy. Until then, here’s believing The Koran has it wrong on the Florida Gators.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: A RUNNING BACKS ROOM THAT OFFERS PLENTY OF OPTIONS “It’s the SEC, so it’s the next-best thing to the NFL,” says Florida running backs coach and special teams coordinator Greg Knox. “So you get a good, quality group of guys that come here to play and so with that, you get a lot of versatility and you get options.” Knox likes the options the Gators have in 2021. So does HBC Dan Mullen. The Gators have five SEC-caliber running backs, all of whom present with a different-enough skill set that it’s going to problematic for opposing defensive coordinators who have the additional problem of scheming against a pair of quarterbacks who not only can throw the ball quite well but run it with speed and authority. The hammer is senior Dameon Pierce, last year’s leading rusher (503 yards, 4.7 per carry) who has 1,232 career yards (5.4 per carry) for 10 touchdowns to go with 26 catches for 206 yards and two more TDs. Malik Davis is a make-you-miss type and an exceptional receiver, finally healthy after starting his career at UF by suffering two season-ending injuries. He has 983 career rushing yards (5.1 per carry) for three TDs to go with 47 catches for 509 yards. A year ago he ran for 310 yards and caught 31 passes for 377 more. Nay’Quan Wright might be the best combination runner-receiver. Last year he ran for 213 yards (3.9 per carry) for two touchdowns while catching 19 passes for 219 yards. And then there are the two former 5-star guys – former Miami transfer Lorenzo Lingard and Clemson transfer Demarkcus Bowman – who Knox calls “home run hitters” because “if they get in open space, they are a threat to put that ball in the end zone.” All five of these guys can carry the ball. All five can catch it. But if they fumble the football or fail to carry out blocking assignments, they won’t be seeing the field. “I tell them when they first get here, it takes to things to play here,” Knox said. “Number one, you’ve got to protect the ball. Number two, you’ve got to protect the quarterback. If you can’t do those two things you can’t play. I can’t justify putting you in the game. So, I think everyone in that room, they understand that. They’ve grasped the understanding of that knowing that ‘if I don’t protect the quarterback if I can’t pick up the blitz, all right, and I can’t protect the ball, I can’t play.’ And I think, I truly think they all understand that, and they know that ‘hey, Coach is not going to put me in if I can’t do those two things.” Thinking ahead: All five will see the field, but Pierce will be the starter and the power guy. He has fresh legs after only 229 carries in three years. Mullen has already alluded to using two backs on the field at the same time which could be in an almost veer-type alignment or with one in the slot who can shift into the backfield for handoffs or run routes in the passing game. Davis and Wright are the most accomplished pass catchers so they’re likely to be in the slot. You don’t keep speed like Lingard and Bowman have on the bench, but they’ll probably lag behind the other three when it comes to touches. There is, after all, only one football to go around. NICK SABAN ON FOOTBALL IN A 16-TEAM SEC “When you look at our league expanding, you’re going to play more good teams in our league. You’re going to have to lose more games. How does that affect people getting in the playoff? If we’re going to play 10 games in the SEC which I would not be opposed to [because] I’ve always wanted to play more SEC games, you could play two divisions and you could play three teams from the other side. So every two and a half years you’re going to play everybody. If they’re going to stay at eight or even nine they should do the pods so you’re only going to have three fixed opponents and you would be playing five or six teams from the other regions or pods. You would play everybody in three years.” OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama: Right tackle Kendall Randolph and safety DeMarco Hellams (both sprained ankles) are listed day-to-day … Freshman corner Ga’Quincy “Kook-Aid” McKinstry has signed an NIL deal with – who else? – Kool-Aid … Nick Saban says all but one Alabama player has been vaccinated. Arkansas: The highlight of a scrimmage marred by poor play in the red zone, turnovers and false start penalties was freshman placekicker Cam Little, who hit a 52-yard field goal. Auburn: D1AA transfer safety Bydarrius Knighten has emerged as a probable starter. In four years at Southeast Missouri State, Knighten had 255 tackles and six pass interceptions … Vanderbilt transfer Donovan Kaufman is running number one at the nickel. Georgia: Both safety Tykee Smith and tight end Darnell Washington have undergone surgery after suffering fractured bones in their feet. No timetable has been set for their return but both will be out a minimum of 3-4 weeks so they will miss the season opener with Clemson. Washington caught seven passes for 166 yards last season while Smith was a third-team All-American at West Virginia. Kentucky: A fourth-degree assault charge against UK football chief of staff Dan Berezowitz has been dismissed after the Fayette County DA said there isn’t enough evidence to prove Berezowitz assaulted his wife. Berezowitz remains suspended from the UK football staff however … Freshman tight end Dekel Crowdus injured a knee last week but it will not require surgery. LSU: The injury bug has hit the offensive line so hard that Coach O plans to avoid goal line and short yardage situations in Saturday’s scrimmage. “You’re at a point right now where you have to push,” Coach O said. “We have to scrimmage, but we have to get our guys game-ready also, and it’s a fine line. You’re at that part of a camp where, as a coach, you want to be hard and you want to push them, but you want to be smart and pull off at the right time, so I think it’s a fine line.” Missouri: Walk-on offensive lineman Richard Taylor II was awarded a scholarship Wednesday. Ole Miss: When it comes to the Ole Miss wide receivers, senior Braylon Sanders isn’t shy about what he sees as the potential. “I feel like we can be the best in the country,” Sanders told reporters Wednesday. South Carolina: In the absence of injured Luke Doty, Saint Francis (PA) transfer quarterback Jason Brown (6-3, 228) has been taking the first team snaps with walk-on Connor Jordan working with the second team. Tennessee: Five starters from last year’s defense will be playing somewhere else in Division I this fall. Texas A&M: Tyrece Radford, who averaged 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last year at Virginia Tech is transferring to Texas A&M. Radford, who was dismissed from the team back in January after being arrested for DUI and carrying a concealed weapon, had all charges dismissed earlier in the week by a Montgomery County (VA) judge. Vanderbilt: First-year HBC Clark Lea is the first Vanderbilt alum to coach the team since 1990, which was Watson Brown’s final year … Vandy is one of only four teams in Division I that doesn’t return a back who ran for 100 or more yards last year. COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY, PRESEASON EDITION Extinct Species List Les Miles: Too many Title IX issues got him fired at Kansas. On Life Support Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green: Everybody says he’s a great teacher of quarterback fundamentals. Maybe he can land a gig as someone’s QB coach after this season, because it’s going to be a VERY long year. Paycheck games with Tennessee and Minnesota won’t help. Loeffler is 3-13 in two years. If he wins three this year he should be the MAC coach of the year. Thomas Hammock, Northern Illinois: The Huskies have been to 12 bowl games since 2004 so the alums are not accustomed to two straight years without a bowl game, much less last year’s oh-fer six. Paycheck games at Georgia Tech in the opener and at Michigan week three aren’t going to help Hammock’s cause. The Huskies are predicted to finish dead last in their division in the MAC. Dana Dimmel, UTEP: Dimmel should be given a long-term contract for even attempting to coach college football in El Paso. Yes, it’s in Texas but it borders New Mexico, which may produce one four-star recruit every decade and it’s 342 miles from the nearest Texas football hotbed (Odessa). The closest Conference USA rival is 552 miles away in San Antonio. Give Dimmel credit for trying, however. Walt Bell, UMass: He’s 1-14 at one of college football’s dead-end jobs. Either he was dropped on his head way too many times as an infant or else he hated Willie Taggart. Why else would he have departed FSU, where he was offensive coordinator, to coach a team that is only in Division I to get paycheck games that pay for the other sports. The only winnable game is D1AA Maine. Tom Arth, Akron: They fired Terry Bowden, who made them respectable, and hired Arth, who is 1-17 in two seasons. The Zips open their season at Auburn for a paycheck. The only winnable game is against D1AA Bryant, which plays in something called the Northeast Conference. Endangered Species List Ed Orgeron, LSU: The Tigers will probably win nine games this season. It’s the off-the-field stuff that might tank Coach O’s career. Between the NCAA and a Title IX lawsuit on which he’s named as a defendant, Coach O might have problems dodging the bullets. Dino Babers, Syracuse: If Babers had been a bit more patient he could have landed a decent HBC gig after going 18-9 in two seasons at Bowling Green. Instead, he took Syracuse where he’s had one winning season in five years. He needs to break even to remain gainfully employed. Chip Kelly, UCLA: This is a make-or-break year for the Chipster. He’s 10-21 in three seasons and the fine folks in Westwood think that’s a rather poor return on $6 million a year. Beating Southern Cal is imperative. Circle September 4 when LSU comes to Pasadena. If LSU blows the doors off UCLA then the Chipster has one foot out the exit door already. Clay Helton, Southern Cal: We couldn’t have an Endangered Species List without Clay Helton on it. The alums hate him and would to see him gone, but he’s got a schedule that has 10-2 or 11-1 written all over it. If he wins nine or more, they’re stuck with him another season. Randy Edsall, UConn: After coaching UConn to a brilliant 0-0 record in 2020, Edsall returns to the sidelines. In the last three seasons when they actually played football at UConn, Edsall piloted the Huskies to a positively marvelous 6-30 record. There is a real shot at a 3-9 record this year because UConn plays Holy Cross and Yale, D1AA programs that don’t give out scholarships, and UMass, which is so bad it might as well be D1AA. Hoping He Would Just Up and Leave Jim Harbaugh, Michigan: He’s 49-22 at Michigan, which is not the kind of overall record that gets a coach fired. However, he is oh-fer six against Ohio State, the only game that matters to a Michigan man (or woman). He won’t beat the Buckeyes this year either. They aren’t going to fire him, but everybody wishes he would just up and leave. Scott Frost, Nebraska: It was not supposed to be this way. He was the golden boy, coming home to rescue college football in this once proud outpost, but he’s 12-20 in three years. This minor dustup with the NCAA won’t get him fired and they probably won’t fire him if he doesn’t win seven or eight this season. That’s because he’s got a $20 million buyout. But what if he just ups and leaves? They can only wish. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Nick Saban pointed out the obvious in an interview with Mark Schlabach of ESPN when he talked about the impact of the new transfer rules that allow a player a one-time transfer without having to sit out a year. “You can only transfer once,” Saban said. “You know if you get 19 transfers they’re going to be here. If I get a good [high school] player, he might leave. Why would you recruit high school players? That’s just a lot of opportunities the high school kids won’t get.” The smart coaches in the future are going to hold 5-7 scholarships for transfers. That’s going to mean a lot of talented high school kids will fall through the cracks and go to Group of Five or D1AA schools, which could end up as the equivalent of the minor leagues. The times they are a’changing.