As things are beginning to return to some semblance of normal for the Florida Gators athletic program, news is being made across all sports. We've gathered the biggest pieces of news from the past week here for you in once place. 11 Gator Athletes Test Positive for COVID-19 As part of the return program to campus, each athlete is tested multiple times for the coronavirus COVID-19, as well as those still at home. So far, 11 athletes have tested positive for the pandemic caused illness. The news was first reported by Sports Illustrated—AllGators. The 11 positive cases date back all spring and include three football players. Two of those players tested positive while at home and have not yet returned to campus. The third football player was found to be positive during the round of testing upon return to campus. With multiple schools across the country reporting double digit positive cases on their football teams, Florida has positioned themselves well to keep positive cases down and manage those that do rise. “We’re fully prepared that we’re going to have a positive and we’re going to have to isolate that individual and also go through the state department of health tracing program," said associate athletic director of sports health Stacey Higgins earlier this month while speaking with local media. "If it gets to be too many, that’s where the UF Health people will help us with that process.” Bradley Beal Funds Fuel Bar in His Name for Gators Basketball, Golf and Tennis Teams Former Gator basketball and current NBA star Bradley Beal has given back to his alma mater. A denotation to Gator Boosters will fund a fuel bar that will bare his name in the weight room. The fuel bar will service the men and women's basketball teams as well as golf and tennis. "Bradley has been a proud Gator for many years now and is someone we can count on to show up and support our men's basketball team whenever he has the opportunity," Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said. "We're incredibly grateful for his willingness to also support our basketball programs financially with this enhancement to their practice facility, and are proud of the examples set by former student athletes who give back to the program." With Beal's donation, UF announces they have received monetary gifts in the past year from current players in the NBA, the NFL (Indianapolis tight end Trey Burton) and MLB (Atlanta pitcher Darren O'Day). The three will now all have a named space in UF athletic facilities. Brad Culpepper Named to 2021 HOF Ballot Former Florida defensive tackle Brad Culpepper has been named to the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame for the second year in a row. Culpepper was a 1991 consensus First Team All-American and recipient of the NFF Campbell Trophy® as the nation's top scholar-athlete. He was also a two-time All-SEC selection who helped lead the Gators to their first-ever SEC title in 1991. Culpepper ranks sixth all-time at Florida with 47.5 career TFL, a school record among defensive lineman. Voting for the Hall of Fame closes July 7. Watch: A Conversation That Matters

Though it’s an industry composed of college towns, the world of recruiting is the true “city that never sleeps” when it comes to college football. Appealing to teenagers is tough—just ask their parents. But the feat of appealing to high school football players becomes even harder when competing with other Power 5 programs. Everyone is looking for the same thing: a crystal ball in their direction, or better yet, a commitment. Dan Mullen and his staff in Gainesville saw their efforts pay off last weekend after reeling in three commitments in four days. Beefing up the defensive backfield, the Gators added Kamar Wilcoxson, Dakota Mitchell and Jordan Young. And despite their similarities, each of them have their own stories and will bring different qualities to The Swamp come 2021. Kamar Wilcoxson Perhaps the most coveted recruit of the trio, Wilcoxson is no stranger to the Gators. The four-star cornerback has flip-flopped more than a Floridian family marching through Publix. Wilcoxson’s June 19th-commitment marked his third time committing to the Orange and Blue. Gators Territory recruiting reporter Joseph Hastings told GatorBait that Wilcoxson’s interest in Florida has always been strong. “With Kamar, there has always been a strong level of familiarity with him and the staff,” Hastings says. “They are his dream school, Florida was the first one to offer him and he just feels comfortable with the coaches… Florida is ultimately home and where he wants to be.” Despite the newfound confidence in his decision, it wasn’t always like that for Wilcoxson, who committed to UF for the first time in November of 2018. Wilcoxson’s initial decommitment came during Florida’s woeful offseason last spring. Wilcoxson was one of a number of Florida commits to reopen his recruitment following the episodes involving Jalon Jones and Chris Steele. However, the second time committing back in July of 2019 came as a surprise. Even for insiders like Hastings. “With the second [commitment], he told me straight up he didn’t want to commit,” Hastings recalls. “But it just happened that way.” Ten months later, Wilcoxson once again reopened his recruitment. The IMG Academy product spent a short time committed to Tennessee this spring. “The Tennessee commitment was weird,” Hastings admits. “But it was during a time when it felt like everyone and their grandmothers were committing to them.” However, that short stint ended in June after he crushed the hopes of the Volunteers as he fell back to his first offer and recommitted to Mullen and the Gators. “To the University of Florida, the school I’ve dreamed of playing at since I was a kid, let’s ride,” Wilcoxson wrote in a Twitter post. “I’m blessed to be committed to the University of Florida for good. My recruitment is officially over.” Ranked as the 16th best safety in the class, despite being recruited by Florida as a cornerback, Wilcoxson is set to bring his ball-hawking play style to Gainesville in 2021. Dakota Mitchell Though Mitchell’s recruiting road has included a lot less twists and turns when compared to tentative teammate Kamar Wilcoxson, Mitchell has still been around the block. The composite three-star safety committed to LSU back in March. However, take it with a grain of salt. The Tigers were coming off of a historic, championship-winning season. What Ed Orgeron and the Tigers did in 2019 is attractive to any high school recruit. But according to Hastings, the addition of one of Mitchell’s former teammates could have influenced the Winter Park native’s decision to join the Gators. “He hasn’t come out and said it directly, but former teammate Ethan Pouncey being on the Gators certainly played a factor,” Hastings told GatorBait. “I also think there was a sense of urgency to commit because he is seeing the writing on the wall that UF is taking a lot of DBs and wanted to secure his spot early.” Additionally, Mitchell is a member of the RatPak 7-on-7 team. Former Florida Gator, Keiwan Ratliff, is at the helm of the team and could have given Mitchell a sense of familiarity with his Orange and Blue likings. Before committing to the Gators, Mitchell listed Florida, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma in his top five. But as 4:03 p.m. on June 18, the in-state defensive back had decided on Florida. “I’m staying home,” Mitchell wrote on Twitter. “1000% committed to The Swamp.” Jordan Young Unlike Wilcoxson and Mitchell, Jordan Young’s commitment to Florida last weekend marks his first time committing to a program. While the three-star safety out of Tampa lacks the juicy recruiting drama thus far, he doesn’t lack notable offers.So far, Young has fielded offers from Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Arkansas, West Virginia and Ole Miss, among others. Florida’s defensive backs coach, Torrian Gray, has kept Young on his radar since early 2019. And on June 7, 2019, Florida finally extended an offer to the Tampa native. However, it wasn’t until June 21 that Young responded. Taking to Instagram Live, Young, who calls himself “The Warden”, announced his commitment on a live video stream. He later took to Twitter to solidify his decision. “Thanks to my family, friends, and everyone who stood by me through this process,” Young wrote. “With that being said, I will be furthering my education and developing my talents at the University of Florida.” Stacking the secondary New additions, Wilcoxson, Mitchell and Young, join Clinton Burton Jr. as 2021 defensive backs committed to Florida. But like Joseph Hastings said about Mitchell, there’s a common notion that the Gators aren’t done adding to their secondary. Down south, Jason Marshall Jr. and Corey Collier Jr. make up a highly touted tandem at Palmetto High School in Miami. Marshall is a five-star, blue-chip corner with a field of 28 offers. 247Sports ranks Marshall as the third-best corner in the nation and the seventh-best overall recruit in the Sunshine State. As of April, Marshall has named Florida, Alabama and Clemson in his top three. Collier, on the other hand, is rated as a four-star safety. And though he listed Clemson, Florida, FSU, Georgia, LSU and Miami in his top six, most analysts see Collier trending towards Tallahassee to follow in his father’s footsteps. Nonetheless, the tentative addition of Wilcoxson, Mitchell and Young add depth to Florida’s defensive secondary -- an area of the field that is always talented for the Gators, but not always deep.

