Raising Awareness of Depression, Suicide Among Student-Athletes: How You Can Help

by | Feb 6, 2014 | Uncategorized

Hey, guys. Those of you who are regulars on here know what I’m all about- Florida Gators sports, and the things I write- no matter the angle- are always aimed at a specific audience. But for this post, I’m targeting a whole new set of people, most of whom probably don’t know me. Because what I’m about to write is much more important than football, or basketball, or any sport Florida plays (which also means it’s much longer, but this topic deserves the nearly 4,000 words and two weeks I spent editing it. There are several pieces to this article, hence the section dividers, but trust me on this: it all ties together).

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A couple of weeks ago, a 19 year old freshman at UPenn committed suicide. Her name was Madison Holleran, and she was my third fellow northern New Jersey student-athlete to commit suicide since I graduated high school in the spring in 2012, after Jerry Napoleon (who I knew personally and was friends with) and Paige Aiello (who I did not know personally, but knew of through mutual friends). Madison, like Paige and Jerry, suffered from depression, and sadly, saw no other way out of it than to end her life.

First, I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of Madison Holleran. I’ve lost a good friend and a first cousin way too early, but not a child, sibling, teammate or best friend since early childhood, so I’m really not in a position to say something naive like, “I know how this feels” to those who can place Madison in one of those categories. All I can say is that I hope with time, the pain will slowly fade.

Second, I’d like to give a quick word of advice to anybody who may be feeling depressed/suicidal. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with coming out and admitting this to your loved ones; as a matter of fact, it’s a sign of strength.

I read that line from Madison’s dad in an article about the funeral, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized he’s 100% right. Depression is an illness. It needs treatment, just like a broken bone or a high fever. In the cases of physical ailments, how would you think of one who was injured or sick, was all alone, and called for help? Would the person be looked at as weak? Or would that person be looked at with admiration, for being able to overcome his/her own sickness/injury to get to a phone and call help? It’s a bit different with depression, because it’s a mental illness and it doesn’t carry the same pressing physical discomfort of a broken bone or internal sickness that drives the person to want to call for help in the first place. But it’s still an illness, and even more so than with a physical injury, one suffering from it would be praised for coming out and asking for help. And since it’s never easy for somebody to say, it shows a lot of courage to admit that you’re depressed.

At some point, I read another article on Madison’s funeral, and I came across something else her dad was quoted as saying: he wanted to share the story of his daughter’s suicide in hopes that other people could learn from it and possibly use the knowledge of what happened to help others in similar situations. Well, there’s not a whole lot I’m able to do here, but this is one thing I can do.

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For those that don’t know me…. Hi, I’m Neil Shulman. I’m 19 years old, and a sophomore at Muhlenberg (PA). I was a four year starter (3rd singles first three years, 1st singles senior year) for James Caldwell High School’s tennis team (Caldwell, NJ), and was part of the most successful senior class in the history of the school. In fact, when I graduated, I’d accumulated the most wins in my school’s history (52) and received interest from dozens of schools across the country including two D1 schools, Richmond and Delaware (although more than half the letters/emails were form letters. Like, Hi, ____ we see you’ve had success in high school tennis as well as USTA, blah blah…).

Ultimately, I chose Muhlenberg (D3), because of the friendly atmosphere and the academics. At first, college was just like high school. Academically, the workload wasn’t too bad, and right off the bat, I broke into the starting lineup (though admittedly due in part to an injury) and got to the semifinals of the Southeastern Regional ITA tournament in Virginia. Not bad for a freshman, right?

Because of all the success I had in high school, both athletically and academically, and then early on in college, I expected the rest of college to be more of the same, but then both sides (academically and athletically) started to get harder… and harder… and harder, and the pressure started to build… and build… and build. I really had problems adjusting at first, and though I can honestly tell you everything’s fine now (thanks to my wonderful friends), I can not only understand the overwhelming pressure Madison was feeling, but I can, to an extent, verify it (and will soon explain it). And I’m at Muhlenberg- a very good school, but a far cry from Penn, so I know that as bad as I had it, she must have had it worse. We may not have known each other, and I may not have ever actually fallen into depression, but we did have one thing in common: we had a ton of success in high school, but the pressures of college got to us… and that’s where suicide among student-athletes can all start.

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The first step to suicide among student-athletes is usually mounting pressure, and you can help fight it by not adding to it in any way.

On its own, pressure isn’t what causes suicide, but that’s where it stems from. I can explain how (at least to a degree). Even though Muhlenberg’s not as rigorous as Penn in terms of schoolwork, and athletically, is D3 compared to Penn, which is D1, there’s a pretty stiff course load and the sports are taken just as seriously.

Perhaps just as important to the general difficulty of student-athlete life are the large blocks of time you’ve got to set aside for it, and maintain that focus throughout that period of time. Think: you’ve got to be 100% locked in mentally and pushing yourself to understand the material you were taught that day… in a class that’s (likely) harder than anything you’ve ever taken in high school. Then the next day, you’ve got to be right back at it, and the next day, and so on. Needless to say, this can get to be physically and mentally exhausting. This, of course, is in addition to being 100% focused physically in order to be better than your opponent… who more than likely dominated in high school just like you did. Your athletic opponents are going to be tougher on a regular basis than they were in high school, since not all your high school opponents are playing NCAA sports. Of course, the physical grind repeats itself the next day, and the next, etc. Naturally, this can get to be physically and mentally exhausting just as much as the academic side. This part, I can tell from personal experience.

Basically, it’s pretty easy to mess up in the slightest bit simply because your margin for error is smaller than it ever was before, and also because of the large quantity of chances to slip up… and this is without outside interference.

Take John Brantley for example, the QB from Ocala with the big arm. He commanded so much hype among Florida fans from the moment he decommitted from Texas and chose UF. Gator fans, remember this? 99 touchdowns in high school, which was a state record. Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. He’s gonna be another Tim Tebow (which was ridiculous because in reality his ceiling was Doug Johnson, and not just because he wore #12 and always overthrew his crossing patterns). Surely he’ll lead Florida to instant glory, right?

See, that’s a lot of pressure right away, before he even stepped onto the field. Predictably, Gator fans’ lofty goals for Brantley never came to fruition, thanks to injuries, a horrible offensive coordinator and bad luck. Regardless of who you want to blame for Brantley’s failure at Florida, the fact is that he fell victim to the immense pressure that comes with having to replace the iconic Tim Tebow, and thus, was a major disappointment. And when he failed on the field, the fans added to his misery by heaping abuse on him, both by littering the internet with stuff like this after he was injured and worse, by saying those same things to his face passing by him in the street and from the comfort of the stands, which, as you can imagine, only exacerbated his problems. As a fan, it’s your right to quietly curse out a player who displeases you, but doing it so he can hear it is where the problems start. I can personally relate to that, too; back when I was a real head case (not that long ago), I’d hear plenty of garbage from my opponents’ benches during my matches, and I didn’t appreciate it.

