A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: Jon Sumrall struck again Friday when 4-star running back Andrew Beard (5-9, 195, Bogart, GA, Prince Avenue Christian) committed to Florida, choosing the Gators over Clemson, Georgia and Tennessee. The No. 8 running back in the country, Beard is Florida’s 14th commitment overall. Florida is the hottest team in the country on the recruiting trail these days. Jason Higdon, whose 1standtenFlorida site is the best and final word when it comes to Florida recruiting, has 4-star defensive lineman Cain Van Norden (6-7, 270, District Heights, MD Bishop McNamara) and defensive lineman Devarrick Woods (6-3, 294), a Texas State transfer, on his watch list. The Gators’ 2027 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 6 at both 247Sports and On3. SEC SOFTBAL: GATORS FALL TO ALABAMA IN SEMIFINALS Florida was run-ruled by Alabama, 9-1, Friday evening in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Softball Tournament in Lexington. Florida coach Tim Walton rested ace Keagon Rothrock, going with Leah Stevens, Olivia Miller and Katelynn Oxley in the circle. The Gators (48-10) are a top ten ranked team but more importantly, they are No. 4 in RPI. It is likely Florida will get a top eight seed when the NCAA announces its tournament pairings, which means Florida will host a regional and super regional. Four Gators were named first team All-SEC: Rothrock, center fielder Taylor Shumaker, catcher/first baseman Jocelyn Erickson and left fielder Townsen Thomas. Selected to the second team were shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan and right fielder Cassidy McClellan. Second baseman Gabi Comia was named to the All-Defensive team. FLORIDA BASEBALL: GATORS RALLY PAST KENTUCKY, 7-6 The situation looked grim heading into the bottom of the eighth inning Friday night at Condron Family Ballpark. Trailing Kentucky 6-1, the Gators (33-17, 14-11 SEC) rallied for five runs to tie the game at 6-6, then walked off with the win in the ninth when Kyle Jones hit a bases-loaded single. In the eighth, Caden led off with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Karson Bowen. One out later the Gators were down to their last strike when Cade Kurland reached on a third strike wild pitch. That was followed by a Hayden Yost single to right and a walk to Jones. Brendan Lawson then cleared the bases with a double to cut the deficit to 6-5 and advanced to third on an error by the left fielder. A wild pitch sent Lawson home with the tying run. In the bottom of the ninth, Bowen delivered a 1-out double in the right center gap. One out later, Kurland was walked intentionally. Pinch-hitter Jacob Kendall walked to load the bases, bringing Jones to the plate. On an 0-1 pitch, Jones singled to left completing Florida’s near-miracle comeback win. The 21st-ranked Gators face Kentucky today at 4 p.m. with Liam Peterson scheduled to start. Florida is currently in a 3-way tie for sixth in the SEC standings with Alabama and Arkansas. The Gators are a half-game behind Mississippi State and a full game ahead of Ole Miss. PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS Per Ross Dellenger, probably the best in the country at unearthing scoops that pertain to college football, the presidential committees on college sports have come up with a series of ideas to reform not just football, but all collegiate sports. Among the ideas: (1) A new governing body; (2) a salary cap on both coaches and administrators; (3) reigning in NIL by preventing salary cap (for athletes) circumvention; (4) strict transfer guidelines; (5) a Group of Six playoff; (6) pooling TV rights; and (7) regionalizing Olympic sports. There are some good ideas here, the best of which is to come up with a new governing body. The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, is well past its sell-by date and should be put out to pasture. Let the NCAA do what it does well, which is organize and run tournaments, but put commissioners in charge of each sport with common sense rules that apply to their sports. Start with football which needs to be completely out of the governance of the NCAA. Put business people and people who actually know football in charge rather than NCAA bureaucrats and college presidents. To get salary caps, it’s going to take an anti-trust act from Congress. It’s a great idea, but is it possible to get Congress to agree on anything these days and times? Giving the Group of Six their own playoff is a rather good idea. Cinderella stories are nice, but donkeys will probably fly before a team from a non-power conference wins the national championship in football. Let Group of Six teams play a couple of games per year against power conference opponents for the payouts, negotiate with the networks so Group of Six games are readily accessible to the viewing public, and give them a playoff deal that will bring in far more money than going to bowls in places like Shreveport and Mobile. Can it be done? Yes. Will it be done? If you’re skeptical, take a number and stand in line. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Let’s get straight to the point here and not waste anyone’s time. Behind the obvious argument that expanding the College Football Playoff from 12 to 24 teams can potentially bring in more money, there is another driving force. Expansion takes the pressure off college administrators. For the same reason that it is difficult to fire a coach who had a winning season and got his team to a bowl game – even if it means if you lose you have to spend another week in Shreveport – it will be more difficult to fire a coach who got his team into the playoff. Take Alabama, for instance. Alabama got smoked by Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game in Atlanta, the third loss of the season for the Crimson Tide. After the first year of Nick Saban’s glorious tenure, Alabama had only one three-loss season (2010). From 2011-2023, Saban lost only 18 games and won five national championships. Saban’s successor, Kalen DeBoer went 9-4 in 2024 so when Bama was sitting at 10-3 following the Georgia embarrassment, Tide fans were stacking firewood so they could burn DeBoer at the stake, but a funny thing happened on Selection Sunday. Despite three losses, Bama made the College Football Playoff. The Tide beat Oklahoma in a first round game, then got obliterated by eventual national champ Indiana in the second round, making this the second straight year DeBoer had lost four games. Eight losses in two years. Nick only lost eight in his last five seasons combined. But DeBoer made the playoff. Bama fans would have been borderline apoplectic if not for the bailout by the CFP Committee. There is also the case of LSU, which fired Brian Kelly eight games into the 2025 season. After taking a third loss in his last four games, Kelly was forced out by LSU boosters willing to pay buyout money through the nose (in excess of $50 million). LSU was 5-3 at the time and with three SEC losses, completely out of the running for a trip to Atlanta that could have salvaged another non-playoff season for Kelly. Brian Kelly won 29 games the previous three seasons, but he lost 11 despite two years with the best college football quarterback (Jayden Daniels) since the Heisman campaigns of Cam Newton (Auburn, 2010) and Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M, 2012). Kelly didn’t make the playoff, therefore, from LSU administration and fan base perspective, he had to go. Kalen DeBoer was saved by the playoff. Brian Kelly was axed because he didn’t make it. The current 12-team playoff format makes it very difficult for a team with three losses to get in. That Alabama got in while Notre Dame (10-2) and BYU (11-2) remains a contentious issue, one that would have been solved with playoff expansion. Now, expanding from 12 to 16 teams makes more sense than going to 24. Do you really think there are 12 more teams capable of winning the national championship? Are there four? That doesn’t matter a hoot in hell to the AFCA. The way they see it, 12 more teams in the playoff means 12 more coaches off the hot seat. Make the playoff and you stay in the good graces of the administration and boosters who put up the money. That is the bottom line and it is the reality in which we live.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: Is there a hotter brand on the recruiting trail right now than the Florida Gators? In the past month, Jon Sumrall has taken the Gators from never never land in the recruiting rankings to No. 6 at both 247Sports and On3. Of Florida’s 13 commitments, 10 have pledged to Florida since April 8 when 5-star guard Maxwell Hiller announced for the Gators. Sumrall and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein are putting together the foundation for what is potentially the best line the Gators have recruited in years with Hiller, center Peyton Miller and tackle Elijah Hutcheson. Trautwein has the Gators in a good position to land 4-star O-linemen Reed Ramsier (6-4, 290, Orlando, FL The First Academy), Terrance Smith (6-6, 290, Lansdale, PA, Lansdale Catholic) and Jordan Agbanoma (6-3, 315, Loganville, GA Grayson). Kennedee Jackson (6-6, 301, Lithonia, GA) seems to be trending Florida’s way. Tomorrow, 4-star running back Andrew Beard (5-9, 195, Bogart, GA, Prince Avenue Christian) is expected to choose the Gators over Clemson and Georgia. As a junior, Beard ran for 1,260 yards (8.1 per carry) and 12 touchdowns while catching 29 passes for 435 yards and five more scores. Florida has a very realistic chance to flip 5-star defensive tackle Jaylen Brewster (6-3, 300, Cedar Hill, TX), a Texas Tech commitment who is widely considered the No. 1 high school recruit in the country. The Florida brand is very hot right now and if Sumrall and the Gators deliver wins in the fall, the Gators could be absolutely scorching on signing day in December. A top five finish is entirely possible. The Gators haven’t had a recruiting class ranked that high since Will Muschamp did it back-to-back with his 2012 and 2013 classes. The 2027 commitments: OG Maxwell Hiller (6-6, 305, Coatesville, PA): A 5-star recruit, Hiller is considered the No. 1 guard prospect in the country. He chose the Gators over Penn State, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson, Notre Dame, LSU and Miami among others. Chalk this one up for Florida OL coach Phil Trautwein, formerly of Penn State. Younger brother Colton is a 5-star basketball recruit for 2028/ OT Elijah Hutcheson (6-6, 275, Roanoke, VA North Cross School): A 4-star recruit and the No. 7 offensive tackle in the country, Hutcheson had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon and Clemson among others. Another Phil Trautwein win. QB Davin Davidson (6-6, 215, Sarasota, FL Cardinal Mooney): Serious arm talent, Davidson is a 4-star recruit and the No. 9 ranked quarterback for 2027 by On3. As a junior led Cardinal Mooney to the Florida 2A championship while throwing for 23 touchdowns. His extensive offer sheet included Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida State, Duke and Illinois. WR Tramond Collins (6-2, 183, Cottondale, FL): Collins is a serious deep threat who averaged 30 yards a catch and 21.3 per rush. He’s a sprinter on the track team who runs both the 100 and 200. Collins is a 4-star recruit and the No. 8 wide receiver in the country per 247Sports. His offer list included Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee, Miami, Florida State and LSU. C Peyton Miller (6-5, 290, Anna, TX): Considered the No. 8 interior line prospect by 247Sports and the top center in the country, Miller is a 4-star recruit cut in the Jake Slaughter mould. His offer list included Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Clemson, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Florida State, Missouri, Ole Miss and Penn State. CB Aaumaury Fountain (6-3, 182, Warner Robins, GA Northside): Rivals ranks Fountain as the No. 