(UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: The door has been left open for the Gators to earn a top eight seed for the NCAA Tournament. Projected the No. 9 national seed by both D1Baseball and Baseball America, the Gators got help Friday night from Auburn (38-18), which shut out Texas A&M on two hits, 7-0, in a quarterfinal game of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. The Aggies (39-14) are projected as the No. 8 seed, but the Gators (39-18) can take that spot today if they can beat Georgia (44-12) in the first semifinal at 1 p.m. (SEC Network). Auburn will face Arkansas (38-19) in the other semifinal. Florida comes into the game having won 10 of the last 11. Back in April, the Gators took two out of three from Georgia in Athens. Florida is the only team that won a weekend series against the Bulldogs, who won the SEC regular season championship outright with a 23-7 record in league play. When the Gators beat the Bulldogs 13-7 to clinch the series, homers by Ethan Surowiec, Hayden Yost and Kyle Jones helped bolt the Gators to a 13-5 lead in the first four innings. At the SEC Tournament, Surowiec is 5-8 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI. In Florida’s last six games, Surowiec is 14-27 with three homers, three doubles and 14 RBI. Yost is 4-7 in Hoover with a homer, two doubles and four RBI. In his last seven games, Yost is 14-27 with five homers, two doubles and 12 RBI. The Gators are No. 10 nationally in RPI, just ahead of No. 11 Georgia and No. 14 Texas A&M. D1Baseball projected top 16 seeds as of May 22: 1. UCLA; 2. Georgia Tech; 3. Georgia; 4. North Carolina; 5. Texas; 6. Alabama; 7. Auburn; 8. Texas A&M; 9. FLORIDA; 10. Southern Miss; 11. Florida State; 12. West Virginia; 13. Nebraska; 14. Mississippi State; 15. Kansas; 16. Oregon Baseball America projected top 16 seeds as of May 22: 1. UCLA; 2. Georgia Tech; 3. Georgia; 4. Texas; 5. North Carolina; 6. Auburn; 7. Alabama; 8. Texas A&M; 9. FLORIDA; 10. Florida State; 11. Southern Miss; 12. Nebraska; 13. Kansas; 14. Mississippi State; 15. Oregon; 16. West Virginia UF SOFTBALL: A PROBLEM IN THE CIRCLE For the fifth time in the last eight games, Florida’s pitching – or lack of – was the problem as the Gators dropped a 10-8 decision to Texas Tech Friday in the first game of the Gainesville NCAA Super Regionals. Texas Tech pounded out 12 hits off four Florida pitchers, the killing blow a towering 2-run homer in the top of the seventh off Katelynn Oxley by former Gator Mia Williams. Texas Tech chased Florida starter Keagan Rothrock with a 3-run fourth. In the fifth, Olivia Miller gave up a 3-run homer to Laur Allred and a solo homer to Lag Quiroga for a 7-1 Tech lead before Oxley came on to put out the fire. Florida cut the lead to 7-4 in the bottom half of the inning on a 2-run homer by Ava Brown followed by an opposite field home run to left by Townsen Thomas. Oxley allowed another run in the top of the sixth, but the Gators rallied to tie the game at 8-8. After a leadoff home run by Madison Walker, Texas Tech brought on Nijaree Canady to relieve starter Kaitlyn Terry. The ace of the Tech staff promptly hit pinch-hitter Ella Wesolowski then gave up a single to left by Gabi Comia. Canady struck out Taylor Shumaker and Jocelyn Erickson, but Brown cleared the bases with her second home run of the game and her 10th of the season, tying the game at 8-8. Oxley remained in the game to start the seventh, but Quiroga coaxed a 6-pitch walk and Williams blasted a 1-0 pitch onto the Florida bullpen roof. Leah Stevens relieved Oxley and got the final three outs. It is a do-or-die game for the Gators today at 12:30 (ABC). Win and the season extends for a Sunday game that will determine who goes to the Women’s College World Series. Lose and the season is over. UF WOMEN’S GOLF: GATORS NO. 23 AFTER DAY ONE It was a rough day on the links for Florida’s women, seeded No. 3 nationally at the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California. The Gators are tied for 23rd after the first round, 9-over par and a full 16 shots behind Southern California. Elaine Widjaja was the only Gator to shoot under par, carding a 69 for an 10-way tie for second. The Gators need to finish in the top 15 through 54 holes to qualify for the final round of stroke play on Monday. After Monday, the top eight teams qualify for match play which determines the national champion. Top 25 after day one: 1. Southern Cal -7; 2. Stanford -6; 3. Oklahoma State -5; 4. Iowa State -4; 5. (Tie) Eastern Michigan and Arkansas -2; 7. Missouri -1; 8. (Tie) SMU, LSU and Texas E; 11. (Tie) Baylor, Texas A&M, Arizona State and Virginia +1; 15. Northwestern +2; 16. (Tie) Tennessee and Duke +3; 18. Florida State +4; 19. North Carolina +5; 20. Houston +6; 21. (Tie) Texas Tech and Pepperdine +8; 23. (Tie) FLORIDA and Ohio State +9; 25. (Tie) Kentucky and Michigan State +10 CBS RANKS GATORS NO. 9 IN FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS CBS Sports posted its power rankings for the Southeastern Conference, placing Florida middle of the pack at No. 9. CBS projects seven SEC teams as legitimate College Football Playoff contenders – Texas, Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama and Oklahoma. Writes Brad Crawford of CBS: “The Gators want year-to-year stability under Jon Sumrall, and he believes that process begins immediately. Florida should be defense-driven with most of its starters returning alongside impact transfers Cam Dooley and DJ Coleman in the secondary. The Gators' wide receiver room gives whoever wins the quarterback job – either Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo or Tramell Jones -- plenty of options. Vernell Brown and Dallas Wilson enter their second seasons in Gainesville, while Eric Singleton reunites with offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner after previously playing for him at Georgia Tech. “Outside of Kiffin at LSU, Sumrall inherits the SEC's best win-now opportunity among first-year coaches. More than two dozen transfers were necessary additions this cycle, but unlike many new staffs, Florida didn't rely heavily on talent from Sumrall's previous stop. Expect the Gators to be a rugged, physical team at the line of scrimmage, and for running back Jadan Baugh to surpass 1,000 rushing yards if he can stay healthy.” CBS Power ranking of SEC teams for 2026: 1. Texas; 2. Georgia; 3. LSU; 4. Ole Miss; 5. Texas A&M; 6. Alabama; 7. Oklahoma; 8. Tennessee; 9. FLORIDA; 10. Missouri; 11. South Carolina; 12. Auburn; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Kentucky; 15. Mississippi State; 16. Arkansas ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The big question heading into this week’s SEC Spring Meetings in Destin is will the coaches unite behind commissioner Greg Sankey in diggings in their heels to resist the push for expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams? Sankey and SEC benefactor ESPN would prefer to remain at 12 teams, but they have a willingness to expand to either 14 or 16 teams. However, The Athletic writes that some SEC coaches and athletic directors are waffling on the 24-team concept, the thinking being that more playoff slots mean more SEC teams in the field and fewer coaches whose heads are on the chopping block. There is more at stake than just expansion of the playoff. The 24-team proposal generated by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petiti calls for the elimination of conference championship games. The SEC Championship Game is the oldest and most prosperous, generating upwards of $150 million in revenue not to mention national exposure. When it comes to television viewership, the other conferences pale in comparison to the SEC game. Behind Petiti’s proposal, which has the endorsement of the ACC, Big Ten and Notre Dame, is Fox Sports. Last year with its Big Ten package, Fox Sports had three games that attracted 10 million or more viewers and two more that had five million or more. Contrast that to the SEC and ESPN, which broadcast 10 games that attracted 10 million or more viewers and another 24 that reached five million or more. ESPN, which holds the exclusive contract for the College Football Playoff through 2031-32, would have to agree to a new CFP deal to expand to 24 teams and that would open the door for Fox to scoop up quite a few of the games. The way Fox and the Big Ten see it, more games means more revenue, but that doesn’t ensure quality. There is an underlying motivation for Fox that goes beyond college football. The NFL may elect to opt out of its deal with the networks as early as 2029 in favor of streaming giants like Google, Apple and Amazon. That would leave Fox without NFL football. Realistically, there are only six to eight teams every year that have a true shot at winning the national championship so adding more teams means more blowout games and diluting the quality of the playoff. It should also be noted that three years ago when the playoff media rights were up for sale, Fox didn’t even put in a bid. ESPN was the only bidder. ESPN is also the media rights partner of the Southeastern Conference and all 16 SEC schools benefit from that arrangement. SEC schools distributed more than $72 million for the 2024-25 athletic year. Within two or three more years that figure is expected to approach $100 million per team. Money talks and when Sankey starts talking revenue to the league presidents and athletic directors this week will everybody listen? Or will they follow the Big Ten model? If they are smart, they will fall in line with Sankey and ESPN. If they do something dumb – a real possibility seeing that most of the university presidents are relatively clueless when it comes to sports – then college sports and particularly football will never be the same again.