Luckily, neither Brantley nor myself let the additional stress lead them into serious depression. Brantley would just ignore the boos from his own fans and act like he was completely oblivious to it all, and (after I’d win) I’d taunt my opponents right back by doing stuff like bowing, or waving goodbye, or making yapping motions with my fingers followed by a throat slicing gesture (not proud of any of that, for the record). But whether or not it drove Brantley or myself into depression is irrelevant; that’s exactly the kind of stuff that could drive a student-athlete over the top, and sometimes does, like I believe it did to Jerry Napoleon (even though he’d never admit it, so I can’t say that like it’s fact). You just can’t be sure who’s already fighting inner demons to start with, and shouldn’t risk adding the backbreaking straw to the metaphorical camel’s back, especially not when bullying/abuse is an entirely different cause of suicide; the last thing you should do is try to combine those two different types of stress in one person, and I think that’s at least part of what happened to Jerry Napoleon (though to reiterate, I’ll never know for sure).

Now, I have no idea if Madison was ever really bothered or hurt by something anybody said, and it’s not my place to take a guess. Besides, again, this article is designed to prevent similar tragedies in the future. All I’m saying is that we can’t physically control a lot in terms of kids battling depression, but we can control this much.

Regardless of the source, though, pressure is where it all starts, and it can all snowball from there, very quickly.

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The second step is the feeling of helplessness; the inability to fix the problem due to the lack of available time.

In life, when faced with a problem, your natural inclination is to fix it. Whether you get fired from your job, crash your car, or break a bone in your body, you then have to figure out the best way to deal with the problem. You get back up and look for another job, or call Triple-A, or 911. You don’t ignore it and make it worse. So when you’re suffering from immense pressure, you try to think of a way to overcome the pressure. The obvious solution? Do better in your sport and get better grades. How do you accomplish that? Put more time and effort into everything you do.

The problem is, as an NCAA student-athlete, there’s only so much time you have in a day to begin with. You need 8 hours of sleep to really function, so that leaves just 16 hours to do things. Subtract about three more hours a day for classes, which puts you at 13. Then take away two more for practice, leaving 11. Take away another hour to eat your meals that day (and that’s if you eat quickly), to make 10. That about sums up all the tangible things with time limits that you don’t control that you have to do every day.

So, before you’ve even touched your homework, reviewed your notes, or walked into the gym to keep yourself in top shape, you’ve got roughly ten hours of free time every day. I know, that looks like a lot of time, but when you have to manage it so carefully, it really isn’t. At this point, it’s totally up to you to divide up the ten hours to ensure top performance in your sport and your classes. Generally speaking, I spend about six hours a day re reading my notes, doing homework problems, doing required reading assignments and seeing my professors- because that’s what I feel I have to do in order to get good grades. Then I spend another hour either going to the gym, running or working out in my own room. That leaves me with a grand total of three hours to kick back and relax a day… and this is as much as I’ll ever get. Play with the numbers a little if you like, but that’s the general daily routine for a student athlete. You can’t even be guaranteed to get three hours of time to yourself.

How about, for example, when I played in the ITAs in Fredericksburg, VA? That’s a five hour drive with no traffic, and it killed an entire weekend of work. Doing homework on a bus, even one as nice as our team got with tables, wifi and TVs, is impossible for more than a fraction of the time, and even when you are actually doing work, the temptation to hang with your teammates, or watch TV, gets to you and you rush through it, diminishing the quality. That’s as far as we’ll have to travel (and it’s only once a year), but we frequently make 1-3 hour road trips that take away entire days of work. Then there’s the aspect of the actual match, that adds on to the driving time- matches/games/meets generally take longer than practices. Even for a home game, you’ve got to allow more time than usual. Better yet, what about when you’ve got a big test coming up? You spend more time than usual reviewing your notes in the days leading up to it- you have to- so that eats into your three hours of free time as well.

Tests and matches/meets don’t happen every day, but they’re certainly not infrequent. They happen often enough that you have to have a routine for them- a more intense one than normal. So when you lose some of your free time on some days for matches or tests, you can’t get them back, and if you try, you risk a drop off in either your studies or your sports. Never mind that school comes first; in a student-athlete’s mind, they are obligated to perform both. Quitting your team is a possibility, but from what I’ve seen, that is rarely, if ever the route student-athletes tend to go when they’re getting decent playing time. They just can’t bring themselves to do it, and being a pretty intense competitor myself, I can completely understand why they wouldn’t want to give up a good spot on their team.

But over time, having three hours of free time at best and sometimes none can really get to you. Worse yet, if you’re feeling the pressure of having to perform, and you decide that you need to allot more time to your two main responsibilities… well, where are those extra hours going to come from? You do have a choice, but both possibilities come with their caveats: you can take away some of your sleep and relaxation time to spend more time and effort on your academics and athletics, but risk burning yourself right out until you’re a mental and physical wreck, or you can just try that much harder with the same hours and hope for the best, but without an immediate and drastic improvement, it’s quite possible that you’ll get discouraged, which is somewhat less than ideal.

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At this point, some people don’t see any other solution than to commit suicide.

Of course there are different, better ways to handle a situation than that; for each potentially suicidal person, there may be a different course of action, and since I don’t know everybody in the world and what would work for each individual, I’m not going to list any suggestions. Trust me though, there are plenty of other roads to take, each one of them better than committing suicide.

The most frustrating part about depression is that even the best psychiatrist or therapist could give exactly the advice they were taught to give, and it might not help. Think about it from a student-athlete’s point of view. How is some random person telling me to try this exercise or that exercise going to improve my 800 meter time, or boost my B+ to an A? It won’t give me Usain Bolt’s legs, or Albert Einstein’s intelligence, etc, and it won’t magically add four hours to my day. Whether thoughts like those are full of fallacies or not is irrelevant; (and I’m not saying it is or it is not) it’s what goes through too many peoples’ minds, including my own, and in some cases, it’s simply not possible to change somebody’s mind about this. Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, because, in perhaps the biggest understatement ever written, it’s better to give it a shot and fail than not try anything at all.

Anyway, once a person has determined that he/she tried everything and cannot correct the situation, they may tend to lose confidence in themselves, and that’s pretty much the end of the explanation of how it can happen. I don’t know when Madison, Jerry or Paige lost all confidence in themselves, but at some point, I believe that they must have and seen no other way out.

Again, I’m no pro at this, so I’m not in any position to guess what might have done it, but there had to be a snapping moment that finalized the decision, and, well, you know the rest.

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Try to put yourself in my shoes, or Madison’s, or Jameis Winston’s for that matter. We all seem/seemed extremely happy, loving life, etc. I’m doing pretty well now, Jameis seems to be OK as well… and Madison appeared to be, too. But know that anybody who fits that student-athlete profile will always be under a lot of scrutiny regardless of whether or not they seem fine, or even whether or not they really are. Keep that in mind, in however you deal with them, and that’s all I can ask; there’s nothing more I can really suggest in terms of physically helping stop it as an outsider.