MY TAKE: By DAN BOND How it all started in The 70’s for this Gator Fan Our babysitter would turn on the radio for my brother & I. When asked about my first trip to the Swamp, I said, “Wow that’s a hard one!” My family grew up Gator fans. My mother went there in the 50’s and grew up in Jacksonville, so of course I was a Gator fan from the start. We were not big on taking pictures back then, where you document everything from dusk to dawn. It’s just a part of life now and so much the better. I was born in 1970 so that’s where we begin. The 70’s were not the best of times for Florida Football: 59-53-3 and 0-4 in Bowl games. Some of the earliest game day memories are of are of my brother and I, he is a year older than me, being picked up by our babysitter and taken to her house. We would play but she would turn the game on the radio so we could listen. TV games were few and far between back then. I was always excited to hear what happened at the game when my parents picked us up and when I was older I made the 80-mile trip from Jacksonville to Gainesville. We would ride down to the game in our conversion van and tailgate at our regular spot. We parked in a wooded lot on the south side of Stadium drive. Dad and I would walk up to the ticket window and pick our seats. I was just tall enough to see the counter back then. The little window at the ticket office. Mom liked to sit close to the field so we usually found seats in the endzone in section D. Florida was playing Houston in 1976, however, I was more interested in watching players and didn’t really follow what was going on too much. They won that day 49-14. ALL-AMERICAN WES CHANDLER WAS A JOY TO WATCH Chandler is still in the top 10 in receiving touchdowns (10) and single game yards (187) and finished as an All-American in 1976. That says a lot considering what Spurrier, Meyer and Mullen have brought to Florida. It was still three yards and a cloud of dust mentality back then and Tony Green was their running back in the old days. Green finished his Gator career with 2,590 rushing yards, good for fifth all time and I had a cheer towel with his name on it for years. Scot Brantley and the next year David Little were my favorites on Defense. Little is still first in tackles, 475 and Brantley second with 467 on the all-time list at Florida. They just flew around and stomped some dudes back then. Later I would start watching the NFL and Pittsburgh just because of Little. Defense was always a point of pride in the old “Wait ‘Til Next Year” days of Florida. Dad would take me to the little Gator shop in the stadium that was basically a small room. I know some of you remember it. It’s an office now, I think. I could pick something out and still I have a few things from then. An old “Genuine Florida Gator Hat” is one of my favorites Gator possessions. Just an old molded plastic Gator head but I’ve moved it from state to state, here and there over the years. The stadium was very different then today in some ways but the same in others. You were allowed to go out on the field and run around after the game on the AstroTurf. That was a blast, running around pretending to be a player and score a touchdown. Too bad the kids today can’t do that. The 70’s soon would be over, Charlie Pell was the new coach and we sat through 0-10-1 in 1979 and still kept going back. So stay calm you young fans when Florida “only” wins 9 or 10 games, or that 5-star recruit flips on signing day. You could have been a Gator in the 70’s, surely, the best of times. Dan Bond lives in Dallas where he is deprived of good college football, which is why he often returns to the Swamp.

BY KASSIDY HILL GATORBAIT COLUMNIST Every offseason since high school, Kyle Trask has prepared. He’s “prepared in case his number is called” and he’s “prepared like he’s the starter.” He’s prepared on his own and with teammates and prepared in every way possible. But for the first time in his long career, he’s spending this offseason preparing as the incumbent, the unquestioned starter for the Top 10 Florida Gators football team. Last season was really the first since Tim Tebow when the Gators were able to prepare for a season with a clear leader at quarterback in Feleipe Franks. The name changed again this summer, but unlike the past decade, this is not another turn on the roulette wheel that has been the Florida quarterback situation. Franks’ graduation and subsequent transfer to the Arkansas Razorbacks came after a season lost to injury and the emergence of Kyle Trask. As we’ve mentioned here before, it wasn’t until Feleipe Franks saw his team was in competent hands with his friend and teammate that he felt comfortable leaving the job to Trask and transferring for his final season. As such, despite the turnover, this Gators team still feels adequately suited to navigate this unusual offseason with a sure-footedness that fellow SEC teams can’t boast. In a time of uncertainty, that is one of the things that is bringing Mullen a modicum of comfort. “For a guy like Kyle, everybody saw last year. He’s spent every offseason preparing. He prepared himself to be ready to go. And hopefully both he and Emory have done that this year to continue to get prepared and be ready to go for that moment when their number is called to get out on the field. “Having that experience, having veteran players returning, it is—I feel pretty comfortable that they’re going to be prepared for the season and ready to go.” It’s that experience that makes all the difference according to Mullen. As a backup, Kyle Trask was always well prepared. He put in the time, he put in the practice, he was ready for the play when he would be needed. And that preparation is why he was able to lead a 4th quarter comeback against Kentucky. It’s why he was able to slice apart defenses to the tune of seven games with 250+ passing yards and stay calm against Auburn. It’s why he was able to go toe-to-toe with Joe Burrow in Death Valley (310 yards—3 touchdowns—1 interception) and make easy work of FSU, swinging the pendulum of that rivalry back towards Gainesville. It’s the experience though that will show itself in a newly honed Trask in his final year of eligibility. It’s the experience that will remind him not to stand in the pocket with pressure coming in, but instead to move the pocket to avoid the sack. It’s experience that will keep him from fumbling but instead learning how to better hold on to the ball when the defensive ends are allowed to hit you (which they can’t do in practice). It’s the experience that will keep his heart steady when the crowd noise kicks up and his eyes downfield when a shift forces an audible. Each game during the 2019 season, we saw Kyle Trask receive another hard lesson and each week we saw him fix the previous mistake. The Orange Bowl win against Virginia saw him struggle more with accuracy than he had all season. Then as the offseason progressed, videos surfaced showing Trask working with his former high school teammate D’Eriq King on accuracy drills. Says Mullen, “He’s now going from a guy that was preparing the right way, obviously prepared with confidence and knew he was gonna put in the time and the effort to be ready in case his number was called, to a guy, now, that has the confidence of having experience. Has the confidence of having done it. “And I think that is different, not just, 'hey I've prepared in case my number's called'. Now he's a guy that has the confidence of, 'As I'm preparing, I know what it's gonna be like out there on the field', and I think that experience will be a big help for him.” That experience, as mentioned above, led to some obvious improvements. Trask’s first three starts, he coughed up the ball in part to five strip sack fumbles, losing four of them. He didn’t fumble again the remaining seven games. He averaged 202.3 yards per game his first three appearances (Kentucky then next two starts). The remaining eight games, he averaged 286.8 yards per game through the air. He finished with a 25-7 touchdown to interception ratio and a 66.9% completion rate for the season. And by the time the Gators had finished 11-2 with another New Years Six Bowl win, Trask was 15th in the country with a 156.09 quarterback rating. Extrapolating from that ranking, Trask has the sixth best returning rating in the Power 5. So understandably, Dan Mullen isn’t overly concerned about his returning quarterback. There is one passer he’s admittedly worried about though, however prematurely. “Both of [Kyle and Emory] have experience in games now. It’s great to have some experience. When you look, after that with Anthony [Richardson], he’s the one to me that missing spring right now, it’s going to be a little bit of a different curve.” Richardson, the hometown true freshman, enrolled early but didn’t get to take advantage with spring practice after the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 canceled all events. But Richardson has time, there are two ahead of him to handle whatever sort of season we will see follow this unique offseason. Kyle Trask has spent years preparing. Now he has a year of experience to help tinge his game. It’s a combination that provides a steadiness and bodes well for the Florida Gators.

