By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning.
THREE SPRING FOOTBALL OBSERVATIONSAfter a weekend to ponder what I saw at the Orange and Blue Game, here are three takeaways.
1. AR15 IS THE NO. 1 QB BUT DON’T SELL JACK MILLER III SHORT: Anthony Richardson threw darts and looked to have a nice grasp on the offense. On a couple occasions when he took off running, he showed that elite burst that he has. He is clearly the No. 1 guy and because of his running ability, gives the Gators the best chance to win in the fall, but don’t sell Jack Miller III short. Miller had some nice moments, but he was operating behind the No. 2 offensive line. I think he would look a lot better behind the No. 1 unit. He’s throws a very nice catchable ball.
2. THERE ARE SIX VERY GOOD OFFENSIVE LINEMEN SO HELP WANTED: These guys you can count on – Richard Gouraige, Ethan White, Kingsley Eguakun, O’Cyrus Torrence, Michael Tarquin and Josh Braun. Most of the other guys on the O-line are works in progress. I think Billy Napier needs to be looking at no less than three in the transfer portal.
3. THE BACK SEVEN ON DEFENSE WILL BE VERY GOOD; UP FRONT NEEDS HELP: I went into the game expecting to be unimpressed with the safeties. I wasn’t. Trey Dean III looked like he’s figured out that it’s okay to make plays. Rashad Torrence III is a keeper. The backups weren’t bad either. Jason Marshall III is going to be a real stud. I liked what I saw of Jalen Kimber and Jaydon Hill. Ventrell Miller is a rock in the middle. Be prepared to see Diwun Black all over the field making plays. The D-line? Help wanted for big guys who can play with Gervon Dexter.
NCAA GYMNASTICS: GATORS FINISH SECOND BY .112
Despite an absolutely heroic effort by Trinity Thomas, who sealed her legacy as one of the greatest collegiate gymnasts of all time, the Gators finished second to Oklahoma by the narrowest of margins – .112 – at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth. Thomas scored another perfect 10, her sixth of the NCAA championships dating back to regionals and the 20th of her collegiate career, to give the Gators a chance but Oklahoma hit every one of its beam routines to capture the title. Thomas, who Thursday night won the NCAA all-around championship with a scintillating 39.8125, came back with a 39.8625 as she had the highest scores on vault, bars, floor and all-around. She was spectacular but there were missed opportunities by teammates to pick up tenths of a point here and there that could have provided a winning margin.
Thomas has a decision to make that could send ripples through the collegiate gymnastics world. Because of the COVID season in 2020, she has a super senior season at her disposal so she could come back for the 2023 season when she is in graduate school. Megan Skaggs and Alyssa Baumann did it this year and both were rewarded with spectacular seasons. Should Thomas return, she will join a Florida lineup that will be deep and powerful with returnees Leah Clapper, Leanne Wong, Sloane Blakely, Riley McCusker and former world all-around gold medalist Morgan Hurd, who missed the 2022 season with a torn ACL. They will be joined by Kayla DiCielo (world all-around bronze) and Sophie Butler, US national team member.
UF BASKETBALL: KOWACIE REEVES, MYREON JONES COMING BACK
Todd Golden’s roster rebuild stands at 11 players with the announcement that Kowacie Reeves’ time in the portal was short and sweet and Myreon Jones is coming back for another year. Add those two with transfers Will Richard and Alex Fudge and the Gators are looking very good for next season, especially if Golden can hold onto signee Jalen Reed.
With Tampa Catholic alum and former Morehead State defensive ace Johni Broome (6-10, 235) set to visit next weekend, Florida’s roster could go from one that struggled to keep up with the top teams in the SEC into one capable of a very big season. As it stands today, Golden has two scholarships available. Adding Broome and a pure point such would give the Gators a seriously upgraded roster. A new point who the Gators are talking to is Coastal Carolina transfer Rudi Williams (6-3, 180). UF target Terry Roberts (6-4, 180, from Bradley) visited Georgia over the weekend.
Locke to Providence: Former Gator Noah Locke is leaving Louisville for Providence where he will use his COVID year of eligibility. Locke averaged 10.6 per game as a junior at UF. He averaged 9.6 at Louisville.