Upon a return to work in a few days, we will announce plans for some of the most exciting things we’ve ever done in GatorBait and journalism. By Buddy Martin GatorBaitmedia.com To paraphrase and borrow from an old Mark Twain line, the rumors of my death were not all that exaggerated. In fact, the Grim Reaper recently had me in his grip and I barely managed to escape. I think I heard my maker say, “We can’t take him yet, he’s got a huge year ahead with historic seasons for the Florida Gators football and basketball teams!” I’ll take that! Fact is, GatorBait and Buddy Martin are about to bounce back with ambitious plans and a spectacular rebrand! It all looked gloomy and very much in question just before 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, when I started talking gibberish, much to the concern of my caregiver Ashlyn, who sometimes tends to me at home in Panama City. She became alarmed and phoned my daughter, Rebecca, in Pennsylvania. By now, I was passed out and was about to wake up in the back of an ambulance on the wrong end of a 911 call, barely alert, confused and afraid. I had no idea how close I was to death, and only because of the quick action by friends, family and doctors was I able to make it. What In the world what was going on? My body was “raging with infection” and dangerously close to imploding with bacteria. I knew next to nothing about sepsis which can be fatal and would later learn it is the body’s extreme, life-threatening response to infection. It is a medical emergency that triggers a cascade of reactions causing tissue damage and organ failure. If untreated, it can quickly progress to septic shock, and with it a dangerous drop in blood pressure. All of sudden my teeth were chattering violently. I did not know these were the symptoms of sepsis: • Shivering, fever, or feeling very cold • Extreme pain or general discomfort • Pale or discolored skin • Sleepiness, confusion, or disorientation • Feeling like I might die (a sense of impending doom) • Shortness of breath I checked all those boxes. • YouTube:
Common Causes – Sepsis is usually triggered by bacterial infections, but it can also result from viral (e.g., flu), fungal, or parasitic infections. Common sources of these initial infections include: • Pneumonia (lungs) • Urinary tract infections (kidneys/bladder) • Abdominal infections • Infected cuts or wounds • Sepsis Alliance
 When to Seek Help “Sepsis is a medical emergency. One must seek immediate medical attention or go to the nearest emergency room amid signs of a worsening infection alongside symptoms like high fever, extreme confusion, rapid heart rate, or difficulty breathing.” Thanks to some extraordinary doctors at HCA Florida, Gulf Coast Hospital in Panama City, the love and care of my family and the immediate action of my stepson, Sheriff Tommy Ford, plus the Lord’s blessings, I Iived to fight again another day. Not only did I survive, but eventually will prevail again in my profession. In a twist of fate, I will be just like brand new and extremely motivated to grab the wheel again soon with some ambitious plans. Upon a return to work in a few days, we will announce plans for some of the most exciting things we’ve ever done in GatorBait and journalism. You’ll be hearing about a new book with coach Steve Spurrier, “Me and My Quarterbacks“ which we will publish by the end of the year. We are also announcing plans for a GatorBait magazine in print – yes, print, remember? —by Carlton Reese. GatorBait will soon make that return to print in a glorious and refined quarterly magazine, designed for Gator fans who appreciate long-form journalism and crave that keepsake which announces one’s true colors and intellectual depth. “With its veteran team of wordsmiths including Buddy Martin and Franz Beard, GatorBait Quarterly will bring analysis, perspective and opinion in a form marked for serious followers of University of Florida sports,” Reese announced. The first issue will come out before the start of football season to prepare everyone for the Jon Sumrall era and will be available through subscription or various newsstands. We are also asking fans to join our “Bring Back GatorBait!” Campaign in hopes that it will catch the eye of new school president Stuart Bell so that he might right this grievous wrong.

Gators celebrate Ethan Surowiec's 11th home run (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: The beast within has been awakened. Just ask Vanderbilt and Alabama, who the Florida Gators have flattened in their two games at the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. Vandy went down 8-3 on Wednesday. Thursday, the 5th-seeded Gators (39-18) run-ruled 4th-seeded Alabama (37-19), 13-3, and in doing so made a case for a top eight national seed when the NCAA announces its 64-team field at noon Monday. Florida came into Thursday’s game with the No. 10 national RPI while Bama was No. 6. Florida State, whom the Gators beat three times this season, is No. 7. The Seminoles play their first game in the ACC Tournament today. At No. 8 is Southern Cal, which has benefitted from a weak Big Ten schedule. No. 9 is Nebraska, like Southern Cal the beneficiary of a weak Big Ten schedule. Both Southern Cal and Nebraska play their first games in the Big Ten Tournament today. The Gators have won 10 of their 11 games since May 2 and carry a 6-game winning streak into tomorrow’s SEC Tournament semifinal against Georgia, the SEC regular season champion. Despite the Bulldogs’ 43-12 record, they are only No. 14 in RPI. By virtue of the regular season title, no one doubts Georgia will be a top eight seed even if the Gators bushwhack them Saturday. Florida, it turns out, is the only team in the SEC that won a 3-game weekend series against Georgia and the Gators did it in Athens. Florida has all the momentum and that should be taken into account by the selection committee. The Gators have one of the best 1-2 pitching combos in the country in Aidan King and Liam Peterson, and the bats have gone on a rampage. Thursday against an Alabama team that swept the Gators in Tuscaloosa, both Peterson and the hitters were in a groove. Peterson went five innings to pick up the win, striking out eight while allowing only one run. At the plate, the Gators pounded out 16 hits with Ethan Surowiec going 4-5 with two doubles and his 11th home run of the season. Brendan Lawson hit his 16th home run and a double, his second straight game with a homer and a double. After the Gators lost to Oklahoma on May 1, they were 28-17 overall and 11-11 in SEC play. In three weeks, Florida has transformed into the hottest team in the nation’s best collegiate baseball conference. This is the team nobody but nobody wants to play right now. UF SOFTBALL: DOES TIM WALTON HAVE THE MAGIC IN HIM ONCE AGAIN? There have been times during Tim Walton’s illustrious career as Florida’s softball coach that he has had some moments when it seems he has changing water into wine capabilities. Walton has taken the Gators to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series 13 times in a Hall of Fame career at Florida. He’s won two NCAA championships, eight SEC titles and six times the Gators have won the SEC Tournament. As 1,079 wins at Florida attest, Tim Walton has this habit of turning the Gators into a formidable foe, particularly at this time of the year. He might have to summon all his inner magic starting today because the Gators (51-10) open NCAA Super Regional play at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium with Texas Tech (55-6), a team that boasts a .388 batting average and a 1.81 ERA. This will be a chance for Walton to even the score against Texas Tech pitcher Nijaree Canady. Back in 2023 when she was a freshman at Stanford, Canady pitched a 2-hit, 8-0 shutout to beat the Gators in regional action in Palo Alto. Canady has spent the last two seasons at Texas Tech, transferring after a $1 million NIL deal lured her to Lubbock. She is 23-5 this season with a 1.42 ERA. There is also the problem of UCLA transfer Kaitlyn Terry (24-1, 1.39 ERA), a lefty who also leads the team in hitting at .470. Terry and Canady give Texas Tech perhaps the best 1-2 pitching punch in the country. Can Walton summon two wins from the Gators this weekend starting with today’s 11 a.m. showdown (ESPN2)? The super regional is a best-of-three format. Nobody has beaten the Gators two games in a weekend series at KSP this season. When Tennessee came to KSP back in March, the Vols were ranked No. 1 in the nation, but Florida won the final two games to take the series. The Gators are a capable team, but to get past the Red Raiders this weekend, Walton needs to sprinkle some magic woofie dust on his team. Oklahoma City and the Women’s College World Series awaits the winner. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: On more than one occasion since taking the job as head football coach at James Madison University up in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Billy Napier has done a dandy impersonation of Vincent Van Gogh, the great Dutch artist famous, among other things for his many self-portraits. Van Gogh put his self-portraits on canvas. Napier tries to paint using the media where he tries to portray himself as some kind of victim for his time at the University of Florida. There was this interview with Matt Hayes of USA Today in which Napier said, “This is the first time in my career where I’ve inherited a positive culture, confidence among players and alignment top to bottom.” In a more recent interview with a Richmond ESPN radio affiliate, Napier said, “Third time being a head coach. I think typically, when you get one of these jobs, it’s broken. There’s a lots of things to fix. You got long lists of problems that you got to solve. And I think here we’re kind of starting on second base a little bit, you know, we’re been benefiting from, you know, the last 20 years, there’s 18 Championships have been won here in football, and there’s been a lot of great coaches rolled through here. So we inherited winning culture … There’s a total commitment to winning.” Of course there were problems when Billy Napier became Florida’s football coach in December of 2021. Florida wouldn’t have been in the market for a new head coach if Dan Mullen hadn’t hit a wall in 2021. Was Florida broken, however? Maybe that depends on your perspective, but even if we concede that the Florida program was broken, Napier had four years to right the ship and he had advantages that Mullen never had such as the Heavener Center and Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille, a place that wows potential recruits. Napier has three losing seasons in four years to show for his tenure. He has a former 5-star quarterback (DJ Lagway) who transferred to Baylor and now claims that he wanted to have shoulder surgery ahead of the 2025 season but was pressured to play through the injury by Napier. In 2025 Lagway regressed from Heisman candidate into one of the more erratic quarterbacks in the country, one that led the SEC in interceptions. That’s a new one. Is it sour grapes on the part of Lagway, the truth or something in between? Only Napier and Lagway know for sure, but it seems entirely possible. Napier tries to portray himself as a victim, perhaps a modern day Vincent Van Gogh minus the suicide at age 37. Van Gogh battled depression and the belief no one took the time to understand all that he was going through. Napier seems to be telling anyone who will listen up in Virginia that he was a misunderstood victim of an administration that simply didn’t understand all the obstacles left in his path by the previous coach. Within four months after Napier was hired, Florida hired Todd Golden to succeed Mike White as basketball coach. White left behind a legacy of head scratching losses by underachieving teams. He abruptly departed for Georgia after blowing a winnable SEC Tournament game in Tampa in March of 2022. Within weeks, Todd Golden was hired from San Francisco to take over a program that was the SEC’s definition of a roller-coaster. Like Napier, Golden was from a non-power conference school. Unlike Napier, Golden wasn’t overwhelmed by the promotion to the big time. During his four years, Napier posted three losing seasons and the only championship trophy hoisted was that of the lightweight Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa. During his four seasons, Golden has won a national championship (2025), an SEC championship (2026) and has taken the Gators to three NCAA Tournaments, the last two as one of the four No. 1 national seeds. Now, we are talking two different sports here and yes, there are more moving parts to deal with in football than basketball, but one thing for certain – winners go about the business of winning no matter the obstacles or circumstances. Winners hoist championship trophies. Those who don’t win have this habit of pointing fingers of blame, oblivious to that old adage that when you point a finger you’ve got three pointing back at yourself.

