BY: KASSIDY HILL GATORBAIT COLUMNIST STAY SAFE While assembling our list of the best Florida Flashback memories from the past decade, there were a few that we kept asking, "what would that have been like from the stands?" We have a good view from the press box, yes, but there's nothing like experiencing a once in a lifetime moment with thousands of your closest friends. So for this play, we asked to hear from you, the fans. Here are your memories of the Chris Chiozza buzzer beater against Wisconsin. ...but first, a bit of background. The Florida Gators basketball program experienced it’s best season of the decade during 2013-2014…then came two years of mediocrity. The Gators and Billy Donovan didn’t make any sort of postseason tournament in 2015. New head coach Mike White and his team only made it as far as the NIT in 2016. But the following season, White earned SEC Coach of the Year for the turnaround performance and with a 24-8, 14-4 record, the Gators entered March Madness as a No. 4 seed. The Gators made easy work of ETSU in the first round and then absolutely embarrassed 5 seed Virginia in the second round. The Sweet 16 pitted Florida against an 8 seed Wisconsin Badgers. It was a 10pm tip in Madison Square Garden with a packed crowd stuffed in…all the makings for a classic March Madness. With just over two minutes in regulation, Florida led by eight. The Badgers fought back with a long ball and a layup then coming out of a timeout, Zach Showalter hit a running three pointer to tie the game with six seconds left. He turned to Aaron Rodgers in the crowd, hit the discount double check and we were headed to over time tied at 72, having already packed enough craziness in regulation to become the best game March Madness had seen thus far…and things were only getting started. With 0:36 remaining, the Gators trailed by four. Canyon Barry went to the free throw line, popped up two of his patented Granny style shots, sunk them both to make it 81-79 and then sprinted down the court on defense. He caught up with the Badgers Khalil Iverson and blocked back a shot straight into Chris Chiozza’s hands. The guard bided his time on the other end before driving in for a layup to tie the score again at 81. Florida only had one scorer in double digits—Kevaughn Allen with 35—and Chris Chiozza only took six shots all night. He made a jumper halfway through the second half, his first field goal of the night, then the layup in OT. But he will be remembered forever for the last shot he took that night, the shot that epitomized March Madness. Chiozza took the inbounds with four seconds to play. He ran the length on an island, just himself and a defender. With 0:09 to go, he left his feet, leeping just before passing the 3-point arc, and let it fly. The ball looked to hook at first, before the physics of a perfect shot became clear. With the backboard lit in red as the buzzer sounded, Chiozza’s shot flitted through the net. Benches cleared in celebration and those lucky enough to see it live still remember the moment as if it was yesterday. I was disappointed that the game had gone into overtime and we'd let Wisconsin build a significant lead. As Cheese took the ball up the floor, I thought "he's going too fast to put up a jump shot but not fast enough for a game-tying layup." Obviously, I went crazy afterwards despite being exhausted and hungry because we'd travel to NYC that afternoon from Maryland, the game had gone late, and MSG had closed all their concessions well before regulation ended. —@GatorsMamaRhino I was a little dejected leading up to the last play. We had blown a large lead in regulation. I was sitting with two other gators in the Wisconsin section. When the shot went in, I absolutely lost it and almost fell over the seats in front of me. Many hugs with complete strangers were had after the play. —@BuckelsJake I’m a New Yorker with knicks season tickets. Been to the garden 100 times. I have never before felt the pure jubilation that I felt that night. Initially we were in shock because of how quickly it happened. Wisconsin had just hit a huge shot of their own to take the lead. Our section of gator fans went insane. High fived everyone in reach. Hugged a lot of strangers. It was awesome. —@mdbrave12 I was at the Chiozza buzzer beater against Wisconsin. Lifelong Gator fan from North Jersey and I got to go with my younger brother who took after me in rooting for the gators. Such a crazy back and forth game it was an amazing game to see live and the moment Cheese’s shot went through the net was one of the most amazing moments I will ever experience. Something we will remember forever. P.S. I’m a huge Nets fan and being able to watch Cheese every night everything I could’ve asked for. —@jkaps20 On the Elite Eight Sunday the Gotham Gator Club had taken over a bar near MSG and the TVs were replaying the sweet 16 game while everyone was brunching. Everyone knew what was coming at the end, but it was still exciting and the bar fell silent as Chiozza ran down the court and lifted the shot. Then the bar exploded when the ball went in. It was almost as loud as the arena had been 2 nights earlier —@alexbeverett

WITH MLB DRAFT IN JUNE, HOW WILL THAT AFFECT UF? For the most part, Dan Mullen doesn’t have much to worry about when it comes to his 2020 football roster. Oh, a player or two might transfer out or in and there is always the possibility someone could be dismissed for breaking the rules, but he doesn’t have to worry about the NFL Draft. C.J. Henderson is the only underclassman to declare for the draft and he’s a lock to go in the first round. Mike White got good news on Monday that Scottie Lewis is coming back instead of declaring for the NBA Draft. White still waits the decisions by Keyontae Johnson and Andrew Nembhard, but if mock drafts are any indicator of things to come, Johnson has a shot at going in the second round but it’s not a particularly good one. Nobody has Nembhard in their mocks and he’s considered more of a prospect for the European leagues than the NBA. Europe will still be waiting for him no matter what choice he makes. Right now, it would seem likely that both Nembhard and Johnson will come back, which means barring an unexpected transfer, White has all 13 scholarships filled for the 2020-21 season. Consider Mullen and White extremely fortunate, particularly when you take a look at the dilemma Kevin O’Sullivan faces with the UF baseball team. When the season came to an abrupt end in early March, the Gators were ranked #1 in every single poll. In the weeks since then, the NCAA has granted another year of eligibility for all spring sports athletes. That means Florida seniors Kirby McMullen, Austin Langworthy and Nick Blasucci can all come back next year. Having those three returning would be good, but come back or leave is not a real issue. O’Sullivan has some potential problems ahead when Major League Baseball holds its annual draft, right now expected in July instead of the normal slot in June. It’s a virtual lock that O’Sullivan is going to lose the two aces of his pitching staff – junior righthanders Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich. D1baseball.com ranks Mace the #28 prospect in college baseball and Leftwich #48. If that ranking holds when MLB drafts in July, Mace will go in the first round and Leftwich either in the first or second. Since both Mace and Leftwich are proven commodities who have pitched in the Southeastern Conference, a league that the MLB scouts say is the equivalent of a mid-to-high Class A minor league, their draft positions may move higher since the high school season was cut in half in Florida and more than that in most states. Proven pitchers will take priority. As he does every time MLB holds a draft, O'Sullivan will be sweating the loss of some of the high school pitchers he signed. In his fourth-ranked recruiting class of 2020, O'Sullivan signed seven pitchers: RHP Chase Centala (6-1, 185, Tampa, FL Sickles); RHP LeBarron Johnson (6-4, 200, Jacksonville, FL Paxon); LHP Timmy Manning (6-2, 175, Pompano Beach, FL Cardinal Gibbons); RHP Jackson Nezuh (6-2, 175, St. Cloud, FL TNXL Academy); RHP Carson Pillsbury (6-3, 205, Inverness, FL Seven Rivers Christian Academy); RHP Blake Purnell (6-3, 190, Boynton Beach, FL St. Thomas Aquinas) and RHP Ryan Slater (6-3, 170, Palm Harbor, FL East Lake). Here is what Perfectgame.org says about the pitchers: Centala: Throws in the low 90s. 9.5 rating which means potentially will go in the first 10 rounds. Johnson: Throws low-to-mid 90s. 10 rating which means potentially will go in the first two rounds. Manning: Throws upper 80s with a great breaking ball. 9.5 rating. Nezuh: Throws low 90s with a good curve ball. Also middle infielder. 9.0 rating which means potentially first 10 rounds. Pillsbury: Throws upper 80s to 90. May project more as a catcher/3B. 9.0 rating. Purnell: No rating given. Also plays outfield. Slater: No rating given. Throws upper 80s. Also plays 3B/SS. The rest of the recruiting class consists of: SS Jordan Carrion (6-1, 160, Miami, FL American Heritage); 1B John (TJ) Curd (6-0, 190, Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast); C Mac Guscette (6-0, 193, Nokomis, FL Venice); SS Colby Halter (6-1, 205, Jacksonville, FL Bishop Kenny); 3B Wyatt Langford (6-1, 220, Trenton, FL); 3B Coby Mayo (6-4, 215, Coral Springs, FL Majory Stoneman Douglas); SS Tyler Shelnut (6-1, 175, Lake City, FL Fort White); SS Sterlin Thompson (6-3, 185, Ocala, FL North Marion); and OF Zac Veen (6-4, 195, Port Orange, FL Spruce Creek). Here is what Perfect Game says about the others: Carrion: Projects as a shortstop but also pitches with a 92 mph fast ball. 10 rating. Curd: Lefty who plays first, pitches and outfield. Throws upper 80s. 9.5 rating. Guscette: Excellent defensive catcher who ha good power in the gaps. 10 rating. Halter: Shortstop with good power at the plate. Also pitches with a 92 mph fast ball. Gets a 10 rating. Langford: Plays 3B, 1B, OF and catches. Serious hitter with power. Another 10 rating by Perfect Game. Mayo: Big time power hitter who is a super corner infielder. Another one with a 10 rating. Shelnut: Shortstop who also pitches with an upper 80s fast ball. Line drive hitter. Gets a 9.0 rating. Thompson: Plays the left side of the infield. Puts up big power numbers that will improve when he fills out. Another 10 rating. Veen: He could be one of the first 5-10 players selected in the MLB Draft. Lefty hitter who hits for average and power. A 10, of course. When you break down the Florida recruiting class, it’s easy to see that O’Sullivan could lose more than half these guys if they get drafted high enough. If there is an advantage it is in the fact that a late draft doesn’t give the kids much time to negotiate since school will begin in August. Not every kid drafted high will elect to sign. Here are the kids that seem more likely to sign: Veen, Manning, Mayo, Carrion, Halter and Nezuh. But, once again, the lateness of the draft probably means more of a premium on college players and that could drop down some of the highly ranked high school kids nationwide. If that happens, O’Sullivan will have a real dilemma on his hands. The scholarships if McMullen, Langworthy and Blassuci return won’t count against the 11.9 the NCAA allows. With only three seniors on a roster that was dominated by freshmen and sophomores, there will have to be some serious roster management and we could see a number of transfers. GATORS #18 IN SI.COM ALL-TOO-EARLY HOOPS RANKINGS Although the Gators didn’t get a chance to redeem themselves in March for a disappointing regular season, the Gators have a strong enough roster with the additions of three freshmen to go with redshirt transfers Anthony Duruji and Tyree Appleby to field the best roster top to bottom that Mike White has had in his five previous seasons. Jack Woo of Sports Illustrated came out with his all-too-early top 25 for the 2020-21 season with Villanova in the top spot. The Gators rank #18 with Kentucky (6) and Tennessee (12) also in the rankings from the SEC. Woo’s preseason ranking seems to fit fairly well with what ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi projects. He has the Gators a 6th-seed in the South Regional. Also making it from the SEC in Lunardi’s brackets are Kentucky (1, South), Tennessee (5, Midwest), LSU (7, East), Arkansas (8, East) and South Carolina (11, East). SI all-too-early top 25 (1) Villanova; (2) Gonzaga; (3) Baylor; (4) Virginia; (5) Creighton; (6) Kentucky; (7) Duke; (8) Iowa; (9) Kansas; (10) Texas Tech; (11) Michigan State; (12) Tennessee; (13) Houston; (14) Wisconsin; (15) Florida State; (16) Ohio State; (17) UCLA; (18) FLORIDA; (19) San Diego State; (20) Michigan; (21) North Carolina; (22) West Virginia; (23) Texas; (24) Rutgers; (25) Richmond RANDOM THOUGHTS: In a mock NFL Draft by Chris Trapasso of CBSSports.com, Florida’s CJ Henderson goes #14 in the first round to the Arizona Cardinals and edge rusher Jonathan Greenard goes to the Baltimore Raven with the 28th pick in the second round (60th overall) … Duke’s roster has taken a hit. Point guard Tre Jones and shooting guard Cassius Stanley have already declared for the NBA Draft with Vernon Carey Jr. expected to leave any day now. Also, shooting guard Alex O’Connell has transferred to Creighton … North Carolina State, which has received a basketball Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, has elected to go through the newly formed independent resolution process, convinced that it can’t get a fair hearing if it goes through the normal process with the Committee on Infractions. In this new process, the hearing is held with a panel of 15 investigators and hearing officers with no ties to the NCAA or member schools. NC State is alleged to have paid as much as $40,000 to sign Dennis Smith Jr., a one-and-done guard … Former Los Angeles Rams Clay Matthews III and Todd Gurley say the Rams owe them money and haven’t paid up … It has been 14,343 days since the last time Georgia won a national championship in football, not that anybody is actually counting or anything.