UF BASEBALL: GATORS AVOID SWEEP AT VANDY
Freshman Deric Fabian’s 10th-inning home run was the difference Sunday as the Gators (22-14, 6-9 SEC) beat Vanderbilt, 4-3, to salvage one win in the three-game series. Vanderbilt won games one and two in similar fashion, rallying from behind against the Florida bullpen to pull out a 5-4 win Friday night and an 8-6 win Saturday.
When Vanderbilt rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to send game three into extra innings, it seemed the Gators were destined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory for a third straight game, but Fabian homered to left field on a 1-0 count to give the Gators a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the 10th, a two-out throwing error put Vandy’s Enrique Bradfield on base and a balk put him on second with the tying run, but after running the count full, redshirt freshman Tyler Nesbitt induced a game-ending grounder to preserve the win.
The Gators got out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a run-scoring single by Wyatt Langford and an RBI groundout by BT Riopelle. Jud Fabian made it 3-0 in the third with his 15th homer. Freshman Brandon Neely held the Commodores to a single run through 6-1/3 innings before he was relieved by Neely. Neely was on the verge of shutting down Vandy the rest of the way when he gave up a 2-out single and a homer in the bottom of the ninth, but he atoned for his mistake in the 10th for the first win of his UF pitching career.
The Gators will be home Tuesday against Stetson and again next weekend to face No. 1 Tennessee (33-3, 14-1 SEC). The Vols will be without head coach Tony Vitello until the Sunday game. He’s serving a 4-game suspension for chest-bumping an umpire Saturday against Alabama.
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS SWEEP OLE MISS DESPITE SHAKY PITCHING
Tim Walton spent the entire series in Oxford with Ole Miss (29-14, 5-10 SEC) trying to patch enough pitching to salvage all three games, but despite the shaky efforts in the circle, the Gators (34-9, 11-7 SEC) got the sweep. The Gators used five pitchers who gave up 16 runs in three games, 15 of them earned, and five home runs.
With the sweep, the Gators moved into sole possession of third place in the SEC. The Gators play host to South Florida Wednesday before hosting league-leader and 6th-ranked Arkansas (32-8, 11-4 SEC) this weekend.
UF MEN’S TENNIS: NO. 1 GATORS FINISH UNBEATEN IN SEC PLAY
The Gators (20-2, 12-0 SEC) made Senior Day at the Ring Tennis Complex special as they routed No. 21 Texas A&M (21-12, 7-5 SEC), 5-2, finishing the regular season unbeaten in SEC play. The win was the 15thstraight for the Gators, who were led by No. 1 Ben Shelton, who scored his 18th win this season over a ranked opponent. Shelton took down No. 41 Noah Schacter in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
Next up for the Gators is the winner of LSU and Mississippi State next Friday at the SEC Championships in Athens.
UF WOMEN’S GOLF: GATORS FINISH SECOND IN SEC
Just getting to the match play final to determine the SEC championship was an ordeal for the 10th-ranked Gators, who beat No. 4 seed Ole Miss, 3-2, Saturday morning, and No. 1 seed Auburn, 3-2, Saturday afternoon. Sunday, the Gators came up short against No. 2 seed LSU, 3-0-2, for the title. The Gators reached the match play portion of the championships by finishing in a tie for fifth place in stroke play on Friday.
Next up for the Gators will be NCAA Regional play which begins May 9.
UF TRACK AND FIELD: MEN’S 4X400 RELAY TEAM BREAKS NCAA RECORD
At the Tom Jones Memorial meet in Gainesville, UF’s 4X400 relay team of Jacorey Patterson, Ryan Willie, Jacoby Miley and Champion Allison ran a 2:58.53 to set a new NCAA record for the event. Grace Stark ran a 12:58 100 meter hurdles, which set the UF record and is the No. 2 women’s time in the world this season.
