The Rebuild: Billy Napier begins to surgically repair Gators program, and build his army

by | Dec 13, 2021 | Gator Football, Uncategorized

Billy Napier

Even by the ultra-hectic standards for the Florida Gators football program, the first week of the Billy Napier was an unprecedented roller coaster ride.

Some of it was positive, and some of it was negative. All of it, though, was on par with what Billy Napier warned fans about at his introductory press conference: “You guys are probably going to get frustrated with me. We’re going to be very patient, and calculated about everything that we do.”

Translation: as is usually the case when a coach gets fired, the Florida football program was pretty severely wounded when Dan Mullen was handed the pink slip. Billy Napier isn’t here to put a bandaid over the wound; he’s here to perform surgery on it. And for the ultimate analogy-within-an-analogy: that surgery includes the construction of an army.

First, for the external analogy, the surgery. Surgery takes time to fully recover from. The actual surgery itself is a large part of what makes recovering from severe wounds such a long process. On the other hand, a bandaid can stop the bleeding, and make things seem like they’re going to be all right for a little while. It’s the quick fix. But a bandaid doesn’t actually do anything to address the internal problems. In order to truly get back to top condition, you have to go in there and fix it. Fail to address those internal issues for too long, and they’re liable to doom you later on. Surgery may not be a pretty process, it may not be enjoyable, and it very well might make things get worse before they get better- but it’s how restarts work.

After Florida had finished conquering FSU 24-21, I milled around outside the stadium and casually polled former Gator players who had returned for that game about who they would want to be the next head coach. Among them were former Florida defensive linemen Adam Shuler and Cece Jefferson, and former safety Major Wright. They didn’t all agree that Florida should have fired Dan Mullen. But each and every one of them agreed that if Florida was going to hire a new coach, it needed to be a long-term hire.

“I’m tired of short-term fixes,” another former player told me. “Get it right this time. I don’t even care if Florida goes 3-9 and then 5-7 these next two years (he then paused to laugh at himself and add, ‘that’s not gonna happen but you know what I’m saying,’) …I would trade that bad two year stretch for a coach who has us humming like Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Alabama, or even Georgia for the next dozen years.”

Scott Stricklin clearly agrees with that player, who I then reached out to after the hire became official and learned that he was “thrilled with it.” Florida didn’t hire a coach to put together the best makeshift program possible, win 10 games the first year or two, and then fizzle out because of an obvious fatal flaw that was considered rather Debbie Downer-esque to say out loud but that the entire fan base could have seen coming. Florida’s been there before. Three times in the last decade, as a matter of fact: Will Muschamp’s inability to CEO a program and hire competent assistants, Jim McElwain’s incongruent temperament with what’s required at Florida and recruit at a high level, and Dan Mullen’s stubbornness, which led to his failure to do all of the above. Sure, it’d be nice to go 10-2 in Napier’s first year, and potentially even better, but the point of surgery is to ensure that your future isn’t capped at three years of optimal operation before things come unglued again.

As Gator fans quickly found out, though, one of the staples of that surgery is that things are getting worse before they get better. No sooner had Billy Napier taken the reins of the program than the Gators’ already-undersized 2022 recruiting class began to unravel.

Decommitments amidst a coaching change are a fact of life, meaning Florida was always going to experience some hemorrhaging in the wake of Dan Mullen’s departure. And sure enough, three of Florida’s fourteen commits in the class of 2022 backed off their commitments in the transition period between Mullen’s firing and Napier’s hiring: ATH Jamarrien Burt, RB Terrance Gibbs, and perhaps most notably of all, WR Isaiah Bond.

Then the class really started coming off the rails. Within 72 hours of Napier’s introductory press conference, four more members of the class decommitted, more than likely at the suggestion of Napier. Two of them were consensus four star receivers in Jayden Gibson and CJ Smith, the latter of whom might be the fastest receiver in the class, and if Florida had only lost those two plus DE Francois Nolton, most Gator fans probably would have been able to make peace with the overhaul. Not necessarily applaud it- Gibson and Smith are both instant-impact playmakers who could benefit any offense that doesn’t run the triple option- but it likely could have been pardoned as the cost of doing business.

But the real stinger was losing Nick Evers, the unquestioned heart and soul of the class. Not only was Evers Dan Mullen’s handpicked QB of the future from Flower Mound, Texas- say what you want about Mullen as a head coach, but if there’s one thing he knows in this world, it’s the QB position- but Evers was an elite recruiter in his own right (probably better than half of Mullen’s staff, if we’re being honest) and just a tremendous ambassador for the Florida Gators brand. He wound up committing to Oklahoma.