THE FIRST DOMINO FALLS: SCOTTIE LEWIS COMING BACK The first domino has fallen. Scottie Lewis announced on Twitter Monday morning that he will be returning to the University of Florida for his sophomore year rather than entering the NBA Draft. In his tweet, Lewis, who averaged 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while being named to the SEC All-Freshman team, said, “My dream of playing in the NBA is still a top priority, but my heart is in Gainesville.” The decision by Lewis leaves two question marks for the 2020 roster – sophomore point guard Andrew Nembhard and sophomore power forward Keyontae Johnson. Neither Nembhard nor Johnson have announced their intentions for the upcoming season, but both have been weighing their draft stock against the virtues of returning to UF for a third season. Of the two, Johnson is thought to be a mid-second round to undrafted while Nembhard is expected to be an undrafted free agent if he chooses to leave. A decision by both Johnson and Nembhard should be coming in the next couple of weeks. Of the two, Johnson is almost certain to come back while Nembhard might be weighing his options to leave UF to head for Europe, where his skills are a better fit than the NBA. The ambiguity of what’s next for the NBA had to have a huge impact on the decision by Lewis, who was being projected second round with a chance to work his way into the late first before the corona virus shut things down. Lewis would have almost certainly been invited to a combine and pre-draft workouts that would have allowed him to work his way into the first round where contracts are guaranteed and for a minimum of three years. Second round contracts are not guaranteed money and a two-way contract with an NBA team and the G-League only pays $75,000 with rookie minimum per game for every game on the NBA roster. With no combines or workouts on the horizon and the likelihood that the draft won’t take place until August, Lewis couldn’t afford to put off his decision. If he can put on 15-20 pounds of muscle and play an entire sophomore season like he did the final four games of the regular season, he will almost certainly be a first round choice in the 2021 draft. So, a a chance at a contract worth millions that’s guaranteed for three years or a second round contract that isn’t fully guaranteed? If for no other reason but the economics, Lewis made the prudent choice. THE UF ROSTER AS OF APRIL 7, 2020 Low Post: Omar Payne (6-10, 225, SO); Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 280, SO); Osayi Osifo (6-8, 220, JR) High post/wing: Keyontae Johnson (6-5, 235, JR); Anthony Duruji (6-8, 220, RJR) Wing: Scottie Lewis (6-5, 180, SO); Noah Locke (6-3, 205, JR); Samson Ruzhentsev (6-8, 205, FR) Combo wing/point: Tre Mann (6-4, 180, SO); Niels Lane (6-5, 195, FR) Point: Andrew Nembhard (6-5, 195, JR); Tyree Appleby (6-1, 165, RJR); Ques Glover (5-11, 175, SO) GARY PARRISH OF CBSSPORTS.COM ON THE LEWIS DECISION Garry Parrish is the best and most well-connected basketball writer in the country. Here is what he said about Scottie Lewis deciding to return to Florida for his sophomore year: “Will there be a combine? Will there be predraft workouts? Right now, nobody knows for sure. So if you’re a likely second-round pick who is on the fence about staying or going like Lewis was, and who has a real chance to improve your position with another year of school like Lewis will, and who doesn’t want to have your time in college remembered as nothing but disappointing like Lewis would’ve, why not just stay in school? Why race into an uncertain world? Why run from a good things straight into an unknown?” SIX GATORS CHOSEN IN 7-ROUND CBSSPORTS.COM MOCK DRAFT This one by Ryan Wilson is probably the worst I’ve seen and not because there are six Gators taken, but some of his selections are so radically different than some of the mocks I’ve seen. For example, he has the Los Angeles Chargers passing on a QB until the fourth round and the New England Patriots picking Utah State QB Jordan Love in the first. Yeah, right. But, here are the Gators who Wilson has going in the draft on April 23-26. Round 1, pick 17: C.J. Henderson, CB, Dallas Round 3, pick 22 (86 overall): Jabari Zuniga, EDGE, Buffalo Round 3, pick 23 (87 overall): Van Jefferson, WR, New England Round 3, pick 26 (90 overall): Jonathan Greenard, EDGE, Houston Round 6, pick 35 (214 overall): Lamical Perine, RB, Seattle Round 7, pick 28 (242 overall): Tyrie Cleveland, WR, Green Bay AL KALINE IS DEAD AND I DON’T FEEL SO GOOD MYSELF Unless you grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, the name Al Kaline probably doesn’t mean much. Oh, if you follow baseball, then you know he is in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown but probably not much else. Let me tell you a little bit about him. He went straight from high school graduation in Baltimore to the Major Leagues and never spent a day in the minors. Two years after his debut with the Detroit Tigers, he became the youngest winner in baseball history of a batting championship when he hit .340. He also had 200 hits and hit 27 homers with 102 RBI. In 680 at bats, he only struck out 55 times. He finished second in the MVP voting to Yogi Berra. Not bad for a 20-year-old. During his 22-year career, Kaline had 3,007 hits and 399 home runs. He struck out only 1,020 times in his entire career. During his career, he won 10 gold gloves. The only player in the game who played right field better was Roberto Clemente. They both had lethal throwing arms. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer. I want to share a couple of things with you that might tell you why I hold Kaline in such high esteem. The Tigers made the World Series only one time in Kaline’s career. Everybody remembers how Denny McClain won 31 games that year and how Mickey Lolich won three games in the World Series as the Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Kaline broke his arm that season and when he came back, the Tigers were playing so well that manager Mayo Smith didn’t want to make a big change to his lineup so Kaline filled in mostly at first base or pinch-hit. Then came the World Series and Kaline went to his manager and told him he didn’t deserve to start. Mayo Smith didn’t pay attention and started Kaline in right field all seven games. He hit .379 with two homers and eight RBI to help the Tigers win their first World Series since 1945. The second thing I wish to share is a bit more personal. In the spring of 1962 when I was living in Sanford, my dad took me to Orlando on a Sunday to see an exhibition game between the Tigers and the Minnesota Twins at Tinker Field. Our seats were right beside the Tigers dugout. Following batting practice, several of the Tigers came over to the horde of kids standing past the dugout down the third base line who wanted autographs. Before I got out of our box to join them, the man sitting next to us wearing a Tigers cap, grabbed me gently by the arm and pointed out Al Kaline to me. He said, “If you go over there to him and you’re polite – call him Mr. Kaline; don’t call him Al – he’ll sign your program, your ball or your baseball card." I had a program and an Al Kaline baseball card. Kids were yelling, “Sign this Al! Sign this!” I managed to catch his eye, held up my program and card and asked, “Can I have your autograph Mr. Kaline?” He smiled, signed both the program and the card, and then patted me on the head when I said, “Thank you!” When I got back to my seats, the man in the Tigers cap grinned and said, “Al’s a gentleman. He appreciates when folks are polite.” When the game was over (Tigers won, 6-4, if I recall, on a homer by Jake Wood), we waited outside the Detroit locker room as players trickled out and headed to the buses that would take them back to Lakeland. I got autographs from Norm Cash, Billy Bruton and Rocky Colavito as a lefty pitcher named Don Mossi (one of my best friends had a Don Mossi autographed baseball glove so I couldn’t wait to show him the next day at Lake Mary School). We were about to leave when Al Kaline came out of the locker room so I asked my dad if we could stay another few minutes. Kaline signed some more autographs and when he came by where I was standing with my dad he smiled and nodded. When you’re 10 years old, you remember when a guy like Al Kaline smiles and nods his head at you. I’ve spent a lot of my life in press boxes and I’ve dealt with a lot of jerks, but I always have remembered the nice guys. Al Kaline is one of the nice guys I’ll never forget. RANDOM THOUGHTS: The NFL will draft in 16 days in virtual format. All the teams will be drafting from their homes and there will be no group gatherings. The draft won’t be nearly as exciting in this format, but I’m sure commish Roger Goodell won’t mind not hearing boos every time he shows his face … ESPN draft guy (I just can’t bring myself to call him guru) Todd McShay rates Florida’s CJ Henderson as the #2 cornerback and UF running back Lamical Perine as the #7 running back … Todd Helton, the former Tennessee QB turned Major League Baseball star, got two days in jail for a DUI … Kentucky freshman guard Tyrese Maxey will sign with an agent and enter the NBA Draft … It has been a mere 14,341 days since the University of Georgia last won a national championship in football. Not that anybody’s actually counting or anything, but since Georgia last won a national championship, Alabama has won six, Florida and LSU have won three each and both Tennessee and Auburn have won one.