Other UF sports: Freshman Alicia Dudeney scored a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win over Megan Davies Saturday to give the women’s tennis team (18-5, 10-3 SEC) the winning margin (4-3) over 23rd-ranked South Carolina (13-9, 8-5 SEC) at the Ring Tennis Complex. The win secured a top four finish in the SEC regular season for UF, which gets a double bye to go with home court advantage at the SEC Championships this week. The Gators will be idle until Friday … The Gators (10-4, 3-0 AAC) won their eighth straight match and remained unbeaten in American Athletic Conference lacrosse play Saturday when they rode a 7-goal effort by Emma LoPinto for a 16-8 win over Vanderbilt (8-6, 1-2 AAC). The Gators will play host to Temple (10-4, 3-0 AAC) next Saturday in a match for the top spot in the American Athletic Conference.
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Alabama: The first team offensive line gave up 10 (count ‘em) sacks in Alabama’s spring game … Georgia Tech transfer Jahmyr Gibbs wowed the crowd with his speed on a 75-yard touchdown run … Forwards Juwan Gary and James Rojas are transferring to Wichita State. Rojas is using his COVID year while Gary is returning to his home state to be closer to his son.
Arkansas: HBC Sam Pittman has agreed to a long-term contract extension. Details to come later … QB Lucas Coley is transferring to Houston.
Georgia: A lack of depth at wide receiver and an abundance of talent at tight end has speculation that Georgia will be running a lot of 14 personnel in the fall – one running back and four tight ends (Arik Gilbert, Darnell Washington, Brock Bowers and Oscar Delp) … Stetson Bennett IV is the unquestioned starter at QB with Carson Beck clearly the No. 2. Brock Vandagriff was not impressive in the spring game.
Kentucky: CJ Fredrick, a 6-3 guard who was expected to be a valuable contributor at UK until he suffered a season-ending injury, announced that he will be back. Fredrick came to UK from Iowa where he was one of the top 3-point shooters in the country.
Mississippi State: D.J. Jeffries, who averaged 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds after transferring from Memphis, is on the move again …Also in the portal is Derek Fountain … The Bulldogs got a commitment from 6-10, 277-pound center Will McNair Jr., who played for new coach Chris Jans at New Mexico State.
Missouri: D’Moi Hodge, who has career averages of 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists, is transferring in from Cleveland State, following his coach Dennis Gates.
Ole Miss: Myles Burns, who had 17 points and 17 rebounds in the NAIA national championship game for Loyola (New Orleans) is transferring to Ole Miss. Burns averaged 4.5 steals per game for the Wolfpack.
South Carolina: QB Spencer Rattler told ESPN’s Chris Low that in transferring from Oklahoma, “I was just happy to get away from a toxic situation.” Rattler won 14 games as the starting QB at Oklahoma before Lincoln Riley benched him in favor of Caleb Williams. Rattler already has an NIL deal in Columbia and has a brand new Chevy Silverado to show for it … Devin Carter, who averaged 9.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last year is transferring to Providence.
Vanderbilt: Mike Wright and Ken Seals split the reps at Vanderbilt’s spring game.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: You’ve heard that old saying, “You can’t tell the players without a program”? Well, brace yourself for what’s going to happen in the next two weeks when all hell breaks loose in the transfer portal. Billy Napier, who brought in several transfers in time for the spring semester, has warned that the Gators will be seeking “double digit” transfers. When you’re dealing with scholarships the math gets fuzzy sometimes since some guys count back against the previous year – three early enrollees by my count – and you’re allowed to replace as many as seven transferred out prior to December 15 of last year. Five left early, by my count. Napier says five walk-ons will get scholarships.
Okay, here is where things get tricky trying to figure out just how many transfers there will be. By my unofficial count, adding in signees who were not on campus this spring and subtracting super seniors who are back for their COVID year, there are 82 scholarship players currently. That means for Napier to sign double digit transfers and sign the walk-ons, that means at least 12 players who were on the spring roster will be gone.
Now, my numbers aren’t exact, but it’s unlikely they’re that far off. If you’re confused, don’t worry. Everybody else is, too. That’s why I keep emphasizing that all hell is breaking loose. This is not what was anticipated when the transfer rules went into effect, but they’re what we have. Get used to it.
