Health over football. We’ve heard those three words a lot over the last five months. And those words are hard to argue with because, well, they make sense. But when there is a global pandemic and a student-athlete tweets those words, suddenly there’s something to argue. “Health over football,” University of Florida wide receiver Jacob Copeland tweeted on Monday, only to be criticized by college football fans. “If you think YOU are at much of any risk, you’re listening to the wrong people,” one user wrote. “If that’s truly the case you might want to quit ball because you gotta sacrifice yourself for the greater good of the team to win it all,” another fan piped in. Copeland’s statement came days after SEC football players voiced their concerns about the upcoming season with conference officials. To which they were met with a blunt response. “There are going to be outbreaks,” an SEC official told players. “We’re going to have positive cases on every single team in the SEC. That’s a given. And we can’t prevent it.” That’s enough to scare anybody -- even those who line up against mammoths-of-men on Saturdays. “Opt’n out just might be the better decision,” Gators receiver Kadarius Toney tweeted. Except, unlike Copeland, Toney stopped the backlash at the door. “Before you tell me what I should do with MY life, Go tell my bro same thing you telling me… He just lost his life due to COVID-19….,” Toney wrote. Attached to it is a picture of a celebration of life bulletin for someone he knew and loved. Though athletic conferences around the country are beginning to give answers to the countless questions surrounding the upcoming season, they continue to heed the warning that the coronavirus is a very fluid situation. Schedules are set to be released. But sadly, that doesn’t mean they will happen. And players are beginning to recognize that. There might be football this fall. There might not. A player might contract Covid-19 from playing football. They might not. But players can evade both of these questions with their own answer: opting out. To date, 11 FBS football players have opted out of the 2020 college football season. Penn State Linebacker Micah Parsons, a projected first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is expected to opt out – not to mention the hundreds of PAC-12 players threatening to opt out if the conference neglects to address their health and safety concerns. When it comes to Dan Mullen’s roster, Copeland and Toney are the only two to have mentioned opting out of the 2020 season. However, wideout Trevon Grimes has also voiced his opinion on the matter in supporting his teammates and those in the PAC-12. “Nowadays you’ll get criticized for speaking your mind...it’s almost as if you can’t speak up for what you believe because you’re an athlete,” Grimes wrote on his Twitter. So far, it seems as though the trio of receivers are simply flirting with the idea of sitting out the 2020 football season. But if it were to come to fruition, it could spell trouble for Dan Mullen’s offense. The Gators graduated four senior receivers in 2019. The wide receiver corps is already set to be recrafted come the season opener in 2020. Grimes, Copeland and Toney are the only three receivers on Florida’s 2020 roster with substantial playtime in the Orange and Blue. Everyone else in the receivers’ room is either an incoming freshman, a redshirt or a transfer. Like everything else having to do with college football and the coronavirus, these cryptic tweets could mean something — or nothing at all. It’s a fluid situation, right? However, no matter how you spin it, it’s clear that college football players are beginning to find their voice. And so far, it’s a voice that should have governing organizations, such as the NCAA and respective conferences, worried. These hotshots running a cash cow business shouldn’t be worried about what these players are saying because it’s a bad thing, but because these football players in their twenty-somethings are making valid points. It’s just sad that “health over football” is a point that needed to be made.

“That's gonna be brutal.” Shane Matthews, former Florida Gators quarterback and SEC Player of the Year, couldn’t help but guffaw at the thought; playing 10 SEC games? That’s hard enough. But to play a schedule consisting of nothing else? “The league is so physical with so many great athletes. It's gonna be—it’s gonna be a massacre.” Of course, something that could alleviate that bruising beating is the schedule each school ends up with. As of print, it had not yet been determined yet. In the meantime, one can dream. What we know so far of the Florida Gators 2020 football schedule; the restrictions and protocols surrounding the global pandemic COVID-19 have forced the league to adapt and adopt a new plan if there is any hope of playing the upcoming season. That season, as of now, will be 10 conference games and only 10 conference games, with five at home and five away. Or for the Gators, five at home, four on the road and one in Jacksonville. Playing within the conference allows schools and conference officials to maintain the same protocols for each and every game, road trip, locker room, in-game safety and sanitary standards and more. Playing 10 games as opposed to the normal eight was important so that there was enough of a sample size to help determine division champions and possible admittance into the College Football Playoff. With that in mind, sacrifices had to be made, like the annual FSU game. This despite an argument from Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin to keep the rivalry game. “I made sure everyone understood that [the FSU game] was important. And Florida wasn't the only school that has an important in-state rival that's not in the SEC, so there were some other voices as well. But probably the thing that drove that decision the most was, once you start looking at starting late September—and there was a consensus that we wanted to try to play 10 conference games—you start really impacting the number of opportunities you have to play those games. And so, the league made the decision. “We made the decision we wanted to move the conference championship game back a couple weeks. We wanted to keep that December 12 date available for any rescheduling that needed to occur. And once you do that, you have 11 Saturdays left to play 10 conference games. It just—we ran out of Saturdays. So the decision to delay was based on safe and health of our campuses based on the guidance we're all getting from health officials. It's just a function of where we ended up because of the way the schedule worked out.” It should be noted that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Thursday he hopes to find a way for the game to be played. Of the 10 games that will be played, two are still to be determined. The league—unlike other conferences—will keep the East versus West divisions. Each team will play the six games within their division, the one constant crossover game (for Florida, LSU) and the rotating crossover game as scheduled (for Florida, Ole Miss). But what of the other two? There was speculation and a floated scenario that the games would be whoever a program’s next two crossover opponents are. Since it was a scenario presented by Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger—who has more sources than the White House—it was taken as serious. Dellenger later clarified it was simply an idea he’d just wondered aloud about, but not before it was brought to Stricklin’s attention. “That was total speculation and spit-balling.” This is especially good news for the Gators, who’s next two opponents are Alabama and Texas A&M. Playing those two powerhouses along with LSU and Ole Miss—who’s guaranteed to be improved and scrappy at home and under Lane Kiffin—would be, well as Matthews said, brutal. “I do think the league will probably look at the two crossover games you currently have and try to balance who the other two are going to be from a competitive standpoint as fairly as possible and try to create a sense of fairness in that process,” explained Stricklin. “I don’t know what that’s going to look like. You know as well as I do that somebody’s not going to like their schedule and somebody is going to feel good about their schedule. That’s just the nature of it.” In preparation for that, let’s go ahead and consider what that schedule could look like within the final two spots. Alabama The Crimson Tide is always going to be a tough draw, especially under Nick Saban. There might be more vulnerability this coming season though. As much as the hype machine will work on quarterback Mac Jones, there has been no evidence as of yet that he can match up to Tua Tagovailoa or Jalen Hurts, his two Heisman finalist predecessors. And after a season in which the Tide not only missed the playoffs but also a New Year’s Six game and instead was sent to Orlando for the Citrus Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines, some of the shine has been taken from the mighty Tide. Teams know they’re beatable. Still the fact that a 10-2 season is a down year for Saban proves just how strong this program still can be, especially with the return of senior receiver DeVonta Smith. Florida is also scheduled to play the Crimson Tide next season, 2021, in The Swamp. Arkansas This is the dream. This game would pit Kyle Trask and the Gators against the Arkansas Razorbacks and their new passer, Feleipe Franks. It’d be an opportunity to truly see them compete on the field. Franks didn’t lose his job to Trask but Trask performed phenomenally once taking over the reigns last season. Trask did so well that he finished as the assumed starter for next season, leading Franks to hand over his team and transfer, but it took Franks becoming injured for Trask to get the chance since he never beat him in training camp. In other words, neither have a grudge to exorcise over the other, but both have something to prove. And between two competitors that hold eons of respect for the other, the matchup would prove to be fun. The Razorbacks are also coming off a season in which they finished 2-10 (0-8) with little improvement in talent other than the Franks transfer. Under a new head coach and a rebuilding team, it should alleviate some of the tough parts of the schedule like against LSU, providing the fairness Stricklin mentioned. Additionally, Florida and Arkansas haven’t played each other since 2016 meaning they’re a team the Gators and the fans haven’t seen in a while, providing it more notoriety. They also won’t play again until 2023, meaning that if the schedule goes back to normal next year, Florida won’t be facing the same team again right away. Auburn The Gators just played this game a year ago. Much of the same roster returned. Florida knows they can beat said roster, but it’s also still full of talent. It’d be a shock if the SEC schedules it again so quickly, especially with LSU on the roster. Mississippi State Read above. The same point applies. Texas A&M This is the most likely scenario to join Arkansas on the Gators docket. Florida is scheduled to face the Aggies in College Station in 2022, which isn’t that far away, but still has a one year buffer in between the rotation. It’s also been three years since Florida last faced TAMU. Great, now we’re thinking about those hideous alligator skin uniforms. Let’s move on quickly before our night is completely ruined. The Aggies and Jimbo Fisher are going to be tough, led by passer Kellen Mond. There hasn’t been quite the world shaking play from Mond that pundits like to think there has been, but he’s still a formidable threat who was the potential to take over the conversation around college football this fall. Every SEC team—and especially every SEC West team—will be tough. But if the Birmingham office is evaluating the fairest way to split the schedule like Stricklin mentioned, then TAMU and Arkansas could be the best bet for the Gators. The Aggies provide a decently difficult opponent to accompany LSU. Ole Miss is a wild card and the Razorbacks should be a relatively easier opponent this year. There is no deadline for the decision, though Scott Stricklin is hopeful for sooner rather than later. When it does come, he knows no one will be completely satisfied. But that’s life in the best conference in college football. It’s brutal. “I don’t think we would ever get a schedule if we sat back and let everybody lobby who they want. They’re going to give us the schedule. I’m sure it’s going to be fair and equitable. If there’s any particular concerns, we’ll voice them once they show us the draft. But I’m confident we’ll be able to come up with something everybody feels good about.” “At the end of the day we’ll play whoever they put in front of us and I’m confident our team will be excited about the opportunity.”

