A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: LET THE CHAOS BEGIN As of Tuesday night, more than 3,000 Division I football and basketball players had placed their names in the NCAA transfer portal. If that sounds like a lot, then buckle up because we’re just getting started. The combination of the NCAA approved one-time transfer, the end of spring football, the conclusion of the spring semester and the fact that nearly all the schools that were going to fire a coach have already done so means the floodgates are now open. As even more players begin their search for greener pastures, the next six or so weeks will only underscore which schools were prepared for the chaos and which ones were caught flatfooted. At Florida, where both Dan Mullen and Mike White have exceptional track records in finding good fits in the transfer portal, any losses have already been offset. Mullen has already landed two starting defensive tackles in Daquan Newkirk (from Auburn) and Antonio Shelton (from Penn State) and a kicker in Jace Christmann (from Mississippi State). He has one or two available scholarships and is thought to be seeking to bolster his offensive line. When Mike White lost four basketball transfers, he upgraded his roster by bringing in Brandon McKissic (UM-Kansas City), C.J. Felder (Boston College), Myreon Jones (Penn State) and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (Charleston Southern). He also is known to be looking for another big guy to back up Colin Castleton. Back in the early football signing period in December, Mullen pointed out that the transfer portal has changed the way he recruits. Instead of signing his limit of high school or junior college kids, a few roster spots will be held for transfers. This was in anticipation of the NCAA rule change but even without it, Mullen would have kept scholarships open for experienced kids looking for a new school. Now that the rule has been changed allowing a one-time transfer the smart coaches will sign fewer high school kids and keep spots open for experienced players looking for a new place to play. After all, a high school kid who is unhappy for any number of reasons can bolt without fear of sitting a year whereas a transfer has used up his option and will have to sit if he decides he made a bad choice. We got clear evidence on Monday just how the new transfer rule has changed football recruiting. It seemed that Ohio State wide receiver Jameson Williams had no sooner placed his name in the transfer portal when he announced he had committed to Alabama. On the basketball side, Kentucky’s John Calipari and Duke’s Mike Kryzyzewski, have both added two transfers and both are burning up the phone lines trying to fill out depleted rosters. When Nick Saban, John Calipari and Coach K are active in the transfer portal, it’s a sure sign that recruiting as we know it has changed forever. GATORS IMPROVE TO 31-13 WITH 9-6 WIN OVER STETSON The Gators won their third straight game and 11th in their last 13 Tuesday night when they pounded out a 9-6 non-conference win over Stetson (23-18) at the Florida Ballpark. Freshman Sterlin Thompson led a 12-hit Florida attack with two singles and a double and Kris Armstrong hit his third homer in the last four games. Picking up the win in relief was Trey Van Der Weide (2-1, 3.52 ERA). The Gators (31-13, 13-8 SEC) travel to Lexington for a critical 3-game Southeastern Conference series with Kentucky (26-15, 10-11 SEC) starting Thursday evening. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC SEC winners and losers in the basketball transfer portal as of May 4, 2021. FLORIDA (WINNER): Mike White upgraded the Florida roster with the four transfers he brought in. The only loss of consequence is Noah Locke, but all three guards who transferred in are scorers and far better on the defensive end. C.J. Felder’s offense makes him a large upgrade over Omar Payne and he’s a serious shot blocker, too. If White can find someone in the 6-10 range who can play in the transfer portal, he’ll go after him. Transferred out (4): Noah Locke (6-2, 203, JR, Transferred to Louisville); Osayi Osifo (6-7, 225, JR, Transferred to Jacksonville); Omar Payne (6-10, 230, SO, Transferred to Illinois); Ques Glover (5-11, 175, SO, Transferred to Samford) Transferred in (4): Brandon McKissic (6-3, 195, GR); Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (6-4, 210, GR, Transferred from Charleston Southern); Myreon Jones (6-3, 185, JR, Transferred from Penn State); C.J. Felder (6-7, 235, SO, Transferred from Boston College) Alabama (WINNER): Nate Oates hasn’t lost a single scholarship player to the transfer portal, but he picked up two who are going to play immediately. The big pickup was Noah Gurley from Furman, who averaged . He will help make up for the loss of John Petty Jr. Nimari Burnett from Texas Tech is a lock down defender. Transferred out: None Transferred in (2): Nimari Burnett (6-4, 200, FR, Transfer from Texas Tech); Noah Gurley (6-8, 210, SR, Transfer from Furman) Arkansas (WINNER): Losing Desi Sills to Auburn hurt for a couple of days, but then Eric Musselman lured Chris Lykes from Miami, Au’Diese Toney from Pitt and Stanley Umude from South Dakota, all of whom can score. That also helps offset the loss of Justin Smith and Moses Moody, who went pro. Umude averaged 21.6 points and 7.0 rebounds at South Dakota. He’s a stud. Transferred out (4): Desi Sills (6-1, 202, JR, Transferred to Auburn); Ethan Henderson (6-8, 210, JR, Transferred to Texas A&M); Emeka Obekwulu (6-8, 235, SR); Abayomi Iyiola (6-9, 230, JR) Transferred in (3): Chris Lykes (5-7, 165, GR, Transferred from Miami); Au’Diese Toney (6-6, 210, JR, Transferred from Pittsburgh); Stanley Umude (6-6, 210, GR, Transfer to South Dakota) Auburn (WINNER): Bruce Pearl came up big, particularly with the additions of Walker Kessler from North Carolina and Desi Sills from Arkansas. Kessler gives Pearl a rim protector who can score and Sills is a serious defender and underrated scorer. Wendell Green can’t be pressed and Zep Jasper is a streaky long distance shooter. Transferred out (4): Justin Powell (6-6, 205, FR, Transfer to Tennessee); Javon Franklin (6-7, 200, JR, Transferred to South Alabama); Jalen Johnson (6-4, 195, JR, Transferred to UAB); Tyrell Jones (6-1, 170, SO, Transferred to South Alabama) Transferred in (4): Wendell Green Jr. (5-11, 170, FR, Transfer from Eastern Kentucky); Zep Jasper (6-1, 175, JR, Transferred from Charleston); Walker Kessler (7-1, 245, FR, Transferred from North Carolina); Desi Sills (6-1, 203, JR, Transferred from Arkansas) Georgia (LOSER): Tom Crean lost his two best players in Sahvir Wheeler and Toumani Camara. Four others left the program. The best of the transfers is Javi Abdur-Rahim from Virginia, who has a lot of potential but played less than five per game. Transferred out (6): Sahvir Wheeler (5-10, 180, SO); Tye Fagan (6-3, 195, JR, Transfer to Ole Miss); Toumani Camara (6-8, 230, SO, Transferred to Dayton); Christian Brown (6-6, 205, SO, Transferred to Tennessee State); Mikal Starks (6-0, 160, JR); Jaykwon Walton (6-7, 205, SO, Transferred to Shelby State Community College) Transferred in (4): Jailyn Ingram (6-7, 215, SR, Transferred from Florida Atlantic); Braeylin Bridges (6-9, 225, Transferred from Illinois-Chicago); Noah Baumann (6-6, 217, SR, Transferred from Southern Cal); Jabi Abdur-Rahim (6-7, 210, SO, Transferred from Virginia) Kentucky (LOSER): Oscar Tschiebwe and Kellan Grady are upgrades from the two who transferred out, but John Calipari needs at least two more to supplement a two-man prep recruiting class. Cal is striking out right and left, notably with Walker Kessler, Garrison Brooks and Brandon McKissic. He’s pulling out all stops to get Sahvir Wheeler from Georgia. Transferred out (2): Cam’Ron Fletcher (6-6, 180, FR, Transferred to Florida State); Devin Askew (6-3, 195, FR, Transferred to Texas Transferred in (2): Oscar Tschiebwe (6-9, 260, SO), Transferred from West Virginia); Kellan Grady (6-5, 205, GR, Transferred from Davidson) LSU (LOSER): Although Will Wade didn’t lose anyone of consequence and all four of his incoming transfers will probably start, he did not address needs for size. He’s out of scholarships and will have one of the smaller teams in the SEC next year. Transferred out (2): Aundre Hyatt (6-6, 225, RSO, Transferred to Rutgers); Jalen Cook (6-0, 205, FR, Transferred to Tulane) Transferred in (4): Seneca Knight (6-7, 215, JR, Transferred from San Jose State); Xavier Pinson (6-2, 170, JR, Transferred from Missouri); Tari Eason (6-8, 220, JR, Transferred from Cincinnati); Adam Miller (6-3, 180, FR, Transferred from Illinois) Mississippi State (WINNER): Ben Howland more than offset the loss of Deivon Smith by landing grad transfer Garrison Brooks from UNC and power forward D.J. Jeffries from Memphis. Transferred out (3): Deivon Smith (6-1, 165, FR, Transferred to Georgia Tech); Keondre Montgomery (6-7, 200, FR, Transferred to Alcorn State); Quinten Post (7-0, 240, SO, Transferred to Boston College) Transferred in (2): Garrison Brooks (6-10, 240, SR, Transferred from North Carolina); D.J. Jeffries (6-7, 225, SO, Transferred from Memphis) Missouri (LOSER): Cuonzo Martin lost his entire starting five, three to the pros and two in the transfer portal. Three others transferred out. Of the incoming transfers, Jarron Coleman is a volume scorer (17.1) and a 28 percent 3-ball shooter. Transferred out (5): Mark Smith (6-5, 220, SR, Transferred to Kansas State); Xavier Pinson (6-2, 170, JR, Transferred to Auburn); Drew Buggs (6-3, 195, SR); Torrence Watson (6-5, 205, JR, Transferred to Elon); Parker Braun (6-8, 217, SO, Transferred to Santa Clara); Ed Chang (6-8, 220, JR) Transferred in (3): DaJuan Gordon (6-4, 190, SO, Transferred from Kansas State); Jarron Coleman (6-5, 205, SO, Transferred from Ball State); Amari Davis (6-3, 170, SO, Transferred from Green Bay) Ole Miss (LOSER): K.J. Buffen leaving for UAB hurt. Kermit Davis Jr. brought in some size but he didn’t bring in people who can put the ball in the hole. Transferred out (5): KJ Buffen (6-7, 235, JR, Transferred to UAB); Khadim Sy (6-10, 238, SR); Dimencio Vaughn (6-5, 215, SR, Transferred to Rider); Antavian Collum (6-7, 224, SO, Transferred to Cal-Bakersfield); Shon Robinson (6-11, 212, FR) Transferred in (3): Tye Fagan (6-3, 195, JR, Transferred from Georgia); Nysier Brooks (6-11, 245, GR, Transferred from Miami); Jaemyn Brakefield (6-8, 220, FR, Transferred from Duke) South Carolina (LOSER): Six transferred out including Justin Minaya. None of the incoming transfers can make up the offensive loss of A.J. Lawson who went to the NBA. Transferred out (6): Justin Minaya (6-6, 215, JR, Transferred to Providence); Trae Hannibal (6-3, 217, SO, Transferred to Murray State); T.J. Moss (6-4, 195, SO, Transferred to McNeese State); Jalyn McCreary (6-7, 225, SO); Tre Anderson (6-6, 203, SO); Patrick Iriell (6-10, 248, FR) Transferred in (4): Chico Carter (6-2, 190, SO, Transferred from Murray State); A.J. Wilson (6-7, 230, SR, Transferred from George Mason); Erik Stevenson (6-3, 198, JR, Transferred from Washington); James Reese (6-4, 170, SR, Transferred from North Texas) Tennessee (WINNER): None of the outgoing transfers were of any consequence and Rick Barnes outrecruited Kentucky for shooter Justin Powell. Transferred out (4): E.J. Anoskie (6-7, 245, SR); Corey Walker (6-8, 219, FR); Davonte Gaines (6-7, 181, Transfer to George Mason); Drew Pember (6-10, 200, Transfer to UNC-Asheville) Transferred in (1): Justin Powell (6-6, 205, FR, Transfer from Auburn) Texas A&M (LOSER): The revolving door continues for Buzz Williams who lost eight to the transfer portal. Of the five he brought in, the best are Wyoming point guard Marcus Williams and Duke sophomore Henry Coleman. Transferred out (8): Savion Flagg (6-7, 220, SR, Transferred to Sam Houston State); Kevin Marfo (6-8, 245, GR, Transferred to Quinnipiac); JayJay Chandler (6-4, 180, JR, Transferred to South Alabama); Jonathan Aku (6-9, 263, SO, Transferred to Stephen F. Austin); Cashius McNeilly (6-4, 191, SO, Transferred to TCU); Emanuel Miller (6-7, 208, SO. Transferred to TCU); LaDamien Bradford (6-4, 223, FR, Transferred to Louisiana Tech); Jaxson Robinson (6-7, 193, FR) Transferred in (5): Javonte Brown (6-11, 243, SO, Transferred from UConn); Ethan Henderson (6-8, 210, JR, Transferred from Arkansas); Marcus Williams (6-2, 180, FR, Transferred from Wyoming); Henry Coleman (6-7, 220, SO, Transferred from Duke); Jordan Hall (6-8, 210, FR, Transferred from Saint Joseph’s) Vanderbilt (LOSER): Jerry Stackhouse got the center he wanted in 7-1 Liam Roberts from Minnesota, but he lost power forward Dylan Disu to Texas. Rodney Chatman from Dayton is a good player but he can’t make up the loss of offense is Scotty Pippen Jr. elects to stay in the NBA Draft. Transferred out (6): Isaac McBride (6-1, 190, SO, Transferred to Oral Roberts); D.J. Harvey (6-6, 230, SR, Transferred to Detroit); Maxwell Evans (6-2, 190, SR, Transferred to TCU); Ejike Obinna (6-10, 243, SR, Transferred to Saint Joseph’s); Clevon Brown (6-8, 232, SR); Dylan Disu (6-9, 220, SO, Transferred to Texas) Transferred in (3): Liam Robbins (7-0, 235, JR, Transferred from Minnesota); Rodney Chatman (6-1, 180, SR, Transferred from Dayton); Terren Frank (6-8, 235, FR, Transferred from TCU) ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Maybe I’m not the only one who questions the folks who tend to believe JT Daniels is the greatest thing since the invention of sliced bread. The dust has barely settled on the 2021 draft but already mock drafts for 2022 are popping up everywhere. Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com published a mock draft Tuesday that had five quarterbacks going first round, not a one of them named JT Daniels. Wilson has Sam Howell (UNC, No. 2), Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma, No. 8), Kedon Slovis (Southern Cal, No. 9), Malik Willis (Liberty, No. 10) and Desmond Ritter (Cincinnati, No. 26) in the first round. But no JT. I’m not surprised. I am surprised that Matt Corrall of Ole Miss isn’t a first rounder, but not that JT Daniels isn’t.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: STARS DO MATTER BUT SO DOES COACHING When Kadarius Toney signed with the Florida Gators out of Blount High School in metro Mobile, Alabama in 2017, he was ranked 421st out of all the high school football players in the country by 247Sports.com. He was rated the 20th best player in the state of Alabama, but where to play him? That was the question on everybody’s mind. A high school quarterback known more for his water-bug quickness and Houdini-like escapability even when surrounded by opponents, Toney was a 3-star recruit. Georgia Tech, then coached by Paul Johnson, wanted him to come run that funky option offense. South Carolina offered him as did Tulane, South Florida and Wake Forest. Auburn didn’t even give him a sniff. Once Florida offered, Nick Saban and Alabama offered, although Nick was already loading up with a recruiting class for the ages that would eventually produce eight first round draft picks. Four years and a position change later, Kadarius Toney was the 20th selection by the New York Giants in the first round of the NFL Draft. He spent his first three years at UF learning how to play wide receiver, then in year four (2020) applied all he learned to transform from a bubble screen/drag pattern guy into one with dependable hands, good route-running skills and the ability to stretch a defense downfield. Had Toney chosen Georgia Tech odds are he wouldn’t have been drafted at all. South Carolina’s offense was jammed in neutral the last four years which has everything to do with why Will Muschamp is living off a few zillion buyout bucks and staying out of his wife’s way by serving as an analyst at Georgia these days. Had Jim McElwain had a close encounter with the truth and remained Florida’s football coach, it’s also doubtful that Toney would have developed. In three years at Florida (2015-17), Old Yeller’s offenses never cracked the top 100 nationally. It’s doubtful McElwain would have figured out what to do with Toney. Because Florida hired Dan Mullen, one of the better offensive minds in all of college football, and Mullen brought with him Billy Gonzales to coach up the wide receivers, Toney found his calling. The Giants will pay him enough money in that first contract that he could be set for life it it’s well invested. Not bad for a 3-star recruit. Had Toney committed to Alabama instead of Florida would he have remained a 3-star? If you follow recruiting, then you have to notice how the moment a high school kid commits to Alabama or tells some recruiting analyst that Bama is on his short list that another star is added. Analysts figure that if Nick offers, then the kid needs another star. What Alabama is doing is unprecedented and it has everything to do with (1) stability, (2) a chance to compete for championships and (3) player development. Nick has been at Alabama since 2007 and he’s won six national championships and lost in the championship game twice. If you survive what Nick calls “the process,” at the end of four years you probably get a chance to play for money on Sundays. Consider Alabama’s 2017 recruiting class as good an exhibit as you could ask for when it comes to player development. In 2017, Alabama signed 29 players, 12 of which have been drafted, eight of which became first round selections in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. Seven will be seniors in 2021. There were six 5-stars (four who became first rounders, one who went undrafted and one who will return to Alabama for his senior season in 2021), 18 4-stars, four 3-stars and one-2-star (long snapper Thomas Fletcher who was drafted). The class produced a Heisman Trophy winner in Devonta Smith, a 4-star recruit who was the first round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles; two first round quarterbacks in former 5-star Tua Tagovailoa, a former 5-star, and Mac Jones, a former 3-star. Jones was committed to Kentucky when Saban offered him out of Jacksonville Bolles. Probably the reason he didn’t get an extra star was because absolutely no one ever dreamed he would be anything more than an insurance policy in case one of Nick’s 5-star QBs went down with an injury. Does anyone whose brain is used for something other than to part his ears think Jones is a first rounder if he goes to Kentucky? He has two national championship rings, one as a redshirt freshman in 2017 and one as the MVP of the 2020 national championship game. For the most part, stars matter, but not always. There will always be late bloomers or players who get switched to a position they were born to play or coached by someone capable of developing them beyond their wildest dreams. Sometimes stars and planets align and a kid who nobody knew what to do with or one destined to be an insurance policy get their chance. Just as Kadarius Toney and Mac Jones. GATORS MOVE UP IN EVERY POLL Back on April 10, the Gators had lost their second winnable game to Tennessee in Knoxville, falling to 20-11 on the season, 5-6 in SEC play. The next day the Gators erased a 6-3 deficit, scoring a much-needed 7-6 win over the Vols when Kris Armstrong launched a pinch-hit 3-run homer over the right field wall in the eighth inning. A season that seemed to be on the brink has since turned into one that is gaining momentum as Florida has crept within a game of first place in the SEC East and back into the top ten in every college baseball poll. The Gators have won 10 of their last 12 games, improving to 30-13 overall and 13-8 in SEC play, one game behind East co-leaders Vanderbilt and 6th-ranked Tennessee. The Gators are now one of the hotter teams in all of college baseball and playing like a team that is on a mission. With three SEC series remaining and 11 games altogether, Florida has a legitimate shot at winning the East as well as being named a host for NCAA regional and super regional play. The Gators face Stetson in a non-conference matchup at the Florida Ballpark at 6 p.m. Collegiate Baseball poll: 1. Arkansas 34-8; 2. Vanderbilt 32-9; 3. TCU 33-10; 4. Mississippi State 32-10; 5. Texas 35-11; 6. Tennessee 34-11; 7. FLORIDA 30-13; 8. Arizona 30-11; 9. Ole Miss 31-12; 10. Notre Dame 24-8; 11. Texas Tech 30-11; 12. South Carolina 26-15; 13. Louisville 23-14; 14. Stanford 24-9; 15. Oregon 27-11; 16. UCLA 25-14; 17. Pittsburgh 20-11; 18. East Carolina 30-9; 19. Louisiana Tech 32-11; 20. Oklahoma State 25-14-1; 21. Arizona State 25-14; 22. Michigan 21-11; 23. UC-Irvine 26-14; 24. Tulane 24-14; 25. UC-Santa Barbara 29-13; 26. Gonzaga 27-13; 27. Clemson 21-18; 28. Fairfield 29-1; 29. Old Dominion 31-11; 30. Central Michigan 28-11. USA Today Coaches poll: 1. Arkansas 34-8; 2. Vanderbilt 32-9; 3. TCU 33-10; 4. Mississippi State 32-10; 5. Texas 35-11; 6. Tennessee 34-11; 7. Notre Dame 24-8; 8. Texas Tech 30-11; 9. FLORIDA 30-13; 10. Arizona 30-11; 11. Ole Miss 31-12; 12. East Carolina 30-9; 13. Oregon 27-11; 14. Louisiana Tech 32-11; 15. Louisville 23-14; 16. Stanford 24-9; 17. Pittsburgh 20-11; 18. South Carolina 26-15; 19. Southern Miss 29-14; 20. Old Dominion 31-11; 21. Florida State 23-16; 22. Charlotte 31-14; 23. Gonzaga 27-13; 24. Oklahoma State 25-14-1; 25. UCLA 25-14. D1Baseball.com poll: 1. Arkansas 34-8; 2. Vanderbilt 32-9; 3. TCU 33-10; 4. Mississippi State 32-10; 5. Tennessee 34-11; 6. Texas 35-11; 7. Notre Dame 24-8; 8. Texas Tech 30-11; 9. Arizona 30-11; 10. FLORIDA 30-13; 11. Oregon 27-11; 12. Ole Miss 31-12; 13. East Carolina 30-9; 14. Louisiana Tech 32-11; 15. Louisville 23-14; 16. Stanford 24-9; 17. Pittsburgh 20-11; 18. Florida State 23-16; 19. South Carolina 26-15; 20. Southern Miss 29-14; 21. Gonzaga 27-13; 22. Old Dominion 31-11; 23. Charlotte 31-14; 24. Indiana 20-9; 25. UCLA 25-14. Baseball America poll: 1. Arkansas 34-8; 2. Notre Dame 24-8; 3. Vanderbilt 32-9; 4. Mississippi State 32-10; 5. TCU 33-10; 6. Tennessee 34-11; 7. Arizona 30-11; 8. Texas Tech 30-11; 9. Texas 35-11; 10. FLORIDA 30-13; 11. Ole Miss 31-12; 12. Louisville 23-14; 13. East Carolina 30-9; 14. Florida State 23-16; 15. South Carolina 26-15; 16. Pittsburgh 20-11; 17. Oregon 27-11; 18. Louisiana Tech 32-11; 19. Stanford 24-9; 20. Old Dominion 31-11; 21. Charlotte 31-14; 22. Southern Miss 29-14; 23. Indiana 20-9; 24. UC-Irvine 26-14; 25. Fairfield 29-1. GATORS GET AN ASSIST FROM LSU LSU did the Gators a favor Monday afternoon by splitting a doubleheader with Arkansas. Had Arkansas won both games, it would have ended Florida’s chances to win another SEC regular season championship. The Razorbacks (40-8, 19-5 SEC) have completed their regular season while the Gators have a three-game set with Texas A&M this weekend at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Win all three and UF (37-8, 16-5 SEC) earns a share of the league title. After taking two of three on the road against 12th-ranked Missouri this past weekend, the Gators dropped one spot to fourth in the latest D1Softball.com poll. D1Softball.com poll: 1. Oklahoma 39-1; 2. UCLA 32-3; 3. Alabama 39-7; 4. FLORIDA 37-8; 5. Washington 35-9; 6. Oklahoma State 35-6; 7. Florida State 36-8-1; 8. Arkansas 40-8; 9. Arizona State 31-12; 10. Arizona 33-8; 11. LSU 29-17; 12. Missouri 35-13; 13. Louisiana 38-9; 14. Oregon 31-14; 15. Clemson 37-4; 16. Texas 35-9; 17. Kentucky 35-12; 18. Tennessee 38-8; 19. Minnesota 25-7; 20. Virginia Tech 32-12; 21. Michigan 28-5; 22. Ole Miss 34-16; 23. Duke 34-10; 24. Notre Dame 28-12; 25. James Madison 30-1. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama: Jameson Williams, who was the 13th-ranked wide receiver in the country out of high school, is transferring to Alabama. Williams had 15 catches for 256 yards and three touchdowns during his Buckeye career … Robert Horry, who has seven NBA championship rings, now has a college degree after graduation ceremonies over the weekend. Arkansas: Defensive lineman Tre Williams has transferred to Arkansas from Missouri. Williams had 21 tackles, a forced fumble and two sacks last year. He was recruited to Missouri by current Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom. Auburn: Redshirt freshman quarterback Chayil Garnett put his name in the transfer portal. He played for Bill Castle at Lakeland High School. Also transferring out are redshirt D-lineman Jay Hardy, a former 4-star prospect, and D-lineman Jaren Hardy, who was a 4-star recruit in 2019. Georgia: Former 4-star safety Major Burns, who played in six games in 2020, is transferring out. He was the 11th-ranked safety in the country in 2020. Kentucky: Chin Coleman is leaving the basketball staff at Illinois to work for John Calipari. Also expected to join the Kentucky staff from Illinois is former UK assistant and USF head coach Orlando Antigua … Nolan Hickman, the 4th-ranked point guard in the country, has asked out of his signed LOI. LSU: Punter Zach Von Rosenberg has signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He averaged 43.9 yards per punt in 2020. Mississippi State: Wide receiver Geor’quarius Spivey, who caught 11 passes for 121 yards last season, has put his name in the transfer portal. Tennessee: Linebacker Juwan Mitchell, who led Texas in tackles with 62 in 2020, is transferring to Tennessee … Undrafted corner Bryce Thompson has signed a free agent deal with the New Orleans Saints. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: It will take two more years before the College Football Playoff expands, but it is going to expand. We just don’t know how many teams are going to be involved or whether it will be a gradual increase from four to six teams before involving eight, 12 or 16 later on. Probably the two biggest reasons we won’t see an expanded playoff before the 2023 season has to do with money – as in how much more television money the extra games will generate and how to divide it up since expansion means more inclusion for Group of Five conferences. The most compelling reason why playoff expansion is a question of when and not if is pointed out in a Sports Illustrated article by Ross Dellinger. The percentage of schools that advance to a postseason championship in all sports but football ranges from 18 to 25 percent. The percentage of schools that participate in the College Football Playoff is 3 percent. Boredom is setting in among fans who are tired of seeing the same teams in the final four every single year. The only way to break the boredom and make sure fans stay engaged is to add more teams.