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: TEBOW DIDN’T MAKE IT, BUT AT LEAST HE HAD THE GUTS TO TRY Maybe the two most overused words in the English language are what if. We hear it every day. What if I had taken that computer course back in college? What if I had asked him/her out when we were 21? What if I had taken that job in another state instead of waiting for a promotion that never came? And on and on and on. Tim Tebow doesn’t have to worry about what if. No, he won’t be playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars this fall. He was cut Tuesday morning, snuffing out a chance he took to stage an NFL comeback at a new position he’d never played years since he last played professional football. Critics like Greg McElroy and others will gloat that he failed, and you’ll never hear the end of them saying I told you so, but how many of the critics ever stepped out on a prayer and tried to do the unthinkable? How many of them spend their life wondering what if? Tebow doesn’t. Tim Tebow failed trying to make it as a tight end at age 34. So what? It’s not the end of his world, not by a million years. Tim has always had a purpose in life that extended far beyond the athletic fields, but he’s managed to combine that purpose with sports, along the way doing things wherever he’s been to better the lives of others. His NFL quarterback career went snake eyes back in 2012. He spent a few years beating the minor league bushes in the New York Mets organization where he made it all the way to AAA before he retired, not bad for someone who hadn’t played baseball since high school. You can look at getting cut by the Jags and never making it to the Major Leagues with the Mets as failures if you want, but at least admit that it took a tremendous amount of courage on Tebow’s part to even try. He knew it was a long shot to make it as a tight end, particularly considering he’s 34 years old and never played the position before. He knew it was a long shot to make the Majors since it had been years since he faced live pitching. But, unlike McElroy and the gloaters, Tim can say at least he was willing to try. Don’t think for a second that Tebow wasted the time or the money of the Jags or the Mets, either. Tebow jerseys were hot sellers not only in Jacksonville but all over the country and now that his career is over, expect them to become high-priced collectables. The Mets loved that Tebow was great box office. Home and on the road at every whistle stop there was Tebow-mania and sellout crowds were the norm. Tebow won’t lack for things to do in the fall since he won’t be playing football. His foundation is always actively doing things that better the lives of others. There will be opportunities to preach. The SEC Network gig is still there. And, would anyone be surprised if Tebow winds up working for the Jaguars in some capacity? Urban Meyer said Tuesday, “Players loved him. Locker room loved him.” Sounds like someone Meyer and the Jaguars would like to keep around doing something productive. SOMEWHERE, UNDER THE RADAR … These five guys aren’t household names just yet, but they have a chance to factor in Florida’s rotations this fall: Princely Umanmielen (6-4, 260, SO): He is a very physical defensive end who can get to the passer and play the run. He’s got very good upper body strength. He played in seven games last year and had half sacks against Georgia and Arkansas, a solo sack against Tennessee. He figures to be the backup to Zachary Carter but will be on the field a lot. He picked Florida over Texas, Baylor and Auburn. Avery Helm (6-1, 174, RFR): When Jaydon Hill went down with the ACL tear, everyone expected Jedarrius Perkins or Jason Marshall Jr. to step right in. Perkins and Marshall will get their opportunities, but when the Gators scrimmaged this past Sunday night, Helm was the starting corner opposite Kaiir Elam. He only played in the Cotton Bowl last year (1 tackle) so he must have made some rather lengthy strides. Out of high school in Texas, Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Georgia all offered. Lloyd Sumerall III (6-5, 247, RSO): He’s no longer the tall, skinny guy he was coming out of Lakeland High School, which has plenty to do with why he’s sat for the last two years. He’s put on 28 pounds of muscle since arriving and now he’s strong enough to be in the regular rotation as an outside linebacker. Summerall has a huge wingspan and good quickness. We tend to forget that he was recruiting heavily by Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Ohio State out of high school. Jeremy Crashaw (6-4, 193, RFR): Here’s everything you need to know about him. His only two punts of the 2020 season were in the Cotton Bowl and good for a 49-yard average. He spent all of last year growing accustomed to football American-style (He’s an Aussie) and backing up Jacob Finn. Finn obviously saw the handwriting on the wall because he transferred out despite averaging 46.27 yards per punt. Ja’Markis Weston (6-3, 215, RSO): He wasn’t on the 7-on-7 circuit while in high school in Clewiston so he pretty much flew under the recruiting radar. He spent last year playing almost exclusively on special teams. He caught one pass for 13 yards in the Cotton Bowl. That was then. This is now. He’s learned to run good routes, to look the ball into his hands and how to set up a DB before he makes a move or blows by him. He’s going to catch a lot of passes in the fall. He’s the nephew of Gator great Rhondy Weston. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama: Former quarterback turned wide receiver Slade Bolden says the chemistry between quarterback Bryce Young and the receivers is starting to build. “You’re starting to see it, throughout practices, throughout scrimmages, that we’re starting to dial into that chemistry,” Bolden said … Wide receiver John Metchie III, running back Brian Robinson, cornerback Josh Jobe and safety Jordan Battle have signed with GSE Worldwide to represent them for NIL deals. Arkansas: Freshman Raheim Sanders has moved into the No. 2 running back spot behind last year’s leading rusher Trelon Smith. Auburn: The first unit offensive line at Tuesday’s practice was LT Austin Troxell, LG Brandon Councill, C Nick Brahms, RG Keiondre Jones and RT Brenden Coffey. Georgia: JT Daniels has an NIL deal with Zaxby’s. Kentucky: Darian Kinnard has moved back to right tackle with LSU transfer Dare Rosenthal taking over at left tackle. Kinnard was a first team All-SEC at right tackle last season. Rosenthal started eight games at left tackle the last two seasons. LSU: All fans attending LSU’s season opener against UCLA in the Rose Bowl will be required to wear a mask regardless of their vaccination status. Mississippi State: Defensive end Jordan Davis has torn his ACL and will miss the 2021 season. Davis was in on 22 tackles with one sack last year. Missouri: HBC Eli Drinkwitz clarified Tuesday that wide receiver Jay Maclin’s injury is a broken forearm and not a fractured orbital bone. Ole Miss: Speaking to 247Sports, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said quarterback Matt Corral “really has a chance to take off and maybe go to another level. He’s in an offense with Lane [Kiffin] and what they do is going to give him a chance to put up big numbers.” South Carolina: Former Iowa State and North Dakota State quarterback Zeb Noland, who came to South Carolina as a graduate assistant, might factor in the quarterback position with Luke Doty out for an undetermined amount of time. Noland actually has eligibility remaining. During the spring D1AA season at NDSU, Noland threw for 721 yards and five touchdowns. Tennessee: HBC Josh Heupel offered no real insight into the three-way quarterback battle between Harrison Bailey and the two transfers, Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton. “When we see separation, we’re ready to say something, I’ll come down here and do that,” Heupel said. Texas A&M: When deciding who will win the two-way quarterback battle going on between Haynes King and Zach Calzada, Jimbo Fisher said on Sirius XM radio, “You’ve heard me say it a zillion times, quarterbacking still gets down to two things: decision-making and accuracy.” Vanderbilt: Last year’s leading tackler, linebacker Anfernee Orji, has bulked up to 230 pounds. PAUL FINEBAUM SPEAKS … About why Nick Saban turned down a $100 million offer to coach Texas on the Saturday Down South Podcast: “The bottom line is they did want Saban and Saban was offered the job, and he considered it. He said to me and anybody who would confront him with this, that the reason he didn’t go to Texas – he said this privately; he didn’t say this publicly – was he did not want to have to answer to 10 or 15 different boosters who all felt like they owned the franchise. It was a little of a Jerry Jones complex or a T. Boone Pickens complex in college football in the past. That has always haunted Texas. By the way, it also haunted the University of Alabama until Nick Saban walked in there in 2007 and sat in booster club meeting after booster club meeting and said, ‘Listen, I run this place. You stay the blank out of my way.’” About Mississippi State coach Mike Leach on the Saturday Down South Podcast: “I don’t think Mike Leach is a top 15 coach right now. I respect him, but to be a successful head coach these days, you have to do more than just coach, and my biggest fault of Mike Leach is he just doesn’t do very much other than show up at the game and call the plays, and I think he is making a mistake. I think that’s why he runs into trouble, not only with his fan base but with the people that employ him … I realize we just went through COVID but I wonder how many times Mike Leach has reached out in that community that he lives in to try to develop and further the football cause. I’m willing to bet you that very few people in [Starkville] know Mike Leach. I know people that are well plugged into that community. I’m not just talking idle fans. I’m talking about people that are part of that program who don’t know him, have never met him. That concerns me a little bit because ultimately, you do need to do more than just coach, and I think he’s a very good football coach. If you win 10-11 games, you’ll be successful whether you talk to anybody or not. But if you’re in those gray areas where I think Leach will be you need support, and I’m not sure he’s going to have that.” About Georgia on ESPN: “I think Georgia is primed. I think this is the best Georgia team that Kirby Smart has had. He had a really good one in his second year. Let’s say they get past Clemson – and I would predict that they’re going to. They have a couple of other games that matter. They have Florida, of course, and then they have the likely Alabama game. I think they can get to the playoff, even by losing to Clemson. But of course, that’s not going to happen.” ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: After a month’s worth of slings and arrows fired in his direction, Greg Sankey finally did something other than what amounts to a rope-a-dope. With one subtle jab at Washington State president Kirk Schultz, who called the SEC “predatory,” Sankey reminded everyone that the Pac-12 tried to destroy the Big 12 back in 2010 with a raid that would have landed Texas and Oklahoma in addition to Colorado, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas A&M. Sankey also used the occasion to remind folks that the Pac-12, ACC and Big Ten have all been active in raids on other conferences in the past. The Pac-12 grabbed up Utah from the Mountain West and Colorado from the Big 12. The ACC took the legs out from under the Big East by poaching Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College in 2004, then in 2013-14 finished off that league by taking Syracuse and Pitt. The Big Ten in 2011 took Nebraska from the Big 12 and in 2014 Rutgers from the Big East and Maryland from the ACC. The Big 12 grabbed West Virginia from the Big East and TCU from the Mountain West in 2012. That same year, the SEC added Texas A&M and Missouri. We’ve spent a good part of the 21st century watching conferences expand, contract and in some cases, disappear completely. It’s nothing new and Sankey is right to call out the hypocrites.