Losing such an outspoken leader- not only a quarterback on the field, but a quarterback of Florida’s greater efforts to sell itself as a program- is never good. Billy Napier more or less guiding him toward the exit is something that would be difficult to come to terms with even if he already had a second quality QB committed. Because he does not, and now has to go recruit one, the move has to seem like a gamble at best and downright dumb at worst.

And for a finale, linebacker EJ Lightsey decommitted on Saturday, six days after Napier first took the podium in Gainesville. That adjusted the number of players to part ways with the program after Napier’s arrival upward to five.

Naturally, the football staff came uncorked, too- and that was also by design. Only a microscopic percentage of the football program’s employees under Dan Mullen is being retained under Napier (though I should note that one of the key holdovers is former Gator DB Vernell Brown in his Director of Football Student-Athlete Development role- an objectively excellent decision by Napier).

And ordinarily, that wouldn’t be cause for concern. Fans don’t seem to have a problem with a general staff overhaul, as everybody from Greg Knox to Billy Gonzalez and the two new secondary coaches that came aboard in 2021 has caught flak from more than just a few people on the internet.

However, tight ends coach Tim Brewster is generally regarded as one of the best recruiters in the sport, and has done an excellent job developing tight ends everywhere he’s been- most notably Kyle Pitts, and even this year with Kemore Gamble in an offense that was limited because of inconsistent QB play. It felt like he would be the exception, the one assistant who could truly thrive under any head coach because of his emphatic checking of the “recruiting” box and his track record of unquestioned success. He was not. And now, for as committed to building his blueprint as Billy Napier may be, that leaves a gaping hole for Napier to have to fill.

Then there’s the loss of wide receiver Jacob Copeland to the transfer portal, which almost feels like a miscellaneous loss at this point. There’s little debate that Copeland acted like a spoiled man-child at times and struggled with drop issues in his career, and it’s understandable to call his departure addition by subtraction from those standpoints. But there’s also no debate of what he’s capable of doing on the field, and when his mind is right, he’s been known to work as hard as anyone to reach those capabilities. And he did gain a lot of sympathy from Gator fans when he signed with Florida despite the obvious objections of his own mother at his Signing Day ceremony.

And last but not least- at least as of the time of publication- came the loss of linebacker Mohamoud Diabate to the transfer portal. Knocks were made on Diabate about his size, the lack of a fit in the new defensive scheme Napier wants to install, and there were a few individual plays of his that, for lack of a better way to put it, did not look like he put forth great effort on (go to about the 9 minute mark of this film breakdown of the Samford game for the worst such example). But looking at the totality of his time in Gainesville, Diabate did far more good than he did bad- and the loss stings an extra measure or two because Diabate tweeted out Napier’s catchphrase of “Scared Money Don’t Make Money” before most people knew what it was, which can only be interpreted as excitement on his end for Napier’s arrival.

But just as having to replace so many people is a part of coaching transitions, so is the act of replacing them. By definition, transitions are two-step processes, with step one being removing the old, and step two being installing the new. Coaching transitions don’t consist of the new guy wiping out the infrastructure and then leaving the program in shambles with no plan to fix it. That’s called dropping a bomb, something you to your enemies in war. What Billy Napier is doing, by contrast, is transitioning from the old infrastructure that was deemed unacceptable to a new infrastructure that will breed success for years to come.

The second part of that- the new infrastructure- is easy to forget with people that Gator fans have grown so fond of like Evers and Brewster being part of the casualties. But it’s already underway, and the early stages of construction are promising. Because part of that construction is more than erecting an infrastructure.

It also includes, as Billy Napier himself put it, “building an army.” And that army is shaping up to be one that carries the power to shock in terms of both quality and quantity.

Each member of that support staff has a specific set of micro-jobs, and it goes much deeper than simply assisting recruits with logistics on their visits. Every minuscule detail of every moment of every day Billy Napier spends as a head coach is meticulously planned, usually with multiple backup plans in place. That includes evaluating prospective recruits before recruiting them, a process that Florida fans have already seen take place, and heard Napier speak about. That includes cross-checking notes with other assistants to look for commonalities and identify patterns. That even includes his bathroom breaks on recruiting visits.