This is the second in a series of position-by-position analysis of the 2020 Florida Gators When Dan Mullen surveys his running back room there is no shortage of talent. Questions? Well, that’s a totally different story. Mullen has five scholarship running backs, each with a different skill set but can he find a go to guy or use a committee approach that can give the Gators an improved running game from 2019 when the per game total was 129.77 yards, a dip of nearly 184 yards from 2018? It must be noted that some of last year’s decline in the running game had to do with the inexperience of the offensive line – there were four new starters – and the wholesale shift to the passing game (300.8 yards per game as opposed to 213.5 in 2018) once Feleipe Franks went down for the season and Kyle Trask took over at quarterback. Franks put the option element into the running game because he could turn it upfield for big yards if the opening was there. Trask had some moments when he showed he could run the ball, but usually when he ran it had to be for one of two reasons – sheer desperation or the element of surprise. Mullen reconfigured the offense to play to Trask’s strengths and the result was Florida’s best passing game since the Spurrier years. Three receivers Trask threw to last year should be picking up an NFL paycheck in the fall and a fourth has an excellent chance to make a roster. There are talented receivers coming back, but there might be less emphasis on the passing game and more on running the football if the O-line improves as much as expected and Mullen can find answers in the running backs room. Improvement in the running game should be expected if nothing more because there are four starters returning on the offensive line along with the addition of grad transfer Stewart Reese (6-5, 350), who started 34 games in his career at Mississippi State. When John Hevesy-coached O-lines have been at their best, there is great size and strength in the middle. Few O-lines anywhere in the country will have more size in the middle than the Gators with Brett Heggie (6-4, 330, RSR) at center and Ethan White (6-5, 360) and Reese at the guards. It stands to reason that better blocking up front should equate to more rushing yards, but that’s where things get a little bit tricky because Mullen doesn’t have one proven back who can do all the things Lamical Perine could do. Perine was the perfect back because he could get the tough yards to grind out first downs, could go the distance (see Auburn and Virginia) if he got a step, wasn’t afraid to stick his hat in the chest of a blitzing edge rusher and was such a good pass catcher that Mullen didn’t hesitate to split him out like a wide receiver. Mullen has five talented guys but none of them has done what Perine did. Of the returning backs, the one who has stayed healthy the last two years and who knows the Mullen offense inside-out is Dameon Pierce, but in two seasons he has only carried the ball 123 times (for 729 yards) and caught only nine passes for 50 yards. He showed against South Carolina when he broke away for an 75-yard touchdown that he is a nice combination of power and speed, but can he handle 15-20 carries a game? Can he be a threat for something other than a dump-off safety valve type of pass? And, perhaps as important as anything, can Trask depend on Pierce to pick up a corner or linebacker coming on the blitz? Before he suffered a season-ending injury as a freshman in 2017, Malik Davis had the look of a game-changer. In seven games he averaged 6.66 yards per carry (526 yards) and showed promise as a receiver (7-58). He got in three games in 2018 before he went down with a knee injury and spent last year trying to get his edge back. If he’s healthy again and hasn’t lost any of the speed he showed as a freshman, Davis has a make-you-miss quality that allows him to get to the second level and beyond. But, can he stay healthy? Has he regained his speed? Can he protect Trask? Iverson Clement is in his third year in the program and he still hasn’t made a mark. He played in two games as a redshirt freshman in 2018 and then played in six last year, mostly on special teams. As a freshman he spent some time at safety when injuries piled up, so there is always that possibility that Clement could shift over to that side of the ball again. Before spring practice was postponed it was thought this would be a make-or-break for Clement but he’s still with the program. From the few times he’s carried the ball in two years (6-65 overall, 3-48 last year), there is no question he has some speed and elusiveness but what has held him back? Is it his receiving skills? Blocking skills? Or has he just not made enough progress to move past some of the other backs in the room? NayQuan Wright played in only three games last season so he took a redshirt. Coming out of Miami Carol City, he was an elusive runner with breakaway speed and was thought to be a potential hybrid type who could be as comfortable in the slot as he was running the ball. He’s healthy and strong, but is he ready to earn a place in the regular rotation or is he going to have to spend more time on special teams this year? That brings us to the X-factor and what an X-factor Lorenzo Lingard is. A former 5-star running back out of Orange City, Lingard transferred in from Miami where he was the prize of the 2018 recruiting class and has gotten his waiver from the NCAA that will allow him to play this fall. Lingard was coming on strong at UM as a freshman (17-136, 2 TDs) when he went down with a knee injury. He spent all of 2019 recovering and took a redshirt. Coming out of high school and prior to the injury in 2018, Lingard was considered one of those lightning in a bottle types, capable of turning a routine play into go the distance. From all reports prior to the shutdown due to Covid-19, Lingard was showing off the kind of speed that should translate into game-breaker and he had added plenty of muscle to his frame. Mullen didn’t get to see Lingard in the spring, but he saw enough during pre-spring workouts to make him believe he will have a significant contributor in the fall. “I'm really excited about that because he has really positive energy, he has a great attitude and a great work ethic,” Mullen said on a recent Zoom press conference. “So I think all of those are really bright for his future, and I'm really happy he's a part of the program." Still, there are questions. Whereas if he’s healthy, Lingard should see the field a lot if not as the starter, but he hasn’t played much in two years so how long before he shakes off the rust? Can he catch the football? Can he block someone effectively? If the answers to those questions are all positive, then Mullen might have an every-down home run threat on his hands, something he really hasn’t had since he came to UF. THE SCHOLARSHIP RUNNING BACKS Malik Davis (5-11, 195, RJR) Dameon Pierce (5-10, 207, JR) Iverson Clement (5-11, 193, RSO) Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 200, RSO) NayQuan Wright (5-9, 195, RFR) ASSESSING THE POSITION: From top to bottom, there is no question this is the most talented running back room of the Mullen era at Florida and the added experience on the offensive line lends itself to serious optimism. But, with the optimism are the numerous questions that will have to be answered. Because he’s had two productive seasons in the offense, Pierce should get every opportunity to be Florida’s lead back, but Mullen does like having fresh legs in the game early on so that he can grind with the running game in the fourth quarter. Fresh legs mean at least one other back will have to step forward to form a 1-2 punch. In 2018, Mullen had a 1-2-3 punch in Jordan Scarlett (826 yards), Perine (776) and Pierce (424). A 1-2 of Pierce and Lingard would be outstanding for the Gators but if one of the other three backs can earn his way onto the field, then Mullen should have a running game effective enough to make the passing game he has with Trask even more dangerous. If Malik Davis is healthy and has regained his speed, it would give the Gators the kind of 1-2-3 they had back in 2018. All signs point to a much-improved running game in 2020. The line should be vastly improved, four of the five scholarship backs are in at least their second season with the program and then there is Lorenzo Lingard, truly an X-factor who could blow up in a positive way if he’s back to 100% healthy. Talent won’t be a factor but there are questions that have to be answered. If Dan Mullen has answers, Florida should have the best offense it has had since 2009.