Dan Mullen’s first question was, “why?” Why would a five-star receiver from New Jersey willingly enter the transfer portal to leave an iconic program like Penn State? Why? Should he (Mullen) be concerned? Should he question the background or just go after the former five-star at a position of need? Why would this be a good fit for the Florida Gators? Why might it not? Still, all Justin Shorter brought to the table couldn’t be passed up, so Mullen and the Gators recruited him out of the portal, getting a commitment from the redshirt-sophomore. After his arrival in Gainesville, it took little to no time for any and all concerns to be alleviated. “I’ll be perfectly honest with you when he was in the portal. I had a bunch of hesitations,” Mullen admitted to local media on Monday. “Any time somebody goes in the transfer portal, the question’s why. So there’s always the initial hesitation…and after getting to meet him, know him and find out about him, they were quickly washed away.” Shorter washed away hesitations for a lot of Gator coaches and fans in his first year. Stuck on the depth chart behind Trevon Grimes, and fighting Grimes, Kadarius Toney and tight end Kyle Pitts for reps, Shorter still managed to finish his first season (and an All-SEC, truncated one at that) with 23 catches for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver coach Billy Gonzales has put seven receivers in the NFL the past two years, continually replacing his talent, instead of needing to rebuild it. Now Shorter can lead the next group of Billy G products. “I would say that we’re not really replacing them. I would say we’re just bringing a new crop of wideouts in that are well-trained,” Shorter predicted ahead of fall camp. “I’d say our group is young, but we’re all hungry. Everyone is out there putting in the extra work to really be that big group. We’re really putting in that work and we’re all just pushing, trying to be great.” For every day this young group puts in the extra work—to stand out on what is predicted to be a run heavy team—they are following the example Shorter is setting. It’s been his greatest asset to the Gators, according to Mullen, and will make the biggest difference for the receiving corps this upcoming fall. “If you ask most of the people on our team and even the coaching staff, is his work ethic of how he comes to work every single day,” Mullen said of Shorter. “From the minute at the start of practice to the end, he is grinding, giving you everything that he has. “You go around and ask guys around our program, ‘hey, no one outworks that guy.’ But that’s what our program is known for. Then you realize, this guy is the exact fit of what we were looking for when he became available in the portal.” This was a strategy Shorter began to put in last offseason, when the new guy was left bereft, unable to create chemistry with his new teammates and stuck at home while the world was in quarantine for a global pandemic. He knew to be ready, he had to stay ready. “It was different but every day I was outside running routes with a quarterback back home. Once I did get back here in the summertime, Coach G did a great job of getting me right with all the plays and all the stuff like that. I feel like everything wasn’t all that bad.” With a full offseason under his belt with the Florida Gators though, and now reports of an excellent fall camp emerging, Shorter is shaping up to be the next great transfer receiver—in line with Grimes and Van Jefferson—to lead the Gators. It’s a by-product of the work he’s put in to get to this point, and the rewards will be reaped soon. “The great thing of that is you see it in the results. I think he’s playing at a much, much higher level than he did last year. Much more consistent level, much bigger playmaker level, than he did last year,” bragged Mullen. “It’s not a surprise with how hard he works day in and day out, you see that improvement.” Added Shorter, “My thing is ever since I started playing football in high school, I haven’t stopped working. Setbacks happen, but as long as you keep on working, keep on working, it’s gonna come through.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars have waived former Florida Gator Tim Tebow, the club announced today. The former Heisman Trophy winner was attempting a football comeback as a tight end. Tebow was waived in the first round of roster cuts as NFL teams were required to move from 90 players to 85 on Tuesday. ''We knew that it was an uphill battle for Tim,'' Meyer said. ''Elite warrior, elite competitor, but he’s also 34 years old. Players loved him, locker room loved him, but it was the right thing.” Tebow—who led the Gators to a 2008 National Championship and was a vital part of the 2006 National Championship—had not played in a regular season NFL game since 2012. He had not been on a NFL roster since 2015. This was the first time the quarterback had ever attempted to play tight end. In the interim, he has spent time in the New York Mets minor league organization, playing outfield. His baseball career was a resurgence from the sport he played at Nease High School (along with football). The Tebow experiment in Jacksonville was largely thanks to former Gators coach Urban Meyer having been hired as the Jaguars head coach back in January. It's the three time National Championship coach's first foray into the NFL and he has surrounded himself by those he's comfortable with from his college days. Meyer's and Tebow's relationship has always been notoriously close, with the former being a father figure to Tebow. It's why many believe Meyer was willing to try out Tebow, despite his age and inexperience. In the Jaguars first preseason game on Saturday night—a 23-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns—Tebow received minimal snaps on offense. He was targeted once and tipped the ball back on an incompletion, leading to a play that was originally called an interception. He seemed to be targeted another time, but another receiver stepped in front of him and caught the ball. The more important aspect for a tight end is to be able to block, something with which Tebow infamously struggled. He also didn't play on special teams, a kiss of death for a depth player tight end. “It was special teams," admitted Meyer, as to why Tebow was in this first round of cuts. "This whole roster management is really critical as we journey here into the next two weeks. Two of the special teams phases are tackling and he had never tackled. That’s what I found myself and I still find myself, all of us. Every off day we’ll have a two-to-three-hour meeting about roster management, and it comes down [to that] because we expect to be very good on special teams. The tight end position is one of those [positions], and tailback, if you can’t contribute on special teams, that’s a tough go.” The signing was met with criticism not so much because of Tebow himself, but because of the willingness on the coaching staff's part to bring in an older player for essentially an experiment, and risk taking a younger player's spot. A Jacksonville native, Tebow drew ample attention from fans at Jaguars practices, scrimmages and the first preseason game. For his part, the tight end stayed relatively out of the spotlight, as much as possible. He did not meet with the local Jacksonville media during his time with the club. The only time he mentioned his time with the Jaguars on social media, was when announcing he'd been released. As for what's next for Tim Tebow, he still has a standing job with ESPN and the SEC Network as a college football analyst, a role in which he has excelled. And as he said when inducted into the Gators ring of honor in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, "I was born a Gator, I played as a Gator. I'll die a Gator."

This was supposed to be a story about Jaydon Hill finally getting his chance to shine with the Florida Gators. It was going to recap his recovery and bided time while recovering from an ACL tear as a senior in high school. It was going to touch on his progress in 2020, all he learned from the corners before him and how he could be a perfect compliment to Kaiir Elam in the secondary. Then it took a turn. During the first week of fall camp, Hill suffered an ACL tear, something Head Coach Dan Mullen confirmed on Thursday. He will be out for the year. The tear is in the opposite knee than the knee in which Hill suffered a tear in high school. “Massive disappointment,” said Mullen on Thursday of Hill’s reaction. “Being ready for this opportunity to be the guy.” And Hill was going to be the guy. During SEC Media Days this summer, Mullen told reporters Hill would be a starter along with Elam at opposite corner. It would be a daunting task, stepping into the shoes of guys now in the NFL after playing the position for the Gators. But the day before fall camp began, Hill expressed to reporters how ready he was for the task. “I guess that’s more of a challenge for me this year, stepping up and fill his shoes and the past guys that are in front of me. I really take that as a challenge, to go out and dominate.” Hill—an Alabama native who left his home state to play for the Gators—had spent his time during recovery and as a backup to become someone worthy of being a Florida corner. “When I got here, honestly, I couldn’t even draw up a play besides Cover 3. I knew one defense, Cover 3,” joked Hill before camp. “But my game has progressed tremendously, my mindset off the field, in meeting rooms. I couldn’t even diagram an offense. Now I can draw up offensive plays, defensive plays and match them. “But honestly, I even feel like my game has progressed – not just weight room and strength-wise with my ACL last year – but off the field, in meeting rooms, and being able to take my game from the meeting room and apply on the field. To think faster and to play faster and all that.” While disappointment can easily rule the mind right now, Hill’s past ability to overcome and grow from a setback will be what pushes him forward. At least that’s how Mullen feels…mostly because he’s seen Hill do it before. “You’re looking at a young guy that’s been through this once and came out on the positive end on the other side,” noted Mullen. “I think he understands how to come through it, what he needs to do and how he can get through it and how it’ll improve. “I think with him knowing the program, knowing the defense, knowing his maturity, he’s a guy that’s going to be pretty comfortable, I think, saying ‘I put myself in the position to be a starter. I had this little setback, but I’ve worked hard. Nothing was ever handed to me. I had to work hard to be a starter.’” In Hill’s absence, the Gators will turn to younger guys and transfers. All names that were going to see action in some capacity this year. Now that development will just progress a little faster than planned, as Mullen explained. “There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for guys coming in. We have (Jadarrius) Perkins, transferred in, going to have an opportunity. Obviously, Avery Helm who I think is going to be extremely talented. Might just have to accelerate his career to get him on the field. (Ethan) Pouncey coming off the surgery is really kind of getting back to the player we thought he could be. There’s going to be some of those young guys that might just get a little more opportunity than they were expecting at this point.” Perkins is a Missouri transfer who entered the portal after spending the spring in Columbia. He originally spent two years at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (the same JUCO, at the same time, as Gator linebacker Diwun Black). While at MGCC, Perkins totaled 21 solo tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, an interception and five pass breakups. Ethan Pouncey redshirted his freshman season while recovering from a high school injury, meaning there’s little known about him at the collegiate level. His high school tape and measurables however make him one to watch. Avery Helm is also a redshirt freshman, who received playing time in the Cotton Bowl. Florida also signed Jason Marshall, a five-star out of Miami, ranked as the No. 2 cornerback prospect in the country. The Gators have had really good play from true freshmen at corner in recent years, so don’t be surprised if Marshall sees the field a lot before the end of the season. And what of Hill? This was supposed to finally, finally be his year. But while he won’t be on the field, it can still be another chapter in what could become quite a redemption story of Jaydon Hill’s journey with the Florida Gators. “If you’ve done that, if you know the path of hard work, how to get into that role, when you get knocked off course, you know how to get back there,” continued Mullen of Hill’s future. “If it was just handed something, maybe it was harder. But he’s worked his tail off to earn everything he’s gotten here. I think that makes it easier because you know how to get back there. 'I know that path. I know what I need to do, and I plan on being back full speed here shortly.’”

The Florida Gators held their first scrimmage of fall camp on Sunday. Under the lights in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Head Coach Dan Mullen's squad started to game work all of the installations they've been given for the 2021 season. Mullen met with local media on Monday evening to recap the scrimmage. He provided some of the most specific answers he's given in some time, willingly discussing players that reports had indicated had a good scrimmage; as well as some who didn't. GatorBait Magazine was alerted to a defensive heavy night, that featured bright moments from receiver Justin Shorter. Here is everything Mullen had to say about Sunday's scrimmage, as well as what it means next for the Gators, two weeks out from opening kickoff. Overall Impressions and [Lack Of] Injuries "Camp [is] going well. No new injuries, which is good. You know, I mean, not of any significance, just some bumps and bruises some, you know, guys here and there recovering from different things. Overall, scrimmage went pretty well. In scrimmage No. 1, you know, ‘cause that's kind of the wrap up of installation. "This week we get into a lot of situational football, a lot more situational football where we get to go apply everything, through all the installs, get to apply it into situations, watch guys make plays, see how they continue to grow, see continue to develop. "Moving along, excited where we're at, excited the attitude, the mindset, the team has. I think we're in a pretty good spot, and guys are working hard. I know we still got a lot of work to do, but we have a couple of weeks left before we got to kick it off so we'll get there.” The Gators will hold one more scrimmage next Sunday. Starting Roles Aren't Decided From This Scrimmage (If At All) "I don’t view it team-wise. I view it very individually where we’re at. You do a group and who’s working well together. There’s a lot of guys that I’ve seen play that have played a lot of football. A lot of times, they’re working to get themselves to the point where they’re ready to go play. So they’re working to get themselves ready and game-ready to go play. "Other guys are getting ready to show that they're ready to go on the field and make plays and their performance, and I think everybody gets so caught up to me -- and I talk to our team about this – is, you know, ‘Hey, I'm fighting for a starting job.’ I don't ever view that. "I told our guys, ‘You know, maybe we'll just rotate starters from one week to the next to stop worrying about it.’ Worry about if you are ready to go play and you're ready to go be in the rotation and a lot of that is finding, you know, where we're at at different positions within the rotation to go do things, and are guys performing and executing the offense, defense and special teams where we need to be to get ready to go play games?" The Scrimmage Helps Evaluate Readiness "It’s kind of that so if a guy has … it’s just part of the big picture of the evaluation, but it is a good part because, you know, I mean, you're in the stadium. If all of a sudden, if guys do really, really well practicing and every scrimmage they really struggle, is there an issue when the lights come on? You know what I mean? And then if guys perform at a high level in the stadium but not so much in practice, why is that and how do we get them to improve as a practice player for consistency purposes?” Quarterback Emory Jones and Receivers Perfecting Timing...But Emory Can Do It Himself If Needed “I think you see the things that those guys and the timing they have, the work they put in. Emory’s obviously, you know, one of the things we're always on him (about) is consistency of performance, but you also have to play to his strengths, you know, and one of the big things with Emory, it is he’s going to make some explosive plays out there. You want kind of efficiency and consistency all the time. That might not be his game every play. He’s going to miss some things here and there, but he’s going to make some explosive things on the other side of it - if that makes sense. "All the sudden, you’re like, ‘Boy, we got to hit that 90 percent of the time.’ And he might be in the 80 percent of hitting something, but there’s other things he can do that are so electric and that he can create that you don’t want to kind of box him in, you want him to play to his strengths. Obviously, I feel like his timing with the guys has gotten better. His control and understanding the offense; his reads I think have gotten much better of where to go with the ball; and his ability to create and make plays is pretty special.” Did the Defense Win? It's Not Possible To Tell According to Mullen “I don’t view anybody winning. I know people get into that. I just view in performance, were we executing? What were we trying to get out of it? Because you’re not going in, we’re 0-0, we had a scrimmage last night, team’s still 0-0. After next Sunday’s scrimmage we’ll still be 0-0. As a coaching staff that’s what’s important to it. There’s certain things we’re trying to get in. "I’m less concerned about the offense and defense winning a scrimmage or are we getting what we need out of it and the evaluation of the players, the coaches and within our execution and what did we want to see, what did we want to work on? That type of deal. If you sit there and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to run the quarterback to make sure we’re going to win the scrimmage.’ Or, ‘We’re going to run this blitz and we’re going to blitz and do this and do that.’ That’s just to try to win a scrimmage. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about the complete development and evaluation of the team.” Brenton Cox Is Purposely Being Brought Back Slowly, and Didn't Play In Scrimmage Edge rusher Brenton Cox suffered a minor foot injury over the summer. He has since recovered and is healthy enough to be a full-go. Still, coaches are being careful out of caution for one of their top defensive players. "He's doing pretty good, he's getting his work in, getting ready to go play. Obviously he's played a lot of football so it's not like a big deal. I didn't, I didn't have him take any reps in the scrimmage last night. I’ve seen him play in the Swamp before so that's not a necessary step for us with where we're at right now. Um, you know, and, you know with that though, it gives other guys opportunities out there. You know where you see like Antwaun Powell really stepped up and Lloyd Summerall, some of these young guys now get an opportunity to take that next step to get themselves, you know, working themselves into a rotation and earning reps.” O-Line Will Cross Train To Build Depth "It's good. You know Michael Tarquin's missed a couple of days, you know, but he’s, he'll be back hopefully tomorrow. You know, and then, so you know you have the trickle down effect but I think overall, they're doing pretty good. You know, get in there, trying to build—you know I mean in ours right now, it's trying to build who's ready to go play, you know, and if you look and say, 'Okay, you obviously love to get it up to the 10 number, you know where you're two deep across the board; but then you got to have some spares.' You know like you wanna have a pair and a spare. You know, so, you know, who's the one? You know because guys do the crossover so who's one, two and three? You know, who's your your one left tackle, who’s the two left tackle and who's the emergency left tackle in the same, you know, at every position. So I think that's starting to come along and guys are, you're seeing some, you know the consistency from some of the older guys and guys getting comfortable working together, you know, as well as the younger guys taking steps forward of getting themselves ready to get on the field and go play." Bonus: Mullen's Take On O-Line Recruiting "Pretty good, you know, we'll see. That's always one of the trickier ones because you know there's so much development that goes into that position, you know, with different guys but, you know, we'll see. I think we got a veteran group and some experience so hopefully it goes—it’s been going pretty well this year.” The Gators Will Be Multiple In the Slot, Based On Performances Thus Far “Well, you’ve got all kinds of different people. We’re going to move some tight ends, will do some more slot stuff, more than last year when we kind of played them more on the outside singled up. You have Jacob Copeland in the slot, Rick Wells in the slot, running backs can go into the slot. Trent Whittemore goes into the slot. You know, a lot of different type of deals creating the matchups where last year, you had some guys on the outside you’re creating 1-on-1s for if they wanted to leave them 1-on-1, or if they wanted to roll that, your slot was Kadarius Toney to create some mismatches that way. We’re kind of moving a lot more different pieces around.” Let's Talk About Anthony Richardson and His Touchdowns Mullen was often asked about quarterback Emory Jones' progress. Understandably so, since he is the presumed starter. But Mullen wanted to take some time to bring up his other quarterback as well, redshirt-freshman Anthony Richardson. "Nobody asked about Anthony. Anthony is doing an unbelievable job. Anthony had a huge night last night. I don’t like to share out information because you didn’t ask but …" Ok Dan, consider this us asking. “He had a huge night last night. Did really well, made a lot of great decisions. Very accurate. I think he threw three touchdown passes. "Obviously is a dynamic runner as well, making good decisions. I feel very comfortable with both guys [Richardson and Jones], which is a good thing. It helps in a way that they have similar skill sets even though they’re a little different in their sets and what they do well. But they’re are similarities in their ability to create, both with great arm talent and their arm talent to create and extend plays with their legs. It allows you, you don’t have to have one package or this package, and you can kind of coach in a similar style where if you see this look don’t be afraid to take off running. If they give you this, take it, right away. If they give us this look we want to take this play every time because this is a problem for them and both of them have that skillset that they can execute.”

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: MULLEN SPEAKS ABOUT THE SCRIMMAGE AND OTHER THINGS Monday afternoon Dan Mullen had a ZOOM meeting with the media. Here are a few of his more interesting comments: On what he sees of Emory Jones at quarterback: “A guy that’s gonna go out there and lead the offense and manage the offense, make good decisions when we need him to make a good decision and find the balance between when it is to make the average play and when it is to go let your talents do something spectacular. And find the balance between those two.” On the evolution of the offense from last year to this: “If you look at last year's offense, you had a dropback quarterback that was extremely accurate and you had some talented receivers that you could spread the field and they could win one-on-ones, so the defense at that point, you go watch, you're seeing a lot of drop eight in coverage, three-man rush. Saying, 'Hey, if we rush, if we create one-on-ones, this guy's going to take advantage of those one-on-ones that are out there.' This year's team, as you said, we're trying to find where our depth comes in. You have a couple running backs that have shown they're going to be ready to play. Both quarterbacks have shown they're ready to go play. Building up that number of receivers, that there's a group we feel comfortable with and a group that are still right on the edge. Same at tight end. The two we feel pretty comfortable with, a couple on the edge. And offensive line, you know, probably six, seven. Seven-ish we're getting comfortable with. Couple more right on the edge to get it there. But what you do is it's just going to change. You're going to be a different scheme. So you have different guys, different playmakers. You put guys in different positions that are out there on the field. Obviously the threat of quarterback run, whether it be a designed quarterback run, whether it be an option run or his ability to go scramble puts a lot of difference and a different type of pressure on the defense.” On Anthony Richardson: “He had a huge night last night. Did really well, made a lot of great decisions. Very accurate. I think he threw three touchdown passes. Obviously is a dynamic runner as well, making good decisions. I feel very comfortable with both guys, which is a good thing. It helps in a way that they have similar skill sets even though they’re a little different in their sets and what they do well. But there are similarities in their ability to create, both with great arm talent and their talent to create and extend plays with their legs. It allows you, you don’t have to have one package or this package, and you can kind of coach in a similar style where if you see this look don’t be afraid to take off running.” On Brenton Cox Jr.: "Yeah, he's doing pretty good, he's getting his work in, getting ready to go play. Obviously, he's played a lot of football so it's not like a big deal. I didn't, I didn't have him take any reps in the scrimmage last night. I’ve seen him play in The Swamp before so that's not a necessary step for us with where we're at right now … you know with that though, it gives other guys opportunities out there. You know where you see like Antwaun Powell really stepped up and Lloyd Summerall, some of these young guys now get an opportunity to take that next step to get themselves, you know, working themselves into a rotation and earning reps." On who plays the slot: “Well, you’ve got all kinds of different people. We’re going to move some tight ends, will do some more slot stuff, more than last year when we kind of played them more on the outside singled up. You have Jacob Copeland in the slot, Rick Wells in the slot, running backs can go into the slot. Trent Whittemore goes into the slot. You know, a lot of different type of deals creating the matchups where last year, you had some guys on the outside you’re creating 1-on-1s for if they wanted to leave them 1-on-1, or if they wanted to roll that, your slot was Kadarius Toney to create some mismatches that way. We’re kind of moving a lot more different pieces around.” GATORS NO. 13 IN ASSOCIATED PRESS PRESEASON POLL The AP preseason poll is out. Alabama is No. 1 and the usual suspects make up the rest of the top five. Is anyone surprised? You shouldn’t have been. These are the same five teams we knew would be in the top five back in January and unless something drastic changes, the same five teams that will start 2022 as the top five. It will pretty much be that way until the playoff expands. The Florida Gators are No. 13, which is two spots down from where they start the season in the Coaches Poll. Where Florida finishes is likely to be determined by three games: Sept. 4 Alabama; Oct. 16 at LSU; and Oct. 30 Georgia in Jacksonville. If the Gators win two of those three as long as one of the wins is Georgia, you can almost certainly pencil the Gators in the top five. 1. Alabama 2. Oklahoma 3. Clemson 4. Ohio State 5. Georgia 6. Texas A&M 7. Iowa State 8. Cincinnati 9. Notre Dame 10. North Carolina 11. Oregon 12. Wisconsin 13. FLORIDA 14. Miami 15. Southern California 16. LSU 17. Indiana 18. Iowa 19. Penn State 20. Washington 21. Texas 22. Coastal Carolina 23. Louisiana 24. Utah 25. Arizona State OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama: Nick Saban brought in former Utah and NFL quarterback Alex Smith (coached up by Dan Mullen at Utah) as a motivational speaker. Smith, who suffered a horrendous leg injury that required 17 surgeries, told the team, “Two years ago I was stuck in a wheelchair, staring down at my mangled leg, wondering if I’d ever be able to go on a walk with my wife again or play games with my kids in the yard. Putting my helmet back on was the farthest thing from my mind. But then someone did something that changed my recovery. He put a football back in my hands. I don’t know what it was but all of a sudden I felt stronger, more driver and what once seemed impossible began to come into focus.” Arkansas: The three-deep at quarterback is (1) KJ Jefferson, (2) Malik Hornsby and (3) Kade Renfro. Auburn: New HBC Bryan Harsin thought the defense did well at Saturday’s scrimmage. Harsin said, “…Overall, I thought the D-line played pretty well,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “I thought our linebackers — they were hitting it downhill — and then there were some negative plays that the defense created. I thought that front seven did well. Secondary, some good things back there.” Georgia: JT Daniels has signed an NIL deal with a trading card company that will pay $100 per autograph. Daniels plans to share half of his earnings with teammates. ESM, the company representing Daniels, says the deal could be worth seven figures. Kentucky: Will Levis, who was named the starting quarterback, played in eight games at Penn State last year, completing 33-55 passes for 421 yards and a TD while picking up 260 yards on the ground (3.17 per carry) for three touchdowns. LSU: Veteran D-lineman Neil Farrell says Jaquelin Roy and Maason Smith are going to “put on a show” this year. Roy is a 6-4, 302-pound sophomore who had 18 tackles last year while Smith, a freshman who was a 5-star recruit, is 6-6, 312. Mississippi State: South Alabama transfer Chance Lovertich isn’t really surprised that he finds himself in position to win for the starting QB job. After Monday’s practice he said, “I knew if I came out here and showed what I can do on the field, and got in some team situations, take care of what I can do, and make some plays, I knew that option would definitely be