*Catch the full video recap at the bottom Florida Gator baseball (30-13, 13-8 SEC) took the series against No. 2 Vanderbilt (32-9, 14-7) after a 5-3 win in game three Sunday. They are now the second team this season to post a series victory over the Commodores. Georgia took the series over Vanderbilt back in early April. The Gators have now won 12 of their last 16 games including nine of their last 11. In addition, they now own five wins against top-five ranked teams this season. Game One: *11-7 Vandy Florida matched Vanderbilt in both hits (13) and total bases (21), but came up short. Game Two: *11-8 Florida Florida scored a season high four home runs to even the series. Two from Jud Jabian, one from Kirby McMullen and Kris Armstrong This was Fabian’s second two-homer game of the 2021 season and third of his career. He paced the team with four RBI. The last time the Gators went deep four times in one game came on Feb. 16, 2020 against Marshall. Game Three: *5-3 Florida Florida carried the momentum from game two and was able to clinch the series thanks to a strong pitching performance from Hunter Barco and Jack Leftwich. After Vandy scored two runs in the fifth and sixth innings, cutting the Gators advantage to 5-3, the relief trio of Christian Scott, Trey Van Der Weide and Leftwich combined for 3.2 innings of scoreless relief. The majority of which came from Leftwich. He entered in the seventh and retired eight of nine batters to close out the game. He allowed just one hit and struck out three. Key Players Kris Armstrong Game One: Two RBI Homerun - His fifth of the season Game Two: Homerun Game Three: Single RBI Kirby McMullen Game One: Two RBI Game Two: Homerun Game Three: Single RBI Josh Rivera Named SEC Co-newcomer of the week Led team this weekend with a .455 batting average Went 5-11 in the series with three runs Zero errors across seven defensive chances in field, posting perfect fielding percentage What’s Next Florida hosts Stetson on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET in the team’s second-to-last midweek contest of the season.The game will air on SEC Network+. Thursday the Gators will kick off a three game series on the road against Kentucky (26-15, 10-11 SEC). Game one is set for 7 p.m., game two 6:30 p.m. and game three 1 p.m. Can the Gators continue the hot streak? They have already beat Stetson twice this season. The Gators will face a Kentucky squad that dropped a series against Tennessee this past weekend.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: TRASK THREW 813 PASSES IN HIS FLORIDA CAREER If you are the type that gets off on conspiracy theories, omens, UFO sightings over Roswell and Area 51 chatter, then you probably already put two and two together when it came to the Tampa Bay Bucs drafting Florida quarterback Kyle Trask. Trask threw 813 passes in his Florida football career (completed 552 of them for 7,386 yards and 69 touchdowns. Remember the number 813. Friday night as Trask sat with parents and girlfriend Jade Carraway in Manvel, Texas as the second round of the NFL Draft was moving rapidly to a close, the phone rang. Trask picked it up and saw it was from area code 813. He knew immediately who was calling – the Tampa Bay Bucs, the team he had been hoping all along would draft him. The Bucs had thought seriously about taking Trask with the last pick of the first round, but they elected to roll the dice with the hope he would still be available at pick No. 64 at the end of round two. As one second round pick after another was announced – none of them quarterbacks – it seemed certain that the draft would go into round three before another QB (five were taken in the first round) was selected, this despite the Mel Kiper Jr.’s seemingly obvious desire to bear a love child for Stanford’s Davis Mills or Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond. Then came the call from area code 813, a conversation that lasted a little more than a minute and a half and was just finishing up when the announcement was made that the Tampa Bay Bucs had selected Trask with the final pick of the second round. Ahead of Mills. Ahead of Mond. Kiper’s once full hairline seemed to recede another half inch as the announcement was made. And so Kyle Trask became the third of eight Gators to go in the NFL Draft, perhaps the most unlikely of all when you consider he never started a game in high school and only got his chance at UF when Feleipe Franks suffered a season-ending injury in game three of the 2019 season. Trask took over, never looked back, and played his way into the second round of the NFL Draft, taken by the Super Bowl Champions. Best of all, he’ll get to understudy and learn from the greatest quarterback to ever play the game – Tom Brady. Oh, and one more omen if you’re into such things. A few weeks ago, Steve Spurrier suggested that the best place for Trask would be the Tampa Bay Bucs. The same Steve Spurrier who won the Heisman Trophy wearing No. 11 at the University of Florida, the same number Kyle Trask wore at UF. The same Steve Spurrier who wore No. 11 as the first quarterback for the Tampa Bay Bucs. All of this one gigantic coincidence? Not if you’re into omens, conspiracy theories, UFO sightings over Roswell and Area 51 reports. DRAFTED GATORS Kyle Pitts, TE (Round 1/No. 4 Atlanta): With Julio Jones on one side and Calvin Ridley on the other, Pitts could put up Pro Bowl numbers as a rookie. Kadarius Toney (Round 1/No. 20 New York Giants): The Human Joystick should be an instant boost to a pedestrian crew of receivers that averaged 10.4 per catch last year. Kyle Trask (Round 2/No. 64 Tampa Bay): Trask is a sponge. He gets to learn from an offensive genius coach and the greatest QB of all time. Marco Wilson, CB (Round 4/No. 136 Arizona): Playing time is available from day one if he can keep his head screwed on right. Evan McPherson, PK (Round 5/No. 149 Cincinnati): Kickers don’t get drafted in the fifth round to sit. He starts from day one. Shawn Davis, S (Round 5/No. 165 Indianapolis): Special teams will secure his spot on the roster. He’ll have to earn his way into the rotation. Tedarrell Slaton, DT (Round 5/No. 173 Green Bay): The Packers want a wide body who can play the run. If he shows up in shape, Slaton makes the team. Stone Forsythe, OT (Round 6/208 Seattle): The Seahawks gave up 46 sacks last year. Forsythe should make the roster and have a chance to supplant 35-year-old Duane Brown. O’SULLIVAN’S FRIDAY NIGHT GAMBLE PAID OFF There was method to the madness of Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan as he avoided the temptation of going to his bullpen in the early innings Friday night. Starting pitcher Franco Aleman wasn’t fooling any of the Vanderbilt hitters but O’Sullivan left him in the game for five tortuous innings. The 2nd-ranked Commodores were up 9-1 when O’Sullivan mercifully gave Aleman the hook, turning the game over to Ben Specht, which was like heaving a 50-gallon can of gas onto an already raging fire. The Gators trailed Vandy 11-4 when Specht was yanked. Ryan Cabarcus, Chase Centala and David Luethje finished out the game for Florida, which lit up the Vandy bullpen for five runs and nine hits over the final four innings after starter Kumar Rocker went to the bench with the game seemingly in control. It turned out that Vandy ended up using up its bullpen Friday night as the Gators made a game of it. Sticking with Aleman so long, then holding bullpen aces Christian Scott, Trey Van Der Weide and Jack Leftwich for the final two games paid off in a big way as the Gators (30-13, 13-8 SEC East) took an 11-8 win Saturday and a 5-3 win Sunday to take the series. Leftwich got the save in both Florida wins as the Gators moved within a game of SEC East co-leaders Vandy (32-9, 14-7 SEC East) and Tennessee (34-11, 14-7 SEC East). The Gators launched four homers in the Saturday win, three off Jack Leiter, expected to be the first player taken in the June Major League Baseball Draft. Jud Fabian hit a 3-run homer in the first and added a solo homer two innings later. Kirby McMullen and Kris Armstrong also homered in the game. Leftwich got the save in relief of Tommy Mace (5-0, 4.35 ERA). Sunday, Sterlin Thompson’s two-run single to center field in the third inning provided the winning run. Hunter Barco (7-2, 4.76 ERA) got the win with 5-1/3 strong innings. Leftwich gave up only one hit in the last 2-2/3 innings to get his second save in as many days. The Gators will play host to Stetson (23-17) of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tuesday night at the Florida Ballpark. SEC play resumes next weekend when the Gators travel to Lexington to face Kentucky (26-15, 10-11 SEC East). ADAMS’ 3-RUN HOMER KEEPS UF IN THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP HUNT Hannah Adams came through when the Gators (37-8, 16-5 SEC) needed her most Sunday afternoon in Columbia, hitting a 3-run opposite field home run in the top of the seventh to give the 3rd-ranked Gators a 3-2 win over 15th-ranked Missouri. The Gators won two of three over the weekend to take the series from Mizzou, but to stay in the SEC regular season championship hunt they need 7th-ranked Arkansas (37-7, 18-4 SEC) to lose at least one of two games with 14th-ranked LSU (28-16, 10-9 SEC) today and they will have to sweep Texas A&M (31-17, 8-13 SEC next weekend in Gainesville). Sunday, the Gators were held hitless until the sixth inning when Kendyl Lindaman singled to left field. Trailing 2-0 in the top of the seventh, Sarah Longley hit a one-out double and Bailey Goddard was hit by a pitch to set the stage for Adams’ heroics. Katie Chronister (7-2, 1.98 ERA), who gave the Gators 3-1/3 innings of hitless relief, got the win for the Gators, who are idle until the Aggies come to town next weekend. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama: Alabama had 10 players drafted, one of which wasn’t named Dylan Moses. That was somewhat of a surprise. He wasn’t expected to go in the first two or three rounds, but to go completely undrafted? He has signed a free agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bet the farm that he makes the team and contributes. Arkansas: Feleipe Franks went undrafted although he did sign a free agent deal with the Atlanta Falcons. With his arm strength, mobility and the improvement he made in 2020, I thought someone would take a flyer on him in the sixth or seventh rounds. He’s good enough to be on the practice squad for a year or two. After that, he’ll have to show he’s learned enough to get a shot at being on the regular roster. Auburn: Seth Williams’ freefall to the sixth round came as a real surprise. Georgia: I’m not surprised Jamie Newman went undrafted. The reason he opted out of the 2020 season had nothing to do with COVID-19 but everything to do with the fact that he was being outperformed in August practice by Stetson Bennett IV and D’Wan Mathis. Were you as amused as I was listening to Mel Kiper Jr. tout Newman as a potential second or third rounder and one of the true sleepers in the draft? Kentucky: Linebacker Jamin Davis was picked by Washington with the 19th pick in the first round. If you look at the depth charts of last year’s preseason magazines, you won’t find Davis listed as a starter on any one of them. So what gives? Is he just a late bloomer? Better living through chemistry? Did he spend his first three years at Kentucky in the dog house? LSU: Sitting out 2020 didn’t hurt wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase one little bit. He went fifth in the first round to Cincinnati … One of the value picks of the entire draft is linebacker Jabril Cox, taken in the fourth round by Dallas. Mississippi State: Some projected running back Kylin Hill to go in either the fourth or fifth round. He barely made it in the draft at all, taken in the seventh with the 256th overall pick by Green Bay. Missouri: Running back Larry Rountree III wasn’t taken until the sixth round by the Los Angeles Chargers. He dropped that low because no one is sure if he can catch the ball and pass block. Ole Miss: I was a bit surprised that wide receiver Elijah Moore wasn’t taken in the first round. His productivity in 2020 was off the charts good and the track record of Ole Miss receivers in the NFL has been very good. He’s a steal for the Jets as a second rounder. South Carolina: The Cincinnati Bengals signed quarterback Collin Hill as a free agent. I can only think of one word here. Why? Tennessee: Even with his health history I was surprised that O-lineman Trey Smith lasted until the sixth round. I will be very surprised if he isn’t a productive player for several years in Kansas City if he can stay healthy. Texas A&M: Kellen Mond was taken in the third round by the Minnesota Vikings, whose offensive line was one of the worst in the NFL at protecting a QB last year. Obviously, the Vikes like Mond because they might need a feets don’t fail me now QB. Vanderbilt: The Commodores didn’t get shut out in the draft. Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo was taken in the second round by Indianapolis. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: In case there are skeptics for whom 11 national championships (Alabama 6, Florida 2, LSU 2, Auburn 1) since 2006 aren’t convincing enough, the NFL Draft should set the record straight. The SEC broke its own record over the weekend with 65 players selected. All 14 SEC schools had at least one player chosen. Take away the 10 who were drafted from Alabama and the SEC still would have blown the competition away. The Big Ten had 44 and the ACC had 42. The last time another conference had more players drafted than the SEC was 2006.