Rueben Chinyelu is back along with Alex Condon and Tommy Haugh (Photo by Chris Spears) “We’re putting the band back together … we’re on a mission from God.” – Jake and Elwood Blues, from “The Blues Brothers” Todd Golden’s band is back together for one more mission, this one to win a second NCAA basketball championship in three years. Prior to Thursday, the only question mark was Rueben Chinyelu, but the big man who led the Southeastern Conference in rebounding last season, announced that he will forego the NBA Draft to return to the University of Florida for a run at another championship. Chinyelu was an outstanding performer at last week’s NBA Draft Combine where he had one scrimmage in which he scored 14 points while grabbing 15 rebounds. Most projections had him going in the first third of the second round but Adam Finkelstein of CBS had Chinyelu going No. 25 to the Los Angeles Lakers. All speculation was put to rest Thursday with the announcement that Chinyelu will be back for his senior year at Florida. Chinyelu hinted that he would return last week at the combine, offering the temptation of another championship as his motivation. “If I go back, I’m not settling for less,” Chinyelu said last week in Chicago at the combine. On the Field of 68 podcast with Jeff Goodman Wednesday, Golden said the loss to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament back in March provided motivation for Haugh and Condon to announce their return. The same motivation, Golden insisted applied to Chinyelu. “It (Iowa loss) gave us an opportunity to light a fire under these guys moving forward for next year,” Golden said. Chinyelu’s return completes the most formidable front line in all of college basketball. At 6-10, 260, Chinyelu is the defensive anchor in the middle He was the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year last season while averaging 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds alongside second team All-American Tommy Haugh (17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds) and All-SEC Alex Condon (15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds). The Gators led the nation in rebounding (45.1 per game), rebounding margin (+14 per game) and offensive rebounds (15.91). With Chinyelu, Condon (6-11, 236) and Haugh (6-9, 215) the Gators can overwhelm opponents with size and athletic ability. To boost lost depth from the departure of 7-1 Micah Handlogten, Golden signed international bigs Arturas Butajevas (6-11, 220, from Lithuania) and Domen Petrovic (6-9, 225, from Slovenia) to go with returning junior Viktor Mikic (6-11, 260) and incoming freshman Jones Lay (7-0, 240). Completing what should be the nation’s most talented and experienced starting lineup will be point guard Boogie Fland (11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists) and Denzel Aberdeen, back after a year in exile at Kentucky where he averaged 13.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Aberdeen was a key reserve at Florida when the Gators won the 2025 NCAA title. Aberdeen is waiting on a waiver from the NCAA that will grant him a fifth season, but considering the NCAA approved what will be a seventh season for Franck Kepnang, who transferred to Kentucky from Washington, approval for Aberdeen seems a formality. There will be no shortage of capable perimeter guys off the bench as the Gators return SEC Sixth Man of the Year Urban Klavzar, Isaiah Brown, Alex Kovatchev and last year’s freshmen CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd. Klavzar averaged 9.6 points and hit 40.6 percent of his threes a season ago, while Brown averaged nearly 13 minutes per game and was quite impactful on both ends of the floor. Ingram came on strong at the end of the year while Lloyd had Golden speaking in glowing terms at a press conference a few weeks ago. Also back is AJ Brown, who took a redshirt season last year to rehab a shoulder after transferring in from Ohio University. The older brother of Isaiah Brown, AJ is an outstanding shooter who scored 13.2 points while knocking down 38.8 percent of his threes at Ohio in 2025. The combination of senior experience, winning championships and unprecedented depth are the reasons why Florida is going to be the consensus No. 1 preseason team when the 2026-27 season cranks up in November. Already, ESPN, CBS, The Athletic, Sports Illustrated and On3 have Florida as the clearcut No. 1. A season ago, the Gators averaged 87.1 points per game while yielding 71.54. In the kenpom.com analytics, the Gators finished 9th nationally in offensive efficiency and 6th in defensive efficiency. For the 2026-27 season, Golden expects the Gators to continue to play at breakneck speed, dominate the paint and backboards, plus limit opponents to mostly one-and-done possessions with smothering defense. If there is an area of concern that seems to have been addressed, it is 3-point shooting. Klavzar was the only Gator who played consistent minutes to shoot better than 34.6 percent from the 3-point line. Opponents packed the paint regularly, daring the Gators to beat them from the perimeter, a strategy that met with mixed results. This season, the Gators have the ingredients of an exceptional shooting team from the outside, which should create a dilemma for opposing coaches trying to find a way to neutralize Florida offensively. The additions of Aberdeen, who shot 36.3 percent from three last year at Kentucky and 35 percent during Florida’s 2025 championship run, AJ Brown, and Domen Petrovic 36.6 percent in the Slovenian league should give the Gators the ability to stretch defenses. In 2024 Butajevas made 45.5 percent of his threes. The schedule is still being put together, but the Gators will play Notre Dame in Las Vegas in the three-day Players Era Tournament at Mandalay Bay Resort starting November 17, The Florida roster as of May 21, 2026: Bigs (7): Alex Condon (6-11, 236, SR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, SR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 260, SR); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 260, JR); Domen Petrovic (6-9, 225, SR); Arturas Butajevas (6-11, 220, SO); Jones Lay (7-0, 240, FR) Perimeter (8): Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 200, SR); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, SR); AJ Brown (6-5, 210, RJR); Alex Kovatchev (6-5, 195, RJR); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, JR); Isaiah Brown (6-5, 210, JR); CJ Ingram (6-7, 210, SO); Alex Lloyd (6-3, 180, SO)

Blake Cyr launches his 12th home run against Vandy (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: If what you’ve done lately matters to the NCAA baseball selection committee that will announce its 64-team field for the run to Omaha for the College World Series, then the Florida Gators are making a very strong case for a top eight seed. Winners of nine of their last ten games in which they’ve homered 29 times, Kevin O’Sullivan’s crew is scorching hot and has assumed the mantle of the most dangerous team in the Southeastern Conference. Wednesday afternoon at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, the Gators (38-18) launched three home runs to overcome a rare shaky start by SEC Pitcher of the Year Aidan King for an 8-3 win over Vanderbilt (33-25). Hayden Yost, Blake Cyr and Brendan Lawson homered as part of a 14-hit Florida attack that might have ended Vanderbilt’s 19-year streak of NCAA Tournament appearances. While the Gators moved up a notch to the No. 10 national RPI, Vanderbilt slid down to No. 71. Since RPI became a factor in deciding the NCAA field, no SEC team has made it to the tournament without a top 50 RPI. King was cruising along through the first four innings before Vandy figured him out in the fifth and chased him off the mound with a three-run outburst that tied the game at 3-3. Jackson Barbieri came on to put out the fire with an inning-ending strikeout that stranded a runner at third. In the bottom half of the inning, Florida responded to take a 5-3 lead with Cyr’s 12th home run of the season, a 2-run shot to left field. Barbieri held Vanderbilt at bay through the next two innings before turning the game over to Ernesto Lugo-Canchola, who shut down the Commodores in the eighth, and Luke McNeillie, who finished off Vandy in the ninth. Vandy managed only a harmless ninth-inning single after Barbieri (4-2, 2.03 ERA) entered the game. Florida pitchers gave up six hits, four walks and struck out 12. The Gators took a 2-0 lead in the first on an RBI double by Lawson and a run-scoring ground out by Ethan Surowiec. In the bottom of the second, Yost continued his recent onslaught with his fourth home run in the last two games. In the seventh, Cade Kurland lined a 2-run single up the middle, and in the eighth, Lawson hit his team-leading 15th home run of the season to complete Florida’s scoring. Lawson is 10 for his last 26 at-bats with four homers and eight RBI. Cyr, who had a 4-5 day at the plate, homered for the first time since May 1. Yost, who destroyed LSU with a three-homer game last Saturday, had three hits. The home run was his tenth of the season and seventh in the last 10 games. The Gators can move into Saturday’s semifinals if they can knock off 4th-seeded Alabama (37-18) today at 4:30 p.m. Florida will go with Liam Peterson, the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week, against the Crimson Tide. Peterson pitched a complete game 3-hitter over LSU last Friday. A win today would greatly enhance Florida’s chances of a top eight national seed, which would mean never having to leave Gainesville if the Gators were to march on to Omaha for the College World Series. Bama is No. 7 nationally in RPI and ranked No. 15 by D1Baseball. The Gators, who are ranked 18th by D1Baseball, are 14-6 against ranked teams this season. Wednesday’s scores No. 8 Mississippi State (40-16) 12, No. 16 Missouri (24-31) 2 No. 5 FLORIDA (38-18) 8, Vanderbilt (33-25) 3 No. 7 Arkansas (37-19) 8, No. 10 Tennessee (38-20) 4 No. 6 Auburn (37-18) 3, No. 14 LSU (30-28) 1 Thursday’s games No. 8 Mississippi State (40-16) vs. No. 1 Georgia (43-12), 1 p.m. No. 5 FLORIDA (38-18) vs. No. 4 Alabama (37-18); 4:30 p.m. Friday’s games No. 7 Arkansas (37-19) vs. No. 2 Texas (40-12), 4 p.m. No. 6 Auburn (37-18) vs. No. 3 Texas A&M (39-13), 8 p.m. UF GOLF: GATORS WIN COLUMBUS REGIONAL BY 23 STROKES The Gators were 7-over par for their Wednesday round at the NCAA Columbus Regional, the first time they’ve posted an over-par round in quite some time, but it didn’t matter. Florida still blew the field away, winning by a whopping 24 shots over second place Stanford to advance to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California beginning May 29. Luke Poulter won medalist honors for the regional while teammates Peter Sands and Michael Kress finished in a tie for second. Jack Turner finished 10th while Zach Swarnick finished in a tie for 11th. UF SOFTBALL: HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE WILL BE TESTED Super regional play for 6th-seeded Florida (51-10) begins at 11 a.m. Friday when Texas Tech (55-6) comes to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in a best-of-three series that will send the winner to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. Texas Tech ranks second in the country in batting average (.389), third in home runs (128), fourth in ERA (1.81) and fifth in strikeouts (439). The Red Raiders boast the nation’s top two-way player in Kaitlyn Terry, 24-1 with a 1.39 ERA in the circle and a .470 batting average. The nation’s highest paid player is Nijaree Canady, 23-5, 1.43 ERA with 215 strikeouts in 152 innings. Former Gator Mia Williams plays second base and leads the Red Raiders in home runs with 22. As impressive as Texas Tech is up and down the lineup, Florida is formidable at home. The Gators are 29-3 at KSP. In winning last weekend’s regional, the Gators posted two run-rule shutouts before polishing off Georgia Tech in the championship game, 5-2. Florida outscored its opponents 25-2 in the three games. If there is a concern for the Gators it’s in the circle. Keagan Rothrock ranks third in the country with 29 wins this season, but Florida’s pitching can be iffy when someone other than Rothrock is pitching. As a team, the Gators have a 2.73 ERA and it’s often a by committee approach. And, how will the Florida bats deal with the hard throwing Texas Tech pitchers? Led by first team All-Americans Taylor Shumaker (.446, 18 HR, 59 RBI) and Jocelyn Erickson (.406, 20 HR, 71 RBI), the Gators are 6th nationally in batting average (.355), seventh in home runs (102) and seventh in runs pe game (7.7). The Gators are one of the slickest fielding teams in the country. Florida ranks fourth with a .983 fielding percentage, having committed only 26 errors in 61 games. This is Florida’s 16th NCAA Super Regional. The Gators have advanced to the WCWS 13 times including three of the last four years. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: This time, Will Wade might have pushed the envelope too far. Since running off every recruit and veteran player from last season’s LSU roster, Wade has basically given the middle finger to the NCAA, which, in its infinite wisdom, is basically being forced to not only deal with Wade, but everyone else in college basketball that is intent on flaunting eligibility rules. In the last couple of weeks, Wade has signed former Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis, who signed a 2-way contract with the NBA last year along with internationals Yam Madar (from Israel), Brice Dessert (from France via Turkey), Saliou Niang (from Senegal via Italy) and Marcos Santos (from Brazil via Israel). Madar will turn 26 in December. He’s being paid a reported $5 million to come play college basketball. If the NCAA is consistent, it will rule against Luis, using the same arguments that benched Charles Bediako when Alabama tried to bring him back from the G-League two years after leaving Alabama. Madar certainly would be affected by the NCAA’s proposed 5-for-5 legislation and in all probability, so would It’s enough that college basketball insider Jeff Goodman said on his Field of 68 podcast, “Will Wade, I wish you didn’t come back to college basketball. I honestly I mean that. I like Will. I’ve known Will since he was an assistant at Harvard back in 2007, 2008, but man, you suck for college basketball right now. Seriously, you suck for college basketball. Like you’re making it into a mockery and look in the mirror and understand it’s not just about you. This is about more than just you. This is about the sport of college basketball. Have some pride.” On that same podcast, Florida coach Todd Golden chimed in with his concerns over the precedent Wade and others who are going after seasons pros are making regarding the future of the college game. "I do believe this will be a net positive, because we're going to have to see some action,” Golden said. “We're going to have to see if guys like this are going to get cleared or not. I don't think they have a great chance to, but you never know. And maybe Will (Wade) knows more than both of us do." Before the NCAA tackles the issue head on, it will be a hot topic of discussion at next week’s SEC Spring Meetings in Destin. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was adamantly against Alabama trying to bring back Bediako last year and he is known to be a strong proponent of the new 5-for-5 legislation, which includes an age provision for scholarship athletes. With few exceptions such as church missions or military service, the eligibility clock starts ticking at high school graduation or age 19, whichever comes first. It cuts off at age 24. Golden likes the new legislation, which if implemented and enforced would shut down some of the roster building tactics that Wade and others are using. On the podcast with Goodman, Golden said, “So, just allowing these significantly older guys – I can understand 20- or 21-year-olds coming over. I like the idea of having that 19-to-24 window. I think that makes a lot of sense. But again, 25 and 26-year-olds is not what college basketball is meant to be.” There are a lot of things about the game that aren’t what college basketball is meant to be. This is going to test the NCAA, whose inconsistent rulings and selective enforcement of existing rules has opened the door for coaches like Wade to see just how far they can tread before being reeled in. NCAA prez Charlie Baker says the organization needs to reform, which is true, and the best place for that to begin is by showing the guts to stop in its tracks this trend of bringing in seasoned pros. If the NCAA holds its ground, perhaps it can buy time to continue existing. If it waffles or shows any signs of inconsistency in its rulings, then it is the equivalent of posting going out of business signs.

(Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: Florida moved up to fourth in the 247Sports recruiting rankings Tuesday when 4-star wide receiver Elias Pearl (5-11, 185, Port Charlotte, FL) committed to Jon Sumrall and the Gators. The Gators are ranked eighth by Rivals/On3. Pearl, who gained 1,680 all-purpose yards and scored 20 touchdowns as a high school junior in 2025, chose the Gators over offers from Georgia, Auburn and Ole Miss among others. He is the 16th commitment for Sumrall’s 2027 recruiting class. Per Jason Higdon of 1standtenFlorida, the Gators are very much in play for 4-star offensive tackles Kenedee Jackson (6-6, 300, Lithonia, GA) and Timi Aliu (6-4, 301, Locust Grove, GA) and 3-star tackle Terrance Smith (6-5, 275, Lansdale, PA). Smith is set to make his college choice public on June 15. Higdon also notes that Florida defensive line coach Gerald Chatman spent Tuesday visiting Jalen Brewster (6-3, 307, Cedar Hill, TX), considered the top D-line prospect in the country. Brewster is committed to Texas Tech, but continues to entertain the possibility of changing his commitment to Florida. UF BASEBALL: GATORS FACE VANDY IN SEC TOURNAMENT Florida’s recent surge has moved the Gators (37-18) within striking distance of a top-eight national seed as they begin play in the Southeastern Conference Tournament against Vanderbilt (33-24) at 2 p.m. today (SEC Network) in Hoover, Alabama. Vanderbilt reached the second round with an 8-5 come from behind win over Kentucky Tuesday. The Gators expect to send SEC Pitcher of the Year Aidan King (8-2, 2.50 ERA) to the mound against Vanderbilt, which is on the NCAA Tournament bubble after going 14-16 in SEC play during the regular season. Tuesday’s win over Kentucky might have punched Vandy’s NCAA ticket, but a win over the Gators would certainly do it. So, while the Commodores have the pressure of making the NCAA field for the 20th straight season, Florida is making a case for a top eight seed which would give the Gators the home field for both regional and super regional play. Most current projections have the Gators as a No. 11 seed, but a couple of wins in Hoover could enhance their chances of making the top eight. The Gators are No. 10 nationally in RPI and their 14-6 record against teams ranked in the top 25 is among the best in the country. GATOR SOFTBALL: SHUMAKER, ERICKSON MAKE FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA Sophomore center fielder Taylor Shumaker and senior catcher/first base Jocelyn Erickson were named first team All-America by Softball America Tuesday. Shumaker is hitting .446 with 18 home runs and 59 RBI. Erickson is hitting .404 with 20 homers and 71 RBI. The Gators (51-10) will play host to Texas Tech (55-6) in the NCAA Super Regional at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Texas Tech is led by first team All-Americans Kaitlyn Terry and Nijaree Canady with former Gator and second team All-America Mia Williams playing second base. GATOR GOLF: UF MEN LEAD COLUMBUS REGIONAL BY 16 SHOTS Barring the sky falling or some other unheard of natural disaster, Florida’s men’s golf team will emerge today as the champs of the NCAA Columbus Regional. Going into the third and final round, the Gators hold a 16-shot advantage over second place Memphis. The Gators followed up their 7-under first round with an even par second. Luke Poulter is tied for second place individually while Jack Turner, Parker Sands and Zach Swanwick are in a three-way tie for fourth. The Gators are the No. 1 seed for the Columbus Regional. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: First they were willing to pay Brian Kelly $54 million not to coach football. Then they spent $6.5 million to buy out Lane Kiffin’s contract at Ole Miss and another $91 million to Lane Kiffin to take Kelly’s place. That doesn’t include all the money it took to buy out Kelly’s assistant coaches and bring in new ones. Next came basketball coach Matt Fortuna. Buying him out only cost $8 million, which pales in comparison to Kelly but then they had to buy out the contract of Will Wade at North Carolina State, a cool $3 million. LSU committed $30 million over the next seven years to pay for Wade. When you add in other expenses such as the operating budget for both football and basketball, LSU is on the hook for more than $200 million. The fine folks in Baton Rouge figure Kiffin will recoup a chunk of that money by getting LSU in the championship hunt. In three years and eight games on the job, Kelly won 34 games, but he never got the Tigers into the College Football Playoff. Kiffin did it at Ole Miss and they believe he will replicate that success at LSU. They saw Kiffin load up in the transfer portal and they’re seeing greater success on the recruiting trail. With Lane, you’re always teetering on the verge of having to defend the mouth that roared, but for LSU fans and administration, that’s merely the cost of doing business. To them, Lane’s outbursts make more sense than Brian Kelly doing a fake southern accent or trying to show off his dance moves. Compared to Kelly, Lane is a defendable bargain. To the LSU faithful it’s just Lane being Lane and we knew what we were getting when we got him. Will Wade? Completely different story. This is his second go-round at LSU. He was fired with cause in 2022 when he was heard on an FBI wiretap bragging about the “strong-ass offer” he made to buy a recruit. He sat the next year then spent two years doing penance in the purgatory of the Southland Conference before taking the job a North Carolina State. LSU hired him again since everything he did that got him fired in 2022 is now legal. Since returning to LSU he has run off every single player from last season’s roster and the two high school recruits McMahon signed. What he’s done in the portal has raised eyebrows everywhere because he’s pushing the NCAA envelope on eligibility. Among the five players LSU has brought in from the transfer portal are UT-San Antonio point guard Austin Nunez, who has already played four years at three different schools. He isn’t that good and he will need a waiver to get a fifth year. He probably gets the waiver without causing an eye to blink up in Indianapolis where the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, continues to chart a find a new way to bend our own rules course every single day. Getting Nunez makes total sense compared to landing RJ Luis, Marcio Santos, Yam Madar and Saliou Niang. Luis (6-7, 196) was the Big East Player of the Year in 2025. He played three years of college basketball at UMass then St. John’s and then got a 2-way G-League/NBA contract after going undrafted. He didn’t play a game in the G-League and now is trying to come back to college basketball. Shades of Charles Bediako. Santos (6-9, 250) has been playing professional basketball since leaving Brazil as a 15-year-old in 2018. Last season was spent in Israel playing for Maccabi Fox. He will be 24 when the college season begins. Madar (6-3, 190) will turn 26 in Israel. He’s been playing professional basketball since 2018. LSU reportedly spent $5 million to get him away from Hapoel Tel Aviv. Niang (6-5, 190), originally from Senegal, is a 22-year-old 5-year pro who played three NBA summer league games and spent last year playing in Italy. Of the eight scholarships Wade has committed for next season, five will require the NCAA to make eligibility decisions. Nunez is a probable, but it will take some serious rule-bending for Luis, Santos, Madar and Niang eligible. Lane Kiffin won’t have any problems fielding a team in the fall. When the football magazines come out in the next two weeks, bet the far LSU will be ranked in the top 20 and given a legitimate shot to make the College Football Playoff. No doubt Lane will say things that make folks cringe, but he will win. Will Wade is a totally different story. Winning seems a faraway dream. Right now he’s got to deal with the NCAA – again – and they’ve never been too happy with him. It’s hard to imagine the NCAA ruling in favor of Luis, Santos, Madar and Niang. As my late friend Peter Kenny, the former British spy turned conflict diamond smuggler would say about LSU, “I believe these chaps are blinkin’ loopy.”

(UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: This is Tim Walton’s time of the year. Since taking over the helm of the Florida softball program in 2006, Walton has guided the Gators to 14 NCAA super regional appearances. Should the 6th-seeded Gators (51-10) dispose of 11th-seeded Texas Tech (55-6) this weekend at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, it will earn a third straight trip to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series, the 14th overall in Walton’s Florida career. The road to the super regional was simply business as usual for the Gators, who outscored Florida A&M and Georgia Tech (twice) 25-2 in their three games of the Gainesville Regional. The Gators run-ruled FAMU 12-0 and Georgia Tech 8-0 before taking down Georgia Tech in the championship game, 5-2. The Gators have won 22 straight NCAA regional games. Since 2013 Florida has 18 run-rule wins in NCAA regional play. Keagan Rothrock (29-6) got all three wins, allowing only five hits while striking out 13 in 15 innings in the circle. She gave up one hit in Sunday’s 5-2 regional clinching win over Georgia Tech. Rothrock’s 29 wins are tops in the SEC and third nationally. Taylor Shumaker was the hitting star for the weekend, going 5-10 with two home runs and seven RBI. Shumaker has 18 homers and 59 RBI this season. Her .446 batting average is tied for the lead in the Southeastern Conference. As a team, the Gators are hitting .355 (2nd SEC, 6th nationally) with 102 home runs (2nd SEC, 7th nationally). Texas Tech reached the super regional by staging one of the most outrageous comebacks in NCAA tournament history. Down 8-0 in the bottom of the seventh to Ole Miss, the Red Raiders scored eight times to send the game to extra innings where they came away with a 10-9 win. As a team, Texas Tech ranks second nationally in batting average (.389) and third in home runs (128). Former Gator Mia Williams is hitting .435 and leads Texas Tech with 22 home runs. The Red Raiders feature the pitching duo of Kaitlyn Terry (24-1, 1.39 ERA) and Nijaree Canady (23-5, 1.43 ERA). Terry also ranks seventh nationally with a .470 batting average. Super Regional matchups No. 16 LSU (40-17) at No. 1 Alabama (52-7) Arizona State (44-16) at No. 2 Texas (45-10) Mississippi State (41-18) at No. 3 Oklahoma (51-8) No. 13 Oklahoma State (41-15) at No. 4 Nebraska (49-6) No. 12 Duke (43-15) at No. 5 Arkansas (45-11) No. 11 Texas Tech (55-6) at No. 6 FLORIDA (51-10) No. 10 Georgia (41-18) at No. 7 Tennessee (45-10) UCF (41-17-1) at No. 8 UCLA (50-8) UF BASEBALL: GATORS GO TO HOOVER AS THE NO. 5 SEED With their sweep of LSU, the Gators (37-18, 18-12 SEC) earned the No. 5 seed for the SEC Tournament which begins Tuesday in Hoover, Alabama. Florida finished off the regular season by outscoring LSU 37-20 in three games, taking the final 15-11 thanks to a 6-run ninth inning highlighted by a 2-run home run by Hayden Yost and a 3-run double by Caden McDonald. Yost hit three home runs and drove in five while Cade Kurland hit two solo homers to cap a weekend in which the Gators left the yard at Alex Box Stadium 10 times. During the weekend Ethan Surowiec went 7-14 with two home runs and 10 RBI. Surowiec has 10 homers and 57 RBI for the season. Brendan Lawson, who went 3-9 with a home run against LSU, leads Florida with 14 home runs. Liam Peterson pitched a 7-inning complete game Friday night when the Gators run-ruled LSU 11-1. Peterson gave up three hits and struck out 11. As the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament, the Gators get a first round bye and won’t have to play until Wednesday when they face the winner of the Kentucky-Vanderbilt first round game. Aidan King (8-2, 2.50 ERA) is the likely starter for game one with Peterson going Thursday if the Gators win. SEC Tournament schedule Tuesday 1. No. 16 Missouri (23-30, 6-24 SEC) vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (36-20, 15-15 SEC) 2. No. 13 Kentucky (31-20, 13-17 SEC) vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt (32-24, 14-16 SEC) 3. No. 15 South Carolina (22-34, 7-23 SEC) vs. No. 10 Tennessee (37-19, 15-15 SEC) 4. No. 14 LSU (29-27, 9-21 SEC) vs. No. 11 Oklahoma (32-20, 14-16 SEC) Wednesday 5. Winner game 1 vs. No. 8 Mississippi State (39-16, 16-14 SEC) 6. Winner game 2 vs. No. 5 FLORIDA (37-18, 18-12 SEC) 7. Winner game 3 vs. No. 7 Arkansas (36-19, 17-13 SEC) 8. Winner game 4 vs. No. 6 Auburn (36-18, 17-13 SEC) Thursday quarterfinals 9. Winner game 5 vs. No. 1 Georgia (43-12, 23-7 SEC) 10. Winner game 6 vs. No. 4 Alabama (37-18, 18-12 SEC) Friday quarterfinals 11. Winner game 7 vs. No. 2 Texas 12. Winner game 8 vs. No. 3 Texas A&M Saturday semifinals 13. Winner game 10 vs. winner game 9 14. Winner game 12 vs. winner game 11 Sunday championship game 15. Winner game 14 vs. winner game 13 UF TRACK AND FIELD: WOMEN WIN SEC, MEN FINISH THIRD In winning the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championship Saturday, the Florida women completed the rare triple crown – SEC championships in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field. It was the second triple crown in school history. Floria and Arkansas are the only SEC schools with more than one triple crown. The Florida women finished the meet with 107 points, outdistancing second place Alabama by 20.5 points. The Florida men finished third with 78 points, trailing SEC champ Arkansas (110.5) and runner-up Alabama (94.5). Aida Van Daalen won her third straight discuss gold medal, breaking her own SEC Championship record with a 218-10 throw. Van Daalen has the top seven discuss throws in the nation this year. Asia Phillips won the women’s triple jump and Gabrielle Matthews won the 100 with a blazing 10.97 time. Matthews also placed fourth in the 200 meters. This was the 20th SEC championship for Florida coach Mike Holloway, who has won eight women’s championships, four each indoor and outdoor. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: At their spring meetings, both the Big Ten and ACC have reaffirmed their support for doubling the current College Football Playoff field from 12 to 24 teams. The Big 12 and Notre Dame are both in favor of the 24-team model presented by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petiti. Three of the four power conferences and Notre Dame would equal a majority under most circumstances, but not when the 800-pound gorilla in the room is the combination of Greg Sankey, the Southeastern Conference and ESPN. Barring being struck by lightning or by a stray piece of space junk that managed to make it through the atmosphere without being disintegrated, Sankey and the SEC will stand firm at their spring meetings, which take place next week in Destin. Sankey would prefer to stay at 12 teams but is okay expanding to 16. The SEC can afford to stand its ground because it has the full force of ESPN and all the ABC/Disney networks behind them. ESPN holds the contract to broadcast the CFP through 2031 and the network prefers to stay at 12 teams but would go along with expansion to 14 or 16 teams. Figure 16 is in the works. This is a case when the strength of the SEC/ESPN alliance far outweighs a mob rule attempt by the Big Ten, proving once again that despite the big bucks Petiti negotiated with a three-network deal for media rights, the SEC still holds the power cards. Meanwhile, as the conferences bicker over the College Football Playoff, something weird is happening in Washington DC. A bipartisan bill that has been agreed to in the Senate could be announced with sweeping changes that could lead to the antitrust exemption that college sports need to institute things such as salary caps and rules enforcement. A memo was circulated last week calling for capping coaches salaries, a Group of Six playoff and protection for the NCAA from litigation. It is rare to get any kind of bipartisan legislation through the Congress these days and times but it is a beginning. Something needs to be done to get a common sense grip on college sports that seem hell bent on destroying what has made them great. Congress is usually the last thing you want involved in college sports, but the NCAA is so inept that even Congress seems like a better route to take when instituting much-needed reforms. A better idea would be to scrap the NCAA altogether with this exception – let the NCAA continue to run championship tournaments and events. That is the one thing the organization has proven it has the organization and skills necessary to do at a high level. Everything else? Completely inept. As long as college presidents, who know little about sports and business, are in charge the idea of seceding from the NCAA might be a pipe dream. Even if the presidents decide to cede control to business and sports people, it will be time consuming. Meanwhile, something needs to be done to reel in the chaos before the NCAA’s lack of vision and power leads to the destruction of college sports as we knew them. Maybe, just maybe, Congress could save college sports. Wishful thinking perhaps, but every good idea has to have a starting point. Right now, this is the best option available.

Liam Peterson celebrates a punch out (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: With their 11-1 run-rule win over LSU (29-26, 9-20 SEC) Friday night in Baton Rouge, the Gators (36-18, 17-12 SEC) put themselves in prime contention to earn the double bye for next week’s Southeastern Conference Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. A Florida win and either a loss by Texas A&M (38-13, 17-11 SEC) to Mississippi State (39-15, 16-13 SEC) or Alabama (36-18, 17-12 SEC) to Ole Miss (36-19, 15-14 SEC) will move the Gators into the top four, which means no game in Hoover until Thursday. At tournament time when pitching is at a premium, the fewer the games the better. The Gators can’t control what happens to the Aggies or Crimson Tide today, but they can control matters in Baton Rouge by sweeping the Tigers at Alex Box Stadium. Friday night, the Gators jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first two innings, giving Liam Peterson all the support he needed. In going the 7-inning distance (game called after seven because the Gators had a 10-run lead), Peterson scattered three hits, walked only one and struck out 11, easily his best outing of the season. In the first inning, the Gators got an RBI double from Ethan Surowiec and an RBI ground out by Cash Strayer for a 2-0 lead. In the second, Hayden Yost’s sacrifice fly and a 2-run homer by Brendan Lawson accounted for the scoring. Florida added two in the fifth on a 2-run homer by Surowiec, then broke loose for four more in the top of the seventh on a 3-run home run by Strayer and a solo homer by Landon Stripling. Prior to Friday night, the Gators were No. 11 in the latest NCAA RPI. Florida is 14-6 against ranked opponents. It is almost a certainty that the Gators will host an NCAA regional. With a sweep over LSU and a couple of wins next week in Hoover the Gators could find themselves finishing top eight in RPI and probably a top eight seed for the NCAA tournament. GATOR SOFTBALL: ONE DOWN, GEORGIA TECH NEXT The Gators (49-10) opened play in the NCAA Gainesville Regional Friday afternoon with a 12-0 run-rule win over Florida A&M (32-21) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Gators will face Georgia Tech (31-27), a 2-1 winner over Texas State at 10 a.m. today with the winner advancing to the Sunday championship. Taylor