Ugh, ANOTHER 3-star? Well, yes, and that’s not a bad thing. You can almost hear the naysayers and dooms-dayers now: “Yep, it’s true. Old Dan got another 3-star recruit pledged to  the Gators.” The recent commitment of offensive lineman Jake Slaughter marked Florida’s tenth 3-star recruit in the 2021 cycle. And that’s OK – but first, a little about Slaughter. In addition to his size and talents, Slaughter offers other plusses and potential opportunities for the Gators. Coming out of Trinity Catholic in Ocala, Slaughter plays alongside two equally as talented 2021 recruits. Teammates Garner Langlo and Caleb Johnson each have three and four stars, respectively. The tandem has been committed to Auburn since May 15. Johnson is fielding an offer from Florida, while Langlo has yet to be recruited by Florida to date. Nonetheless, when you look at the trio of offensive linemen, they share one thing in common: They play for Trinity Catholic. The importance of that sits with the coach at TC: John Brantley. Brantley, a former state championship coach, Gator quarterback and father of Gatorade Player of the Year John Brantley IV, returned to Trinity Catholic this year after leaving coaching to go into private business, taking a few years away from coaching. And “JB III” is looking to pick up where he left off with his success in getting his players to the next level. So there is incentive for him to see his players in orange and blue – just like him, his All-SEC linebacker brother Scot and his son did. But back to the 3-star thing… Relax, would ya? Florida fans love to gush about how well Mullen develops his players. And it’s true – he can. But in the same breath, said critical fans constantly question why Mullen “whiffs” on four and five-star recruits. Not many 5-star recruits that go somewhere to be developed. Rather, they go somewhere where the leash is long, the rings are shiny and the NFL is on speed dial. Look at the track record. Dak Prescott was a 3-star quarterback coming into Mississippi State. Under the guidance of Mullen, he faired alright. The same can be said for Kyle Trask. I think everyone knows his story by now, and it’s just another example of why many people put very little credence in the so-called “star system.” Those who do trust Mullen’s development skills have learned totrust him enough to pick his recruits, too. Striking oil on the Palmetto Pipeline The drama is building down south. While Covid-19 continues to have its way with South Florida, another triad of recruits  works towards carving their way out… maybe. Miami Palmetto is rich in talent this cycle. And three of its top products have Florida included in their short list. Corey Collier Jr. has been one of Florida’s top targets since UF extended him an offer in October of 2018. Since then, Brian Johnson and Torrian Gray have been working tirelessly to recruit the 5-star safety. And on July 20, Collier hinted that their efforts were paying off. In a graphic posted on his Twitter, Collier announced that his final three consisted of LSU, Miami and Florida. Florida should be fresh in Collier’s mind considering he visited Gainesville just before the recruiting shutdown. Meanwhile, Collier hasn’t even visited Baton Rouge and Miami, of course, is right in his backyard. Collier is slated to make his decision on August 10, just four days after his teammate, Leonard Taylor, will make his decision. Like Collier, Taylor also includes the Gators in his short list, alongside Miami. Also with five stars, Taylor ranks as the top defensive tackle in the country, the second-best player in the state of Florida and the fourth-best player in the nation. Taylor has also held on to Florida’s offer since 2018 and has kept the Gators high on his list. Nonetheless, three of the four crystal ball predictions on 247Sports have Taylor staying home in Miami. Rounding out the triad is Jason Marshall Jr., another 5-star defensive back high on the Gators. Unlike his teammates, Marshall has yet to announce a commitment date, although, he has hinted that his decision might come in August. Back on July 17, Marshall dropped a “Top 5” on his Twitter. So far, the Palmetto product has narrowed his 28-team list to Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami and Oregon. Landing several of these Palmetto Triad stars would help build a pipeline to Miami and Palmetto, where talented football players seem to flourish. Expecting all three to announce their commitment to Florida would be highly unlikely. After all, we’ve seen a lot of recruits opt to stay closer to home since Covid-19 became an issue. At the same time, the possibility of a “package deal” situation might exist here. At the same time, remember that Brashard Smith, also a Palmetto product, recently flipped from Florida to Miami. Regardless, with the Coronavirus lingering around, it seems recruits don’t see a point in waiting to make their decisions. And with that, recruiting is expected to really start heating up in the coming weeks. It could be a really hot August for the Gators.

Seventh in a series of position-by-position analysis of the 2020 Florida Gators Florida’s DBU legend got a shot in the arm back in April when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected cornerback C.J. Henderson with the ninth pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. He was the first DB from a Southeastern Conference loaded to the gills with talent in the secondary. Henderson is such a lock down guy the Jags figure to plug him in as a starter from day one, which is why the former Gator got a 4-year deal worth $20.5 million with all the money guaranteed. While LSU and Alabama, which both had two members of their outstanding secondaries drafted, might argue with Florida’s claim to the DBU title there is no question the Gators make the short list for sending corners, safeties and nickels to play for pay on Sundays. It’s been that way for years. No matter who is the head coach, defensive coordinator or coaching the secondary at UF there always seems to be an abundance of talent that catches the eye of the pro scouts. Since 2000, Florida has gone through six head coaches, ten defensive coordinators and 15 different assistants in the secondary. During that same period of time, 22 Florida defensive backs have been selected in the NFL Draft (seven first rounders, five second rounders) and numerous others have made rosters as undrafted free agents. Florida ranked 9th nationally in total defense in 2019, allowing 304.8 yards per game. The Gators actually gave up 22 more yards per game through the air in 2019 than they did the year before, but the Gators allowed fewer touchdown passes (16 in 2018; 14 in 2019) and intercepted more passes (16 in 2019; 14 in 2018). For the second straight year the Gators allowed fewer than 7.0 yards per pass attempt, which is outstanding. The outlook for 2020 is exceptional. Even with the loss of Henderson, a corner who essentially completely took out opponents’ top receiver, the Gators figure to be even better. Losing Henderson would be catastrophic at most schools, but at Florida it’s just next man up. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has plenty of fast, experienced and versatile players, many of whom can play multiple positions. Florida returns six players who started multiple games last season, seven in all who got at least one start. Five UF defensive backs played in all 13 games and another five played in eight or more. Throw in corner C.J. McWilliams (5-11, 184, RSR), who missed all of 2019 with an injury but who has 16 games of experience with two starts, and the Gators have one of the more experienced secondaries in the entire country. They will be bolstered by seven newcomers, a group that Lindy’s preseason magazine ranked among the five best secondary recruiting classes in the country. Although the schedule isn’t set in stone due to the covid-19 virus, the bulk of Florida’s opponents are expected to play some sort of spread which means the Gators will spend the bulk of their time with five defensive backs on the field. The corners are set with Marco Wilson (6-0, 190, RJR) and Kaiir Elam (6-2, 190, SO) and Amari Burney (6-2, 224) is the likely starter at the STAR, the hybrid box safety/linebacker who is big enough to play the run and quick enough to handle a tight end in coverage. Wilson missed all of 2018 with an injury and it took a good portion of 2019 for him to shake off the rust of inactivity. As a true freshman in 2017 he broke up 10 passes and was in on 34 tackles. In 2019, Wilson intercepted three passes and was in on 2019. By season’s end he was playing with the confidence and closing skills he showed as a freshman. Elam got five starts as a true freshman when he had 11 tackles and three interceptions. He had a critical pickoff in the Kentucky game and had the fourth quarter interception that preserved Florida’s Orange Bowl win over Virginia. Lindy’s selected Wilson and Elam as its second team preseason corners. Burney missed five games due to injury last year, but he still had 37 tackles and an interception. With his size coupled with the logjam in the secondary, Burney could be moved to linebacker. The backups at corner figure to be McWilliams, Jaydon Hill (6-0, 175, SO) and Chester Kimbrough (5-11, 175). Hill saw action in 10 games where he was in on 11 tackles with three pass breakups. Kimbrough played in eight games with five tackles and two pass breakups. There isn’t a safety with the size of Burney to play the backup but Brad Stewart Jr., who started three games and played in 10 in 2020, is a sure tackler (28 last year) who plays the run well enough that he could slide over to nickel. Another possibility is highly touted freshman safety Mordecai McDaniel (6-1, 200). The Gators are blessed with three experienced senior safeties in Stewart, Shawn Davis (5-11, 185) and Donovan Stiner (6-1, 205). Stewart and Davis are the likely starters but Stiner will be on the field every bit as much. Davis, who played in 12 games last year while starting nine, stuffed the stat sheet with 51 tackles, three interceptions that he returned for 111 yards, three pass breakups and a quarterback hurry. He’s a third team safety on the Lindy’s preseason defense. Stiner, who played in all 13 games and started seven, had 30 tackles while tying for the team lead with four interceptions. He’s not spectacular but he simply gets the job done and doesn’t make many mistakes on the back line. Trey Dean III (6-3, 194, JR) and Quincy Lenton (5-11, 205, SR) are experienced and capable. Both will be in the regular rotation. Dean, who had six starts but struggled somewhat at corner in 2019, is a more natural safety. He had 26 tackles, an interception and two sacks last year. It took Lenton a good portion of the season to get back in the playing groove after missing all of 2018 with an injury. He’s one of Florida’s more valuable special teamers (five of his six tackles on special teams) but figures to get on the field in the defensive rotation more often. With five seniors and a redshirt junior (Wilson) who could leave early for the NFL Draft, Grantham will need to get at least a few of his freshmen on the field as often as possible. McDaniel is big enough to play safety and quick enough to get reps at corner. Jahari Rogers (6-0, 175), is a former quarterback turned corner who was the 11th-ranked player coming out of the state of Texas last year. Ethan Pouncey (6-1, 170), whose brother Jordan is a wide receiver grad transfer from Texas, is a ball hawk who picked off eight passes (three pick sixes) and had 21 pass breakups at Winter Park. Fenley Graham (5-9, 171) might not see much time in the secondary as a freshman but he could be Florida’s most dangerous punt returner since the days of Brandon James. Rashard Torrence (6-0, 200) and Tre’Vez Johnson (5-11, 175) will try to work their way into the safety rotation while Avery Helm (6-2, 175) could grow into that big corner who could back up Elam. SCHOLARSHIP DEFENSIVE BACKS (18) C.J. McWilliams (5-11, 184, RSR) Quincy Lenton (5-11, 205, RSR) Donovan Stiner (6-1, 205, SR) Shawn Davis (5-11, 185, SR) Brad Stewart Jr. (6-0, 200, SR) Marco Wilson (6-0, 190, RJR) Trey Dean III (6-3, 194, JR) Amari Burney (6-2, 224, JR) Kaiir Elam (6-2, 190, SO) Jaydon Hill (6-0, 175, SO) Chester Kimbrough (5-11, 175, SO) Ethan Pouncey (6-1, 170, FR) Avery Helm (6-2, 175, FR) Jahari Rogers (6-0, 175, FR) Mordecai McDaniel (6-1, 200, FR) Rashard Torrence (6-0, 200, FR) Fenley Graham (5-9, 171, FR) Tre’Vez Johnson (5-11, 180, FR) POSITION ANALYSIS: This is a stacked defensive roster, an exceptional mix of experience and talented youth that should make Florida one of the truly elite units in the country. What could separate the Gators from the really good units to join the elite will be the play of the secondary, particularly on third down. Opponents in 2019 converted 36.41% of their third downs, which ranked 40th nationally. Against Georgia, one of Florida’s two losses, Jake Fromm completed 9-11 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown on third down. In the come-from-behind win over Kentucky, backup QB Sawyer Smith was 6-9 for 84 yards and a TD on third down. In Henderson, the Gators had one of the top two or three corners in all of college football. The tandem of Wilson and Elam could very well be as good if not better than any two corners in the country, especially if Wilson can return to the ability to break on the ball that he showed as a true freshman in 2017. Elam is quite physical and will draw assignments against the bigger wide receivers. Burney is such a physical tackler. He’s got to avoid the injuries that made him miss five games last year. There are so many exceptional tight ends in the SEC and he can cover them. If there is a question mark in the secondary it’s who backs up Burney. Florida doesn’t have another nickel with his combination of size, strength and speed. The way Hill and Kimbrough played as true freshmen was encouraging. They both should see the field far more as sophomores. If it’s typical for freshmen, they will earn their playing time by starting out on special teams but there is more than adequate talent and speed. Rogers and Pouncey are very aggressive and that will bode well. The depth and versatility at safety gives Grantham plenty of options. LSU is the only team in the league that can match the Gators’ depth and experience at the position. Stewart and Davis are both exceptional tacklers with good instincts for the ball. Stewart plays the run so well he could be that box safety to back up Burney. Stiner isn’t flashy but he is steady as a rock. Dean is a player in need of a position. After a couple of up and down seasons at corner and nickel, safety seems to be his natural position. Lenton simply has to stay healthy. The freshmen have to contribute since Stewart, Davis, Stiner and Lenton will all be gone after this season. Three recruiting classes have given Grantham a true SEC defensive roster from top to bottom, which is what it takes to win championships. Florida was good in 2018, even better in 2019. Making that leap from very good to elite will determine if the Gators can go from a team capable of playing in a third straight New Year’s Six bowl game or one that can make the College Football Playoff. For the Gators to become that team, the defensive backs are going to have to play to their capabilities. The corners are going to have to lock people down and the safeties are going to have to turn the middle of the field into what the great Lawrence Wright used to call “The No Fly Zone,” as in catch the ball over the middle at your own peril. This is the year Dan Mullen was gearing toward when he took the Florida job in December of 2017. If the secondary shows why UF is on the short list for DBU the Gators will have a legitimate shot at their first SEC championship since 2008.