available for me.” Missouri: Wide receivers Jay Maclin and Mookie Cooper are uncertain for the season opener. Maclin has a fracture of his orbital bone and Cooper has a lower leg injury. Ole Miss: Asked for a comment on an open mic by wide receiver Braylon Sanders, Lane Kiffin responded, “I’m just here mentoring the youth of America.” South Carolina: One of the options at quarterback with Luke Doty out for an indetermined amount of time is Dakereon Joyner. He was recruited as a quarterback but has been working at wide receiver. HBC Shane Beamer said Monday, “Dakereon Joyner worked a little bit at quarterback today. He may play some quarterback in the first game.” Tennessee: Quarterback Brian Mauer missed Monday’s practice, the fifth straight practice he’s missed. He’s still listed on the UT roster however. Texas A&M: Following Saturday’s scrimmage Jimbo Fisher said, “Older guys are doing a good job making progressions across the board offense, defense and special teams. We are still so early, we have a lot of things to go. We are still in the installation parts.” Vanderbilt: As the Commodores begin week two of fall camp, HBC Clark Lea said, “There has to be urgency. There has to be a willingness to address the issues and to feel like every day, you're making progress toward the end goal.” FINEBAUM ON THE ACC, BIG TEN AND PAC-12 FORMING A SCHEDULING ALLIANCE The idea of a scheduling alliance between the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 might have seemed like a good idea at the moment to the dweebs in charge of those three conferences, but it didn’t even rate a raised fuzzy eyebrow from Paul Finebaum. When Finebaum speaks it’s quite often the same train of thought had by the higher ups at ESPN. If this alliance isn’t causing Finebaum’s putter to flutter, then it’s probably a big yawn for the ESPN folks, too. Here’s what Finebaum said: “I think it’s a desperate move that signifies absolutely zero. What difference does it make if the ACC, the Big Ten, the Pac-12 and anyone else schedule games? That already happens. It doesn’t affect the most important aspect of the Texas-Oklahoma move. The SEC has simply left everyone else in the dust and has the first true super-conference and the biggest brands and the best value in college football. You can get all the games you want between Southern Cal and North Carolina and Clemson and Michigan, and so what? We already have these types of games. We’re two-and-a-half weeks away from Clemson-Georgia, Ohio State-Oregon, Michigan-Washington — these games are on the schedule. "And, once the 12-team playoff shows up, whenever that is, it's going to make all this stuff even more obsolete. If you're sitting there in all these other leagues leagues, you've looked at the map and you've tried to do the math. There's simply no move. The Big 12 doesn't have a move. The ACC, short of Notre Dame changing it's mind, doesn't have a move. The Big Ten certainly doesn't have a move. So you meet your colleagues, you come up with contingency plans. You try to do anything you can to blame one person for every single thing that has happened. You try to blow up a 12-team playoff because of one person and that one person is Greg Sankey." ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: I have to admit I was stunned in reading a list of the top 101 college football coaches of the past 50 years by ESPN’s Bill Connelly to find Steve Spurrier at No. 13. There is no debating that Nick Saban and Bear Bryant should be 1-2 and you can make a case that the next four – Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne, Urban Meyer and John McKay – belong in the top six in some order, but when you have Dabo Swinney, Bill Snyder, Barry Switzer and LaVell Edwards finishing out your top 10 and Spurrier at No. 13, something is really, really wrong. He revolutionized college football offenses at UF but he also won an ACC title at Duke and won 11 games in three consecutive years at South Carolina. Nobody wins at Duke. Nobody does that at South Carolina.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: LAST WEEK OF CAMP BEGINS, TIME TO GET SERIOUS At the end of the week, August camp ends and Florida’s football players – particularly the freshmen who weren’t here in the spring – will start prepping for adventures in time management when they deal with going to class, football practice, team meetings and study hall. The week ahead is critical because it’s the last one when it’s all football for the players. Class and practice the following week and then it will be game week preparation for the season opener with Florida Atlantic on September 4. Mullen and his coaching staff will amp up the intensity in the days ahead but when he meets the media, he will almost certainly be as low key as he has the few times he’s dealt with the press so far. That is by design. Nobody knows better than Mullen that this is year four, the roster is made up mostly of players he’s recruited, and after 29 wins in three seasons it’s time to take the next step and that begins with closing out August with increasingly better practices. The Gators are outside the top ten of all but Sporting News right now, and that’s not a bad place to be, particularly since a little more than a month from now (September 18) Alabama will be coming to The Swamp. Mullen hasn’t been dodging questions in his press briefings, but he’s spoken in almost generic terms, not offering Nick Saban much more than he can read about the Gators in Athlon or Lindy’s. Florida fans, meanwhile, have been clamoring for any news they can get so while we wait for game one against FAU when we can see for ourselves how much progress has been made in August, here are three things to digest: (1) It will be a run-oriented offense for sure but it will not be ground and pound. Both Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson can throw the football and they will regularly, but instead of last year’s 60-40 pass-run ratio expect this to be something closer to 53-47 run-pass. From what I’ve been told, Emory has improved significantly as a passer since last year but he’s still a better runner than passer. Anthony is the better passer of the two, but he’s a fast, powerful runner although not as elusive and shifty. This is not going to be like last season when Trask ran either by surprise or necessity. This year both quarterbacks will run by design and on the option. Both will throw. Both are going to play. Right now, Emory Jones is the No. 1 guy. We’ll see if that lasts all season but both have the ability to be really, really good. (2) Although there isn’t one household name among the receivers (yet), they should be highly productive. It’s a contract year for both Jacob Copeland and Justin Shorter, who are draft-eligible and who need big seasons. Copeland’s issue in the past has been the drops, but everything I’ve heard is that he’s worked extremely hard to eliminate that problem. He is a legitimate deep threat. Shorter is huge (6-5, 228) and can turn on the jets. He ran mostly drag routes and underneath stuff last year but now that he has a full year in the Mullen system, a spring practice and an offseason going for him, he could have a monster year. Don’t forget, he was a 5-star recruit when Penn State signed him back in 2018. Trent Whittemore and Xzavier Henderson will be in the rotation outside as will Ja’Quavion Fraziars and Ja’Markis Weston. They all have speed and they’re all very big. I’m not sure there is a secondary in the SEC that can match up well with Florida’s receivers from a purely physical standpoint. I’m of the opinion that freshman tight end Nick Elksnis is going to be a star, maybe sooner than later. (3) The defense is ahead of the offense right now, which is fairly normal for this time of the year and perhaps a sign that things are getting back to where they should be. After last year’s meltdown, it is refreshing to hear there is proof of life on that side of the ball. Todd Grantham has depth and size in his front seven, which is where good defense begins. The Gators should be better against the run and the three-man inside rotation of Daquan Newkirk, Antonio Valentino and Gervon Dexter should be able to pressure up the gut, which was severely lacking last year. If the Gators get a push in the middle, the pressure on the outside will be really good. There is nothing like pressure on the opposing QB to make the secondary look good. Am I the only one who thinks Trey Dean III might have the season we’ve been expecting for the past couple of years? I expect Mohamoud Diabate to be beastly wherever he lines up in the front seven. RYAN LEAF GIVES EXCEPTIONAL MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH AT OLE MISS Ryan Leaf is best remembered as the can’t miss quarterback who missed. Completely. Selected second by the San Diego Chargers behind Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL Draft, Leaf was out of football by 2002 having thrown 14 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions. He had problems with drugs and spent time in prison for violating his probation when he broke into a home to steal prescription drugs. That was then. This is now. Leaf is now clean and sober and a motivational speaker with a story that needs to be shared. Over the weekend, Lane Kiffin brough Leaf to Ole Miss to speak to his team and the message was powerful, particularly the part about enjoying the moment because football isn’t going to last forever. Leaf said, “Football’s going to end, for some much sooner than you think. The average length of a career [in the NFL] is 2.8 years. There have been 336 Hall of Fame football players out of the 24,000 that have ever played. There’s only been 24,000 players who have ever played in the NFL, guys … in 100 years. There are only a thousand who have ever played eight-plus years. Do you know what the odds are that you’ll play in the NFL? They’re about as limited as you can. “Take everything that comes to you right now and enjoy every minute of it and understand that everybody wants to see you fail that are outside this room … that are outside these walls. But everybody inside it wants to see you be a success. Your coaches, your support staff, everybody wants to see you be successful. There’s an investment in you. Invest in them.” OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama: After Saturday’s scrimmage, Nick Saban said, “I think we have to place well around Bryce [Young]. At times today I didn’t think maybe we did as good a job as we need to. It’s all 11 guys. It’s the offensive line. It’s the receivers. It’s all 11 guys so that he’ll have more opportunities to make plays” … Offensive lineman Kendall Randolph, who backed up Alex Leatherwood last year, suffered an ankle sprain in Saturday’s scrimmage. No word yet on the severity. Arkansas: Athletic director Hunter Yurachek took a cleat to the face while on the sideline of Saturday’s scrimmage. In an obvious dig at former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, Yurachek tweeted out a video that he said would “validate that I was indeed at the scrimmage and not on a motorcycle.” Auburn: After Saturday’s scrimmage, HBC Bryan Harsin described his offensive line as “solid at times” but noted the unit was “a little inconsistent”… The standout wide receiver at the scrimmage was Georgia grad transfer Demetris Robertson. Georgia: Starting center Warren Ericson is expected back at practice next week. He’s recovering from a hand injury. Wide receiver Kearis Jackson, who had a knee procedure during the offseason, isn’t at 100 percent just yet and is limited to walk-throughs in practice. Wide receiver Jermaine Burton also had a knee procedure during the summer and is still not at 100%. Also held out of the Saturday scrimmage was tight end John FitzPatrick. Kentucky: Penn State transfer Will Levis has won the starting quarterback job, which prompted Joey Gatewood to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Gatewood transferred to Kentucky from Auburn so this would be a second transfer for him. Unless Gatewood is going to D1AA where he’s eligible immediately, he will have to sit out a year. LSU: Freshman wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has made such an impression that Coach O says, “I think he’s going to be one of the great receivers we’ve had here at LSU.” Thomas is 6-4, 190 and a former 4-star recruit. Mississippi State: Incumbent starter Will Rogers was 11-20 for 79 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s scrimmage while South Alabama transfer Chad Lovertich was 19-30 for 152 yards and a TD. Missouri: Missouri deputy athletic director Ryan Alpert is leaving for a deputy athletic director job at Tennessee. At Mizzou Alpert was in charge of both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. Ole Miss: Braylon Sanders, who averaged 26.4 yards on 14 catches last season, is expected to be the impact receiver for the Rebels this fall. HBC Lane Kiffin says, “If he has a good year from a height, weight speed, ball skill standpoint, he’s a potential first round draft pick” … Ole Miss reports that all players, coaches and support personnel have been vaccinated. South Carolina: Quarterback Luke Doty suffered a mid-foot fracture and minor ligament damage during Friday’s practice. With Doty out, the leading candidate to take over as the starter is St. Francis (PA) transfer Jason Brown, who threw for 3,084 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2019. The 2020 season was cancelled at D1AA St. Francis. Tennessee: Tennessee will add statues of Lester McClain, Jackie Walker, Condredge Holloway and Tee Martin outside Neyland Stadium. Texas A&M: Two weeks after his arrest for misdemeanor possession of marijuana, cornerback McKinnley Jackson was back at practice over the weekend. Vanderbilt: Last year’s starting QB Ken Seals is being challenged in preseason practices by Mike Wright. HBC Clark Lea has no plan to declare a starting QB any time soon. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 are soooo worried about what the Big Bad SEC and Mean Old Greg Sankey did to the Big 12 that they’re considering a scheduling alliance. Isn’t it interesting for all their bluster about how greedy Sankey and the SEC are that they’re busy taking about a scheduling alliance that doesn’t include the eight Big 12 leftovers? It’s a bit hypocritical actually. If Oklahoma and Texas had approached the Big Ten, ACC or Pac-12 about joining, they would have moved as stealthily as Sankey to add them to their leagues without once asking out loud how will the Big 12 survive? They know the Big 12 is on life support and they’re like a flock of vultures circling overhead before they swoop down to pick the bones of whatever is left even while it’s still breathing. If they do pull off this scheduling alliance, do the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 really think they’re going to move the TV ratings needle significantly? Other than Ohio State-Michigan or Ohio State-Penn State, the Big Ten is about as interesting as watching paint peel. Miami (5), FSU (3), Clemson (3) and Georgia Tech (1) have all won national championships since the last time Georgia won one, but more people are interested in Georgia than any of those ACC teams and Georgia isn’t even the top draw in the SEC. The Pac-12? Other than Southern Cal, who’s interested? Let them form their alliance and let them expand with the Big 12 leftovers. They still won’t touch the SEC and they know it.