ASSESSING THE RUNNING BACK POSITION IN THE SEC FOR 2020 FLORIDA: This is a position that could go from pretty good to outstanding if Miami transfer Lorenzo Lingard (a) receives a waiver to play immediately and (b) has recovered all of his speed after a knee injury in 2018. If he’s healthy and able to play, he’s a game-changer. Then there is the saga of the ever-elusive 5-star Zachary Evans (6-0, 200, Houston, TX North Shore), the one-time Georgia commit, who could very well be a Gator if they can ever get him on campus for an official visit. COVID-19 torpedoed his visit in March. It’s not like the running game is devoid of talent without those two although you have to wonder who’s going to be the receiver out of the backfield to pick up the slack from the graduated Lamical Perine, who will play on Sundays. Dameon Pierce (career 729 yards rushing, 6 TDs; 9-50 receiving, 1 TD) could be a workhorse between the tackles. Malik Davis (career 783 rushing yards, 3 TDs; 16-132 receiving) has to show he can (a) stay healthy and (b) regain the form that made him so explosive as a freshman (before he got hurt). It’s probably a make or break year for Iverson Clement and Nay’Quan Wright might find himself spending more time in the slot. Returning: Dameon Pierce (5-10, 207, JR); Malik Davis (5-11, 195, RJR); Iverson Clement (5-11, 193, RSO); Nay’Quan Wright (5-9, 195, RFR) Newbies: Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 200, RSO) ALABAMA: Alabama is the most stacked team at running back in the country, led by seniors Najee Harris (1,224 rushing yards, 13 TDs; 27-304 receiving, 7 TDs) and Brian Robinson Jr. (441 rushing yards, 5 TDs; 11-124 receiving). Harris and Robinson are one serious 1-2 punch. Redshirt freshman Trey Sanders was the top running back in the country coming out of high school, but he blew out his knee and had to redshirt in 2019. He will see the football if he’s back up to speed. Bama signed a pair of 4-stars in Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams, both ranked among the top 40 high school players in the nation. Returning: Najee Harris (6-2, 230, SR); Brian Robinson Jr. (6-1, 226, SR); Keilan Robinson (5-9, 190, SO); Trey Sanders (6-0, 214, RFR) Newbies: Jase McClellan (5-11, 202, FR); Roydell Williams (5-10, 202, FR) ARKANSAS: There was good news and bad news for new head coach Sam Pittman. The good news was Rakeem Boyd (1,133 rushing yards, 8 TDs; 19-160 receiving) announced he’s returning. The bad news was the only other experienced back, Chase Hayden, transferred out. Making matters worse, T.J. Hammonds (65 rushing yards; 4-10 receiving) is suspended the first four games of 2020. Returning: Rakeem Boyd (6-0, 213, SR); T.J. Hammonds (5-10, 190, SR) Newbies: Dominique Johnson (6-1, 230, FR); Dominique Jackson (6-1, 205). AUBURN: It will be interesting to see how the Auburn offense evolves under new coordinator Chad Morris, who ran wide open passing schemes as the head coach at Arkansas and before that at SMU. Whatever the scheme, Auburn will be running the ball without Bobbie Whitlow, who was dangerous and productive when healthy. When Whitlow got hurt last year, true freshman D.J. Williams (400 rushing yards, 2 TDs; 5-32 receiving) showed a lot of promise. Shaun Shivers (286 rushing yards, 3 TDs) is a make you miss, outside the tackles guy who should prove productive in the passing game. Freshman Tank Bigsby is expected to contribute immediately and perhaps surpass Williams as the starter. Returning: D.J. Williams (5-10, 216, SO); Shaun Shivers (5-7, 179, JR); Harold Joiner (6-4, 215, SO) Newbies: Tank Bigsby (6-0, 210, FR) GEORGIA: Coming out of high school in 2018, Zamir White was the #1 high school running back in the country, but he was injured and took a redshirt. As D’Andre Swift’s caddy last year, White (408 rushing yards, 3 TDs) showed a lot of promise, especially in the Sugar Bowl when he ran for 92 yards against Baylor. The backups are James Cook (188 rushing yards, 2 TDs; 16-132 receiving) and Kenny McIntosh (174 rushing yards, 2 TDs). The job is White’s to lose but he will be pushed hard by incoming freshman Kendall Milton. Returning: Zamir White (6-0, 215, RSO); James Cook (5-11, 190, JR); Kenny McIntosh (6-1, 210, SO) Newbies: Kendall Milton (6-2, 215, FR); Daijun Edwards (5-10, 201, FR) KENTUCKY: The Wildcats have quietly built up a stockpile of running backs that ranks as the second best group in the SEC behind Alabama. Senior AJ Rose (826 rushing yards, 6 TDs; 11-67 receiving) will be the featured back, but it will be a three-headed monster with Kavosiey Smoke (616 rushing yards, 6 TDs) and Chris Rodriguez Jr. (533 rushing yards, 6 TDs) getting their fair share of carries. Kentucky signed three running backs but HBC Mark Stoops likes to redshirt his backs so it’s doubtful any of them play unless there is an injury. Returning: AJ Rose (6-1, 210, SR); Kavosiey Smoke (5-9, 225, RS); Chris Rodriguez Jr. (5-11, 224, RFR); Travis Tisdale (5-9, 175, RFR) Newbies: Torrance Davis (6-2, 220, FR); Michael Drennen II (5-11, 196, FR); Jutah McClain (5-10, 180, FR) LSU: Not only does LSU have to replace Heisman Trophy QB Joe Burrow and offensive guru Joe Brady, but the Tigers lost the most productive back in the nation in Clyde Edwards-Helaire (1,414 rushing yards, 16 TDs; 55-453, 1 TD receiving). Tyrion Davis-Price (295 rushing yards, 6 TDs; 10-74 receiving); John Emery Jr. (188 yards, 4 TDs; 6-60 rushing) and Chris Curry (186 rushing yards) have lots of talent (Emery was the nation’s #2 running back coming out of high school; Price #8; Curry #15) but they better stay healthy since LSU didn’t sign a running back in the 2020 recruiting cycle. Returning: Tyrion Davis-Price (6-1, 226, SO); John Emery Jr. (6-0, 203, SO); Chris Curry (6-0, 215, RSO) Newbies: None. MISSISSIPPI STATE: The Bulldogs switch to the Air Raid under Mike Leach, which means they might throw it 60 times a game but they will still run the ball. Kylin Hill (1,350 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns; 18-180, 1 TD receiving) is second only to Alabama’s Najee Harris as the league’s most complete returning back. He elected to come back for his senior year to show the pro scouts what he can do as an every down back. The backups are iffy. Freshman Jo’Quavious Marks will see the field a lot if he can catch the football. Returning: Kylin Hill (5-11, 215, SR); Lee Witherspoon (5-10, 205, SO); Kareem Walker (6-2, 225, RJR) Newbies: Jo’Quavious Marks (5-10, 190, FR) MISSOURI: After seeing what new Mizzou HBC Eli Drinkwitz did with Darrynton Evans last year at Appalachian State (1,484 rushing yards, 18 TDs; 21-198 receiving, 5 TDs), Larry Rountree III (2,748 career rushing yards, 26 TDs; 32-179 receiving) must be licking his chops. Backup Tyler Badie (457 rushing yards, 3 TDs; 32-356 receiving, 5 TDs) is an excellent change of pace back who is terrific out of the backfield in the passing game. Dawson Downing is a serviceable backup (227 rushing yards, 1 TD) who can block. Returning: Larry Rountree III (5-10, 210, SR); Tyler Badie (5-9, 190, JR); Dawson Downing (6-0, 225, SR); Simi Bakare (5-11, 205, JR) Newbies: Elijah Young (5-9, 175, FR) OLE MISS: Not only does new HBC Lane Kiffin inherit one of the nation’s most prolific running QBs in the country in John Rhys-Plumlee, but two sophomores with explosive potential in Jerrion Ealy (722 rushing yards, 6 TDs; 20-172 receiving, 1 TD) and Snoop Conner (512 rushing yards, 5 TDs; 6-60 receiving). Kiffin added an excellent make you miss type in freshman Henry Parrish out of Miami. Ole Miss might run the ball 70% of the time with this group. Returning: Jerrion Ealy (5-9, 180, SO); Snoop Conner (5-10, 215, SO); Isaiah Woullard (5-9, 200, JR) Newbies: Henry Parrish (5-10, 190, FR) SOUTH CAROLINA: Will Muschamp scrapped the old offense and brought in former Colorado State HBC Mike Bobo, for years Mark Richt’s OC at Georgia, to start fresh. You might as well pencil in freshman MarShawn Lloyd as the starter from day one. He was the #5 running back among high school seniors in the nation last year. Muschamp also landed ZaQuandre Wright, the nation’s top juco running back. Kevin Harris (179 rushing yards, 4 TDs) is a tough runner between the tackles who will get carries. Returning: Deshawn Fenwick (6-1, 230, RSO); Kevin Harris (5-11, 230, SO) Newbies: MarShawn Lloyd (5-9, 211, FR); Rashad Amos (6-0, 213, FR); ZaQuandre Wright (6-1, 200, JR/Juco) TENNESSEE: The Vols got a lot of productivity by splitting the carries between Ty Chandler (655 rushing yards, 3 TDs; 13-63 receiving); Eric Gray (539 yards rushing, 4 TDs; 13-115 receiving, 1 TD) and Tim Jordan (428 rushing yards, 1 TD; 6-46 receiving) last year. None of these guys are real breakaway threats but they move the chains and don’t fumble. There is no reason to believe things will be any different this year. Incoming freshmen Tee Hodge and Jabari Small will most likely redshirt. Returning: Ty Chandler (5-11, 201, SR); Eric Gray (5-10, 195, SO); Tim Jordan (5-11, 203, SR) Newbies: Tee Hodge (6-0, 216, FR); Jabari Small (5-10, 193, FR) TEXAS A&M: When Jashaun Corbin (since transferred to FSU) went down in game two with an injury, Jimbo Fisher basically turned the running game over to freshman Isaiah Spiller (946 rushing yards, 10 TDs; 29-203 receiving). Backup duties were handled by Cordarrian Richardson (232 rushing yards, 4 TDs; 1-17 receiving, 1 TD), who came back after missing 2018 with an injury to average 9.28 per carry. Juco transfer Earnest Crownover will probably get some carries. Returning: Isaiah Spiller (6-1, 220, SO); Cordarrian Richardson (6-0, 240, RJR) Newbies: Devon Achane (5-9, 170, FR); Deondre Jackson (5-11, 211, FR); Earnest Crownover (6-1, 220, JR/Juco) VANDERBILT: Situation grim. Ke’Shawn Vaughn is gone and so is the Vandy running game unless Jamauri Wakefield (353 yards in 2018) can bounce back from an injury in game one of last year. The most experience back from last year is Keyon Brooks (252 rushing yards, 1 TD; 16-57 receiving). None of these guys have anything close to the breakaway speed in the running game or the open field ability in the passing game of Vaughn. Returning: Jamauri Wakefield (6-1, 220, RJR); Keyon Brooks (6-1, 202, SO); Ja’Veon Marlow (5-11, 190, RFR); J.R. Tran-Reno (6-1,200, RFR) Newbies: Rocko Griffin (5-9, 187, FR) RATING THE RUNNING BACKS BY POSITION IN THE SEC 1. Alabama 2. Kentucky 3. Missouri 4. Georgia 5. Ole Miss 6. Tennessee 7. Mississippi State 8. Texas A&M 9. Florida 10. Auburn 11. LSU 12. South Carolina 13. Arkansas 14. Vanderbilt