4 corner prospect in the country. He is a former quarterback who shows natural instincts from his days on the offensive side of the football. He had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Clemson. CB Amare Nugent (5-11, 180, Plantation, FL American Heritage): Nugent is a 4-star recruit that 247Sports ranks as the No. 15 corner in the country. His offer list included Miami, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Indiana and Florida State. WR Anthony Jennings (5-11, 160, Fort Lauderdale, FL Dillard): He has gamebreaking speed. Career numbers are 55 catches for 1,389 yards and19 touchdowns. He is a 4-star prospect and the No. 44 wide receiver in the country. He had an extensive offer sheet that included Miami, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Indiana, Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida State and Missouri. TE Jackson Ballinger (6-5, 230, Centerburg, OH): Ballinger is a 4-star recruit and the No. 24 tight end in the country per On3. He chose the Gators over offers from Ole Miss, Indiana, Missouri, Auburn, Washington, Louisville, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. DL Stive-Bentley Keumajou Yondui (6-3, 295, Coral Gables, FL): Moved to Miami from England in 2025, he plays basketball as well as football. He is a 3-star prospect, the No. 37 defensive lineman in the country per 247Sports. Great feet. He had offers from Georgia, Texas, Miami, Auburn, Texas A&M, Louisville and Nebraska. S Kailib Dillard (6-2, 175, Tulsa, OK Jenks): Dillard is a standout on both sides of the ball. As a receiver he caught 71 passes for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior. As a safety he picked off five passes. Florida recruited him as a safety where he will need to put on some muscle but has real ball hawking skills. He’s a 3-star and the No. 44 ranked safety in the country per On3. He chose Florida over Miami, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Penn State. TE Tommy Douglas (6-5, 235, Princeton, NJ The Hun School): A very mobile tight end/H-Back type who averaged 19.4 yards per catch last season. He is a 4-star recruit and the No. 17 tight end in the country per 247Sports. He had offers from Alabama, Southern Cal, Auburn, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Miami. DL De’Voun Kendrick (6-4, 300, Tampa, FL Carrollwood Day): Kendrick projects as a nose tackle who can command a double team in the middle. He uses his wrestling skills to fight off blockers and make plays. He is a 3-star and the No. 80 defensive lineman in the country by On3. His offer sheet included Louisville, Nebraska, Auburn, Kansas State and Georgia Tech. 2026 transfer from JU TE Jaylen Jordon (6-8, 240, SR, from Jacksonville University): He played four years of college basketball at Georgia Southwestern, Flagler and Jacksonville University, but has a year of eligibility since he didn’t play football. He caught the attention of Sumrall when he participated in Florida’s Pro Day as a tight end. He’s trying to follow in the steps of Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham, who played college basketball before playing tight end in the NFL. MEANWHILE, KENTUCKY FLOPS AGAIN IN BASKETBALL RECRUITING While Todd Golden has wrapped up his 2026-27 roster with the international additions of Arturas Butajevas (6-10, 220, from Lithuania) and Domen Petrovic (6-9, 220, from Slovenia), Kentucky continues to strike out. Last week the Wildcats lost the nation’s No. 1 high school recruit (Tyran Stokes) to Kansas and international big man Sayton Keita to North Carolina. A day ago, the Wildcats were beaten to the punch by LSU for Marcio Santos, a 23-year-old Brazilian playing in Israel. As if things aren’t bad on the recruiting front, Malachi Moreno’s draft stock is rising rapidly. The 7-1, 250-pounder will show what he’s got at the NBA combine in Chicago May 10-17. He’s a fringe first rounder whose skills and age (18) are likely to move him up to somewhere in the mid-20s on draft expectations. If Moreno stays in the draft, Kentucky will have lost 10 players off its roster to graduation, the NBA and the transfer portal. Four scholarship players return, there is one freshman incoming, an international big guy and four portal additions, only one of which is a genuine stud. The Wildcats also have a coach (Mark Pope) who has lost 26 games in two seasons with a distinct possibility of double digit losses for a third straight season for 2026-27. Kentucky fans have already taken notice that Billy Donovan is a free agent. They also know that the Orlando Magic have an opening. Apoplexy will hit pandemic proportions in the Big Blue Nation if Billy says yes once the Magic make a formal offer, which is all but assured. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Not to be outdone by the NCAA, which will expand the basketball tournament from 68 to 76 teams, the College Football Playoff will also expand. The question is expand by four to 16 teams or double up to 24? The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has endorsed 24 teams but that is no guarantee that the CFP will go for it, nor is it a guarantee that the networks will agree to it. There is also no guarantee that the Southeastern Conference will go along with the 24-team model. It is well known that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been at odds with Big Ten commish Tony Petiti over expansion plans. Sankey prefers 16 teams while Petiti has been at the forefront of the 24-team model. It isn’t just the number of teams in the playoff that has Sankey digging in his heels. High on Sankey’s list of objections is the elimination of the conference championship games, which is part of the 24-team proposal. The SEC Championship Game in Atlanta is a cash cow for the league. It was the first conference championship game (began in 1992) and it is by far the most watched and most important. But, there is more. Writes Matt Hayes, the national college football writer for the USA Today network, “Want to know why the SEC isn’t moving off a 16-team playoff? Because a 24-team playoff is the first big step to the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences consolidating and sharing media rights. “And that’s just not going to happen. The SEC will blow up college football ― the whole smash ― before sharing its billions and prime television windows on the biggest network in college sports with everyone else.” Here is where Sankey has true leverage. He’s got a media rights deal with ESPN that’s good until the end of the 2033-24 athletic year. Guess who owns the SEC Network and has the rights to the College Football Playoff through 2032? The Big Ten, meanwhile, will be entering the second of its 3-year conglomerate media deal with Fox, CBS, NBC and others. The playoff is going to expand, no doubt about it, but unless a falling moon rock breaks through the atmosphere and hits Sankey on the head causing him to reverse course, the SEC isn’t going to go all in with a 24-team playoff. Sankey holds all the cards here and he’s got a media deal with the most powerful network in all of college sports to back him up.

Things were looking bleak following a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the opener on Friday Following a wire-to-wire run-rule victory over the North Florida Ospreys (26-21) on Tuesday night, the Gator baseball team (32-17, 13-11 SEC) will get a few days off before welcoming the Kentucky Wildcats (29-16, 11-13 SEC) for an important three-game series that begins Friday (6:30 p.m.) at Condron Family Ballpark. After taking out two of three at Oklahoma last weekend, the Kentucky series carries weight as the Gators could lock in as a national seed/regional host if they win their last two SEC series against the Wildcats and LSU. Speaking of that series win at Oklahoma, things were looking bleak following a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the opener on Friday, but the bats came alive Saturday & Sunday, including a historic seven- home run effort from the bats in Sunday’s 13-2 win. The seven long balls were a season high and a program record for an SEC matchup. The last time the Gators hit seven home runs in a game came versus Stetson on 4/23/24. Gators making noise against their best opponents The Gators sit in a tie for sixth in the SEC standings at 13-11 but the most impressive part of their season to date is the nation’s best 14-6 record against ranked opponents. The boys of summer (technically spring in college) have the most Quad 1 wins in the country (15) and have only lost one ranked road series all season, which includes winning all three games versus Florida State (#14), sweeping Arkansas (#17) and taking two of three at Georgia (#5). Beating good teams consistently and winning on the road are two hallmarks of a good baseball team that have the grit and tenacity to win in the postseason. New Faces are Stepping Up Down the Stretch Finding a reliable Sunday starter in college baseball is about as hard as finding bigfoot but for the first time since National Runner-up 2023 team, the Gators seem to have found themselves a third legitimate starting pitcher to toe the rubber. Sophomore Aidan King has comfortably stepped into the Friday night or ace role while Liam Peterson (formerly the Friday night starter) has put in solid work as the Saturday guy. The first few series of the season saw Cooper Walls as the Sunday starter but since conference play has begun, junior right-hander Russell Sandefer (transferred in from UCF in the offseason) has impressed coaches and fans with his bulldog-like mentality. Sandefer went seven innings on Sunday versus Oklahoma, allowing one earned run, one walk and striking out seven. If Sandefer can be continue to improve/develop, a lot of teams will have a hard time beating the Gators in the postseason facing King, Peterson and Sandefer. Following in the footsteps of the program’s all-time home run leader Jac Caglianone, redshirt sophomore Caden McDonald has burst onto the scene with his best Cags impressions. In Saturday’s 10-5 win at Oklahoma, McDonald had four hits (two doubles and two home runs), six runs batted in and threw three scoreless innings (four strikeouts). The Tampa native collected two more hits and a run scored on Sunday. In 37 at-bats for the season, McDonald has an astounding 1.209 OPS combined with four home runs and 13 runs batted in. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan has a knack for finding a sleeper late in the season that becomes a star during the stretch run and McDonald has the look of that guy in 2026. Familiar Foe Back in Town The Gators and Wildcats did not play in 2025 due to the addition of Texas/Oklahoma. The last time these two teams played was in 2024 (in Gainesville) and Kentucky two of three with both of their wins coming in extra innings. The Gators lead the all-time series 151-74-1, including an 80-32 advantage in Gainesville. Despite a middling record, Kentucky is a dangerous team that is fighting to keep their postseason hopes alive and are coming off a series win versus Tennessee. A few names to keep an eye on their roster include center fielder Jayce Tharnish (.360 average, 33 RBIs, 25 stolen bases), second baseman Luke Lawrence (.335 average, 31 RBIs, 15 stolen bases) and first baseman Ethan Hindle (.295 average, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, 13 stolen bases). Based off recent games, Kentucky will most likely throw Ben Cleaver (2 wins, 3.72 ERA, 36 innings, 38 Ks) on Friday night, Jaxon Jelkin (7 wins, 3.77 ERA, 71 innings, 80 Ks) on Saturday and Connor Mattison on Sunday. It has not been announced but the Gators will most likely continue with King (7 wins, 1.73 ERA, 67 innings, 71 Ks) on Friday, Peterson (59 innings, 81 Ks) on Saturday and Sandefer (3.61 ERA, 42 innings and 48 Ks) on Sunday. First pitch for Friday is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. eastern, Saturday is set for 4 p.m. and Sunday at Noon.