A note from our editor, Buddy Martin: Although we are not bound by any policies at UF except media guidelines, we will be talking to our current customers and consulting with minority members about anything regarding our name or brand that they might find offensive or feel that it could be construed as racist. As the Florida Gators and all of college football continue to grapple with how the sport might look different this fall in the midst of a global pandemic, the Gators now know at least one major change will take place in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. As of Thursday, University of Florida President Ken Fuch’s has instructed the Gators marching and pep band along with the cheerleaders, to no longer lead and play the “Gator Bait” cheer, citing a “horrific historic racist imagery associated with the phrase.” Other schools have faced changes this week and in recent years as well. The University of Georgia revealed on Thursday their band would no longer play Tara's Theme from "Gone With the Wind." And several years ago, Ole Miss was led to end an official adoption of the Rebel mascot, although fans have long held on to the image. The UF cheer has long been used by Gator fans aimed at opponents before and during games and to describe opponents after a Gator win. It’s been a part of the lexicon since the mid-century and was even given as the name of this publication in 1980. Former Gator Lawerence Wright coined the phrase, “If you ain’t a Gator, you gator bait” following a 1995 win over FSU in The Swamp. In a letter outlining a comprehensive plan to create positive change against racism, Fuch’s said of the cheer, “While I know of no evidence of racism associated with our ‘Gator Bait’ cheer at UF sporting events, there is horrific historic racist imagery associated with the phrase. Accordingly University Athletics and the Gator Band will discontinue the use of the cheer.” You can read Fuch’s entire letter here. Following the pronouncement, Wright told Gainesville Sun’s Pat Dooley, “The Gator Nation is a culture, too,” said Wright, who is Black. “It’s not about what happened way back in the past. How about our culture? Me and the president need to sit down and talk about this.” Dooley reported that Wright received a call from the University Athletic Association to let the ’96 National Championship team member know about the decision. “I’m not going for it,” said Wright, who was planning a line of merchandise based on his phrase. “I created something for us. It’s a college football thing. It’s not a racist thing, It’s about us, the Gator Nation. And I’m Black. “What about our history as the Gator Nation? We took a program from the top five to No. 1 in the country. I think I’ve done enough, put in the sweat and tears, to get to offer my opinion about something like this.” It should be noted, as mentioned above, that Wright created the catch-phrase, not the original saying/cheer. The cheer is often used in moments meant to inspire intimidation within The Swamp, either a third down or crucial play on defense. It’s started by the band with a five chord progression and punctuated by cheerleaders leading the crowd in a yell of “Gator Bait!” However it is part and parcel separate from the Gator Chomp, which is instead just music—typically two punches that mimic the Jaws theme—and the right over left chomping motion by fans. That was not mentioned by Fuchs and given that it doesn’t rely on the “Gator Bait” phrase should not be affected or banned. The racist imagery Fuch’s mentioned stems from a label oft given to Black babies, especially during the time of slavery. They were called “gator bait” or “alligator bait” alluding their usefulness as bait while alligator hunting. There were reports widely circulated throughout newspapers in the United States in the 19th and even early 20th century of the practice but no evidence was ever given to confirm it was accepted and practiced for real. One such infamous report came out of Chipley, Florida, a town in the panhandle about three and a half hours from Gainesville. As recapped on snopes.com the article warped through American newspapers: “The headline in the September 21, 1923 Oakland Tribune reads ‘PICKANINNY BAIT LURES VORACIOUS ‘GATOR TO DEATH. And Mother Gets Her Baby Back in Perfect Condition; Also $2’. In the article T.W. Villiers chronicles the entire process of using black babies as bait and how ‘these little black morsels are more than glad to be led to the “sacrifice” and do their part in lurking the big Florida gators to their fate without suffering so much as a scratch.’ Villiers is quick to point out that the babies are brought out of the ‘water alive and whole and come out wet and laughing’ and that ‘there is nothing terrible about it, except that it is spelling death for the alligators.’ In a strange twist, Villiers reports on the hunter’s attempts to rationalize the motivation of the alligators to ‘jeopardize every hope of life for a live baby, and in the matter of color, the additional information is vouchsafed that black babies, in the estimation of the alligators, are far more refreshing, as it were, than white ones.’ “The article describes the process of placing the babies near the alligator’s haunts, with the hunters hidden behind the brush with their rifles. When the baby ‘attracts’ the gator and it exposes his ‘head and forequarters’, the hunters shoot the gator and claim their ‘prize.’ And, just in case someone happens to care about the welfare of the baby, the reader is assured that ‘Florida alligator hunters do not ever miss their targets.’ After the baby is returned to its mother, she is paid the set price of two dollars (Villiers, 1923).” Snopes—a website often used to research internet rumors, shocking claims and theories went on to explain that the article was found to be political satire, with even “Time” magazine having to print essentially a retraction a few weeks later. Whether or not Black babies actually were used to hunt alligators, evidence that sits at the Ferris State University Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia in Big Rapids, Michigan that they were at the very least referred to in such a way. Postcards, pencils and other everyday items depict Black babies, splashing around swampy areas as alligators lurk under the water with the words “alligator bait” on the product, indicating a derogatory label placed on the children. David Stirt, founder of GatorBait Magazine in 1980, told Graham Hall of Gainesville Sun, “I only know why I used the name, and if you’re asking me, had I known things 40 years ago that I know today, would it have been different? Probably. I have no way of knowing,” Stirt said. “But without the historical context back in 1980, I just considered it a fantastic cheer, and that’s why I picked it up and used it as a name.” Postcards displayed at the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia Zach Aldridge is a 2012 UF graduate, a long time Gator fan and a Black man. He covered the Gators program with WCJB TV20 in Gainesville for three years and is now with WCCB in Charlotte, North Carolina. He sat in the stands as Florida beat South Carolina on the blocked field goal in 2006, pledging his allegiance to the orange and blue from that day forward. He says he's often chanted Gator Bait in the stands or yelled it at opposing fans as they left the stadium. But after hearing of Fuchs decision and the history behind it, he feels the origin of the phrase