(Update 2/13/14: I talked to three former NCAA student athletes who suffered from some level of depression in the week since I first published this. All three asked to remain anonymous, which is an unfortunate bit of proof that coming out and admitting to being depressed is extremely hard to do, but of course I’ll respect their wishes (one did allow me to say that she played soccer for Minnesota at some point over the last five years). But as strong as their personal stories could potentially strengthen this article, that wasn’t even the purpose of talking to them.

After establishing the fact that they were depressed to some degree, I asked these three former student athletes one simple questions. How would your friends describe you? All three told me that they were described as being among the happiest people their friends had ever met. The point is, Madison was not exactly an anomaly. Sometimes, the happiest seeming people are the ones suffering the worst, and unfortunately, sometimes they’re the ones who take action like this.)

There’s one more thing I want to bring up before I close.

After reading how Madison’s father said he hopes this story would help others learn I realized that wasn’t the first time I heard that. Spreading awareness of suicide seems to be a common goal among families and friends of suicide victims, and this case is no different: Madison’s friend and old soccer teammate, Heather Ford, is doing something fantastic. She’s going to run a half marathon in NYC on March 23rd, and is dedicating her run to Madison by doing a fundraiser in her memory, and the money she raises will go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Like Madison, I don’t know Heather Ford personally (other than sending her this article ahead of time to make sure it was OK with her), but since student-athlete suicide is a personal issue to me, I thought about donating to her page help her out. Then I realized that I can do better than that. But I need your help, Gator Nation. It starts with you, and it’s up to y’all to spread this to everybody, not just Gator fans. If you can spread this article to people who don’t read me normally, like friends, family, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and get this post, say 20,000 hits, or more, and everybody who reads donates even one dollar- well, the math speaks for itself. So please, folks. I know Gator Nation is a proud and wide fan base, and I know you’re good people. Help fight depression and suicide by donating what you can to Heather’s page.

The purpose of Heather’s fundraiser, like this article, is deeper than just raising money, though. Awareness of suicide is what’s ultimately the most important- how can we as a society possibly help stop it if we’re not all cognizant of it? Sure, you can say “suicide is bad”, and you’re “aware of it”, but how many of you who say that in principle actually give/gave your undivided attention to guest speakers (who, unlike me, are trained pros) who come into your school and talk about this? Young people need to take this seriously, because for all they know, it could be their best friend who’s possibly depressed and/or suicidal. I’m well aware of the general attitude of a lot of people my age, and younger: “Well, that can’t happen to ME. It won’t be MY friend who does it, so it’s not of personal importance.” Guess what? Madison’s friends sure didn’t think it would be their best friend to fall victim to depression, and eventually commit suicide- her friends have since talked about what a happy person she was- yet that’s precisely what happened. Just like I said with the student-athletes I talked to, the happiest looking people can just as easily be the ones to commit suicide as the least happy looking. So you never know who’s on the brink of snapping, which is why you should always be careful.

Bottom line: nobody knows how serious suicide is until they either experience something like this themselves, or read enough real life examples about it. That’s where I come in. I was so deeply saddened upon hearing Madison’s story that I decided to help her friends and family out in the only way I could- by spreading awareness of suicide among student-athletes by writing this, just like her father said he hoped people would do, because I can personally relate to some of the steps than Madison faced during her struggle, and others that she didn’t necessarily face, but are nonetheless potential factors in depression in general.

As I’ve said, I’m not a professional, or even close to one, but I would recommend you speak with people who are and listen to them. And it goes without saying: be on the lookout for signs of depression, and if you ever see something, say something immediately to an adult who you trust will handle it and put the depressed/suicidal person in the right hands. I do realize that it’s almost never that easy. Despite hiding it well, Madison actually told her parents of her depression, and they did the right thing: they put her in therapy. Her friends never had any reason to be suspicious of anything because Madison never exhibited any signs. Yet, nobody was inside her head at the end, the same way nobody can be in the head of the next tragic suicide victim. So I’ll say it one more time: be careful and sensitive in how you interact with student-athletes. You never know what they’re going through, and you never know if what you say or do could trigger something awful. That’s the lasting impression I want to leave.

I’m going to end by saying that I sincerely appreciate y’all taking the time to read this, and hope you’ve learned something. If you want to know more, talk to a professional, because, just to be clear, I am certainly not one. In any case, thanks for caring enough to put the time in to learn the little bit of advice I have to offer, and I hope you keep the message in your head forever.

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LB EJ Lightsey commits to Florida

LB EJ Lightsey commits to Florida

Photo credit: Keith Niebuhr, 247Sports Linebacker EJ Lightsey (Fitzgerald, GA/Fitzgerald) has just become the newest member of the Gators' 2022 recruiting class. He announced the decision on twitter this morning. Though Florida's fan base does have a propensity to...

Florida CB Jaydon Hill tears ACL, will miss 2021 season

Florida CB Jaydon Hill tears ACL, will miss 2021 season

Photo credit: John Raoux, AP A big part of the small amount of depth the Florida Gators had in its secondary is now gone for the season, as cornerback Jaydon Hill has torn his ACL. Hill suffered the injury in practice on Sunday. Rumblings that Hill would miss the...

Florida Gators 2021 Summer Position Preview: Defensive line

Florida Gators 2021 Summer Position Preview: Defensive line

Photo credit: Brad McClenny, USA Today Having completed the position by position preview of the Florida Gators' offense last month, it's time to turn our attention to the other side of the ball: the defense. It was, for lack of a nicer possible way to put it, awful in...

Four star RB Terrance Gibbs commits to Florida

Four star RB Terrance Gibbs commits to Florida

Photo via Terrance Gibbs The Gators have finally landed a top running back out of high school as opposed to the portal, as Terrance Gibbs (Winter Park, FL/Winter Park HS) has committed to Florida. Though Gibbs is only rated as a four star by both Rivals and 247Sports,...

2023 TE Mac Markway commits to Florida

2023 TE Mac Markway commits to Florida

Photo via Mac Markway Tim Brewster has landed another one for the Florida Gators, raiding the Show Me State for a Mac Markway, tight end that schools across the country wanted. Markway, a consensus four star target from St. Louis, chose Florida over Ohio State and...

Report: Florida, UCF close in on two-for-one football series

Report: Florida, UCF close in on two-for-one football series

Photo credit: Phil Sandlin, AP UPDATE: the social media teams of Florida and Central Florida have officially announced the three game series, confirming details of reports listed below. The original story begins below. UCF Knights fans' dreams of playing the Florida...

Florida Gators 2021 Pre-Summer position analysis: tight ends

Florida Gators 2021 Pre-Summer position analysis: tight ends

Photo credit: Courtney Culbreath, University of Florida After a bit of a hiatus, our position by position breakdown of the Florida Gators football roster resumes today with a look at Tim Brewster's tight end room. (Apologies for the delay. Long story. But we're back...