(UAA Photo) The Gator softball team enters the post season this Thursday in the SEC Softball Tournament in Lexington, Kentucky. They will play the first game of the day after getting one of the double byes for finishing the regular season in third place with a record of 17-7 in the conference. Their opponent will be the winner of the game on Wednesday between Texas A&M and the winner of the Tuesday game between Auburn and Missouri. The Gators dropped two of three to close out the regular season against Georgia in Athens. Uncharacteristic defensive errors helped pave the way for the Dogs to win the series. Let’s hope that the girls got that out of their system as they head into the new portion of the schedule. This tournament in the Bluegrass state isn’t the one you want to win if you can only win one, but it is an important one in the sense that winning it creates momentum moving into the NCAA regions the next weekend. This is the last year the SEC tournament will be held on a campus as it is moving to a minor league ballpark just outside of Huntsville, Alabama starting next year. The one and done format is tough to really draw fans to because of the uncertainty of arrangements, so it makes sense to have a neutral site. With the SEC office in Birmingham, it is no surprise that the location is also in Alabama. Will it be an advantage to Alabama in the tournament moving forward? Of course it will! Tennessee and Ole Miss will also have some fans within easy driving distance as well. Time will tell if proves to be a hit around the league. The Gators finished the regular season with a 47-9 record. The two losses at Georgia dropped the Gators’ RPI ranking to #5. That should be good enough for a top-8 national seed but a couple of wins in the tournament would be a boost. The Gators finished with a team batting average of .357, 97 home runs, and 434 runs scored. Taylor Shumaker led the team in batting average at .441. Jocelyn Erickson still leads the Home Run contest with 19 and continues to be on the precipice of Gator history as our radio guys continue to point out at each at bat. She also led the team with 69 RBI. Shumaker had 11 more hits than Erickson to lead the team with 82 and scored 79 times as well. The Gator pitching staff continues to center around Keagan Rothrock who finished the regular season at 26-6 with a 2.41 era. Olivia Miller lost her first game of the season on Friday to run her record to 8-1 with a 1.54 era. Rothrock threw 177.1 innings this season. For comparison, Miller is next for the staff with 59 innings. Katelyn Oxley tossed 48 innings in 19 appearances. Unless Ava Brown can make a postseason appearance in the circle after her injury, the Gators must rely on Rothrock and Miller to get the job done. The burden will fall mostly on the right arm of Rothrock to pick up wins and likely saves in games Miller starts. The run to the National Championship begins this Thursday. All the work, all the games, all the off-season training has led to these moments. For a program built for the postseason like Tim Walton’s squad, this is all that matters. Can they survive and advance each step along the way and get a chance to play for the title in the last series of the year. Time will tell.

Florida's newest addition, Domen Petrovic (UAA Photo) What happened with Todd Golden and the Florida Gators Monday should reverberate throughout the Southeastern Conference and all of Division I college basketball. By signing hybrid forward Domen Petrovic (6-9, 220) from Slovenia, a shooter who hit 40.5 percent from three for Sencur Gorenjska Druzba Kranj during the season in Europe, Golden let the rest of the world know he doesn’t have to search high and wide for a point guard to back up Boogie Fland. If there have been questions about the construction of the roster for the 2026-27 season they have been about better shooting and who will back up Boogie. Denzel Aberdeen’s transfer solves some of the point guard issues since he played point off the bench when he was with the Gators during the championship run of 2025 and played point out of necessity at Kentucky last year. But he will be a 5th-year senior this year and while he’s competent at the point for a few minutes, it’s not his full-time position. Then there is Alex Lloyd. The signing of Petrovic gave us a good clue about Lloyd’s development. Golden hinted at it when he held a press conference a couple weeks ago, the day after Tommy Haugh announced he will be returning. Lloyd played mop-up minutes off the bench as a freshman last season where he looked more like a skinny wing than a point. Apparently he’s gotten in the weight room where he needs to add about 15 pounds of muscle and in workouts he’s showing Golden that he is the point guard of the future. So problem solved at the point. Petrovic gives the Gators a hybrid forward who can play the high post, run the baseline or play out on the wing. He averaged 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while playing in Slovenia during the European season. A teammate of Gator Urban Klavjar on Slovenia’s national team at the FIBA under-18 Euro championships in 2022 and under-20 Euros in 2024, Petrovic averaged 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 2022 and 9.7 points and 3.9 rebounds in 2024 playing for the national team. This past season in Slovenia, he built on the 2025 season when he averaged 12.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He shot 56 percent overall from the field, 84 percent from the foul line and nearly doubled his assist total, becoming a hot property for American schools seeking international talent. Because of Klavzar, Florida already had a file on Petrovic and had a foothold on landing him. By signing him, Golden now has the only full roster in the SEC and one of the few full rosters in the nation. No one in the country has as much size, talent and experience as Florida, particularly in the front court where Golden can call on six players, all of whom measure at 6-9 or more. “We are really excited to welcome Domen into our program,” Golden said. “He is a very skilled forward that has great positional size. He has shown incremental improvement every year, and he’s currently playing the best basketball of his young career. He is a high-achiever both on and off the court and will help us continue to raise the bar here at Florida!” There is a slight catch to Florida’s full scholarship limit and it involves Rueben Chinyelu and Aberdeen. Rueben Chinyelu declared for the NBA Draft and has been invited to the mid-May combine in Chicago. ESPN rates Chinyelu the No. 43 prospect for the June draft, which would put him in the second third of picks (11-20) in the second round. Chinyelu has kept open his option to return to Florida and people who know him well say unless he feels assured of a first round selection, he will return to Florida for his senior season. He will have to dominate at the combine while demonstrating a heretofore absent 10-foot jumper to work his way into the first round. Figure he’s back. Aberdeen has already played four years, the first three at Florida and last season at Kentucky. He played in 12 games during mop-up time as a freshman, 36 minutes total with nine coming in the NIT loss to UCF. He has petitioned the NCAA for a waiver that will allow him to play a fifth year. This is where things get slightly sticky. The NCAA Division I board has forwarded a 5-for-5 model that would not grandfather in athletes whose four years of eligibility expired in 2026. The new rule is expected to pass, which would mean Aberdeen has to go through the waiver process to play for the Gators or else take the matter to the courts. If he doesn’t get the waiver, he has a very good chance to win in the courts where the NCAA loses 95 percent of the time. In his favor is the inequality of redshirt rules for football and basketball. In football, a player can participate in four games – 1/3 of the season – and still be eligible. He can play in the bowl game as well and it won’t count. In basketball, participation in even one game can blow the redshirt. Football players have been gaining waivers for an extra year of eligibility because of the redshirt rule. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was denied a waiver, so he went to the local courts in Mississippi and won, first at the local level, then in the appeals and finally at the Mississippi Supreme Court. Chambliss 3, NCAA 0. He will play QB at Ole Miss this year where the Rebels will begin the 2026 season as a top ten team expected to make the College Football Playoff. So, figure Aberdeen is going to be playing for the Gators. Either he gets his waiver or beats the NCAA in court, providing the Gators with an experienced wing who can shoot, defend and won’t have to be schooled on the intricacies of Golden’s offensive and defensive schemes. Florida’s roster is absolutely loaded, which is why the Gators are No. 1 in every credible too early top 25. Even Joe Lunardi, the bracket guru for ESPN, has the Gators on his No. 1 overall seed for the 2027 NCAA Tournament. Here is a look at Florida’s roster: Big guys: Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, SR); Alex Condon (6-11, 236, SR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, SR); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 260, JR); Jones Lay (7-0, 230, FR); Arturas Butajevas (6-10, 220, from Lithuania); Domen Petrovic (6-9, 225, from Slovenia) Perimeter: Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 200, 5th-year transfer from Kentucky); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, SR); AJ Brown (6-5, 210, RJR); Alex Kovatchev (6-5, 195, RJR); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, JR); Isaiah Brown (6-5, 210, JR); CJ Ingram (6-7, 210, SO); Alex Lloyd (6-4, 180, SO)

