HOOVER, AL—Welcome to talking season, where the quotes are many and the opinions are greater. With the kickoff of SEC Media Days, the season feels right around the corner. And in some ways, it is, with the Gators set to start their 2021 season against Florida Atlantic in six and a half weeks. After a year which saw some of the highest highs and lowest lows in a decade, the Gators are an interesting team this offseason. We feel we know so much about them after recent success, but also must acknowledge we know so little about this team. Head Coach Dan Mullen was the first coach up to the podium this week, and spoke often of a team that will inevitably look different than the 2020 version of the Gators. But, as he told local reporters before starting the round of media, “I think our team has a better sense of itself.” He credits that largely to a return to a true offseason program, following a truncated COVID year. Getting the first long-form opportunity to speak with players and coaches in over a year means there were ample topics to cover for the Gators. As the week goes on, we will spend time diving deep into things Mullen and players discussed in length, such as the defense, new Name, Image and Likeness laws, Emory Jones and the units that keep Dan Mullen up at night. In the meantime however, here are five quick hits from things Mullen discussed on Monday at SEC Media Days. *Video of his time with local media is at the bottom of the page Two Defenders, But No Emory? Typically teams are allowed to bring three players to SEC Media Days. In an effort to mitigate transmission of the new easily transmissible Delta variant, the SEC asked teams to bring only two players this year (also allowing for fewer school personnel required for each player). In the past, teams have tried to split those players amongst offense and defense, with one star offensive player in the mix. Mullen has typically leaned towards bringing veteran leaders, who have earned a spot of respect amongst the team. It’s considered an honor to be chosen. But there is also typically a quarterback in the mix. While at Mississippi State, Mullen drew the ire of the league office when he didn’t bring quarterback Dak Prescott to Hoover for the annual event. As such, while it would’ve been perhaps expected, it’s not wholly unsurprising that Mullen elected not to bring junior quarterback Emory Jones to the media event. This is Mullen’s fourth media days since becoming the head coach at Florida, and he’s only ever brought a quarterback once; it was Feleipe Franks in 2019. Franks was the returning starter. Jones—while technically returning as one of the leagues more experienced passers—is not a returning starter. This will be his first season taking the reins. So instead, Mullen brought defensive lineman Zach Carter—who asked to come—and linebacker Ventrell Miller. “I try to bring guys that have the experience and veteran guys that have almost earned the right to be here within the team,” Mullen explained. “I know maybe everybody doesn’t always love that. I always get questions on who you bring. I went to one a couple years ago where I wouldn’t bring seniors. I would only bring underclassmen because seniors already get a lot of attention. And then they flipped out because I didn’t bring Dak Prescott. But I kind of do it for you guys. I don’t know if there’s two more guys that have really earned the right to be here more than Ventrell and Zach.” COVID Vaccination Rates Amongst Gators According to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, “Right now 43 percent of our football teams, that's 6 of 14, have reached the 80 percent threshold in roster vaccination. That number needs to grow and grow rapidly. We have learned how to manage through a COVID environment, but we do not yet have control of a COVID environment, and that finds us preparing to return towards normal this fall, but we see realities around us. Sankey and the SEC have made it clear they plan on playing a full season with full stadiums. But the Commissioner implores people to realize that comes with vaccinations. “Let me be clear to our fans, to our coaches, to our staff members, and to our student-athletes: COVID-19 vaccines are widely available. They've proven to be highly effective. And when people are fully vaccinated, we all have the ability to avoid serious health risks, reduce the virus' spread, and maximize our chances of returning to a normal college football experience and to normal life. “With six weeks to go before kickoff, now is the time to seek that full vaccination. And we know nothing is perfect, but the availability and the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines are an important and incredible product of science. It's not a political football, and we need to do our part to support a healthy society because, as we look back, the potential absence of college sports last year caused us to think about not losing sight of the lifelong experiences, the laboratory of learning that takes place, and the educational benefits that accrue to the people who participate on our teams.” Sankey went on to say the league has not built in contingency dates for this season, as they did in 2020, and teams will be expected to field a healthy team. If they can’t, the game won’t be rescheduled. “Our teams are going to have to be fully prepared to play their season as scheduled, which is why embedded in my remarks is the vaccination motivation.” During the 2020 season, COVID derailed and even cancelled some games. The Gators were forced to reschedule two games after contact tracing decimated the roster. To avoid that this year, teams look to reach an 85% vaccination rate, universally accepted as the “herd-immunity” rate. Mullen was asked how many of his players had been vaccinated and leaned on privacy, while also explaining the mindset of his program. “I'm not going to get into the specific numbers right now, but I think we're doing very well with that, with those numbers. I think, when you look at COVID and what we dealt with last year, I think our medical staff, Paul Silvestri, our training staff, has done a phenomenal job of educating our players. Obviously, in the state of Florida, our governor has done an amazing job with the accessibility of the vaccine for quite a while now. “And we have the UF Shands Hospital system, throughout the entire pandemic has done an amazing job of what we've done. So we're at a pretty high number of vaccinated players right now, but I think that the medical staff and really looking at Governor DeSantis, what he's been able to do, and the leadership of UF Shands Hospital system on campus has really been beneficial for our program and the university as a whole. “We're getting close to the threshold numbers that you need to be at.” GatorBait also learned that the majority of remaining players who to this point had not been vaccinated, are in the process of completing those steps now. Copeland Is No. 1…Literally Mullen’s first year in Gainesville, he didn’t allow any player to don the No. 1 jersey. In 2019, it was sported by receiver Kadarius Toney (who also wore it in 2020) and corner CJ Henderson. Both went on to become first round draft picks. Last season, it was also worn by defensive end Brenton Cox. This coming season, Cox will return in the No. 1 jersey, and on offense, it will be boasted by receiver Jacob Copeland. Copeland is heading into his fourth year in Gainesville, and the redshirt junior has accumulated 724 yards and five touchdowns on 45 receptions. When asked what he saw in Copeland to award the No. 1 jersey though, Mullen played coy. “He texted me and asked if he could have No. 1. Brenton Cox has it on defense. So I didn’t have a special teams where it would cross over. He’s an older player that’s had a very positive attitude since he’s been in the program. “We’ll find out [if he’s a baller]. He put more pressure on [himself] then I would do for him. I think a lot of it to me is more: are you deserving as a whole in what you’ve done in your time on campus.” Give Us More Of Alabama In the Swamp The reigning National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to Gainesville this year for a Week three showdown. Florida travelled to Tuscaloosa in 2014 and while the two teams have also met in the SEC Championship several times in recent years, this will be the first time since 2011 that Bama has visited the Swamp. It’s part of the league rotation for all 14 teams, which includes annual divisional matchups and one permanent cross-over opponent (LSU for the Gators) and one rotating cross-divisional matchup. While Mullen spoke on the upcoming game, Commission Sankey watched from the side of the stage, and the Florida coach took the opportunity to offer solution to make games like this one more common. “I think it's really exciting. I don't want to get the commissioner in trouble here, but I'd love us to maybe do away with the permanent crossover team so you get these type of games more often. I think for the players, for the fan bases, I really think it's exciting to see some more of maybe mixing up the teams from the west and playing two different teams each year instead of a permanent crossover. I think that would be really exciting so you get this matchup. “I think that's going to be an exciting day. It's going to be a great atmosphere. It's going to be a fun game to be a part of, and as you said, for ten years we haven't seen it. We'd love to see that more. There's ten teams that will visit -- there's non-conference teams that will visit The Swamp a lot more than conference teams. I think you'd love to see maybe a better rotation of those teams.” Alabama Vs. the World In Recruiting Speaking of Alabama, it’s hard not to acknowledge they take what they want and sometimes even what you want just for the heck of it when it comes to recruiting. Head Coach Nick Saban is ruthless on the trail, collecting five-stars like candy then turning them into gourmet dishes. His run of six championships with the Tide and numerous guys in the NFL make it easy to sell Alabama. Mullen knows that, and acknowledges it’s one of the hardest things to compete against when Saban comes scouting talent in the state of Florida. “They've built the program,” Mullen says of Saban at Alabama. “Nick’s been there a long time and has done a good job of building a consistent program and consistency within his program.” But as Saban takes more five-stars out of the rich Florida soil than the schools in the Sunshine State themselves, it’s hard to simply say, well it’s because of the program. It was assumed that Florida being one of the first states to adapt NIL laws would be a recruiting advantage. But other states, including Alabama, very quickly followed. Mullen and his staff have never been considered top, top tier recruiters, by a grading standpoint, but Mullen maintains they chase after guys based on their evaluation, not a ranking list. “I guess the short answer of that is -- I mean, there's -- nobody asked my opinion on ratings. So maybe I'd rate everybody differently on who we go after and who we want, that way.” Still on some level, the University of Florida recruits itself…at least one would assume. Instead, in an age when the average high school recruit would have been five years old the last time Florida won a National Championship, there must be something else to draw them. And Florida, after years of conservative spending, has been severely lacking in the arms race; and the arms race, like it or not, is a massive factor in recruiting. Athletic Director Scott Stricklin is working to change that for the Gators, spearheading a state of the art football facility that will be done early next year. Mullen sees that helping the Gators make a huge step forward in recruiting. “I think the facilities that we're getting caught up with, when you look at the University of Florida now and you look at the only school in America that is a top ten public university academically and really considered a top ten football program consistently over the last three years, you're looking at that change. You look at the facilities we have academically, the opportunity to play in The Swamp, the opportunity now with name, image, and likeness and what that means to kids in Florida and how they'll be able to brand themselves within their hometowns in Florida. “Then you look at the Heavener Football Complex coming up, now to catch us up facility-wise with other teams in America, that's really, I think, how it's going to change where, if you look at it, that's a school of saying, hey, I don't know if there's a better place you can go in America than Florida. If you want the complete package, if you want every aspect of it with alumni connections, with the education, with the opportunity to play for championships and the facilities, I don't know if there's a better place than Florida. Bonus: A Shot At Georgia! Mullen, like Steve Spurrier, has become infamous for his shots at the rival Georgia Bulldogs, some perceived, some explicit. It didn't take long for Mullen to pony up this year, after being asked how he takes Georgia picked the favorite to win the SEC East this year amongst preseason magazines. We'll just put the full quote below: “Didn’t they say that last year? I don’t, we didn’t have any of them at our practice and I haven’t talked to any of them so I don’t know how they do that. I think it’s great, I don’t get into that stuff all that much and pay attention to it. Cause all of that, I mean it’s fun—I love it cause it’s speculation, it gets everybody excited about football, gets everybody fired up. Even being here today, it’s exciting, creates this energy. Can’t wait to get people back. You’re looking at Game 1, I mean, the Swamp on a Saturday night, to get back to that energy. You watch these other sporting events, you’re starting to feel that energy, it’s something that’s dearly been missed. So I think that does a great job to create that energy and excitement but I don’t even know what type of team we’re gonna have this year and I’m there every day.” Technically, the media picked Florida to win the SEC East last year. However Mullen was speaking more to the overall perception. And in such a crazy year, many media members admit to not voting in last year's poll. Stick with GatorBait Magazine for continuing coverage from SEC Media Days and more analysis from all Dan Mullen, Zach Carter and Ventrell Miller had to say in Hoover.