ATH Jamarrien Burt commits to Florida

ATH Jamarrien Burt commits to Florida

After laying dormant for quite some time, the Gators' 2022 recruiting class is picking up some steam at last. A mere four days after Florida added a pair of commitments from linebacker Shemar James and wide receiver Chandler Smith, athlete Jamarrien Burt has joined...

Athletic four star LB Shemar James commits to Florida

Athletic four star LB Shemar James commits to Florida

Photo credit: Scott Donaldson, preps@al.com Florida's 2022 recruiting class just gained perhaps its most highly touted piece yet, as consensus four star linebacker Shemar James announced his commitment this afternoon. James- out of Mobile, AL/Faith Academy- was...

Four star DB Julian Humphrey commits to Florida

Four star DB Julian Humphrey commits to Florida

Photo via TexAgs Not even three months after poaching QB Nick Evers from the Lone Star State, Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators rode west to Texas once again and pulled out another stud in Julian Humphrey, a consensus four star prospect from the Houston metropolitan...

Underrated three star WR Isaiah Bond commits to Florida

Underrated three star WR Isaiah Bond commits to Florida

Photo via Isaiah Bond After a lull the past couple months, the Gators are making moves with their 2022 recruiting class again, this time adding wide receiver Isaiah Bond. https://twitter.com/isaiahbond_/status/1391513186566819845?s=20 247Sports credits Billy Gonzales...

Florida Gators 2021 NFL Draft primer

Florida Gators 2021 NFL Draft primer

Photo credit: Kim Klement, USA Today Happy NFL Draft Day, Florida Gators fans! Today is the day where 32 former college football stars take the first step towards making their lifelong dreams of playing in the NFL a reality. That, of course, will include former Gators...

(Unofficial) results from Florida’s NFL Pro Day

(Unofficial) results from Florida’s NFL Pro Day

Photo credit: Florida Gators Due to the cancellation of the Gators' spring football game, the Florida Gators Pro Day was the closest thing to live football we're going to get this offseason. Luckily for the fans- and much more importantly, themselves- several...

Who should replace Mike White at Florida? (2021 version)

Who should replace Mike White at Florida? (2021 version)

Photo credit: John E. Moore, Getty Images A year ago, after Mike White's coaching malpractice pushed me over the edge for good, I wrote about all the laundry list of candidates I would love to see Florida replace Mike White with. After his horrifying late game...

TE CJ Hawkins commits to Florida

TE CJ Hawkins commits to Florida

Image via 247Sports The Gators got off to a slow start with their 2022 recruiting class. But with the addition of CJ Hawkins, it's officially picking up steam. Hawkins, a tight end out of Tampa, FL/Berkeley Prep, committed to Florida over South Carolina. The Gators...

Athletic OT Tony Livingston commits to Florida

Athletic OT Tony Livingston commits to Florida

Image via BuckeyePlanet.com Florida picked up a major boost for its 2022 recruiting class with the addition of Tony Livingston. Livingston, a consensus four star offensive tackle from Tampa, FL/Carrolwood Day announced his decision on twitter this evening. He also had...

2022 QB Nick Evers commits to Florida

2022 QB Nick Evers commits to Florida

Image via TexAgs.com Coaches will tell you that in every recruiting class, signing a quarterback is a need. For the Gators' 2022 class, Dan Mullen just filled that need in the name of Nick Evers, who just committed with an announcement on twitter. Evers is a consensus...

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 3/2 practice

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 3/2 practice

Photo credit: Florida Gators/@GatorsFB The Gators held Day 6 of spring practice today, and as has been the case for several of the prior practices, the program decided to open it up (virtually) to the public, and streamed most of the reps live on the team's Instagram...

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/26 practice

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/26 practice

Day five of full pads. (Image via Florida Gators.) For the third time this week, the Florida Gators football team held a virtual open practice, streaming most of the day's work on Instagram live for all to see. Here are all the videos I managed to capture from Friday...

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/24 practice

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/24 practice

Jason Marshall vs. Xzavier Henderson: something we'll be seeing a lot of in practice for a very, very long time. (Photo credit: Florida Gators) For the second time this week, the Gator football program virtually opened its practice to the public on its Instagram page,...

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/22 practice

Screenshot from Florida's practice today (via Florida Gators) Dan Mullen and the Florida Gator football team hit the field for practice today as usual. One thing that made today's practice different from a lot of the Gators' other practices, though, was that today's...

Kicker Adam Mihalek commits to Florida

Kicker Adam Mihalek commits to Florida

Image via Adam Mihalek The Florida Gators snuck in one last addition to their 2021 recruiting class at the last second: kicker Adam Mihalek. Mihalek, a local from Tampa, has announced his intentions to stay close to home and attend the University of Florida as a...

Four star 2022 DE Francois Nolton commits to Florida

Four star 2022 DE Francois Nolton commits to Florida

With the Gators' 2021 recruiting class all wrapped up, Dan Mullen and his staff have gone to work setting up their 2022 class. https://twitter.com/99_nolton/status/1357739221822418945?s=20 Francois Nolton, a 6'4, 225 lb. four star defensive end from Miami, has...

COVID forces Gator basketball game vs. LSU to be postponed

COVID forces Gator basketball game vs. LSU to be postponed

After an embarrassing home loss to South Carolina two nights ago, the Gator basketball program will have to wait a little longer to get back on the court. Per an SEC press release, Mike White's team is experiencing another COVID outbreak: The Florida at LSU men's...

Gators land former LSU five star TE Arik Gilbert

Gators land former LSU five star TE Arik Gilbert

Dan Mullen remains undefeated in the NCAA transfer portal with the addition of Arik Gilbert. And now, a year after Florida lost unanimous All-American tight end Kyle Pitts to the NFL, the Gators may not miss a beat at that position. Gilbert, a former five star tight...

Way too early 2021 Gator football game-by-game projections

Way too early 2021 Gator football game-by-game projections

With the Florida Gators' 2021 schedule released yesterday, I thought it would be worth taking my first shot at what's become fans' favorite offseason ritual: projecting Florida's record. And in order to have a final record projection, you have to go game by game in...

Florida Gators’ 2021 football schedule revealed

Florida Gators’ 2021 football schedule revealed

When the SEC first pieced together a twelve year football schedule rotation in 2014 that dictated which teams would play who from the other division, the Florida Gators knew that they'd be hosting Alabama as their cross-division opponent in 2021. But now, following...

Gators complete coaching staff with Jules Montinar

Gators complete coaching staff with Jules Montinar

UPDATE: Florida has officially announced Jules Montinar as the newest member of the Gator football staff. https://twitter.com/GatorsFB/status/1353802427313618945?s=20 (Initial story begins below.) With linebackers coach Christian Robinson presumably staying at...

Auburn DL Daquan Newkirk transfers to Florida

Auburn DL Daquan Newkirk transfers to Florida

DaQuan Newkirk is coming home. Daquan Newkirk has decided to return home (or close to it) for his final year of eligibility. And thus, Florida's shaky offseason took a step in the right direction. https://twitter.com/holdthat_2/status/1349757297782829056?s=20 Once a...