historically is "way more than enough" to have it banned. "I guess we don't 100% know who was the one that started the Gator Bait chant to make it a cheer," said Aldridge, "so we don't know what that person, what they thinking when they thought of it. we don't know if they know about Black babies being used as bait. So you can't tie it to 'oh UF says Gator Bait and it is because of this.' But I think being that UF is Florida, Florida is where the majority of these Black babies were killed, that is a hand-in-hand correlation and that is more than enough in my opinion to stop saying that. "Even if, 'we're just saying it for football standpoint,' well yea but it's still racist and invokes times from not even 100 years ago...learning the origins of what gator bait really means in history—even if it has nothing to do with whoever created Gator Bait as a University of Florida athletics cheer, knowing that now, never, ever again do I want to say that." Other fans and alumni feel it's the school's way of "kowtowing" to political correctness and have pulled support and donations in the wake. And, as Aldridge says, "at the end of the day it's a football chant" meaning opinions will vary and all are entitled to them as such. But for Aldridge, the fact that UF was willing to take the hit for a chant is symbolic to him that they're willing to make bigger changes as well. Since the murder of George Floyd and subsequent nation wide protest, Dr. Fuchs has vowed to lead for changes at UF that will create a more open and unified environment that isn’t—even unknowingly—oppressive towards UF’s Black students and alumni. The banning of the “Gator Bait” cheer is just one of many changes Fuchs revealed on Thursday. It’s those changes that Aldridge see’s as one of many small steps forward needed to create a big change on a campus of 50k+ that has only a 6.7% of Black students. "Today I can certainly say that I am proud to be an alum of the University of Florida. For them taking and making a stance against racism and I'm hopeful for the future and look forward to the plans that Dr. Fuchs has to truly address some of the bigger issues of UF like the lack of diversity and Black students in the campus population." "At the end of the day it's a football chant. I certainly don't care that they got rid of it, I'm not upset that they got rid of it. I'm proud of them for taking a stand. I just wanna see more actionable items happen in the future."

For the first time in two months, Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen sat down with media (virtually) to update the status of his pre-season Top 10 Gators. With the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 having stalled most of everyday life since March, the Gators and every other college football team are working to find ways to prepare for a coming season while staying healthy and apart as much as possible. The Gators welcomed most of the roster back on June 8 to begin voluntary workouts and at the last update, no player that returned to campus tested positive for the virus. Athletic trainers were waiting on the final seven test results to come back as of last week. On Tuesday, Mullen said he couldn't provide updates on those final seven test citing privacy laws due to his position as coach instead of a medical professional. He did reveal though, "I know mine personally: my test result came back negative." With other schools like Texas and Alabama inching close to double digit positive test, Florida seems to be in a good position to become social distanced summer workouts. They moved the workout equipment from the inside gym to the indoor practice facility. The rolling doors remain open and each machine is spread out far from the other. And after three months at home with family cooking and no Nick Savage, Mullen says while most of the players did their best to stay in good shape, the Strength and Conditioning staff is now taking the time to evaluate each guy and push them accordingly. "I think we’ve been very slowly building back up. I don’t know if we’ve really pushed anybody just yet. We want to make sure that the guys come back in great or that if the guys didn’t come back in great shape, I never want to put anybody in any sort of danger. I think we’ve been slowly building rather testing or pushing guys to see where we’re at, how great of shape we came back in. "I think our guys, they understand what our program’s about. I think our guys, as best they could, were able to stay in shape. I know there were a lot of guys coming from different areas that had to deal with a lot of different limitations in training. I think Nick and his staff are going to do a good job building that back up, getting us ready for the season.” Typically this time of year, position coaches and Mullen are not allowed to be a part of summer workouts, throwing sessions, etc. The NCAA rule is loosely defined as "anything that involves a ball." That last until fall camp. However with schools missing spring practice and fall camps facing the potential changes due to upticks in COVID cases and/or an intense second wave, Mullen revealed the NCAA is working through proposals that would give school's more freedom with the schedule. "I think the one thing they're trying to do is give us flexibility, especially with where we're at right now. The NCAA, a lot of everything is one size fits all and everybody has to be the same. I think to be able to kind of give us the flexibility to manage within our own programs is going to give us the opportunity to best develop these young guys and prepare these young guys. It is difficult to do a one size fits all in the scenario we're in right now and for all the different programs, because everyone's in different areas, different things going on bringing players back. "I do like the flexibility they've given us. I don't know right or wrong, we'll see. They give us the outline I'm going to try to find the best way to safely develop our players, to get them physically prepared and mentally prepared for the season while we're keeping them with the No. 1 priority being their health and safety, keeping that in mind." As of now, everything is still voluntary and coaches can't be at those activities according to Mullen. All meetings are still being done virtually. "The proposal is to get the guys back on campus on July 13 and between July 1 and July 24 we would kind of go to the regular summer where we’re not observing the workouts, they’re allowed the weight room workouts and activities. We’re still allowed some meeting time. Then on July 24, really the big difference within the NCAA, is on July 24 through August 6th is the difference that they’re going to propose." The "difference" is that instead of that still being considered summer workouts time with no coaches, players can instead conduct walk-throughs on the field and the staff can hold team and individual meetings. On Wednesday, the NCAA approved the proposal meaning Mullen will now be able to officially move forward with the new timeline. "To me that is really the opportunity for the players to prepare themselves mentally, get out there through walk throughs to start getting some muscle memory to prepare for the season and start doing movements that will be involved in during the season so that our guys can kind of be prepared rolling into training camp. Training camp is supposed to start on time, August 7th, at this point. It’s those two weeks and a buildup that’s different this summer for us.”