A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: It is being reported that the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, will enact the 5-for-5 rule effective the 2026-27 season, in all probability prior to Memorial Day weekend. Furthermore, it is being reported that it will affect all sports and none of the seniors from the 2025-26 season who have already played four years, will be grandfathered in. The new rule will set a timeline – the 5-year clock starts ticking on high school graduation day or when the athlete turns 19, whichever comes first. Expect the court dockets to be filled immediately with athletes who want to play another year as well as those who will challenge the timeline. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss will be the poster child for those seeking another year. Denied a waiver by the NCAA, Chambliss took his case to the state courts in Mississippi where he won. By the time the NCAA can appeal this decision and get it before a federal magistrate, the 2026 football season will be under way, so rather than fight on, the NCAA added the Chambliss case to its long list of nuclear winters suffered in court rooms across the country. Trinidad Chambliss began his college football career at Ferris State in Michigan in 2021. He spent four years at Ferris, and spent last year at Ole Miss, where he quarterbacked the Rebels into the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. This will be his sixth year since high school graduation. He will be 24 years old in August. If implemented the new rule, which also eliminates waivers, has a direct effect on Denzel Aberdeen, who is petitioning for a fifth season of eligibility. As a freshman at the University of Florida in 2022, Aberdeen played 40 minutes, nine of which were against UCF in an NIT game. It is in Aberdeen’s favor that the NCAA doesn’t have set guidelines for all sports when it comes to redshirting. For basketball, playing one game eliminates the redshirt, but a football player can play in four games as a freshman and earn a redshirt season. For example, Austin Barber, who was drafted last week by the Cleveland Browns, played in three games as a freshman in 2021. That was a redshirt year. He played another four, the last three as a starter. If the NCAA doesn’t grant Aberdeen’s appeal, then he can certainly take his case to the state courts where he is likely to win based on precedent of others getting waivers and the unequal application of redshirt rules. Whether or not the NCAA grandfathers in seniors, figure Denzel Aberdeen will win in court and will be playing for Todd Golden and the Gators next year. Figure also that the NCAA will be dispatching lawyers to courts across the country where it is likely to do what it always does: Lose! THE RICH KEEP GETTING RICHER The gap between the haves of college sports – the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference – and the have nots continues to grow. Big Ten schools took home $76.1 million per school last year while the SEC schools pulled in $72.4 million. The Atlantic Coast Conference distributed around $45 million, while the Big 12 distributed $40 per school. The dropoff to the Group of Six is significant as Memphis (American) got $11 million from the conference’s media agreements. Significant growth is expected in Big Ten and SEC revenues, which expect to exceed $100 million a year within the next couple of years. Meanwhile, the ACC, Big 12 and bottom feeders in the Group of Six have no way to keep up. In the ACC, Florida State is seeking a private equity deal that can help it deal with its massive $475 million athletic department debt. Duke just signed a deal with Amazon Prime Video to broadcast three basketball games. It is a multi-year deal, but under the ACC media rights agreement with ESPN will Duke have to share the money with the other schools? SMU doesn’t take ACC money. As part of its agreement to join the ACC, SMU oil gozillionaires ponied up big bucks so the school doesn’t need the media money. Does that free SMU to join another conference? Is there another conference that even wants SMU? The Big 12 just signed an equity agreement with Red Bird Capital that will infuse $12.5 million into the league and give each of its 16 member schools access to a $30 million line of credit. The catch to the line of credit is borrowing requires pay back with double digit interest. Cody Campbell, who made billions pumping for West Texas oil, is spending like crazy up and down the Texas Tech athletic program. He bankrolled softball pitcher Nijaree Canady to the tune of $1.05 million. How many Big 12 schools have a booster willing to spend the big bucks to keep up with the Big Ten and SEC Joneses? Making matters worse is the lack of guardrails for the transfer portal and nothing in the way of restrictions on NIL spending, which make the Group of Six schools the equivalent of baseball’s minor leagues. Unless changes are made – and quickly – their sole purpose will be to take high school kids and prepare them for the portal. There are suggestions to go to an NFL model which would essentially pare down Division I to around 80 or so schools with all media money pooled so that there is equal distribution. This would involve leaving the NCAA – not a bad idea when you think about it – and hiring an all-powerful commissioner. It would involve business people taking over college sports rather than college presidents. This is a move that would take time and probably would involve fierce resistance from the academics in charge of schools. Would they be willing to cede power for the money it takes to sustain the athletic program? And what about the Group of Six? Some might be absorbed into the power conferences if they’re lucky, but what about the others? The solution could be to create a new division, give it its own championship and to avoid anti-trust lawsuits, of which there would be many, give them enough television exposure that they could keep the lights on without serious cutbacks. What we have is a problem that threatens the existence of college sports as we know them. While it is great that fans of Big Ten and SEC schools have these gigantic revenue deals, at some point the issues that affect the little guys will have to be addressed. When they start dropping athletic programs, the ripple effect will be a shrinking talent pool for their big brothers and that is a problem that needs to be addressed sooner and not later. A SIGN OF THE TIMES Arkansas was among four NCAA Division I schools to announce it will discontinue its men’s and women’s tennis programs earlier in the week. Fiscally, it doesn’t make a lot of sense because the programs cost Arkansas a fraction more than $2.5 million combined and the school had athletic department revenues in excess of $195 million. Some folks want to claim it’s all because of football and NIL. Correct when it comes to the non-power conference schools, but among the power conferences, which have far more money, the move is fueled by fewer and fewer Americans are into tennis these days. A look at the men’s and women’s tennis rosters at the University of Florida is a good example. Of the ten listed on Florida’s men’s roster, only three are Americans. The other six are from Venezuela, Sweden, England, Australia, Thailand, Spain and Cyprus. On the women’s roster, the only American is India Houghton, a graduate transfer who played at Iowa State and Miami before landing in Gainesville. The other seven are from England (2), Slovakia, Russia, Canada, China and France. Only two of the top ten ranked Division I collegiate men are American, three women. The last time an American man won the US Open tennis title was 2003 when Andy Roddick took the title. An American man hasn’t won Wimbledon since Pete Sampras did it in 1999. On the women’s side, Serena Williams is the last American to win the US Open (2014) and Wimbledon (2016). Former Gator Ben Shelton (6) and Taylor Fritz (7) are the only Americans in the top ten on the men’s pro tour. On the women’s pro tour, CoCo Grauf (3), Jessica Pegula (5) and Amanda Anisimova (6) are the only Americans in the top ten. The sport is in decline in the US and until more Americans excel in tennis, more and more schools are going to choose to expend their resources in other sports. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: No one seems to know who coined the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but someone needs to remind the NCAA, which, in its infinite wisdom is going to expand the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams. Just what we need, an infusion of mediocrity into a tournament that basically rules the sports world during the month of March. Instead of four play-in games involving eight teams on two nights in Dayton, another eight games and 16 teams will be added, perhaps at two other sites. Ya-hoo. The 12 winners of these games will complete the NCAA Tournament field of 64 teams. Supposedly, this will open things up so typical one-bid leagues can get a second team in if their regular season champion gets ambushed in the conference tournament. That happens all the time but how many of those teams are actual threats to win the national championship? And, doesn’t this open the door for more mediocre teams at the power conference level to sneak in? If the tournament had been expanded last season, Auburn, which was 17-16 after the SEC Tournament, would have gotten in. Yes, Auburn won the NIT, but does anyone with a functioning brain believe the Tigers would have been a threat to win it all? Of course, expansion almost surely means the death of the NIT, which has become known as the Nobody’s Interested Tournament. Expanding the NCAA Tournament seriously deletes the pool of so-so teams that get a chance to play on after they take a powder in their conference tournament. The increase in television revenue from adding eight more play-in games won’t be significant so why add more games? The tournament is far from broken and doesn’t need fixing. But, lest we forget, this is the NCAA we are talking about, the same organization that Brian Bosworth once called the “National Communists Against Athletes.” Lots of folks laughed when he wore the T-shirt with that slogan emblazoned on it. Nobody should be laughing now.

(Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Sunday morning: You can’t blame Anthony Richardson for leaving Florida for the NFL after the 2022 season. In his one season as the Gators’ starting quarterback, Richardson oozed potential even though it was a year filled with inconsistency. NFL scouts thought that with some coaching they could bring out the best in Richardson, whose size, speed and arm strength made him the prototype of the future. Indianapolis took him with the fourth pick of the first round. Fast forward to last Friday and those same Indianapolis Colts declined the fifth-year option on Richardson’s rookie contract. In the NFL that’s the equivalent of dead man walking. The Colts have already moved on. They’re on the hook for Richardson’s money and he will be on their training camp roster unless they can unload him to another team. So what went wrong here? The easy thing would be to point fingers at former Florida coach Billy Napier, his predictable offense and underwhelming staff. Those things played a part in this debacle, but the real answer lies in experience. Drafted ahead of Richardson in 2023 were Bryce Young (Alabama, 28 career starts) and CJ Stroud (Ohio State, 25 career starts). Not only did they start but they won. A lot. Young was 28-5 as Alabama’s starter. Stroud was 21-4. Anthony Richardson started 12 games for the Gators, going 6-6. He had a choice to return to Florida to refine his skills but chose the NFL route. You can’t blame him. He got a 4-year deal worth more than $33 million. That’s generational money and there are no guarantees he would have had the same opportunity to earn the same kind of contract had he returned to Florida for another year. Anthony Richardson is in limbo now. He’s on a team that has moved on to another quarterback and while he’s publicly stated he would like to be traded, so far there haven’t been any offers. Is his career salvageable? That we don’t know. What we do know is all the talent in the world can’t trump experience and good coaching. THE SILLY SEASON TAKES ON NEW MEANING We used to call the time between the end of spring football and the start of fall practice the silly season because this was when athletes and police had close encounters of the arresting kind. Florida was famous for it during the Urban Meyer years. Georgia seems to have picked up the slack during Kirby Smart’s tenure, enough so that the Fulmer Cup should be retired and placed prominently in Athens. Well, it’s not just athletes cornering the market on brain dead moments anymore. The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, is making headlines with its soon to be law of the land 5-for-5 rule, which is a vote away from eliminating waivers and grandfathering in 4th-year seniors from 2025. As if we need further proof the NCAA desperately needs real leadership, it plans to expand its cash cow NCAA Tournament to 76 teams. There is good and bad in the 5-for-5, which will also set a timeframe for athletes in every sport that starts on high school graduation day or age 19, whichever comes first. The new rule should also be amended to include one free transfer during the five years and sit out a year for any transfers beyond that. That would go a long way toward cleaning up the out-of-control portal. The 5-for-5 is bad because by not grandfathering in the 4th-year seniors it will open the floodgates for lawsuits. Have you taken a look lately at all the 4th-year seniors who put their names in the basketball transfer portal? Bet the farm that most of them have already lawyered up and ready to bombard the NCAA with lawsuit after lawsuit. The athletes will win this one, too, because there is the precedent of hundreds of waivers in recent years that granted fifth, sixth and even seventh years of eligibility. To avoid the lawsuits, the NCAA will need to amend its rule to grandfather in all athletes who were in school for the 2025-26 athletic year. If not, the NCAA will be dispatching lawyers to every nook and cranny of the country to do battle with local and state court judges. The NCAA should check its records for Trinidad Chambliss to see how that worked out. As if embarrassed that the NCAA is stealing all the headlines, the College Football Playoff is embroiled in a feud over expansion of the playoff from its current 12 teams to the 16 favored by most conferences and the 24 favored by Big Ten commish Tony Petiti. We’re two years into the 12-team model and it’s doing fine although it needs some tweaks since the top four teams get bye weeks and most of them lose when they go to the second round having not played a game for three weeks. Indiana was an exception this year as the No. 1, but No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech weren’t so lucky, losing to lower seeded teams that played the week before. The ideal way to deal with the bye week problem is to eliminate them completely and you do that by expanding to 16 teams. It takes three weeks to get the trash fish out of the pond, leaving only two teams standing for the championship game. Play the first two weeks on campuses, then bowl venues for the semifinals followed by a championship game that is rotated among Atlanta, Dallas, Miami or Tampa, Phoenix and Los Angeles. Although 16 teams does make sense in terms of eliminating bye weeks, it does open the door for teams that truly don’t deserve a chance to play for a national championship. Do we really want a three-or-four loss team to be crowned national champ? Yeah, it happens in basketball, but the national champ has gone through a 40-game marathon that includes three 2-game weekends back-to-back-to-back before they play “One Shining Moment.” One way to do 16 teams would be the champs from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC guaranteed, the four highest ranked teams from Notre Dame and the Group of Six plus eight at-large teams. But, that’s not going to pass muster with the powers that be since we saw what happened to Tulane and James Madison when they got into the playoff last year. Ole Miss hung 41 on Tulane and Oregon 51 on James Madison. The power schools will argue for less access by the Group of Six teams, which means we should get ready for three and four-loss teams in the playoff. A four-loss team in the playoffs? If the College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams, we can expect that to happen. To make a 24-team playoff work, it would start with eight games (16 teams) with eight teams (conference champions?) getting a first round bye. Then there would be eight games in week two, four games in week three, two games in week four and then then championship game. Throw in conference championship games the week after the final regular season game and we might have an 18-game season for the winning team. The 2025 championship game was played on January 19, 2026. Adding more layers to the playoff would further extend the season. One thought that is being pushed around is to eliminate conference championship games. Considering how much money the Southeastern Conference makes on the annual pilgrimage to Atlanta, that idea has a snowball’s chance of passing. The solution is to start the season a week or two earlier in August but that means fall practice would begin in mid-July, the hottest time of the year. What the problems of the NCAA and the College Football Playoff emphasize is the need for real leadership. Both the NCAA and CFP go work on the theory that everything is best decided by a committee. We do not need committees. We need strong leaders to emerge. We need business people in charge and commissioners who know and understand the concept of money and sport in charge. What we don’t need are committees that include clones of Robert Marston, Marshall Criser and Kent Fuchs making decisions. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Having struck out numerous times while attempting to build a championship roster, Mark Pope of Kentucky found himself in Tel Aviv over the weekend trying to lure a 23-year-old Israeli professional to join a roster that analyst Aaron Gershon evaluated last week like this: “Objectively, on paper, Kentucky has a bottom five roster in the SEC right now and it’s about to be May.” Well, it is May and Kentucky, with all its tradition and cash for basketball, is, by UK standards, angling for disaster. Last week, Tyran Stokes, the nation’s number one high school recruit, chose Kansas over Kentucky. Kentucky was in it for Sayon Keita, a 7-footer who plays for Barcelona in the Spanish League. Keita chose North Carolina instead. That 0-for-2 week has not settled well with the Big Blue Nation which is already plotting to excommunicate the Pope next March unless things change in a hurry. Last year spending $22 million on its roster netted 14 losses, proof positive that money doesn’t always buy you love. Despite a willingness to spend freely to lure the best transfers to Lexington, Kentucky has basically struck out. The seven players who departed via the portal have been replaced by Zoom Diallo (Washington), Alex Wilkins (Furman), Justin McBride (James Madison) and Jerone Morton (Washington State). Not exactly household names, and with the exception of Diallo, who is a very good point guard, unlikely to make a dent in the SEC. If Malachi Moreno ups his draft stock significantly at the NBA combine – entirely possible since he’s 7-0, skilled and just 18 years old – it’s entirely possible he won’t return to Kentucky for his sophomore season. If he doesn’t come back, buzzards will be circling the Kentucky basketball complex and the Big Blue Nation will be plotting to excommunicate the Pope with Billy Donovan the targeted replacement.

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One coaches’ clinic blog put it well: Buster’s offense “eliminates the defensive coordinator” because the 40-year-old in the press box can’t dial up the blitz he worked on all week — the 20-year-old kid on the field has to make the call in real time. I’m far from an expert, but let me give you a tip folks, based on my many trips around the Sun as a Gator and the many moons as a paid observer. I’ve covered Florida football long enough to know the difference between a coordinator hire that makes the message boards purr and one that actually makes a difference on Saturday afternoon. This one — Buster Faulkner — has the chance to be the second kind. And no, I’m not going to draw you a chalkboard or talk your ear off about gap schemes and zone reads. Save that for the X’s-and-O’s gearheads on YouTube. This is for the rest of us — Gator fans who just want to know what Saturdays in The Swamp are about to look and feel like. Here’s the short version: it’s going to be more fun. This is a light touch based on gut instincts about what we think we might know: Buster Fuller’s Favorite Things in His Offense 1. A pulling guard who arrives in a bad mood. 2. A fullback with no neck and limited interest in diplomacy. 3. Third-and-2, because football was not invented for poets. 4. A tight end who blocks like somebody insulted his mama. 5. The off-tackle play, because subtlety is for bridge clubs. 6. A quarterback smart enough to hand it off and stay out of the literature. 7. A defense that knows what’s coming and still gets introduced to local real estate. 8. The forward pass, in moderation, like dessert or dental surgery. 9. A five-minute drive that leaves the other sideline looking for legal counsel. 10. Touchdowns that arrive with grass stains, not choreography. Back To This As A Serious Story. About A Coach Who Likes the Ball to Fly. Buster Faulkner grew up in the Atlanta suburbs at a time when Georgia Tech meant Joe Hamilton slinging it all over the yard and a quarterback named Reggie Ball pitching it to a kid named Calvin Johnson. Buster played quarterback himself at Valdosta State, where a young Mike Leach left behind the bones of the Air Raid before he ever made it famous in Lubbock. So when Faulkner says he wants to put the ball in playmakers’ hands and let them run, that’s not a coachspeak soundbite. That’s who he is. Then he spent three years in Athens learning at Todd Monken’s elbow, helping turn Stetson Bennett — Stetson Bennett! The former walk-on, mind you — into a Heisman finalist and a two-time national champion. Make of that what you will about the pending choice for quarterback. That’s the apprenticeship. That’s where a smart Group-of-Five coordinator became one of the highest-paid assistants in the country. Last December, the company FootballScoop folks picked Faulkner as the 2025 Offensive Coordinator of the Year — an award previously won by Lincoln Riley, Lane Kiffin and Mike Shanahan (Independent Florida Alligator). Florida did not hire a project. Florida hired a closer. The Big Word: Explosive Forget the schematic alphabet soup. The number you need to remember is twenty. As in 20-yard plays. Faulkner’s last Georgia Tech offense finished top-15 in the country in explosive runs of 20 yards or more. They were 12th nationally in total offense at 466.3 yards a game — and they did it with Georgia Tech’s groceries, not Florida’s. That’s the part that ought to make Gator fans sit up. The way Faulkner gets there is sneaky simple. He doesn’t have a thousand plays — he has a handful, and he dresses them up a thousand different ways. Shifts. Motions. Bunch sets. Empty backfields. By the time the ball is snapped, the safety’s still pointing, the linebacker’s still hollering, and Florida’s best playmaker is running into a window of grass that wasn’t there two seconds ago. One coaches’ clinic blog put it well: Buster’s offense “eliminates the defensive coordinator” because the 40-year-old in the press box can’t dial up the blitz he worked on all week — the 20-year-old kid on the field has to make the call in real time. That’s the whole game. Make the defense think. Make them communicate. Then hit them where they aren’t. The Quarterback Becomes the Star Again I have missed watching a Florida quarterback be the centerpiece of a football team. Haven’t you? Buster Faulkner’s quarterbacks don’t just throw — they run, they extend, they make plays after the play breaks down. Haynes King at Georgia Tech threw for over 2,000 yards with a 70-percent completion rate and only two interceptions one season (Georgia Tech) — and ran for 11 touchdowns the next. Faulkner himself loves to quote his old boss Monken: “Quarterbacks who can make off-schedule plays are the future” (The Athletic). Off-schedule. That’s a fancy way of saying: When it all goes sideways, the quarterback makes something out of nothing. Tim Tebow used to do that. Rex Grossman did it on his good days. It’s how Florida quarterbacks are supposed to play. Buster’s offense is built for exactly that kid. Less Hero Ball, More Easy Buttons Here’s the part I love. Faulkner doesn’t ask his quarterback to be Superman on every snap. He gives him easy buttons — quick screens, jet sweeps, layups in the flat — that turn into chunk plays because the receiver catches it with a head of steam and grass in front of him. Then, when the defense bites, he rips a double-move over the top for fifty yards. The screens set up the bombs. The runs set up the play action. The motions set up the matchups. Everything ties to everything. Florida’s receivers, who too often last year ran routes nobody bothered to look for, are about to get targeted. With purpose. In space. Junior Micah Mays Jr. already feels the difference — “It’s a lot of dynamic components,” he said this spring, “It’s incredibly explosive, too”. Mays caught two touchdowns in the spring game and went for 122 yards. That wasn’t an accident. That was a coordinator deciding his good players ought to touch the ball. What Saturdays Will Feel Like Faster. That’s the first thing you’ll notice. Faulkner runs tempo. He told his Georgia Tech room last summer, “We move quickly here. We’re not like the NFL where everything operates at a snail’s pace.” The Florida offense will get to the line, look around, send a tight end in motion, send a receiver across the formation, and the ball will be gone before the orange-and-blue student section finishes their first chant. Tougher, too. Don’t let the Air Raid roots fool you. Buster’s run game punches you in the mouth. He’ll line up in two tight ends, two backs, smashmouth as you please, and run counter at you until you tap out — then go four-wide and throw it over your head on the next snap. Brent Key wanted “discipline, physical toughness” at Georgia Tech alongside the fireworks. I believe the last offensive coordinator that the Gators hired from Georgia Tech was named Pepper Rodgers, who brought his “new-fangled (1960) motion offense with him under the Ray Graves regime and coached a quarterback named Steve Spurrier. Jon Sumrall, an old linebacker, is going to want the same thing in Gainesville. Buster gives you both. And here’s the good news — Faulkner’s last Georgia Tech offense gave up the fewest sacks in the ACC three years running. The Translation: the quarterback gets the ball out, the line knows what it’s doing, and you don’t spend half your Saturday watching your guy run for his life. We’ve all watched enough of those movies, haven’t we? A Hire That Just Feels Right Look — I’m not going to sit here and promise you ten wins. We don’t know who’s playing quarterback yet. The portal is still doing its annual rumba. The line has questions. There’s work to do. But I will tell you this: For the first time in a while, Florida has an offensive mind whose résumé matches his mouth. A guy who took the triple-option mausoleum at Georgia Tech and turned it into a top-15 fireworks show in three years. A guy who beat Clemson, beat Duke, beat Syracuse, and got rolled into the top ten with a roster nobody confused with Alabama’s (FootballScoop). Now he’s got Florida’s groceries. Florida’s recruiting base. Florida’s stadium on a Saturday night. I don’t need a chalkboard to tell you what’s coming. I just need you to find your seat early and keep your eye on the football. You’re going to want to see where it goes.