A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning.
THREE SPRING FOOTBALL OBSERVATIONSAfter a weekend to ponder what I saw at the Orange and Blue Game, here are three takeaways.
1. AR15 IS THE NO. 1 QB BUT DON’T SELL JACK MILLER III SHORT: Anthony Richardson threw darts and looked to have a nice grasp on the offense. On a couple occasions when he took off running, he showed that elite burst that he has. He is clearly the No. 1 guy and because of his running ability, gives the Gators the best chance to win in the fall, but don’t sell Jack Miller III short. Miller had some nice moments, but he was operating behind the No. 2 offensive line. I think he would look a lot better behind the No. 1 unit. He’s throws a very nice catchable ball.
2. THERE ARE SIX VERY GOOD OFFENSIVE LINEMEN SO HELP WANTED: These guys you can count on – Richard Gouraige, Ethan White, Kingsley Eguakun, O’Cyrus Torrence, Michael Tarquin and Josh Braun. Most of the other guys on the O-line are works in progress. I think Billy Napier needs to be looking at no less than three in the transfer portal.
3. THE BACK SEVEN ON DEFENSE WILL BE VERY GOOD; UP FRONT NEEDS HELP: I went into the game expecting to be unimpressed with the safeties. I wasn’t. Trey Dean III looked like he’s figured out that it’s okay to make plays. Rashad Torrence III is a keeper. The backups weren’t bad either. Jason Marshall III is going to be a real stud. I liked what I saw of Jalen Kimber and Jaydon Hill. Ventrell Miller is a rock in the middle. Be prepared to see Diwun Black all over the field making plays. The D-line? Help wanted for big guys who can play with Gervon Dexter.
NCAA GYMNASTICS: GATORS FINISH SECOND BY .112
Despite an absolutely heroic effort by Trinity Thomas, who sealed her legacy as one of the greatest collegiate gymnasts of all time, the Gators finished second to Oklahoma by the narrowest of margins – .112 – at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth. Thomas scored another perfect 10, her sixth of the NCAA championships dating back to regionals and the 20th of her collegiate career, to give the Gators a chance but Oklahoma hit every one of its beam routines to capture the title. Thomas, who Thursday night won the NCAA all-around championship with a scintillating 39.8125, came back with a 39.8625 as she had the highest scores on vault, bars, floor and all-around. She was spectacular but there were missed opportunities by teammates to pick up tenths of a point here and there that could have provided a winning margin.
Thomas has a decision to make that could send ripples through the collegiate gymnastics world. Because of the COVID season in 2020, she has a super senior season at her disposal so she could come back for the 2023 season when she is in graduate school. Megan Skaggs and Alyssa Baumann did it this year and both were rewarded with spectacular seasons. Should Thomas return, she will join a Florida lineup that will be deep and powerful with returnees Leah Clapper, Leanne Wong, Sloane Blakely, Riley McCusker and former world all-around gold medalist Morgan Hurd, who missed the 2022 season with a torn ACL. They will be joined by Kayla DiCielo (world all-around bronze) and Sophie Butler, US national team member.
UF BASKETBALL: KOWACIE REEVES, MYREON JONES COMING BACK
Todd Golden’s roster rebuild stands at 11 players with the announcement that Kowacie Reeves’ time in the portal was short and sweet and Myreon Jones is coming back for another year. Add those two with transfers Will Richard and Alex Fudge and the Gators are looking very good for next season, especially if Golden can hold onto signee Jalen Reed.
With Tampa Catholic alum and former Morehead State defensive ace Johni Broome (6-10, 235) set to visit next weekend, Florida’s roster could go from one that struggled to keep up with the top teams in the SEC into one capable of a very big season. As it stands today, Golden has two scholarships available. Adding Broome and a pure point such would give the Gators a seriously upgraded roster. A new point who the Gators are talking to is Coastal Carolina transfer Rudi Williams (6-3, 180). UF target Terry Roberts (6-4, 180, from Bradley) visited Georgia over the weekend.
Locke to Providence: Former Gator Noah Locke is leaving Louisville for Providence where he will use his COVID year of eligibility. Locke averaged 10.6 per game as a junior at UF. He averaged 9.6 at Louisville.