Shumaker lit up FAMU pitching for three hits including her 17th home run of the season and five RBI. Jocelyn Erickson had a pair of doubles among her three hits while Ava Brown had two hits and two RBI. Florida’s 12-hit performance backed up the combined 1-hitter pitched by Keagan Rothrock (27-6), who went three hitless innings, Katelynn Oxley and Leah Stevens. Oxley gave up a harmless 1-out single to center in the fourth and Stevens gave up a walk in a hitless fifth. As the No. 6 national seed, the Gators can host a super regional if they breeze through Georgia Tech today and whoever they play Sunday. Should the Gators win, they would be paired with the winner of the Lubbock Regional where No. 11 Texas Tech and Ole Miss play today in a winner’s bracket game. SUMRALL, GATORS LAND A STUD DT Jon Sumrall continues to turn the Gators into a force to be reckoned with on the recruiting trail. Florida’s latest commitment comes from defensive lineman Cain Van Norden (6-7, 265, District Heights, MD Bishop McNamara), a 3-star recruit who chose the Gators over Georgia, Ole Miss and Maryland. Rivals ranks Van Norden as the No. 53 defensive lineman in the nation. Per Jason Higdon, the final word in Florida recruiting at 1standtenFlorida.com, the Gators are in good shape for wide receiver Elias Pearl (5-11, 185, Port Charlotte, FL), who will make his announcement Tuesday. Pearl is a fast, elusive slot receiver who had 1,680 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns last year as a junior. Florida will also find out Thursday if linebacker AJ Randall (6-3, 210, Raleigh, NC Garner) is going to be a Gator. He’s down to Florida, Miami, Georgia, Ohio State, South Carolina and North Carolina State. TRACK AND FIELD: BOTH UF MEN AND WON 2ND AT SEC Heading into today’s finals at the Southeastern Conference Track and Field Championships in Auburn, the Gators are in second place on both the men’s and women’s side. With 13 events to go, the Florida men (38 points) are just five behind Alabama. Over on the women’s side, Alabama has a commanding 62.5-32 lead over the second place Gators. Today, the Gators should pick up points in both the men’s and women’s 4X100 and 4X400 relays. The Florida men should also get points from Temosi Masiken and Jaden Lippett in the triple jump, Jarno Van Daalen in the discus, Riley Smith and Oussama Allaoui in the 1500, Justin Braun in the 400 and Miguel Pantojas in the 800. On the women’s side, points should be scored by Alida Van Daalen in the disucss, Asia Phillips in the triple jump, Claire Stegall in both the 1500 and 800, Layla Haynes in the 800, Quincy Penn in the 400, Gabrielle Matthews in both the 100 and 200, and Hilda Olemomoi and Tia Wilson in the 5000. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Let’s start with the obvious. Lane Kiffin is an outstanding football coach who, given LSU’s resources, is almost certain to win and win big. He can take LSU to the places Brian Kelly only dreamed of going. There is a flip side to Lane, one that makes friends and foe alike cringe. He is prone to say outrageous things that have everyone shaking their head and asking what was the necessity of the commentary? Consider him the mouth that roared. Lane’s latest escapade has successfully pissed off half the state of Mississippi and perhaps 90 percent of the people who live in Oxford. By claiming the racial past made recruiting difficult when he was the Ole Miss coach, Kiffin revived memories of 1962 when James Meredith became the first African-American student at the formerly segregated school. It took 31,000 Federal troops to put down the 1962 riots at Ole Miss and protect Meredith who received countless death threats. During the 64 years since Meredith, Ole Miss and the entire state of Mississippi have made great strides in bandaging deep wounds, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise that Kiffin’s comments touched a sore spot in the minds of many. Ole Miss faithful are asking whatever did we do to deserve Lane Kiffin going scorched earth on us? Did we mistreat him while he was here? No. Did we give him everything he asked for and then some? Hell yes! Already perceived as a villain by Ole Miss fans for the way he bolted for the LSU job after an 11-1 regular season with the Rebels making the College Football Playoff, Kiffin has succeeded in turning an already intense LSU-Ole Miss rivalry into a tinder box. Kiffin might need bodyguards when LSU visits Ole Miss on September 19. That game will be must see TV for the entire country. Now, Lane has issued an apology but the words have a hollow ring to them. He has a history of saying things and then trying to express remorse, which lends to the perception that he’s still the spoiled brat who walked out on Tennessee for Southern Cal after one year on the job in Knoxville. This is the chance any school takes when it hires Lane Kiffin. You have to be willing to consider a tradeoff because with the wins on the football field come Lane being Lane, which is to say there is no telling what will emerge from his mouth. LSU fans and admin haven’t been trying to blanket this latest Kiffin outburst. If anything, after enduring four years of Brian Kelly doing a fake southern accent and never fitting in with the culture of the state of Louisiana, LSU fans think Lane Kiffin is a breath of fresh air. LSU knew what it was getting when it hired Kiffin, just as Florida would have known what it was getting if it had won the battle for his head coaching services. Like it or not, Lane is going to be Lane which means you take the wins with the words. When LSU became Kiffin’s runaway bride destination, Scott Stricklin and Florida pivoted to Jon Sumrall. Like Kiffin, Sumrall wins as three league championships in four years attest. Like Kiffin, he also talks. A lot. Unlike Kiffin, Sumrall sticks with positives and leaves the negativity to others. Sumrall seems too busy building up Florida to worry about the woulda, coulda and shouldas of other places. Some might look at Lane’s most recent outburst and think Florida dodged a bullet by hiring Sumrall. Perhaps a better way to look at it is this: LSU got what it wanted and Florida found the coach who is the right fit. The Gators are going to get the wins without the provocative words from a mouth from which you never know what will emerge.

Kevin O'Sullivan has the Gators in contention to host an NCAA regional (Photo by Chris Spears) It’s the final weekend of the 2026 college baseball regular season and the 19th ranked Florida Gators (34-18, 15-12 SEC) travel to the Bayou to face archrival LSU (29-24, 9-18 SEC) beginning Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. EST. LSU is having its worst season in years and will have to win the SEC tournament next week just to make the NCAA tournament. The Gators, fresh off a series win versus Kentucky, could lock in a spot as regional host if they win the series in Baton Rouge. Fun Away from Home The Gators have proven time and time again this season that winning on the road, especially in tough environments, is not a problem. In four road series versus ranked teams, the Gators have gone 10-2 and have not lost any of those series. Despite LSU not being as good in 2026, Alex Box Stadium will still be loud and raucous but that shouldn’t affect the boys in Orange & Blue too much. Their 11-5 road record and one series loss on the road shows this group can win anywhere, which bodes well for postseason play. Aidan King’s breakout season The sophomore from Jacksonville has turned into a bonafide ace and currently sits as the frontrunner for SEC Pitcher of the Year. In 13 starts/74 innings, King sports a 2.19 ERA (second in the SEC), 0.89 WHIP (SEC leader) and .187 batting average against, which would be the lowest by a Gator since Nick Maronde in 2016. King came into the season as the #2 starter behind Liam Peterson but has surpassed his teammate and become the Friday night starter at the beginning of SEC play. King may not have the 100-mph fastball and massive strikeout numbers, but he is a pure pitcher who knows how to work the zone and force bad contact. The Rise of Mac-tani Continues Caden McDonald continues to impress at the plate and on the mound after notching two hits, a go-ahead home run and 4 1/3 shutout innings (with six strikeouts) in Sunday’s win versus Kentucky. His performance landed him on Baseball America’s National Team of the Week as the two-way player for the third time in 2026. McDonald is hitting .400 with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI across 10 games in the starting lineup. As mentioned in last week’s preview, head coach Kevin O’Sullivan has a knack for finding unknown/underused players late in the season and McDonald has become that player over the past few weeks. Key Pieces Returning at the Perfect Time An important variable to a team’s postseason hopes is the overall health of the team and the Gators got two key reinforcements last weekend with freshman outfielder Cash Strayer returning from a fractured hand and sophomore pitcher Jackson Barberi coming back from a lower-body injury. Strayer started two of the three games versus Kentucky and managed to go 3-for-6 to raise his batting average to .283 in 92 at bats. Barberi, a high leverage arm out of the bullpen, did not pitch versus Kentucky but was available. For the season, Barberi has a 2.00 ERA, .143 batting average against and 40 strikeouts in 27 innings. Strayer’s return makes the lineup a little longer and allows for more defensive versatility. It cannot be understated how important it is to have Barberi back in the fold for the pitching staff. Barberi has the stamina to pitch multiple innings in high leverage situations and take the pressure off of younger arms such as Joshua Whritenour and McDonald. Postseason implications As said earlier, the Gators have a good chance to host a regional in the NCAA tournament but will need to win at least two of three in Baton Rouge and maybe one more in the SEC tournament. The Gators are currently projected to be the #6 seed in the SEC tournament, which would give them a first-round bye. As for the NCAA tournament, Baseball America projects the Gators to be #8 national seed and would be hosting Oklahoma State, North Carolina State and Florida Gulf Coast. LSU Names to Keep an Eye on Despite the poor record and postseason hopes, the Tigers have a dangerous lineup that plays well in their home park. Future MLB first round pick Derek Curiel leads the charge with a .346 batting average, six home runs, 44 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases. Other standout Tiger bats include Steven Milam (.288, 7 HR, 39 RBI), Cade Arrambide (.323, 16 HR, 46 RBI) and Jake Brown (.309, 16 HR, 49 RBI, 10 stolen bases). Pitching has been the Achilles heel for the Tigers as they carry a 5.49 team ERA into the final series. It’s expected that LSU will throw William Schmidt (5-4, 4.22 ERA, 64 innings, 85 Ks) on Thursday versus King and follow up with Casan Evans (2-3, 5.96 ERA, 54 innings, 79 Ks) on Friday versus Liam Peterson. Saturday will be a bit of a mystery until an announcement is made but the Gators will be starting Russell Sandefer (3-2, 4.30 ERA, 46 innings, 50 Ks). Odds and Ends First pitch on Thursday/Friday is slated for 7:30 p.m. and Saturday will be at 3 p.m., all three games will be broadcast on SECN+. The Gators took two out of three in their last trip to Baton Rouge (2024) and O’Sullivan is 26-22 all-time versus the Tigers.

(Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: In his first scrimmage Wednesday at the NBA Draft Combine, Rueben Chinyelu scored 13 points on 5-8 shooting from the field while grabbing five rebounds. It was a strong showing for Chinyelu, who is both physically imposing and ever so intriguing. Strong enough to move him easily into the first round and high enough that he would forego the money to return to the University of Florida? That remains to be seen. Here are Rueben’s physical measurables: Height (shoes off): 6-9.25 Weight: 256 Max vertical: 33 inches Standing reach: 9.35 (5th) Wingspan: 7-7.5 (1st) Hand length: 10 inches (1st) Hand width: 10.25 inches (7th) ¾ Court sprint: 3.25 seconds Cameron Boozer (Duke), Yaxel Lendenborg (Michigan), Aday Mara (Michigan), Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky) and Tarris Reed Jr. (UConn) are all rated higher than Chinyelu but in most of the physical measurables, Rueben has the advantage. Where these guys have the advantage is a good jump shot (Boozer hit 19-25 on midrange jumpers yesterday) or a straight line drive like Lendenborg. Mara is 7-3 but he can load up and knock down 3-pointers. There is no questioning Rueben’s quickness and length. If this were the NBA of ten years ago when there was such a thing as a post up game, Rueben would be on everybody’s top 20 in their mock drafts, but the game has evolved into jump shots and putting the ball on the deck to drive to the rack. In both those areas, Rueben’s game needs work. For all his strength, Chinyelu doesn’t have a consistent power move to the rack with awesome dunk finishes. Instead, when he gets an offensive rebound he uses a little flip shot that is fairly effective in the college game, but gets swatted away in today’s NBA. While he is a better than average free throw shooter, he doesn’t have an effective jump shot in the 10 to 12-foot range, so everything is concentrated from three feet on in. Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports has Chinyelu going No. 25 to the Los Angeles Lakers in his most recent mock draft that has six centers (11. Mara; 16. Quaintance; 17. Morez Johnson, Michigan; 23. Henri Veesar, North Carolina); 24. Flory Bidunga, Kansas; and Chinyelu) and nine power forwards (3. Boozer; 4. Caleb Wilson, North Carolina; 10. Nate Ament, Tennessee; 12. Lendenborg; 14. Koa Peat, Arizona; 15. Hannes Steinbach, Washington; 20. Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers; 22. Chris Cenac, Houston; and 29. Allen Graves, Santa Clara). Finkelstein is the only mock draft from a reasonably credible source that has Chinyelu going in the first round. Now that could change if Rueben dominates the scrimmages and a team with a rebounding deficiency is willing to take a chance on a player whose offensive skills are a work in progress. More likely, however, is that Rueben will hover around the first 10 picks of the second round. What that tells us is he would be smarter to come back to Florida for his senior season. He will make more money at Florida than he would as a late first or second rounder. At Florida he will have a chance to continue working on his offensive game to develop more power on the inside and extend his shooting range out to 10-12 feet. GATORS CRACK TOP 25 AT CBS SPORTS Now that spring football practice is a thing of the past at all 138 Division I football schools, Chip Patterson of CBS Sports ranked then first to worst. In somewhat of a surprise, the Florida Gators moved up 36 spots to crack the top 25. Here is what Patterson had to say about the Gators: “Another new coach bump, this time for a Florida team that has gotten the most out of its early months with Jon Sumrall. The Gators were able to retain key pieces from Billy Napier's 2025 squad while also adding some transfer portal talent to fill the gaps for a roster that stands, talent-wise, toe-to-toe with most SEC teams. Last season's four-win campaign fell way short of that team's ceiling, while this No. 25 starting point might be a little bit low for what Sumrall and the new regime can accomplish in Year 1.” The top 25 (SEC teams bold face): 1. Ohio State; 2. Texas; 3. Oregon; 4. Notre Dame; 5. Georgia; 6. Indiana; 7. Miami; 8. Texas A&M; 9. Texas Tech; 10. Oklahoma; 11. Alabama; 12. Ole Miss; 13. LSU; 14. Southern California; 15. BYU; 16. Michigan; 17. Tennessee; 18. Penn State; 19. Washington; 20. SMU; 21. Missouri; 22. Utah; 23. Iowa; 24. Louisville; 25. FLORIDA Where the rest of the SEC stands in the CBS 138: 31. Vanderbilt; 32. South Carolina; 36. Auburn; 57. Mississippi State; 58. Kentucky; 62. Arkansas State of Florida in the CBS 138: 7. Miami; 25. FLORIDA; 47. Florida State; 65. UCF; 72. South Florida; 103. Florida Atlantic; 117. Florida International FLORIDA RECRUITING: SUMRALL ADDS A CORNER A couple of days ago, Jon Sumrall landed junior college corner Javier Jones (6-1, 187, Phoenix, AZ/Independence, KS, Independence Community College). He chose the Gators after a visit to Gainesville on the heels of a visit to LSU in Baton Rouge. Jason Higdon, hands down the best when it comes to Florida football recruiting, thinks Jones was added to provide immediate depth to a position that has only nine scholarship corners. Jones will enroll in class next week and will be immediately eligible for the 2026 season. Here are Florida’s 2027 high school recruits: QB (1): Davin Davidson (6-6, 215, Sarasota, FL Cardinal Mooney) RB (1): Andrew Beard (5-9, 197, Bogart, GA Prince Avenue Christian) WR (2): Tramond Collins (6-0, 190, Cottondale, FL); Anthony Jennings (5-11, 170, Fort Lauderdale, FL Dillard) TE (2): Jackson Ballinger (6-4, 225, Centerburg, OH); Tommy Douglas (6-5, 235, Princeton, NJ The Hun School) OL (3): Maxwell Hiller (6-6, 305, Coatsville, PA); Peyton Miller (6-5, 290, Anna, TX); Elijah Hutcheson (6-6, 280, Roanoke, VA North Cross) DT (2): De’Voun Kendrick (6-4, 300, Tampa, FL Carollwood Day); Stive-Bentley Keumajoy Yondul (6-3, 300, Coral Gables, FL) CB (2): Amare Nugent (5-11, 180, Plantation, FL American Heritage); Aamaury Fountain (6-3, 182, Warner Robins, GA Northside) S (1): Kalib Dillard (6-2, 175, Tulsa, OK Jenks) Watch list: OT Layton von Brandt (6-7, 285, Middletown, DE Appoquinimink); DE Frederick Ards (6-5, 220, Orlando, FL, Jones); DT Jalen Brewster (6-3, 302, Cedar Hill, TX, Texas Tech commit); WR Amare Patterson (6-1, 189, Bluffton, SC); RB Tre Martin (5-10, 202, Winnsboro, LA Franklin Parish); WR Elias Pearl (5-10, 180, Port Charlotte, FL) ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Greg Sankey and the Southeastern Conference are outnumbered. The Atlantic Coast Conference has joined the Big Ten, Big 12, Notre Dame and American Football Coaches bandwagon, calling for expansion of the College Football Playoff to 24 teams. Of course, the ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame support expanding. Last year, ACC champ Duke didn’t make the playoff while Miami made it as an at-large team with the No. 10 seed. The Big 12’s only team was Texas Tech and Notre Dame was left out despite 10 consecutive wins. At the heart of the 24-team proposal, which is the brainchild of Big Ten commissioner Tony Petiti, is each of the four power conferences get four automatic bids. Also there would be elimination of conference championship games. Had there been a 24-team playoff last year, the ACC would have gotten in Duke (8-5), Miami (13-3), Virginia (11-3) and SMU (9-4). The Big 12 would have gotten in Texas Tech (12-2), BYU (12-2), Utah (11-2) and Houston (10-3). The Big Ten got three in (Indiana 16-0; Ohio State 12-2 and Oregon 13-2). The fourth team would have been either Southern California (9-4) or Michigan (9-4). Five SEC teams made it (Georgia 12-2; Ole Miss 13-2; Texas A&M 11-2; Alabama 11-4; and Oklahoma 10-3). Not every coach in the ACC thinks the playoff should double in size. On “This Is Football” Miami’s Mario Cristobal said, “I think that’s just a lot. Like, why play a regular season then? And I’m certainly not for automatic bids. ‘Hey, this conference gets’ — like, why? It’s not a beauty pageant. Okay, it’s not a beauty contest. It’s competition. Go win, go win on the field. The guys that deserve it get in and figure it out from there.” ACC commissioner Little Jimmy Phillips says expanding the playoff would give “hope to all teams.” Phillips ignores the reality that even with the 12-team playoff there are only a handful capable of going through the grind of the playoff and emerging as national champion. Meanwhile, Greg Sankey and the SEC have dug in their heels. They prefer to stick with 12 teams but if expansion is necessary then 16 is their max. The SEC Championship Game is non-negotiable because it is a cash cow for the league. And, the SEC has an exclusive long term media rights agreement with ESPN, which just so happens to have the contract to broadcast the playoff in its entirety. In the end, bet the farm that Sankey, the SEC and ESPN are going to stand their ground. Even Phillips sees ESPN as the ultimate obstacle. "ESPN has been pretty clear with all of us that they'd like it to stay at 12, maybe 14, but no higher than 16," Phillips said. So, unless something drastically unexpected happens that causes Sankey and ESPN to reverse course, Phillips and all the others calling for 24 teams are going to seem like Don Quixote charging up a hill to attack a windmill. There will be expansion to 16 teams, but 24? Nope. This isn’t soccer where everybody gets a participation trophy so that no one sheds tears of envy.

Denzel Aberdeen may have gotten help from an unexpected source in his quest for a waiver (Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: With the NCAA likely to exclude grandfathering in players who have already completed four years of eligibility when it enacts the 5-for-5 legislation, the Florida Gators and Denzel Aberdeen got a boost in their quest to get Aberdeen his fifth year. The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, gave an eligibility waiver to Franck Kepnang, a 6-11, 225-pound big man originally from Cameroon, who transferred to Kentucky last week. Kepnang, it turns out, began his collegiate career at Oregon where he spent two years before playing four years at Washington. He has never averaged double figures but he meets Kentucky’s priorities – he’s tall and he’s breathing. Big deal that he will be playing his seventh season, right? The NCAA made its decision based on Kepnang’s history of injuries. He has played in 17 or fewer games in four of his six seasons. Last year at Washington he played in 25 of the team’s 33 games. Meanwhile, there is Aberdeen, who spent three years playing for the Gators before he transferred to Kentucky where he averaged 13.5 points per game last season for the Wildcats. He transferred back to Florida and has petitioned the NCAA for a waiver that will allow him a fifth year of eligibility. As a freshman at Florida, Aberdeen played in 12 games, a total of 36 minutes. Nine of those minutes were in the Gators’ NIT loss to UCF. That is the basis for the waiver petition. Compared to Kepnang, this should be a slam dunk yes decision by the NCAA, but, as we all know there is nothing simple about NCAA decisions. Most of them make little to no sense. Aberdeen should get the waiver, but if he does not he can always take the route of the state courts. It certainly worked for Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who spent four years in Division II at Ferris State (Michigan) before transferring to Ole Miss last year. There were at least a couple of years at Ferris State when he hardly played but when he petitioned the NCAA his waiver request was denied. So, Chambliss went to a local court in Oxford and a judge ruled him eligible. The NCAA appealed and the case went all the way up the chain to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which ruled favorably for Chambliss. Rather than try to take the matter up in Federal Court, the NCAA has dropped the matter completely. Chambliss will be playing QB for Ole Miss this fall. The NCAA could rule in Aberdeen’s favor, that’s for certain, but if they don’t there are dozens of lawyers ready to take the case to the courts. Based on what we’ve seen from the NCAA in court cases through the years, Denzel would almost certainly become eligible, especially with precedents like the cases of Kepnang and Chambliss, not to mention the fact the NCAA is going to implement five years of eligibility starting with the 2026-27 athletic year. Players who are already on rosters but haven't had a fifth year will be grandfathered in but those who are seniors? It's very hard to imagine that standing up to a test in the courts. Prediction: Denzel will be playing for the Gators next season. SARK: “WE’VE FORGOTTEN ABOUT ACADEMICS” As college athletics continue to spiral out of control, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian laments the lack of guardrails that have turned control of sports to boosters and networks. Adding to the misery is the matter of rules. Sports are treading on new ground every single day and there are no rules to keep up. And, where there are rules in place there is no enforcement. Tampering is rampant. Dabo Swinney of Clemson had a transfer from California in class when Ole Miss offered him seven figures. The player transferred. Swinney has proof. Then there is the transfer portal which has players going from school-to-school, selling themselves to the highest bidder. Players who come from abject poverty suddenly have generational