Florida LB James Houston to enter transfer portal

Florida LB James Houston to enter transfer portal

Best of luck to James Houston as he searches for a new home. James Houston IV, a junior linebacker from Fort Lauderdale, has told me that he will be entering the transfer portal. Houston was known for making a few of the bigger defensive plays of the last couple of...

Keyontae Johnson placed into medically induced coma

Keyontae Johnson placed into medically induced coma

Keyontae Johnson has been placed into a medically induced coma, according to the USA Today, who spoke with Johnson's grandfather. His grandfather, Larry DeJarnett said in a phone interview that his grandson was transported to Gainesville earlier today after receiving...

Florida vs Tennessee: Film Review – Defense

Florida’s 2020 season has overall been a successful one by most measures. The Gators are 8-1, ranked in the top ten in every major poll and are four wins away from securing the program’s fourth national title. But in order to obtain that national title, there’s a lot...

Several Gators listed as national award semifinalists

Florida's efforts on the field have been rewarded in the sense that the Gators now control their own destiny to SEC and national championships. But for several players, their efforts are being rewarded in more individual manners, too. Four Gators have been listed as...

Rocky Slop: Florida takes down Tennessee to clinch SEC East

The day Dan Mullen was introduced as the Gators’ new head coach, he talked at length about giving relentless effort in all he did to restore the program to a championship level. Last night on Rocky Top, his Gators took a major step toward doing so. Heisman front...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 31-19 win over Tennessee

Florida didn't play especially well, but did more than enough to beat Tennessee and wrap up the SEC East for the first time since 2016. What were the major takeaways from the game? Florida simply does not have a running game Tennessee came into the game with a five...

Photo Gallery from Florida’s 34-10 win over Kentucky

As we anticipate tomorrow's road matchup with Tennessee,  let’s take one more look back at last week’s game against Kentucky. Our podcast host, Dustin Smith, happens to also be a fantastic photographer. He was at the game last Saturday, and got some great photos of...

Florida RB Iverson Clement will transfer

Florida's deep stable of running backs has just gotten a little thinner. Iverson Clement, a junior tailback from Mount Holly, NJ, has decided to transfer. He departs from Florida having carried the ball twelve times for 94 yards. He nearly scored a touchdown against...

Gators make belated Thanksgiving feast out of Wildcats

Florida was missing key pieces on both sides of the ball a week ago in a sluggish 38-17 win over Vanderbilt. The Gators got them both back today, and the result was fairly similar: Florida struggled for a half against a historically inferior divisional opponent,...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 34-10 win over Kentucky

It took awhile for Florida to get itself going, but they eventually did do exactly that and rolled away from Kentucky. What stood out in the victory? A tale of two halves Florida's offense was stuck in reverse for most of the first half, mustering a grand total of...

No. 6 Gators overcome sluggish start to run past Vandy

Florida arrived at Vanderbilt’s small stadium a mere hour and two minutes before kickoff, determined to avoid the cramped quarters in the visitors’ locker room at all costs and intent on spending as little time on the premises as they had to. Then the Gators took the...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 38-17 win over Vanderbilt

It wasn’t pretty, but Florida fought off a tough challenge from Vanderbilt and got out of Nashville with a 38-17 win. What stuck out in the victory? The defense is still a problem. Yes, Florida played better on defense after a miserable first quarter, and sure,...

Photo Gallery from Florida’s 63-35 win over Arkansas

Before we look ahead to Vanderbilt tomorrow, let's take one more look back at last week's game against Arkansas. Our podcast host, Dustin Smith, happens to also be a fantastic photographer. He was at the game last Saturday night, and got some great photos of various...

Trask, Gators run Hogwild in blowout of Arkansas

Trask, Gators run Hogwild in blowout of Arkansas

Feleipe Franks’ dramatic return to the Swamp was the story of the day when his Arkansas Razorbacks faced off against #6 Florida in the Swamp. But it was his long-time understudy, Kyle Trask, who dominated the night. Trask continued his push for a Heisman Trophy by...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 63-35 win over Arkansas

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 63-35 win over Arkansas

Florida earned its most lopsided win of the season over Arkansas, and former quarterback Feleipe Franks, 63-35. What stood out most along the way? Kyle Trask is now the Heisman frontrunner After several years of hyping up various quarterbacks as Heisman Trophy...

A Tribute to Feleipe Franks: I Will Remember You

A Tribute to Feleipe Franks: I Will Remember You

Hello again, Feleipe Franks. It's been about fourteen months since your Gator career ended in a particularly gruesome fashion. Tomorrow, we meet again. Only this time, your job will be to ruin Florida's season, not enhance it, and our job will be to make you...

Florida 44, Georgia 28: Helmet Stickers and Plays of the Game

Florida 44, Georgia 28: Helmet Stickers and Plays of the Game

Florida's euphoric win over Georgia is still sinking in, but it's time to go through the film and look at this game from an academic standpoint. You can rewatch the game here. First order of business: a blanket helmet sticker is awarded to every member of the team for...

Gators kick Georgia out of Cocktail Party

Gators kick Georgia out of Cocktail Party

Throughout Dan Mullen’s short tenure at Florida, Kirby Smart has had Mullen’s number.  And three minutes into their third meeting in Jacksonville, it looked like that would continue. But then Florida flipped the script and turned the game— and the rivalry— on its...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 44-28 win over Georgia

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 44-28 win over Georgia

WE DID IT!!! Yes, at long last, Florida has gotten the Georgia monkey off its back and toppled the Bulldogs to take control of the SEC East. What did we learn along the way? Kyle Trask is officially a Heisman Trophy frontrunner He may not win the award, but he has to...

2021 OL Yousef Mugharbil commits to Florida

2021 OL Yousef Mugharbil commits to Florida

A day before the Gators take on Georgia in the Cocktail Party, Yousef Mugharbil kicked off their weekend the right way. Mugharbil, a consensus four star offensive lineman from Murphy, NC/Murphy HS, has committed to Florida. He also had offers from Penn State, Virginia...

Five takeaways from Florida’s 41-17 win over Missouri

Five takeaways from Florida’s 41-17 win over Missouri

Florida bounced back from a rough loss to Texas A&M three weeks ago with a statement win against Missouri. What stood out in the process? The defense isn't great, but it's getting better. Even without three starters in the secondary (and without Zachary Carter in...

Gators down three starters in the secondary against Missouri

Gators down three starters in the secondary against Missouri

Florida's defensive backfield- already shaky at full strength- is now going to be decimated tonight against Missouri. Starting cornerback Marco Wilson, as well as safeties Shawn Davis and Donovan Stiner, are all out tonight, according to various reports. The reasons...

For Gators, a new season begins against Missouri

For Gators, a new season begins against Missouri

Three weeks ago, Florida completed its preseason portion of the 2020 schedule with a good deal of promise, but well aware of what it had to work on. One ugly COVID outbreak and three weeks later, and the Gators begin the meat of their schedule- a seven game stretch...