After weeks of speculation, the SEC and the Florida Gators come to week’s end with a better idea of what the upcoming 2020 football season will look like. School’s will have their season reduced to 10 games, they will all be league games and the season itself won’t begin until September 26. And recent reports outline how testing will be done for players and officials in season. But those are all logistics. What about the details that matter only to a small group of people but for much more important reasons? For each player prepared to strap on a helmet for an unprecedented season, there is a parent, contemplating everything beyond the game. Yet, how do you know what to ask when the information is shifting faster than you can even form a question? School’s themselves don’t know what’s going on and are drowning in (often conflicting) information. Juggling hundreds of athletes and livelihoods amidst an ever changing, fluid situation. If those that are in charge of million dollar organizations (which SEC football programs are) are currently baffled by the current events, then how much more are the parents? So while it should be noted that very few in positions of power, if anyone, currently have answers, it should also be noted that it is by their very position that others will look to them, for answers or at the very least, a comfort during an uncertain time. We spoke with two parents and although this wasn’t intentional, they ironically present two very different points of view. One lives down the road from their child and therefore the UF campus. He was a former player for the Florida Gators and is still around the program thanks to proximity and familiarity. As a former athlete as well, he has an understanding of what goes into a football program and how guys are cared for in both the best and worst of times. All of those factors shape how he views the Gators handling of his child and the entire roster during this uncertain time. He is Shane Matthews, former Gator quarterback and SEC Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992 and he is the father of current Florida quarterback Luke Matthews. The other lives in another state, several hours away. She’s far away from her youngest child. Her entire focus is keeping her son and family safe and she doesn’t have the luxury of an inside look at the Gators program. With only a phone call often connecting her to her son as he chases his dream, she’s left to speculate exactly how he and others are being and will be cared for now and in the coming season. Any sort of peace of mind would be welcome. She is JoAnn Humphries, mother of three and mother to Gators defensive lineman Jaelin Humphries. Scott Stricklin met with local media following the SEC’s recent schedule announcement and addressed this topic as well. His thoughts are included. *These interviews have been edited for time and content. On either their biggest worry or biggest hope right now, a little over a month away from kick-off: SM: “Well, obviously, I hope we play. I think it's important for our country. I mean, obviously, large picture, we don't want to put anybody in danger, but I just think our country needs sports. As a parent, you know, I probably look at it differently because I've actually played and I know what the kids are going through on a daily basis from the care that they get as a student athlete, especially at a place like the University of Florida, you're going to get top notch treatment. So, Dan Mullen, Scott Stricklin, they're not going to put our athletes in danger. “I know that, because I experienced it myself. We have tremendous health care with UF Health, and the training staff. So I guess I look at it differently where some parents who have not walked in that locker room and played and understand exactly what you get as an athlete, how you're taking care of. I know they're safe. So it does not bother me one bit when they're, you know, working out lifting walkthroughs for when practice starts, none of that concerns me at all. “I guess because I have been in the sports industry my whole life. And it goes back to I know what the training staff does. I know what kind of doctors we have here. I just I don't have much of a concern. I mean, I'm not trying to minimize what's going on. I don't want I don't want it to come across like that at all. Because we know there's a lot of lives that have been lost. And we still don't know if we're gonna play sports or college football. But I just know that, you know, if someone doesn't feel well here, they're gonna make sure he's isolated. To the best care possible.” JH: “The indoor facilities, everything was separated out. Wonderful. It looks great. Like ‘oh my God they’re doing everything right.’ And kudos to Coach Savage because he helped with that, that’s a wonderful thing. But you’re lifting in groups, you’re separate from the entire team but you’re in groups. So let’s say Billy went to Wild Wings the night before and whoever was in there and they were not symptomatic and he came back to the apartment or came back to the meeting and he’s not symptomatic but then he’s positive. What do we do? So they said if someone tested positive, they would take care of it as far as treatment and care and they would put them in a private hotel room and make sure they got food delivered three times a day and that’s wonderful, but you’re taking care of it after the fact. How are you taking care of it before it even becomes an issue. And that was the concern and there’s not a clear answer to that. They said we’ll have more parent meetings where all the parents can be involved, Coach Mullen would reach out more. That Zoom meeting happened on a Wednesday…nothing. I have to ask my son ‘how do you feel?’ And he’s like ‘mom it’s stressful.’ And I’m like so is there not anything for their mental awareness and well being? It’s a lot going on and even for me at 48, it’s a lot to process. Like, do I go out here and play? I can’t sit out because then I look like I’m selling out. I wanna play but am I gonna be able to play to my full potential because of fear or anxiety about getting the coronavirus. And then on top of all of that, my scholarship’s gonna be in place, but I need to build my brand. That’s the whole point of being where I’m at, doing what I’m doing, is to build my brand. On precautions put into place that they’ve been made aware of as parents: SM: “Well, you know, we never went through anything like this obviously. But you know, having my son on the team, I know that they have all these hand washing stations, they get their temperature check. You know, they moved the workout equipment to the indoor [facility] to space kids out. “Their number one job—anytime you sign a scholarship you're putting your kids, or even if your kid is a walk on, you're believing in that University, that athletic department that head coach, that position coach to do what's best for your kid. And I have the utmost respect for everybody associated with our university and our athletic department, the football program that they're gonna do what's best for our kids. Yes, we all want to play football. I think we will play football. And, you know, who knows how it'll turn out. We may have some stoppage here and there. But you know, kids, it varies in 18 to 22 year olds. You don't want to take it lightly. But many of those kids, we’ve had athletes test positive. We've had professional athletes test positive, it usually does not affect them very much. JH: They have to eat spread out, tables spread out. Whoever their roommates are, that’s who they’re working out with. Not necessarily based on their position or things of that nature. But it’s more of, whoever’s in your immediate contact. Their training is staggered, starting at 8 o’clock in the morning till late in the day. A certain group goes and then I guess once it’s sanitized and disinfected or whatever, another group goes. But you go with your same group all the time. On bubbles and testing: SM: "Football is so different than, well, even baseball and basketball with the NBA is dealing with the bubble. It makes a lot of sense. But there's only, what, 12 or 15 guys on the team? When you look at a college football team—when you cap the scholarship, I mean walk ons—you’re looking at over 100 kids, and you get the support staff and you have to have that amount of kids to practice football. “So you can't really keep them in a bubble. You probably could have gotten away with that back when I was playing because we all lived in Yon Hall in the football facility underneath the football stadium there. But now kids live off campus. A few freshmen have to live in dorms for their first year. But kids are scattered everywhere. I just don't know if it's possible to put everybody in a bubble when it comes to football. “I really believe they could have done this back when I played because like I said, every every athlete of every sport, male lived in Yon Hall…I think they probably could have made a bubble for football.” JH: Just looking at like the NBA—and I know those are professional athletes, but that’s what are sons are aspiring to be. Some of them are there jsut because of the scholarship and they can get their school paid for. Some of them want to go to the next level… But in the same sense…how do I wanna say this…why aren’t our guys in a bubble? Like they’re able to come home. My son’s own his way home right now. I love for him to come home, but when he returns, they’re not being tested. So that’s a concern. Like even when he comes out, he may go with his girlfriend, I don’t know his every move. So how do I know 85 players—they’re interactions, what are they doing? Are they really staying safe? And it’s not mandatory at this point that they have to be tested. My son has been, to my knowledge, has been tested once. *A later text following this interview provided updated information: once players return from this four-day weekend, they will undergo at least once a week COVID-19 testing. On comfort level having UF Health Shands just down the road: SM: That's tremendous. I mean, it's one of the best hospitals in the country. Got some great doctors there. And, you know, you as an athlete, you're gonna build relationships with those doctors. Dr. Peter Indelicato, I can't tell you how many times since I've been retired from football since 2006, how many times I've called him. When my son was playing in high school, or, you know, being up there. He was the first guy I'd call him...those guys, you trust how they treated you when you were playing, and whether they're still in practice or not. Those are the guys you call to get advice from as a former player as well." Related: Dr. Pete's Analysis on 2020 season, a GatorBait Magazine Exclusive JH: "It was [a comfort] until I read the article about the 18 anesthesiologist that contracted the coronavirus (big laugh). "But my experience with Shands Hospital has been nothing but good. My son had to have knee surgery right after he got down there. I don’t have any issues with Shands. I think they did a terrific job as far as keeping me updated and informed. If anything ever happened where my son needed care, that would be the go-to place even if he just lived in Florida. That would definitely be a comfort place for me. Being that Shands is just a block away and they’re being very pro-active in trying to figure out what’s next for the guys...the infectious disease doctor that was a part of the Zoom, he was very open with his conversation and this comments whenever he was on the conversation. On communication with the staff, Coach Mullen, etc.? Scott Stricklin: “We’ve tried as a department to have some conversation. But most of the really effective conversation is from coach to parent. I was actually on a Zoom call a couple weeks ago with Coach Mullen and all the football parents. It was really kind of fascinating because the parents asked all these questions in the chat room. Dan read every single one of them. He answered them or he had the trainer, the doctor or the strength coach answer every single one them. “It was really good just because you’ve got to be transparent, you’ve got to be open. We’re taking every step we can to communicate with the parents of our athletes because they’ve entrusted their young people with us. We want to try to tell them everything we know even though there’s a lot we’re figuring out as we go along here.” SM: “They had a Zoom call with all the parents and allowed parents to ask questions to doctors, coaches, whatever. But they’ve always had great communication, that’s what Vernell Brown does so well. Anytime you have a question, their phones are right there. You can call Dan Mullen directly, you can call the position coach, call the trainer, call Vernell.” JH: “So Mullen was in [the Zoom call last Wednesday] and then the doctor was in there also. And the doctor gave a lot of feedback. It was open so the parents, they could buzz in with questions or write in questions on the chat. So it was a lot of parents on the phone call along with the players. And it was a sense of urgency but in the same sense it was like, this is still a business, we still gotta do business. “Outside from [Sports Health Associate Director] Paul [Silvestri] and the D-line coach, Coach [David] Turner, I haven’t had much correspondence with anybody. Maybe because I haven’t reached out to them because those are my go-to people as far as my son, so there hasn’t been a lot of talk other than what’s being published out there and talking to Jaelin and saying ‘hey what’s it like.’ “Paul and the position coach is Coach Turner, I have their cell phone numbers and they’re pretty quick to respond. But this is something that’s truly bigger than them. “Other than the Zoom conversation that Coach Mullen was involved in, that’s it. There’s been, from my aspect—and I’m one of those parents that definitely calls from my son’s scholarship to ice on his knee to his meal plan, I am that parent that will put myself in front of a freight truck to make sure my son is well. I’ll say ‘ok son did you get everything you need.’ I am that mom and I think every mom, parent is but when you don’t—you say we got open communication and we can call and we can ask questions or whatever; some of these things we shouldn’t have to call about, we shouldn’t have to ask questions about. We should need open dialogue, like ‘hey this is what’s going on.’” On what it would take to make each feel completely comfortable having their child play this season: SM: “I've experienced being a college athlete so I understand how well they're taking care of it. That may sound kind of strange, but…they're not gonna put them in any harm, whereas a parent who is living, you know, in Fort Myers or Miami or somewhere who has never experienced what it's like to be a college or pro athlete, I can see their concerns. Obviously, their son is several hours away during this pandemic, you know, is he safe? So I can see them having some concerns, but I do know, I trust Dan Mullen and his staff, the medical staff here and that they're gonna do what's best for players.” JH: More accountability? It’s not UF’s fault, it’s not the coaches fault that we’re in this pandemic, I get that. More transparency. Or more willingness to reach out to the parents and involve them. Ask them what can we do for your child. I know there’s regulations and there are stipulations as far as what they can and can not do. But as far as their physical attributes, their mental awareness and just social interactions, like, how much are you making it your responsibility to make sure these young men—since we’re talking about football—are more than ok? When it comes to the 2020 season, Matthews and Humphries are also in different situations as far as the game on the field. Humphries has a chance to start or be at least a solid No. 2 on the defensive line. Matthews, like his father, could climb the depth chart in a monumental rise but will likely be behind Kyle Trask, Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson. As such, concerns over the coming 10 games—or possibly even a cancelled or opted out season—are understandably different. SM: “I don't even want to think about that. Honestly, it’s because, you know, we're talking sports here. But But sports are what? These kids that's their life. That was their dream. their dream was to go play major college football in a place like Florida, and play, you know, play for championships. But their ultimate great dream is to get to the next level and try to do it professionally. And you only have a short period of time and your college experience is like no other. I would trade my 14 years of the NFL to be able to play. You know, a total of five years in five or six years in college. It was just the bond you build with your teammates. The you're playing for your university. It's not a business like it is in professional sports. I can't imagine a season getting canceled. “They gotta decide, okay, do those kids, the Kyle Trask’s of the world, who just had a phenomenal year, just came on the scene, has a bright future and he has another great year who knows what that may lead to his professional career? Does he get another year to come back and play college football or what happens to a guy like you? You know, so there's so much uncertainty out there, but I just—not even just college guys. I mean, I feel horrible for high school kids. I mean, think about the high school athletes not to find four or five stars and offers, but you always have those diamonds in the rough that have a tremendous senior year that you're getting a scholarship to your could be Division Two, but that's a way that he's leaving his college paid for. I hate it for for all these athletes.” And as for his own son Luke being prepared for a season when the depth chart could be crucial, “I mean, I think the track record of Brian Johnson and Dan Mullen in developing their quarterbacks—they have pretty good track record, but yeah, you bring up a great point. What happens if the quarterback room gets sick? Right? There could be some crazy stuff happened this football season if it's played. JH: “Me and [Jaelin] are gonna talk about it when he gets here. Probably talk about it some [Friday] and talk about it while he’s here and just get a better understanding of what’s going on from his perspective, if he’s ok with it. And normally, if I’m set to pull the trigger, he’s more than ok with that. He says ‘mom you’ve never told me anything wrong, I’m confident in your decision.’ I want my son to know, I’m never gonna put you in harm’s way. And I’m never gonna allow to be in a situation if I can protect you. I’m never gonna allow that to happen. He’s wanted to play since day one since he’s been down there because he feels like he has to prove something. But now it’s a little different because it’s like ‘mom, football is about money.’ And so we know that before we got down there. We know—we’re thankful for the scholarship and we’re thankful for the opportunity but we’ve gotta look beyond money and just value people and humanity at some point. Enough is enough. We’re just gonna have to be awakened like, this is bigger than me, this is bigger than my community and we’re just gonna have to stand together. I just bought Gator gear. I’ve got my sneakers, I’ve got all my stuff and I was ready for the season. I still, I’m still a Gator mom. I’m gonna always be my son’s mother, no matter what tomorrow brings, I’m always gonna be his mom and with that being said, I’m always gonna be proactive in his life. I’m gonna make sure that he’s more than ok. There is no one kind of football player, each are unique in their own way. In the same way, there is no one kind of football parent. Each and every one have experiences and perspectives that shape their mindset of a situation. The question should be raised though, in the midst of a pandemic when worry is high, shouldn’t all be given the same level of comfort? Regardless, each do all have one thing in common. The health and safety of their child…and the ability to watch their dreams come true.

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: “Well, bless your little pea-pickin’ heart!” – Tennessee Ernie Ford Thursday Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey announced 10-game, conference-only schedules for the league’s 14 members this fall. The season will begin September 26 with the season finales scheduled for December 5. The SEC Championship Game in Atlanta will be played December 19, which means the weekend of December 12 can be used to play any games postponed due to outbreaks of the covid-19 virus. Prior to Sankey’s announcement, it was thought the SEC would go with the same scheduling model announced Wednesday by the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC announced it would go with a 10-plus-1 schedule – 10 conference games and one non-conference, a move that would have preserved interconference rivalry games like Florida-Florida State, South Carolina-Clemson, Georgia-Georgia Tech and Kentucky-Louisville. By adding Notre Dame as a conference member for at least the 2020 season, the ACC gets the exposure of 10 conference matchups with the Irish that will be televised. For a league that is generally viewed as Clemson and the 13 Dwarfs, adding Notre Dame was a coup. But, Thursday, Sankey and the big, bad SEC threw a bucket of ice water on the ACC coup. Instead of following suit, the SEC announced it will go with a conference-only schedule that not only eliminates the rivalry games but gives the conference some wiggle room that won’t necessarily be there with an 11-game schedule. By pushing the start of the season back to September 26, Sankey gave the SEC added weeks to figure out logistics such as playing games with or without crowds, chartering planes for road trips and working out television schedules for CBS, ESPN and the SEC Network. Moving the final regular season weekend back to December 5 gives every SEC team 11 weeks to play 10 games with the safety net of December 12 in case the virus flares up at one or more schools. The SEC decision makes plenty of sense, but it also creates a nightmare for the athletic directors who now have to juggle schedules. Tennessee Ernie would be doing a lot of heart blessing for the SEC athletic directors if he were still alive and kicking. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin finds himself with three consecutive open dates to finish the season – November 21, November 28 and December 5. He can likely fill November 21 with Arkansas, which is also open. The Gators and Kentucky were originally scheduled for September 12. Since Florida’s game with FSU and Kentucky’s game with Louisville (both on November 28) were eliminated, this is the perfect time to re-schedule the game. Alabama’s September 19 season opener with Georgia is almost certain to be moved back a week since both have an open date. That will be must see TV so figure it will be the CBS showcase game at 3:30. There is a problem for Alabama on November 14. There isn’t a team from the SEC East with an open date that day so the league is going to have to shuffle schedules to accommodate the Crimson Tide. Although there are plenty of other open dates up and down the league that will require plenty of thought and some shuffling around to make the schedules work, there is that December 5 finale, an open date for every team in the league. Sankey has to be very careful here to avoid matching up two teams that might meet two weeks later in the SEC Championship Game. There has been rumors flying that the Gators would add Texas A&M and Alabama to the schedule. It would some effort to get both on the UF schedule. One of them is possible for that December 5 date, but considering the Gators and Alabama go into the season as the two teams to beat there is that possibility of a rematch and that could be a ratings disaster. Although moving the start of the season back to September 26 leaves the networks with scheduling voids, they will have a chance to make up for lost revenue because the directional schools and other cupcakes will be zapped from the schedules. Conference games only will make for better television. With all the non-conference games eliminated, here are the SEC games already on the schedule and the open dates that will have to be filled: ALABAMA: 9/26 Open; 10/3 at Ole Miss; 10/10 at Arkansas; 10/17 Mississippi State; 10/24 Mississippi State; 11/7 at Tennessee; 11/14 Open; 11/21 Texas A&M; 11/28 Auburn; 12/5 Open Needs to reschedule: 9/19 Georgia ARKANSAS: 9/26 vs. Texas A&M (Arlington, TX); 10/3 Open; 10/10 Alabama; 10/17 LSU; 10/24 Open; 10/31 Tennessee; 11/7 at Auburn; 11/14 Ole Miss; 11/21 Open; 11/28 vs. Missouri (Kansas City); 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 at Mississippi State AUBURN: 9/26 Open; 10/3 Kentucky; 10/10 at Georgia; 10/17 Texas A&M; 10/24 Open; 10/31 at Mississippi State; 11/7 Arkansas; 11/14 Open; 11/21 LSU; 11/28 at Alabama; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 at Ole Miss FLORIDA: 9/26 at Tennessee; 10/3 South Carolina; 10/10 LSU; 10/17 at Ole Miss; 10/24 Open; 10/31 vs. Georgia (Jacksonville); 11/7 at Vanderbilt; 11/14 Missouri; 11/21 Open; 11/28 Open; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 Kentucky GEORGIA: 9/26 Open; 10/3 Vanderbilt; 10/10 Auburn; 10/17 at Missouri; 10/24 Open; 10/31 vs. Florida (Jacksonville); 11/7 at South Carolina; 11/14 Tennessee; 11/21 at Kentucky; 11/28 Open; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 at Alabama KENTUCKY: 9/26 South Carolina; 10/3 at Auburn; 10/10 Open; 10/17 Vanderbilt; 10/24 at Missouri; 10/31 Open; 11/7 at Tennessee; 11/14 Mississippi State; 11/21 Georgia; 11/28 Open; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 at Florida LSU: 9/26 Ole Miss; 10/3 Open; 10/10 at Florida; 10/17 at Arkansas; 10/24 Mississippi State; 10/31 Open; 11/7 Alabama; 11/14 South Carolina; 11/21 at Auburn; 11/28 at Texas A&M; 12/5 Open MISSISSIPPI STATE: 9/26 Open; 10/3 Texas A&M; 10/10 Open; 10/17 at Alabama; 10/24 LSU; 10/31 Auburn; 11/7 Missouri; 11/14 at Kentucky; 11/26 at Ole Miss; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 Arkansas MISSOURI: 9/26 Open; 10/3 at Tennessee; 10/10 Open; 10/17 Georgia; 10/24 Kentucky; 11/7 at Mississippi State; 11/14 at Florida; 11/21 Open; 11/28 vs. Arkansas (Kansas City); 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 Vanderbilt OLE MISS: 9/26 at LSU 10/3 Alabama; 10/10 at Vanderbilt; 10/17 Florida; 10/24 Open; 10/31 Open; 11/7 at Texas A&M; 11/14 at Arkansas; 11/21 Open; 11/26 Mississippi State; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 Auburn SOUTH CAROLINA: 9/26 at Kentucky; 10/3 at Florida; 10/10 Tennessee; 10/17 Open; 10/24 Texas A&M; 10/31 at Vanderbilt; 11/7 Georgia; 11/14 at LSU; 11/21 Open; 11/28 Open; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 Missouri TENNESSEE: 9/26 Florida; 10/3 Missouri; 10/10 at South Carolina; 10/17 Open; 10/24 Alabama; 10/31 at Arkansas; 11/7 Kentucky; 11/14 at Georgia; 11/21 Open; 11/28 at Vanderbilt; 12/5 Open TEXAS A&M: 9/26 vs. Arkansas (Arlington, TX); 10/3 at Mississippi State; 10/10 Open; 10/17 at Auburn; 10/24 at South Carolina; 10/31 Open; 11/7 Ole Miss; 11/14 Vanderbilt; 11/21 at Alabama; 11/28 at LSU; 12/5 Open VANDERBILT: 9/26 Open; 10/3 at Georgia; 10/10 Ole Miss; 10/17 at Kentucky; 10/24 Open; 10/31 South Carolina; 11/7 Florida; 11/14 at Texas A&M; 11/21 Open; 11/28 Tennessee; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 at Missouri