wealth at their disposal with absolutely zero knowledge of how to handle money. Everywhere the dream of making it to the NFL is sold, but Sark points out the folly of this pitch. “It’s like we’ve forgotten about academics, yet less than 5-percent of these guys will play in the NFL,”Sarkisian told USA Today columnist Matt Hayes. When it comes to transfers, Texas has rather strict academic rules but far too many schools have rather loose standards. “At Texas, we will only take 50-percent of a player’s academic credit hours,” Sarkisian told Hayes. “You may be a semester from graduating, but you’re going all the way back to 50-percent if you play here and want a degree. But at Ole Miss, they can take you. All you have to do is take basket weaving, and you can get an Ole Miss degree.” In the same interview, Sarkisian also took a shot at those pushing for the College Football Playoff to expand from 12 to 24 teams. “I’d go back to a four-team playoff, and have your own conference playoff to get the four teams if you want more inventory for your television partners,” Sarkisian said. “We have to think outside the box. Just adding teams and going to 24, that’s a very spastic view, thinking that’s going to solve the problem. Forever in college athletics, we don’t think about the unintended consequences of decisions we make. It’s all knee-jerk reactions. Look where it has gotten us.” Indeed. ONE FINL PITHY THOUGHT: This is called tapping the brakes and the one doing the tapping is Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey. The Big Ten (plus eight), led by its commissioner Tony Petiti, and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) are pushing for expansion of the College Football Playoff from the current 12 teams to 24. Sankey likes the current 12-team playoff but if there is to be expansion, he will concede four more teams for a 16-team model. Not only has the AFCA endorsed expanding the playoff to 16 teams, but so have Notre Dame, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12. Well, of course they would. More teams in a playoff means it’s tougher for college presidents to fire a head coach that got his team into the 24-team field. Notre Dame was snubbed last year. The ACC champ was Duke, but only Miami made the playoff. Only one Big 12 team got in. The Big Ten, meanwhile, had three teams and the SEC five. Included in the Big Ten proposal are an earlier start to the season, elimination of one of the bye weeks during the regular season and the elimination of conference championship games. Sankey, easily the single most powerful man in all of college sports, says uh-uh. His reasons are simple and fair: (1) Expanding to 24 teams would seriously diminish the importance of the regular season since it is inevitable that teams with four losses would make the playoff; (2) It is a violent game so two bye weeks are a necessity to lessen the wear and tear on athletes’ bodies in a 12-game season that also includes the possibility of playing three or four more playoff games; and (3) the SEC Championship Game is a cash cow that is under contract with ESPN/ABC/Disney through 2034 with a two-year option to extend through 2036. What Sankey hasn’t said, but needs to be pointed out is the fact that there are only a handful of teams capable of running the playoff gauntlet and emerging as a national champ no matter how many teams are involved in the playoff. An 8-team playoff would accommodate the championship quality teams. Beyond the eight real contenders there are only pretenders. Sankey has the leverage here. With his deal with ESPN, which broadcasts the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff, he can afford to stand his ground. His contract with the ESPN family of networks is rock solid. On the surface it may seem the SEC is outnumbered by those backing the Big Ten proposal, but in reality, the SEC and Big Ten are the two that will make the decision about how many teams are in the playoff. Nobody else. The Big Ten may have produced the last three national champions, but since 2000, the league has hoisted the championship trophy five times – Ohio State (2001, 2014, 2024), Michigan 2023 and Indiana 2025. During the same time frame the SEC has 15 national champs – Alabama 6, Florida 3, LSU 3, Georgia 2 and Auburn 1. Serious advantage SEC. A decision on playoff expansion has to be made by December 1. Right now, the SEC and the Big Ten are like two ships passing in the night a thousand miles apart. The closer it gets to December 1 the more likely it is that either Petiti or Sankey will cave. If you’re a gambler, put your money on Sankey. He knows there can’t be a true national championship playoff without the Southeastern Conference.

There are skeptics as well there should be. Jon Sumrall has the entire Gator Nation on its feet and paying attention for a news flash that another highly regarded recruit has committed to play for the Gators. When it comes to recruiting these are the most exciting times since Will Muschamp put together back-to-back classes that were ranked No. 3 nationally. Recruiting is the lifeblood of all college football programs and Florida’s recruiting has fallen into an abyss, which has plenty to do with four losing seasons in the last five years. From 1980-2010, the Gators never had a losing season. Florida won more football games (210) from 1990-2010 than any school in the country. There were eight SEC championships and three national titles. That was then. This is now and now the Gators are that woulda, coulda, shoulda program as in woulda won more games, coulda won more games and shoulda won more games if only. If only. I remember like it was yesterday the drive up to Folkston, Georgia early one summer morning in the early 1960s. I was with my insurance agent grandfather whose commercial, home owners and auto insurance business was stretched over a territory that extended from South Georgia to the Polk County line and everything in between. C. Carle Van Sickle used those day trips to talk everything from his love of the Florida Gators to things more serious such as life its own self. On this particular morning he said the two most dangerous words in the English language are “if only.” If only means you’re living with regrets. If only means you could have done more with what you had to work with. If only means you didn’t work hard enough to erase the doubts by getting the job done. If only means you didn't do your best and instead offered excuses why you screwed up. C. Carle Van Sickle is the first person from whom I heard the phrase “if a frog had wings he wouldn’t bump his butt every time he jumped.” A few years after hearing that for the first time in my grandfather’s car, my biology teacher in McComb, Mississippi used it when a classmate offered up the time honored “the cat peed on my homework” excuse. The phrase has stuck with me for more than 60 years. Looking back on the last 15 years of Florida football, there have been far too many if only moments. The Gators are on their fifth football coach since Jeremy Foley plucked Muschamp away from Texas, handing him the reins of a monster program even though he had never been a head coach before. This was the second time Foley defied conventional wisdom by hiring someone who had never been a head coach before. Ron Zook was the first and that lasted all of three years. Zooker’s unenviable task was to keep the Gators winning at the same rate as the 12 previous seasons when Steve Spurrier won 127 games, six SEC titles and the 1996 national championship. We know how that worked out. Zooker won, just didn’t win enough and he was fired. In four seasons Muschamp won, but not enough and he committed the cardinal sin of losing to Georgia Southern in a game where the then D1AA Eagles didn’t throw a pass in the second half. The Georgia Southern debacle was in 2013, the year Florida’s streak of 33 non-losing seasons came to an end. Injuries didn’t help Muschamp’s cause. He was down to Skyler Mornhinweg at quarterback by season’s end. Of course, you wonder if Tom Brady could have salvaged an offense coordinated by Brent Peas. Peas, if you recall, was the successor to Charlie Weis, who brought with him the horrendous O-line coach Frank Verducci. In some respects it was déjà vu all over again as the late, great Yogi Berra might have described it. It wasn’t until Zooker was in year three that he promoted Larry Fedora to offensive coordinator and demoted Ed Zaunbrecher, the master of the 2-inch pass. It wasn’t until year four that Muschamp dumped Peas for Kurt Roper. The Florida offense was good in 2004, Zooker’s last year, and in 2014, Muschamp’s, but in both instances it was too late. Both Zook and Muschamp were lights out recruiters, but recruiting involves more than bringing in high school kids to develop into future starters. It also involves recruiting competent assistant coaches. Zook didn’t want Zaunbrecher. Muschamp didn’t want Weis. Neither was given a choice in the matter. Lots of if only moments, too many to count, describe both Zook and Muschamp’s years on the job. The biggest if only is what might have happened if Foley had hired an experienced head coach to follow Spurrier and Urban Meyer? That's something we can only guess. Since Muschamp, the Gators have run through Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen and Billy Napier. McElwain lied his way out of a job, but it didn’t help that his offenses were anemic and his recruiting left plenty to be desired. Muschamp left him with an NFL defense, but when everybody graduated and defensive coordinator Geoff Collins left for a head coaching job, McElwain couldn’t cope. The man who tried to act like he was the cool kid from high school who never wore socks and drove a Mustang convertible was exposed. He couldn’t give a straight answer to a simple question when he was winning. When things unraveled in 2017 he came up with a whopper of a fib and got fired as a result. It didn’t help matters that McElwain’s offensive coordinator was Doug Nussmeier all three years and his co-defensive coordinators in 2017 were Randy Shannon and Chris Rumph. Mullen gave us offense and three straight New Year’s Six Bowl games. He was hired by Scott Stricklin but only after Stricklin was used and abused by Chip Kelly. Kelly parlayed Florida’s contract offer into the UCLA job, which is the one he wanted. Mullen was the emergency choice and it paid off until the lack of recruiting and bad choices for assistant coaches caught up with him. One bad year and he got the boot, leaving behind a ton of if only moments such as if only Mullen had cut defensive coordinator Todd Grantham loose before his sell-by date expired. Grantham has a history of a couple of good years and then everybody figures out his blitz schemes. Napier came along highly regarded but too arrogant to hand the play calling over to an offensive coordinator. He believed football games can be won with a team of boy scouts. Having a few boy scouts is a necessity, but to win, especially in a league like the Southeastern Conference, it takes a handful of boy scouts and a majority of borderline psychopaths. This is a violent game and it takes people who enjoy the violence to win battles in the trenches. It’s great if your center is a cerebral but extremely capable type like Jake Slaughter, but you better surround him with people who live on the psychopathic edge. And, your defensive line better be manned by mean, nasty people. That is how you win in the Southeastern Conference. Napier didn’t see things that way and was shown the door with $20 million in buyout money to comfort him. Napier failed for the same reasons Muschamp, McElwain and Mullen failed before him – bad choices. We are known by the choices we make. We make good choices and good things happen. Bad choices and if we are an SEC head football coach we get buyout money but we leave behind a legacy of if only moments. Now it’s up to Jon Sumrall to learn from the past mistakes of the previous four coaches. So far he says all the right things, does all the right things, and judging by the results on the recruiting trail, he has hired a staff of top notch assistants. But he still hasn’t coached or won a game at Florida. Because of the issues with the previous four coaches, it is only natural that there are skeptics who point out the past rather than jump on the Sumrall train. We look at the past and see way too many junctures in which a right decision could have changed the direction in which Florida football has been heading since 2011. If only. That is the story of Florida football since 2011. None of the four coaches prior to Sumrall came to Florida expecting to be sent packing before their contract expired, but all four have had a hand in plunging Florida from the ranks of greatness to a level of mediocrity not seen since the Bob Woodruff years in the 1950s. Now it is up to Jon Sumrall to rescue the program before it assumes the identity of a catfish and dwells among the bottom feeders of the Southeastern Conference. It is a monumental task but Sumrall has a championship pedigree as a head coach that lends credence to the optimism that is surging through the Gator Nation. He’s been a head coach four years at two different whistlestops and he’s won three conference titles and played for a fourth. He expects to win here, not in four years but immediately and from what we’ve seen so far, there will be no if only excuses along the way. If Jon Sumrall were a frog, he would find a way to grow wings.