For Freddie Swain, it was the tale of two halves. And by that, I don’t mean two 30-minute pieces of a football game that are separated by a 15-minute trip to the locker room. Instead, I mean two halves of a college football career. After all, Swain’s time spent as an underclassman and his time spent as an upperclassman were vastly different. His coach was different. His role was different. His attitude was different. “My first two years… I started to… I won’t say I lost the love for the game… but I wasn’t Freddie,” Swain said between stammers. In his first two seasons as a Gator, Swain trudged along in Jim McElwain’s offense. In 2016 and 2017, Swain’s statline combined for 16 receptions for 214 yards and just three touchdowns. But when Dan Mullen returned to Gainesville prior to the 2018 season, all of that changed for the Ocala native. As Swain recalls, a meeting between the wide receiver corps, Mullen and wide receivers’ coach Billy Gonzalez helped him flip the switch. “Coach G had just went off, like, on all of us,” Swain said with a chuckle. “We were all looking at each other because he just snapped on everybody. Ever since then… I knew when they came in that I had a fresh slate. Everybody’s even. Let’s grind.” And so Freddie Swain grinded. As he recalls, fine-tuning the little things was the difference-maker under Mullen and Gonzalez’s watch. “The little things is what aggravates them and ticks them off,” Swain said. “You have to have the little things done in order to get the big things done -- which transitions to life, you know? You can’t cut corners in anything. If you cut a corner, you end up just cheating yourself. They just teach you different rules and principles of the game that you can translate to life and I couldn’t ask for a better staff.” Whether it was honing in on the little things with the guidance of Florida’s revamped coaching staff or something in the Gatorade, Swain saw a massive jump in production. In his junior season alone, Swain amassed 265 yards and five touchdowns on 14 receptions. Those numbers leaped again come 2019 when the senior hauled in 38 receptions for 517 yards and seven trips to the endzone. With the help of Mullen and Co., Freddie Swain was feeling like Freddie again. “I’ve never looked back,” Swain said. “I got back to ‘old Freddie’. I started loving the game again and obviously it worked out for me.” Yet, despite the many differences and the evolution of a young man both on and off of the football field, Swain found stability in those closest to him -- those same guys who sheepishly looked at each other while Billy Gonzalez ripped into them shortly after Mullen’s arrival to campus. Swain, Tyrie Cleveland and Josh Hammond came to Florida together. They endured some of the lowest of lows together -- including a 4-7 season in 2017, followed by a coaching search. Van Jefferson transferred into Gainesville in the 2017 offseason, representing the first of many transfer portal successes for Dan Mullen. And while they might not have all come together, the quartet of Gator receivers leave together -- and with them, a legacy of unselfishness. “You can’t find another group of guys that has done the things that we have done,” Swain reflected. “None of us ever complained, or none of us ever got mad at each other because somebody else had so many catches. We just had so close of a bond that no one really… like that just didn’t matter.” Despite both being team captains, Swain and Hammond alternated who started each week. “One question I can’t answer for you is how many games either one of them have started this year,” Dan Mullen said of Swain and Hammond back in November. “I would have no idea.” Chances are, Swain and Hammond couldn’t tell you either. “I would always tell them, ‘Whatever is meant to be, is going to happen.’,” Swain said. “Coach G would tell us all the time ‘Make sure that you put a stamp on everything that you do.’ And I can’t stress it enough, I played with a great group of guys my senior year and I couldn’t ask for more.” Now, Swain and his brothers await Draft day. And to them, it’s nothing but another opportunity to tackle together. And for Swain, specifically, it’s just another reminder that the “old Freddie” is back -- and here to stay.

MAYBE IT’S TIME TO RE-THINK DIVISION I COLLEGE FOOTBALL “We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster.” – Oscar Goldman at the opening of every episode of the TV series “The Six Million Dollar Man.” If you were alive in the 1970s, then you remember the show which starred former University of Indiana football player (and Farrah Fawcett’s husband at one time) Lee Majors. The show was an adaptation of the novel Cyborg written by former Gainesville resident Martin Caiden. Majors is an astronaut who almost dies in the crash back to earth of a spacecraft. Barely alive, he is rebuilt better, faster and stronger. So fast forward to 2020. That show is a distant memory, but maybe it’s time to apply Oscar Goldman’s quote to Division I college football. When the corona virus is over, college sports will be on life support unless football is played again. It is entirely possible entire athletic programs will have to be scrapped not just because of the virus, but because they’re based on a rather unhealthy economic model. Not enough teams operate in the black and way too many are living on borrowed time, so maybe it’s a good time to re-think what we’re doing. Since college football is the engine that drives the economics of college sports as we know them, maybe it can be rebuilt. Maybe it can be made better than it was and perhaps this is the ideal time to do it. Since football and every other sport is on sabbatical, this is the perfect time for the best and brightest minds in college sports to begin thinking things through to come up with a model that is far more sustainable. Maybe what they come up with won’t be bigger than what we have now in Division I, but bigger isn’t always better. A more streamlined approach seems like a far superior idea. When football does come back – whether that’s in the fall or next spring – it will be with modifications starting with a shortened schedule. Whether fall or spring there will be college football because the football-derived money makes it possible to have women’s athletic programs and non-profit sports, which, in most cases, is everything but football. It seems unlikely that there will be time to play the full 12-game schedules that are currently in place so the season will have to be shortened. A conference-only schedule has been mentioned, but if that were to happen Notre Dame, BYU and Army would be left out since they don’t have a league affiliation. Try playing a college football season without Notre Dame. That won’t happen and that’s a check you can cash at any bank. Navy is a member of the American Athletic Conference; Army is an independent. Try playing college football without the Army-Navy game. Then you have traditional inter-conference rivalries such as Southern Cal-Notre Dame, Florida-Florida State, Georgia-Georgia Tech and Clemson-South Carolina, games that would be eliminated in a conference-only schedule. The SEC and ACC play eight game conference schedules. The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 play nine game schedules. The answer to the scheduling disparity seems to be a 10-game schedule, which would eliminate the paycheck games. Those paycheck games get more TV money for the Power Five conference teams and they help balance the books for Division I bottom feeders and D1AA teams that stand on the street corners of the coaches conventions with signs “Will take a brutal beating for a rather large paycheck.” A corona-induced scheduling model might serve as a ventilator that breathes clean air into the lungs of college football since the paycheck games would be eliminated. For years, I’ve been hearing fans complain about sitting in the hot sun at noon to watch the Gators play Western Walla Walla or some other directional school. Scott Stricklin hears the complaints. He knows the fans want competitive games against decent teams, not 84-7 blowout wins against teams that have perhaps one or two players who could actually make the Florida roster. If we stick much longer with the current system in which 130 teams are part of Division I, it will be death by a thousand cuts. It could continue to work for awhile, but Stricklin and the other ADs around the country know the effect empty seats have on the bottom line. Plus, pressure continues to mount to upgrade scheduling for both television and playoff purposes. Strength of schedule does indeed matter, which means those games with the bottom feeders and D1AA teams are going to be squeezed out of the regular season. As Jeremy Foley used to say, “What should be done eventually must be done immediately.” In the case of college football, it would seem that lopping off 30 or more teams from Division I is going to be done eventually, so why not now? Half of Division I is made up of the 65 teams that make up the Power Five Conferences – 14 from the SEC, ACC and Big 10, 12 from the Pac-12 and 10 from the Big 12, and Notre Dame. Call these 65 teams The Haves. The Haves could split off and have their own exclusive division. That has been suggested more than once. After all The Haves have a playoff system that makes it virtually impossible for teams outside of their exclusive club to crash the College Football Playoff party. In recent years it has been suggested that the other half of Division I – the Group of Five they are called but The Have Nots is a better name – should have their own playoff to determine a real national champion. That would eliminate the embarrassment of a dreamed up national championship like the one claimed by UCF. Give The Have Nots a shot at their own national championship and it might generate enough interest in their games to make up for the beatings they don’t have to take at the hands of The Haves. Give those teams in Conference USA and the Sun Belt incentive to play for a championship and maybe their smaller stadiums become a Saturday zoo where the tickets are a hot item and sellouts, not empty seats, are the norm. Since we already have a national championship crowned in divisions IAA, II and III, who’s to say we can’t have one more? Nobody ever says all those D1AA titles won by North Dakota State aren’t legitimate national championships worthy of banners and signs proclaiming the accomplishment. The Group of Five national champion? Not a bad idea but does it make for a better Division I product? Maybe on paper, but we still have the same old problem – too many teams in Division I. The only way to actually improve Division I for the better is to come up with a model that adds maybe 35 teams to the 65 from the power conferences. I advocated years ago for eight 12-team conferences with the conference championship game serving as the first round of the playoff followed by four quarter-final games that pit eight conference champions against each other. I like that idea a whole lot better than the current four-team model that guarantees at least one champ from a power conference sits out the playoff but when I came up with an 8X12 model there was no such thing as a 14-team league like we have now in the SEC, ACC and Big Ten. Still, even though an 8X12 model won’t work, you could come up with an eight-conference model that would if Division I shrunk to 100 members. To do it, Notre Dame would have to be dragged kicking and screaming into a conference. Think of this juicy possibility. If Notre Dame and BYU joined the Big 12 you could have games between the Catholics, Mormons, Baptists and whatever Protestant denomination TCU is. The Mountain West could remain at its current 12 teams and the American could expand to 12 by adding Army since Navy is already in the league. That would leave room for one 12-team league made up of teams from Conference USA, the Sun Belt, the MAC and leftover independents such as Liberty. I think the teams in that final 12-team league would all have to have a stadium that seats at least 30,000 or an average attendance of 25,000. I’ve always believed that if you can’t meet those kind of minimums you shouldn’t be playing Division I football anyway. Paycheck games would be eliminated in the fall, but you could still have them in the spring. Instead of four 12-minute quarters with a running clock, half of which is played by walk-ons who will maybe see a combined four minutes on the field in the regular season, you could play a real game against that bottom feeder or a team from D1AA. You’d have a better chance of filling Florida Field for The Citadel in April than you would at 12 noon in September. Plus, playing in the spring would be ideal since the game wouldn’t count. You wouldn’t have Appalachian State over Michigan (2007) or Georgia Southern over Florida (2013) or Northern Iowa over Iowa State (2019). For the D1AA teams, they wouldn’t have to take a road trip for what is typically a serious beating that might affect their chances to compete in their own conference. I do believe college football is in need of some changes and what better time to begin the process of change than now when there is no football due to the corona virus. At least start giving serious thought to how change can be implemented in a way that will make sense for everyone. Another championship layer isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but it seems to be putting a band-aid on an open sore. Trimming the number of teams that compete in Division I seems to me a much better idea even if it means calling Notre Dame’s bluff on conference membership. There are some very smart athletic directors who understand the bottom line all too well. The current model with 130 Division I teams isn’t sustainable over the long haul so it’s time to start finding a creative solution that can strengthen both Division I and Division IAA.