“He can take his’n and beat your’n. Or he can take your’n and beat his’n.” – Houston coach Bum Phillips on Don Shula. The mark of an excellent football coach is the ability to adapt to his talent. On that count, Florida’s Dan Mullen gets double checks for all the boxes. He’s been highly successful with numerous quarterbacks that he has inherited and developed as well as those he has signed and groomed. And Mullen has had quite an impressive list of pupils – from Alex Smith, to Chris Leak, to Tim Tebow, to Dak Prescott, to Kyle Trask. Which brings us to: What about the Next Man Up? Mullen is blessed with his very own, homegrown, trained and nurtured quarterback in Emory Jones, who possesses ample talent and a new mental outlook. They’ve known each other since Emory was in junior high. EJ has been on the headsets for three years, watching studying and taking a few meaningful snaps almost every Saturday. At SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala., Mullen told the story of how Jones reached out to him on the first day Dan announced in 2017 he was going to Florida: “He texted me, ‘I want to be your quarterback.’” People forget that Jones was a highly recruited quarterback who was willing to wait until he was ready. “And when his time came he was ready.” Pardon me while I chuckle a bit at those self-anointed expert forecasters who dismiss the Gators’ chances of winning the SEC East because they think they are afflicted with empty cupboard syndrome. Yes, losing Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney and their 5,770 yards from last season is a matter of concern. But the quarterback position is in the capable hands – and feet – of fourth-year veteran Emory Jones. What exactly does that mean? It is a testimony to Mullen’s coaching acumen that he not only mentored this 6-2, 210-pound, four-star from Franklin, Ga. after wresting him away from Ohio State and possibly Clemson, but hung on to him for three seasons when the Transfer Portal was calling. There is a temptation to call it newfound “maturity” but the truth is that sitting the bench for most of 2020 was no doubt both painful and temporarily discouraging to Emory who was a non-starter and saw limited action for three season. But he accepted it as a life lesson. “I’ve been waiting for this time right here,” Jones said last spring as he prepared as a starter. “It has been hard, but it’s all been for a reason.” Another way of looking at his apprenticeship. At same time, it’s also inaccurate to say Florida’s redshirt is “inexperienced.” There were plenty of times when the game was in doubt and Jones found himself subbing for Trask on key drives. Most of all, Emory saw the virtue of patience being modeled right in front of him by the ultimate Next Man Up. And now he has the Kyle Trask blueprint. “Just how he (Trask) conducts himself every day, how he walks around the building, how he takes notes in the meeting rooms and how he translates everything from the classroom on to the field,” Jones told Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel last spring. “I just really learned all that from him and then obviously it’s him being patient waiting on his time to come. I definitely learned a lot out of that just watching him.” Maybe “maturity” is the right word after all, because it’s one of the strengths Jones will need if he’s going to become the leader that Mullen expects – as he expects from all his quarterbacks. "I've been trying to take a different approach this offseason," Jones told The Draft Network's Trevor Sikkema." Just trying to go in and be the best leader, the best teammate I can be, be the hardest worker in the building just being there all the time I can and be the last one out. I've been just trying to earn the team's respect, just trying to make everybody better every day." Once we see Jones step on the field as The Man, we’ll be better able to judge his leadership. One thing to note, however, is that former Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson trained his backups like they were starters, giving all three an equal number of snaps in practice with the No. 1s. So whether or not he was a starter, he was respected like one. His arm maybe be slightly stronger than Kyle’s, but Emory lacks that golden touch and will have to govern his zip on the ball. He’s got plenty of talented receivers, though nobody to match the talents of Pitts and Toney. Do not sleep on Jacob Copeland and Justin Shorter, however, not to mention Trent Whittemore Jr. and Xzavier Henderson. Given the remainder of offensive talent that those experts seem to overlook in their evaluation, I’m of the mind that this offense might not drop off much as some predict. One reason is that it will get more help from the defense, which can only be better even just getting properly lined up on time. Think what a couple of defensive stops could have meant last season in the losses to Texas A&M, LSU and Alabama. We won’t talk about the Opt-Out Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma. Those losses should not detract from the remarkable turnaround that Mullen brought to Gainesville in late 2017. The state of Gator football when he got there was abysmal and teetering on the edge of oblivion. After averaging 10.5 wins a season, there was a hiccup at the end of ’20 That resulted in an 8-4. A double-digit win 2021 season could restore the confidence of Gator Nation and put things back on track. There are three circle games on the 2021 schedule – Alabama, LSU and Georgia – but what’s lost in all the critics’ banter about last year’s three-game slump to finish off the 2020 Covid-restricted season: Though those losses seemed cataclysmic, they were not lethal. Adaptability to playing talent isn’t the only strength of Mullen. His keen analysis of changing dynamics is superior. By jumping into the pool of Transfer Portal talent early, he found a way to offset any (perceived) recruiting deficiency. Now he’s got the challenge of the Name/Image/Likeness and from what it looks like, Mullen has a pretty good idea of what’s coming. And as soon as the new expanded playoff is invoked, my guess is that most years Mullen’s Gators will be in it. This is the year when Dan Mullen’s stock will go back up. And that starts Monday when he stands before the SEC Media Days crowd in his new Jordan kicks and starts laying out the plan. Lucky for him, Emory Jones already has the blueprint.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: FLORIDA-UCF WILL HAPPEN; CAM NEWBAUER OUT, KELLY RAE FINLEY IN If you’re into surprises, then Scott Stricklin delivered two of them at the end of last week. First came the announcement that the University of Florida and UCF have agreed to a three-game series that will see the Gators play UCF in Gainesville in 2024 and 2033 with UF traveling to Orlando for the sandwich game in 2030. That’s a scheduling move that probably wouldn’t have taken place had Danny White remained UCF’s athletic director. With White gone to Tennessee, Stricklin and new UCF AD Terry Mohair got a deal done. White always insisted that UCF is on the same par with Florida football, therefore nothing but a home-and-home would suffice. That wasn’t going to happen. Florida doesn’t need UCF and always held the cards. It was up to UCF to accept a two-for-one deal (two home for UF, one for UCF) to get a deal done or else there would be no deal. The announcement that Florida women’s basketball coach Cam Newbauer is stepping down for personal reasons effective immediately with assistant Kelly Rae Finley taking over as the interim for the 2021-22 season was totally unexpected. It was only six weeks ago that Newbauer was given a contract extension without pay raise, quite surprising since he never delivered a winning season in four years on the job. Stricklin didn’t go into any details why Newbauer is stepping down. In a brief statement he wished Newbauer well and announced Finley will guide the program next season. In the days since the Friday announcement there has been plenty of speculation why Newbauer resigned. Whether he stepped down on his own volition or was asked to leave isn’t important unless there was some sort of NCAA violation involved. If there was no breaking of the rules or anything that would harm the University of Florida, then the personal reasons explanation is sufficient. THE RUNNING BACKS ROOM AT EVERY SEC SCHOOL ALABAMA The starter: Brian Robinson (6-1, 228, RSR) The backups: Trey Sanders (6-0, 214, RSO); Jase McClellan (5-11, 212, SO); Roydell Williams (5-10, 210, SO); Kyle Edwards (6-0, 209, RFR) Expectations: Najee Harris and his 3,843 rushing yards, 80 career receptions and 57 touchdowns has moved on to the NFL, so this is Brian Robinson’s chance to prove he is that next great Alabama back ready to state his case that he belongs in the league. Robinson is taking advantage of the NCAA rule that lets him come back for a sixth season. In 52 career games he has gained 1,361 yards (5.0 per carry) and scored 15 rushing TDs. Robinson has waited patiently to be THE GUY. It’s his year to prove he can do it. What if: This is a typical stable of running backs like there is every year at Alabama only this year there is no returning star. Robinson gets the lifetime achievement award so he gets to start, but if Trey Sanders is finally healthy he might be the starter by midseason. ARKANSAS The starter: Trelon Smith (5-9, 190, RJR) The backups: T.J. Hammonds (5-10, 190, RSR); Dominique Johnson (6-1, 240, RSR); AJ Green (5-11, 194, FR); Raheim Sanders (6-2, 220, FR); Javion Hunt (6 -0, 205, FR) Expectations: When Rakeem Boyd got hurt last year, Smith surprised everyone with a productive (710 rushing yards; 22-159 receiving) season. Prior to 2020, Smith had all of 12 career carries. Smith needs to stay injury free while taking the next step in his development in 2020. What if: T.J. Hammonds is the only experienced back behind Smith. In five previous seasons, Hammonds has gained 544 yards. Former 4-star recruit AJ Green has sprinter’s speed (10.38 100 meters as a HS freshman) and will be on the field early and often. AUBURN The starter: Tank Bigsby (6-0, 208, FR) The backups: Shaun Shivers (5-7, 189, SR); Jordan Ingram (6-1, 199, RFR); Jarquez Hunter (5-10, 190, FR) Expectations: It’s all on Bigsby to stay healthy and produce as well or better than he did last year as a true freshman when he ran for 834 yards (6.04 per carry). He averaged fewer than 14 carries per game last year. Auburn has four returning offensive linemen and a need to play ball control to keep the defense off the field, so Bigsby is going to have to carry a much bigger load. What if: The only experienced back behind Bigsby is tiny Shaun Shivers, a scatback who has never been used effectively in the passing game. Freshman Jarquez Hunter doesn’t have great size but he’s durable and can run between the tackles. If Bigsby is hurt, Auburn’s offense is going to suffer. FLORIDA The starter: Dameon Pierce (5-10, 212, SR) The backups: Malik Davis (5-10, 198, RSR); Nay’Quan Wright (5-9, 197, RSO); Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 206, RJR); Demarkcus Bowman (5-10, 187, RFR) Expectations: This is the deepest and most talent running backs room in the Dan Mullen HBC era which has plenty to do with the expectation the Gators will probably go something like a 55/45 run-pass ratio this year. Damien Pierce is the power guy and the expected starter but the other four running backs are such a combination of speed and pass catching ability that Mullen will have plenty of options. What if: The combination of dual threat quarterbacks Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson to go with these five backs might result in Mullen using a two-back offense much the way he used Percy Harvin back in the day when UF averaged more than 200 yards in both the running and passing game. We shouldn’t be the least bit surprised if we see Malik Davis, Nay’Quan Wright and Lorenzo Lingard in the slot fairly regularly so they can be used in both the passing game and the running game. In Lingard and Clemson transfer Demarkcus Bowman, the Gators have a pair of go-the-distance guys, something that has been lacking for years in the UF offense. GEORGIA The starter: Zamir White (6-0, 215, RJR) The backups: James Cook (5-11, 190, SR); Kenny McIntosh (6-1, 210, JR); Kendall Milton (6-1, 220, SO); Daijun Edwards (5-10, 201, SO); Lovasea Carroll (6-1, 195, FR) Expectations: Athlon rates Georgia’s running backs stable second best in the country, trailing only Alabama. Zamir White and James Cook were last year’s 1-2 punch when they combined for 1,083 yards and 14 touchdowns and 22 receptions for 262 yards and two more touchdowns. What if: The running back position is loaded and deep. Georgia’s biggest problem might be keeping everybody happy. There is only one football and the four former 4-star backups behind White and Cook will have to be patient unless Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken can spread the carries around enough so that no one becomes disgruntled. KENTUCKY The starter: Chris Rodriguez Jr. (5-11, 224, RJR) The backups: Kavosiey Smoke (5-9, 201, JR); Torrance Davis (6-2, 220, SO); Tyler Markray (5-10, 220, RJR); JuTahn McClain (5-9, 187, SO); Travis Tisdale (5-9, 173, RFR); La’Vell Wright (5-11, 202, FR) Expectations: In just about any other league but the SEC, Chris Rodriguez would be considered one of the top two backs. He gained 785 yards (6.6 per carry) and scored 11 touchdowns last year. He’s averaged 7.1 per carry for his career. He is the thunder in the backfield while Kavosiey Smoke (890 yards, 5.9 per carry the last two years) is the lightning. Kentucky averaged 196 yards per game last year and that was against eight-in-the-box defenses that didn’t respect the pass. The Wildcats will average at least 200 per game this year if they get any kind of passing game to back the safeties off the line. What if: Rodriguez is the only power back with any experience, so he has to stay healthy. Everybody else is a speed guy. But no matter who’s in the backfield, UK has to come up with a passing game that averages more than 5.5 yards per attempt or the running game won’t be effective. LSU The starter: Tyrion Davis-Price (6-1, 232, JR) The backups: John Emery Jr. (5-11, 215, JR); Corey Kiner (5-10, 210, FR); Armoni Goodwin (5-8, 190, FR) Expectations: There isn’t a Clyde Edwards-Helaire in this group. Davis-Price is good between the tackles (741 yards in two seasons) but he’s a grinder at best. They’ve been waiting on John Emery Jr. to light it up since he arrived, but he hasn’t been very productive. What if: The running game has to step up after a year in which the Tigers averaged 121 yards per game and 3.33 per carry. If Davis-Price and Emery can’t come through the LSU offense is going to sputter. MISSISSIPPI STATE The starter: Jo’Quavious Marks (5-10, 195, SO) The backups: Dillon Johnson (6-0, 200, SO); J.J. Jernigan (5-11, 210, RJR); Omni Wells (5-10, 195, RSR); Simeon Price (6-0, 204, FR); Ke’Travion Hargrove (5-11, 185, FR) Expectations: The Bulldogs averaged only 43 yards per game rushing last year. That has to improve if they expect to be anything more than a break even team. Jo’quavious Marks led the team in rushing (312 yards) and caught 60 passes for another 268 yards. He’s the starter. What if: Dillon Johnson ran for 225 yards and caught 36 passes for 157 yards last year. If Johnson and Marks stay healthy, the MSU offense should improve. MISSOURI The starter: Tyler Badie (5-8, 194, SR) The backups: Elijah Young (5-9, 185, SO); Dawson Downing (5-11, 221, GR); Taj Butts (5-10, 232, FR); BJ Harris (5-9, 210, FR); Simi Bakare (6-3, 209, SR) Expectations: Larry Rountree III is gone along with his 3,720 career rushing yards and 40 touchdowns. Tyler Badie has gained 1,136 yards (4.6 per carry) in three previous seasons and he’s caught 72 passes but he’s never been the go-to guy until now. He lacks between the tackles ability but he can make people miss. What if: Rountree was a physical guy between the tackles so a power guy must be found. Freshman Taj Butts could be the big back Mizzou needs to work in tandem with Badie. If Badie gets hurt Mizzou could be in trouble. OLE MISS The starter: Jerrion Ealy (5-8, 190, JR) The backups: Snoop Conner (5-10, 215, JR); Henry Parrish Jr. (5-10, 190, SO); Isaiah Woullard (5-9, 205, SR) Expectations: The three-headed running back monster (1,389 rushing yards, 19 TDs) of Jerrion Ealy, Snoop Conner and Henry Parrish Jr. is one of the best in the country and all three can catch the football. Throw in a mobile QB like Matt Corral and Ole Miss could surpass the 210 yards per game averaged on the ground last year. What if: As a true freshman John Rhys Plumlee played QB and gained 1,023 yards. He’s the backup QB but he will also play wide receiver and running back this year. If he’s in the game in a hybrid role, the Ole Miss running game may be as good as you’ll find in the country. SOUTH CAROLINA The starter: Kevin Harris (5-10, 225, JR) The backups: MarShawn Lloyd (5-9, 215, RFR); ZaQuandre White (6-0, 210, RSR); Rashad Amost (6-2, 215, RFR); JuJu McDowell (5-8, 180, FR) Expectations: For South Carolina to have a shot at anything more than a 3-4 win season then the running game is going to have to be even better than it was in 2020 when Kevin Harris led the SEC with 1,138 yards and 15 touchdowns while catching 21 passes for another 185 yards. What if: If MarShawn Lloyd is sufficiently recovered from the ACL tear that kept him out of 2020, then the Gamecocks should have a nice 1-2 running backs punch. Four returning starters on the offensive line to go with Harris and Lloyd makes the running game look promising, but the Gamecocks better be able to throw the ball or else they’ll see eight-in-the-box every single game. TENNESSEE The starter: Jabari Small (5-11, 206, SO) The backups: Tiyon Evans (5-11, 220, JR); Dee Beckwith (6-5, 227, RFR); Len’Neith Whitehead (6-2, 220, RFR); Tee Hodge (6-1, 220, RFR); Jaylen Wright (5-11, 200, FR) Expectations: Eric Gray (to Oklahoma) and Ty Chandler (to North Carolina) transferred out leaving behind the most inexperienced running backs room in the SEC. Jabari Small (26-117 last year) projects as the starter but it’s only a matter of time before juco transfer Tiyon Evans takes over. What if: Josh Heupel’s offensive MO is getting off snaps every 15 seconds but with an inexperienced defense he might need to play keep away by running the ball. With only two starters on the O-line and so much inexperience at running back, it could be a long year. TEXAS A&M The starter: Isaiah Spiller (6-1, 225, JR) The backups: Devon Achane (5-9, 185, SO); Ainias Smith (5-10, 190, JR); Darvon Hubbard (6-0, 210, RFR); Amari Daniels (5-8, 200, FR); LJ Johnson Jr. (5-10, 204, FR) Expectations: Behind one of the nation’s best O-lines in 2020, Spiller pounded away for 1,036 yards and nine touchdowns while catching 20 passes for 193 yards. Ainias Smith is a hybrid running back (293 rushing yards, 4 TDs in 2020) who also plays wide receiver (43-564, 6 TDs). They make for one of the nation’s most dangerous 1-2 tandems. What if: When Jimbo Fisher wants pure speed on the field he turns to Devon Achane, who averaged 8.5 per carry last year. With Spiller, Achane and Smith the Aggies are going to average more than 200 yards on the ground for the second straight year. VANDERBILT The starter: Re’Mahn Davis (5-9, 215, JR) The backups: Ja’Veon Marlow (5-11, 195, RJR); Rocko Griffin (5-9, 215, SO); Dylan Betts-Pauley (5-11, 225, FR); Patrick Smith (5-10, 185, FR) Expectations: When Keyon Henry-Brooks transferred out, Vanderbilt was able to replace him with Temple transfer Re’Mahn Davis, whose two-year totals were 1,259 yards and nine touchdowns. Davis figures to be the starter when the season begins September 4. What if: Should Davis miss any games because of injury there isn’t much in the way of experience. Freshman Patrick Smith has plenty of speed and figures to move up the depth charts quickly. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: We got a great final round at the British Open as Collin Morikawa went bogey free to take a 2-shot win over Jordan Spieth. It was the second win (PGA in 2020 the other) in eight majors for Morikawa. Meanwhile Bryson DeChambeau let his mouth do more talking than his game. He shot a 65 Sunday, his only round of the week under par. If he focused more on winning golf like Morikawa and Spieth and less on his feud with Brooks Koepka (-8 for a 6th-place tie), DeChambeau might do better in majors.