I spoke to a former staffer of Napier’s at Louisiana about how that all worked. “The key is to eliminate the concept of a single point of failure,” the former staffer told me. “That’s the name of the game here. There’s planning meticulously, and then there’s building a bulletproof machine that no recruiting loss to a rival or personnel loss (player or coach) can do any damage to. No matter who decommits, leaves early for the pros, or takes another job, the machine just keeps merrily rolling along.”

Part of that is the aforementioned quantity of staffers. That all goes into the $5 million budget Napier was allotted for a support staff. The other part of it is getting the most mileage out of the $7.5 million budget for his assistant coaches that he can- and that, too, is something that he’s set out to accomplish with both quality and quantity.

Among the host of analysts that Billy Napier has brought onboard so far include Ryan O’Hara (QB), Jamar Chaney (LB) and Joe Hamilton (general personnel analyst on defense). Also joining the Billy Napier staff “army” are Ashour Peera and Kyle Kazakevicius in yet-to-be-announced roles, and Andrew Burkett as the Director of Research & Evaluation.

And this doesn’t even begin to put a dent into the new assistant coaching staff. Billy Napier has hinted that he plans to add between about 40-50 analysts to his Florida staff. For perspective, Nick Saban- who more or less invented the analyst role, at least in the form it exists today- has about a dozen analysts on his staff in a given year, occasionally reaching the mid-teens. Napier already dwarfed that number with his staff at Louisiana. Now he plans to top the numbers of his own norm-shatteringly large staff at UL at Florida, and he’s certainly off to a good start.

But as important as the analysts and miscellaneous staffers are, they’re privates- i.e. soldiers- in the army of General Billy Napier. Above the privates are the assistants with higher ranks- sergeants (the position coaches), and above the sergeants are colonels (the coordinators).

And above them all is the new head strength coach, Mark Hocke, who comes with Napier from Louisiana. The army equivalent here would probably be “Lieutenant General,” as Hocke ultimately answers to Billy Nappier but controls the team in the offseason.

As far as the change goes, while players were clamoring for Nick Savage to be retained and didn’t get their wish, Hocke brings a resume that suggests he’ll do just fine.

Hocke’s coaching career began in 2009 on the strength staff at Alabama under Nick Saban. He helped develop three Crimson Tide teams to win the national title in 2009, 2011, and 2012. At various points during his six-year stay in Tuscaloosa, he worked with sixteen different players who would eventually be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

He then left for Georgia to be the head of the Bulldogs’ S&C program in Mark Richt’s final season in 2015. Richt got fired after that season due to a 10-3 record, but Hocke helped groom a pair of All-SEC offensive linemen in Brandon Kublanow and John Theus. He then spent a year on Jimbo Fisher’s staff at FSU in 2016, a year on Kevin Sumlin’s staff at Texas A&M in 2017, and then reunited with Napier at Louisiana for the next four seasons.

Napier dominated the Sun Belt on the recruiting trail, handed Hocke the keys to the program in the offseason and let him go to work. The culmination of those four years he spent in Lafayette with Napier: four straight trips to the Sun Belt title game, one split Sun Belt title when the conference title game was called off due to COVID, and one outright Sun Belt title in 2021.

As an additional feather in his cap, Louisiana was nominated as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which is given annually to the best offensive line in the country. Keep in mind that this is a national award, and though Louisiana recruited the best of anybody in the Sun Belt, these were still largely unheralded offensive linemen he was working with. One of them- the unrated Max Mitchell- developed into a Walter Camp All-American in 2021.

Not only did Billy Napier bring along the guy who worked with that offensive line in the weight room to Florida, he also brought along the man who coached them up on the football field in their dominant 2021 season, offensive line coach, or “Sergeant,” Darnell Stapleton. This is the aforementioned “avoiding the single point of failure” mantra at work. Napier credits both these men for the development of the offensive line, one in the weight room and one on the field. Both are important to the success of a position that requires great strength and dexterity, and so he brought them both along to Gainesville.

Stapleton is a Super Bowl champion, which alone can help on the recruiting trail. But he also has a sneakily strong coaching resume of his own. Stapleton worked as a graduate assistant at Rutgers in 2012-13, working specifically with the offensive linemen on what a friend of mine who covered Rutgers as a student journalist those years called “punch and pad level” fundamentals. In part due to his efforts, Rutgers finished the 2012 season ranked in the top ten for the fewest sacks allowed.