By FRANZ BEARD GATORBAIT SENIOR COLUMNIST Once Urban Meyer left Florida after the 2010 season, Florida football went into a seven-year period of uncertainty before staging a dramatic recovery the last two years with Dan Mullen as head coach. Recruiting had much to do with the difficult years. Recruiting guru Jason Higdon of 1standtenflorida.com answers questions about recruiting from 2011-19. Q: How would you assess the recruiting classes of Will Muschamp? What were the strengths? The weaknesses? On paper, Muschamp and crew brought in some highly ranked players such as quarterbacks Jeff Driskel, Jacoby Brissett, signed in 2011. Muschamp turned it up a notch in 2012 with high-end players such as DJ Humphries, Jonathan Bullard, and Dante Fowler. Players like Marcus Maye and Brian Poole were a staple in the secondary. He also brought in the #1 TE in America in Kent Taylor, who didn’t pan out. In 2013 he landed Vernon Hargreaves, Kelvin Taylor, Alex Anzalone, Keanu Neal, and Jarrad Davis and followed that up in 2014 with Teez Tabor and Will Grier. Things did not work with Grier, but the most significant issue Muschamp faced during his four-year coaching career with the Gators was not the quantity he top-tier players he brought in, but the overall quality top to bottom. Q. Who were the three biggest recruits of the Muschamp era? What is the one that got away that comes to mind most often? Dante Fowler, DJ Humphries, and Vernon Hargreaves were the three most significant prospects he signed in my mind. The one that got away was Dalvin Cook (FSU). That was huge. Q: How would you assess the recruiting classes of Jim McElwain? Strengths? Weaknesses? For all the grief, McElwain brought in some big-time players for UF that are still making a massive impact on the team. In 2015, Martez Ivey, CeeCee Jefferson, Jordan Scarlett, Antonio Callaway, and Jabari Zuniga. In 2016, Tyrie Cleveland, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask, Freddie Swain, Josh Hammond, Lamical Perine and David Reese. Think about those lists of names and the impact they have had for UF and will continue to have assuming we play this season. In the third class, he fell into a quantity issue, but still, he landed CJ Henderson, Marco Wilson, and Shawn Davis. Q: Who were the three biggest recruits of the McElwain era? Who are the three most important recruits that got away? I think his three most prominent players would be Ivey, Jefferson, and CJ Henderson who all came in one class. Several good ones got away. McElwain, like Muschamp, meant well, but they just were not designed to be the head coach at the University of Florida. Q: Looking at the seven years of Muschamp and McElwain, how would you assess Florida's recruiting? I think they did okay as a group with McElwain recruiting head and shoulders above Muschamp. Up and down the roster, there are plenty of impact players that McElwain landed. Q: How big a mess did Dan Mullen inherit? The roster was not up to speed in regards to the top tier teams in the SEC when Dan arrived, but there were talented players on both sides of the ball like Zuniga and Henderson. There was Trask at the most critical position in the game. I remember getting calls from friends in the industry when McElwain took Trask – people told me what a joke of a decision that was at the time. Well? I guess McElwain was right, after all. Q: Looking back on what Mullen inherited and where the Gators are now in recruiting, has he been able to (a) fill the gaps in the roster and (b) get Florida recruiting on a track where the Gators will be consistently landing classes that rank in the top ten? The first thing, and I mean the very first thing a new coaching staff must do when he is hired, is roster turnover. Natural Recruiting Attrition needs to happen, and until that happens, we will not be able to paint a full picture. I think when you are at a school like Florida, you will continuously find yourself in the top 10 on NSD. To be truly elite, best of the best, you will need to every so often find yourself in the top 3 on NSD. I think Florida is one class away from genuinely having an elite roster. Yes, they need to hit on a few spots this cycle, but Dan is very close to having a competition at every position. Q: It is said that winning cures all ills, particularly when it comes to recruiting. Just how important have the last two years been in helping restore Florida's presence in the living rooms of top recruits? It is crucial for sure, but more important are relationships, location, and playing time. UF can check all the boxes. They need to continue to outwork the other schools. Recruiting is not for the faint of heart; it is a grown man's game. They can't let up for one second. They are recruiting against Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia, not Miami, Florida State and Tennessee. Unfortunately, the three teams that recruit the same kids as UF are Clemson, Alabama, and Ohio State. UF must maintain the ability to go toe-to-toe with those schools if they want to compete for national titles.

Tough to follow his 2 national championships. WHEN IT ALL BEGAN IN 2010: There was no way to follow his two national championships in the new decade, but Will Muschamp tried. And Johnny Brantley had even bigger shoes to fill: Tim Tebow’s. EDITOR’S NOTE: One in a series on Florida Football Flashback, reflecting on the past 10 years. BY: BUDDY MARTIN GATORBAIT EDITOR STAY SAFE The year 2010 began the glory downturn and signified the first of the Four M’s Coaches Decade. After three national championships in 13 seasons, Gator fans were feeling pretty much entitled. What Steve Spurrier did in ’96 and Urban Meyer did in ’06 and ‘08, surely the next coach would be able to duplicate in Gainesville, right? Ten years and three coaches after Meyer, this just in: National Championships aren’t falling off the back of turnip trucks these days. Which makes the Meyer era even more incredible. Almost nobody saw his success coming that quickly. And almost nobody would have guessed that it would end so quickly – let alone HOW it ended. We’re not focusing on the re-litigation of the Meyer Regime, however it may be judged. One thing for certain though – the trap door slammed on the most successful four-year run in Florida football history in dramatic fashion. I was somewhat privileged to have a front row seat of Urban’s final days due to my relationship as official biographer of “Urban’s Way.” At the moment, however, we’re focusing on the end of the 2009 season as it led into the first year of the new decade, starting in 2010, when Urban quit, un-quit, coached the 2010 season, then quit again. Confusing though it may be, probably what Meyer should have done was to stay committed to the resignation he first made to Jeremy Foley instead of exercising a “mulligan.” There was a reason he changed his mind after a walk through The Swamp with close personal friend and strength/conditioning coach Mickey Marotti. It had as much to do with the welfare of his staff and families as it did his health. Turns out nobody should have tried to follow the act of Urban Meyer after 2006 and 2008 – including Urban himself. John Brantley IV, part of Gator royalty, was headed for the Longhorns in Austin, Texas as the nation’s most prized quarterback and Gatorade Player of the Year --until he and his father John Brantley III talked to Urban Meyer and met with his emissary Doc Holliday. Not only did Johnny grow up a Gator fan, he was the son of a Gator quarterback, but also the nephew of all All-SEC linebacker Scot Brantley, one of the most highly sought players in the history of Florida High School football. It was tough to walk out on genealogy, even for the chance to play for the congenial Mack Brown. Even though he was going to red-shirt behind Tim Tebow, who would become the eventual Heisman Trophy winner in 2006, and somebody who had the skills to do it later at Auburn (Cam Newton 2010), Johnny chose the Gators, the team whom playing for had always been his dream. He realized he would likely be facing a three-year wait before becoming the starter. The Gators were about to be three-deep in five-star quarterbacks. “It’s going to be a good story to tell down the road to my kids – yeah, at one time, to be on the team behind two Heisman Trophy winners. They’ll want to know, ‘what the hell happened to you?” Johnny told me a few days ago. As Tebow and his teammates cued up the 2007 Heisman and a second national title (2008) in three years – and what some thought could become a third in four years – Florida suddenly had an embarrassment of riches. Florida had quarterbacks galore and two nattys to build on. What could possibly go wrong in this decade starting in 2010? I recently asked Urban what it was like on that incredible stretch run, winning those two nattys in three years, and he pointed out that the three 13-game win seasons in ’06, ’08 and ’09 and going 39-3 was due to “an incredible bunch of players” too numerous to mention. Unofficially, the night the music began to die for Gator football under Meyer started Dec. 6, 2009 when No. 1 Florida was whacked by No. 2 Alabama, 32-13, in the Georgia Dome. Defensive star Carlos Dunlap missed the game following a DUI the week before and the troublesome week unfolded. The result was that Urban, after the SEC Championship game loss to the Crimson Tide, woke up fearing that he might be fatally ill, and decided to retire. The unraveling began taking place. Lost in all that was the near-miss for Florida dominance, the success Johnny Brantley called like “being on top of the food chain.” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who would become a harsh critic of Meyer, points out that had the Gators beaten Alabama on Dec. 6, 2009 Urban would have enjoyed a 3-1 advantage over Nick Saban, which may have given Meyer the upper hand and could have denied Saban from the eventual anointment of the “greatest college football coach of all time.” A gigantic “What If.” So Meyer was virtually out the door in December when his friend Mickey Marotti moseyed by after practice for a stroll through memory lane, reading off the signs in the stadium which were the hallmarks of accomplishments for that era. “National Champions. SEC Champions. Heisman Trophy.” Marotti would openly marvel at them. There was a method to Mickey’s madness. Urban’s good friend also was going to be out of a job after the 2009, along with a close-knit staff. That was painful for Urban to think about – the assistant coaches, staff members and their families. Maybe this gave him a gentle nudge to reconsider. Then Meyer remembered Foley’s offer to let him stay and hand over some of the day-to-day duties to trusted aide Steve Addazio, who had become offensive coordinator after Dan Mullen left for Mississippi State following the 2008 regular season. A call to Foley confirmed that offer. So Meyer said “yes” on further review, relenting to stay after signing “a contract” with his family promising to be more diligent about his health. But the magic never came back. Tebow left with a flurry after a 400-yard passing night against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. Urban’s voice didn’t command the respect and immediate response it once did after “handing off” his team to Addazio. Johnny Brantley and his teammates awakened to a new reality in 2010. But the magic never came back. Tebow left with a flurry after a 400-yard passing night against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. Urban’s voice didn’t command the respect and immediate response it once did after “handing off” his team to Addazio. Almost without fanfare, offensive coordinator Dan Mullen left Florida to become Mississippi State head coach. Johnny Brantley and his teammates awakened to a new reality in 2010. Having enjoyed the ride, it was time for “JB Four” to prove his metal, but with a new offensive coordinator, new group of players and sort of a part-time head coach. “It was the highest of highs, and then the lowest…” – Brantley caught himself in mid-sentence – “well, I wouldn’t say it was ‘the lowest of lows’… But going from the top of the food chain, and then you get humbled a little bit in those years. But it was a lot of fun, obviously. We had so many great players during that time with Percy Harvin, Tim, Louis Murphy, Riley Cooper – I could just go on and on. To this day I still tell people Percy is THE most athletic person I’ve ever been around.” None of them were around to start the 2010 season. Not to diminish his teammates, Brantley pointed out that good players followed, “but it just didn’t click and we got humbled pretty quickly.” Johnny also pointed out that the team was still competitive, and “we were a fake field goal away from beating LSU and plays like that kept us for winning nine or ten games.” For a moment it looked like Urban was back as the 2010 Gators started out with four straight wins. But then on a dark night in Tuscaloosa, with an expanded Bryant-Denny Stadium (100,000) lit up with new statues, Brantley and the Gators took a pounding from a renewed Alabama team fresh off a national championship. 3-1; Nick Saban’s rocket had left the launching pad. Florida had started the season ranked No. 3 and finished No. 23, struggling to beat Penn State in the Outback Bowl to just go 8-5. Once and for all, Urban Meyer was no longer the Gator coach, stepping aside to become a consultant while a promising young head coach in waiting, Will Muschamp, took the reins. Muschamp brought former Patriots coach Charlie Weis with him as offensive coordinator. However, the offense went South, despite the efforts of two-year starter Brantley, and the Muschamp Era begin with a 7-6 record. Trouble was on the horizon. Meanwhile, the more he looks back at those glory days, the more Brantley appreciates what his team accomplished as “very special.” He has the utmost respect for Mullen, whom he calls “an incredible play caller,” and senses more success around the corner. “It’s starting to get that way again now,” said Brantley. “It was a very, very special time for the people around here and outside our little bubble. I’m sure it has been that way for people of Tuscaloosa for the last decade. Hopefully Dan Mullen can get them back to that. Looks like it’s turning that way.”