August camp begins in a couple of weeks and time to continue the position-by-position evaluation of the 2021 Florida Gators. The Gators lost the Mackey Award-winning tight end in Kyle Pitts, the highest drafted tight end in NFL history, and fellow first rounder in Kadarius Toney. There are no two individuals who can match the accomplishments of those two heading into the fall, but that doesn’t mean Dan Mullen is lacking weapons and talent. Here is the breakdown of the 10 scholarship wide receivers and five tight ends on the Florida roster as of July 15, 2021. WIDE RECEIVERS (10) Rick Wells (6-1, 204, RSR): Wells is taking advantage of the NCAA ruling that didn’t count the 2020 season against anyone’s eligibility. This will be his sixth season and there are signs of life in his career. After catching just three passes for 27 yards from 2016-19, Wells put together a good second half of the 2020 season to finish with 12 catches for 120 yards. It was enough that the former 3-star recruit out of Jacksonville Raines elected to come back for one last shot at a productive season. Wells doesn’t have tremendous speed but he’s a reliable pass catcher who could be effective as a secondary target and running underneath routes. Jordan Pouncey (6-1, 212, GR): After transferring in from Texas, Pouncey played in five games last season, catching one pass for 27 yards and a touchdown in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma. A 3-star recruit out of Winter Park, Pouncey had offers from Alabama, Georgia. Pouncey doesn’t have great top end speed and will be more of a possession receiver as well as a contributor on special teams. He is a cousin of former Gator All-Americans Maurkice and Mike Pouncey. Justin Shorter (6-5, 227, RJR): Shorter transferred to UF from Penn State and had a productive first season, catching 25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. His best games were a 3-31 game with a TD catch against Georgia and a 5-94 effort against Vanderbilt. Last year Shorter was used mostly in underneath routes or in the red zone where he could use his physicality to his advantage. This season he expects to be a starter and used more as a downfield threat. At his size, he’s too big for the average corner and he’s faster than the safeties or linebackers he will go against. A former 5-star recruit out of South Brunswick High School in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, Shorter had offers from Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Ole Miss, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Jacob Copeland (6-0, 204, RJR): Could Copeland be this year’s Kadarius Toney? Toney spent three seasons trying to get it all together before breaking out in 2020 to become an All-American and a first round NFL draft choice. Copeland has had two decent seasons (2019-20) but he’s been plagued with inconsistency. The physical talent is there if he can eliminate the drops and become a more precise route runner. Copeland is built like a running back and has exceptional power so, like Toney, he could be Florida’s jet sweep and reverse guy. He should be a serious downfield threat in 2021 after last season when he caught 23 passes for 435 yards and a team leading 18.91 yards per catch as well as three touchdowns. Copeland caught 21 passes in 2019 for 273 yards and two touchdowns. He was a 4-star recruit out of Pensacola Escambia where he received offers from Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Miami, Michigan and Ohio State among others. Trent Whittemore (6-4, 213, RSO): There will be comparisons to Chris Doering. Like Doering more than 25 years ago, Whittemore is tall, lanky, local (Gainesville Buchholz) who was a multi-sport star athlete prior to UF who wasn’t heavily recruited (Doering walked on; Whittemore earned a scholarship). And, like Doering who broke in quietly as a redshirt freshman, Whittemore showed plenty of promise in his first year on the field. Whittemore caught 10 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in 2020 despite missing three games to injury. Whittemore spent a lot of the spring working in the slot and that’s where he’s likely to spend a good portion of his time in the fall although he’s got enough speed to play outside. He has good hands, runs exceptional routes and showed last year that he’s a very capable blocker. Whittemore’s dad was his football coach at Buchholz and his mom is a former 3-time All-SEC setter for the UF volleyball team. Ja’Markis Weston (6-3, 212, RSO): Weston was a late bloomer out of Clewiston High School who has spent the last two seasons adding 27 pounds of muscle to his once skinny frame. He has the speed and athleticism to be a very good receiver but now it’s time to prove it on the field. He played in 10 games last year, almost exclusively on special teams. He caught one pass for 13 yards in the Cotton Bowl. Weston will have to work his way into the rotation with a very good August, but he doesn’t lack for talent. A 3-star recruit, Weston received offers from Penn State, Tennessee and UCF among others. Xzavier Henderson (6-3, 196, SO): The younger brother of former Gator corner and Jacksonville Jaguars first round NFL pick CJ Henderson, Xzavier seems to be a budding superstar. Henderson had an up and down freshman season in which he caught nine passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. Strength, not the ability to run routes or catch passes, was the primary problem last season. Now that he’s added 16 pounds of muscle, he figures to be able to fight through jams at the line of scrimmage and to be more effective as a blocker in 2021. As a receiver, he could blossom into Florida’s primary deep threat. Henderson was a 4-star recruit out of Miami Christopher Columbus where his offer list included Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Miami and North Carolina. Ja’Quavion Fraziars (6-3, 215, SO): Since signing with Florida, Fraziars has added 20 pounds of muscle without sacrificing speed. He played in seven games last year, mostly on special teams and in mop-up time. He caught one pass for four yards. That figures to change in 2021. He has the strength, speed and athleticism to work his way into the regular rotation. He has good hands and nice after the catch skills with the ball in his hands. A 4-star recruit out of Dunnellon, Fraziars was offered by Penn State, Auburn, Georgia, UCF and Miami among others. Marcus Burke (6-3, 180, FR): Burke is a deep threat receiver who will need work in the weight room to add the strength he will need to fight through the jams at the line of scrimmage. In high school at Jacksonville Trinity Christian, Burke was the consummate downfield threat but to get on the field at Florida he’s going to have to learn to block and run precise routes. Burke was a 4-star recruit whose offer list included Penn State, Miami, Georgia, Auburn and Texas. Daejon Reynolds (6-2, 210, FR): A high school teammate of UF freshman quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, Reynolds is a big strong guy who has slot written all over him. He should be physical enough to deal with safeties and quicker than linebackers. Reynolds excels at coming down with passes in a crowd and then picking up yards after the catch. A 4-star recruit out of Loganville (GA) Grayson, Burke had offers from Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Miami and North Carolina. ASSESSING THE WIDE RECEIVERS This seems like 2018 all over again when wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales took over a unit that didn’t have a single returning star. All Gonzales did was turn Van Jefferson, Josh Hammond, Freddie Swain, Tyrie Cleveland and Kadarius Toney into NFL draft picks. The closest things to returning stars on this until are Justin Shorter and Jacob Copeland, neither of whom was the primary target in 2020. But just because Shorter, Copeland and the others in this unit aren’t household names doesn’t mean they are lacking for talent. Based on what we saw last year and their work in the spring, the top four guys in the rotation in 2021 will be Shorter, Copeland, Xzavier Henderson and Trent Whittemore. Shorter, Copeland and Henderson figure to get most of their work on the outside while Whittemore is likely to play predominately in the slot. For Shorter and Copeland, this is a contract year. They’re eligible to be drafted so they need to put together big seasons. Shorter is physically imposing while Copeland is strong enough and versatile enough to take on the Kadarius Toney role in the offense. Henderson has the speed to be a deep threat who commands double teams at all times. Whittemore just catches whatever is thrown his way. Behind those four, Florida has four young guys who will be fighting to get on the field in Ja’Markis Weston, Ja’Quavion Fraziars, Daejon Reynolds and Marcus Burke. In the last three years, Gonzales has proven to be one of the elite wide receivers coaches in the country. This group may be lacking in star power at the start of the 2021 season but that probably won’t be the case when the season ends. TIGHT ENDS (5) Kemore Gamble (6-4, 252, RSR): Gamble’s 2020 season was a mixed bag of success – three catches for 51 yards and a TD against Georgia, 3-66, 2 TDs against Vanderbilt – but there were too many dropped passes and poorly run routes along the way. That has to change this year when he will play the role of the traditional tight end in the Florida offense. If he can clean up the receiving issues then he could have a very good year because he’s a very good point of attack blocker. Gamble is a former 4-star recruit out of Miami Southridge where he had offers from Alabama, Miami, LSU, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Keon Zipperer (6-3, 240, JR): Zipperer most likely becomes the chief receiving target among the tight ends in the fall. He is versatile enough to play out wide, in the slot, as an H-back or in a traditional hand in the turf role. He is a physical mismatch for most safeties due to his size and strength and a speed mismatch for most linebackers. A precise route runner, he has very good hands and the ability to pick up yards after the catch. In 2020, Zipperer caught 11 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns with a 3-47 game (two touchdown catches) against Arkansas. Zipperer is a former 4-star recruit out of Lakeland High School, where he helped lead the Dreadnaughts to the 2018 state championship. Zipperer chose the Gators over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and Ohio State. Jonathan Odom (6-6, 240, RFR): The son of former Gator All-American left tackle Jason Odom and a former 3-star recruit out of Tampa Jesuit who had offers from Alabama, LSU, FSU, Michigan and Ohio State, Jonathan took a redshirt in 2020 and added 10 pounds to his frame. He still has some growing to do and is expected to top out at about 250-255. Odom and Kemore Gamble will probably fill more of the traditional tight end role in the fall with Odom probably getting most of his work on special teams. Nick Elksnis (6-6, 237, FR): Observers who saw him this spring believe Elksnis could be the next great Florida tight end. He is a long strider with deceptive speed. He has excellent hands, runs fluid routes and knows how to get open. In an abbreviated 2020 high school schedule due to COVID-19, Elksnis caught 21 passes for 425 yards (20.2 per catch) and five touchdowns. As a junior he caught 36 passes for 665 yards (18.5) for 12 touchdowns. His high school head coach was former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell. A 3-star recruit, Elksnis had offers from Miami, Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State among others. Gage Wilcox (6-4, 228, FR): A 4-star recruit out of Tampa Jefferson, Wilcox chose the Gators over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Miami and FSU among others. He caught 34 passes for 390 yards and nine touchdowns in 20 high school games. He is a strong runner after the catch. Gage’s future is most likely as a traditional hand in the turf tight end which means he probably takes a redshirt season in 2021 while filling out his frame. He should easily carry 250-260 pounds. ASSESSING THE TIGHT ENDS There is no unicorn this year. Kyle Pitts has taken his unique skill set and superstar abilities to the NFL where he is the highest drafted tight end in history. To compensate for his loss, Dan Mullen is going to have to use a position by committee approach and even that isn’t likely to put up the kind of numbers (43-770, 12 TDs) that Pitts produced in 2020. The situation is not exactly hopeless, however, as Mullen and tight ends coach Tim Brewster have two experienced tight ends to work with and an intriguing freshman whose spring reviews borderlined on rave. While Pitts was driving opposing defensive coordinators crazy the way Mullen was lining him up and using him in the passing game, Kemore Gamble was Florida’s blocking tight end and occasional target. He had a better year blocking than he did catching the ball, but he showed enough in the passing game to lend hope that he can put up solid numbers in 2021. Keon Zipperer isn’t as explosive or freakishly athletic as Pitts but he’s quite versatile and can line up in a variety of ways. He’s proven in his first two years at UF that he can be a very reliable receiver. With Pitts gone, he figures to be on the target end far more often. The new kid on the block is Nick Elksnis, who is fast, athletic and can make all the catches. He runs great routes so the receiving part of the game shouldn’t be a great challenge. It’s the blocking that he will have to work on since he will be going against bigger, stronger and tougher people than he ever saw at Jacksonville Episcopal. He’s a fast learner, however, and expectations are that he will be on the field early and often. At least for now, there is no superstar tight end but that doesn’t mean the position will lack in productivity. It simply means Mullen will have to be creative in the ways he uses the three guys who figure to be in the rotation. ASSESSING THE RECEIVERS In its preseason football magazine, Athlon rated Florida’s tight ends and wide receivers the third best unit in the Southeastern Conference. Lindy’s had the Gators ranked three spots lower. If you go on name recognition, then the Lindy’s assessment is probably correct, but if you go by the combination of talent and coaching then Athlon is on the money. When you evaluate Florida at the receiver positions you first have to recognize the quality of coaching the Gators get from Tim Brewster and Billy Gonzales. Brewster has produced two Mackey Award winners – one at Florida State and Pitts – and Gonzales has had five of his receivers taken in the NFL Draft since 2019. That kind of track record bodes well for success in 2021. The Florida offense will be more balanced in 2021 than it has been the last two seasons so the Gators aren’t going to be throwing from the moment the bus comes to a complete stop in front of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium two hours before game time, but the Gators will throw and they will throw successfully. There are very good players who simply need a chance to get the football in their hands to prove themselves.