(First in a series of position-by-position analysis of the 2020 Florida Gators) No, we’re not talking about the 1978 song made famous by Michael Lee Adday, better known as Meat Loaf. We’re talking about a quarterback room at the University of Florida where Dan Mullen has three highly skilled guys on scholarship, two of which – incumbent starter Kyle Trask and backup Emory Jones – are battle-tested and ready to go in 2020. The third, true freshman Anthony Richardson, might be the most talented of all but even though he early-enrolled back in January, the covid-19 virus wiped out spring practice where he could gotten some on-the-job training. But, as the song says, two out of three ain’t bad and it’s a far superior situation than the one Mullen faced heading into the 2019 season. Last year Mullen had an incumbent starter in Feleipe Franks who finished the 2018 season strong but Trask and Jones were the backups and both were untested. When Franks went down in game three with a season-ending ankle injury, it might have been a recipe for disaster considering Trask had only thrown 22 passes in his three previous years on the UF campus. Instead of wilting under the pressure of taking over a flat Florida offense and a loud, hostile sellout crowd in Lexington, Trask provided an immediate spark to lead the Gators to 19 straight fourth quarter points for a comeback win over Kentucky. From that shocker of a beginning, Trask led the Gators to an 11-2 season that included a win over Virginia in the Orange Bowl. With Trask as the starter and Jones coming off the bench to provide some Tim Tebow retro (as in 2006) moments as a run-pass changeup, the Florida offense finished with its best per game passing (300.8 yards) since the Spurrier years and total yardage (430.5) since Tebow’s senior season in 2009. Trask put up the best quarterback numbers since Tebow – 66.9% completion percentage; 2,941 passing yards; 8.3 yards per pass attempt; 25 touchdown passes; a mere 7 interceptions. As the backup, Jones went 25-38 passing for 267 yards and 3 touchdowns (no interceptions) while rushing for 256 yards (6.1 per carry) and 4 touchdowns. The 1-2 punch of Trask and Jones was reminiscent of 2006 when then then offensive coordinator Mullen tailored a two-quarterback system around Chris Leak and Tebow. Leak was the pure passer capable of making all the throws while Tebow was a battering ram of a runner who could also throw. In that run to the national championship, Leak threw for 2,942 yards and 23 touchdowns while Tebow came off the bench to throw for 358 and 5 TDs while rushing for 469 and eight more. If anyone knows how to mesh two different quarterback talents without upsetting the locker room it’s Mullen. The fact that he showed he hasn’t forgotten how to incorporate two diverse quarterback talents into one offense lends optimism that this 2020 team might put up the best numbers Florida fans have seen since the 2008 national championship season. The two-quarterback system will be used strategically just as it was in 2006 and again last year, but make no mistake about it, this is Kyle Trask’s team and he is a legitimate star. Nobody saw that coming when Trask was recruited to Florida by Jim McElwain out of high school in Manvel, Texas where he spent three years backing up D’Eriq King, the grad transfer quarterback that Miami expects to rejuvenate the program down in Coral Gables. After spending three seasons carrying a clipboard on the sideline, nobody saw Trask emerging when the 2019 season began, either. That was supposed to be the year Franks lived up to and beyond his high school billing. Trask played so well after Franks went down that Franks elected to transfer to Arkansas rather than duke it out in the spring to regain his old starting job. That Trask was so successful last year when thrust into the starting job may have surprised fans and media alike, but to Mullen nothing that happened was unexpected. With every successful game and Florida victory, Mullen was asked if Trask’s performances surprised him. The answer was always the same. Not in the least. The lack of surprise has everything to do with Mullen seeing Trask through two spring practices and the 2018 season. Instead of a semi-interested backup, Mullen got to see how Trask came to work every day, soaking up whatever coaching he could while preparing as if he were the starter. When the time came, Trask was more than ready to get the job done. Now that he has a year of starting experience, Mullen believes the best is yet to come. On a Zoom call with the media earlier in the week, Mullen talked about Trask’s journey from perpetual, untested backup to a cool enough customer under pressure to lead the Gators to an 11-2 season that was a handful of plays away from perfect. “So, he's now going from a guy that was preparing the right way – obviously prepared with confidence and knew he was gonna put in the time and the effort to be ready in case his number was called – to a guy now that has the confidence of having experience, has the confidence of having done it,” Mullen said. In the tough four-game 2019 gauntlet of then #7 Auburn (24-13 UF win), at then #5 and eventual national champ LSU (42-28 loss), at South Carolina (come from behind 38-27 UF win) and finally against then #8 and eventual SEC East champ Georgia (24-17 loss), Trask threw for 1,001 yards and 11 touchdowns with only a single interception. In all four of those games, Trask saw every exotic defensive look imaginable and blitzes that came from every conceivable angle. He took some monster hits and was under constant pressure yet he never seemed dazed or confused. After proving last year that he is as well prepared as any quarterback in college football, Trask enters the 2020 season the top returning passer in the Southeastern Conference and the preseason All-SEC quarterback in both the Lindy’s and Street and Smith publications. He has the experience and should have the confidence to go with it. Mullen said, “Now he's a guy that has the confidence of, 'As I'm preparing, I know what it's gonna be like out there on the field', and I think that experience will be a big help for him." The experience will also benefit Jones, who showed last year that he is more than a one-trick pony. Everybody knew Jones had speed and make-you-miss qualities when he tucked the ball and ran with it, but he showed he is a true dual threat by completing 65.8% of his passes. Opponents can’t load up the box when Jones comes into the game because Mullen won’t hesitate to let his third-year sophomore air it out. Getting more reps in spring practice certainly would have helped Jones but this will be his third year in the Mullen system and by now he’s completely comfortable in the offense, same as Trask. And, both of them have game experience in the Southeastern Conference going against some of the best defenses in all of college football. Because of the covid-19 lockdown, coaches and players weren’t able to work together on the field or in the meeting rooms but Mullen knows the work ethic of both Trask and Jones. He can be relatively certain they studied film and their playbooks as much as possible while staying in shape and throwing whenever possible. Still, it’s not the same as the on-the-field coaching and in-the-meeting room mentoring they would have gotten prior to the lockdown. “Since I haven’t been able to get out on the field with them, I don’t know if I have to get them to unlearn stuff,” Mullen said. “I have in the past with different guys who have done that, but those are the restrictions we’re under so I mean you just deal with it, keep coaching guys up and try to get then better … I have seen in the past, I'm not going to get into any specifics but guys take little steps backward." The experience factor could be just the ticket for Trask and Jones to avoid any regression. “For a guy like Kyle, everybody saw last year,” Mullen said. “He’s spent every offseason preparing. He prepared himself to be ready to go and hopefully both he and Emory have done that this year to continue to get prepared and be ready to go for that moment when their number is called to get out on the field. Both of those guys have experience in games now. It’s great to have some experience. “When you look after that with Anthony, he’s the one to me that [with] missing spring right now, it’s going to be a little bit of a different curve. But the other two, having that experience, having veteran players returning, it is. I feel pretty comfortable that they’re going to be prepared for the season and ready to go.” THE SCHOLARSHIP QUARTERBACKS Kyle Trask (6-5, 240, RSR) Emory Jones (6-3, 200, RSO) Anthony Richardson (6-4, 235, FR) ASSESSING THE POSITION: Nobody knew what to expect last year when Trask took over for Franks to start the fourth quarter of the Kentucky game. A week later against Tennessee, he proved the comeback win over UK was no fluke. By the end of the season it was obvious, no moment was too big for Trask so now he enters 2020 as the top returning quarterback in the SEC. While Mullen says he didn’t hold back any of the playbook from Trask last season, now that the Head Gator has seen his quarterback in action against SEC defenses, expect some new wrinkles that will exploit has talents further. Jones is an elusive runner and an emerging talent as a passer, enough so that opposing defensive coordinators are going to have to spend inordinate amounts of time prepping for an offense that has a completely different dynamic when he’s in the game. Trask is more of a pure passer but when Jones is in the game, the element of the option comes into play, which puts even more pressure on defenses to adjust on the fly. Richardson, it is said, is the future of Florida football. He has ideal size to go with blazing speed and bruising power. As a passer, he has a powerful arm capable of making all the tough throws. Barring injury to either Trask or Jones, expect Richardson to see action in the NCAA allowed four games that will preserve his redshirt. This is the best quarterback room Mullen has had since 2007-08 when his three scholarship quarterbacks were Tim Tebow, Johnny Brantley and Cameron Newton. Both Tebow and Newton (at Auburn in 2010) were the centerpieces of national championship teams. Two of the three guys in Mullen’s quarterback room are ready to go and as the song goes, two out of three ain’t bad.