He then went to Bucknell for the next four years, a stint that was highlighted by his coaching of offensive tackle Julien Davenport in all four years. A four year starter, Davenport racked up All-Patriot honors all four years and was named a first-team All-American by four separate publications. The Houston Texans selected Davenport in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, marking the first time a Bucknell player had been drafted since 1969.

Then it was off to Sam Houston State as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator, where Stapleton helped oversee one of the best ground games in the Southland Conference. In 2019, behind an offensive line that included two All-Southland Conference selections, running back Donovan Williams finished with the second-most yards on the ground in the conference.

And then in his one year at Louisiana, Stapleton groomed the offensive line into a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award and turned Max Mitchell into an All-American. That unit paved the way for an offense that averaged 406 yards per game- a number that’s negatively skewed by two bad games out of thirteen- and won the Sun Belt Championship Game.

For his first hire at the level of “Colonel,” General Napier brought along Patrick Toney, a rising star in the industry who was just named the Gators’ new co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. He’s thought to be bringing a 4-3 scheme to Gainesville, but while change does sometimes make for rough starts to coaches’ stewardship, the name of the game with Toney is improvement over time.

Toney got his start at Southeastern Louisiana in 2012, where he worked with the safeties as an assistant for two seasons. In his third season of 2014, he was promoted to the safeties coach and special teams coordinator. His Lions’ pass defense improved in nearly every statistical category during his time there, including red zone efficiency and pass efficiency defense.

In 2015, Toney left SELA for Sam Houston State as the secondary coach. After a rough start to the season, Toney’s secondary settled down, allowing just one of its next twelve opponents to score 30 points in a game. The Bearkats rode that improved defensive backfield all the way to the FCS Playoff semifinals, where they ran into a buzz-saw and lost to #1 overall seed Jacksonville State.

Toney’s penultimate stop prior to Florida was at San Antonio as the Roadrunners’ safeties coach. After an adjustment year in 2016, the Roadrunners’ secondary was tremendous in 2017, finishing 19th in the nation in pass efficiency defense and playing a big part in why UTSA finished 7th in the country in total defense that year.

Toney, like Hocke, then left to spend the past four seasons at Louisiana with Billy Napier. He first joined the Ragin’ Cajuns’ staff as the secondary coach in 2018. UL’s defense took tremendous strides during his time there, beginning with improving from 432 yards per game in 2018 to 373 in 2019. Toney was then promoted to defensive coordinator in 2020, and again improved tremendously, limiting opponents to 355.4 yards per game that year. Enter 2021, and another step forward for the defense, holding the opposition to 345.1 yards a game.

In most places, Toney would have been seen as the big fish of the staff, the hottest name in coaching to join the program. But at least so far, that title is reserved for the other secondary coach- Corey Raymond, the long time LSU assistant who played an enormous role in LSU’s claiming of the “DBU” title. He’s being brought on staff as the cornerbacks coach at the level of “Sergeant,” but that comes nowhere close to doing his resume justice. In short, Raymond is one of the most proven and successful position coaches in the sport.

The most important thing to know about Raymond is that LSU fans are absolutely incensed about Billy Napier poaching him from Baton Rouge. Raymond is an LSU man, through and through. He played at LSU from 1989-91, enjoyed a six year career in the pros and then returned to Baton Rouge in 2006 to begin a long, decorated coaching career.

As an assistant strength coach in 2007, Raymond helped guide LSU to a national championship. Following his third season in Baton Rouge in 2008, he left for a two year stint at Utah State to coach the cornerbacks, and then a solitary season as the DB coach at Nebraska in 2011. In 2012, he returned to Baton Rouge once more- and his career really took off.

Raymond spent a full decade coaching the LSU cornerbacks, half of which he served as the overall DB coach. During that time, he coached seven first-team All-Americans: Eric Reid (2012), Jalen Mills (2015), Jamal Adams (2016), Tre’Davious White (2016), Greedy Williams (2018), Grant Delpit (2018 and 2019) and Derek Stingley Jr. (2019, 2020). So far, thirteen defensive backs to be coached up by Raymond at LSU have gone on to be selected in the NFL Draft- and that number is only going to keep rising as guys like Derek Stingley Jr., Eli Ricks and more members from the Tigers’ secondary in the past few years enter the Draft either this year or next.

(Some credit Raymond with 14 NFL Draft picks. I do not because although he did receive some direct coaching in the offseason, Tyrann Mathieu never actually played a down under Raymond’s stewardship.)