Mike Holloway has only ever wanted to coach Olympians. It was his dream as he worked at Krystal’s and managed another fast food joint called Taco Nacho. It was his goal as he coached at Buchholz High School and Gainesville High School. It was his motivation as he was hired at the University of Florida as an assistant more than two decades ago and it’s become the marker for a storied career. Now, the Florida Gators men’s and women’s Track and Field coach will achieve his dream at the ultimate level, as head coach for Team USA Track and Field in the 2020 (2021) Tokyo Summer Olympics. “I'll be honest with you,” begins Holloway, meeting with local media this week ahead of traveling to Japan, “I’ve never thought about being the head Olympic coach. I always wanted to be a coach of Olympians and when I got the call and it was official, [I was] going to be the head coach, I mean it's very humbling to be honest with you. When you're asked to lead the best team on the planet, you know that's it's an incredible honor. So, yeah, we get a little goosebumps when you think about stuff like that.” Holloway—or “Mouse” as he’s known around campus and the track and field world—has been with the Gators since 1996 when he joined the staff as an assistant coach. He’s in his 19th season as the men’s head coach and 14th as the women’s head coach as well. Holloway is one of five coaches in Division I history to win at least eight men’s team NCAA Championships, one of three to win at least six since 1980, and is one of three in history (along with Ted Banks and John McDonnell) to win at least four titles both indoors and outdoors. But perhaps the most impressive part of Holloway’s resume are the names that will join him in Tokyo this summer, donning the red, white and blue instead of the orange and blue. One of those athletes will be Taylor Manson. The 4x400 relay runner struggled at the latest NCAA Indoor Championships. But she and her coach believed in each other and now they’ll get to experience the Olympics together. “I mean I am extremely excited for Spider,” bragged Holloway of Manson. “Indoors didn't go quite the way she wanted, and we had a talk afterwards and she said, you know she's always told me she wanted to be an Olympian. I said just remember there are no indoor Olympics so your goal of being an Olympian is still out there. And the great thing about her was she trusted me, I trusted her, we trusted her training and she was right when she needed to be and she's now an Olympian so I'm extremely excited to see her compete here in a few weeks.” Of course all eyes though will be on Florida Gator great and World Record holder, Grant Holloway. The 110m hurdler is poised to take gold and set a new record in the process. For the man that has been with him for years and continues to train the Olympian, it will be a special time…but he’ll have to think about that later, because for Grant’s sake, Holloway is employing the tried and true coaching tactic of keeping things light. “We believe that if Grant executes at a high level, he'll be hard to beat. I'll just leave it at that. Grant is a phenomenal athlete, we all know that. I don't put pressure on my athletes to perform at, you know, at a certain level and run a certain time. “My total goal with Grant is to make sure that he executes at a high level. If Grant goes out there and does his best and someone beats him then, they were just better than us that day, But my goal is to make sure that Grant is at his best for three more flights of hurdles.” Whether coaching his former Gators or some of the others that make up the best athletes in the world, Holloway will leave Gainesville next week and head to Tokyo with one goal in mind. Do his best for his charges. That’s his only focus and if he does that, the medals will come. “As long as I go out there every day and do my best, I can walk away with my head held high. So, it's not about medals. I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if we go out there perform well, we’re gonna have a lot of great performances with this team. It's a young team that's phenomenally talented and I think the big thing for us is to be there for them and help them get to where they need to be, when they need to be there. We do that, we'll have a great games.” That being said, Team USA Track and Field could come home with plenty of medals. From Grant Holloway to Allyson Felix, this roster is stacked. And Mike Holloway just has to remember, this is everything he’s trained for, everything he’s dreamed of and everything he’s been meant to do—coach Olympians. Getting to this point though is more than just Mike Holloway’s dream; it’s the dream of every little kid who ever took up the sport. And as he spends the next few weeks leading this team through the Summer Olympics, he can look around and see a few faces there and humbly admit he’s a large reason they’re achieving their goals, thanks in large part to their time together as Florida Gators. “It's a wonderful thing to watch,” says Holloway. "We talk about these things in a recruiting process. We kind of have what we call a pathway to success; we talk about them during the recruiting process. “We talked about being on this [Olympic] team and people realize that, it's been a lot of fun to watch them. I mean, once you’re a Gator, you're part of this family forever. There's no such thing as a former Gator, you’re a Gator great and the fact that we are able to watch these young people continue to pursue their dreams is awesome. It really is.”

Michelle Moultrie believed she could be an Olympian in 2000. She was 10 years old and Natasha Watley became the first Black woman to play on the United States’ Olympic softball team. After watching Watley break the color barrier, anything was possible for Moultrie. Inspired by the path paved before her, Moultrie continued her softball career through high school where she played for Mandarin High School in her hometown of Jacksonville. While being the Mustangs’ vacuum in the outfield, Moultrie didn’t field many college offers out of high school. The University of North Florida and a handful of community colleges offered her, but none that had her scrambling to put pen to paper and sign an athletic scholarship. Instead, she wanted to be a Florida Gator – softball or no softball. Fourth-year head coach Tim Walton and the rest of Florida’s coaching staff was no stranger to Moultrie, who had garnered their attention during summer camps. But by Moultrie’s senior season in high school, Walton had already started building their softball dynasty in Gainesville. In 2008, the No. 1-ranked Gators finished 70-5 in a season that ended in the Womens’ College World Series semifinal. Behind Walton’s quick success at Florida, recruiting was a breeze. Moultrie wasn’t the only one who wanted to go to Florida – everyone did. Florida had already signed two players at Moultrie’s position. But that didn’t stop the Jacksonville native. When Moultrie arrived to campus in the fall of 2009, not expecting much to become of it, she started practicing with Florida’s softball team. By October, she had a spot on the roster. Once overlooked by colleges around the country, Moultrie nabbed All-SEC honors all four years of her college career. By her senior year in 2012, she had been recognized as the SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. “My gut was that she was going to be good and she's better than anybody could have ever expected,'' Walton said in a 2011 press conference. “The kid could barely catch a cold her freshman year and she's come so far and she's got so much talent.'' Leaps and bounds better than the moment she stepped on campus, the women’s national team came calling for the decorated centerfielder in 2011. But despite being selected to represent the Red, White and Blue, Moultrie never thought she’d get to follow in Watley’s footsteps. Three years before making the team, Team USA had a silver medal-finish in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And it appeared that it could be their last Olympic outing. The decision to nix the sport of softball from the 2012 Games in London was made in 2005. The decision was unchanged in 2009 when softball was again left off the agenda for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. While being on Team USA was an honor in itself, the Olympic dream seemed out of reach. In 2013, Moultrie’s aspirations were back in front of her as the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s plea to the IOC board was successful. Softball would be returning to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Twenty years removed from the first time she believed she could be an Olympian, Moultrie felt 10 years old again. Her Olympic dream was back – only to be ripped away from her again. In February of 2020, Moultrie returned to Gainesville as part of Team USA as they battled the Florida Gators in an exhibition game to help the national team prepare for the Tokyo Games. She was happy to be back to where her career started, but she was even happier to be just months away from her Olympic berth. A month after Team USA took a 5-3 victory over the Gators, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics fell victim to the coronavirus. At the time, there was little known about the virus and even less was known about if or when the Olympics were going to be rescheduled. On March 31, the IOC announced the Games would be rescheduled for July of 2021. On Wednesday, a day after her 31st birthday, Moultrie landed in Tokyo, Japan. "It just kind of feels like a gift almost, to be able to play in these Olympics," Moultrie told the Florida Times-Union. After all, Moultrie’s Olympic dream has been 21 years in the making. "I think it's going to be emotional, with everything that's leading up to this through the years," she said. "I think it's going to feel like a great experience, to feel it all come together."