2022 Safety Sam McCall commits to Florida

2022 Safety Sam McCall commits to Florida

Just as things are getting back into full swing for the Gator football team, things are heating up on the recruiting trail, too. Florida has nabbed a commitment from 2022 athlete Sam McCall, a consensus five star recruit from Lakeland, FL/Lake Gibson HS. He chose...

2021 Edge rusher Jeremiah Williams commits to Florida

2021 Edge rusher Jeremiah Williams commits to Florida

Defensive end Jeremiah Williams, a consensus four star prospect out of Birmingham, AL/Ramsay HS, has committed to Florida, giving the Gators yet another dynamic piece for their 2021 recruiting class. Signs were pointing towards Gainesville for the highly touted edge...

Florida-Missouri game postponed to October 31

Florida-Missouri game postponed to October 31

According to multiple sources close to the team, the Florida-Missouri game scheduled to take place on October 24th will now be pushed back one week, to Halloween on October 31st. In All Kinds of Weather first reported yesterday that the game was extremely likely to be...

Florida-LSU game postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak

Florida-LSU game postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Florida-LSU game scheduled for this Saturday is going to be postponed. An announcement could come as early as Wednesday afternoon. The news comes less than 24 hours after an outbreak of COVID-19 within the Gators' football...

COVID-19 outbreak places Florida-LSU game in jeopardy

After just three games, the novel coronavirus that has wreaked havoc on pretty much everything in 2020 appears to have found its way into the Gator football program. And predictably, the COVID-19 outbreak has thrown up a blockade in front of the season. A few days...

Texas A&M forces Florida to address defensive issues

Texas A&M forces Florida to address defensive issues

Throughout the game on Saturday in College Station, Florida seemed to be one step ahead of Texas A&M. Until they weren't. And then it was too late to do anything about it as the Florida program trudged off the field following a familiar fate- a loss to Jimbo...

Five takeaways from Florida’s 41-38 loss to Texas A&M

Five takeaways from Florida’s 41-38 loss to Texas A&M

Florida suffered its first loss of the season against Texas A&M today, an ugly 41-38 setback that’s far more irritating than damaging— but one that exposed a great deal of Gator shortcomings. What stood out in particular? (Spoiler alert: a lot of them are...

Imperfect Gators outlast South Carolina to start 2-0

Imperfect Gators outlast South Carolina to start 2-0

The various struggles the Florida Gators have endured on defense didn’t matter too much in their first two games against Mississippi and South Carolina. They might in their next game. And they almost certainly will later in the season. Kyle Trask tossed four touchdown...

Clemson RB Demarkcus Bowman to transfer to Florida

Clemson RB Demarkcus Bowman to transfer to Florida

The Lakeland-to-Gainesville pipeline has continued, albeit via a detour. Demarkcus Bowman has chosen to transfer to Florida. Mere days after announcing his decision to enter the transfer portal, Bowman told Gators Territory of his decision. Bowman, a former five star...

Trask’s career day propels Florida past Mississippi

Trask’s career day propels Florida past Mississippi

Dan Mullen returned to the place he once called “The School Up North” in his new set of colors for the first time. And he provided that school up north with a first class education in just how lethal his new offense is. Kyle Trask went wild, completing 30 of his 42...

Five takeaways from Florida’s 51-35 win at Ole Miss

Five takeaways from Florida’s 51-35 win at Ole Miss

The Gators opened their 2020 season with a somewhat convincing 51-35 victory over Ole Miss in Oxford. In doing so, Florida knotted the all time series score against the Rebels at twelve wins apiece. Here are my five initial takeaways from the game: Kyle Trask is...

2020 Gator football position preview: secondary

2020 Gator football position preview: secondary

Our position previews of the 2020 Gator football team conclude today with a look at the defensive backfield. Can the unit colloquially known as "DBU" move forward without CJ Henderson? Previously previewing: quarterbacks | running backs | wide receivers | tight ends |...

2020 Gator football position previews: linebackers

2020 Gator football position previews: linebackers

The penultimate piece of our position preview segment takes us to the Florida linebackers- a unit that was very good in 2019, but will look a bit different in 2020. Let's get right into it. Previously previewing: quarterbacks | running backs | wide receivers | tight...

2020 Gator football position preview: defensive line

2020 Gator football position preview: defensive line

Having completed our offensive position previews, today we move to the defensive side of the ball. And as is the case everywhere in the SEC, it starts up front. Previously previewing: quarterbacks | running backs | wide receivers | tight ends | offensive line The...

2020 Gator football position preview: offensive line

2020 Gator football position preview: offensive line

Fresh off our preview of Florida's tight ends, our 2020 Gator football position preview rolls on with a look at perhaps the key to the entire team: the offensive line. Last year, was so-so a year ago in pass protection, but really let the team down in the ground game....

2020 Gator football position preview: tight ends

2020 Gator football position preview: tight ends

With kickoff just around the corner, our position by position previews of the 2020 Gator football team are about to start hitting the presses rapid-fire. Having already published our previews on Florida's quarterback, running back and wide receiver rooms, the first of...

2020 Gator football position preview: wide receivers

2020 Gator football position preview: wide receivers

Having previously broken down Florida's quarterbacks and running backs, our position preview segment moves along today with a look at Florida's receivers. It's a unit that lost four of its top playmakers from 2019 (Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain, Josh Hammond and Tyrie...

2020 Gator football position preview: running backs

2020 Gator football position preview: running backs

After a bit longer of a gap between position breakdowns than I intended, the series rolls on today with a look at Florida's running backs. What do the Gators have in stock in their RB room this year? The leader: Dameon Pierce The leading returning rusher from 2019 has...

Snapshot: the 2020 Florida-FSU chart

Snapshot: the 2020 Florida-FSU chart

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and privilege to present to you, the 2020 Florida-FSU chart. Many of you already know what I'm referring too. For those who don't, "The Chart" is an annual In All Kinds Of Weather tradition that compares the Florida Gators...

2020 Gator football position preview: quarterbacks

2020 Gator football position preview: quarterbacks

With kickoff at long last in sight, it's time to break down the 2020 Gator football roster, position by position. Who's back, who's going to start, how good are they, and so on. Man, it's great to finally be talking about that again. So with that said, let's start...

Gators learn four of ten kickoff times for 2020 season

Gators learn four of ten kickoff times for 2020 season

Three of Florida's first four games of the 2020 season carry the potential to be broilers. The Gators' season opener against Mississippi in Oxford on September 26th will kick off at noon, and air on ESPN. The following week, Florida will return home and again play in...

#GreatestGatorEver Sweet 16 bracket breakdown

#GreatestGatorEver Sweet 16 bracket breakdown

Having announced the tentative plans for the schedule of the remainder of the #GreatestGatorEver fan voting tournament (update; the tournament resumes tomorrow on twitter and Instagram stories), it's time to refresh our memories regarding the final sixteen contestants...

#GreatestGatorEver tournament schedule update

#GreatestGatorEver tournament schedule update

For those who have been keeping track of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament, the excitement level has reached yet another all time high, as it does with the completion of each round. For those who haven't, it's not too late to be introduced to the event. Here's (a very...