The Coaches Poll came out earlier this week with the usual suspects ranked 1-5: (1) Alabama, (2) Clemson, (3) Oklahoma, (4) Ohio State and (5) Georgia. From the moment the final whistle blew, signaling the end of Alabama’s 52-24 win over Ohio State for the 2020 national championship, anyone who follows college football with any measure of consistency could have predicted those five teams would be ranked 1-5 in some order for 2021. The more things change, the more they stay the same. There are a few newbies in the rest of the top 10: (6) Texas A&M, (7) Notre Dame, (8) Iowa State, (9) North Carolina and (10) Cincinnati, the only Group of Five team to crack the top 10. This will be year four of the Dan Mullen era at Florida. The Gators were unranked in year one (2018) but they’ve started the season ranked eighth in the two years since. In the new Coaches Poll the Gators are No. 11. Florida’s highest 2021 ranking is from Sporting News, which places the Gators eighth, and the lowest is Phil Steele, who has UF outside his top 25. In between are Athlon at No. 11, Lindy’s and ESPN at No. 12 and CBS Sports at No. 13. So what are the Gators? Overrated at No. 8? Just right between 11 and 13? Or vastly underrated outside the top 25? Before examining Florida, let’s take a look at the 10 teams ranked ahead of the Gators in the Coaches Poll. Which teams might be a tad overrated will go a long way toward determining if the Gators can move up from their current position. You can make the case that Alabama is overrated even though there is so much talent in Tuscaloosa that Nick Saban could almost get the Crimson Tide into the SEC Championship Game by the force of his will. Alabama has had 10 offensive starters drafted in the last two years and this year the Tide breaks in a brand new quarterback (Bryce Young), who has never started a game and has the added pressure of a million dollars’ worth of NIL deals. One of those little details nobody seems to want to talk about is how big NIL deals are going to add tons of pressure on the shoulders of players. Circle that September 4 season opener with Miami and the game in Gainesville with the Gators two weeks later. Alabama’s national championship aspirations could be over almost before they can get their mojo going if they happen to lose those two games. You can make a case that Clemson is a year away, but overrated? If they win their season opener with Georgia in Charlotte on September 4, there isn’t a game on the schedule the Tigers won’t be favored by fewer than two touchdowns. Clemson replaces All-Interplanetary QB Trevor Lawrence but in his two true freshman starts last year DJ Uiagalelei looked like he might be every bit as good as Lawrence. The defense is young but still might be the best in the country. Scary thought. There are only seven seniors on the two-deep. Oklahoma seems to begin every year in the top five and sometimes makes the playoff, but the Sooners have yet to make it beyond the semifinal. This year they have the big target on their backs for joining Texas in abandoning their Big 12 brethren to join the SEC. Every Big 12 road game is going to be an old-fashioned hatefest, particularly the final game of the season at Stillwater against Okie State. Expectations are that Lincoln Riley will turn Spencer Rattler into his next Heisman Trophy quarterback but the offensive line has to be rebuilt and defense has never been the forte of any team in the Big 12. It’s easy to make a case that Oklahoma is overrated based on experience but there may not be even two losable games on the schedule. It is also easy to make the case that Ohio State is overrated. There isn’t a quarterback that has taken a collegiate snap and seven starters have to be replaced on a defense that Alabama torched for 52 points in the national championship game. None of this really matters because the Big Ten really isn’t all that good and none of the road games are all that difficult, even the season-ender against Michigan in the Big House. Ohio State can go 12-0, make the playoff and still be overrated. Not a year goes by that you can’t make the case that Georgia is overrated but other than Clemson in the season opener and Florida in Jacksonville on October 30, it might be difficult for Georgia to make it through the season with fewer than 10 wins. Of course, that’s true every year. Georgia is loaded with talent, but that’s true every year and the Bulldogs don’t win the national title. Safe to say, Georgia is locked and loaded for another run at one of those nifty near national championships. The last real one was in 1980, some 14,833 days ago. Texas A&M? If you were alive the last time the Aggies won a national championship (1939) then you’re probably pushing 90 years old, which means you’re hanging on and prayerfully asking God not to call you home until you can see history repeat itself some 82 years later. Until the Aggies prove they can make the SEC Championship Game – they’ve been in the league since 2012 and haven’t made it yet – consider them overrated. They will have a brand-new quarterback in redshirt freshman Haynes King to go against an SEC West schedule which means they play Alabama, which skunked them by 28 last year, and LSU (this year in Baton Rouge). Notre Dame has no business ranked in the top 10, not with only eight returning starters (two on offense, six on defense) from the team that lost in blowout fashion to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game and to Alabama in the CFP semifinal. Clemson isn’t on the schedule this year, but the Irish open the season at Florida State and they play Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Southern Cal and North Carolina. That’s not the kind of schedule conducive to a run at the national championship. This is rarified air for Iowa State, which is 94th all-time in win-loss percentage (.0456) in Division I. When the Cyclones won nine games in 2020, it marked only the second time they’ve won that many games in a season since they started playing football in 1892. It’s not exactly a killer of a schedule, but Iowa, Oklahoma State, (at) West Virginia, Texas and (at) Oklahoma is enough of an obstacle course that it’s impossible to look at Iowa State without thinking overrated. North Carolina might be underrated despite losing two thousand-yard rushers and its top four receivers. The entire offensive line is back to protect Sam Howell, who might be the nation’s best collegiate QB. Overall Mack Brown has eight starters returning on each side of the ball and a favorable schedule – Miami home and at Notre Dame back-to-back are the toughest games. Win those two and the Tar Heels have a very good shot at the ACC Championship Game and Clemson. Then there is Cincinnati, heavy favorite to repeat as the champs of the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats went unbeaten in the regular season last year but lost to Georgia in the Peach Bowl. It’s interesting that they make the top ten when you consider that UCF, also from the AAC, ran the table in 2017 capped off by a win over Auburn in the Peach Bowl and started out 2018 ranked 23rd in the Coaches Poll. The Bearcats have the best quarterback you may have never heard of in Desmond Ridder, but they have to find three new O-line starters and three on the D-line. They play Indiana and Notre Dame back-to-back on the road and UCF is the toughest conference game. There are losses on that schedule. Cincinnati will be good, but right now should be in the overrated category. Those are the teams ahead of the Gators in the Coaches Poll. If you examine all ten of them, it’s not all that difficult to make a case that Sporting News might very well have the Gators pegged exactly where they ought to be. The Gators have flaws, for sure. They’re replacing three of the most productive players in all of college football last season in quarterback Kyle Trask (4,283 passing yards, 43 TDPs), Mackey Award All-Intergalactic tight end Kyle Pitts (43-770, 12 TDs) and All-American wide receiver Kadarius Toney (70-984, 10 TDs), and last year’s defense was the worst in school history, which has everything to do with why Phil Steele ranks the Gators outside the top 25. Still, there is no shortage of returning talent. Mullen is a proven quarterback whisperer and offensive schemer and the defense just can’t be as bad as it was last year. Despite losing Trask, Pitts and Toney to the No Fun League, most of the experts agree that Florida will have a very good offense. Perhaps it won’t be as explosive in the passing game as it was the past two years, but Mullen has a quarterback with gifted feet, the most loaded running backs room he’s had since he began calling plays for Urban Meyer way back when, and an offensive line that has more starting experience than either of the past two seasons and the belief that there is something to prove. Emory Jones is the replacement for Trask and while experts agree unanimously that Mullen is one of the more gifted quarterback coaches in the collegiate game, the knock is that Jones has never started a college football game. The critics seem to overlook the fact that Jones was a 4-star QB in high school who was committed to Ohio State prior to Mullen becoming the Florida football coach in December of 2017. Now in his fourth year at UF, Jones knows the offensive system through and through, plus he’s played significant snaps in some of the biggest games against highly ranked teams. One other thing the critics forget is that Kyle Trask hadn’t started a game since his 9th-grade year in Manvel, Texas before he took over for injured Feleipe Franks in 2019. That worked out fairly well. Mullen has the same kind of confidence in Jones that he had when he sent Trask into the game cold off the bench to replace Franks at the start of the fourth quarter against Kentucky in 2019. All Trask did was rally the Gators from down 11 to a 29-21 win. “I had a lot of confidence in Kyle when we put him in the game, but he was going into a situation I have not seen him in a ton, and how he was going to handle that and he handled every situation that was thrown at him extremely well,” Mullen said. MY confidence in Emory as a player is extremely high. My confidence with his maturity is very high. Now he’s going to get put in situations we haven’t seen him have to handle.” Based on what he’s seen in three years from Jones, however, Mullen knows what to expect. Whereas Trask could take a two-yard opening and turn it into a five-yard gain, Jones can see that same opening and he’s 20 yards into the secondary before anyone has a shot at catching up with him. What nobody has seen enough of is Jones going through progressions, making the right decision and then throwing the ball where it’s supposed to go. Mullen has, however, and he knows he’s got a quarterback who can be a nightmare for whom defensive coordinators must game plan. “I guess the first thing with him is seeing a guy where the ball just jumps off his hand and a guy that has the ability to improvise,” Mullen said. Because Jones runs so well, the option comes back into play. Trask ran out of necessity more often than not. Jones will run by design and he’s got Dameon Pierce, Malik Davis, Nay’Quan Wright, Lorenzo Lingard and Demarkcus Bowman to pitch it to. When teams focus too much on the run, Jones has talented receivers like Justin Shorter, Jacob Copeland, Xzavier Henderson, Trent Whittemore and tight end Kemore Gamble to throw it to. If there is a problem it might be there is only one football to go around but that will only bring out the creativity in Mullen’s fertile offensive mind. More talented players on the field mean more problems for opposing defensive coordinators. A highlight of how his mind works to create mismatches, Mullen has hinted very strongly that the Gators are going to be using two running backs on the field. “I wouldn’t be shocked to see us with multiple running back packages this year with more than one running back on the field at a time a little bit more than we’ve done maybe in the past,” Mullen said. It probably won’t be the traditional two running back set but instead will utilize one in the slot and one in the backfield. Just ask Georgia if Mullen knows how to incorporate a running back into the passing game. The past two seasons, the Gators have been among the most inexperienced in the country along the offensive line but this season there are five with starting experience and backups who have been in the system for two or more years. More important, because there was spring football and an offseason strength and conditioning program, Stewart Reese believes the Gators will be able to run the ball more consistently this year because they will be more physical and in better condition than last year. “Physicality is going to be a big part of the season this year,” Reese said. “Like I said before, having Emory back there and having the running backs from last year, we’re going to be able to do a lot more damage from the run game.” Reese (6-6, 345) ended the spring as the starting center, flanked by Ethan White (6-5, 319) and Josh Braun (6-6, 352) at the guards with Richard Gouraige (6-5, 313) and Jean Delance (6-5, 307) at the tackles. There is some flexibility with Reese able to play and having started the other four spots on the line in his collegiate career and Kingsley Eguakun (6-4, 303) a smart, physical guy who can take over at center. There are plenty of theories about the demise of the defense last year, which dipped from 9th nationally in 2019 to 83rd in 2020. Linebacker Jeremiah Moon, back for a sixth season, believes that spring football and offseason conditioning are going to make a huge difference in the Gators making a comeback to playing stout defense once again. The Gators missed out on spring practice in 2020 and there was no offseason conditioning. “I definitely missed everybody during quarantine [in 2020],” Moon said. “I know we couldn’t really be together, but I would say both mentally and physically played a big role. Obviously, the mental part, you have your guys pushing you ever rep. Then the physical part. I know everybody went off and did what they wanted to do.” The structure and discipline from the spring seems to have carried over during the offseason. Attitudes are good. Expectations are high again. Moon believes the days of Florida playing soft like they did last year have come and gone, replaced by a team with something to prove. “I think we’re going to be nasty,” he said. Another reason the Gators might belong in the top 10 is the talented transfers they’ve added who will be blending in with returning starters like Zachary Carter, Ventrell Miller, Mohamoud Diabate, Brenton Cox Jr., Kaiir Elam and Trey Dean. Florida has two experienced tackles with size and the ability to both stuff the run and pressure up the gut in Penn State transfer Antonio Valentino (6-3, 312) and Daquan Newkirk (6-3, 308). Juco transfer Diwun Black is versatile enough to play any of the linebacker spots or even as the STAR, which is a hybrid safety/linebacker. Corner Jaydon Hill went down with an ACL, but the Gators have experienced replacements in transfers Jedarrius Perkins (Missouri) and Elijah Blades (Texas A&M). The distance that separates the Gators from the bulk of the teams ranked ahead of them in the Coaches Poll isn’t all that great. In fact, a case could be made that Florida is in far better shape than three or four of the higher-ranked teams. On paper there might be a gap between Florida’s talent and that of the top five teams, but that doesn’t take into consideration that more than 90 percent of the Florida roster is made up of players Mullen specifically recruited for his system. He is no longer blending in guys he recruited with guys left behind by the previous regime and he is quite comfortable with the guys he will send out to play. Finally, there is the scheduling factor. Circle three games on the UF calendar: Alabama on September 18, (at) LSU October 16 and Georgia in Jacksonville October 30. As long as one of them is Georgia, if the Gators win two of those three games there is every good chance they will make a return to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. Playing at Kentucky on October 2 and home against Florida State on November 27 could present some problems, but the Gators should be favored by 7-10 points at least in both games. So, underrated? Yeah, you could say Phil Steele seriously underrates the Gators. For someone who claims to be the king of the preseason magazines, he seems to have missed the mark on the Gators by a substantial margin, assumptions largely based on the departed offensive firepower that will play for pay on Sundays this fall and last year’s disaster of a defense. The offense is going to be different but it will not lack for firepower or the ability to put points on the board. The defense is going to be a surprise for Mr. Steele and everyone who grew accustomed to the Gators giving up one big play after another last year. Overrated? It’s hard to say Sporting News is wrong to place the Gators at No. 8. Given a schedule that presents only three true challenges and talent that is superior to some of the higher-ranked teams, No. 8 would seem to be a reasonable place. About right? Mullen probably wouldn’t argue that point. If anything, he can use Florida starting the season outside the top 10 as a reason to put a huge chip on the shoulder of the Gators. It’s hard to make up substantial ground on higher ranked teams if you start too far out – see Auburn 2004, which went unbeaten but didn’t get a chance to play for the national championship after starting the season at No. 18 in the polls – but if you’re within striking distance of the top 10 and you have Alabama at home in game three, then UF could go from a team on the fringe to legitimate contender before the 2021 season hits October. “Our focus is always on worrying about all the things we can control and things that – don’t worry about the things that we can’t control,” Mullen said. The Gators don’t control where the experts have them ranked right now. What they can control is where they will be ranked once the season begins and winning is the cure-all for that.