THERE WILL BE FOOTBALL: WHEN AND HOW MUCH IS THE QUESTION There is going to be a college football season. Count on it. The only questions that have to be answered are when – fall or in the spring – and how much. Will it be an abbreviated season – perhaps 10 games instead of 12? Those questions will be answered, most likely in the next 6-8 weeks, but one thing you can know for sure, whether it’s fall or spring, 10 games or 12, college football will be played. The reason there will be a college football season has everything to do with the bottom line. Take away the ticket sales, booster fees, concessions, merchandise sales and network money and athletic departments would shrivel up and non-profit sports would be lopped off. We’re already seeing Iowa State cutting coaches salaries and that’s from a reduction in NCAA Basketball Tournament money. Take away football and Iowa State would be eliminating programs right and left. At Florida, which has an athletic department budget in excess of $160 million, more than $90 million in revenue comes from football. The last thing in the world Scott Stricklin wants to do is bring the bean counters together to figure out whose job gets axed and which teams go non-scholarship or are eliminated completely. He’s got a brand new baseball stadium being built on the west side of campus and plans for a football facility where McKethan Stadium currently stands idle once its business as usual in the state of Florida. Take away the 2020 football season and Florida athletics might survive but at what price? The next 60 days will go a long way toward determining if there will be a football season in the fall. If the corona virus isn’t on its way toward elimination nationwide by then we could see plenty of schools cancel their fall classes, but even if it is contained, there could be delays in cranking up school, which, in turn would mean delays in re-starting football. Delays in the fall could mean going to a reduced schedule, perhaps 10 games. We got along fine with 10-game football seasons until the 1970s, when schedules were expanded to 11 games to bring in more revenue. The 12-game schedule became the norm in 2006, again for the purpose of providing more money to offset the high cost of non-revenue sports. When Division I opted for 12-game schedules, it provided opportunities for paycheck games among the Division I bottom feeders and Division 1AA. Take two games away from the power conference schools and it’s going to cause serious financial problems in leagues like the MAC and Sun Belt in Division I, and a good portion of the D1AA schools. In the event of a two-game reduction in the schedule, the upper levels of Division I would take a financial hit, but not like the one they would take if there were no season at all. So maybe football in the fall would start mid-September, conclude the regular season after Thanksgiving and then there would still be conference championships, bowl games and playoffs. The networks would lose all those games that fill the 12 noon and late night time slots. Don’t you know you would dread missing out on Vanderbilt-Mercer at noon on September 5 if the schedule got reduced. But, at least there would be a season and 10 game schedules will get the money flowing. Spring football is an option, but only if fall classes are cancelled at enough institutions. Playing football in the spring as well as the other sports that fill up the fall and winter calendars, would be a nightmare but if there is no football, there won’t be the other sports to worry about. Spring football might also require a reduced schedule to accommodate the schools up north where the weather is a problem, plus you’d have to give adequate time for practice, conditioning etc. If there is football in the spring semester it probably wouldn’t start until March. You’d have to play something like 10 games so that football doesn’t run until July with things cranking up again in August for the 2021 season. Watch closely what happens in the next 6-8 weeks. That will determine when football is played again but unless this virus causes a national shutdown that lasts well into next year, the game will be played. Either it’s played or college sports as we know them will change radically. PARTIAL WILL WADE TRANSCRIPT FROM “THE SCHEME” Trey Wallace of FOX Sports in Knoxville has the complete audio of LSU basketball coach Will Wade speaking with now convicted agent/runner Christian Dawkins. Here is a portion of the transcribed audio: Wade: “We could compensate him [Javonte Smart] better than the [NBA] rookie minimum.” Dawkins: “You are probably right about that, too.” Wade: “We’ll give him more than the D-League.” Dawkins: “Exactly, God bless us all. God bless us all. So what’s the good word, though?” Wade: “I was thinking last night on this Smart thing. I’ll be honest with you. I’m f#$%ing tired of dealing with this thing. Like, I’m tired of dealing with this f#$%ing s#$t. What do you think? ‘Cause I went to him with a strong ass offer about a month ago.” Dawkins: “Uh-huh.” Wade: “F#$%ing strong. Now, the problem was, I know why he didn’t take it now. It was tilted toward the family a little bit.” Dawkins: “Uh-huh.” Wade: “But I mean it was a f#$%ing hell of a fucking offer. Like, a hell of an offer, especially for a kid that’s going to be a two- or three-year kid. I’ve made deals for kids as good a player as him that were a lot simpler than this.” Wednesday, LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said, “There is no change to Coach Will Wade’s employment status at LSU and we will continue to cooperate with all reviews into this matter.” Until LSU gets a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, Wade isn’t going anywhere. The decision to keep Wade or ride out the storm will be determined by the severity and number of allegations. This is completely a financial matter. If LSU were to fire Wade before the NOA, then the school would be on the hook for the remainder of his entire contract. If the allegations aren’t all that severe, LSU may decide keep Wade. It would be cheaper than spending the money to hire a new coach. However, if the NCAA comes down hard, LSU can fire Wade for cause and won’t owe him a dime. MORE SEC BASKETBALL STUFF Arkansas got a commitment from New Mexico grad transfer Vance Jackson (6-9, 220), who averaged 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Lobos. Alabama will have only 10 on scholarship if Kira Lewis Jr., John Petty and Herb Jones all stay in the draft. Most mock drafts have Lewis going in the first round. Petty is such a good three-point shooter that he could easily pick up traction as a second rounder. Jones needs to plan on returning to school. Georgia assistant Joe Scott is the new head coach at Air Force. That’s a tough blow to Tom Crean since Scott is Georgia’s top recruiter … If Rayshaun Hammonds stays in the draft, Georgia’s height will consist of four players who are 6-8. Tom Crean has at least two scholarships at his disposal. Look for him to go hard in the grad transfer market for someone with size. When Johnny Juzang announced he was transferring out of Kentucky, his dad said the reason was homesickness (Juzang is from California). So why does his final six list of transfer destinations include Villanova, Notre Dame and Texas Tech? Oregon, UCLA and Arizona are understandable. This could be as massive a rebuild in the country if all five Kentucky players who are exploring the NBA Draft elect to hire an agent. Tyrese Maxey, Nick Richards, Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley and EJ Montgomery have all put their names in for the draft. Of the five, Maxey is the only one who is assured he’ll go first round. Richards could sneak into the late first if he gets to work out for teams. Ole Miss and Georgia are both in the running for Rider grad transfer Dimencio Vaughn (6-5, 220), who averaged 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds last year. GOOD QUOTES FOR THURSDAY From former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (on ESPN Sports Center) on his health as he recovers from a broken hip and awaits the NFL Draft: “I feel like if I had to go out there and perform the same way I did my sophomore year and my junior year, being 100 percent healthy, I feel like I’d be able to go out there and do that.” Stewart Mandel of The Athletic on the financial pressures both colleges and networks are facing to play at least an abbreviated college football season: “From a purely financial perspective, both the conferences and the networks are facing tremendous pressure to play some sort of season – with or without fans in the stands – to avoid losing more than #2 billion in collective annual TV revenue across the sport. Consider: Alabama football in 2018 accounted for $111 million of the athlete department’s $177.5 million in total revenue. “Alabama can afford to take a one-year dip in ticket sales, but it cannot afford to go all the way from $111 million to $0 and still fund its athletic department. Nobody could. It’s possible you’d still see hundreds upon hundreds of non-revenue sports get shuttered overnight.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil donated $250,000 to the Gateway Florida Food Bank in his hometown of Lake City and the Star of Hope Mission in Houston to help in the fight against the corona virus … A lack of takers has free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney knocking $2 million off his salary demands. He’ll try to squeeze by in life on $17-18 million a year if someone will simply offer him a contract … Defensive tackle Tim Jernigan signed a one-year deal worth $3.75 million to play for the Houston Texans next season … No NCAA Basketball Tournament has forced Iowa State to lop about $3 million off coaches’ salaries throughout the athletic department. Another $1 million will be saved from not having to pay performance bonuses. We will probably see a number of schools take similar measures due to budgetary shortfalls from radically reduced checks from the NCAA … Oregon got a commitment from Boston College grad transfer QB Anthony Brown, who threw for 40 touchdown passes the last two seasons … Former Kentucky and Texas A&M basketball coach Billy Gillispie has been hired as the head coach at Tarleton State in Texas, which is making the leap from Division II to Division I … Major League Baseball won’t be playing in London this summer due to the corona virus. The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to play June 13-14 at West Ham’s Olympic Stadium.