Believe it or not, Meyer has never seen that 2008 TV replay. I texted him last week as I viewed it on the SEC Network, somewhat awestruck by the Gators’ fourth quarter performance The good news is that this pandemic has given us pause to reflect on our past. The bad news is that this pandemic has given us pause to reflect on our past. Unfortunately, many reminders of our past, good and bad, are imperiled and being devalued or destroyed in protest and civil unrest. Sure, change is paramount. But should we not always want to remember who we are and how we got here? And isn’t it true that those who forget our history are doomed to repeat it? But no sermon here today because I wish to reflect on the past glories of Florida football at its apex. Let me take you back to the period of time that I’ve dubbed “The Golden Age of Florida Football,” (not to be confused with The Golden Era of the late 1940s). It was an 19-year run that began in 1990 when Gator football was blistering hot. Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer lit up college football skies with three national championships and eight SEC titles. The Golden Age has been a huge blessing but, in some ways, a bit of a curse. The track record of Spurrier and Meyer in that era will forevermore remain the aspirational footprint, even though it’s not likely to happen again -- certainly not in that compacted time period. The Golden Age will loom even larger in future years when the reality sets in for Gator fans – and this is the “curse” part -- that it wasn’t an inalienable right of their team to automatic inherit all these championships. In particular, the orange blossom sweetness of that first SEC trophy in 1991 and a spectacular 52-20 Sugar Bowl victory over Florida State in 1996 which led to the BCS title that cannot ever be duplicated. On the other hand, winning two national championships in three seasons from 2006-2008 to back it up and solidify Florida’s place on the map of CFB greatness wasn’t exactly chopped liver. While beating Ohio State and Oklahoma for the national trophy may have been more prominent, I believe the remarkable 31-20 win in 2008 over Alabama for the SEC title may have been the best football I’ve ever seen Florida ever play – especially that fourth quarter. Perhaps I am influenced somewhat by what Urban told me recently: “It was the best game I’ve ever witnessed.” Believe it or not, Meyer has never seen that 2008 TV replay. I texted him last week as I viewed it on the SEC Network, somewhat awestruck by the Gators’ fourth quarter performance, even though I was there in Atlanta and covered it live at the time. Honestly I had forgotten how spectacular Tebow and the Gators played in the last 14 minutes. “I've never had the opportunity watch a television version of that,” Urban told me. “Someday I will. I didn't know it was on, but that was a classic. You texted me in the fourth quarter in that game and the performance I just remembered … “Alabama was one of the top defenses in America and that most quarterbacks can't make those throws. Tim was electric in that game … you had, Riley Cooper, Louis Murphy … Cornelius Ingram and Percy Harvin out. Two NFL players that didn't play. So David Nelson had to step in. We had some guys step up and make some great plays.” It was Tebow’s finest hour, one which resonated deep with Meyer. Tim had a perfect passing fourth quarter, 5x5. His throws to Louis Murphy, Riley Cooper, David Nelson and Aaron Hernandez were spot on. When the drive for the go-ahead touchdown appeared to get bogged down at the Alabama 1 by a terrible call -- a mysterious penalty for which the official would later be rebuked by the SEC -- Tebow drilled the look-in to Cooper for a touchdown. As for the mysterious penalty for the Florida coaches allegedly running on the field, “That was one that was flabbergasting. It's third down and one at the 1 when an Alabama player – intentionally or not -- kicked the ball. The officials blew the whistle and our players started coming over toward to us. It was so loud in that arena (GeorgiaDome). I started coming to the sideline and I was motioning to them to stay there because it wasn't a time out. I saw him resetting the ball. “The twenty-five second clock was getting ready to start. So I remember pushing them back out there and I'm about four, five yards on the field, way back at the 35-yard-line. And I see a flag come out. I thought they must've thrown it on Alabama for kicking a ball. So I keep looking at my game sheet. “All of a sudden I see Tebow look over at me. And they start arguing with the official and I was like, ‘What's going on?’ And the guy comes over to me and says, ‘They're calling a five-yard delay of game penalty on the bench.' And on me. I lost my mind over it. “So now it’s third down and six, at Alabama's six yard line. If you don't score there, you kick a field goal. Alabama can still go down and win the game. And obviously, they had an excellent offense as well. You know, one of those things that will drive a coach crazy. I've always given officials the benefit of doubt, but that was a terrible call at a terrible time. It could have had historical ramifications.” Tebow delivered the scoring strike and punctuated the huge victory. After that win, the landscape of college football was scrambled. By holding Alabama in check, denying Nick Saban of a crowning moment as King of College Football, the Gators delayed his ultimate coronation. The following season when Meyer and Saban squared off, the Crimson Tide trounced the Gators and put on hold the debate of whether Meyer or Saban belonged on the throne at the moment. Meanwhile, Meyer went on to Ohio State and added his third national championship before bowing out of the game at the end of the 2018 season. Subsequently the two schools developed a “national rivalry.” Alabama was beaten by Meyer’s Ohio State team in the Sugar Bowl national semifinal, 42-25. They scheduled a home and home series for 2027 and 2028. “If you could get by Alabama, you know, you had a chance of winning the next game,” Urban recalled. “But the next year same thing happened. Alabama beat us and went on to win the national championship as well. So in a way, that was a preliminary national championship game.” I asked Urban what makes Nick Saban so tough to beat. “I think his attention to detail, his focus in a culture where he creates with consistency,” said Meyer. “People ask me and it's really a no brainer. At Fox we have list of the greatest coaches and he’s number one. It's time tested. He's put his attention to detail.” (Now Dan Mullen is potentially challenged with the same problem of facing Saban if his new 10-game conference-only schedule includes the Crimson Tide, which will probably be on Florida’s new 2020 schedule, along with Texas A&M -- although this has not yet been confirmed.) Meyer says he had a routine where he would come in on Sundays and watch the special teams of the opponent to get ready to for the next game. The first thing Urban checked was the opponents’ special teams play because it was indicative of their effort, the team’s culture and attention to detail. Just by that he could tell what his odds of beating that opponent would be. He knew his team would win the game “If, say, the coach was an offensive genius or a defensive genius, but he doesn't spend time developing a culture. To me, special teams is all about culture. And that's really that's the face of your program, in my mind. If your special teams players play relentless, that's important too.” It has been a rare treat to watch these two coaches battling it out for supremacy. Meanwhile they are the only two FBS coaches to ever win national championships at two different schools. Saban continues to add to his ledger of greatness while Meyer steps into the TV booth as the star of Fox’s Big Noon CFB show. Urban has just begun to reflect back on some of his seminal moments and accomplishments. Who knows, some day he might even find time to watch the TV replay of “the greatest game I ever witnessed.”

This changes everything. The decision by the Southeastern Conference to go with a 10-game, conference only schedule for 2020 came as somewhat of a shock Thursday since it came a day after the Atlantic Coast Conference announced an 11-game schedule that allowed for one interconference game. By including Notre Dame in its plan for 10 ACC games, the door was left open for the ACC and SEC to play their high profile, traditional rivalry games (Florida-Florida State, South Carolina-Clemson, Kentucky-Louisville and Georgia-Georgia Tech). By choosing to go with a 10-game conference-only schedule, the SEC not only eliminated those rivalry games as well as a number of high profile interconference games such as Georgia-Virginia, LSU-Texas, Auburn-North Carolina, Arkansas-Notre Dame and Tennessee-Oklahoma. A 10+1 schedule like the one the ACC has committed to would have worked in collaboration with both the ACC and Big 12. The decision by the SEC to go conference-only probably means the ACC and Big 12 will work closely together to fill in the blanks of their schedules. BYU, which has no less than seven games of its schedule on the chopping block, will also have its phone ringing off the hook from ACC and Big 12 athletic directors. The SEC, meanwhile, has to do some scrambling to add two conference games to the eight that were already on the agenda. The schedule has been backed up to September 26 which means there are only nine weeks remaining in what used to be the regular season. That, of course, means the final regular season game will be played on December 5. By scheduling the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta for December 19, the league has allowed the December 12 weekend to be available for makeup games should the corona virus cause postponements. What makes the most sense is for the SEC to keep its existing conference dates from September 26 onward then reschedule SEC games from prior to opening week plus add two games based on open dates and the added December 5 weekend. Complicated? Yep. Florida, for example, has to reschedule its SEC opener with Kentucky, on September 12. Since the Gators had Florida State scheduled on November 28 and Kentucky had Louisville, it’s very likely that game will be shifted to November 28. The Gators and Georgia both have an open date on October 24, the week before they play in Jacksonville. Whatever you hold sacred, bet that neither Florida AD Scott Stricklin or Georgia AD Greg Magarity will be willing to give up that open date. The Gators have an open date for November 21, which was supposed to be New Mexico State, and, of course, December 5. There is a juicy rumor that Florida will face Alabama and Texas A&M, but unless there is some major shift in the schedule, one of those two would be impossible. The Aggies and Alabama are scheduled on November 21. That would leave one of the two possible for December 5, but with Alabama starting the season either #2 or #3 and Florida likely to start in the top eight, would the SEC risk the possibility its best two teams would play on December 5 and then play again two weeks later in Atlanta? And this is just Florida. There are 13 other SEC teams, all of whom have a December 5 open date as well as other open dates that have to be filled in the next several days. Here are the existing conference schedules for each team starting with the opening date of September 26 and adding the season finale on December 5: ALABAMA: 9/26 Open; 10/3 at Ole Miss; 10/10 at Arkansas; 10/17 Mississippi State; 10/24 Mississippi State; 11/7 at Tennessee; 11/14 Open; 11/21 Texas A&M; 11/28 Auburn; 12/5 Open Needs to