Seven Florida Gator baseball player’s dreams came true this week as they heard their names called in the 2021 MLB Draft. The Gator baseball program had three top signees selected in the first round, then seven from last season’s roster on Monday. Despite having no selections on the final day of the three-day event, it was a successful outing for the program. Led by outfielder Jud Fabian, Florida’s seven draftees on day two tied for the most of any NCAA program heading into Tuesday. A Look at the Gator Draft Picks Round Two Pick No. 40 Jud Fabian, OF: Boston Red Sox No. 69 Tommy Mace, RHP: Cleveland Indians Round Five No. 136 Nathan Hickey, C: Boston Red Sox No. 142 Christian Scott, C: New York Mets Round Seven No. 203 Jacob Young, OF: Washington Nationals No. 216 Jack Leftwich, RHP: Cleveland Indians Round Ten No. 306 Franco Aleman, RHP: Cleveland Indians Signees The three Gator signees selected in the opening round were: Andrew Painter, Chase Petty and Jay Allen. UF became the only school with multiple signees selected in the first round of the 2021 draft. Florida Draft Facts Three Gator pitchers from the 2021 draft class are now in the Indians program. Only three Gator catchers have ever been drafted higher than Hickey. Mace is the 17th Gator pitcher to get drafted in the first five rounds since 2008. Florida now has 212 players selected since the draft began in 1965. Cincinnati Reds third baseman Jonathan India is the last Gator to be taken in the first round (2018). The Gators’ Top Pick of 2021: Jud Fabian The third-year standout, Jud Fabian, is the second highest Florida outfielder to ever get drafted. Gator great Brad Wilkerson was selected 33rd overall in 1998 by the Montreal Expos. Fabian is also the 12th highest pick under Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan. 2021 season: 20 Home runs Second best in SEC First team All-SEC 10 doubles 51 runs 46 RBI 40 walks .984 fielding percentage Batting .249 Biggest positives: age, power, speed and defensive profile Biggest negatives: swing and miss, strikeouts early this season (79 strikeouts in 269 plate appearances) Fabian homered twice off the No. 2 pick Jack Leiter this past season. Despite losing quite a bit of talent to the big leagues, the future is bright in Gainesville, Florida.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: THE QUARTERBACK ROOM AT EVERY SEC SCHOOL ALABAMA The starter: Bryce Young (6-0, 194, SO) The backups: Paul Tyson (6-5, 228, SO); Jalen Milroe (6-2, 201, FR) Expectations: It’s Alabama, so you know the expectations. Beat Auburn, win the SEC, make the playoff, win the national championship. So there is absolutely no pressure whatsoever on Bryce Young, who backed up Mac Jones and was 13-22 passing for 156 yards and a TD last year. Young was the top high school QB in the country when he arrived at Alabama and some preseason magazines projected him as the instant starter last year. That didn’t happen. What if … : Young’s experience is limited. Backups Paul Tyson and freshman Jalen Milroe have absolutely ZERO. An injury to Young could be devastating for Bama’s national championship hopes. Young learned Steve Sarkisian’s offense last year but he’s now the HBC at Texas. If Bill O’Brien is smart he doesn’t change a thing, but what if he has changed it around and it’s far too predictable or complicated or just doesn’t bring out the best in Young? ARKANSAS The starter: KJ Jefferson (6-3, 240, RSO) The backups: Malik Hornsby (6-2, 190, RFR); John Stephen Jones (5-11, 204, RJR); Lucas Coley (6-2, 215, FR); Landon Rogers (6-4, 215, FR) Expectations: The Hogs went 3-7 last year but they were seven points away from 6-4. That was with Feleipe Franks starting nine of the ten games. The one game he didn’t start belonged to Jefferson, who went 18-33 for 274 yards and three TDs while running for another 32 and a score to nearly upset Missouri. Jefferson is physically gifted but he locks on to receivers and has a habit of holding the ball too long before he uses his speed to turn a potential sack into plus yards. What if … : Malik Hornsby, who redshirted last year, had a good spring but he’s got the same issues as Jefferson without the same arm strength. If Jefferson goes down, offensive coordinator Kendal Briles might have to adjust the offense and make it more run-oriented to accommodate Hornsby. AUBURN The starter: Bo Nix (6-3, 214, JR) The backups: TJ Finley (6-7, 246, SO); Loy Grant (6-4, 226, GR); Dematrius Davis (5-10, 202, FR) Expectations: The goal is always the same for every Auburn QB. Beat Alabama and no matter what else happens the rest of the year, the season has been successful. Nix is 1-1 against Alabama so he’s had one successful season (2019) and one unsuccessful (2020). Nix can go from brilliant to bad and often in the same game. When he’s on, he’s really good but consistency has eluded him so far and now he has to deal with (a) a new offensive coordinator (Mike Bobo) and (b) a challenge from LSU transfer TJ Finley who didn’t come to Auburn to sit the bench. What if … : Nix was handed the job as a freshman and last year there was no one to challenge him. Now he has a challenger so how will he handle it? And how will Finley handle things if he doesn’t think he’s getting a fair shot at the starting job? He’s already departed one school because he didn’t necessarily like a three-way competition. The potential is there for a full-blown quarterback controversy. FLORIDA The starter: Emory Jones (6-2, 210, RJR) The backups: Anthony Richardson (6-4, 232, RFR); Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (6-2, 238, FR); Jalen Kitna (6-5, 198, FR) Expectations: Just because Jones has never started a game at Florida doesn’t mean he’s inexperienced. He’s gotten into big games the last two years both at home and on the road so he’s not likely to be intimidated by the crowds or the moment. He has a well-deserved reputation for being a quick and elusive runner. Opponents will stack the box against him and will continue to do so until Jones proves he can make the throws under pressure. Richardson is more of a thrower who can run very well but he doesn’t have experience. Still, he’s enough of a talent that he will be seeing the field every game. What if … : Mullen has never been afraid to use a two-quarterback system. He won a national championship at UF in 2006 with Chris Leak as the starter and Tim Tebow essentially the designated power runner between the tackles. He also used two quarterbacks effectively at Mississippi State. Jones was Kyle Trask’s caddie the last two years so this is his year to take over and he shouldn’t have problems sharing some of the snaps with Richardson. The question for the Gators is how will Richardson handle things if he’s thrust into the starting role should Jones go down with an injury? Del Rio-Wilson figures to be the third wheel and Kitna probably uses the year to redshirt and allow his skinny frame to fill out. GEORGIA The starter: JT Daniels (6-3, 210, RJR) The backups: Stetson Bennett IV (5-11, 190, RSR); Carson Beck (6-4, 215, RFR); Brock Vandagriff (6-3, 205, FR) Expectations: Georgia fans and the media have already anointed Daniels as this year’s Moses, who will lead the Bulldogs to the promised land of a national championship that has eluded UGa for 14,805 days or 280 dog years. He succeeds Jamie Newman, the Wake Forest transfer who bolted last August before ever playing a game. Daniels was cleared medically to play when the 2020 season started but for reasons that have never been explained didn’t get to play until after Georgia had lost to Florida. He destroyed three SEC bottom feeders then won the Peach Bowl against a Group of Five team. Now he’s supposed to lead Georgia to a national championship. What if … : Stetson Bennett started five games last year so he has the experience neither Carson Beck nor Brock Vandagriff have. Neither Beck nor Vandagriff came to Georgia to sit so will they be patient and waste a year riding the pine or will they be content while Daniels starts? If Daniels’ knee – the one that he blew out as a sophomore at Southern Cal – doesn’t hold up, will Kirby Smart go with Beck or Vandagriff or will he turn the offense over to Bennett, who has played in Tuscaloosa and Jacksonville? KENTUCKY The starter: Joey Gatewood (6-5, 224, RJR) The backups: Beau Allen (6-2, 208, SO); Will Levis (6-3, 222, GR); Nick Scalzo (6-0, 178, RSO) Expectations: There is a new offensive coordinator (Liam Coen) who came to UK to spice up a dull, predictable offense run by former OC Eddie Gran. Gran was ground and pound. None of the four scholarship quarterbacks is exactly known for throwing laser-like strikes. What if … : First and foremost, someone has to actually win the job. Spring football was disappointing because that didn’t happen. Secondly, someone has to prove he can actually throw the ball better than last year’s QB, Terry Wilson, who was the designated SCUD-launcher. If someone can’t throw it well, it will be a long year. LSU The starter: Myles Brennan (6-4, 210, RSR) The backups: Max Johnson (6-5, 219, SO); Garrett Nussmeier (6-2, 172, FR) Expectations: There is a brand new offensive coordinator who Coach O expects to resurrect the Joe Brady magic of 2019. There was actually nothing wrong with last year’s offense when Myles Brennan or Max Johnson ran the show. Brennan probably will be the starter since Coach O tends to be loyal and Brennan did wait his turn patiently, then threw for 11 touchdowns in three games before he was injured last year. If Brennan falters, Johnson will be ready. He may not throw the deep ball as well as Brennan but he’s very, very accurate. What if … : LSU has two experienced quarterbacks with talent so there are no worries if one goes down with an injury but what happens if the Jake Peetz offense is a dud? Peetz has never called plays before. That’s a teensy little problem now but could be a big one later on unless he turns out to be the second coming of Joe Brady. MISSISSIPPI STATE The starter: Will Rogers (6-2, 205, SO) The backups: Jack Abraham (6-0, 205, GR); Chance Lovertich (5-11, 190, SR); Jack Kristofek (6-4, 190, RSO); Daniel Greek (6-4, 225, FR) Expectations: Rogers took over for KJ Costello last year and was far more effective than the former Stanford transfer. He faces a challenge from Southern Miss transfer Jack Abraham, who threw for 41 touchdowns while starting 27 games in three seasons. It will be Rogers’ second year in Mike Leach’s offense so he will start the season as the expected starter. What if … : At every stop on his coaching journey, the second year in the Leach Air Raid offense is much better. Rogers should be better but if he hasn’t made the progress Leach expects then Abraham will find himself the starter. MISSOURI The starter: Connor Bazelak (6-3, 220, RSO) The backups: Brady Cook (6-3, 220, RFR); Tyler Macon (5-11, 205, FR) Expectations: When Bazelac took over as the starter the Missouri offense clicked last year with the Tigers finishing with a surprising 5-5 record. If Bazelac makes the same kind of progress he made in 2020, a 7-5 or even 8-4 record is possible. What if … : There is very little experience behind Bazelac. Brady Cook has thrown all of seven passes in mop-up duty so if Bazelac goes down, things will be dicey. Macon is a true freshman dual threat who is a better runner than either Bazelac or Cook but he needs to redshirt. OLE MISS The starter: Matt Corral (6-1, 205, RJR) The backups: John Rhys Plumlee (6-0, 200, JR); Kinkead Dean (6-5, 205, RSO); Luke Altmyer (6-2, 195, FR) Expectations: Corral is the best QB in the SEC and could be a legitimate Heisman candidate if Ole Miss can win some games. Lane Kiffin’s offense is a perfect fit for his skill set. He simply needs to avoid games when he completes passes to the other team. What if … : John Rhys Plumlee is going to be on the field. He’ll play wideout, running back and he’ll be the change of pace QB who can really run. Altmyer is the future at quarterback. He will be brought along slowly but he will play some in 2021. SOUTH CAROLINA The starter: Luke Doty (6-1, 204, SO) The backups: Jason Brown (6-3, 235, GR); Coleten Gautier (6-3, 210, FR) Expectations: Doty played in eight games last year, started twice so there isn’t much experience. It’s a brand new offense with a coordinator who hasn’t called plays since 2014. Doty is quite mobile and gives the Gamecocks a run-pass option. What if … : Jason Brown threw 28 touchdown passes as a D1AA starter in 2019. He actually has more experience than Doty but it’s at a totally different level. It’s going to be a long year anyway, even longer if Doty goes down. TENNESSEE The starter: Hendon Hooker (6-4, 218, GR) The backups: Joe Milton (6-5, 244, RJR); Harrison Bailey (6-5, 220, SO); Brian Maurer (6-3, 205, RSO) Expectations: Josh Heupel runs an explosive, quarterback-centric offense that can put a lot of points on the board. Hooker is a legitimate dual threat with a big arm and great feet. If the Vols can find some people capable of catching the football, Hooker can deliver a lot of points. What happens if …: Joe Milton surprised everyone by transferring to Tennessee when there were other options available. He’s got a big arm but throws too many interceptions. Bailey got three starts as a true freshman. It wouldn’t be surprising if he eventually wins the starting job. TEXAS A&M The starter: Haynes King (6-3, 200, RFR) The backups: Zach Calzada (6-4, 200, RSO); Eli Stowers (6-4, 215, FR Expectations: Haynes King takes over for a four-year starter. During the spring he was all over the place, but Jimbo Fisher is quite confident that King will get the job done since this will be his second year in the offense. King threw four passes in mop-up duty as a redshirt freshman in 2020. If the Aggies are to challenge Alabama for the SEC West title King will have to play like a veteran from day one. What if … : Backup Zach Calzada didn’t play a single snap last year so if anything happens to King, the Aggies could be in a heap of trouble. As a freshman Calzada threw 24 passes so there isn’t much in the way of experience whether it’s for the starter or the backups. VANDERBILT The starter: Ken Seals (6-3, 218, SO) The backups: Mike Wright (6-3, 187, SO); Jeremy Moussa (6-3, 219, SR) Expectations: Seals had a fine year as a true freshman despite playing on a team that didn’t win a game. He is a pure pocket passer who isn’t going to give you anything in the running game. What if … : Wright threw 10 passes last year. Moussa has starting experience at San Bernardino Valley College (juco). He might be the better alternative if Seals were injured. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The Wall Street Journal went way over the top earlier in the week when Tom Verducci wrote that Shohei Ohtani is actually a better two-way player than Babe Ruth. Now, I’m old but I wasn’t around when Ruth played. He hit 714 home runs in his career, hit .342 and never struck out 100 times in a single season. As a pitcher, he was 94-46 with a career ERA of 2.28 to with 107 complete games and 17 shutouts. He was 3-0 pitching in the World Series. Ohtani, no question, is a very talented two-way player who has hit 80 homers in his MLB career, 33 at the midway point of this season. He has a career .271 batting average and already has two seasons (out of four) with more than 100 strikeouts and he’s struck out 98 times at the midway point of 2021. Ohtani throws 100 mph fast balls but he’s 8-4 with a 3.89 ERA, has never thrown a shutout much less a complete game. It’s very difficult to compare eras, but Ruth was and is the standard by which every two-way player will ever be judged. Ohtani could wind up being one of the all-time greats but better than Babe Ruth? I’m not buying it.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: RANKING THE SEC DEFENSIVE COORDINATORS 1. Mike Elko, Texas A&M: Elko runs good schemes, but he’s helped out by a ball control offense. Jimbo Fisher offenses regularly rank among the top teams in the country when it comes to time of possession, which makes the job of a defensive coordinator much easier. In 2020, the Aggies finished as the SEC’s top defense (317.3 yards per game) and ninth nationally. They ranked second nationally against the run (92.0), holding opponents to 3.25 yards per carry. With nine starters returning in 2021 including monster defensive end DeMarvin Leal, the Aggies figure to have another top 10 defense again. Since the offense is breaking in a new QB and four new starters on the line, the defense will have to dominate to keep the Aggies in the SEC West championship hunt. 2. Dan Lanning, Georgia: Georgia’s defense under Lanning finished third in 2019, 12th in 2020 although the Bulldogs both seasons got torched in their most critical games – LSU in the SEC Championship Game in 2019; by Alabama and Florida in 2020. Other than those games, Georgia’s defense has been outstanding but given the amount of 4-star and 5-star athletes at Lanning’s disposal there is little excuse for it not to be. From strictly a personnel standpoint, there are maybe only two or three teams in the country with better front seven than Georgia this year. The questions will be in the secondary, which was wiped out by the NFL Draft and transfers. If Lanning’s defense doesn’t come up big in the biggest games, however, he might find himself on a short leash. 3. Pete Golding, Alabama: Alabama has scored so many points in such rapid fashion the last two seasons that opposing offenses get a lot of possessions, therefore the overall defensive numbers are good but not great. However, the two numbers that tell the tale are sacks and interceptions. Alabama has 69 sacks the last two seasons and 29 interceptions, five of which have been returned for touchdowns. Alabama constantly pressures opposing QBs and that leads to interceptions. Alabama’s defense improved dramatically against the run in 2020. If the Tide can dominate against the run this season, Alabama might be difficult to keep from a second straight national championship. Linebackers Christian Allen, Christian Harris and Will Anderson Jr. make up the top unit in the country. 4. Todd Grantham, Florida: The 2020 season was a disaster for Grantham. If you go by what happened last season, then you’re inclined to believe Grantham might be as overrated a defensive coordinator as you will find anywhere in the country. His four previous seasons (2016 at Louisville No. 14; 2017 at Mississippi State No. 10; 2018-19 at Florida No. 28 and No. 9) tell a different story so either 2020 was an aberration or Grantham completely went brain dead and forgot how to coach. If 2021 is anything like last season, then he will be seeking gainful employment elsewhere. If the Gators can rebound to finish in the top defenses nationally, then Florida should have an outstanding season and Grantham’s head will avoid the guillotine. Improvement will start with transfer defensive tackles Antonio Shelton and Daquan Newkirk, juco transfer linebacker Diwun Black and returning starters Kaiir Elam, Zacharay Carter and Ventrell Miller. 5. Tim Banks, Tennessee: Banks was the co-coordinator at Penn State the previous four seasons, four of which the Nittany Lions had very good defenses noted for putting pressure on quarterbacks. Penn State had more than 40 sacks each season from 2016-19. Prior to Penn State, he worked for Butch Jones at Central Michigan and at Cincinnati where he was the DC. At Tennessee, Banks has his work cut out for him as the Vols lost the bulk of their defense to the transfer portal when Josh Heupel was named head coach. 6. Brad White, Kentucky: Despite an offense that put the defense in bad situations on a consistent basis in 2020, the Wildcats still had the SEC’s fourth best defense. The previous two seasons, White’s first two as the defensive coordinator for Mark Stoops, Kentucky finished 23rd and 20th nationally. White’s defenses have been consistently good against the pass, allowing 41 touchdown passes the last three seasons while picking off 33. Corner Kelvin Joseph and safety Yusuf Corker are studs. 7. Barry Odom, Arkansas: Arkansas was typically good for about three quarters last year. Fourth quarter disasters had everything to do with a lack of SEC quality depth and defenders. Still, it was an improvement over the previous three seasons, which is why Odom was given a nice raise. Expectations are that Arkansas can improve to somewhere close to the top 50 in 2021, which would represent a substantial improvement. Linebacker Grant Morgan made first team All-SEC and then took advantage of the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility. Morgan and Bumper Poole are one of the SEC’s best linebacker tandems. 8. Derek Mason, Auburn: Mason had very good but not great defenses as Stanford’s defensive coordinator before he went to that graveyard in Nashville where head coaching careers tend to die. Now that he’s no longer gainfully employed as Vandy’s head coach, Mason is Bryan Harsin’s defensive coordinator at Auburn where he will have an opportunity to work with better athletes than he ever did at either Stanford or Vanderbilt. He coaches a 3-4 scheme which isn’t all that much different than the one Kevin Steele ran at AU the last few years. Mason will have to get monster years out of Zakoby McClain and Owen Pappoe for the Tigers to be a top 20 defense. 9. Zach Arnett, Mississippi State: When you take into consideration the bad situations Arnett’s defense were dealt by last year’s offense, their fifth place finish among SEC defenses is quite remarkable. The Bulldogs were very good against the run (126.36 yards per game, 23rd nationally) but lacked the ability to get consistent pressure on the QB. That has to change this year if MSU is to make solid gains. Prior to MSU, Arnett had outstanding defenses at San Diego State. Corner Emmanuel Forbes (5 picks, 3 returned for TDs) will be a standout in the NFL someday. 10. DJ Durkin/Chris Partridge, Ole Miss: The Ole Miss defense was rotten in 2020, but it was rotten the previous four seasons so nothing really changed. All the coaching in the world couldn’t make up for bad personnel last year. The players will be better in 2021, but it’s still going to take another one or two recruiting classes to turn things around in Oxford. Durkin and Partridge are rock solid. They’ll have opportunities to go somewhere else. Will they stay long enough to see the Ole Miss defense make a serious turnaround? 11. Daronte Jones, LSU: Bo Pelini was an absolute disaster last year so his contract was bought out and Coach O turned to Daronte Jones, who spent the last few years coaching in the NFL and whose last defensive coordinator experience was for DII Bowie State from 2005-09. Jones coached NFL secondaries the last five years. Traditionally that has been LSU’s strength although last year the Tigers gave up 323 yards per game and 24 touchdown passes. They also struggled against the run (169 yards per game). Much of last year’s difficulty can be traced to the number of former Tigers who left for the NFL after the 2019 season but that won’t be an excuse this year. It’s a contract year for Derek Stingley Jr. who needs to have a monster year to make Jones’ return to college football a success. 12. Steve Wilks, Missouri: Wilks spent the last 14 seasons coaching in the NFL. Most of his NFL experience was in the secondary although he was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals for the 2018 season. He takes over a defense that gave up more than 32 points and 408 yards per game in 2020 so there is improvement needed everywhere you look but especially in the secondary where the Tigers allowed 21 touchdown passes while picking off only four. Wilks will have to find some pass rush, too. The Tigers managed only 16 sacks all last year. 13. Clayton White, South Carolina: White comes to South Carolina from Western Kentucky, where his defenses the last two seasons were respectable. Prior to WKU (2017-20), White spent four years as the special teams coordinator and safeties coach at North Carolina State. White will switch the Gamecocks from the 3-4 employed by former coach Will Muschamp to a 4-2-5 that is designed to be effective against the spread. 14. Jesse Minter, Vanderbilt: Minter spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach in the secondary of the NFL Baltimore Ravens. Prior to that he was the defensive coordinator at Georgia State. This is going to be HBC Clark Lea’s defense, make no mistake about it but Minter will be the man in charge of the secondary. The personnel to compete in the SEC will take at least two or three solid recruiting classes. THREE UF SIGNEES SELECTED IN ROUNDS 11-20 OF THE MLB DRAFT Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan has to be giddy after the final 10 rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft. In the final 10 rounds Tuesday, only three UF signees heard their names called – College of Central Florida transfer pitcher Shawn Guilliams (6-1, 185) by Cincinnati in the 11th round; pitcher Kyle Larson (6-2, 240, Sanford, FL TNXL Academy) by Texas in the 18th; and outfielder Ty Evans (6-2, 200, Auburndale, FL/Lakeland, FL Lakeland Christian) by Atlanta in the 20th round. Of the three, Guilliams seems the most likely to sign. Out of the nation’s No. 1 college baseball recruiting class, the Gators figure to lose only four high school signees – first round pitchers Andrew Painter (to Philadelphia) and Chase Petty (to Minnesota) and center fielder Jay Allen (to Cincinnati) and third round shortstop Jake Fox (to Cleveland). In nearly every pre-draft eval, the Gators stood to lose lefty pitchers Jac Caglianone (6-5, 210, Tampa, FL Plant), Pierce Coppola (6-8, 220, Verona NJ) and Phil Abner (6-1, 220, Port Charlotte, FL Charlotte Christian) in the first five rounds but all three went undrafted and can be expected to be at UF next season. Florida also will keep outfielder Michael Robertson (6-1, 180, Venice, FL), who could be the starter in center field, and infielder Deric Fabian (6-4, 180, Ocala, FL North Marion), who may take over at third if not at shortstop. Larson could compete for a starting job in the midweek rotation and Evans could take over for Jacob Young (almost certain to sign with Washington) in left field. THE SEC AND THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DRAFT, ROUNDS 11-20 Alabama: Tyler Ras, P, Colorado (14). Arkansas: Caden Monke, P, Kansas City (14). Elijah Trest, P, Colorado (19). Charlie Welch, C, Seattle (19). Auburn: Steven Williams, C, Washington (18) Kentucky: Holt Jones, P, Miami (14). Mississippi State: Rowdey Jordan, OF, New York Mets (11). South Carolina: Daniel Lloyd, P, Baltimore (14). Julian Bosnic, P, San Francisco (16). Tennessee: Leath Jackson, P, Texas (12). Sean Hunley, P, Tampa Bay (19). Texas A&M: Chandler Jorzwiak, P, Miami (13) Vanderbilt: Jayson Gonzalez, 3B, Chicago White Sox (17). Dominic Keegan, C/1B, New York Yankees (19). ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Now that the NCAA and NIL are in lockstep, former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and the other four players who traded their memorabilia for free tattoos and other impermissible benefits want their records restored. Had the current NIL rules been in place in 2010, it’s unlikely Ohio State would have been sanctioned and the individual records of the tattoo-gate five would still be in place. As a result of the sanctions, wins were vacated and HBC Jim Tressel was forced to resign. Should the NCAA decide to restore the records, maybe Florida basketball player Vernon Maxwell should threaten to sue UF if his scoring records aren’t restored. Mad Max scored 2,450 points in his UF career but the 1,404 points he scored in the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons aren’t part of the UF record book because he took money from an agent and also a round-trip ticket to a basketball camp. It’s absolutely ridiculous to continue this charade that Vernon’s points for those two years don’t exist.