BY: KASSIDY HILL GATORBAIT COLUMNIST STAY SAFE Train Right Jill, Big Ben In. It’s a play that pulled off two late, improbable wins and sent two daggers into the heart of the Tennessee Volunteers. When thinking about the plays, the moments, that help make college football special and punctuate our hearts as the reason we’re fans, few come close to Train Right Jill, Big Ben In. The first time it was called was in late September 2015 and it’s more colloquially known as Grier to Callaway. It was a 3:30pm kick off in the game that historically sets the tone for the SEC East. As the afternoon rolled into evening and the sun dipped low enough to cast the entirety of Florida Field (this pre-dated the Steve Spurrier name addition) into shadow, the Gators knew they to get on the board for any hope of a win. Florida had scored on their previous possession—thanks in part to two 4th down conversions—to cut the deficit to 27-21. After the defense forced a Vols three and out, Antonio Callaway returned a punt 12-yards. Out trotted Will Grier and company, taking over at the UF 41-yard line. Both teams were unranked coming into this game. The matchup—at the time—seemed to mean little to anyone not in the stadium or Knoxville city limits. Yet in that moment, there was a palpable sense of anticipation that came in waves over the amassed crowd. The previous touchdown drive had put this game within reach and with 2:18 left to play, there was just enough hope glimmering that’ll make any junkie like a college football fan hold on for the hit. The first snap came and Grier swung a screen pass out to running back Kelvin Taylor. He was hit for a four yard loss. Two incomplete passes to Demarcus Robinson meant the Gators were now backed up to their own 37-yard line and facing yet another fourth down—4th and 14 in fact. With 1:40 on the clock, the call came in that was intended to move the chains. That still required a chunk yardage play. “It’s Train Right, Jill, Big Ben, In. Why? Why not? That’s the name of it,” head coach Jim McElwain told reporters after the win. “We blow out the middle, run a little double-dig deal and hopefully you have enough time up front to read it inside-out. We try to get it to the sticks. It’s something we do every single Friday. …Something that our guys practice every week against teams that are in those long-yardage defenses.” Grier zipped it to Callaway, the inside option. He had enough for the first down. With his right foot on the 44-yard line, his left on the 45 and back to the endzone, Callaway planted, flipped his body around and with three defenders waiting, raced for the edge. He got a key block from Brandon Powell—who had been the outside option on the play—and from there, the field was open. “Callaway. Just made a hell of a play, man. That guy has just stepped up and is making a lot of plays. He turned that first down into a touchdown. Big players make big plays in big games like that,” recapped Grier following the game. Safety Keanu Neal summed it up best for media that Saturday evening. “I was praying but I didn’t think it was going to happen. It was amazing. That was a classic…I just prayed and hoped for the best. He freaking scored. Just unbelievable. It was such a memorable moment.” Tennessee took the ball back and drove down to put themselves in position for what would be a game winning field goal. The first attempt was wide-right and the crowd went so nuts that it took a minute for anyone to realize that in an attempt to (needlessly) ice the kicker, Florida had called a timeout. The second attempt, Aaron Medley got much closer…but not enough, just skating the kick outside the right upright. Two years later, that same play would pay dividends once again. In 2017, both UF and the Vols came into the matchup ranked. But Will Grier was gone, Antonio Callaway was suspended and Jim McElwain was on thin ice. Redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks had not impressed in his career opener against Michigan but McElwain elected to give him another shot in the early September SEC opener against Tennessee. We could call the first three quarters a defensive battle, which is given some credence by three drives ending in turnovers during that time. But that really doesn’t give enough credit to just how incompetent the offenses were during that time; really, truly mind-numbingly incompetent. So it’s no surprise that it was the defense as well that finally pried open the flood gates. Whereas the 2015 game could sort of be encapsulated by the Grier to Callaway play and ensuing missed Vols field goal, the 2017 historic moment can only be fully appreciated if you understand the domino’s that fell to arrive at that situation. A Duke Dawson interception had already stalled the Vols once in the redzone towards the end of the third quarter. Now two snaps into the 4th quarter and facing a 3rd and 11 from his own seven, Tennessee quarterback Quinten Dormady felt T.J. Slaton bearing down on him. He was hit as he threw, tossing up a high ball towards the sideline. His receiver attempted to tip it down into his chest. Instead he tipped it backwards into the waiting hands of C.J. Henderson. The fastest man on the field made easy work of the 16-yards in front of him to the endzone and the first touchdown of the day finally made it onto the scoreboard. Tennessee answered with a touchdown of their own, but after Tyrie Cleveland returned a punt 46-yards, Franks capped a drive with a 5-yard toss to Brandon Powell for another score. The Vols answered again on a two play drive that covered 75-yards and the two teams which had treated the endzone like hot lava all day had now combined for four touchdowns in 10:17 of play time. Then….well then things got weird. Florida went negative four yards on a drive that ended in a Franks interception. The Vols got the ball back down three with 3:57 to play. They converted a 1st down fairly quickly then a Florida offside flag, back-to-back UT false starts then a Gators face mask penalty moved the ball around until it ended up on the UF-nine yard line. Tennessee had first and goal and the clock had been whittled down to 1:06. Three straight incomplete passes meant that the Vols—who had already missed three field goals that day—had to settle for a 27-yard attempt. This fifth attempt of the day though (from Medley who had missed the game winner in 2015) was good. All tied at 20 with less than a minute to go, we looked to be heading for overtime. Franks and the Gators took back over at their own 25-yard line. A quick pass and two short rushes moved the chains but had Florida fans booing as Franks was marked short on what looked to be a first down run; they continued as McElwain let the clock run down, electing to run on 3rd down instead of going to Tyrie Cleveland on the sideline who had a one-on-one battle. He was holding a timeout, he later explained to reporters, in case they needed to spike the ball for place kicker Eddy Pineiro. And that was the plan. With 0:09 to go, and on the exact same yard line as 2015, McElwain went back to the chunk yardage play that had served them well two years prior. “It was train ride open big ben in. Same exact play.” Franks was supposed to play for field goal range. Instead—showing a bit of the fire that would define his Florida legacy in years to come—he saw another option and gambled. “I didn’t go into the play looking to throw a deep ball. I knew the kick line was around the 35 or 38, so obviously with 9 seconds left it would be kind of hard to get it that far downfield and get out of bounds, stuff like that. I’m thinking in the back of my head ‘Get the balls into our receivers hands and let them make plays’, because that’s what they’re good at.” In the offseason leading in to 2017, Tyrie Cleveland had posted a video of a late night summer session. He and Franks, along with a few other teammates, were in the indoor facility, working on some different routes. One in particular featured Cleveland as an outside option on a deep route with Feleipe flashing his arm strength. On the field that Saturday in September, both guys knew it was time for the work to pay off. "Before the play, I told Feleipe, ‘Give me a chance,’” recalled Cleveland after the game. “I looked at him and he hiked the ball and I just—the corner was in press, so I inside released and just ran fast.” Franks took the snap and scrambled for a second—an eternity with rushers coming and a clock ticking. Cleveland, as he said, took an inside release off the corner as Franks was being flushed to his right. Looking back at the tape, you can almost see the exact moment Feleipe released he had Cleveland open. His hand that had been out for balance on a run was brought back in; he took another step, giving him enough real estate to set his feet. And then, he let it rip. “When I was rolling out I was actually thinking about running it,” said Franks, “and through the corner of my eye I see Tyrie running through the back on a little chase post back that way. Corner of my eye, it was kind of an in-the-moment thing, so I just caught him out my eye and set my feet and just put it up for him. And he just did a great job making a 50-50 win. We describe passes by the total number of yards they cover but often they can be broken down into yards on air and yards after the catch. For example, the 63-yarder from Grier to Callaway that won the game in 2015 was more like a 19-yard on air pass coupled with a 44-yard run by Callaway. This 63-yarder from Franks to Cleveland spent it’s entire time in the air. And technically it hit Cleveland five yards deep in the endzone so one could argue that it easily traveled 68+ yards. On the other end of the tether was Tyrie, who had shaken off a corner initially to get open but still had to deal with a safety for a contested catch. But if you asked him, the 50/50 ball had a 100% chance of being a touchdown. “Oh, I knew I had it. I knew I was going to come down with it. I made it my business to come down with it. I wanted that ball and I got it.” The ball landed in Cleveland’s outstretched arms as the clock ticked to 0:01 and it rolled to 0:00 as the receiver landed safely for the score. Brandon Powell—still an outside option on the play—was yet again exactly where he needed to be. He launched himself onto Cleveland, partly to hold him in place to make sure the score counted and partly in celebration. But at that point, it was all over but the shouting. Both Franks and Cleveland have since had time to reflect on what that play meant to them individually, what it meant to them as teammates and what it meant to the Gator Nation. But on that day, in that moment, it was every thing they’d dreamed of as kids and it brought with it a lifetime of emotions. “It’s kind of hard to take it all in right now,” admitted Franks at the time “It’s going to sink in at one point and then I'm going to sit back and realize what just happened. Growing up, we always think about plays like that happening in your life and then when it happens, it's kind of undescribable. There aren't really any words that I can put into what just happened.” Words didn’t come much easier to Cleveland, which really said it all. “Growing up I always dreamed of making that game-winning touchdown, to make it come true is indescribable. I really can’t describe right now, I’m trying to soak it all in.” No one that was a part of those plays are still in the Florida program. McElwain was fired before the 2017 season even concluded. Will Grier transferred to West Virginia and is now with the Carolina Panthers. Antonio Callaway served his suspension and then went out for the Draft. He’s now in the XFL. Brandon Powell graduated and is now with the Atlanta Falcons. Feleipe Franks graduated and transferred to Arkansas where he’ll play his final collegiate season this fall. Tyrie Cleveland graduated and is working to be drafted this April. They’re all gone now, moved on to the next phase of their lives. But while Gators, they took six words—Train Right Jill, Big Ben In—and created magic that will hang forever in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