reschedule: 9/19 Georgia ARKANSAS: 9/26 vs. Texas A&M (Arlington, TX); 10/3 Open; 10/10 Alabama; 10/17 LSU; 10/24 Open; 10/31 Tennessee; 11/7 at Auburn; 11/14 Ole Miss; 11/21 Open; 11/28 vs. Missouri (Kansas City); 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 at Mississippi State AUBURN: 9/26 Open; 10/3 Kentucky; 10/10 at Georgia; 10/17 Texas A&M; 10/24 Open; 10/31 at Mississippi State; 11/7 Arkansas; 11/14 Open; 11/21 LSU; 11/28 at Alabama; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 at Ole Miss FLORIDA: 9/26 at Tennessee; 10/3 South Carolina; 10/10 LSU; 10/17 at Ole Miss; 10/24 Open; 10/31 vs. Georgia (Jacksonville); 11/7 at Vanderbilt; 11/14 Missouri; 11/21 Open; 11/28 Open; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 Kentucky GEORGIA: 9/26 Open; 10/3 Vanderbilt; 10/10 Auburn; 10/17 at Missouri; 10/24 Open; 10/31 vs. Florida (Jacksonville); 11/7 at South Carolina; 11/14 Tennessee; 11/21 at Kentucky; 11/28 Open; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 at Alabama KENTUCKY: 9/26 South Carolina; 10/3 at Auburn; 10/10 Open; 10/17 Vanderbilt; 10/24 at Missouri; 10/31 Open; 11/7 at Tennessee; 11/14 Mississippi State; 11/21 Georgia; 11/28 Open; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 at Florida LSU: 9/26 Ole Miss; 10/3 Open; 10/10 at Florida; 10/17 at Arkansas; 10/24 Mississippi State; 10/31 Open; 11/7 Alabama; 11/14 South Carolina; 11/21 at Auburn; 11/28 at Texas A&M; 12/5 Open MISSISSIPPI STATE: 9/26 Open; 10/3 Texas A&M; 10/10 Open; 10/17 at Alabama; 10/24 LSU; 10/31 Auburn; 11/7 Missouri; 11/14 at Kentucky; 11/26 at Ole Miss; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 Arkansas MISSOURI: 9/26 Open; 10/3 at Tennessee; 10/10 Open; 10/17 Georgia; 10/24 Kentucky; 11/7 at Mississippi State; 11/14 at Florida; 11/21 Open; 11/28 vs. Arkansas (Kansas City); 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 Vanderbilt OLE MISS: 9/26 at LSU 10/3 Alabama; 10/10 at Vanderbilt; 10/17 Florida; 10/24 Open; 10/31 Open; 11/7 at Texas A&M; 11/14 at Arkansas; 11/21 Open; 11/26 Mississippi State; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 Auburn SOUTH CAROLINA: 9/26 at Kentucky; 10/3 at Florida; 10/10 Tennessee; 10/17 Open; 10/24 Texas A&M; 10/31 at Vanderbilt; 11/7 Georgia; 11/14 at LSU; 11/21 Open; 11/28 Open; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/19 Missouri TENNESSEE: 9/26 Florida; 10/3 Missouri; 10/10 at South Carolina; 10/17 Open; 10/24 Alabama; 10/31 at Arkansas; 11/7 Kentucky; 11/14 at Georgia; 11/21 Open; 11/28 at Vanderbilt; 12/5 Open TEXAS A&M: 9/26 vs. Arkansas (Arlington, TX); 10/3 at Mississippi State; 10/10 Open; 10/17 at Auburn; 10/24 at South Carolina; 10/31 Open; 11/7 Ole Miss; 11/14 Vanderbilt; 11/21 at Alabama; 11/28 at LSU; 12/5 Open VANDERBILT: 9/26 Open; 10/3 at Georgia; 10/10 Ole Miss; 10/17 at Kentucky; 10/24 Open; 10/31 South Carolina; 11/7 Florida; 11/14 at Texas A&M; 11/21 Open; 11/28 Tennessee; 12/5 Open Need to reschedule: 9/12 at Missouri

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: Leave it to the NCAA to understand the value of taking quick, decisive action. When all fall sports but especially football hanging in the balance, awaiting a decision whether or not there will be any sports activities on college campuses this fall, the Board of Governors adjourned Friday without reaching any conclusions. Instead of doing the prudent thing, which would be to stay in session until decisions are made, the board members went their merry ways and agreed to meet again a week from Tuesday (August 4). This is exactly the kind of decisive action you expect from any organization led by Mark Emmert, a man so brilliant he could have prolonged the Great Depression by decades. On August 4, if the Board of Governors so decides, the entire sports calendar could be canceled. As much as you feel for the kids who play soccer, volleyball and run cross country, they are irrelevant because their sports are a drain on athletic department budgets. What is relevant is football, at 90% of the schools that make up the Power 5 the sport that brings in the money to make all the other sports on campus possible. It won’t hurt to move all fall sports except football to the spring. Cancelling football even until the spring could be a blow the Power 5 schools, in particular, can’t afford. Make no mistake about it, the Power 5 are the ones the NCAA better satisfy. If football is canceled, don’t expect the Power 5 to hit the panic button and wonder what the hell they’ll be doing. They already have contingency plans in place, one of which most likely includes a revolution that will not end well for the NCAA. Perhaps the broadest hint that the Power 5 won’t agree to a stand down order from the NCAA came last week when it was reported that the University of Wisconsin will lose some $60-70 million this fall based on the Big Ten decision for a conference-only nine or 10-game schedule. If the entire schedule is lopped off, the report indicates Wisconsin would be hit with a loss in excess of $100 million. Wisconsin is one of the healthiest athletic programs in the country and it would survive no football in the fall thanks to $190 million saved up through the years. But, Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez has already taken austerity measures that have cut the budget substantially. He knows how many years it would take to recover from those kind of losses. Very few of the Power 5 programs have very much in the way of surplus to fall back on. Therefore, could we see bankruptcies in the future of some athletic departments? Probably. Could we see wholesale trimming of sports programs such as the one Stanford recently undertook (11 sports dropped altogether)? More likely. No one could have foreseen a pandemic like covid-19 coming. No one could have also foreseen the NCAA sitting on its hands and doing nothing. The NCAA has had practically four months to figure things out yet here we are a week away from a time when decisions have to be made and absolutely nothing of consequence has been done. Emmert wants to look like Washington in the lead boat crossing the Delaware but instead he looks like one of the clowns getting out of the tiny car at the circus. The NCAA’s bloated bureaucratic consortium is hanging by a thread and apparently Mark Emmert will be the last one to know. What happened Friday is the NCAA backed the Power 5 into a corner. In all likelihood, the Power 5 were going to leave the NCAA anyway at some point in the not so distant future, but Friday might have been the point of no return. The presidents, commissioners and ADs from the Power 5 aren’t as brainless as Emmert. They know they can’t allow their financial rainmaker go bone dry because the brave and fearless leader is trying to navigate by the stars having never taken Astronomy 101. Now the NCAA could announce that it will require conference-only schedules that crank up sometime in October or maybe even play half a season in the fall and half in the spring. Don’t expect the Southeastern, Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences to agree and go along with that kind of scheme. The three conferences are already in negotiations to play a shortened season that would allow preservation of inter-conference rivalry games (like Florida-Florida State) as well as some key intersectional games (like Texas-LSU). This would be a plus-1 model for the Big 12 which plays a 9-game round-robin conference schedule and a plus-2 for both the SEC and ACC which play eight conference games. It is being reported that Notre Dame, which already has six ACC teams on its schedule, could join the league for one year and add a couple more ACC teams to the schedule. A 9-game conference schedule and a non-conference game for a 10-game slate would work for Notre Dame and the entire ACC. Such an idea would solve the Notre Dame problem, which is immense. The SEC could also add another conference game and go plus-1. Would the Big Ten and Pac-12 stand by idly if the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame collaborated on a season-saving schedule? Both leagues have agreed to conference-only schedules and they’re trying to decide which works best, the current 9-game schedules or adding another conference game to have a 10-game slate. But, what would happen if the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame opt for 11 games? Would the Big Ten and Pac-12 stick with their current plans or would they cave? The key figure here is SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who has emerged as the single most important leader in the Power 5. Like Mike Slive before him, Sankey has figured out how to consolidate power and grow a consensus. He will be the one who determines just what the next move will be for the Power 5 and though there might be some disagreements, all five conferences and Notre Dame will stand behind Sankey when it is decision time. They will all play the same number of games and they will play in the fall. Sankey has said the SEC will announce what it plans to do sometime between now and Friday. We shouldn’t expect him to delay a few days to wait for a decision by the NCAA nor should we expect him to give full disclosure of what the plans will be. He probably will hold a few cards in reserve such as a plan for secession since he won’t know for a few days what the NCAA will announce. Do not doubt, however, that Greg Sankey has a plan in place for college football to be played in the fall no matter what the NCAA announces on August 4. Whether that is a 10-or-11 game schedule remains to be seen, but he will have a contingency that has been discussed and agreed to by the rest of the Power 5. FEELING PITHY I had no plan to watch the WNBA this weekend or any at any point in the foreseeable future. I’m a basketball junkie who used to coach women’s basketball but the WNBA game just bores the hell out of me. The numerous folks who called or texted me this weekend regarding the WNBA won’t be watching anytime soon after both the Seattle and New York teams walked off the court during the playing of the National Anthem. As one friend told me, “Protest all you want on your own time, but if you expect me to watch you protest by walking out on the Star-Spangled Banner before one of your games then forget me ever watching again. Show some respect!” From the texts I read and the calls I listened to yet another nerve has been struck by pro athletes using their sport to make political statements. I get the feeling that the NFL, NBA, MLB and other professional sports are going to feel a serious pinch from fans who have had it with the politicization of the games by athletes who often make millions upon millions. Maybe the fans electing to fight back by not going to games or watching them on TV might be what it takes to bring the cost of attending a game with a family to the point that it’s affordable. Former Gator pitcher Brady Singer was outstanding in his Major League Baseball debut against the Cleveland Indians Saturday night. Singer had a rough third inning when he gave up two runs, but otherwise was brilliant. He allowed three hits in five innings, struck out seven and walked two. The faculty of the University of Kentucky’s African American and Africana Studies program want a name change for Rupp Arena. They claim that Rupp’s name “has come to stand for racism and exclusion” plus it alienates black students and fans. Rupp won 876 games and four NCAA championships as Kentucky’s head basketball coach. Rupp resisted integrating the UK basketball team until he signed Tom Payne in the summer of 1969. The 7-1 Payne was thought to be the second coming of Lew Alcindor but he only played one year of varsity basketball. He had a brief NBA career and then spent 40 years in prison for raping women in Georgia, Kentucky and California. Michael Thompson, whose last win on the PGA Tour was in 2013, won the 3M Open in Minnesota with a 19-under score to beat Adam Long by two shots. Nine players tied for third three shots back. After seeing all these low scores by guys I’ve never heard of every single week I’m starting to wonder if these guys are really that good or are the courses set up for low scores to draw the crowds? I would much rather watch these guys struggle to make par and occasional birdies on a really great course than watch target golf where guys I never heard of are routinely scoring 65 or 66. A score that low used to be a sign of brilliance. Now it’s way too commonplace. Andrew Nembhard has moved on to Gonzaga and while I don’t want to rag on a player who played hard and was always thoughtful and polite to the media, I have to believe the Gators are going to be a vastly superior team without him if and when college basketball cranks up again. In Tyree Applebee, Mike White has a point guard who excels in the open court game and can score without the ball being in his hands 90% of the time. Applebee is also a much quicker defender which will enable the Gators to run the pressing defenses that White wants but couldn’t with Nembhard on the court.