“You can’t have enough pitching, you know.” – Former Major League Baseball catcher, scout, coach, manager and general manager Paul Richards Richards, who for decades was considered the leading expert on pitching in the majors, would have loved the dilemma facing University of Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan in 2021. Thanks to an abbreviated 5-inning Major League Baseball Draft, O’Sullivan will have his Friday and Saturday night starters returning, giving the Gators an intact weekend rotation to go with every pitcher who got into a game during Florida’s 16-1 virus shortened season that saw UF finish ranked #1 in every poll. This will be the deepest and most talented pitching staff in the country. While Richards’ axiom about pitching has held up as true throughout the years, it doesn’t say anything about finding enough innings to keep everybody happy, hence the problem O’Sullivan will face next season. For now, at least, the weekend rotation will be Tommy Mace (3-0, 1.67 ERA in 2020) on Friday, Jack Leftwich (2-0, 4.15 ERA) on Saturday and lefty Hunter Barcourt (2-0, 1.40 ERA) on Sunday. In any other draft year, both Mace and Leftwich would have been high draft picks that figured to sign minor league contracts but in this shortened draft nearly every college player taken had very little leverage. Because the NCAA is giving back all athletes in spring sports their year of eligibility from 2020, both Mace and Leftwich will be fourth year juniors in 2020 so they will still have the option to return one more season when MLB drafts again next June. Barcourt will get his freshman year back and will be eligible for the draft in 2022. Additionally, the Gators will return All-American closer Ben Specht (2-0, 3 saves, 0.75 ERA) and set-up long reliever Christian Scott (2-0, 1.20 ERA), both sophomores. Freshmen Tyler Nesbitt (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and Brandon Sproat (0-0, 1.50 ERA) both showed promise coming out of the bullpen and should be midweek starters next year. As if O’Sullivan doesn’t already have a loaded pitching staff on his hands, he has six incoming freshmen (5 righties, 1 lefty) from a recruiting class Perfect Game ranked 5th nationally. The aces of the recruiting class is lefty Timmy Manning from Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale, who regularly throws in the high 90s and has a wicked curve ball, and hard throwing righty LeBarron Johnson out of Jacksonville Paxon, who could double up as an outfielder with home run power. But while pitching is a necessity, particularly in a league as competitive as the Southeastern Conference, it helps to have some hitting. Of his hitters and position players, O’Sullivan’s only loss so far from the 2020 roster is catcher/infielder Brady Smith, who signed a free agent deal with the Texas Rangers. Left fielder Austin Langworthy (.246, 1 HR, 8 RBI), third baseman Kirby McMullen (.278, 1 HR, 10 RBI) and utility infielder Nick Blasucci (.333, 1 RBI) were seniors but all three could return thanks to the NCAA ruling. If Langworthy and McMullen return, the Gators will potentially have their entire lineup intact, led by right fielder Jacob Young (.450, 9 RBI) who will take a 16-game hitting streak into next season. Joining Young and Langworthy in the outfield will be center fielder Judd Fabian (.294, 5 HR, 13 RBI), who could be a first round selection in the 2021 draft. In the infield, Jordan Butler (.333, 2 HR, 12 RBI) will platoon at first base with Kendrick Calilao (.262, 1 HR, 10 RBI) when he’s not taking a turn as the DH or pitching as a midweek starter or late inning lefty reliever. The Gators will be strong up the middle with shortstop Josh Rivera (.299, 2 HR, 9 RBI) and second baseman Cory Acton (.192, 1 HR, 4 RBI). Nathan Hickey (.311, 4 HR, 7 RBI) will almost certainly start behind the plate. Of the recruits, the Gators will almost certainly lose outfielder Zac Veen (1st round, Colorado Rockies) and third baseman Coby Mayo (4th round, Baltimore Orioles) to professional contracts but infielders Jordan Carrion and Sterlin Thompson will have a chance to play early and often as will Wyatt Langford, who can play infield, outfield or catch in a pinch. As difficult as it might be for O’Sullivan to find innings for all his pitchers, it might be even more difficult to manage the entire roster unless the NCAA gives more clarity. Under current NCAA rules, Division I college baseball has 11.7 scholarships that can be spread among 27 players with a maximum roster of 35. Normally, roster management isn’t an issue for the Gators since they typically lose several players to the draft and free agency but no one from the 2020 roster was drafted and only one has signed a free agent contract. If Langworthy, McMullen and Blasucci all return and the NCAA doesn’t expand rosters for 2021, O’Sullivan will have some difficult decisions to make to get the roster within the limits. One thing for sure, whatever potential headaches O’Sullivan has in getting his roster trimmed or finding enough innings for his pitchers, it’s a problem 95% of all the coaches in Division I would gladly take on if given the opportunity. The Gators will take the field at the beautiful new McKethan Stadium on the west side of the UF campus almost a mortal lock to start out with the #1 national ranking and preseason favorites to bring home the second NCAA championship in school history.