UF BASEBALL: GATORS AVOID SWEEP AT VANDY
Freshman Deric Fabian’s 10th-inning home run was the difference Sunday as the Gators (22-14, 6-9 SEC) beat Vanderbilt, 4-3, to salvage one win in the three-game series. Vanderbilt won games one and two in similar fashion, rallying from behind against the Florida bullpen to pull out a 5-4 win Friday night and an 8-6 win Saturday.
When Vanderbilt rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to send game three into extra innings, it seemed the Gators were destined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory for a third straight game, but Fabian homered to left field on a 1-0 count to give the Gators a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the 10th, a two-out throwing error put Vandy’s Enrique Bradfield on base and a balk put him on second with the tying run, but after running the count full, redshirt freshman Tyler Nesbitt induced a game-ending grounder to preserve the win.
The Gators got out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a run-scoring single by Wyatt Langford and an RBI groundout by BT Riopelle. Jud Fabian made it 3-0 in the third with his 15th homer. Freshman Brandon Neely held the Commodores to a single run through 6-1/3 innings before he was relieved by Neely. Neely was on the verge of shutting down Vandy the rest of the way when he gave up a 2-out single and a homer in the bottom of the ninth, but he atoned for his mistake in the 10th for the first win of his UF pitching career.
The Gators will be home Tuesday against Stetson and again next weekend to face No. 1 Tennessee (33-3, 14-1 SEC). The Vols will be without head coach Tony Vitello until the Sunday game. He’s serving a 4-game suspension for chest-bumping an umpire Saturday against Alabama.
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS SWEEP OLE MISS DESPITE SHAKY PITCHING
Tim Walton spent the entire series in Oxford with Ole Miss (29-14, 5-10 SEC) trying to patch enough pitching to salvage all three games, but despite the shaky efforts in the circle, the Gators (34-9, 11-7 SEC) got the sweep. The Gators used five pitchers who gave up 16 runs in three games, 15 of them earned, and five home runs.
With the sweep, the Gators moved into sole possession of third place in the SEC. The Gators play host to South Florida Wednesday before hosting league-leader and 6th-ranked Arkansas (32-8, 11-4 SEC) this weekend.
UF MEN’S TENNIS: NO. 1 GATORS FINISH UNBEATEN IN SEC PLAY
The Gators (20-2, 12-0 SEC) made Senior Day at the Ring Tennis Complex special as they routed No. 21 Texas A&M (21-12, 7-5 SEC), 5-2, finishing the regular season unbeaten in SEC play. The win was the 15thstraight for the Gators, who were led by No. 1 Ben Shelton, who scored his 18th win this season over a ranked opponent. Shelton took down No. 41 Noah Schacter in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
Next up for the Gators is the winner of LSU and Mississippi State next Friday at the SEC Championships in Athens.
UF WOMEN’S GOLF: GATORS FINISH SECOND IN SEC
Just getting to the match play final to determine the SEC championship was an ordeal for the 10th-ranked Gators, who beat No. 4 seed Ole Miss, 3-2, Saturday morning, and No. 1 seed Auburn, 3-2, Saturday afternoon. Sunday, the Gators came up short against No. 2 seed LSU, 3-0-2, for the title. The Gators reached the match play portion of the championships by finishing in a tie for fifth place in stroke play on Friday.
Next up for the Gators will be NCAA Regional play which begins May 9.
UF TRACK AND FIELD: MEN’S 4X400 RELAY TEAM BREAKS NCAA RECORD
At the Tom Jones Memorial meet in Gainesville, UF’s 4X400 relay team of Jacorey Patterson, Ryan Willie, Jacoby Miley and Champion Allison ran a 2:58.53 to set a new NCAA record for the event. Grace Stark ran a 12:58 100 meter hurdles, which set the UF record and is the No. 2 women’s time in the world this season.