Kyle and his girlfriend Jade Caraway sealed the new deal with a kiss in Manvel, Texas Saturday night after he was chosen by the Bucs. (Trask Family Photo) It’s a happy ending to the sweet story of Florida‘s ultimate ‘Next Man Up.’ So far. Anybody else would have probably been sweating it out for the first 63 picks, but not the Trask family. Kyle is the King of Chill. After all, he waited six years to become a starter. When I reached out to his dad Friday night before the second round of the NFL Draft, Michael sent me a photo (see below) from Manvel with two words “we’re ready!” Two hours later Kyle had a job with the World Champion Bucs, playing behind the GOAT Tom Brady. Talk about getting your masters from the master! ”This is the best possible scenario,” texted Kyle’s No. 1 Fan, Fire Rescue Captain Bubba Ennis, who first spotted Trask as a 15-year-old in camp. Trask is the fifth-highest drafted Gators quarterback, and the eighth in school history. Several others have been picked in the first round -- including Steve Spurrier at No. 3 overall -- but Trask is the first Florida quarterback to be selected in the second round. “I am just super excited for this opportunity,” Trask said during a zoom call following his selection. “I had some great conversations with a lot of the offensive coaches … they believed in me enough to give me this opportunity and they’re going to get everything I’ve got.” I always root for the best story. This one has chops. I’ve never been a huge fan of the NFL draft, because I contend that it’s hyped up as though it were actually a sports event – and there really is no real final result. Just hypotheticals. At the same time, it is about dreams coming true, both for athletes and fans. This time around, I’ve been glued go the TV all week, trying to sort out what Urban is doing in Jax and how many of Dan Mullen’s Gators would be picked. Gator fans were hoping for the Triple Crown – Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney and Trask before the second round ended. They got it — and with a team featuring a dropback offense that fits Trask’s skill set. Some people, like Kirk Herbstreit, were predicting Trask might be a first-rounder. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer, as expected, got his man Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick and then followed it up with his Clemson teammate, running back Travis Etienne, with the 25th pick. Pitts was the highest draft pick of any TE ever, and the first SEC player taken at No. 4 as expected to the Falcons. Projections about Toney were all over the place but he held up and the flash from Eight Mile, Ala. went 20th to the Giants. At the end of the first round, Trask was still waiting for his name to be called, but didn’t hear it. Girlfriend Jade, Kyle and Dad Michael waiting for a call. (Trask family photo) Kyle and his family were hunkered down in Manvel, Texas, just South of Houston, at his mom’s home along with his dad, step-mom, brother and maybe a few other relatives or close friends. Maybe they were munching on some of the peanut brittle or fudge that came from the family’s candy business in Rosharon, Texas down the road. And maybe chewing on the candy kept them from chewing on their fingernails. on the other hand, they’re really not nail-biters. As always, the Trask family took the low-key approach. Like the old joke goes about the sinking of the Titanic: If the Trasks had been aboard, one of them would have likely said, “Don’t worry, they’re just stopping for ice.” About the most controversial thing Michael Trask said in my brief conversation this week was, “The reports change every day on social media.” And then he added, calmly: “We all take it in stride. It’s going to work out like it’s supposed to work out. Like Kyle said, ‘The hay’s in the barn.’ It’s up to the teams to pick who they want.” The Bucs wanted Trask; Kyle wanted Tampa Bay. Stories leading up to Kyle’s draft conjectured that the Steelers coveted him and there speculation that he’d be a perfect drop-back QB in the systems of either Tampa Bay or New England. What we forget, however, is how very young Kyle Trask is in quarterback years. “A lot of the quarterbacks have had 40-plus starts,” said the elder Trask, reflecting on the past two years for his son. “You look at Kyle and he’s got, what, 20 or 22? So he’s still a very young quarterback.” Urban and Tim together again? Maybe! (Tim Casey Photo) The Trask story fired up Gator fans. And news that Urban Meyer may consider re-uniting with his Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback up social media like New York City’s Christmas Tree. Tim Tebow in teal and black would be a blockbuster story and dream scenario for Gator fans. “Be still my heart,” they’re crying. According to Kings of Social Media, Tebow “reached out” to Urban and requested a workout, but at a different position. Late Thursday, Jaguars GM Trent Baalke confirmed it: ''He did come in for a workout several weeks ago or whatever that was,'' Baalke said. ''He worked out as a tight end and that’s the position he’ll be playing. Right now, where it stands, we’re going to get through the draft and our whole focus, quite honestly, has been on the draft. We’ll worry about that when the draft is over.” At the same time, we keep an eye cast toward the news out of DUUVALL! When the news broke about Tebow’s workout, I pulled out an old column I wrote back in December where I was wishing for the impossible. The headline: “Maybe it’s a lost cause. But somehow Tim Tebow needs to be a JaGator. Because it’s the right thing to do.” I went on to write: “Once in a while something comes along that clicks because it just makes good sense. It’s gonna be a home run! But why does it feel like people in power are reluctant to step to the plate to take the swing? “I’ve got one: Tim Tebow needs to become part of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Let’s start there and reverse engineer. Batter up! “Just to be clear, this is not a new idea and it has failed several times before. Usually because Tebow, himself, has shot it down. And I get the reason – he was committed to his TV career, baseball and now his wife and family. “Times are different now that baseball is out of the way and his former coach is the new czar of the Jaguars who can pretty much call his own shots. “Before I launch the litany of the reasons why this needs to happen, stop right there! Quit telling me it’s a dead horse and that I should cease beating it. Indeed, it’s a Live Horse! And besides, I don’t believe in cruelty animals.” Tebow to Jacksonville? Three Gators picked in the first 64? Trask to Tampa? Maybe all of this is like one of those Jiminy Cricket songs, “When You Wish Upon A Star.” Sometimes it’s fun to make pro football about dreams and not just cold cash and hardcore business. I can get behind that kind of storyline for the NFL Draft. Cue up Jiminy!

“It’s the economy stupid!” – James Carville James Carville, the political consultant and rabid LSU football fan who loves the Tigers more than he loves the politics, coined that phrase during the 1992 presidential election when Bill Clinton was running against George H.W. Bush. If Carville had been watching the first round of the National Football League Draft Thursday night, he might have said, “It’s the SEC stupid” and he would be right. It is the SEC. It’s been that way for the past 20 years and if we judge by talent alone, it is going to be that way for years to come. Think of the draft as the equivalent of the free posing round at a sanctioned body building contest when the participants strike one pose after another, each one designed to show off bodies where fat departed long ago, replaced by muscles that seem to teeter on the verge of popping out of the outer layer of skin that contains them. Everyone at these contests has a powerful, muscle-laden body but there is only one that truly stands out from the rest. In the world of college football, the one with the most muscles that poses all the others into the corner is the Southeastern Conference. The draft is the annual showcase for the whole world to see just how dominant the Southeastern Conference has become, particularly in football since it is cash cow for all athletics. Football national championships are the clear indicator of a wide gulf that exists between the SEC and everyone else. As if national championships aren’t a clear indicator of superiority – Alabama won the national championship back in January, its sixth since 2009, the SEC’s 12th since 2003 – then the NFL Draft removes all doubt. And it’s not a one-time deal. This is the way it is every single year. Thursday night, a little less than four months removed from Alabama’s epic 52-24 beatdown of Ohio State for the national championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the SEC went into free pose mode and once again outmuscled the competition. It was only the first round – there are six more to go – and 12 SEC players were selected. That’s not a record – 15 SEC players were taken in the first round last year – but it was more than enough to blow the competition away. Six of the SEC players selected came from Alabama, tying the record Miami had held since 2004. Perhaps it is only fitting that the only team that actually had a chance to beat Alabama in 2020 – Florida, which lost to the Crimson Tide, 52-46, in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta – started the SEC run on talent when tight end Kyle Pitts was taken No. 4 by the Atlanta Falcons. Not only was Pitts the first SEC player selected but he became the highest drafted tight end in history. By the time the curtain closed on the first round, the SEC dominated. The scorecard read: SEC 12; ACC 7; Big Ten 6; Pac-12 3; American Athletic Conference 2, Independents 1; Missouri Valley 1. There are six rounds to go and by the time Mr. Irrelevant – the final player chosen in the seventh round – hears his name called Saturday evening, the SEC could be closing in on last year’s all-time record 64 selections. So, how does the SEC dominate on the field and in the NFL Draft every year? To a large degree it begins with recruiting. It’s not unusual for the SEC to have as many as ten of the top 25 recruiting classes. In 2017, the year that provided seven of the 12 SEC first rounders of 2020, Alabama finished with the No. 1 class in the nation. Georgia (3), LSU (7), Auburn (9), Florida (11), Texas A&M (13), Tennessee (17), South Carolina (21) and Mississippi State (24) finished in the top 25. The 2018 recruiting class provided the other five first rounders. Georgia finished No. 1 nationally with Alabama (5), Auburn (12), Florida (14), LSU (15), Texas A&M (17), South Carolina (18) and Tennessee (21). Alabama’s classes tend to land a high number of 5-star recruits but the foundation is always at the 4-star level. But Alabama develops its talent as evidenced by quarterback Mac Jones, who was a 3-star recruit out of Jacksonville Bolles in 2017. Prior to Nick Saban offering Jones after watching him throw, Jones’ best offer was Kentucky. Jones signed in the same class in which Alabama landed Tua Tagovailoa, got his first start when Tua was hurt in 2019 and in 2020 he became a first team All-American. First rounders Jamin Davis (Kentucky), Kadarius Toney (Florida) and Eric Stokes Georgia were all 3-star recruits who were all ranked outside the top 400 players nationally. So, it’s not just about recruiting in the SEC, but player development. Great recruiting only works well when there is good coaching. Talent will take you only so far. Here are the SEC’s 12 first rounders and their ranking as recruits: ALABAMA Jaylen Waddle, WR (No. 6 to Miami): Waddle was a 4-star recruit in 2018 coming out of Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas. He was the No. 39 player overall in 2018, the No. 5 wide receiver. Patrick Surtain II, CB (No. 9, Denver): Surtain’s dad played in the NFL. Coming out of American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, he was a 5-star recruit in 2018, the No. 6 player overall and the No. 1 corner. Devonta Smith, WR (No. 10, Philadelphia): The 2020 Heisman Trophy winner was a 4-star recruit out of Amite, Louisiana in 2017. He was the No. 62 player overall and the No. 9 wide receiver. Mac Jones, QB (No. 15, New England): Jones was a 3-star recruit out of Jacksonville Bolles in 2017 when he was the No. 398 player overall and the No. 18 quarterback. Alex Leatherwood, OL (No. 17, Las Vegas): Leatherwood was a 5-star recruit out of Booker T. Washington in Pensacola in 2017. He was the No. 4 player overall and the No. 1 offensive tackle. Najee Harris, RB (Pittsburgh): Harris was a 5-star recruit out of Antioch, California, the No. 2 player overall in the 2017 draft class and the No. 1 running back. FLORIDA Kyle Pitts, TE (No. 4, Atlanta): Coming out of high school in suburban Philadelphia in 2018, Pitts was the No. 5 tight end in the country in 2018 and the No. 162 player overall. Kadarius Toney, WR (No. 20, New York Giants): A converted high school quarterback, Toney was a 3-star recruit in 2017, ranked No. 421 overall and the No. 25 athlete. LSU Ja’Marr Chase, WR (No. 5, Cincinnati): Coming out of Archbishop Rummel in Metairie, Louisiana in 2018, Chase was a 4-star recruit, the No. 84 player overall and the No. 15 wide receiver. SOUTH CAROLINA Jaycee Horn, CB (No. 8, Carolina): Horn was a 4-star recruit out of Alpharetta, Georgia in 2018 where he was the No. 209 player overall in 2018, the No. 22 corner. KENTUCKY Jamin Davis, LB (No. 19, Washington): Davis was a 3-star recruit out of Long County in Loganton, Georgia in 2017. He was the No. 918 player overall in 2017 and the No. 60 linebacker. GEORGIA Eric Stokes, CB (No. 29, Green Bay): Stokes was a 3-star recruit out of Covington, Georgia, the No. 668 player in the country in 2017 and the No. 63 corner. Recruiting is a large part of the SEC dominance equation but recruiting has its roots in other contributing factors. Take coaching for instance. No league is as committed to the best coaches as the SEC and the proof is in the money. In 2020, six of the top 11 salaries belonged to SEC coaches and nine of the top 25. Nick Saban ($9.1 million) and Coach O ($8.7 million) ranked 1-2, followed by Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M, $7.5 million, No. 5), Gus Malzahn (Auburn, since fired; $6.9 million, No. 6); Kirby Smart (Georgia, No. 7), Dan Mullen (Florida, No. 11), Mike Leach (Mississippi State) and Mark Stoops (Kentucky) tied at No. 18) and Will Muschamp (South Carolina, since fired, $4.4 million, No. 25). The SEC pays coaches more than any other league, but more is also demanded of SEC coaches. With the big salaries comes a quick hook. It’s either win or be gone. One small caveat to the big salaries is fired coaches get big enough buyouts that they only have to coach again if their heart is truly in it. Gus Malzahn was fired at Auburn. He landed a job almost immediately at UCF where he will be paid $2.3 million that won’t offset against the $21 million Auburn had to pay him when fired. South Carolina is paying Will Muschamp $18 million not to coach there next year. Facilities also make a difference but even facilities can be tied to recruiting. Kids are swayed by what they see in locker rooms, dorms, dining halls, practice facilities and operations centers as much as full stadiums in non-pandemic years. Alabama’s facilities are palatial and those at Texas A&M and Arkansas rank with the best nationally as well. The Manning Center at Ole Miss is classy. South Carolina just opened up a brand new football operations facility that it needed to compete with cross-state rival Clemson, whose facilities rival those at Alabama. Florida has a new football operations center under construction that should open up next year. Nearly every stadium in the league has received an upgrade in recent years. Vanderbilt, whose stadium is by far the worst in the league, has committed $300 million to upgrading the entire athletic plant with a substantial amount dedicated to stadium improvement. There are schools outside the Southeastern Conference that have made the commitment to upgrading their facilities, but on a league-wide basis, there isn’t one out there capable of competing top to bottom with the Southeastern Conference. Facilities are also tied to money. The SEC rakes it in thanks to the SEC Network and with a new contract with ESPN that will pay an additional $20 million a year to every SEC school starting in 2024, facilities will continue to be upgraded and there will be a greater commitment to football. Ten of the nation’s top athletic department budgets are from the Southeastern Conference led by Texas A&M, No. 2 nationally with $212.75 million in revenue. In the top 10 along with the Aggies are Georgia (No. 5 at $174.04 million); Alabama (No. 7 at $164.09 million); Florida (No. 9 at $159.70 million); and LSU (No. 10 at $157.78 million). With the exception of Vanderbilt, a private school that isn’t required to report its finances, all SEC schools are among the top 37 nationally. Finally, there is the matter of leadership and again, the SEC dominates. The perfect example was the 2020 football season. While the Big Ten and Pac-12 were debating whether or not to play, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey came up with a bold plan in which non-conference games were scrapped and all 14 teams in the league were to play a 10-game schedule. Sankey even had a plan for the league’s 14 stadiums in which capacity was limited to 25 percent. Because Sankey put some wiggle room in the scheduling process, the SEC was able to schedule makeup dates for games postponed by COVID-19. In all, 69 of the 70 scheduled SEC football games were played. Sankey’s leadership had a ripple effect as the ACC and Big 12 both scheduled aggressively. Notre Dame joined the ACC even though it was only for one season. The American Athletic, Conference USA and Sun Belt followed the lead of the SEC and most of their schools got in what amounted to a nearly full schedule. The Mountain West and Mid-American followed the lead of the Big Ten and Pac-12. All four of those conferences proved to be big losers. When you add together recruiting, facilities, financial commitment and leadership, and it’s easy to understand how one league can produce so much high level talent. There isn’t a league out there capable of matching the full level of commitment that is found in the Southeastern Conference. So when you hear one SEC player after another announced during the final two days of the NFL Draft, just remember these words: It’s the SEC, stupid!