We recently received this letter from a subscriber and wanted to share. Thank you to James for the kind note. Check below to see how you can give Dad the gift he'll really want this Father's Day! Our letter from a happy GatorBait customer DEAR BUDDY: I was about to cancel my GatorBait subscription, but changed my mind when you took over. Well, after a year, I'm glad I stuck with you. Arguably, this has been the toughest year in our lifetimes for any sports reporter in major news outlets, let alone the CEO of a localized outlet, focused on one college team. You and your staff deserve kudos for maintaining interest through your features and flashbacks, when there was literally no current news to report. I give you and the whole staff an "A" for your work. I truly look forward to your comments and Franz Beard's, plus the articles supplied by the rest of the staff (Kassidy Hill, Ainslie Lee). All of them do a good job. Thanks for keeping me excited about UF sports during this time. Rest assured I'll be renewing my subscription. JAMES HORER, CLASS OF 1968 WARNER ROBINS, GA. Be sure to check out all of our recent Florida Flashback pieces here! First-timers and old-timers may JOIN OR RENEW at GatorBaitMedia.com/Subscribe for access to our magazine, website and live-streaming Buddy Martin Show. https://www.gatorbaitmedia.com/subscribe

Can Justus Boone mimic the play of former Gator great Carlos Dunlap? The South Carolina native is willing to risk a move to Gainesville in order to find out. The city of Sumter, South Carolina, rolls 40,000 residents deep. This is compared to the 134,000 people who call Gainesville home. So when 2021 football commit, Justus Boone, says he grew up in a small town – he means it. Furthermore, when he says a social media interaction with former Florida Gator Carlos Dunlap meant the world to him, he means it. “I come from a real small town. We don’t get much attention,” Boone told GatorBait. “It was a really big deal… coming from him (Dunlap), he has the experience.” After all, Boone is slated to play in the same position as Dunlap: Defensive end. But to make things even sweeter, Boone nearly matches the massive size of the current Cincinnati Bengal. Boone stretches 6-foot-5 and weighs 250 pounds. Dunlap, who also came to Gainesville by way of the Palmetto State, was 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds during his final season as a Gator in 2009. And while a shout out on Twitter from Dunlap was special, it took a lot more for Boone to shy away from his dream offer – an opportunity to be a Gamecock. “It was a decision I had to make,” Boone admits. “I want to have a great college experience and South Carolina is just very close to home.” And when Boone really analyzed the play style of Florida’s defense, he found that his decision to turn the cheek to Will Muschamp and Company was becoming something with which was easier to live. “I feel like it fits me,” Boone told GatorBait. “I won’t have to change my style of play and I was promised to have an opportunity to play as a freshman.” Boone also yielded offers from Oklahoma, Penn State and Georgia, among others. But when Boone looks at the schemes of Todd Grantham, he’s sure that he can be an asset to the Gators’ already-stout defensive front. “They pass rush every down,” Boone said of the Gators. “They get after the quarterback 90-95% of the time. That’s what they do with my position 90-95% of the time.” Once the four-star prospect settled into his position at defensive end, he began to shape his craft after players like Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack and JJ Watt. And if the three of those Pro-Bowlers have anything in common, it’s their aggressiveness. And Boone has been taking notes. Admittedly, Boone nearly hung up his football cleats in effort to pursue basketball more seriously. But after transferring to a different school, he decided to lace up his cleats once more. And it wasn’t long before he remembered why he had an interest in football in the first place. “I’ll be honest, I just like the vibe, if that makes sense,” Boone explained. “I like going as hard as I want to… hitting someone as hard as I want to. I like the vibe. I can be a beast. You can’t do that in basketball without getting a call.” In his junior season at Sumter High School, he put his aggression on full display. In the 2019 season, Boone recorded 54 total tackles – 16 of which went for a loss, 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Despite being high strung on the football field, Boone is pretty reserved when not having to adopt a beast mentality. In wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Boone has been filling his time with a number of part-time jobs, one being at a local mechanic shop. “I don’t go out much,” Boone says. “I’m focused on what I want to do. I just like to do what needs to be done. I like chilling with my family, but I’m really focused on a better life.” And if Carlos Dunlap is any indication, a college career in Gainesville could be just that for Justus Boone.

BY AINSLESS LEE GATORBAIT COLUMNIST Football analysts will often say “don’t forget his name”, referring to an “under the radar” recruit. But make no mistake – no one will forget a name like Chief Borders. As a newborn with a red tint to his hair, his mom began calling him “the little red Indian”. It only seemed fitting that his parents name him “Chief” considering he’d be the man of the house when his dad would have to leave home from work. “I was the chief of the house,” Borders told GatorBait. “You put those two things together and you get Chief.” Now, a four-star recruit out of Carrollton, Georgia, Borders is ready to be a leader in Gainesville. After nabbing offers from Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Auburn and Michigan, among others, Borders committed to Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators on November 10, 2019, after watching UF dismantle Vanderbilt 56-0 in The Swamp. After announcing his commitment, Borders took to Twitter to provide an inside look at what Mullen had to say about his new outside-linebacker pledge. “We’re excited to have you here in the family,” Mullen told Borders in the video. “Special things are going to happen because there is nowhere in America where you can become the best on the field and off of the field like you can in The Swamp.” And while being a standout on the football field is important to Borders, the second half of Mullen’s statement might be the most appealing part. Though Borders will come into Gainesville by way of Carrollton, Georgia, the four-star outside linebacker hails from Chicago, Illinois. And while Borders is proud to be from The Windy City, he also admits that moving south had great impacts on his journey to SEC football. “It’s a beautiful city,” Borders says of his hometown. “But me, being a young, intelligent black man… I’ve got to make myself more open to get access to a better path. I feel like my parents did a phenomenal job getting me out of that city and that area so that I could grow and spread my wings.” In 2018, the "Chicago Tribune" reported that nearly 33,000 juveniles had been arrested over the last two decades for being affiliated with Chicago-area gangs. Being from Illinois, Borders was raised on the Fighting Illini, but called Stanford and Oregon his “dream offers” – both of which he received. But as offers began to pour in, there was something about Florida that simply stuck out when compared to the others: Florida is ranked No. 7 among public universities. As it stands, Borders will be coming to Gainesville with intentions of studying pre-med before heading to medical school. “My goal is to be the number one pediatrician in the world,” Borders told GatorBait. “And that’s on top of football. And I know I can do it.” Meanwhile, life on the football field is just as important as life in the classroom for the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Florida commit. And Borders spent no time at all making relationships with those already on Florida’s roster. Kyle Pitts, Jonathan Greenard, Jacob Copeland and Mohamoud Diabate were four Gators that really helped Borders feel at home in Gainesville. And while Borders is listed as an outside linebacker, the ESPN 300 player tabs himself as an athlete. “I plan on starting my freshman year,” Borders says. “At any position, because I’m an athlete… I’m not going to put a label on myself. I can always play outside linebacker, I can always play wide receiver, tight end, safety, strong safety… I can play anything. I’m a versatile student-athlete… That’s my pride and joy.” Borders is ranked as the 19th best outside linebacker in the country by 247Sports. He joins 17 other Florida commits, making up the seventh-best 2021 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. And according to Borders, that class is sure to grow as he and the other 2021 commitments continue to recruit alongside Mullen and Co. “I’m always working on recruiting my boys,” Borders says. “They’re going to choose their options, but if you want to come to Florida and be great, then this is the place that you want to go to. And you’ll have that degree in your hands and walk that stage. This is the place that you want to go.”