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: THE POLAR BEAR STRIKES AGAIN! It was The Pete Alonso Show in Denver as the former Gator launched 74 homers in the annual Home Run Derby Monday night. Alonso hit a record 35 homers in the first round when his longest traveled 514 feet and average distance was 447. His hardest hit homer in the first round had an exit velocity of 115 miles per hour and traveled 453 feet. After dispatching Salvatore Pena 35-28 in the first round, Alonso eliminated Juan Soto 16-15 in the second. Alonso still had 1:03 on the clock when he hit the homer that ended Soto’s night. His average second round homer went 450 feet with his longest going 498. His hardest hit homer had a 113 mile per hour exit velocity and traveled 458 feet. In the third round, Baltimore’s Trey Mancini came up big with 22 home runs, but Alonso made it look easy, hitting 23 including all six of his bonus swings. His longest homer of the final round was on his first swing – 509 feet – and his average home run distance was 464 feet with a hardest hit of 117 miles per hour that went 495 feet. This was Alonso’s second Home Run Derby crown. Shohei Otani, who leads the majors with 33 homers at the All-Star break, was eliminated in the first round by Juan Soto, although it took two tiebreakers to do it. SEVEN GATORS DRAFTED IN ROUNDS 2-10 Starting with center fielder Jud Fabian going to Boston with the fourth pick of the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft, it was a very good day for the Gators. Six others were called by the time the 10thround concluded Monday – pitcher Tommy Mace, Cleveland (2), catcher Nathan Hickey, Boston (5), pitcher Christian Scott, New York Mets (5), outfielder Jacob Young, Washington (7), pitcher Jack Leftwich, Cleveland (7) and pitcher Franco Aleman, Cleveland (10). Additionally, shortstop/second baseman Jake Fox (6-0, 185, Lakeland, FL Lakeland Christian) was taken by the Cleveland Indians in the third round. Fox was the only Gator signee drafted on Monday. Sunday night, three signees – pitcher Andrew Painter (6-7, 230, Pompano Beach, FL Calvary Christian), pitcher Chase Petty (6-0, 180, Somerset, NJ Mainland Regional) and center fielder Jay Allen (6-3, 190, Fort Pierce, FL John Carroll Catholic) – were taken in the first round. From the fifth round onward, perhaps 75-85 percent of the draftees were fourth-year collegians. With the cutback in draft rounds (from 40 to 20) and the reduction in minor league teams (most teams have only six, some have seven) teams were going for collegiate players who will require less time to develop. That only four signees from Florida’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class were taken in the first 10 rounds bodes well for HBC Kevin O’Sullivan. The bonus pool after the 10th round shrinks considerably (11th round money will dip below $100,000 and continue to drop from there), making it less likely high school kids will sign and more likely the trend to fourth-year players who figure to sign since their options are limited moving forward. In particular, the Gators figure to hold on to catcher Rene Lastres (6-3, 205, Hialeah, FL Calvary Christian), lefthanded pitchers Jac Caglianone (6-5, 210, Tampa, FL Plant), Pierce Coppola (6-8, 220, Verona, NJ) and Phil Abner (6-1, 220, Port Charlotte, FL Charlotte Christian), outfielders Ty Evans (6-2, 200, Lakeland, FL Lakeland Christian), Michael Robertson (6-1, 180, Venice, FL), Corey Robinson (5-11, 165, Port Orange, FL Spruce Creek) and Matthew Prevesk (6-3, 190, Apopka, FL), infielders Deric Fabian (6-4, 180, Ocala, FL North Marion) and Jorge De Goti (6-1, 180, Miami, FL Belen Jesuit Prep) and righthanded pitchers Kyle Larson (6-2, 225, Sanford, FL TNXL Academy) and Karl Hartman (6-4, 213, Rockledge, FL Merritt Island). The draft concludes with rounds 11-20 today. RANKING THE SEC QUARTERBACK COACHES/OFFENSIVE COORDINATORS 1. Dan Mullen, Florida: He won national championships with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow as his quarterbacks when he was Florida’s offensive coordinator from 2005-08. Tebow won the 2007 Heisman and should have won it in 2008 when he was actually a better QB than the year before. Alabama wanted Dak Prescott as a linebacker. Mullen turned him into a stud QB and turned Nick Fitzgerald from nobody into the SEC’s all-time leading QB rusher. As Florida’s head coach he made Feleipe Franks respectable and turned Kyle Trask into a second round draft pick. His next project is Emory Jones. 2. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: Here is everything you need to know about Lane Kiffin as a quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator. He turned Jonathan Crompton into an NFL draft choice at Tennessee in 2009 and won a national championship with Jacob Coker as the offensive coordinator at Alabama. Matt Corrall averaged more than 10 yards a pass attempt and threw for 3,307 yards and 28 touchdowns last year at Ole Miss. You make not like him personally, but Lake Kiffin does know how to coach up quarterbacks and call plays. 3. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: Jimbo has a strong history with quarterbacks dating back to LSU where he won a national championship with Matt Mauck and turned JaMarcus Russell into the top draft pick in the NFL. He won a national championship as the head coach at FSU with Jameis Winston winning the Heisman in 2013 and he turned Kellen Mond into a respectable, draftable quarterback at Texas A&M. Haynes King is his 2021 project. 4. Mike Leach, Mississippi State: The Pirate does things like turn East Carolina transfer Gardner Minshew II into the nation’s leading passer (Washington State, 2018). At every stop in his coaching career, year one has speed bumps but year two the offense takes off and the QB has a really big year. This is year two at MSU with Will Rogers and Southern Miss transfer Jack Abraham as his quarterbacks. 5. Josh Heupel, Tennessee: In his three seasons as the UCF head coach McKenzie Milton and Dillon Gabriel routinely lit up opponents. When he coached QBs at Missouri he turned Drew Lock into a second round NFL Draft choice. He may prove to be a mediocre head coach but he does know how to get the best out of his quarterbacks and offenses. The Vols will likely score points and Virginia Tech QB Hendon Hooker will probably have a good season, but even so it will be a long year in Knoxville. 6. Bill O’Brien, Alabama: He was Tom Brady’s quarterback coach with the New England Patriots in 2009-10 and the offensive coordinator in 2011. He had good offenses as Penn State’s head coach in 2012-13. He spent 2014-20 as the head coach of the Houston Texans. O’Brien will be working with first-year starter Bryce Young this year. 7. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri: Last year he turned Connor Bazelak into a respectable SEC quarterback. Before that he coached Scott Satterfield at Appalachian State and he turned Ryan Finley into an NFL Draft choice QB at North Carolina State. Drinkwitz is a real rising star. 8. Todd Monken, Georgia: In 2018 he coached Jameis Winston to a forgettable season with the Tampa Bay Bucs. In 2019 he made Baker Mayfield an interception machine at Cleveland. To his credit, in 2011-12 his Oklahoma State quarterbacks lit up the Big 12 but doesn’t everyone? Georgia fans expect Monken to make a Heisman candidate out of JT Daniels. 9. Mike Bobo, Auburn: Bobo had good success with David Greene, Matt Stafford and Aaron Murray when he was coaching quarterbacks for Mark Richt at Georgia. He took South Carolina’s offense in the wrong direction last year and that got Will Muschamp fired. Bryan Harsin hired him to fix Bo Nix. Right. 10. Kendal Briles, Arkansas: He ran his dad’s offense at Baylor and Lane Kiffin’s offense at Florida Atlantic in 2017. He didn’t exactly light it up working for Willie Taggart at FSU in 2019. Last year Briles did a very good job with Feleipe Franks who threw 17 TDPs and rarely completed a pass to the other team. This year’s project will be more difficult – KJ Jefferson. 11. Jake Peetz, LSU: Peetz may prove to be this year’s Joe Brady, who can go from obscurity to a household word in a single season, but nothing in his coaching history screams quarterback guru/ offensive genius at you. Two years ago he was coaching running backs with the Carolina Panthers. The year before he was an offensive analyst at Tennessee. At LSU, Peetz will have to decide between Myles Brennan and second year Max Johnson at QB. 12. Liam Coen, Kentucky: Coen spent the last three years as an assistant to the assistant with the Los Angeles Rams, wide receivers from 2018-19 and quarterbacks last year. Not exactly the kind of resume’ to write home about. None of his three QBs – Joey Gatewood, Beau Allen or Penn State transfer Will Levis – have ever started a game. 13. Joey Lynch, Vanderbilt: To his credit, Lynch actually played quarterback in college. He was the offensive coordinator at Ball State (his alma mater) from 2014-19. His offenses never averaged more than 27 points per game and he never had a QB throw for more than 16 touchdowns. His quarterback will be second year Ken Seals. 14. Marcus Satterfield, South Carolina: The last time he coached quarterbacks was 2013-14 at Temple. Since then he’s coached running backs, head coach at D1AA Tennessee Tech, tight ends and offensive line. Yep, just what you need to turn your quarterback into a difference-maker. Luke Doty is the expected starter at QB. THE SEC AND THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DRAFT, ROUNDS 2-10 Alabama: Peyton Willis, 2B, Kansas City (2); Dylan Smith, P, Detroit (3). Chase Lee, P, Texas (6). Sam Praytor, C, Miami (6). Arkansas: Kevin Kopps, P, San Diego (3). Christian Franklin, OF, Chicago Cubs (4). Ryan Costieu, P, Los Angeles Angels (7). Casey Opitz, C, Chicago Cubs (8). Patrick Wicklander, P, Tampa Bay (8). Lael Lockhart, P, Los Angeles Dodgers (9). Auburn: Ryan Bliss, SS, Arizona (2). Richard Fitts, P, New York Yankees (6). Tyler Miller, 3B, Boston (9). Georgia: Ryan Webb, P, Cleveland (4). Ben Harris, P, Los Angeles Dodgers (8). Kentucky: John Rhodes, OF, Baltimore (3). Austin Schultz, SS, Detroit (10). LSU: Jaden Hill, P, Colorado (2). Landon Marceaux, P, Los Angeles Angels (3). Mississippi State: Tanner Allen, OF, Miami (4). Eric Cerantola, P, Kansas City (5). Christian MacLeod, Minnesota (5). Missouri: Ole Miss: Doug Nikhazy, P, Cleveland (2). Taylor Broadway, P, Chicago White Sox (6). South Carolina: Kerry Brett, P, Los Angeles Angels (5). Thomas Farr, P, Cleveland (5). Brady Allen, OF, Miami (5). Brannon Jordan, P, Milwaukee (9). Andrew Peters, P, Los Angeles Angels (10). Wes Clarke, 1B, Milwaukee (10). Tennessee: Chad Dallas, P, Toronto (4). Liam Spence, SS, Chicago Cubs (5). Max Ferguson, 2B, San Diego (5). Connor Pavolony, C, Baltimore (7). Jake Rucker, 3B, Minnesota (7). Texas A&M: Dustin Saenz, P, Washington (4). Bryce Miller, P, Seattle (4). Will Frizzell, 1B, Washington (8). Vanderbilt: Luke Murphy, P, Los Angeles Angels (4). CJ Rodriguez, C, Oakland (5). Hugh Fisher, P, Arizona (10). ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Team USA went down in flames for the second straight game, dropping a 91-83 decision to Australia in an exhibition game in Las Vegas. Going back to the 2019 World Cup where the United States finished seventh, Team USA has lost four of its last five games including two straight to Australia. Team USA coach Greg Popovich said, “I thought we got better tonight.” Oh really? I find it hard to fathom that an American team made up of NBA players can lose to Nigeria and Australia back-to-back. This does not bode well for the US team at the Tokyo Olympics. I’ll be shocked if the US makes it to the gold medal game much less wins it.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: FABIAN FALLS OUT OF MLB DRAFT FIRST ROUND Back in February when strikeouts were becoming a serious issue, Jud Fabian’s draft stock began to fall and it kept falling throughout the spring. Projected as the third best prospect in the country at the start of Florida’s season, Fabian’s early season strikeout issues just wouldn’t go away and not even big league power could rescue him in the eyes of the scouts. As a result, the Gators’ center fielder dropped completely out of the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft which concluded Sunday night. Most mock drafts had Fabian going somewhere between 20-30 in the first round, with the most likely landing spots the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs but when both Chicago teams passed, the freefall began. When the draft picks up with the second round today, Fabian and pitcher Tommy Mace are both expected to go although the money won’t be nearly as good as it is for first rounders. Fabian does have options, however. He isn’t 21 yet and still has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining. If he doesn’t like the team that selects him or the second round money, he can take his chances and come back to Florida for the 2022 season. Mace is out of options, which means that while he is likely to go second round, whoever drafts him won’t offer him a large bonus. The Gators are almost certain to lose at least three signees from their No. 1-ranked recruiting class, all first rounders. Righthanded pitcher Andrew Painter (6-7, 230, Pompano Beach, FL Calvary Christian) was the first Gator signee to go, taken with the 13th pick by the Philadelphia Phillies. The second Gator signee to go was righthanded pitcher Chase Petty (6-0, 185, Somerset, NJ Mainland Regional) who went to the Minnesota Twins at No. 26. Center fielder Jay Allen (6-3, 190, Fort Pierce, FL John Carroll Catholic) went to the Cincinnati Reds with the 31st pick. Rounds 2-10 will take place today with 11-20 on Tuesday. A FEW THINGS THAT HAD ME THINKING DURING THE WEEKEND 1. It’s mind boggling that the United States Olympic basketball team lost an exhibition game to Nigeria over the weekend. Nigeria hit 20 3-pointers and outrebounded the US team 46-34. This is the first time a United States team has ever lost to a team from Africa. “In a way, I’m kind of glad it happened,” said Greg Popovich, coach of the San Antonio Spurs and the US team. I think it’s absolutely embarrassing. Maybe the US team will prove me wrong and win every game in Tokyo handily, but I think this is a bad omen. There is no excuse for the US team to ever lose the gold medal. 2. The NCAA and Kansas basketball will do battle in the Independent Resolutions panel, which is a fancy way of saying a courtroom setting with the judges who aren’t directly connected to any university. It’s worth mentioning that KU will fight it out even though there is wiretap evidence from the college basketball corruption trials and under oath depositions and transcripts that are fairly conclusive. Kansas also has football recruiting violations that will be heard at the same hearing. The allegations against basketball coach Bill Self are all Level I. Combine those with the football violations and Kansas becomes a candidate for the harshest sanctions in history that don’t involve the death penalty. It’s worth mentioning the Kansas situation because there are new allegations, these aimed at former football coach Les Miles, former athletic director Jeff Long and the entire Kansas athletic department. The family of former fullback Capleton Humphrey, who left the team in 2019 after a series of confrontations with other players on the team, agreed to accept $50,000 in benefits – tuition, monthly stipend checks, moving expenses. The family is now calling the agreement hush money and they’re threatening to sue. I’m not sure there are any NCAA violations here, but the optics aren’t good and, if there are violations, they will only pile on to the deep trouble Kansas is already in. Of course, this is the NCAA we’re talking about and if we go by their success (inject strong dose of sarcasm here) in court then we know they are capable of screwing up even the surest of things. 3. Okay, I’m the one who brought up Les Miles here so I can’t let the NCAA vs. LSU pass without a comment or two. The NCAA is investigating LSU for football and basketball violations. The NCAA has in its possession copies of Federal Court transcripts and depositions from the college basketball corruption trials. There is wiretap evidence of basketball coach Will Wade openly boasting about the amount of money he was offering at least one prospect. The football program has self-imposed sanctions for former offensive lineman Vadal Alexander’s family receiving $180,000 in money embezzled from a hospital by an LSU booster back when Miles was the HBC at LSU. Former LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham was handing out cash to players after the Tigers beat Clemson for the 2019 national championship. There is also that teensy matter of the Title IX lawsuit against the school in which football coach Ed Orgeron is named as a defendant for failing to report a rape by former running back Derrius Guice. Title IX is administered by the US government and not by the NCAA but like the case at Kansas, the optics are absolutely horrendous. Like Kansas, LSU is deferring future hearings on the NCAA violations to the Independent Resolutions panel with the hope that independent people will go lighter on the school than Committee on Infractions members who have ties to their schools. The NCAA still has not issued a notice of allegations, which could mean the investigation hasn’t been completed. 