The Florida Gators Football team continued its streak of having a player selected in every NFL Draft since 1952, while also starting a new era for Gator offensive playmakers taking over the NFL. Tight end Kyle Pitts was selected No. 4 overall to the Atlanta Falcons, a team now led by a former tight ends position coach, Arthur Smith. Wide receiver, running back and all-around weapon Kadarius Toney was selected No. 20 overall to the New York Giants. A release by the Florida Gators athletic department outlines the historic nature of the two picks: Pitts became the highest-drafted tight end in the common draft era. "It means everything to be drafted in the top 10, first round, it's something special,” Pitts said. “And to be the highest ever, that's something that nobody can ever take from me." The 2020 Mackey Award recipient was also the first SEC tight end to be drafted in the top 10, and just the seventh to go in the first round since 1967. Nationally, Pitts became the 14th tight end to be selected in the first 10 picks and the second to go in the top 5. “I been waiting on that call my whole life,” he said. “When I saw my phone ring, my heart dropped. Step one into the right direction. I can’t wait to get to Atlanta and start a new journey.” A unanimous first-team All-American in 2020, Pitts quickly became the best tight end and one of the top pass catchers in the country last year with 43 receptions, 770 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 12 receiving touchdowns in 2020 were the second-highest total by a tight end in Southeastern Conference history. His 770 yards this year ties Kirk Kirkpatrick (1990) for second on Florida’s single-season record list for receiving yards by a tight end. “If I had to bet on a hall of famer from this draft, it would be him,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said. “The most unique tight end prospect I have evaluated in 20 years. Matt Ryan just got the greatest gift of this draft… he knows exactly when to use his hands right at the end of routes to get that separation.” Toney became the first Gators wide receiver to be selected in the first round since Percy Harvin was taken 22nd overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2009, and the highest-drafted since Reidel Anthony was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 16th overall pick in 1996. "He's just a playmaker. The New York Giants needed to add a playmaker on offense,'' ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said on the draft telecast. "It takes several people to take him down." It’s the first time the Gators have had two offensive skill-position players drafted in the top 20 since 1996, when receiver Ike Hilliard was also selected in the first round with seventh overall pick to the Giants. Additionally, it’s the first time since 2016 (Keanu Neal and Vernon Hargreaves III) that multiple Gators were selected in the first round. Pitts and Toney led the Gators in 2020 as the top two playmakers. In addition to Pitts' stats mentioned above, Toney had 984 yards and 10 touchdowns on 70 receptions, as well as 161 yards and a touchdown on 19 rush attempts. Pitts credited Florida head coach Dan Mullen for much of his success to this point, telling local Atlanta media after he was drafted, “I think Coach Mullen did a great job in moving me around, making it easy for me to get mismatched with the guys that can't guard me. It came with a repetition, practice, great game planning. I appreciate, like I said, Coach Mullen for dialing it up, making sure when I do go out into that lineup, I'm winning my matchups and doing my part.” Pitts had both Mullen and former Gator tight end coach and current Howard head coach Larry Scott in attendance with him at the NFL Draft in Cleveland, Ohio. Toney watched with his family in Southern California, where he's been training. Toney elected to return for his senior year, as opposed to going to the NFL last year. But he wanted to come back and fine tune his route running and technique. Pitts elected to play the 2020 season amidst the pandemic, and furthermore to return after a dangerous concussion injury suffered during the Georgia win, despite being a first round lock before the season even began. Both could have done fine sitting out any or all of the season. But both wanted to play and both are now seeing their hard work come to fruition The NFL Draft continues on Friday evening with the second and third rounds at 7pm Eastern. Rounds four through seven will take place on Saturday, beginning at noon Eastern. There are still 10 players from the Gators that could hear their name called. You can read the full Gators draft breakdown here.

What we all know now, Bubba knew long ago. And while Bubba Ennis doesn’t carry the title of “college scout”, “college football analyst” or even “coach”, he does carry the title of “former quarterback”. Ennis, who played quarterback for Buchholz High School in Gainesville, has seen good quarterback play and bad quarterback play within the orange-painted walls of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. And a warm Friday evening in July of 2015 was no different. Ennis had decided to attend Florida’s Friday Night Lights camp, an opportunity for high school recruits to showcase their skillset to the Gators’ coaching staff. At the quarterback station, all eyes were on Jake Allen, the 6-foot-1 signal caller from St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Allen had already committed to Jim McElwain and the Florida Gators. Meanwhile, Ennis’ had his eyes glued to the blonde and, at that time, lanky teenager with the number 351 printed across his chest. “He kinda stole the show that night,” Ennis recalls. “He just had a frame that was kinda Tebow-esque. He was what, 6-foot-2… 6-foot-3, 211 pounds. So he had that nice frame and it just kinda brought back some memories of the Tebow Time.” The high school ball player had made the eastern-bound trip from Manvel, Texas — a town just south of Houston, which just 10,000 people called home. By now, many of us know the history of the lanky teenager out of the Lone Star State. But at the time, many in his home state knew very little about him. Much less those across the country. His name is Kyle Trask. And he rarely saw the field during his high school years, Ennis learned. “The reason he didn’t start was because he had D’Eriq King, who fit the offense better,” Ennis said of Trask’s high school roadblock. “It wasn’t because he was a better quarterback, he just fit that offense better. And being a former quarterback, I kinda understand that a little bit.” Trask was a four-year varsity football player for the Manvel High School Mavericks. He went 4-for-5 in passing as a freshman and 19-for-24 as a sophomore. As an upperclassman, Trask’s contributions grew to the tune of 48-for-68 and 47-for-64 in his junior and senior years. By the time the 3-star recruit left Manvel, he had thrown for over 1,800 yards, issued 17 touchdown passes and wasn’t intercepted once. Meanwhile, King, who now plays for the Miami Hurricanes after his early stint with the Houston Cougars, tallied over 8,700 passing yards at Manvel, notched 126 touchdown passes and tossed 16 interceptions. “I started doing some more research on it,” Ennis said. Years later, Ennis’ memory is a bit blurred, but he believes Trask played every fourth series for the Mavericks. “So when people look at his film, they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s back-up minutes,’,” Ennis said. “But according to his coach, every fourth or fifth series was Kyle’s no matter what the game was, no matter what the score was in the game, he gave that to Kyle because he trusted Kyle and Kyle’s talent.” Back when practices were still open to the public, Ennis would make the short trip to the practice field to catch some of the action. There, he saw a lot of the same promise out of Trask that he saw during Friday Night Lights. “I could see the same thing,” Ennis said. “He was smart, he was confident in where he wanted to go. To move into a new system and to be that confident back there throwing the ball that comfortable, just let me know that he knew what he was looking at. Confidence seems to be the key when talking about Trask. After playing behind a starter for four years in high school, Trask’s action in college was equally as slow rolling. Trask spent three years playing behind Feleipe Franks, once again being overlooked by the town he called home. Considering Florida’s history at the quarterback position, no one was surprised when Franks became the whipping post of criticism during multiple points in his career at Florida. Being the quarterback of the Florida Gators is a job everyone wants… until they have the job and learn the weight it carries. “He’s not seeing the field,” Ennis said of Franks. “A lot of people saw that.” According to Ennis, despite Franks’ incredible ability to throw downfield, he often overlooked the throws over the top in the middle of the field -- an area that Trask thrives in. Franks’ turbulent career at Florida came to an end on September 14, 2019 when he dislocated his ankle at Kentucky’s Kroger Field. And with Florida trailing Kentucky by 11 points, not many were particularly thrilled that the Texan backup quarterback who hadn’t started a football game in years would be relied on. But back in Gainesville, Bubba Ennis was eager to see if everything he saw during the camp five years earlier could translate at the college level with immense pressure applied. The Gators had fallen to the Wildcats for the first time in 31 years the season prior -- a second consecutive loss wouldn’t have served Dan Mullen and the program well. “I hate seeing a player get hurt. Feleipe was a Gator… I always pull for Gators,” Ennis said. “But when Kyle came in, I said this is it. This is the time to show what you got. And I feel like he did that.” This is where confidence comes into the equation. Trailing by 11 points, Trask had to quickly track down his helmet when Franks went down with his gruesome injury. But after that short panic, Trask settled in well. Trask finished the game with 9-for-13 for 126 yards and orchestrated three touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to seal the win. “That right there just shows you the confidence that he has,” Ennis said. “When you’ve got a quarterback who is that confident and understand the system, and his confidence in reading a defense that well, and you say, ‘Hey man, you ready to get in?’ And he says sure… That speaks volumes about where that guy can take you.” Extra emphasis on that last part: where that guy can take you. That’s the million dollar question now for all 32 NFL teams in the country. Where can that guy take you? Bubba Ennis believes he can take you pretty far. “I’m very excited for him,” Ennis said. “I’m excited to see where he goes. I got my feelings on it. I think someone might trade up for him.” But how far up? If Bubba were a general manager, he’d take the former Gators’ quarterback right on the heels of Trevor Lawrence, who went No. 1 overall to Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars. “I feel like these people are seeing who Kyle Trask really is and the ability he has and his confidence” Ennis said. “And a confident quarterback… you can tell when a guy is kinda talking trash and when he’s confident in his abilities. And the way he talks and handles himself, when you ask him about football IQ… It makes you say, ‘Hey, I want you in control.’ “He just exudes that. And I feel like people in the NFL are starting to see that.”