Finding him on the depth chart was like finding his hometown on a map – not impossible, but far from easy. Cleveland, Mississippi, was home to just over 15,000 people in 1990. If you look hard enough, you’ll find the dot in northwest Mississippi, near the Arkansas border. Shane Matthews was born there but moved to Pascagoula on the gulf coast his junior year in high school, so he claims both places. So you have to drill down a bit to find his roots — just like you had to in order find Shane Matthews on Florida’s offensive depth chart heading into the 1990 season. Like Cleveland, Matthews didn’t have much size to him. When he came into Florida as a freshman in 1989, he weighed all of 165 pounds. But if athletes like Shane Matthews started listening to their naysayers and stopped playing sports because their rise to stardom looked too difficult, we wouldn’t have the stories of Rudy Ruettiger, Kurt Warner or Kyle Trask. We also wouldn’t have the story of Shane Matthews. And without him, Florida football might be much different than it is today. To call him the sixth-string quarterback might have been a stretch. If college football teams had camp arms, that might have been a better term for the Mississippi native. For Matthews, his time at practice was spent with the tight ends. While first-year head coach and offensive sparkplug Steve Spurrier coached the quarterbacks, Matthews got some of his early direction from tight ends coach John Reaves. And while the pairing initially seemed pointless for the aspiring SEC quarterback, things eventually started taking shape. Reaves, an All-American quarterback himself at UF from 1969-1971, began to see the same gunslinger that threw for over 3,500 yards in just two years at Pascagoula High School. But this time, in the Orange and Blue. In the spring of 1990, Florida was set to hold its spring game in Jacksonville while Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was undergoing renovations. “John Reaves was the head coach of the orange team,” Matthews remembers. “He got first pick … and he picked me.” A few decent performances from Matthews during in-practice scrimmages ahead of the spring game spared Reaves of any criticism. And once in Jacksonville, all but one quarterback on the roster struggled. Tickled pink was John Reaves, who watched his first pick torch Florida’s championship-caliber defense. Like any program with a new head coach, there were plenty of questions to be asked in the preseason – particularly, but unsurprisingly about who would start under center for the Gators. Surely most had heard about what took place during the spring game, but certainly that didn’t mean Spurrier would start a quarterback that had never taken a snap in a game. Coy, as usual, Spurrier had previously told the media that he didn’t know who would start for Florida. But whoever it was, they’d lead the SEC in passing that year. Whether Spurrier’s prophecy hinged on the confidence in his play-calling or the actual talents of his starting quarterback, I couldn’t tell you. But it didn’t much matter. “I was accurate, had good anticipation… all the stuff that Coach Spurrier wanted out of his quarterbacks,” Matthews says of his spring game performance. “And next thing I know, Coach Spurrier named me the starter.” After Spurrier named Matthews shortly after the spring game in 1990, many believed Spurrier’s prediction to be as good as gone. Gator boosters weren’t thrilled that someone as inexperienced as Matthews was Spurrier’s idea of changing the culture of a football program. But it wouldn’t take long for them to get over it. The Gators were set to host the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who were 1-0, in Spurrier and Matthew’s first start. Seventy-five yards in 75 seconds. Spurrier, Matthews and the Fun-n-Gun had made landfall. “We didn’t really know much about Shane and their offense,” OSU head coach Pat Jones said after the game. “We watched some Duke films from last year, but that was probably misleading.” In his collegiate debut, Matthews went 20-for-29 for 332 yards. But more importantly, his opening performance, which led the Gators to a 50-7 victory, eased Gator Nation’s anxiety. Florida’s thumping of OSU was impressive. But if Matthews really wanted to garner the trust of the Florida Faithful, he’d have to do it on the road – in one of the most intimidating atmospheres of college football. Bryant-Denny Stadium, just as it does today, housed one of the most dominate college football teams in the country. “In my opinion, that is the most important game in Florida football history,” Matthews told GatorBait. “The reason I say that is because there were great teams before 1990, but could never get over the hump for whatever reason. Whether it was winning conference road games or just laying an egg here or there. Playing Alabama with all of their rich tradition at their ball park… and we sputtered around a little bit, but we found a way to win that game on the road. I think that’s the game that kinda caught everyone’s attention and said ‘Florida is that sleeping giant that has woken up.’.” Florida’s 17-13 win in Tuscaloosa that day was nowhere near as explosive as the one in Gainesville the week prior. But a gutsy play call and softly thrown ball from UF’s 1-yard line kept Florida’s head above the rising tide. “I thought he was crazy as hell,” Matthews remembers thinking after the deep post pattern was signaled in. “We hadn’t blocked them all day.” If not for that 70-yard Matthews-to-Ernie Mills hookup, three Will White interceptions and a punt block returned for a touchdown, the Gators wouldn’t have won the ball game. But they did. They needed to. “That’s the one game that stands out to me the most,” Matthews told GatorBait. “Pretty much out of my entire career, because I think that’s the one that laid the foundation for everything that we did from there on.” From then on, Matthews kept on keeping on. Matthews, at the helm of Spurrier’s Fun-N-Gun offense, continued to roll through opponents. By the end of the 1990 season, Matthews had shattered passing records at Florida with 2,952 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. After leading the Gators to a 9-2 (6-1 SEC) record, Matthews led the league in passing and was named SEC Player of the Year – just as Spurrier had prophesized of his quarterback. Matthews, on the coattails of a SEC Player of the Year recognition, continued to torch defenses. Finishing 10-2 (7-0 SEC) in ’91, Florida avenged it’s lone SEC loss from the year prior with a 35-18 win over the Tennessee Volunteers. Florida’s perfect record over SEC opponents earned it its first ever conference title. In 1991, Matthews threw for 3,130 yards, 28 touchdowns and maintained a 60.4 completion percentage – all of which led the SEC for the second consecutive season. After all, airing the football out as much as Florida’s offense did was unheard of in the SEC. “Before Spurrier got into the Southeastern Conference, it was mostly a running league … with the Bo Jacksons, the Herschel Walkers, Emmitts… those type of players,” Matthews says. “And he comes in throwing it all over the place. It was just fun to play in. We actually had fun in meetings, we had fun on the practice field.” Meanwhile, high school prospects around the country were taking notice of all the fun being had in Gainesville. Guys like Ike Hilliard, Reidel Anthony, Jacquez Green, Jabar Gaffney and all of these other skill players wanted to come to Gainesville and play for Spurrier and be a part of his play style, Matthew explains. The same went for the quarterbacks who watched Spurrier and Matthews coexist in a state of offensive combustion. In his senior year, Matthews was not only grieving his mother’s lost battle to breast cancer, but he was also dealing with a talent-depleted roster in ‘92. “It was the most disappointing year of my three years of playing,” Matthews told GatorBait. “Just because we lost more games.” The 1992 season also marked the first year that the SEC was split into East and West divisions. Florida finished the 1992 regular season 8-3 (6-2 SEC). But despite a pedestrian record, the Gators slid into the inaugural SEC Championship game thanks to a head-to-head victory over Georgia, who also had a 6-2 conference record, and Tennessee’s three-game skid in October. “Not a very good football team at all,” Matthews says of the scrappy 1992 Florida squad. “Playing an outstanding football team.” Just like in week two of 1990, Matthews had an opportunity to prove himself against college football prowess, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Florida ended up losing the contest, despite Matthews believing the Gators were the better team. After trading scores all game, a poor decision on Matthews’ part took the Gators out of position to win the ball game – but maybe it was best that way. “We had them on the ropes and I made a bad decision there at the end trying to win us the ball game,” Matthews said of the now-famous Antonio Langham interception. “And that’s the play that changed college football.” (Matthews wouldn’t say it, but Coach Steve Spurrier commented that one of the receivers may have run a wrong route, as well.) The 1992 SEC Championship game marked the first-ever conference championship game amongst all college football conferences. “If we were to beat the No. 1 team in America (Alabama) playing an extra game, and knocking them out of a chance to play for the national title, there would have been no more conference championship games,” Matthews explains. “It sucks that I threw the interception and that we lost because I would have loved to win the SEC that year, but in hindsight, it was good for college football that I made that mistake.” Following his career at Florida, Matthews was projected to be the third quarterback drafted behind Drew Bledsoe and Rick Mirer. A third or fourth round prediction turned into a sixth or seventh round prediction. And then a sixth or seventh round prediction turned into an undrafted free agent. Once again, Matthews found himself buried. But this time, he didn’t have five guys in front of him. This time he had as many as 224 guys in front of him. Matthews eventually signed with the Chicago Bears, where he remained the backup for four seasons, followed by a two-year stint with the Carolina Panthers in ’97 and ’98. In 1999, however, Matthews returned to Chicago for his best season in the big leagues. Just when Matthews’ career in the NFL began to come to fruition, the former Gator suffered a severely pulled hamstring five games into the 1999 season. Following the injury, Matthews was unable to pick up where he left off and never quite found long term success in the NFL. “Somehow I lasted 14 years,” Matthews reflects. “Mostly because of my mind. I was a good teammate, but I can learn an offense in less than an hour… I never studied my playbook one day in my entire life. So that probably helped me because coaches knew they could count on me.” Holding a clipboard helped Shane develop a “coaching mentality,” something that came naturally for Matthews, whose dad coached him through high school. And once the 14-season NFL veteran had wrapped up his playing career and settled down with his family in Gainesville, it was no surprise that he’d end up trying his hand in coaching. What started as coaching his son Luke’s flag football, baseball and basketball teams eventually turned into a high school coaching career. “I love coaching high school ball,” Matthews says. “I was fortunate here in Gainesville to coach at both Buchholz and Gainesville High, who both had good quarterbacks. And that makes a difference.” At 50 years old, Matthews sits in his Newberry home and occasionally thinks about what could’ve been had he forfeited those 14 years in the NFL. “I always wanted to be a college football coach,” Matthews told GatorBait. “I had talked a bunch to coach Spurrier about being a college coach while I was playing … But by the time I had retired, I was 36 years old. I wanted to be able to see my son’s games and my daughter’s dance recitals. And if you’re a college coach, you don’t get to do that… you’re too busy.” Now, though he is empty nested, Matthews would face an uphill battle to get into the world of college coaching. In January, Matthews launched his popup daily podcast, “Pod Up With Matthews in The Morning.” Matthews has dabbled in the broadcast space in the past couple of years, including co-host gigs with ESPN Gainesville’s Steve Russell. Through seven months of daily broadcasts, Matthews has welcomed Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, Jack Youngblood and many, many others who are revered by Gator fans. Spurrier and Weurffel both yield bronze statues outside of The Swamp to commemorate them winning the Heisman Trophy. But one could very well make the argument that Spurrier could be standing alone outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium if not for Shane Matthews, who started it all. It was hard to find him on the depth chart in 1990, but 30 years later, it shouldn’t be as hard to remember him. Because without him, Florida football’s success might not be where it is today. Florida fans owe a lot to the lanky kid from that tiny dot on the map, Cleveland, Mississippi – the unsung hero of Florida football.