There is no hotter recruiter in the country than Jon Sumrall (Photo by Chris Spears) “It’s not the Xs and Os, it’s the Jimmys and Joes.” – Darrell Royal As the month of April comes to a close, has anyone had a better college football recruiting month than Jon Sumrall? He has yet to coach his first game at Florida, but since he was named head coach to replace Billy Napier back in December he is proving to be the relentless recruiter that has been missing at Florida since the first three years of the Will Muschamp era. With only days to salvage the 2026 recruiting class back in December, Sumrall landed a respectable group that On3.com ranked No. 13. He supplemented the freshmen by mining the NCAA transfer portal for experience and depth at key positions, and in doing so has changed perceptions about the direction in which Florida football is going. Prior to April, Florida’s 2027 class was looking rather grim, but since April 1 Sumrall and his staff have been on a tear, landing seven commitments including 5-star offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller and corner Aamaury Fountain. On3.com currently has the Gators at No. 7 and if Sumrall retains his Midas touch in the months ahead it’s not out of the question for Florida to wind up with its first top five recruiting class since Muschamp did it back-to-back in 2013. Largely regarded as the single most connected of all the recruiting gurus who focus their attention on the Florida Gators, Jason Higdon of 1standTenFlorida.com gave Gator Bait some insight to how and why Sumrall has Florida taking off like a Space X rocket. Here are five questions with Higdon about Florida’s red hot recruiting pace: 1. At its current pace, does Jon Sumrall’s first full recruiting class have the makings of the best Florida recruiting class since Will Muschamp’s 2012 class, which ranked third nationally? At 1standTenFlorida.com, we do all of our own rankings for high school football prospects. Head coach Jon Sumrall and the Florida Gators have taken the recruiting world by storm since arriving in Gainesville. The Gators have 10 verbal commitments: 2 five-stars, 7 four-stars, and 1 three-star. It’s very difficult to predict a top 3 class without knowing the full recruiting boards of all the top programs in America, which will ultimately battle it out for the top class in the country this cycle. FLORIDA COMMIT LIST: Aamaury Fountain 5-Star CB Maxwell Hiller 5-Star OT Amare Nugent 4-Star CB Jackson Ballinger 4-Star TE Tramond Collins 4-Star WR Davin Davidson 4-Star QB Tommy Douglas 3-Star TE Anthony Jennings 4-Star WR De'Voun Kendrick 4-Star DT Peyton Miller 4-Star OG Florida has some major targets still left on the board, including my number one overall player in America, regardless of position, defensive tackle Jalen Brewster. The Gators are sitting in a very favorable position with numerous recruits, which is reflected in our RedZone Predictions: REDZONE WATCH LIST: Kailib Dillard May, 5th Announcement Stive-Bentley Keumajou Youndui, May 6th Announcement Elias PearlAmare Patterson Kamauri Whitfield Kamarion Johnson Frederick Ards I would expect to see this class rank 3-5 if things fall their way down the stretch. 2. What makes Sumrall’s recruiting approach so successful compared to those by McElwain, Mullen, and Napier before him? Coach Sumrall is very relatable, as is the rest of the staff. One of the most impressive things he has done in his short time in Gainesville is the staff he has assembled. Everywhere you look, you will find major SEC experience and play-calling experience from both the OC and the DC. It doesn't matter where you turn, you will find a very relatable coach or support staff member with an extremely high passion for recruiting. This staff, with its blue-collar mentality, approach to recruiting, honesty, integrity, and an organized plan of attack, has been refreshing to watch and, more importantly, to watch them execute the plan to the fullest of their abilities. 3. Florida’s recruiting at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball has been underwhelming for years. Would you discuss the impact Phil Trautwein has had on the offensive line? And things seem to be picking up with the defensive line recruiting. Outside of the strength and conditioning hire, the biggest hire, in my opinion, was the announcement of offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. “In Traut We Trust” has echoed all across The Swamp and rightfully so. He has done an outstanding job in his short time back in Gainesville. Gator Nation can expect 4-5 in the offensive line class on National Signing Day. The Gators will have their choice from some very highly rated players. Offensive Line Prospects to Watch: Maxwell Hiller, Florida verbal Peyton Miller, Florida verbal Elijah Hutcheson Timi Aliu Jordan Agbanoma Terrance Smith Layton Von Brandt Jasper Ngokwere Oluwasemilore OlubobolaIan Walker Junior Saunders Kennedee Jackson Ismael Camara Albert Simien Reis Russell Reed Ramsier Mark Matthews As good a job as Trautwein has done, defensive line coach Gerald Chatman has been equally impressive in the early stages. De'Voun Kendrick, a 4-star defensive tackle who just recently announced his intentions to join the Gator Nation, has the highest upside of anyone in the Southeast, regardless of position. This was a tremendous addition to the class, program, and community. Stive-Bentley Keumajou Youndui will have his announcement ceremony on May 6th, and I predict he will join the class. He is a big-time interior tackle highly coveted by the Gators. Defensive Tackle Prospects to Watch: De'Voun Kendrick, Florida verbal Stive-Bentley Keumajou YounduiTyler Alexander John ArcherJason Johnson Kennedee Jackson Waylon Wooten Maleek Lee Jamar Thompson Brayden Parks Kaiden Robinson-Vickers Mitchell Turner Jalen Brewster, Texas Tech verbal 4. Sumrall is the head coach, but he seems to have brought in outstanding coordinators. Has the change in coordinators on both sides of the ball had a significant impact on recruiting? Are kids seeing Buster Faulkner’s vision for the offense? And does Brad White resonate with the troops? Recruiting is and always will be based on relationships, which will never change. We always see factors impacting recruiting, such as NIL, location, and tradition, but at the top of the list will always be about relationships. Both coaches White and Faulkner have that chip on their shoulder they carry from the weight room, practice field, film room, and the classroom. However, the relationships they have forged over the years with families, recruits, high school coaches, and others are paying off for the Gators and Sumrall. Both of these coaches are on the younger side, full of energy, excitement, and passion. That is the biggest difference from top to bottom with this staff vs. previous staffs, other than the Urban Meyer era. 5. The portal has become so important. Do you foresee a time when recruiting is along the lines of 50-50 – 50 percent high school kids and 50 percent veterans from the portal? Once things start to settle with roster management, the portal numbers will slowly decrease unless you see a mass exodus from the program after the season. This could be caused by numerous factors, but at the top of the list is a head coaching change. Florida and many other programs will use the portal to fill gaps and voids left by players entering the portal, leaving the team in a bad spot at that position. Recruiting rankings by year for each UF coach from 2010-2027 From 1990-2010, the Florida Gators were the winningest program in all of college football (210-57-1). During that time the Gators won three national championships, eight SEC titles and were a constant in the top ten end of the year rankings. Since Urban Meyer retired after the 2010 season, the Gators have gone through four head coaches whose combined record was 118-84. Much of Florida’s inability to win at a championship level can be attributed to recruiting. With the exception of Muschamp, who was a brilliant recruiter, the year-by-year recruiting rankings show why there has been such a decline in winning. Will Muschamp: (10) 2011; (3) 2012; (3) 2013; (8) 2014 Jim McElwain: (28) 2015; (16) 2016; (10) 2017 Dan Mullen: (16) 2018; (11) 2019; (8) 2020; (13) 2021 Billy Napier: (14) 2022; (13) 2023; (10) 2024; (10) 2025 Jon Sumrall: (13) 2026; * (7) 2027 * Class is ongoing