Gators’ 2020 football schedule unveiled

Gators’ 2020 football schedule unveiled

At long last, the Florida Gators 2020 football schedule has been released. Here it is, in full. Florida Gators 2020 football schedule Week Date Opponent 1 9/26 @ Mississippi 2 10/3 S CAROLINA 3 10/10 @ Texas A&M 4 10/17 LSU 5 10/24 MISSOURI 6 --- BYE 7 11/7...

Four key Gators sit out first fall practice

Four key Gators sit out first fall practice

For the time being, it looks as though the SEC is going to give its college football season a go in 2020. But at least for today's inaugural practice, the Florida Gators football team launched its fall season down four critical pieces. As first reported by Sports...

Florida Gators 2021 Recruiting Big Board update: mid-August

Florida Gators 2021 Recruiting Big Board update: mid-August

The Gators' recruiting recent endeavors can be summed up with a synopsis not unlike a bunch of little kids swinging away at a dangling piñata. After much time and effort hacking at it to no avail, one well-placed swing and the fruits of their labor suddenly began...

DT Desmond Watson commits to Florida

DT Desmond Watson commits to Florida

Florida had been suffering through a bit of a lull on the recruiting trail earlier this month, a period that was low lighted by Clinton Burton flipping his commitment from Florida to Boston College. But if the past couple of weeks didn't vault Florida out of that rut,...

Gators flip OL recruit Jake Slaughter from FSU

After a bit of a lull on the recruiting trail, Florida has suddenly picked it up over the course of the last week. Last Saturday, safety Donovan McMillon committed; less than 48 hours later, receiver Marcus Burke followed suit to rev the engine a little bit on a 2021...

Top Jacksonville WR Marcus Burke commits to Florida

Top Jacksonville WR Marcus Burke commits to Florida

The Gators' 2021 recruiting class got a boost Saturday with the addition of Donovan McMillon. Today, Dan Mullen & Co. built on that momentum with the addition of receiver Marcus Burke. https://twitter.com/CERTIFIED_MB4/status/1285296008747003904?s=20 Burke, a...

Safety Donovan McMillon commits to Florida

Safety Donovan McMillon commits to Florida

Clinton Burton out, Donovan McMillon in. McMillon, a borderline three/four star safety from McMurray, PA/Peters Township High School, has committed to the Gators. The move provides Florida fans with a bit of relief following the decommitment of fellow defensive back...

#GreatestGatorEver tournament set to heat up

#GreatestGatorEver tournament set to heat up

Welcome to the part of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament where things really start to get interesting. For those who are just catching wind of the tournament, a quick explanation of how it works. Created with the goal of deciding the greatest Florida Gator athlete of...

Gators announce six new positive COVID tests within football program

UF confirms 11 positive COVID-19 cases since April

The University of Florida has acknowledged that eleven different positive tests for COVID-19 have taken place since April. The news comes a week and a half after the announcement that no returning Gator football player had tested positive. From Florida senior...

2021 CB Jordan Young commits to Florida

2021 CB Jordan Young commits to Florida

It may be one of the slowest times for sports in recent memory, but the inverse has been the case in the world of Gator football recruiting. 2021 cornerback Jordan Young (Tampa, FL/Gaither) has committed to Florida. A consensus three star prospect with offers from...

Kamar Wilcoxson re-commits to Florida for a third time

Kamar Wilcoxson re-commits to Florida for a third time

Kamar Wilcoxson is back on the Gators' commitment list- and he says this time, it's for good. https://twitter.com/KamarWilcoxson4/status/1274100941369806850?s=20 I think at this point, most Gator fans are familiar with who he is, and if you're not, I'll explain why I...

Safety Dakota Mitchell commits to Florida

Safety Dakota Mitchell commits to Florida

It probably got lost in the news of yesterday’s news that the Florida band will stop cueing up the “Gator bait” chant due to the term’s racist history, but while Florida football lost a ritual, it gained a commit. Safety Dakota Mitchell (Winter Park, FL/Winter Park)...

Gator football gets the green light to proceed with practice

Gator football gets the green light to proceed with practice

One thing that COVID-19 has proven is that it possesses an uncanny ability to screw up all different types of plans, and there's no concrete evidence that it's finished doing so. That's something that has to be kept in mind for the duration of this article, as well as...

Gator baseball pitcher Tommy Mace to return in 2021

Gator baseball pitcher Tommy Mace to return in 2021

Tommy Mace has just pulled perhaps the biggest offseason surprise in the world of Florida Gator athletics. Mace, the ace of the Gator baseball pitching staff, has decided to return to Gainesville for another season after going undrafted in the MLB Draft. Per...

Former Florida WR Reche Caldwell murdered outside his house

Former Florida WR Reche Caldwell murdered outside his house

Photo credit: Sports Illustrated Ex-Florida wide receiver Reche Caldwell has died from injuries sustained in a shooting right outside his home in Tampa, according to multiple different reports. The story was first broken by TMZ, and confirmed by ESPN's Adam Schefter....

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 15 Regional

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 15 Regional

The sixteenth and final Regional of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament gets underway later tonight. Thus, our Regional previews conclude with a look at the 15 Regional: The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1)...

Lorenzo Lingard granted immediate eligibility for Florida

Lorenzo Lingard granted immediate eligibility for Florida

Happy birthday, Lorenzo Lingard. Florida's newest running back addition has announced on twitter that his waiver to be able to play in 2020 has been granted: https://twitter.com/d1champ99/status/1266464118950723584?s=20 Florida's running back room wasn't bad to begin...

#GreatestGatorEver tournament set to heat up

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 2

The penultimate Regional of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament is just about set to get underway. As is customary by now, let's acquaint ourselves with the sixteen player field a little more first. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 10 Regional

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 10 Regional

Round one of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament is drawing to a close. Today, we take a look at the third-to-last of the sixteen Regional brackets to be played: the 10 Regional. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.)...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 7 Regional

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 7 Regional

We are officially three quarters of the way through of the first round of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament. Tomorrow morning, we begin the first round of the fourth quarter of the bracket- the 7 Regional. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order...

Class of 2021 RB/WR Charles Montgomery commits to Florida

Class of 2021 RB/WR Charles Montgomery commits to Florida

Charles Montgomery will be suiting up in orange and blue on Saturdays. On an instagram live feed, Montgomery announced that he was choosing Florida over Maryland. A consensus four star prospect out of Seffner, FL/Armwood, Montgomery also had offers from Alabama,...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 14

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 14

Time to complete the upper right hand corner of the #GreatestGatorEver bracket with the 14 Regional. Y'all know the drill by now; let's get to it. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1) Kelly Barnhill (softball,...