What constitutes honor? Is it reputation of character? Resilience in the face of defeat? Respect earned through hard work? Who decides the deserving? Two weeks ago, the Florida Gators began teasing news about the football Ring of Honor. The natural assumption was that there would be a new inductee. That wasn’t the case and in the words of Ralphie from “A Christmas Story,” it was simply “a crummy commercial.” The news itself was cool; the school will release a Ring of Honor merchandise line. Two players each year over the next three years will be highlighted. The UAA, in a release, said, “the specially curated Ring of Honor collection, which was developed with the help of the university’s exclusive licensing agent, CLC, will feature the former players that have earned the prestigious honor. “The Ring of Honor merchandise collection will feature officially licensed Florida branded apparel and non-apparel items, including a collectible jersey, from best-in-class licenses such as Nike/Jordan Brand, Top of the World, Highland Mint, and others.” First up will be Emmitt Smith and Jack Youngblood. The two week build-up reignited the debate though; who deserves to be in the Florida Ring of Honor? As of now, the plaques around the top of The Swamp features only six names: Jack Youngblood, Wilber Marshall, Emmitt Smith, Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow. All well-earned and deservedly included. Florida has had a lot of incredible players and talent over the years. Yet as the rules currently stand, there is really only one—maybe two—names that qualify. While the exclusivity increases the honor, if there is currently only one person qualified from the pool of household names, are the rules too strict? This is the criteria listed on the Florida Gators website to merit consideration: Heisman Trophy Winners (Spurrier, Wuerffel, Tebow) Former UF All-Americans Inducted into NFL Hall of Fame for Accomplishments as Players (Youngblood) Former UF All-Americans Who Are NFL Career Category Leaders (E. Smith – rushing) Collegiate Career Category Leaders Coaches with UF National Championships (Spurrier) Coaches with at least 3 UF SEC Championships (Spurrier) Players with 2 or more consensus All-American honors (AP, Walter Camp, Sporting News, AFCA, FWAA, UPI) who have also been named National Offensive/Defensive Players of Year (AP, Walter Camp, Sporting News, ABC, AFCA, FWAA, UPI) Based on that criteria, the only qualified candidate as of right now is Urban Meyer thanks to the National Championships he won as head coach of Florida in 2006 and 2008. The prevailing thought is that Meyer will one day be inducted. The only obstacle is the fan base perception of Meyer over the way he left the school. The past year, he’s been on somewhat of a redemption tour, attending Florida games, posting on social media in Florida gear, shouting out the Gators in TV spots. He’ll get in one day, it’s just a matter of when. But surely Urban Meyer isn’t the only person worthy of the ROH is he? According to UF, he is. Let’s look at who this criteria eliminates. Percy Harvin was a first-team All-American selection by Sporting News in 2007 and by both Sporting News and the AFCA in 2008. But he was never a consensus selection (a point based system, allowing points for making 1st, 2nd and 3rd team lists) or Offensive Rookie of the Year (a crime in its own right) so he doesn’t meet that qualification. He wasn’t a career category leader either. But one could argue that was because he didn’t fit into one category. He was used everywhere across multiple positions, making it hard for him to focus all of his stats into one area. In that sense, he’s being punished for being too versatile. Therefore Harvin’s only way into the Florida ROH will be via Canton. His outstanding rookie year with the Seattle Seahawks earned him the AP, Sporting News and Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. That year alone could be enough to get him into the NFL Hall of Fame but it will likely require some campaigning to convince the voters of such. Most Florida fans would probably argue Brandon Spikes should be inducted for his tackle on Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno alone. That won’t do it, but maybe he meets one of the actual requirements? Spikes was a unanimous All-American in 2008 meaning all five of the NCAA recognized selectors put Spikes on their first-team. He followed that up as a consensus All-American in 2009. That’s a good start, he’s now met the two time consensus rule…but wait, he was never Defensive Player of the Year. So his name won’t be put around the top of the stadium. Joe Haden was a unanimous selection in 2009 but that one year won’t be enough. Haden will have a legitimate shot at the NFL Hall of Fame once he’s been retired from the game for at least five years. Vernon Hargreaves III was a first-team selection in 2014 and a unanimous selection in 2015 but that means he wasn’t a consensus choice the first time and no DPOY, so he’s out. VH3 would need to make it into the NFL HOF to be eligible. Florida has no collegiate career category leaders. Tim Tebow and Danny Wuerffel make a few appearances near the top of some quarterback categories but they’re already in thanks to the Heisman. Kicker Eddy Pineiro isn’t at the top of the list for career field-goal percentage but he is third and the most recent (2016-2017; 0.884%). These are the most recent names but there are countless more. Alex Brown, Jabar Gaffney, Reggie Nelson, Wes Chandler to name a few. Wes Chandler actually still holds two Florida receiving records (average yards per catch and touchdown to reception ratio) as well as being in the Florida Athletics and San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame. All are right there but fall just short of the qualifications. But who can argue with the impact they made on the Florida Gators? How many can match their contributions and become synonymous with the Gators success? The decision to induct someone into the Florida Ring of Honor shouldn’t be left purely up to emotion. That can become subjective, leading to questionable additions. When does exclusive become stringent though? Urban Meyer earned his way in and he will be there soon enough. But in Florida’s long and storied history, there have been unquestionable generational players. They have been recognized for their talent and career by their peers through All-American selections and NFL prowess. Simply removing the two-time consensus along with POY qualification, changing it instead to consecutive or unanimous selections would open the honor up to a much larger list of deserving names. What constitutes honor? A number of things…and there have been a number of Florida Gators who deserve the title.

I don't have a crystal ball, but I am a little concerned, to be honest with you, whether we will have any kind of a football season this fall. I hope we do. Obviously. I love the sport… Back in the day when “getting your bell rung” was common and concussion protocol meant having the team physician take your helmet away if your eyes were dilated, probably the biggest medical nemesis for Dr. Pete Indelicato was serious knee injuries. My how all of that has changed. Now it’s more about possible life and death. He no longer roams the Florida Gator sidelines as head team physician, but “Dr. Pete” is still on the field, very much plugged in as an “emeritus” team doctor and UF professor, where he sees and hears everything. And this Covid-19 crisis is nothing like he’s ever experienced in 35 years. “These are new times,” said Dr. Indelicato. “You know, we don't have a lot of experience or history to fall back on to teach us how to manage these things. So we're sort of groping along step by step. It's a difficult situation.” What he’s seeing and hearing regarding the future of college football is not terribly encouraging. However, Dr. Pete does feel confident that University of Florida athletes are well-cared for by UF Health physicians and trainers and will continue getting tip-top health care. In fact, so much so that he doubles down on it because he feels the quality of the health care system could almost be added to the list of recruiting plusses for Florida. “I think it's huge when we have an entire health system,” said Dr. Pete. “We're on the same campus as the athletic program. We’re blessed like that, whether other SEC based health systems are or not. We’re not 50 miles from the undergraduates and the athletic program. That's a big advantage for Florida.” Top Ten in football. Top Ten in public education. First-rate health care for athletes. That’s a pretty good recruiting poster—one likely to impress parents. Understanding it and forecasting what’s going to occur? Well, that’s for fortune tellers and mediums. Like the rest of us, Indelicato is constantly looking for new information on the Covid-19 crisis, but has to navigate through the toxic diatribe. “I try to read unpoliticized information,” he said, but he remains “cautiously optimistic” about a vaccine in the coming months. Not so much convinced about having a real football season, he says, but he remains hopeful. “I don't have a crystal ball, but I am a little concerned, to be honest with you, whether we will have any kind of a football season this fall. I hope we do. Obviously. I love the sport. And all my falls have been devoted to Gator football for 40 plus years. But I'm a little skeptical and a lot of it's going to be based on the science that day. The decision has to be made and they are delaying that decision to try and get as much accurate information in front of them before they make it. The latest news, updated data, the opportunity for question.” Dr. Indelicato, recently named to his professional society’s Hall of Fame (American Orthopedic Society for Medicine), says nothing can ever permanently eradicate the virus. “But how good do we have to be in order to allow the athletes to play the game? Are we trying to create a virus-free environment? Because if we are, if that's the goal, then I don't think there's never a chance in hell of that and ever playing. “So what's an acceptable amount of infectivity for allowing the game to proceed? Do we have it in mind? And this is just me talking. If these athletes were not under the protocols, if there was no sports, and they were just doing whatever other college athletes do, what would be the percent of people rhat tested positive? “OK. Let's just say it's eight percent. All right. So if we can allow him to play football and keep the infectivity rate at eight percent, the same as if there was no sport, is that good enough? “That's the question I keep asking. Different for different people. It's a great question.” Though he’s not an epidemiologist, Dr. Indelicato is an invaluable resource for team physicians, having served 35 years as Florida team physician, during which he also was team doctor for the Miami Dolphins for 20 years ago—and before that the New York Giants. He’s still passionate about medicine. That’s why he gives back by serving on the board of AOSSM.org. The website is free to all coaches and parents who want to learn about caring for athletes. And it’s a different kind of medicine. “When Aunt Mary sprained her ankle, you treat that very differently than when your starting quarterback sprains an ankle,” said Indelicato. “So you understand that there's a different protocol for the same injury, depending on who you are, how you are managing it. So you're not treating the quarterback's ankle sprain like Aunt Mary's. “And the coach has to understand that while you're dying to get that athlete back as quickly, but do it as safely as possible. And he has to sign off on that type of philosophy. Otherwise, you're going to meet some strong headwinds trying to be a team physician when the coach does not accept that.” It is during this pause in action that Dr. Pete is reaching out to those high schools, already financially stressed, that are trying to manage health care of players. Most colleges are having problems financing trainers and a team doctor—let alone high schools. Sometimes, he says, one team physician will have to care for both teams at games between small high schools. “And now coaches are taking courses to learn how to recognize things like concussions,” said Dr. Pete. “Like first-responders.” Indelicato was on a 3.5 hour Zoom call this week (AOSSM.org) talking about how to deal with injuries in medicine and illness. The vast majority of people on that Zoom conference call was orthopedic surgeons that are just the beginning their career in sports medicine. “And I shared with them my experiences in terms of the biggest mistakes to avoid starting off as a team physician and but some of the keys to succeed again, starting off as a team physician.” Among the things he shared was the necessity for young trainers and doctors realizing what kind of pressure to expect and reminding themselves of their proper role. “Probably the biggest mistake you make,” he told them, “is to not realize how much pressure you are under as a team physician. Where what’s good for the team, in terms of an athlete's health, may not be particularly good for the athlete. And how critically paramount it is that your job there is to protect the athlete and not worry about -- I'm doing this in quotes now – ‘wins and losses.’ You’re not a coach. You know, parents and coaches, uncles and aunts and guardians, that they want their athlete to play.” Still feeling youthful and continuing to walk and exercise regularly, Dr. Indelicato also must be cautious about his own health. “I'm laying low as a lot of people in my age bracket are,” said the 75-year-old physician. “I'm trying to avoid crowds. I'm also trying to get out and exercise. I play golf a couple of times a week. I do some significant walking. So personally, I'm doing pretty well as far as the Covid issue and organized sports.” Dr. Pete knows it’s going to be a long road to recovery. It’s also going be a tough task for coaches trying to sort out the athletes’ environment. “Of course, they have still mingle with the student body. I mean, if there's no Super Bowl, there's no football within the student body. Who knows what their life activity rate is going to be? So it's just about impossible demands that as a coach you've got to be able to manage.” It’s a major challenge for all physicians, even the elite minds of sports medicine, for coaches, parents, players—and for that matter, the entire world.