For some reason I keep seeing Urban on the sideline at dusk, assuming the readiness crouch that he always prefers, staring into the bright lights of the old Gator Bowl and suddenly realizing: “Oh my God, what have I done?” Except I know him a lot better than that. At about 6:55 Saturday night, Urban Meyer will strap on his headset again, adjust it slightly as he scans a sea of faces in a rejuvenated TIAA Bank Field, hard against the north-flowing St. Johns River, resuming his illustrious coaching career in yet another discomfort zone. At age 57, in a somewhat familiar territory but slightly unfamiliar role, one of America’s premiere football coaches will once again be pushing the envelope, and himself, to go higher, harder, stronger. It’s going to be Coach Meyer again. And football just got better. Even though it’s a bit of a conundrum. Why would an uber-successful college coach with a Hall of Fame legacy choose a tortuous path in the NFL that guarantees a collision course with parity, plus pain and suffering for a while. Did he know what he was getting into in the NFL where it’s a good year if you lose you half of your games? For some reason I keep seeing Urban on the sideline at dusk, assuming the readiness crouch that he always prefers, staring into the bright lights of the old Gator Bowl and suddenly realizing: “Oh my God, what have I done?” Except I know him a lot better than that. He is a “measure twice/cut once” guy who, if anything, overthinks every scenario. An educator who’s not only done his homework – he’s written the curriculum. Just as he did for his manifesto “The Plan To Win” at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State where he amassed 187 victories. “Urban,” Steve Spurrier once told me, “has a plan for EVERYTHING!” But if he had one to coach the Jaguars, it was well disguised. Over the last year in more than 20 conversations during the “Best Fridays in Football” podcast we did together, as he was pondering whether to re-up at Fox for Big Noon Kickoff or pursue coaching job offers, we spoke frankly about everything from the joy of winning, fear, faith, appreciation of life, admiration of others, etc. When he came to the rumors of him going Southern Cal, Texas or even Kalamazoo or Timbuktu, Urban opted out on the response. I learned later it was about more than just going for the NFL Brass Ring. “The college opportunities kept showing up,” Urban said. “And one day I looked at my spring schedule … with Covid and all. I had been doing a lot of speaking, etc. And really it was kind of blank. And I said, ‘what am I gonna do?’” He was measuring twice (or three of four times) before cutting as he studied the assets and the owner in Jacksonville. He already knew the territory because he spent long hours recruiting there – plus he and his wife Shelley were already living in Florida as parttime residents with a home on the West Coast near Longboat Key. We old guys have a saying around here, for those who want to put us in the grave before our time: “Singers gotta sing. Writers gotta write. Coaches gotta coach.” Eventually, Urban heard the clarion call. One day while walking to the Fox studios in Los Angeles, Urban phoned his friend Jimmy Johnson, whose own plan to win brought him both a CFB national championship and Super Bowl. Urban was leaning toward the NFL, but wasn’t sure if it was the right move. “‘At this point in your life -- and you’re the right age -- you’ve earned the right to do whatever you want to do,’” Johnson told him. That’s when he seriously began considering options. Seemed like every time a college job came open, they said their No. 1 candidate was Urban Meyer. Reflecting on the changes in the college game – the transfer portal, opting out, name-image-likeness -- plus the intensity of recruiting year-round, Meyer concluded perhaps it was time for him to go pro. He just could not face the notion of getting back on a plane to make another for another talent roundup. And so began his year-long inquisition wth 25 former players and coaches who had experienced the NFL. He learned about roster management, the Jags’ available draft choices, their ample salary cap room and, finally, after meeting owner Shad Khan three or four times for long conversations, he said “yes.” Khan, he says, is “one of the most selfless, non-ego driven people I have ever met. He wants success not for just himself, but the entire City of Jacksonville. And he’s been amazing in business – I have no idea how much he’s worth. I’m and going and going to MAKE him write a book!” Before Meyer ever coached a game, the Jags owner whipped out his checkbook and announced he was building a new $441 million downtown facility that included a Four Seasons Hotel and a brand-new football complex. In other words, he’s not hiring Urban for a cup of coffee. The Meyer era begins Saturday night with a huge investment and the expectation that Urban will be Jags coach a long, long time. And BTW, he’s brought Tim Tebow and Charlie Strong with him, who have their doctorate in winning. The first time I ever heard of Urban Meyer was when he was on the staff of Sonny Lubick at Colorado State. The legendary talk radio show pioneer and former elite college referee Irv Brown told me about this hard-ass receivers coach that he labeled “a young Bear Bryant” because of his demanding demeanor. Lubick called Urban in his office and informed him the Rams’ No. 1 recruit had just quit “because of you.” Urban later admitted he was an “out of control coach” who was just trying make his bones. When I finally met him as Florida coach in December of 2004, we spoke in a press conference and seemed to make a connection. And over the years our relationship grew, to the point where I was asked if I had an interest in doing a book with him. I quickly said yes. Two months into the process, I got a call in Augusta from his aide who said Urban wasn’t comfortable doing the book right now because he was upset about the conduct of a player he had just dismissed. “If I were you, I’d go ahead and keep working on the book,” he said. “Because one day Urban will turn to me and say, ‘whatever happened to that book we were and going to do?’” So I did. And about 18 months later the book “Urban’s Way” (St. Martin’s Press) was born. It sold well. That’s why I said that before kickoff Saturday night, Urban will look up and say, “Oh my God, what have I done?” And then he will do it very, very well.

One week into the Florida Gators fall camp, head Coach Dan Mullen has a better sense of his team. He met with local media on Thursday to recap practices the past week, talk quarterback Emory Jones, the ACL tear for Jaydon Hill, updated COVID protocols and more. As a valued GatorBait subscriber, we are happy to offer this transcript in full. And stay tuned this weekend! Your mailboxes will be getting another Express Issue: Fall Camp Edition! Opening statement “Back to the Zooms. Hope everybody is doing alright. Getting ready. Obviously first good week of training camp right now with our guys. Pretty good attitude, guys working hard. We’re over there at the Rec fields, getting out there and get that training camp mentality. It’s been pretty good. You’ve got your normal bumps and bruises. Got a couple – Robert Carlson is going to be out for the year with an ACL. Jaydon Hill tore his ACL. He’ll be out for the year. Very unfortunate when you’ve got to deal with injuries. It’s really a tragedy with the amount of work that these guys put in, how hard they put in. Both of them were non-contact injuries. Just kind of a shame that stuff happens out there on the field. Besides that, everybody else is kind of, you know, your normal bumps and bruises that guys miss part of a practice or limited or banged up or one day rest and back the next day. Everything else, I think the training camp is going pretty well. We’re still in the installation phase of things right now. We’re going to continue to install through the weekend and the plan is to have our first scrimmage on Sunday. I’m hoping we get through Saturday morning’s practice which would really put in the Saturday afternoon-Sunday-Monday schedule is a little influx right now right now because on the weather, so we might be mixing up some of those days around to make sure we get the right thing, so don’t get frustrated if we have to change schedules on you at the last minute, but that’s kind of what we have going on right now.” How do you address loss of Jaydon Hill and who do you look to? “There’ll be a bunch of guys. You’re still in training camp. There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for guys coming in. We have (Jadarrius) Perkins, transferred in, going to have an opportunity. Obviously, Avery Helm who I think is going to be extremely talented. Might just have to accelerate his career to get him on the field. (Ethan) Pouncey coming off the surgery is really kind of getting back to the player we thought he could be. There’s going to be some of those young guys that might just get a little more opportunity than they were expecting at this point.” LAST TIME YOU SAW EMORY ON FIELD BEFORE CAMP? AREAS OF GROWTH YOU'VE NOTICED? "It would have been, what? Last spring practice, because we're not allowed to be out there with a ball. I mean we do some walk-through stuff here and there or discussions at meeting times. But not on the field; would have been our last spring practice that we had. So as you go through different things with him, I just think he's approached everything very well. But he's approached things great since he's been here. I think he's never been a guy to come in, always been a guy that's open, learning, willing to adapt, learn how to adjust to the role he's in, learn how to grow and continue to grow through different roles. I think he's been able to do a really good job of that. And so I think when you do that and you've seen how everybody approaches things and you approach things the right way, which he has through his whole career, I think, 'Hey, this role, I know what to expect and I'm expecting kind of maybe the additional scrutinies and pressures coming into the season.'" PLAYERS RAVING ABOUT GERVON DEXTER, YOU SEEING WHAT THEY SAY ON HIM BEING A BEAST THIS SEASON? "You know, I don't... you know me, I don't go to those extremes maybe with compliments. Right? But the one thing to me that Gervon, that I like that I've seen... obviously we know he's got physical talents. But one of the things that you see is different is his maturity, is his understanding that, you know, 'Hey, I have these physical talents but I also have to understand and play within the scheme. I have a job to do on every single play. I've got to complete my assignment. And my approach to how I come out and play,' I think he's shown a great deal of maturity within it. It's maturity and that leads into leadership. Maturity leads into his better preparation and maturity and understanding of, 'Hey, I'm not just this big guy running out here trying to make plays, I'm out here trying to execute the defense.' And I think that's what's really shown to me." What is your comfort level with the offensive line? "Kingsley's really been a guy that's embraced it. We rotate, in spring we rotate a lot of guys through because you've gotta have depth at that position. The other positions you've gotta block but there's an extra skill involved with the snap at that position so you want to create depth. He's a guy that really kind of jumped and embraced that role. He's a guy that, 'I'm not here getting reps, I'm not here preparing.' Really, to me, his approach since last spring is, 'I'm here to be the starting center.' I mean he's really approached it with that kind of attitude and mindset and it shows. With the mental aspect that goes with it, the leadership, he's embraced everything that comes with being the center and wanting to go be the starter." Kingsley chosen for the leadership council as a freshman "I just think you look at guys, find guys that are going to fit that mold in the future. he's extremely intelligent. He has a very high care factor, really loves being a Florida Gator, and represents the program well. When you look at some of, especially those things outside of that, it's guys that want to embrace those types of roles and he's someone who has wanted to do that.'' Emory retention from spring to fall "Really good. I think he has a good grasp. He obviously has a really good grasp of the offense, been around a couple of years. I think it's really getting into more of how to function, how to use the offense, constantly on accuracy, balance, making all his different types of throws that he needs to make and then his comfort level of how to make plays and when to make plays. We limit some of that in practice. You have the freedom to scramble today. There will be days where I won't give him that freedom, you have got to stand in the pocket. Then you actually gotta coach beyond that and say, 'hey, I hope you would have scrambled in that situation, because there was a huge running lane and go take advantage of it. We give him a lot of different things. I think his grasp of the offense is really good. It's getting him prepared in every situation in how to be the best playmaker he can be." Tyreak Sapp "We're hoping. On our end everything's done. Now it's just waiting on other people." How are are Nick Elksnis and Marcus Burke fitting in? “They’re doing good, learning. There’s a lot of learning curve. They’re out there getting reps. You can see both of them are going to have really bright futures with us with how they play. They both have excellent skill sets. Obviously Nick has a little advantage having gone through spring. He had the opportunity to go through spring, so coming out there he at least knows how practices work, knows what’s going on, he’s run the