Other UF sports: Freshman Alicia Dudeney scored a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win over Megan Davies Saturday to give the women’s tennis team (18-5, 10-3 SEC) the winning margin (4-3) over 23rd-ranked South Carolina (13-9, 8-5 SEC) at the Ring Tennis Complex. The win secured a top four finish in the SEC regular season for UF, which gets a double bye to go with home court advantage at the SEC Championships this week. The Gators will be idle until Friday … The Gators (10-4, 3-0 AAC) won their eighth straight match and remained unbeaten in American Athletic Conference lacrosse play Saturday when they rode a 7-goal effort by Emma LoPinto for a 16-8 win over Vanderbilt (8-6, 1-2 AAC). The Gators will play host to Temple (10-4, 3-0 AAC) next Saturday in a match for the top spot in the American Athletic Conference.
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Alabama: The first team offensive line gave up 10 (count ‘em) sacks in Alabama’s spring game … Georgia Tech transfer Jahmyr Gibbs wowed the crowd with his speed on a 75-yard touchdown run … Forwards Juwan Gary and James Rojas are transferring to Wichita State. Rojas is using his COVID year while Gary is returning to his home state to be closer to his son.
Arkansas: HBC Sam Pittman has agreed to a long-term contract extension. Details to come later … QB Lucas Coley is transferring to Houston.
Georgia: A lack of depth at wide receiver and an abundance of talent at tight end has speculation that Georgia will be running a lot of 14 personnel in the fall – one running back and four tight ends (Arik Gilbert, Darnell Washington, Brock Bowers and Oscar Delp) … Stetson Bennett IV is the unquestioned starter at QB with Carson Beck clearly the No. 2. Brock Vandagriff was not impressive in the spring game.
Kentucky: CJ Fredrick, a 6-3 guard who was expected to be a valuable contributor at UK until he suffered a season-ending injury, announced that he will be back. Fredrick came to UK from Iowa where he was one of the top 3-point shooters in the country.
Mississippi State: D.J. Jeffries, who averaged 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds after transferring from Memphis, is on the move again …Also in the portal is Derek Fountain … The Bulldogs got a commitment from 6-10, 277-pound center Will McNair Jr., who played for new coach Chris Jans at New Mexico State.
Missouri: D’Moi Hodge, who has career averages of 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists, is transferring in from Cleveland State, following his coach Dennis Gates.
Ole Miss: Myles Burns, who had 17 points and 17 rebounds in the NAIA national championship game for Loyola (New Orleans) is transferring to Ole Miss. Burns averaged 4.5 steals per game for the Wolfpack.
South Carolina: QB Spencer Rattler told ESPN’s Chris Low that in transferring from Oklahoma, “I was just happy to get away from a toxic situation.” Rattler won 14 games as the starting QB at Oklahoma before Lincoln Riley benched him in favor of Caleb Williams. Rattler already has an NIL deal in Columbia and has a brand new Chevy Silverado to show for it … Devin Carter, who averaged 9.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last year is transferring to Providence.
Vanderbilt: Mike Wright and Ken Seals split the reps at Vanderbilt’s spring game.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: You’ve heard that old saying, “You can’t tell the players without a program”? Well, brace yourself for what’s going to happen in the next two weeks when all hell breaks loose in the transfer portal. Billy Napier, who brought in several transfers in time for the spring semester, has warned that the Gators will be seeking “double digit” transfers. When you’re dealing with scholarships the math gets fuzzy sometimes since some guys count back against the previous year – three early enrollees by my count – and you’re allowed to replace as many as seven transferred out prior to December 15 of last year. Five left early, by my count. Napier says five walk-ons will get scholarships.
Okay, here is where things get tricky trying to figure out just how many transfers there will be. By my unofficial count, adding in signees who were not on campus this spring and subtracting super seniors who are back for their COVID year, there are 82 scholarship players currently. That means for Napier to sign double digit transfers and sign the walk-ons, that means at least 12 players who were on the spring roster will be gone.
Now, my numbers aren’t exact, but it’s unlikely they’re that far off. If you’re confused, don’t worry. Everybody else is, too. That’s why I keep emphasizing that all hell is breaking loose. This is not what was anticipated when the transfer rules went into effect, but they’re what we have. Get used to it.