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: THE FALCONS GET THEIR GUY; TONEY TO THE NEW YORK GIANTS For the two days prior to the draft there were reports that the Atlanta Falcons were shopping the fourth pick in the NFL Draft but either the reports were factual or a smokescreen we’ll never know because the Falcons used that fourth pick to get their guy, Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts is the highest drafted tight end in history. In the two weeks prior to the draft, it seemed NFL people were falling out of love with Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney. One mock draft had him falling all the way down to the third round but at least half of them had him going in the second round. Obviously, the New York Giants weren’t paying attention to the keyboard cowboys who do these mock drafts or the so-called reports that Toney had slipped out of the first round. Not only did the Giants take Toney in the first round, but they took him at No. 20, which is about five spots earlier than nearly anyone projected. By adding Pitts to their roster, the Falcons might have the most dangerous passing attack in the National Football League with perennial All-Pro Julio Jones (848 receptions for 12,896 yards, 60 touchdowns) and explosive Calvin Ridley (216 catches for 3,061 yards) 26 TDs on the outside and 4-time Pro Bowl QB Matt Ryan (55,767 passing yards, 347 TDPs). Toney goes to a team that desperately needs playmakers at wide receiver. The Giants threw only 12 touchdown passes and averaged only 6.5 yards per pass attempt and 10.4 per catch last year. Prior to Toney, the last time a Florida wide receiver was selected in the first round was 2009 when Percy Harvin was chosen 22nd by the Minnesota Vikings. WILL TEBOW TRY A FOOTBALL COMEBACK AS A TIGHT END? Reports surfaced Thursday that former Florida QB and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow worked out as a tight end with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Naturally, that caused quite a stir on social media, which, for the most part, hasn’t been kind about Tebow’s post-Florida football career. Tebow is 33 years old and hasn’t played football since the 2012 season in which he completed 6-8 passes for 39 yards and ran for 102 with the New York Jets. He spent the two previous seasons with the Denver Broncos where he completed 173-361 passes (47.9 percent) for 2,383 yards and 17 touchdowns (9 interceptions) while running for 887 yards and 12 more TDs. His NFL career ended because he wasn’t a very accurate passer nor did he do a particularly good job of reading defenses. From 2016-19 he played minor league baseball in the New York Mets organization, rising as high as AAA. His career batting average was .223 with 18 homers and 107 RBI. As great a story Tebow making an NFL comeback as a tight end would be, I believe the game has passed him by. He had a chance to make the switch to tight end in the year after that disastrous season with the Jets but he wanted to play quarterback so his career flamed out. Baseball people who saw him in the minors say he probably could have had a good major league career had he played college baseball. Their consensus was he spent too many years away from the game to be successful. That’s the exact reason why I think football has passed him by. He’s never run pass routes or caught passes in tight coverage nor has he ever lined up with his hand on the ground, expected to block somebody. I agree with former Florida All-America tight end Ben Troupe that tight end isn’t a position you acquire this late in life, particularly when you haven’t played football since the 2013 training camp. I am of the opinion Tebow would have been given a fair shot at making the conversion to tight end years ago, but I don’t think it’s going to happen now. Again, I think it would be a great story if Tebow were to make a comeback this late in life at a position he’s never played before, but the time to convert to tight end was a long, long time ago. THE GATORS HAVE A THREE-FOLD PROBLEM WITH VANDERBILT It might an upset for anyone other than Kumar Rocker or Jack Leiter to be selected in the first two picks of the Major League Baseball Draft in June. Rocker is 9-1 with a 1.55 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 64 innings this year. Leiter leads the nation in strikeouts with 102 in 60-1/3 innings. He’s 7-1 with a 1.49 ERA. Rocker is the Friday night starter for No. 2 Vanderbilt (31-7, 13-5 SEC East) while Leiter goes Saturday night. Those two righthanders are a formidable obstacle for the 9th-ranked Gators (28-12, 11-7 SEC East), who will be trying to make up a couple of games in the standings when the Commodores come to town for a three-game set beginning tonight. As good as Rocker and Leiter are, however, the player who might be keeping Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan up at night isn’t a pitcher. It’s right fielder Enrique Bradfield, who drives opposing pitchers nuts when he gets on base. Bradfield, who is hitting .331, leads the nation in stolen bases with 30 and he’s only been caught twice. He gets big leads and forces pitchers to lose focus throwing over to first to keep him close. Last week Mississippi State’s Logan Tanner, thought to have the best arm and quickest release of any catcher in the college game, posed no problem. Bradfield was 4-4 on the basepaths against the Bulldogs, contributing mightily to Vanderbilt taking the series with two wins. The Gators will need to keep Bradfield off the basepaths because they don’t figure to score many runs against Rocker and Leiter. As a team, the Gators are hitting .285 but they have struck out 325 times in 40 games. Also, going against pitchers like that, the Gators can’t afford to give Vanderbilt extra outs, something that’s been a problem all year. Florida ranks dead last in the SEC in fielding, having committed 45 errors. Florida will be going with Franco Aleman (1-1, 3.50 ERA) tonight with Tommy Mace (4-0, 4.00 ERA) Saturday and Hunter Barco (6-2, 4.50 ERA) Sunday. Gator to watch: Jud Fabian has broken out of his slump in the last seven games, during which he has hit three homers, four doubles and driven in six runs while raising his batting average to .261. Fabian ranks second in the SEC with 14 home runs. CAN THE GATORS KEEP MIZZOU’S BIG BOPPERS IN THE YARD? It’s a critical weekend for Florida softball as the 3rd-ranked Gators (35-7, 14-4 SEC) travel to Missouri (34-10, 12-6 SEC) for a three-game series with the 15th-ranked Tigers. The Gators come into the weekend in second place in the SEC behind league leader Arkansas (38-7, 17-4 SEC). Arkansas finishes up the SEC portion of the schedule this weekend at LSU but the Gators still have a three-game series against Texas A&M in Gainesville. The key for the Gators will be to neutralize Missouri’s powerful offense. The Tigers lead the league in hitting (.337) and rank second in home runs (68). Especially important for Florida will be to keep Missouri’s big boppers Kim Wert and Hatti Moore in the yard. Wert (.336 batting average, 45 RBI) has left the yard 15 times while Moore (.305, 38 RBI) has hit 13 homers. The Gators don’t have the kind of offense to get into a slugfest with Mizzou. Florida is hitting .288 with only 38 homers all year. For Florida to win the series, the Gators have to get solid pitching and defense. The Gators lead the SEC with a 1.49 ERA and they’re the best fielding team in the league with only 21 errors all season. The Gators rank eighth in the country in ERA and fifth in fielding. Florida will go with Elizabeth Hightower (15-4, 1.38 ERA) and Natalie Lugo (13-1, 1.30 ERA) in the three games. Player to watch: Third baseman Charla Echols is hitting .362 while leading the Gators with 11 homers and 44 RBI. The most impressive stat, however, is she has struck out only twice in 116 official at bats. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama: Alabama tied an NFL Draft record with six players taken in the first round – 6. Jaylen Waddle, Miami; 9. Patrick Surtain II, Denver; 10. Devonta Smith, Philadelphia; 15. Mac Jones, New England; 17. Alex Leatherwood, Las Vegas; 24. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh. Georgia: Corner Eric Stokes was the only Georgia player take in the first round, going 29th to the Green Bay Packers. Kentucky: Linebacker Jamin Davis was taken 19th in the first round of the draft by Washington … Kentucky expects small forward Keon Brooks Jr. (6-7, 205, SO) to announce he will be returning to school for the 2021-22 season. LSU: Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was the only LSU player taken in the first round, going fifth to the Cincinnati Bengals where he will reunite with former LSU QB and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. South Carolina: Corner Jaycee Horn was taken eighth in the first round by the Carolina Panthers. Tennessee: Former Southern Cal defensive lineman Caleb Tremblay has transferred to Tennessee. Texas A&M: Former Aggie small forward Emanuel Miller (6-7, 220, SO) is transferring to TCU. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: It’s always amusing to compare some of the mock drafts with what actually happened in the first round. Mel Kiper, who correctly predicted 26 of the first rounders, only nailed five of them and two of them – quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence to Jacksonville and Zach Wilson to the New York Jets – were mortal locks to go 1-2 for the past month. Todd McShay, ESPN’s other draft guru, fared a little bit better. He also correctly predicted 26 of the 32 first rounders, but he nailed the first seven picks, nine altogether. McShay had the San Francisco 49ers taking quarterback Trey Lance (North Dakota State) at No. 3 with the New England Patriots taking quarterback Mac Jones (Alabama). Kiper had Jones going third to San Francisco and had the Patriots trading up to take Lance at No. 7. Over at CBSSports.com, while nearly every one had 24-26 correct first rounders, not a single mock draft had Kadarius Toney going in the first round. He was taken 20th by the New York Giants. Some of the more interesting first rounders in the CBS mock drafts were DE Azeez Ojulari and CB Tyson Campbell (both from Georgia), EDGE Carlos Basham (Wake Forest), QB Davis Mills (Stanford), OL Dillon Radunz (North Dakota State) and OL Tevin Jenkins (Oklahoma State). By the time we get within a week or so of the draft, there are a number of prospects that are certain to go in the first round. Picking where they’re going to go requires a bit more skill and better connections.