BY: KASSIDY HILL GATORBAIT COLUMNIST STAY SAFE While assembling our list of the best Florida Flashback memories from the past decade, there were a few that we kept asking, "what would that have been like from the stands?" We have a good view from the press box, yes, but there's nothing like experiencing a once in a lifetime moment with 90,000 of your closest friends. So for this play, we asked to hear from you, the fans. Here are your memories of the Mike McNeely touchdown. ...but first, a bit of background. Will Muschamp and the Florida Gators arrived in Jacksonville on a chilly day as a two-point underdog to their SEC East rival. The Bulldogs were No. 9 and had one of the best rushing attacks in the country. If a Gator fan was confident heading into the game, they were lying. At the end of the 1st quarter, Georgia led 7-0 in what had been a defensive battle thus far. The Gators began the 2nd quarter with a drive that featured 10 rushes from Kelvin Taylor and Matt Jones as a sign of what would come in the game. A fumble (recovered by Florida) meant the drive stalled at the Georgia 21-yard line so Muschamp sent out his kicking unit. It was a completely expected move on 4th and 9 and, come on, it was "play it safe" Muschamp, so no one paid much attention to the personnel being different than normal. When walk-on Mike McNeely, the holder, popped up and took off to the right, suddenly everyone in the stadium was paying attention. Tight end Clay Burton pulled to pick up a block and tight end Tevin Westbrook picked up the other. The slight McNeely made easy work of the lane they provided and high-stepped his way into the endzone. The next day the University of Florida dental student was bagging groceries at the Publix on 34th street and signing autographs. But that touchdown remains as a play that fans will never forget. I remember getting there early that day going through the tailgate party they have, where the indoor facility is now, just thinking I hope we don’t get embarrassed and keep it close. When McNeely took off I remember my jaw literally dropping after yelling OMG we called a fake. That feeling escalated to oh my there isn’t anyone out there on the edge to stop him either. When he cleared the LOS it was going to be a TD. The feeling of pure jubilation thinking ok we can beat these guys just like it used to be, and sure enough we did. It set the tone for the game going forward and I remember our half of the stands being as loud as I’ve ever heard it in Jax the rest of the game. Was one of the better Fl/Ga games I’ve ever attended.— @clburns4784 The previous week me and my mom drove down from South Carolina for the Missouri game and watched UF get blown out. Neither of us thought UF had a chance. The first quarter was about what we thought, UF played well on defense and couldn’t move the ball on offense, but UGA blew a couple of chances in the redzone to go up by more than one score. Once McNeely scored the entire mood in the stadium shifted. Once it was 7-7 the UF side came alive and something just clicked. I’ve never experienced anything like that. Suddenly the freezing wind didn’t feel nearly as cold and a lot of Bulldog fans around us sat down and shut up. From that point on UF just imposed their will on UGA. I’ve never seen a defense play as hard as they did. It was just a surreal day.— @Stevencalcutt The McNeely TD was a huge moment in the series because it shifted momentum back to Florida. As Gator fans would say, it restored the proper order. UGA had the lead and won the previous three, then, in an instant, McNeely was streaking towards the end zone. The entire stadium was in shock and Gator fans were looking around, wondering who made the play. “McNeely! It was McNeely!” rang out from half the stadium. The sideline went ballistic. The players were just as excited for McNeely as they were for the TD. I go to Florida Georgia every year to see those moments. I’ll never forget it. I saw him (McNeely) at my local Publix later that week and told him I had a front row seat for that. He just smiled. I’m sure he had that interaction hundreds of times already and was loving every minute of it. — @JoshKelly12 I’ve been to several FL/GA games but I don’t remember one where I was less confident about our chances than that one (not even the 2017 McElwain/suspended players disaster). Honestly, I remember feeling pretty lucky that we were only down a touchdown at that point might end that drive by actually getting on the scoreboard. For a split second, I guess like everyone else, we didn’t know what was going on and the sounds of the fans around me I can only describe as a sort of collective, “ugh, we found a way to screw this up too”. But that change as soon as we realized the holder had enough for a first down...oh wait...he’s got a TD!!! Fear, turned to relief, turned to insanity. I remember turning to my buddy and saying, “WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?!?” Not because I didn’t know exactly what happened, of course. But because, let’s be honest, no one thought Muschamp had that kind of call in him. And if Muschamp can make that call, and this kid we’ve never heard of can score a TD untouched in the biggest game of the year, Then, hell, we can actually win this game. In fact, we might be destined to win this game. I don’t know if the players felt that way or not, but as the rest of the game unfolded, it sure seemed that way. FWIW, I’ll also always remember singing “Turn Down for What” and the players jumping around before All Day Maye broke up their last gasp on fourth down at our two yard line. Amazing game that feel lucky to have been at. — @tedyeatts It was my senior year, and also my first FL/GA game (always seemed to have something years prior). Like many there, my memory is a bit blurry. I do remember it was clear skies and the high stayed in the 40’s. The fake field goal was easily as surprising to Florida fans as it was to Georgia. After all, this was Will “Let’s see if the defense can get a stop” Muschamp. That play seemed to set a tone for three years. Even with the most hodgepodge teams (and, uh, coaches), Florida always seemed to have Georgia’s number. — @richtheg I was at FL/GA that year, my first time going to that game. i remember going in expecting to lose big time, it being FREEZING cold, and sitting wayyyy up high. i was just excited to be there, had no expectations. but then that play happened, and i was so shocked, never saw it coming. the place went wild, and it was so so cool. i remember watching him run to his brother in the band to celebrate and feeling so happy for him but wow, that was a gator moment i’ll never forget for sure. — @madison_dunc I was in the band at the 2014 UGA game. It was extra crazy for us, since mcneely’s brother Matt was our center snare. I didn’t know either personally, but the drum line went nuts, then word trickled throughout the band. The game up to that point was miserable, and a field goal wouldn’t have done much to change it, but that play and everything surrounding it was so special — @tsrobertson908 I was in the north end zone about 30 rows up when Mcneely ran the fake field goal in. It was an awesome moment because I was a student at the time at UF and worked at the Westgate Publix with him. I remember an ESPN reporter coming down the line and interviewing him while he bagged groceries the next week. Also, if I’m not mistaken Frankie Velez was the kicker at the time and he’s from my hometown of Ocala. We grew up playing pickup basketball and football in my friend’s neighborhood. So in short, really amazing memory and I can vividly remember watching him skate up the sideline untouched in disbelief. Go Gators! — @RobcMahoney

There are hundreds of classic moments in Florida Gators history and it would be impossible to relive them all in detail. In an effort to revisit some of our favorites though, we take an accelerated trip in this portion of the Florida Flashback Series. BY: KASSIDY HILL GATORBAIT COLUMNIST STAY SAFE During a dismal 2014 season in which the Gators ended 7-5 and head coach Will Muschamp was fired following a South Carolina loss, one of the few bright spots was a 38-20 thumping of rival No. 9 Georgia…and one of those Bulldog touchdowns to make it somewhat respectable came in garbage time with 0:03 left. Quarterback Treon Harris, leading a double-digit underdog UF, had a 50% completion rate; he threw six passes and completed three for 27 yards. On the other side Georgia’s roster boasted Nick Chubb and Sony Michel…but it was Florida’s running backs that shined that night. Kelvin Taylor rushed for 200 yards (197 net) and Matt Jones was right behind him with 193 (192 net). They each had two touchdowns. The deluge began with a Mike McNeely fake field goal, touchdown run and we’ll get to that play. The day though was about Taylor and Jones, a shining moment for two backs who had the talent but not the team. But that night, they ran over every one and into the history books. It’s the best same game performance by a Gators duo in Florida history. The 2010 season was the first one PT—Post Tebow. As such there were some growing pains that took all decade to overcome. The 2010 Outback Bowl (on Jan. 1, 2011) even featured three different guys line up at quarterback: Jordan Reed, John Brantley and Trey Burton. As such it’s not hard to imagine that with a minute to go, the Nittany Lions were driving with a chance to win. PSU passer Matt McGloin had a wide open Derek Moye on the sideline. Black, who was in the middle of the field, turned and jetted, cutting of the pass, intercepting it and taking it back 80-yards for the nail in the coffin. For the kid who picked off Sam Bradford in the 2008 title game to give Tebow the ball back for the win, it was the perfect final play. And it set the tone for the first half of a decade that would set offensive highlights aside and lean on their defense. The 2012 season had one of the best records in recent history, punctuated by some of the most heart stopping games. The regular season finale against rival No. 10 Florida State was no different. The No. 6 Gators scored their first touchdown of the day on a drive off a fumble recovery but the Seminoles bounced back and were leading 20-13 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Caleb Sturgis hit a field goal to pull it within four. The Noles—who already had four turnovers on the day—took over and with three quick plays, moved the chains. From his own 42-yard line, Manuel (in his final home game as a Nole) felt pressure and began to scramble. Lerentee McCray turned course of his man and came through the pocket with Manuel. He wrapped up the passer’s legs and Antonio Morrison—a freshman at the time—dove in to complete the sack, knocking the ball loose in the process. Morrison would become known as a madman but that hit was the first huge indiction of what was to come with the linebacker. Dominque Easley recovered the ball, Florida scored on the very next play…and each of the subsequent possessions. The three touchdowns following that fumble along with Manuel being knocked out of the game for a series meant the Gators finished with the 37-26 Top 10 win and the reverberations of that hit rang through the college football poll that season. Since we’re already talking about sacking FSU quarterbacks, let’s keep the trend going. That 2012 game was the last time Florida would defeat FSU until 2018. Furthermore, the Gators went a decade before defeating the Seminoles in Gainesville again. The 2019 game featured Dan Mullen’s No. 8 Gators looking to end the decade with that sought after victory. The offense couldn’t miss all day, scoring on seven of their 10 drives. But the defense didn’t take that as an excuse to slack and linebacker Jon Greenard made sure that his one year as a Florida Gator would not be forgotten. Looking across the line at his former Louisville teammate, QB Jordan Travis, Greenard shot off the line of scrimmage like a rocket. By the time he made it into the pocket, there was no where for Travis to escape. NFL star Deacon Jones coined the term “sacking the quarterback,” describing it decimating the offense and their momentum the way someone would “sack” a city. It just stalls and deflates everything. As Greenard folded Travis into the ground and caused a fumble, in only the second quarter, you could see any bit of spark or life or hope leave the Florida State sideline. The Gators defense finished EIGHT sacks on the night, Greenard had 2.5 with a flourish and Florida won 40-17. We’re clearly on a roll here, so let’s go back to the 2018 win over Florida State. The Noles had won five in a row and let Florida hear the trash talk after each and every one. In 2012, Matt Elam made turf angels in the middle of FSU’s field after the win. The next year, holding on to that, FSU players trotted around The Swamp with a gator head while quarterback Jameis Winston petted, slapped and showed little love to the taxidermed head. That continued every year after. It became such old hat, that it wasn’t even noticed in later years, but the gator head was still there and at least one FSU player found it after every win through 2017 to facetiously trot it around the field. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson didn’t forget. Following the 2018 win Chauncey first attempted to plant the Gator flag at mid-field. FSU coach Willie Taggert stopped him but still, there were five years worth of taunting to answer for and Gardner-Johnson wasn’t letting his Gators leave the field without some celebration of their own. While his teammates made turf angels in the endzone—a harken to Elam—Chauncey grabbed a, well, a…what’s the politically correct way to say this? He grabbed a relic of a severed head but instead of a gator head, it was one of a defeated Native American, presumably a Seminole. He hopped on the wall surrounding Ron Zook field and led the Gator fans in a chant that let every Nole player know the tables had turned, order had been restored and Florida was starting a different streak on that day.