Florida unveils plan to bring athletes back to campus

Florida unveils plan to bring athletes back to campus

Photo credit: University of Florida COVID-19 has pretty much shut down college athletics since it made its way over to the United States a couple of months ago. Now, the first steps are being taken to see their resumption. Earlier today, SEC school presidents have...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 3

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 3

Up next in our #GreatestGatorEver tournament is the 3 Regional. Before voting gets underway, let's take a closer look at the field. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1) Al Horford (basketball, C/F-...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 11

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 11

Eight Regionals down, one underway, and seven more to go in Round One of our #GreatestGatorEver tournament. Next up is the 11 Regional. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1) Jack Youngblood (football, DE/DT/K-...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 6

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 6

We're halfway through the opening round of our summer long #GreatestGatorEver tournament. Now, we shift to the right side of the bracket, and start at the top with the 6 Regional, which gets underway tomorrow morning. The bracket Regional participants (Players are...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 12

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 12

The eighth and final Regional on the left half of the 256 player #GreatestGatorEver tournament is set to get started tonight. Another way of putting that: after tonight's 12 Regional voting, we will officially be halfway done with the opening round of this summer long...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 5

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 5

Our #GreatestGatorEver tournament rolls on today with Round one of the 5 Regional. As was the case for the previous Regionals and will be for all ensuing Regionals, let's take this opportunity to refresh our memories regarding what, exactly, the sixteen players in...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 13

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 13

With the 4 Regional of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament currently winding down, it's time to preview the Regional it's paired with in the Sweet 16: Regional #13. The 13 Regional bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.)...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 4

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 4

Our #GreatestGatorEver bracket is set to continue tomorrow with the opening round of the 4 Regional. Let's get to know that 4 Regional: The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1) Emmitt Smith (football, RB-...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 9

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 9

Our #GreatestGatorEver bracket is set to continue later today with the opening round of the 9 Regional. With voting in the 8 Regional closing soon, let's familiarize ourselves with said 9 Regional: The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 8

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 8

Our #GreatestGatorEver tournament is off and running. Voting for the opening round of the 1 Regional has been completed; the 16 Regional is underway and will wrap up this afternoon. Shortly after its conclusion, the 8 Regional will get underway. So, let's get to know...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 16

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 16

Yesterday, voting began in our #GreatestGatorEver bracket in the 1 Regional. Today, voting will continue with the 16 Regional, but before the polls open, let's preview the field and refresh our memories on the players' accomplishments. The bracket Regional...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 1

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 1

Voting for the #GreatestGatorEver bracket begins this afternoon. In the name of eliminating potential recentism in the voting, I thought I'd set the stage by previewing each Regional before the voting gets underway. Today, we'll take a look at Regional 1, which of...

2021 guard Kowacie Reeves commits to Florida

2021 guard Kowacie Reeves commits to Florida

Mike White's 2021 recruiting class is off to a great start. Kowacie Reeves (Macon, GA) has committed to Florida. Reeves, a highly sought after four star, also earned offers from North Carolina, Texas, Auburn, Georgia and Seton Hall, among others. This commitment might...

Introducing the Greatest Gator Ever bracket

Introducing the Greatest Gator Ever bracket

Part of what has helped fans make it through a long, frustrating quarantine is the abundance of fan polls on social media. In particular, 64-team, March Madness themed brackets that allow fans to vote on the winner of each matchup in each round have captured a lot of...

Michigan F Colin Castleton transferring to Florida

Michigan F Colin Castleton transferring to Florida

Colin Castleton is coming home, and Florida is adding some more frontcourt depth for the future- potentially even next season. Castleton, who spent the last two seasons at Michigan, will be transferring closer to home and joining Mike White's Gator basketball squad....

Recapping the Gators’ weekend in the 2020 NFL Draft

Recapping the Gators’ weekend in the 2020 NFL Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft has just concluded, and once again, the Florida Gators were very well represented. Below is a list of all the selections from Florida. Click on the player names for further analysis on what they bring to their new teams. Florida Gators in the 2020...

How Dan Mullen fixed a broken Gator football program

How Dan Mullen fixed a broken Gator football program

What was a fractured program less than 30 months ago needed a hero to put it back together. In Dan Mullen, Florida found that hero. This is the story of the toxic culture he walked into, how he went to work taking it apart, and how he's replaced that toxic culture...

Tebow, Spikes, James inducted into UF Hall of Fame

Tebow, Spikes, James inducted into UF Hall of Fame

Three members of the Florida Gators' 2008 football team- universally regarded as one of the best in college football history- are finally getting the ultimate recognition they deserve- spots in the UF Hall of Fame. Explosive kick/return man Brandon James posted a...

Scottie Lewis to return for sophomore year

Scottie Lewis to return for sophomore year

Florida’s basketball team got a sort-of-but-not-really-surprising boost today, as shooting guard Scottie Lewis announced that he will be coming back for his sophomore season. Lewis, a ridiculously athletic kid from southern New Jersey, arrived in Gainesville last fall...

The “Kyle Trask Emory Jones” debate: why not both?

The “Kyle Trask Emory Jones” debate: why not both?

The "Kyle Trask Emory Jones" debate is in full swing. Yes, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that has, among other things, lengthened college sports fans' offseason, the fanbase-wide argument regarding who should be the starter at the most important position of...

Coronavirus abruptly ends 2019-20 NCAA athletic season

Coronavirus abruptly ends 2019-20 NCAA athletic season

Photo credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images UPDATE 5:10pm: although it feels wholly logical to assume that college baseball and softball are over for 2020, the language in the two released statements- from the SEC and NCAA, and which you can read below- left one pair of...

TE Nick Elksnis commits to Florida

TE Nick Elksnis commits to Florida

Tight end Nick Elksnis (Jacksonville, FL/Episcopal) has announced his decision to be a Gator, thus netting Florida its first commitment of its Junior Day weekend. In doing so, Elksnis effectively flips from Penn State, from which he decommitted last week....

2020 Florida Gators’ Junior Day visitors list

2020 Florida Gators’ Junior Day visitors list

The Gators' second Junior Day event in Gainesville is upon us, and it's important to keep an eye on because more often than not, Florida uses it to add members to its list of commits. This time around, the chances of the Gators doing so are increased appreciably-...

For Gator basketball, time is running out to figure things out

For Gator basketball, time is running out to figure things out

For much of Saturday's game against Tennessee, Florida couldn’t score. When they finally remembered how to score, they couldn’t come up with the critical stops. In other words, it was a typical basketball game for Mike White’s Gators on the heels of an impressive win....

Four star TE Gage Wilcox commits to Florida

Four star TE Gage Wilcox commits to Florida

Congratulations to Gage Wilcox. You, sir, have just become the first commit for Tim Brewster. Wilcox, a four star tight end from Tampa's Jefferson High School in the Class of 2021, committed on an Instagram Live video, as captured by twitter user @CurtisK421....

Florida takes step forward by throttling LSU

Florida takes step forward by throttling LSU

Photo credit: Florida Gators Maybe this is another mirage, the latest peak in a dizzying array of sine waves for Mike White’s Gator basketball team. Or maybe, after we all erroneously thought this team had turned the corner several times before, this is the game that...