Aortas Butajevas (UAA Photo) Already a master at the art of roster construction, Todd Golden added another strong piece to the 2026-27 puzzle Monday when he signed Lithuanian big man Arturas Butajevas (6-10, 220), who spent the past season playing for Unicas Malaga in Spain where he averaged 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds for the under-22 team. Butajevas is a 19-year-old who has plenty of international experience from playing with the Lithuanian national team both on the European and world stage. At the FIBA under-18 EuroBasket in 2025, he averaged 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds. At the 2024 FIBA under-17 World Cup, he averaged 14.4 points and 11.3 rebounds. At the 2023 FIBA under-16 European championships he averaged 15.6 points and 9.9 rebounds. Adding Butajevas leaves Golden with one scholarship at his disposal, which he can use either on a transfer or another international player. The Gators haven’t been ruled out completely for Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic although that seems less likely. Among the international players who supposedly have had contact with the Gators are Domen Petrovic (6-9, 220, from Slovenia); Sergio DeLarrea (6-6, 180, from Spain); and Noa Kouakoe-Heugue (6-10, 207, from France via the Perth Wildcats in the Australian league). ESPN Too Early Top 25 for 2026-27: 1. FLORIDA; 2. Duke; 3. Michigan; 4. Illinois; 5. UConn; 6. Arkansas; 7. Texas; 8. Alabama; 9. Michigan State; 10. Arizona; 11. Tennessee; 12. Houston; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Southern California; 15. Louisville; 16. Nebraska; 17. Virginia; 18. Iowa State; 19. St. John’s; 20. Missouri; 21. Miami; 22. Purdue; 23. Saint Louis; 24. Gonzaga; 25. Indiana THE FLORIDA ROSTER AS OF APRIL 27 Big guys (6): Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Alex Condon (6-11, 236, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, JR); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 260, SO); Incoming: Jones Lay (7-0, 230); Arturas Butajevas (6-10, 220) Perimeer (8): Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, JR); AJ Brown (6-5, 210, RJR); Alex Kovatchev (6-5, 195, RSO); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, SO); Isaiah Brown (6-5, 210, SO); CJ Ingram (6-7, 210, FR); Alex Lloyd (6-4, 180, FR); From the portal: Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SR, from Kentucky) THE REST OF THE SEC ALABAMA With nine departures and the uncertainty of Aden Holloway’s legal status, Nate Oats has to find shooters for his bombs away offense and some big guys to get rebounds. He’s helped with the big guys. Brandon Garrison (from Kentucky) was a necessity since he rebounds and defends with a very physical presence. Drew Fielder (from Boise State) is a big who can shoot. Oats has four returnees, four from the portal and three freshmen. He has four open scholarships. From the portal (4): Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245, JR, from Kentucky); Jamarion Davis-Fleming (6-10, 240, FR, from Mississippi State); Cole Cloer (6-7, 190, FR, from North Carolina State); Drew Fielder (6-10, 216, JR, from Boise State) Incoming freshmen (3): Tarris Bouie (6-4, 175); Quayden Samuels (6-6, 200); Jaxson Richardson (6-6, 200) ARKANSAS Right now Meleek Thomas is borderline first round. If he slides back to the second round it’s likely he returns. Thomas, Billy Richmond III and four outstanding freshmen give John Calipari a core foundation. He picked up a scorer in Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson and Furman transfer Cooper Bowser gives him rim protection. Malique Ewin could come back for a fifth year when the 5-for-5 rule passes. Among the freshmen are Jordan Smith, the top point guard in 2026 and 5-star bigs JaShawn Andrews and Miika Muurinen. Cal has five scholarships to work with. From the portal (2): Cooper Bowser (6-11, 210, JR, from Furman); Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, SO, from Georgia) Incoming freshmen (4): Jordan Smith Jr. (6-2, 180); JaShawn Andrews (6-4, 195); Abdou Toure (6-6, 200); Miika Murrikan (6-11, 210) AUBURN The key returnees for Steven Pearl were shooters Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford. He has gone strong in the portal for a pair of scorers in Adam Olsen and Thomas Dowd. Bukky Oboye is the rim protector. Pearl has three returnees, two freshmen signees and five from the portal, so he still needs five to fill out his roster. From the portal (5): Bukky Oboye (7-1, 200, RSO, from Santa Clara); Owen Freeman (6-10, 230, JR, from Creighton); Thomas Dowd (6-8, 225, JR, from Troy); Adam Olsen (6-8, 225, FR, from South Alabama); George Kimble III (6-2, 184, SO, from Vanderbilt) Incoming freshmen: Caleb Williams (6-5, 195); Narcisse Ngoy (6-11, 220) GEORGIA The portal has been unkind to Mike White, who lost Somto Cyril and Jeremiah Wilkinson along with four others. Three starters return in Blue Cain, Smurf Millender and Kanon Catchings. Freddie Dilione (from Penn State) is the only notable transfer. There are no incoming freshmen. Four returnees and three from the portal leaves White with eight scholarships to fill. From the portal (3): Freddie Dilione (6-5, 195, JR, from Penn State); Brady Dunlap (6-7, 190, SO, from Saint Louis); Andrew Osasuyi (6-9, 205, FR, from St. Bonaventure) KENTUCKY Will the success of the Louisville Cardinals force a conclave in Lexington where Big Blue Nation will look for three puffs of smoke to indicate if there is a replacement Pope? Mark Pope is in deepest and darkest with four inexperienced returnees, just one freshman and three newbies, two from the portal and one an international. If Malachi Moreno stays in the draft, international signee Ousmane N’Diaye will have to play big minutes immediately. Washington transfer Zoom Diallo is a point and Furman transfer Alex Wilkins can score. There are five open scholarships. Pope needs to use them judiciously or else Kentucky will be seeking a new coach next year. From the portal (2): Zoom Diallo (6-3, 190, SO, from Washington); Alex Wilkins (6-5, 175, FR, from Furman) Qq Incoming freshmen (1): Mason Williams (6-2, 185) International signee (1): Ousmane N’Diaye (6-11, 210, from Senegal) LSU There was a mass exodus when Matt McMahon was fired. It continued after Will Wade was hired. There are ZERO returning players, only one incoming freshman and only one signee from the portal. The situation is grim. Wade needs eight players just so he can have a 5-on-5 scrimmage, 13 to fill out the roster. Going to be a very long year in Baton Rouge. From the portal (1): Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, JR, from Kentucky) Incoming freshmen (1): Kevin Thomas (6-6, 195) MISSISSIPPI STATE Of the four returning players, only Josh Hubbard stands out. All the size graduated or went into the portal. From the portal, the pickings have been slim. Only RJ Johnson averaged double figures (14.4 at Kennesaw State). Chris Jans has five open scholarships and he needs size and at least one complementary scorer to take the heat off Hubbard. Three seniors with size went into the portal so when 5-for-5 is passed, they could return to provide immediate help. From the portal (3): RJ Johnson (6-4, 225, SO, from Kennesaw State); Kendyl Sanders (6-8, 230, FR, from Utah); TJ Simpkins (6-4, 185, JR, from Seton Hall) Incoming freshmen (3): Tristan Reed (6-9, 230); Jalyn Collingwood (6-5, 190); Willie Burnett III (6-4, 175) MISSOURI Dennis Gates lost all his guards and the inside presence of Mark Mitchell, but he has brought in 5-star recruits Jason Crowe Jr. and Toni Bryant to build around. There is plenty of size but still a need for scoring from the portal and Providence transfer Jamier Jones will help fill that void. The three freshmen will have to play. As it stands right now, Gates has 12 on his roster with three open scholarships. From the portal (3): Jaylen Carey (6-8, 245, JR, from Tennessee); Jamier Jones (6-6, 218, FR, from Providence); Bryson Tiller (6-10, 240, SO, from Kansas) Incoming freshmen (3): Jason Crowe Jr. (6-3, 170); Aidan Chronister (6-7, 180); Toni Bryant (6-9, 215) OKLAHOMA Porter Moser’s Sooners got hot at the end of last season, saving his job. Now he has a total rebuild. He has two good returning guards in Xzayvier Brown and Dayton Foster. Pop Isaacs (from Texas A&M) is the best of the three from the portal. Only one freshman was signed. Moser has to find size and toughness with the six scholarships he has to work with. From the portal (3): Khani Rooths (6-8, 205, SO, from Louisville); Tyler Hendricks (6-5, 175, RJR, from Utah Valley); Pop Isaacs (6-2, 170, SR, from Texas A&M) Incoming freshman (1): Gage Mayfield (6-7, 200) OLE MISS This isn’t as bad as LSU, but it’s close. The one returning player (Patton Pinkins) can flat out play. Three of the four portal pickups are solid starting with former Seton Hall point Adam Clark and power guy ND Okafor from Washington State. Chris Beard has nine scholarships to work with and he needs help everywhere. From the portal (5): Roman Siulepa (6-6, 220, FR, from Pittsburgh); Adam Clark (5-10, 155, JR, from Seton Hall); ND Okafor (6-9, 235, RJR, from Washington State); Christian Brown (6-8, 236, FR, from James Madison); Dasear Hawkins (6-8, 200, SO, from St. Joseph’s) Incoming freshman (1): Yohance Connor (6-2, 170) SOUTH CAROLINA A year after a season to forget, Lamont Paris is starting from scratch. He has two returning players, both nondescript, only one incoming freshman and five from the portal from which to build a roster. He got shooters in Kory Mincy and Shake Blakeney plus some size, but nothing to write home about. Another long year is shaping up unless Paris can find seven more from the portal who can play. From the portal (5): Kory Mincy (6-2, 185, JR, from George Mason); Aleksas Bieliauskas (6-10, 235, FR, from Wisconsin); Shane Blakeney (6-5, 175, JR, from Drexel); Camden Heide (6-7, 205, JR, from Texas); Jakub Nekas (6-10, 240, JR, from Duquesne) Incoming freshman (1): Marcus Johnson (6-2, 180) TENNESSEE Graduation, the NBA and the portal wiped out the Vols so Rick Barnes will field a team built around the portal and four outstanding freshmen. He got guards in point Dai Dai Ames and Terrence Hill Jr., rim protection in Miles Rubin and Braden Lue plus a shooter in Tyler Lundblade. Barnes has three remaining scholarships. He has assembled some talent but can they play defense the way he likes? From the portal (6): Tyler Lundblade (6-5, 195, SR, from Belmont); Dai Dai Ames (6-1, 185, JR, from California); Miles Rubin (6-10, 205, JR, from