Regardless of whether or not you want to include Mathieu, all of that is just scratching the surface of Raymond’s list of accolades. Three former defensive backs of his (again, not including Mathieu) have been selected to the NFL Pro Bowl a total of six times. Delpit won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2019. And though LSU’s pass defense has fallen off the rails the last two seasons (because let’s face it, as long as they weren’t facing Florida, everything fell off the rails for LSU the last two seasons), in his first eight years in Baton Rouge, his Tigers were near or at the top of the SEC in terms of pass defense efficiency.

The last position coach, i.e. Sergeant, that General Billy Napier has brought on was Jabbar Juluke. Juluke comes over from Louisiana with Napier, and will be taking the running backs coach role as well as the title of Assistant Head Coach.

Juluke is another young, hotshot coach with a stock that grows by the day. It all started at Louisiana Tech in 2014, where he coached the running backs for two years. The numbers for his rushing game (which, fun fact, included former Florida QB Jeff Driskel!) weren’t spectacular there, finishing with 148 and then a slightly-improved 156 yards per game in 2014 and 2015, respectively, finishing in the middle of the pack of the FBS both times. But that 2015 average was ruined by one anomalous game against Southern Miss in which LT never even tried to establish the run, finishing with -2 yards on the ground for the day in a 58-24 loss.

Juluke then moved across the state to LSU, where he joined forces with Raymond for one year in 2016. That year, he coached a pair of All-SEC running backs in Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice. Fournette currently stars on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Guice would likely be tearing it up in the pros as well if he wasn’t a terrible person. Juluke then left for an uneventful one-year stint at Texas Tech, and then joined Billy Napier in Lafayette in 2018.

Juluke’s 2019 season at Louisiana was one for the history books. The Ragin’ Cajuns ran for 3,604 yards and 42 touchdowns as a team, both of which set new school records and qualified for third in the country. As such, Juluke was named FootballScoop’s Running Backs Coach of the Year. Two of the running backs responsible for those totals, Eli Mitchell and Raymond Calais, were eventually selected in the NFL Draft.

His other three years in Lafayette weren’t too shabby, either. UL finished with the 22nd best ground attack in the country in 2018 (218.7 yards per game), 21st in 2020 (213) and 34th in 2021 (191.9).

And all of that is barely even scratching the surface of what this Billy Napier army is going to look like when it’s all said and done. Countless more staffers will come on board in the coming days and weeks (some of the rumored new assistant coaches include Tosh Lupoi from the Jacksonville Jaguars and bringing Ja’Juan Seider home), and pretty soon, new players will follow.

As was the case with the staff, Florida will be replacing the outgoing players with new players (because again, that’s how transitions work), both via the transfer portal and through the age-old recruitment of high school athletes. Billy Napier has explicitly stated that he won’t be adding a ton of players to the 2022 class in December. But even still, a flurry of four-star and five-star prospects, including Georgia defensive line commit Shone Washington as well as uncommitted safeties Devin Moore and Kamari Wilson, have demonstrated sudden interest in Florida in the final days before the Early Signing Period after Napier reached out.

The key, of course, will be to see what Napier can do in the 2023 class and beyond. If the work he’s done in one week for the 2022 class is any indication, Gator fans should be excited for what lays in store down the road.

So for as difficult as it may have been to part ways with some of the people associated with Gator football, it’s important to note that it’s all part of Napier’s plans to surgically repair the non-functioning infrastructure that Dan Mullen left in place. Gator fans will miss Nick Evers and Tim Brewster. But the show will go on without them, and it won’t skip a beat.

Above all else, it’s critical to remember that none of this is supposed to be easy. The beginnings of projects like these aren’t meant to be fun. Neither analogy in play here- performing surgery or building an army from scratch- is a process that anybody would describe as easy or quick. It’s the end results that make it all worth it. And in just one week on the job, we have evidence that the surgery appears to have been a success, and that the army is being built as we speak.

Now, we sit back, and we wait. We wait for the rest of the surgery to be completed, and we let Napier finish the job of building that army he was talking about.

And one day not too far down the road, we can all sit back and enjoy our reward for being patient.

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OT David Conner commits to Florida

OT David Conner commits to Florida

Photo via David Conner Florida’s offensive line play has been suspect at best these past few years, and the Gators’ 2022 recruiting class has been somewhat stuck in reverse so far. Both of those things got a nice boost today with the commitment of offensive tackle...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

#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-...

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...