The 2021 NFL Draft is set to kick off tonight with former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer on the clock with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Everyone knows that team will be taking Trevor Lawrence. The New York Jets will grab BYU quarterback Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall. So the draft really begins at pick number three and it's pick four with the Atlanta Falcons, that Gator fans should be on alert. Here is the full order of the entire seven round draft. In total, the Gators have 12 guys looking to hear their names called and lives changed this weekend. Here is a breakdown of them all and where they could likely see themselves drafted. Kyle Pitts Tight End Arguably the star of the NFL Draft and the most sure thing next to Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Pitts has become a media darling as he prepares to take the league by storm. He did much the same in Gainesville. After being used sparingly as a freshman (and at receiver that year) he began to flash his potential as a sophomore. Then as a junior, Pitts set then reset then broke and set again nearly every tight end record the Florida Gators had ever written down in a book. Now he has a chance to set another record, as the highest drafted tight end in program history. If it wasn’t such a strong quarterback class, Pitts could arguably go in the Top 3. Since the passer is the most important position in the game though, Pitts will likely slide some as teams take a run on QB’s. The first three teams picking are all taking quarterbacks. If the Atlanta Falcons do the same at No. 4 overall, it’s likely Pitts slips to the Miami Dolphins at six (the Bengals need an offensive lineman) or even to the Carolina Panthers at eight. But don’t expect him to make it out of the Top 10. He’s a future All-Pro and every team wants him. Kadarius Toney Wide Receiver Toney is a testament to making the right business decision. He could have left after the 2019 season, with the exodus of senior receivers, and relied purely on his natural talent during workouts to get him drafted. Hindsight shows that would’ve been difficult to do in a visual draft offseason like 2020. Furthermore, Toney returned and lit up the Gators offense. He combined all of his God-given, dear God did he just do that, skill with polished technique and improved route running to become a first round steal. Most mock drafts have Toney going in the mid-first round, somewhere in the late teens like say to the Washington Football Team at No. 19 overall. He could fall into Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars lap at No. 25 but that team is in desperate need of a secondary players. If Toney goes toward the bottom of the first round, we could see the New Orleans Saints grabbing him at No. 28 to replace Alvin Kamara. If he slips into the second round, keep an eye on the San Francisco 49ers at No. 43 overall. Kyle Shanahan loves to get guys who can play in space. Stone Forsythe Offensive Lineman Forsythe evolved from one of the Gators liabilities to a stout protector on the left side of the line. He helped give Kyle Trask ample time to break multiple Gator passing records. Forsythe, like many offensive lineman, really saw his draft status made or broken during the offseason draft evaluations and meetings. It’s hard to stand out as a lineman during games because if your name is being called, you did something wrong. But as scouts went back and watched tape, then saw him perform extremely well as a slimmed down lineman during Florida’s Pro Day, Forsythe began shooting up draft boards. This is one of the best quarterback classes in generations and was an offseason of multiple notable QB trades. That also means there are about to be a ton of teams in the market to protect their huge investments. A solid left side lineman is necessary. As such, don’t be surprised to see Forsythe become a Day Two (second and third round) guy. Kyle Trask Quarterback Kyle Trask bided his time and became the best story in college football last season; a former two-star bench rider who became a Heisman finalist. In the process he broke Danny Wuerffel’s records for touchdowns in a season, threw for over 4,000 plus yards and had the Gators on the precipice of beating Alabama in the SEC Championship. He exhibited excellent pocket awareness and accuracy, completing 69% of his passes. Trask was the perfect QB for the perfect time for the Gators. What’s going to hurt him as team’s get ready to pull the trigger is his immobility. It was a running joke while at Florida, with even Trask himself buying into the ironic nickname, “Traskon”—a play on Lamar Jackson’s name. Trask isn’t mobile and performs better in the pocket which was the perfect pro prospect until about six years ago. Now, as the NFL game evolves to mirror the college game, you have to have a mobile QB or a Tom Brady. That being said, a landing spot like Tampa Bay could be perfect for Trask. To be able to learn under the greatest pocket passer of all time, while knowing he won’t have to play right away could give Trask time to figure out how to translate his game and skill set to the NFL in a way that will work. Shawn Davis Safety The hard hitting safety made a name for himself as a punisher in the open field. When Davis came downhill on a slot receiver, you braced yourself in the stands because you know you’re about to feel the hit yourself. At times, Davis can overexert himself though, focusing so much on making the hard hit that his momentum overrides technique. But his physicality will be necessary in the league and what coaches will like. Davis also set himself apart as a ball hawk. In his last two seasons, he had five interceptions overall. They weren’t by luck either. Davis always had himself in the right position and then fought off receivers for the ball. His tenacity will be what stands out on tape and Davis could see himself going early on Day 3, probably in the 4th round. Marco Wilson Corner Wilson was a star corner his first two seasons, the first freshman to start in the position since Joe Haden. Wilson was handsy and physical and never scared to get in a receiver’s face, whom he could track and mirror perfectly. But it’s no secret the 2020 season was a low point for Wilson. He gave up big plays, especially at Texas A&M, incurred a horrible penalty versus LSU and never looked like himself. But the first two years of Wilson’s tape (he missed most of his junior year with an injury) will save him, as well as his Pro Day. He was blazing in every drill and put up one of the best verticals of all time, jumping over the measuring device. Then he put up 26 reps on the bench press, showing the strength Nick Savage helped him add. Some team will grab him on Day 3, considering it a low risk to see which Marco Wilson they get; freshman or senior? Evan McPherson Kicker Very rarely are kickers drafted, but McPherson could be one of the exceptions. Since joining the Gators in 2018, he’s been nearly automatic. He missed only one field goal as a freshman (the stats say he missed two, but he made that kick versus Kentucky) and missed two as a sophomore. He dropped off some his junior year, going 17-22 on field goals but his range and overall accuracy will make him worth a late pick for the league’s most undependable position. Donovan Stiner S The safety is one of the smartest the Gators have had in their secondary in years. He’s always in the right spot because he knows the playbook backwards and forwards. The issue became his ability to make the play once there. If there’s a team that relies more on soft coverage and playing zone, Stiner could be a great value pick on Day 3. TJ Slaton Defensive Tackle Arguably the most athletic player on the Gators roster the last four years, Slaton can move incredibly well for his massive size. As such, he tested extremely well. His tape wasn’t outstanding, but it’s not a liability either. A team will take him to see what they can find out about the defensive tackle in camp. Trevon Grimes WR Arguably the sleeper of the Gators prospects, Tre Grimes is going to be a steal for some team. Mock drafts knock him for his struggles with separating off of the line and less than crisp route running. But his ability to use his size and strength to get up on 50/50 balls has been evident since the beginning. His 2020 tape shows him “mossing” corners like Patrick Surtain and Tyson Campbell, all guys that are predicted to be first and second round draft choices. He also had to share reps with three straight stacked receiving units, so he doesn’t have a ton of tape. But his tape is solid. Scouts will also smile favorably on the fact he’s spent the three years being coached by Billy Gonzales. His special teams play will also help him come camp time with clubs. Watch for him to go early to mid-Day 3, but then make a 53-man roster and shine. Brett Heggie OL Much like Forsythe, Heggie benefited from Pro Day workouts. He was also bound to impress in virtual meetings, due to his knowledge of offensive line play. The biggest thing working in Heggie’s favor is his diversified resume on the offensive line. He’s played multiple positions and spent the last year at center. His versatility will make him a valuable Day 3 pick for a team who has offensive line holes. Kyree Campbell DT Kyree Campbell isn’t the most physically imposing defensive tackle, but he’s lithe and smart. The best part of Campbell’s resume is what the front seven looked like without him versus when he returned. Campbell may not be a game wrecker but can handle anything coach’s ask him to do on the interior.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: DRAFT PROJECTIONS FOR GATORS The NFL begins its 3-day draft process tonight with a first round that should be the culmination of a lifetime of dreams for Gators Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney. Pitts will hear his name called early on while Toney will have to wait awhile before he hears his first round destination. The other Gators who figure to be selected will learn their new teams Friday and Saturday. Here are my projections for the nine Gators that I believe will be selected over the next three days: Kyle Pitts (6-6, 248): Forget the tight end label. He’s a receiver and the most dynamic playmaker in the draft because he’s a mismatch anywhere you line him up. All the talk has been Atlanta with the fourth pick, but the Falcons have spent the last two days shopping the pick. Do they think they can get a quarterback plus some extra draft picks by trading down? And, will they be able to ignore Justin Fields, who grew up in nearby Kennesaw? I think they either trade down or take Fields. Hello Miami. Best landing spot: Miami at No. 6 Kadarius Toney (5-11, 193): Every team that needs a slot receiver with the shake and bake to turn a 5-yard pass into a 30-yard gain has Toney on the radar. He’s the best make-you-miss guy in the draft. He helped himself in 2020 by proving he had the hands and could run the routes to be an effective downfield receiver. He’s projected to go in the last third of the first round to first 10 picks of the second. I think he is picked last seven picks of the first. Best landing spot: Jacksonville at No. 25 Kyle Trask (6-5, 236): He’s gone from surefire first rounder back in November to possible fourth rounder if you believe some of the mock drafts. There are some very good talent evaluators who say he is no worse than the fifth best quarterback prospect in the draft and a couple of scouts think he could go late in the first. He’s not going to start year one unless there are injuries, so ideally he needs to go to a team that will give him time to learn. I think he goes to a team with an established starter who is 30-plus years old. I’m convinced he’s going in the second round. Best landing spots: Pittsburgh at No. 55 or New Orleans at No. 60. Stone Forsythe (6-8, 307): He is 6-8 with a near 7-foot wingspan. That alone will get him drafted. He played left tackle at UF but probably will start at right tackle in the NFL and gradually make the move to the left side. He has to improve as a run blocker but proved the last two years that he’s more than competent as a pass protector. He’s projected as a third or fourth rounder. I believe he goes in the third. Best landing spots: Minnesota at No. 78 or Pittsburgh at No. 87 Marco Wilson (6-0, 191): While Gator fans tend to remember “Shoegate” the NFL scouts focus on a 4.34 time in the 40, a 43-inch vertical, an 11-4 standing broad jump and 26 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press. Those things will trump the discipline and inconsistency issues of 2020. Further, Wilson won’t be drafted as someone who has to play right away. He’ll get to use his speed on special teams and get a few game snaps every week while he learns to play in the league. There are some who project him fifth or sixth round, largely because of “Shoegate” but remember, this is a league that will embrace a former axe murderer if he can help them get to a Super Bowl. The LSU game doesn’t rise to that level. I say fourth round. Best landing spots: San Francisco, Dallas, Washington Trevon Grimes (6-4, 220): Grimes doesn’t have great top end speed nor did he ever develop as the go-to guy in the Florida offense, but three years at UF did prove him to be a precise route-runner who doesn’t drop the ball and a very good downfield blocker. He lined up outside at UF but in the NFL projects more as a slot guy. In the slot he could develop into a very dependable receiver with a long term future in the league. Most projections have Grimes going in the fourth or fifth rounds. I think he goes late fourth to early fifth. Best landing spots: Jacksonville, Washington, Houston Evan McPherson (5-11, 185): Despite some misfires late season, McPherson is still the most accurate kicker in the draft and good enough that he’ll get drafted. It’s rare when a kicker goes higher than the seventh round but McPherson will have a chance to go as high as the fifth. Best landing spots: Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Shawn Davis (5-11, 202): If he were a better tackler, he might go as high as the third round. He’s got good enough ball hawking skills that he’ll get an opportunity and will be selected either in the fifth or sixth round. It’s unlikely he will start immediately in the league but he is good enough to get on the field and learn how to play at the next level. I like him as a mid-to-late 5th-rounder. Best landing spots: Atlanta, Detroit, Green Bay, Dallas Brett Heggie (6-4, 310): Heggie is going to be a late round choice or a priority free agent. It’s rare for an NFL team to carry more than 8-9 offensive linemen on its active roster so the non-starters have to be able to play more than one position. Heggie will be drafted or signed as a utility lineman who can play all three interior positions. Best landing spots: Cincinnati, Denver, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers as a priority free agent. SANKEY WILL ADDRESS INTRA-SEC TRANSFERS While the ACC and other conferences have killed their rules forcing transfers within their conferences to sit out a season ahead of the NCAA’s one-time transfer rule, the SEC has lagged behind. Commissioner Greg Sankey indicated earlier in the week that the league’s presidents and athletic directors will be addressing the issue in the near future. “We have established the expectation for a review," Sankey said. "Right now, my personal feelings don’t matter. It’s up to our membership to make a determination. My personal view is our membership needs to engage in this review and make a decision about how transfers within this conference will be managed moving forward.” It would take a majority vote by the league’s 14 presidents and chancellors to change the rule. It is anticipated that a final vote will be held at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin in May. UF SPRING SPORTS Track and field: The Florida men are ranked 4th in this week’s USTFCCA poll while the Florida women hold down the 10th spot in the women’s poll. Lacrosse: The Gators (14-2) finished up their regular season on a winning note, trouncing Liberty (9-8), 17-2, for their 11th straight win. The Gators, who won the American Athletic Conference championship, are idle until May 6 when they face 4th-seeded Cincinnati in the AAC semifinals at Donald Dizney Stadium. Women’s golf: The Gators are the No. 7 seed in the Stanford Regional of the NCAA Championships May 10-12. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama: Speaking of Mac Jones, David Pollak of ESPN said Tuesday, “His tape is better than Justin Fields. His tape is better than Zach Wilson. His tape is better than Trey Lance. His tape is better than Trevor Lawrence.” Arkansas: Wide receiver Mike Woods is transferring to Oklahoma. Woods caught … Athletic director Hunter Yuracek has been named to the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Board. Auburn: A few days after saying he decommitted from Auburn was because basketball coach Bruce Pearl and staff didn’t keep their promises, 4-star guard Trey Alexander (6-4, 180, Oklahoma City, OK Heritage Hall) took to Twitter to say he has “nothing but love, respect and admiration for the legendary Coach Bruce Pearl, his staff and for Auburn University.” Georgia: Former Georgia quarterback D’Wan Mathis has been named the starting QB at Temple following the spring game. At Georgia last season, Mathis was 12-30 for 89 yards with a TD and three picks. Kentucky: John Justus is leaving Kentucky to join Bobby Hurley’s basketball staff at Arizona State. Kentucky awaits news from Illinois assistant Orlando Antigua if he is going to hook up with John Calipari again. Antigua is on vacation in Dominican Republic at the moment ... The Wildcats are working hard to land former Georgia point guard Sahvir Wheeler (5-10, 170, JR) and former Iowa shooting guard CJ Fredrick (6-3, 195, SO). LSU: LSU has dropped its mask mandate and will go to full capacity for all outdoor sports ... The contract for new women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey is worth $22.5 million prior to incentives. LSU is also buying out her contract at Baylor. Mississippi State: Basketball coach Ben Howland is pumped about a roster enhanced by transfers Garrison Brooks (from North Carolina) and DJ Jeffries (from Memphis). At a Tuesday press conference, Howland said, “I will tell you this: Buy your season tickets now. Get on board now. We are going to be good and this is going to be fun. The Hump is going to rock … I think we have a great chance to be a tournament team this year.” Ole Miss: Offensive line coach Randy Clements has been fired, which is a surprise considering Ole Miss led the SEC in rushing in 2020 ... Jakwaize Walker, who was the leading rusher in the Grove Bowl back on Saturday, is no longer listed on the Ole Miss roster. South Carolina: Former South Carolina corner Jaycee Horn is a high first rounder in nearly everyone’s mock drafts, but former Texas quarterback Chris Simms of Pro Football Focus raised eyebrows Tuesday when he wrote “…But he’s a walking PI (pass interference) call and lacks top end speed. I know what his 40 time was, but film doesn’t match it.” Tennessee: Linebacker Quavaris Crouch has transferred to Michigan State. Crouch, a former 4-star prospect, ranked third on the team with 57 tackles in 2020 … Basketball coach Rick Barnes noted in a Wednesday press conference that the Vols have two open scholarships that they intend to fill. Texas A&M: Defensive coordinator Mike Elko withdrew his name from consideration for the Kansas HBC job. (Translation: He knew he wasn’t going to get the job so he pulled out to avoid having his name mentioned as one of the guys who tried but failed to convince the KU people he was worthy) … It’s been a busy week in the Aggieland transfer portal. From football – veteran wide receiver Camron Buckey and safety Derrick Turner are transferring out as is early enrollee wide receiver Shadrach Burns. In basketball – Jonathan Aku (6-10, 263, SO) is transferring to Stephen F. Austin and LaDamien Bradford (6-4, 223, FR) is transferring to Louisiana Tech. Henry Coleman III (6-7, 220, FR) is transferring in from Duke. Vanderbilt: When Vandy comes to Gainesville for its critical baseball series with UF this weekend, its Friday and Saturday starters will be Kumar Rocker (9-1, 1.55 ERA, 89 strikeouts in 64 innings) and Jack Leiter (7-1, 1.49 ERA, 102 strikeouts in 60-1/3 innings). They rank 1-2 in the SEC in ERA and strikeouts. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: I shake my head and wonder when athletes and coaches are going to figure out that what they post on social media has a really good chance of coming back to bite them on the butt if it’s the slightest bit controversial. Former Chattanooga football assistant Chris Malone is suing the school for violating his first amendment rights after he was fired following a tweet he posted about Georgia’s Senate runoff elections back in January. There is every good chance Malone will win the lawsuit, but he can kiss his coaching career good-bye. We live in a society where every post on Twitter and Facebook is going to be scrutinized, even for folks who aren’t athletes, celebrities or politicians. Rule No. 1 that every athlete and coach needs to follow: If it’s not something positive then stick a sock in it unless you want thousands of people you don’t even know getting in your virtual face.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: IN A SEASON OF WHAT IFS, WHICH ONE WAS THE WORST? “I’ll never forgive Marco Wilson for what he did,” a friend of mine whose passion for the Gators has been known to cause a full mental eclipse when zeal blocks out reality. He was speaking, of course, of what some Gator fans have dubbed “Shoe-Gate” when Marco found himself in possession of Kole Taylor’s shoe after he had tackled Taylor six yards short of a first down on third down with less than two minutes remaining, Florida and LSU tied at 34-34. Instead of punting, LSU got a first down and wound up kicking a 57-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the game. Florida’s Evan McPherson had a chance to send the game into overtime but his 51-yard field goal as time expired hooked inches beyond the goal post. Florida lost, 37-34. “That bonehead Marco cost us the game,” my friend said, forgetting that in the first quarter on fourth and goal inches away the Gators were stuffed because the O-line failed or that Kyle Trask threw an interception that cost the Gators six points in the second quarter and a Trask fumble because the O-line didn’t do its job (again) with 23 seconds left in the half gave LSU a field goal and a 24-17 lead as time expired. I mentioned those three plays and then asked my friend even if Marco doesn’t throw the shoe do the Gators still have to play Alabama in the SEC Championship Game the next week? And against Alabama what if Marlon Dunlap doesn’t jump offside in the first quarter to extend an Alabama drive that resulted in a TD? And in the second quarter what if Kyree Campbell doesn’t ease up on the way to the sideline, causing a substitution penalty that erases an incomplete pass on third-and-eight? On the next play Bama gets the first down then goes on to finish the drive for a TD that makes the score 28-10. Florida ended up losing 52-46. Of course, there is the Malik Davis fumble at midfield in the Texas A&M game with 3:40 left. The score was tied 38-38 and the Gators were driving. The Aggies got the ball and drove for the game-winning field goal with 3:40 left. And what about the Cotton Bowl? What if Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes and Brad Stewart had played? My friend had no answers and blamed me for injecting logic into the argument he was trying to make. What Marco Wilson did contributed to a loss but is it unforgivable? Were there other mistakes in the game every bit as costly? Were there mistakes in the LSU and Alabama games that could have changed the outcome? Would having a full roster have made a difference against Oklahoma? We can play what if until the cows come home. Tell me which what if was the worst. Somebody please. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC: POST SPRING QB EDITION Alabama: Bryce Young (6-0, 195, FR) will be the starter. As Mac Jones’ backup last year he was 13-22 for 156 yards and a TD. The backup after the spring was Paul Tyson (6-5, 228, FR). Arkansas: K.J. Jefferson (6-3, 236, FR) was outstanding in the only game he started last year, throwing for 274 yards and three TDs (no INTs) while running for 32 yards and another TD in a 50-48 loss to Missouri. The backup is Malik Hornsby (6-2, 190, FR). Auburn: Bo Nix (6-2, 207, SO) will be starting for the third straight season only this time with a new HBC and a new offense. Will it make him any better? He regressed last year when he threw for 2,415 yards (6.7 per attempt) and 12 TDs with seven picks while running for 388 and seven more. The backup is Bowling Green grad transfer Grant Loy (6-4, 226, GR). FLORIDA: After patiently waiting three years Emory Jones (6-3, 210, SO) finally gets his chance to prove he can be a quality starter in the SEC. Backing up Kyle Trask last year, Jones was 18-32 passing for 221 yards (6.9 per attempt) and two TDs (1 pick) with 217 rushing yards (6.78 per carry) and two TDs. Jones has thrown for 599 yards and seven TDs (1 pick) with 514 rushing yards for six TDs. He will be pushed to the limits by Anthony Richardson (6-4, 235, FR) whose freshman totals were 1-2 for 27 yards passing (1 TD, 1 INT) and 7-61 rushing). Georgia: JT Daniels (6-3, 210, SO) was cleared to play in September but wasn’t called upon to start a game until the week after the Florida loss. In four games he threw for 1,231 yards (10.3 per attempt) and 10 touchdowns (2 picks). The backups are Stetson Bennett IV, Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff. Kentucky: Former Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood (6-5, 221, SO) was clearly better in the spring than Beau Allen (6-2, 207, FR), but can either of them beat out Penn State transfer Will Levis (6-3, 222, SO) in the fall? Last year as a backup at Penn State Levis was 33-55 passing for 421 yards (7.7 per attempt) and a TD while running for 260 (3.17 per carry) and three more. Last year Gatewood was 17-35 for 109 yards and an INT while running for 62 (2.48 per carry). Allen was 3-7 passing for 40 yards. LSU: Had Myles Brennan (6-4, 210, JR) stayed healthy last year this wouldn’t be a debate, but when he went down in the third game it opened the door for TJ Finley (6-6, 242, FR) and Max Johnson (6-5, 219, FR) to show just how capable they are. Brennan threw for 1,112 yards (8.2 per attempt) and 11 TDs before he went down with a season-ending injury. Finley threw for 941 yards (6.7 per attempt) and five touchdowns (5 picks also) in four starts. Johnson won both his starts and threw for 1,069 yards (7.1 per attempt) and eight TDs (1 pick). At the end of the spring it appeared a two-man race between Brennan and Johnson. Mississippi State: Will Rogers (6-2, 205, FR) is the incumbent QB but he got a serious challenge in the spring from Southern Miss transfer Jack Abraham (6-0, 209, SR). Last year Rogers threw for 1,976 yards (5.7 per attempt) and 11 touchdowns (7 picks). Abraham threw for 1,224 yards (8.2 per attempt) and seven TDPs at Southern Miss. Missouri: Connor Bazelak (6-3, 220, FR) emerged from the spring looking like he has a better command of the offense. Last year he threw for 2,366 yards (7.3 per attempt) and seven TDs (six picks). Brady Cook (6-4, 220, FR) is the backup. Ole Miss: Matt Corral’s stats would have been more staggering if not for 11 picks combined in the games with Arkansas and LSU. As it was Corral (6-1, 205, SO) threw for 3,337 yards (10.2 per attempt) and 29 touchdowns (14 picks) while running for 506 yards. The backup will be Rhys Plumlee (6-0, 200, SO) if he doesn’t change positions. Otherwise it will be Kinkead Dent (6-5, 205, FR). South Carolina: Luke Doty (6-1, 210, FR) got three starts after offensive coordinator Mike Bobo finally figured out that Colin Hill was incompetent. Doty threw for 405 yards (5.7 per attempt) and two touchdowns (3 picks). He’s the starter after spring ball with early enrollee freshman Colten Gauthier (6-3, 210, FR) and D1AA transfer Jason Brown (6-3, 235, SR) very much in the mix. Tennessee: Here you were thinking the situation at UT couldn’t be any worse than it was last year when Jeremy Pruitt spent an entire season trying to make up his mind who was his QB. New coach Josh Heupel doesn’t have Jarrett Guarantano to kick around anymore but he has two returning QBs (Harrison Bailey and Brian Maurer) with starting experience and two transfers (Hendon Hooker from VaTech and Joe Milton from Michigan) who were starters at their previous whistlestop. Bailey (6-5, 225, FR) threw for 578 yards and four TDs last year while Maurer (6-3, 195, SO) heaved it for nine (count’em). Hooker (6-4, 220, JR) threw for 1,339 yards and nine TDs last year while running for 620 and nine more. Milton (6-5, 243, JR) threw for 1,077 and four touchdowns at Michigan. Texas A&M: Haynes King (6-3, 200, FR) had a rotten spring game but he looks to be the starter in the fall. Last year he completed 2-4 passes for 59 yards, one TD (1 pick) and 43 rushing yards. The backup is Zach Calzada (6-3, 209, SO), who didn’t throw a pass last year but was 12-24 for 133 yards and two TDs (1 pick) in 2019. Vanderbilt: Ken Seals (6-3, 218, FR) had a rather good freshman year – 1,928 passing yards (6.7 per attempt), 12 TDPs (10 picks) – especially when you consider how bad Vandy was. The backup is former juco transfer Jeremy Moussa (6-3, 219, SR), who didn’t throw a pass last year. THE BEST QUARTERBACKS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2021 These are the 10 best returning starting QBs in the country for 2021. Please note none of them are named JT Daniels. For all his hype, Daniels isn’t as good as these guys or at least hasn’t proven it yet. Sam Howell, North Carolina (6-2, 225, SO): Howell has passed for 7,227 yards and 68 touchdowns (14 picks) in two seasons. He has also run for five touchdowns. Last season, Howell threw for 3,641 yards (8.6 per attempt) and 30 touchdowns. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma (6-1, 205, FR): Rattler finished the 2020 season strong enough that he’ll be in every early Heisman discussion. He threw for 3,031 yards (9.6 per attempt) and 28 touchdowns (7 INTs) while running for six more TDs. D’Eriq King, Miami (5-11, 202, SR): It only seems like he’s been around since the Reagan administration. King comes back for a sixth year of eligibility and his second year at UM where he threw for 2,686 yards (8.2 per attempt) and 23 TDPs (5 picks) while running for 538 and four more. The career numbers are 7,611 passing yards for 73 touchdowns with 1,959 rushing yards for 32 TDs. Matt Corral, Ole Miss (6-1, 205, SO): Running Lane Kiffin’s offense without the benefit of a spring, Corral threw for 3,337 yards (10.2 per attempt) and 29 touchdowns (14 picks) while running for 506 yards and four more TDs in 2020. His career numbers are 4,945 passing yards for 37 TDs (18 INTs) and 724 rushing yards for seven TDs. Brock Purdy, Iowa State (6-1, 212, JR): Since he became Iowa State’s QB three years ago the Cyclones are relevant. They should be a top 10 team this year. Purdy has thrown for 8,982 yards and 62 touchdowns (25 INTs) in three years while running for 939 yards and 18 TDs. A year ago he threw for 2,750 yards and 19 TDs while running for 382 and five. Kedon Slovis, Southern Cal (6-2, 200, SO): This former 2-star recruit is why former 5-star recruit JT Daniels transferred to Georgia. In what amounts to a season and a half (only six Pac-12 games last year), Slovis has thrown for 5,423 yards and 47 touchdowns (16 picks). He threw for 1,921 yards (7.3 per attempt) and 17 TDs (7 picks) last year. Dillon Gabriel, UCF (6-0, 186, SO): In two seasons, Gabriel has thrown for 7,223 yards and 61 touchdowns (11 INTs). Maybe nobody in the country throws a deep ball as well. Last year Gabriel threw for 3,570 yards (8.6 per attempt) and 32 TDs (4 picks). Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati (6-4, 215, JR): Ridder has thrown for 6,905 yards and 57 touchdowns (20 INTs) in three years while running for 1,814 yards and 22 TDs. More important, he’s 31-6 as a starting QB. Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina (6-3, 200, FR): In leading Coastal to an 11-1 record McCall threw for 2,488 yards (10 per attempt) and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 569 and seven more TDs. Malik Willis, Liberty (6-1, 215, JR): The former Auburn transfer was 10-1 as a starter last year when he threw for 2,260 yards (8.5 per attempt) and 20 TDs (six picks) and ran for 944 (6.7 per attempt) and 14 more. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, has extended the contract of president Mark Emmert through the 2025 fiscal year. Yes, the same Mark Emmert whose NCAA gave the basketball men in Indianapolis this gigantic weight room and the women in San Antonio the equivalent of about six Shake Weights. The same Mark Emmert whose NCAA forgot to include Arizona in its women’s Final Four hype (What? The college graduates at the NCAA can’t count to four?). The same Mark Emmert whose enforcement division has the FBI wiretap (it was submitted in Federal Court) of Will Wade bragging about buying players and yet can’t issue a Notice of Allegations? Yeah, that Mark Emmert. As Laurence J. Peter, author of “The Peter Principle” once wrote, “In an organization, each person rises to the level of his own incompetence.” He could have been writing about the NCAA and Mark Emmert.