4. The college football preseason magazines may be enamored with Georgia quarterback JT Daniels, but The Athletic’s NFL Draft expert Dane Brugler apparently didn’t get the memo that was being circulated. Brugler has put out two quarterback lists for the 2022 draft – a top 20 of 2021 seniors and a top 10 of underclassmen. Obviously, Daniels doesn’t qualify for the seniors list which is headed up by 1. Malik Willis (Liberty), 2. Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati), 3. Brock Purdy (Iowa State), 4. Kenny Pickett (Pitt) and 5. Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA). On the underclassmen list, Daniels comes in eighth, trailing (in order) Sam Howell (North Carolina), Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma), Matt Corral (Ole Miss), Carson Strong (Nevada), Kedon Slovis (Southern Cal), Phil Jurkovec (Boston College) and Graham Mertz (Wisconsin). I’m not a draft expert but based on what I’ve seen watching college football the past three years, if I had to rank the ten best quarterbacks heading into 2021, they would be: 1. Howell; 2. Purdy; 3. Corral; 4. Slovis; 5. Rattler; 6. Willis; 7. Purdy; 8. Tanner Morgan (Minnesota); 9. Strong; and 10. Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina). 5. All eyes at the Home Run Derby tonight will be on the California Angels’ Shohei Otani, who leads the Majors in home runs with 33, 16 more than former Gator Pete Alonso of the New York Mets who will be back to defend his 2019 title. I’ll watch with the expectation that Pete at least makes it to the finals in that high altitude setting in Denver. The game Tuesday night? Doubtful. Most All-Star games have been a disappointment since the 1971 game in Detroit, won by the American League 6-4. Six home runs were hit in the game including a monster shot by Reggie Jackson that would have gone completely out of Tiger Stadium if it hadn’t hit one of the light standards on the right field roof. Estimates are the home run traveled somewhere between 525-550 feet. The other homers were hit by Johnny Bench, Henry Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Frank Robinson and Harmon Killebrew. There were 22 future Hall of Famers in that game: Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Palmer, Luis Aparicio, Harmon Killebrew, Al Kaline, Thurman Munson, Tony Oliva, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson from the American League; Willie McCovey, Johnny Bench, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Ferguson Jenkins, Henry Aaron, Lou Brock, Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal, Willie Mays and Ron Santo from the National League. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH Alabama: ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky, says former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts “can’t sniff as good as Carson Wentz is.” Philadelphia benched Wentz for Hurts last December and then traded Wentz to Indianapolis in the offseason. Arkansas: Jace Bohrofen, who made the All-Freshman team in the Big 12 at Oklahoma, is transferring to Arkansas. Bohrofen hit .252 as a true freshman as a right fielder and designated hitter. Auburn: Former Georgia wide receiver Demetris Robinson is transferring to Auburn. Robinson, who started his career at California, caught 42 passes for 443 yards and three touchdowns at Georgia. At Cal, he caught 57 passes for 837 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games. Georgia: Clemson defensive back transfer Derion Kendrick has gone through a pretrial intervention for an arrest for unlawful possession of a gun and marijuana. With his record expunged, Kendrick will be immediately eligible at Georgia, which opens its season September 4 with Clemson in Charlotte. Kentucky: Dare Rosenthal, who was LSU’s starting left tackle in 2020, is transferring in to Kentucky. He has two years eligibility remaining. LSU: Former LSU linebacker Barkevious Mingo has been arrested in Texas on charges of indecency with child-sexual contact. It’s a second degree felony charge that carries a maximum of 20 years in prison. Upon being informed of the arrest, the Atlanta Falcons released Mingo, who had played with six previous NFL teams. Mississippi State: Will Bednar, the righthanded pitcher who was the Most Outstanding Player in Mississippi State’s College World Series championship, was selected with the 14th pick in the first round by the San Francisco Giants. Missouri: Missouri has seen a 50 percent increase in season ticket sales over the levels of the last full season in 2019. Ole Miss: The Toronto Blue Jays selected righthanded pitcher Gunnar Hogland with the 19th pick of the first round in the Major League Baseball Draft. South Carolina: South Carolina fans are upset with former corner Jaycee Horn, who recommended 4-star athlete Chris Graves (6-1, 175, Fort Myers, FL Bishop Verot) to go to Miami to play for Travaris Robinson, formerly the secondary coach for Will Muschamp. Tennessee: Former UT safety LaDarrell McNeill, who started 41 games from 2012-15, has passed away. He was 27 years old. Texas A&M: Former Aggie baseball coach Rob Childress has taken a job as director of player development at Nebraska. Vanderbilt: Righthanded pitcher Jack Leiter was taken with the second choice in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Texas Rangers … Righthanded pitcher Kumar Rocker was taken with the 10thpick in the first round by the New York Mets … Scotty Pippen Jr. has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return to Vandy for his third season. Pippen averaged 20.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per season last year. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: I managed to make it all the way through Wimbledon without once tuning in to watch a single match. Tennis bores me now. I used to love tennis back when it was played with wooden racquets and it was more of a finesse game. I think it was a more entertaining game back in those days when the racquets weren’t so high tech and there was more of a premium put on shot making. If you ever get a chance watch a replay of the 1980 Wimbledon final between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, won by Borg, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (16-18 in the tiebreaker), 8-6. Borg and McEnroe met 14 times from 1978-81 with each one winning seven times. McEnroe was 3-1 in Grand Slam Events with McEnroe winning twice at the US Open and once at Wimbledon.

In addition, sports writers are a magnificent repository of remarkably unblemished narratives, colorful rhetoric, beautiful irony and cynicism, fascinating hyperbole, truthful insight and falling-down funny anecdotes. Most of that, however, is bound to be washed out to sea with the next wave. Every year about this time I am rejuvenated by the harbinger of college football, SEC Media Days, and with it I become a little nostalgic. What started out as an informal gathering of coaches and a few newspaper stragglers developed into a massive, glorious gabfest about the most powerful sports conglomerate in the South, if not the nation. Greenlight permission, if you will, to talk Down South ball. They can browbeat us with NIL issues, keep us guessing on access restricted by Covid and confuse us with the Transfer Portal news. But in some form, there will be football in a few months. And, thankfully, that feels a little bit normal even with all the obfuscation. It brings me to the realization that another football season means further evolution as the next chapter in The Disappearance of The Great American Sportswriter. That saddens me. But before you label me as another “Get Off My Lawn” geezer, let me explain. I didn’t say “death,” I said “disappearance.” While there is a certain finality about the demise of the golden age of journalism, the expiration of newspapers and shrinking print media, there will always be evolution of new talent and new technology to restock the shelves somewhat. So that leaves room for a comeback. However, just like nobody will ever make music again like Mozart or Elvis or the Beatles or Tom Petty, we seem to lose a little bit of our soul with a gradual extinction of this marvelous breed of storytellers born out of the press box. Perhaps we can only hope they are in sleep mode, or will return in another 17 years with the Cicadas, or are just lost in space. But for nearly a century The Great American Sportswriters have helped us sort out the defugalties of life by reiterating the joy and drama and pathos directly from the field to our living rooms without the assault of electronics on our brains and psyche. And that has been a good thing. In addition, sportswriters are a magnificent repository of remarkably unblemished narratives, colorful rhetoric, beautiful irony and cynicism, fascinating hyperbole, truthful insight and falling-down funny anecdotes. Most of that, however, is bound to be washed out to sea with the next wave. You can accuse me of romanticizing a dead-end profession or pining for a lost cause or merely lamenting the absence of the paper or a good book, but really it is none of that. It’s much more selfish. As one of them myself I am, in fact, somewhat mourning the extinction of an endangered species, like we once did the buffalo or eagle. In my opinion, an iconic American treasure. This is not the first declaration of such a sports media erosion. Kevin Koczwara of The Stacks Reader, who I don’t know, wrote this in February, 2020, after Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced it would cease publication of “The Best American Sports Writing Series” (which I never accepted as gospel anyway): “Deadspin is gone. Grantland is gone. SBNation longform is gone … Newspapers have cut their entire staffs as venture capitalists look to wring every penny out of them. Sports Illustrated has become a shell game. Money has dried up to do the kind of reporting needed to tell a truly great story … No longer does the industry have the time or patience to truly nurture such a thing, because, make no doubt, the kinds of stories that touch a reader and stay with them forever are the ones that take months, sometimes years, to craft.” And he’s not wrong. A dozen years ago I toyed with the idea of doing a book called “Will The Last Great Sportswriter Leaving The Press Box Please Turn Out The Lights?” Nobody wanted to publish it and a New York editor working on one of my seven books advised me, “Don’t make that your next book or the one after that – but maybe the one after that.” I’ve done two books since then and I’m still waiting. Finally a couple of years later, a friend, former classmate and fellow sports editor asked if he could have permission to pitch that book idea as his own, to which I said, “of course!” A couple of more years later he ditched the idea. Are we getting the signal that nobody cares? Maybe. But as a self-anointed patron saint for lost causes, I hereby invoke this Tom Petty-ism: “Don’t Back Down.” There’s no plan for a book now, but there may be another way to tell the story: A podcast called “The Great American Sportswriter” with living, breathing sports subjects …. sometimes talking about other greats who are no longer with us. Last week I sent about a dozen texts to good friends in the business as a query about my idea. I got strong responses of mostly “yes,” plus offers to help. Not the kind of self-serving, narcissistic comments that some might think, but instead genuine responses like: “Perfect. How can I help?” “Great idea pal.” “Cool idea.” This isn’t one of those campaigns to bring back Walter Cronkite to the 6:30 news, because not even Uncle Walt could make sense out of today’s morass of information. So what is it? I guess a celebration of the craft that I’ve served for most of my 60 years as a journalist. And rather than complain about the darkness, I’ve devised this candle-lighting plan in the name of preservation. So let the first match be struck. Of course there is a matter of my limited bandwidth, considering than I currently own and operate GatorBait Magazine, host The Buddy Martin Show, co-host The Best Fridays in Football with Urban Meyer and am writing and/or developing three books. (Which makes me ask myself, how come more people don’t subscribe, support and advertise in one of these entities during this cash-rich era of NIL? is it wrong to try and make a profit instead unintentionally being a non-profit?) Ken Burns made me do this! The other night I was watching a rerun of a segment about the documentarian Burns on Sixty Minutes, who at 67 has spectacularly delivered some of the best Americana stories in our country’s history. Asked about how he found the time, he said to Scott Pelley that he works on “six or seven films at a time” so he “always have one a year coming out.” So I figured, what the heck, what’s one more podcast occasionally? I hope to tap into the energy needed to unearth some sort of worthy insight about these typewriter/computer jockeys who made so many of my Saturdays feel like I was walking into hallowed walls of the press box that was once partly Cooperstown and partly Sistine Chapel. I’m not sure who all would be included for the podcast or what subjects, but the majority would be living and some may be inclusive of the departed. For instance, my list of hopefuls would certainly include Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post and naturally we would also talk about her late father Dan Jenkins, who is among the giants. Among the living, should they be willing: Tony Kornheiser, Gary Smith and Rick Reilly. Then there is my all-time favorite, the late Edwin Pope, and his departed colleagues Jim Murray, Blackie Sherrod and Furman Bisher. Any list without Red Smith would be bogus, but since he is no longer with us, I’d also reference him through the likes of my current friends Dave Kindred and Neil Amdur. I would also include Kindred’s former bosses George Solomon and Frank Deford, the latter of which has passed away. You gotta find some reference to our Legendary Son of the South, the late Grantland Rice. This is by no means a completed list – it is hardly started. There is no set of parameters or guidelines and it’s not intended to represent a Hall of Fame, but more of a sampling of interesting stories by and about the people with whom I am familiar or acquainted. So anecdotes and stories will trump celebrity. Who else to include on our list of interviewees? Send me your thoughts, ideas, responses to Buddymartinshow@gmail.com.