plays in the offense once before. Both of them are going to have really good futures with us.” Jaydon same knee (right) as high school? “Other one.” Anthony Richardson wearing No. 15 and responsibilities that come with that? “The nice this is, I think he was 2 and he said, can I go to 15? I looked at the roster, I don’t know who was 15, wasn’t Copeland 15 last year. He had already changed out and so Anthony got to me and there wasn’t a waiting list at 15, there’s a huge waiting list at 2, of people that want jersey No. 2. So I said what an easy benefit to get somebody, right, there’s not a waiting list for 15, but there is for 2.” Fenley Graham a returner, who else looking at? “Fenley coming out of high school, obviously everybody knew that was a guy that was very much a utility player, a really good football player, can return punts, can return kicks, can move him around defensively. A guy who has a really natural instinct for the ball. Obviously in the return games he’s up there big. Trying to work Demarkus Bowman into that situation to return kicks. For new guys, I’m trying to think who else we got back there … we really just started with kickoff return so I haven’t seen those guys do that. Punt return, obviously you have Xzavier Henderson back there, Kaiir Elam, guys that have been back there in the past to go do that stuff as well. We’re just kind of working through those things with that. Ja’Markis Weston is a guy I’m really excited to see in a kickoff return role possibly. We kind of really have been more on technique and individual part of special teams rather than the return game and the full-on scheme; that’s coming in the next week.” How do you feel about the NCAA acclimation period? “Ahh, I don’t know. It is what it is. They create the rules. I would do it very differently for the health and safety of players. The acclimation period, the one big thing they did was allow the little spider little protective things on you’re non-padded days, so I think that helped. For the first time probably in a long time we didn’t have injuries in the first two days probably because of that. I don’t know. You put on full pads one day earlier. Could they change it back a day? Sure. Absolutely. I don’t think there would be an difference in that one way or another. I don’t know that that made a factor. I think the biggest factor, as always, is them trying to cram 25 practices into 29 days, which is a lot. The health, all the experts say the more rest and recovery you have the healthier the team will be so I don’t know why we weren’t able to start two or three days earlier and add more off days. Today is one of our first recovery days within the calendar. I would have liked to have already had one already before this. But because you have to cram the practices in, it does hurt that way and, honestly, it’s not even the physical. It’s the mental health of players of giving them a little bit of breather time. We try to work the schedule as best we can to help them and get them all prepared. But, you know, you have these 25 days of practices set up and you’d love to do them over 32 days and give everybody a little bit more time of rest and recovery in between.” Voice gone? “That’s just football. I’m of my summer chill voice, right? I don’t scream Jimmy Buffett tunes that loud when I’m in the summertime, so you’re kind of like a little more chilled voice. In season, you kind of pick up voice and have to yell a little bit. I think I’m doing pretty good, to be honest with you, with my voice. I didn’t come in like this and I’m not all the way full Nick Savage yet. I’m doing OK.” Jaydon Hill’s mind-set after this? He think he has a shot next year? “Absolutely. I think massive disappointment. Being ready for this opportunity to be the guy, but you’re looking at a young guy that’s been through this once and came out on the positive end on the other side. I think he understands how to come through it, what he needs to do and how he can get through it and how it’ll improve. I think with him knowing the program, knowing the defense, knowing his maturity, he’s a guy that’s going to be pretty comfortable, I think, saying I put myself in the position to be a starter. I had this little setback, but I’ve worked hard. Nothing was ever handed to me. I had to work hard to be a starter. If you’ve done that, if you know the path of hard work, how to get into that role, when you get knocked off course, you know how to get back there. If it was just handed something, maybe it was harder. But he’s worked his tail off to earn everything he’s gotten here. I think that makes it easier because you und how to get back there. I know that path. I know what I need to do, and I plan on being back full speed here shortly.” Tebow with the Jags – been able to see any footage? “I haven’t. How’s he doing? I’m in, like…I’ll be honest with you. If you tell me about anything goes on in the world right now, it would be news to me. If it doesn’t involve Florida football, I have no idea that it’s actually happening.” Would Tebow be one of the few guys who could make that transition? “I never put anything past Tim, of doing things. You know what I mean? We’ll see. I’m not there. I think he could. He’d be an interesting guy in that position because I think he brings different value of a guy that has a different skill set, right? It’s kinda like —hey, it’s a guy that has developed a unique set of skills through the years that makes him very dangerous to people like them or whatever. What’s that movie? Liam Neeson? Taken? I think that’s kinda cool. You want to be a guy with a very unique set of skills. That’s an all-time classic movie, too. That is a great movie." Movie banter about Liam Neeson “He did it so perfectly in that role, so…I would. I don’t want…I would have it slightly ahead of Replacements. Just slightly.” Do you really have a waiting list for jersey numbers? “I mean if you really wanna see it, like I’m gonna just go, ‘ok anybody—we’re gonna open up jersey numbers. Every jersey number has been cancelled. You need to be outside my office and we’re gonna reassign jersey numbers.’ And I’ll let you guys handle it. It’s like the craziest, I’m like, ‘ok what number?’ 'I want this number but if you don’t have that, I want this number.’ I’ll get text and I’m like ‘put them in order.’ It’s like 10 different numbers in order of what they want.” Should put a sign up outside the door. “It’s unbelievable. It’s just crazy. You know what I was gonna do, I was just gonna assign them weekly so every week, everybody has a different jersey number. That would give everybody the experience of playing in the different jersey numbers.” Opponents would hate that while scouting “I’m sure, I’m sure—if there isn’t a rule, there’d be one. Like you can’t wear a t-shirt right before the game.” New Dan Mullen Rule “More Dan Mullen rules.” Georgia would hate it. You probably have a section in the rule book; all the rules because of Dan Mullen. (Laughs) “Oh” You didn’t play for or coach with Bobby Bowden, but any sort of impact on you in scheme, etc? “Absolutely. You know he came to speak, when I was at Mississippi State, he came and spoke for us there. You know, being around him, you study him—obviously schemes. I thought he was, you know, a pretty unique innovator, during the, of the game of football; a lot with the shotgun and no huddle offense’s and very much an innovator in the game that way, you know. And then, obviously, one of the things you see, guys that have a long period of success, they must be doing something right. Obviously, it's so many amazing things right over that long period of success, but even more importantly—to me as a coach—is, you look at how people, you know, where they hold them. Obviously, not just—it’s, one thing is the respect that coaches have as a peer. But I think what’s even more telling is all the respect his former players have and the impact he made on their lives which is so special, which really shows you, not just that he was a great coach and an innovator of the game and made an impact on the game that way. But even more importantly, made an impact on so many young men’s lives, I think is what what really makes him so special.” Thoughts on the competition at kicker? "Yeah, it'll be a good little competition between those two guys. You know, obviously, Chris has been with the program since I've been here and I've seen unbelievable improvement of him from one year to the next within our program. I think, comes into the year with a lot of confidence. And then obviously, Jace, knowing Jace, recruiting Jace out of high school, having him play for me. Heck, you know, I mean he scored the points the last time we were in a stadium and I was just on the opposite sideline this time. He's the one that scored the points when we went out there to play him a couple years ago at Mississippi State against us. So, I know that he has experience and a background. So, it'll be a good little battle for those two guys, but I think they work together and it gives us the opportunity to make sure we have two kickers that are ready to go play." Your guys are saying the right things about NIL, focus is on football. Is that your message or their own? "I think they're feeling their way through it all right now. I think everybody is, you know? I mean, it's just kind of still continuing to feel their way through it, finding all the different things going on. I'll be honest with you, I think our guys probably, the most part are very focused on football and that's consuming a massive amount of time right now in everybody's lives. So, you know, there's probably not that time to sit there and say, 'Okay, how am I doing this deal? How am I working this? How am I working that?' when their focus is football and being better in football right now. So, we discussed it, we had a little team meeting earlier today to discuss a couple of little small factors in it. But all of those are still growing deals and making sure we're doing it the right way, following the law the right way, how are we doing it? As we continue to learn, here's some different information to continue to give them, you know? But guys come up and they're asking questions all the time. I think you're going to continue to see, you know, little things here and there that guys are continuing to work on." On the changes with COVID protocols, and the discussions with health officials at UF health "We're still educating and learning. We had a big meeting the other day, looking at the curve and the expected curve and trying to continue to educate our guys. We kind of switched back to - we're not mandatory masks in anything we do, but highly encouraged especially in any sort of team or positional meeting when we're indoor confined spaces. See, I brought my mask up here today, too, that I had on. And I think our guys understand that and have done a pretty good job of that, of understanding that and having been through it. And we know, little bit more educated on the situation of preventative aspect of it and where to be comfortable and how not to be, and what not to do. So, we have changed that since we've gone, but we have not put any mandates in on anybody. We continue, you know, our vaccinations continue to increase - I don't know the exact number. We're not at 100%, but we're really, very, very, very high that way. We're at a grade that you could bring home to your parents, you wouldn't have to hide that report card. We're at that percentage where you'd be proud to bring your report card home with our percentage number on there. But we're just continuing to educate and learn but haven't gone full on to mandatory anything just yet." On mental health issues in athletes "I mean there's a lot. I mean obviously we're involved in their lives, you're very much a family, so you're very connected that way. You know year around. I mean, anytime you have a serious injury that takes something away from you, you know. I mean guys that would give anything to just have an opportunity to go compete and be out there on the field with our teammates, I think that's what makes people special is that their desire to get out there want to just go in and in compete with their teammates and when you know you've worked so hard that gets taken away from you. It's really difficult. We’re there with our guys you’re a family you understand it, we have a big support system and then checks and balances to be honest with you. Making sure, you know, I mean we do have our counselor programs set up that guys meet with, you know, there's some that we kind of we push into the meeting some that request it, but others are that you know as you pay very close attention, I mean you have to have a great relationship. The great thing in training camp you're around the players so much that you usually can catch any issues or problems that are out there and get them the help and assistance they need. You know, to, to battle through different issues and problems that they have and you know the biggest thing I tell our guys is the hardest problem for me to fix is one I didn't know existed. So if I don't know a problem exists it's really hard for me to fix so we just have a constant open communication. We start every staff meeting with player issues, what have you noticed, you know, does anybody even have a faraway look in their eye, is anybody sad about something in the training room you know and and everybody in the program, is there something that we're missing or that people aren't talking about that we can help our guys out with." There’s a long line for No. 36 right? "I mean, seriously, if you want to get special treatment on the team, why would you wear 36? You're going to be, you're going to be looked through like rose-colored tinted glasses. No. 36 It's hard to scrub, you know."