Loyola Chicago); Jalan Haralson (6-7, 220, FR, from Notre Dame); Terrence Hill Jr. (6-3, 180, SO, from VCU); Braeden Lue (6-8, 223, SO, from Kennesaw State) Incoming freshmen (4); Chris Washington Jr. (6-8, 190); Ralph Scott (6-8, 195); Manny Green (6-6, 205); Marquis Clark (6-2, 165) TEXAS Ten players are gone although Chendall Weaver and Jordan Pope could return when 5-for-5 is enacted. Sean Miller returns 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis, which is a strong building block from which he can assemble a good roster. The freshman class of four is very good. From the portal David Punch (from TCU), Isaiah Johnson (from Colorado) and Amari Evans (from Tennessee) should be instant starters. Texas has six open scholarships with a need for a couple of bigs to back of Vokietaitis and a shooter or two. From the portal (5): Isaiah Johnson (6-1, 170, FR, from Colorado); David Punch (6-7, 245, SO, from TCU); Amari Evans (6-5, 220, FR, from Tennessee); Elyjah Freeman (6-8, 185, SO, from Auburn); Mikey Lewis (6-3, 180, SO, from Saint Mary’s) Incoming freshmen (4): Austin Goosby (6-5, 186); Bo Ogden (6-5, 195); Joe Sterling (6-4, 180); Coleman Elkins (6-10, 240) TEXAS A&M Bucky Ball got wiped out by graduation and the portal. Bucky McMillan has nine scholarships available and with the exception of K-State transfer PJ Hagerty, he needs help everywhere. Hagerty is good for 20 a night and he will thrive in the Aggie system. There is a serious need for rebounding that hasn’t been found in the portal. From the portal (5): PJ Hagerty (6-3, 192, JR, from Kansas State); Cade Phillips (6-9, 212, JR, from Tennessee); Jalen Reece (6-0, 185, FR, from LSU); Tyshawn Archie (6-1, 175, JR, from McNeese State); Jalen Shelley (6-8, 190, SO, from Loyola Marymount) Incoming freshman (1): Josh Irving (6-10, 200) VANDERBILT If Tyler Tanner pulls out of the draft and Tyler Nickel, Okereke and PJ Washington get their fifth years, then Mike Byington will have a very good team to work with. Transfer Ace Glass will make up for the loss of Duke Miles and T.O. Barrett will be good on the wing or at the point if Tanner stays in the draft. Transfer Bangot Dak is an inside presence and Auburn transfer Sebastian Williams-Adams should blossom. Right now there are three available scholarships. From the portal (5): Berke Buyunktuncel (6-9, 245, JR, from Nebraska); Ace Glass (6-3, 185, FR, from Washington State); Bangot Dak (6-11, 180, JR, from Colorado); Sebastian Williams-Adams (6-8, 230, FR, from Auburn); T.O. Barrett (6-4, 200, SO, from Missouri) Incoming freshmen (3): Ethan Mgbako (6-6, 215); Anthony Brown (6-1, 160); Jackson Sheffield (6-9, 240)

He’ll *Probably Be Coming Through the Orange And Blue Back Door There is something about Gainesville in the fall that knows how to forgive. The oaks do it first, leaning over University Avenue like old ushers in a church aisle. The brick buildings do it next, warm from the sun and full of memory. Then come the people, the ones in orange and blue, some with long memories, some with short tempers, all of them carrying the same question when Denzel Aberdeen walks back through the door: Can a Gator go to Kentucky and still come home? Apparently, yes. Aberdeen, the 6-foot-5 guard from Orlando, is headed back to Florida after one season at Kentucky, planning to re-enroll in Gainesville and hoping for an NCAA waiver that would let him play one more season for Florjda. He spent three campaigns here, helping the Gators win the 2025 national championship, then going north to Lexington for what everyone thought would be his final year. And now he is back. *Probably. Most likely. Almost certainly, unless he gets choked to death by the red-tape bureaucrats... — This is college basketball in 2026, where loyalty has a transfer portal window, a NIL price tag and sometimes a second chance. Once upon a time, leaving Florida for Kentucky would have sounded like a border crossing to Siberia, with no return ticket. Today it is part business, part basketball, part survival and part young-man decision made inside a game that has changed faster than the people watching it can keep up with. There were hard feelings. Of course there were. You don’t lace ‘em up with the boys in orange and blue, help cut down nets, then put on Kentucky blue without leaving a bruise somewhere in the fan base. Some Gators took it personally. Todd Golden, at least publicly, did not. Golden later said the conversation to bring Aberdeen back was quick: “Hey, do you want to come back?” and Aberdeen answered “yes.” That may be the shortest recruiting pitch in the modern portal era. No steakhouse tour. No brass band. No sales brochure. Just an old coach-player bond, a familiar locker room and the plain truth that sometimes both sides know what they had only after it is gone. Aberdeen grew up last season. That is the part easy to miss if you only see the uniform he wore. At Kentucky, he became a starter, averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds and shot 36.3 percent from 3-point range. That was not a sabbatical. That was an apprenticeship under the brightest, loudest lights in the sport. He left Gainesville as a valuable piece. He returns, if the NCAA gives its blessing, as something closer to a finished product. That waiver is the hinge on which this whole story swings. Aberdeen played only 12 games and 41 total minutes as a freshman at Florida, and he is asking the NCAA to treat that season like a redshirt year. Golden called it a “common-sense situation” and pointed to possible NCAA rule changes that could allow athletes to play five seasons in five years. Common sense and the NCAA have not always shared an office. But if common sense wins this one, Florida’s backcourt gets older, tougher and more dangerous. Aberdeen would likely step into the spot opened by Xaivian Lee’s departure and pair with Boogie Fland, giving Golden a backcourt with scoring, size, experience and late-clock courage. This is not just a roster move. It is a mood change. Florida basketball has been building something under Golden that feels less like a hot streak and more like long-term architecture. The national championship gave the program its third banner and gave every player on that team a permanent place in Gator memory. Aberdeen was part of that. He knows the halls. He knows the language. He knows what Golden wants before Golden finishes the sentence. And now he knows what it feels like to be on the other side. That matters. — When Kentucky came to town, there were boos. There always are when a former son comes home in the wrong colors. But boos are funny things. Sometimes they are anger. Sometimes they are hurt. Sometimes they are just applause turned inside out. Aberdeen heard them. He played through them. He lost to Florida three times while at Kentucky. Somewhere in all of that, maybe he remembered what the building sounded like when the noise was for him instead of against him. — Sports are full of clean little phrases that rarely tell the whole truth. “He transferred.” “He returned.” “He committed.” Those are transaction words. They fit on a graphic. They do not explain the ache of leaving, the pride of proving yourself somewhere else, or the quiet humility it takes to come back. Aberdeen’s return is not a fairy tale. It is messier and more modern than that. NIL was part of the leaving. Opportunity was part of it. Timing was part of it. The transfer portal makes every roster feel like wet cement and coaches have to build while the ground is still moving. But here is the part that still feels old-fashioned: A player wanted to finish where he started. Aberdeen wrote that he was thankful for the opportunity to finish his academic journey “back home at the place where it started,” according to ESPN. Back home. Those two words still carry weight in Gainesville. They always have. Home is not just where they cheer for you. Sometimes home is where they boo you first, then talk themselves into forgiving you by November. Home is where the security guard still knows your name, where the practice gym smells the same, where the manager remembers how you like your tape. Home is where you can be remembered for leaving and still be welcomed for returning. Denzel Aberdeen is not coming back as the same player who left. He is coming back with Kentucky miles on him. He is coming back with starter’s minutes in his legs, SEC scars on his shoulders, and a better understanding of how quickly affection can turn into accusation. He is coming back to a Florida team that does not need nostalgia. It needs a grown man guard who can make shots, make reads, guard his yard and not blink when March turns cruel. That is why this reunion makes basketball sense. It also makes human sense. Maybe that is what Golden saw. Maybe that is why the call was short. Maybe in an era when everyone wants to over-explain every movement, the simplest explanation is still the truest one. Denzel Aberdeen went away. Denzel Aberdeen got better. Denzel Aberdeen came home. And if the NCAA lets him, there will come a night this fall when the lights rise inside Exactech Arena, the band leans into the fight song, and No. whatever-he-wears-this-time checks in wearing Florida across his chest again. Some will clap right away. Some will wait. Some will pretend they never cared. But Gainesville has a way of remembering its own. And come fall, when the ball goes up and the O-Dome starts to shake, Denzel Aberdeen will not have to wonder which side he is on anymore.