By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:
GET READY FOR A REVOLVING DOOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS
Redshirt freshman quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson put his name in the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday. He is the first to announce he’s leaving since last week’s spring game, but he definitely won’t be the last as Billy Napier expects to bring in 10 or more players from the portal.
“You can anticipate us being very aggressive in the portal this spring,” Napier said back on March 31. “We need players. Now, I think the approach is going to be, you know, acquire as many good players as we can at any position, right? So, you know, we're thin and we need help in a lot of different spots. So, I think we have, we're approaching double digits if that makes sense.”
For the Gators to bring in 10 or more transfers plus put give scholarships walk-ons – “I mean, we're literally going to give five walk-ons scholarships this spring,” Napier said on March 31 – it means there will be some serious attrition. Counting super seniors back for their COVID year plus the signees who have yet to arrive on campus and the Gators have approximately 90 players on scholarship. So add in the five walk-ons and that could mean 95, 10 more than the NCAA limit of 85. Figure then 10 current Gators will have to exit the team just to get to 85, but that’s when the situation gets tricky. If there are no transfers, then Napier is at the limit, but if he wants to bring in 10 or more, then for every transfer he signs, the Gators will have to lose one to the portal, retirement or disciplinary actions.
As the May 1 deadline approaches for players to be in the portal so they can have eligibility in the fall, it will seem like a revolving door as Florida’s roster rebuild enters the next phase.
JUD FABIAN’S HOME ENSURES 10-8 WIN OVER STETSON
Jud Fabian hit his 16th homer of the season, a 2-run shot to left field with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Gators the cushion they would need to take a 10-8 win over Stetson at the Florida Ballpark Tuesday night. The Gators led, 8-7, when Fabian launched Florida’s third home run of the game to give the Gators a three-run cushion, rather helpful considering the visiting Hatters added a run in the top of the ninth.
The big inning for the Gators was the bottom of the fourth when they struck for five runs to take a 7-5 lead. Josh Rivera hit a solo homer to lead off the inning, Sterlin Thompson had a run-scoring single, and Wyatt Langford drove in three with his 13th homer of the season. Langford added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to give the Gators an 8-5 lead.
The Florida bullpen had a shaky seventh when Stetson rallied for two runs to close the gap to 8-7. Kevin O’Sullivan had to use three pitchers in the inning to snuff out the rally and preserve the lead. All told, O’Sullivan used seven pitchers on the night. Nick Ficarrotta (2-0, 4.28 ERA), who gave up a couple of runs in three innings after relieving starter Karl Hartman, picked up the win while Blake Purnell (1.62 ERA), who gave up Stetson’s ninth inning run, picked up his fourth save.
Next up for the Gators (23-14, 6-9 SEC) is No. 1 Tennessee (34-3, 14-1 SEC), a 9-3 winner over Bellarmine Tuesday night.
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS EXPECT TO FACE USF ACE TONIGHT
When the 10th-ranked Gators face South Florida (35-11) of the American Athletic Conference tonight (6 p.m., SEC Network+) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, it’s expected they’ll be going against ace Georgina Corrick, who owns an 0.48 earned run average. She’s thrown 25 shutouts this season while striking out 315 in 204 innings. The challenge of getting on base and scoring against Corrick will be good preparation for the Gators (34-9, 11-7 SEC), who host 6th-ranked Arkansas (32-8, 11-4 SEC) in a critical Southeastern Conference series beginning Friday.
The Gators own a 12-0 win over South Florida from the first weekend of the season, but Corrick didn’t pitch that game. While Corrick has been mowing down the hitters since that first weekend, the Gators have put together one of their better offenses in recent years. Currently UF is hitting .325 and is averaging 6.37 runs per game, which is 18th nationally. Skylar Wallace is having an All-America type season for the Gators, hitting .414 with five homers, 35 RBI and 36 stolen bases. Wallace needs one more steal to set the single season Florida record held by Kelsey Stewart in 2013.
UF MEN’S BASKETBALL: 2023 RECRUITING BEGINS IN THE STATE
The roster is in a state of transition that isn’t going to end even when Todd Golden fills out the roster for next season. Colin Castleton and Myreon Jones will be 5th-year guys so they’ll definitely be gone after next season. CJ Felder and Jason Jitoboh are listed as seniors so four of the 11 currently on the roster could be gone, leaving room for as many as six signees in case Golden doesn’t completely fill out the roster with high school kids or transfers.
Here are eight in-state prospects on the Florida radar.
Jayden Hastings (6-10, 220, Orlando, FL Orlando Christian Prep): His offense is a work in progress, largely because at OCP he’s been the fourth option, but he can protect the rim. He’s still growing and has a tremendous upside. He’s a 4-star recruit who Georgia Tech has been working a long time.
Sam Walters (6-9, 180, The Villages, FL): He seems an exceptional fit for Golden’s offense because he can load it up and drain it from distance. He’s got very narrow shoulders and he’s skinny, but surprisingly strong and a better defender than you would think. LSU looked like the place he would be but regime changes in Baton Rouge and Gainesville make the Gators serious players. He’s a 4-star recruit. If the Gators want him, he’ll be at UF.
John Gamble (6-6, 175, Punta Gorda, FL Charlotte County): Gamble is a 4-star wing whose best offer so far is Ole Miss. He’s draw interest from Florida, FSU, Michigan and Alabama but hasn’t gotten an offer from any of them yet. If Florida were to offer, he would probably say yes.
Marvel Allen (6-4, 195, West Palm Beach, FL Calvary Christian): He is a 5-star point guard who decommitted LSU when Will Wade was fired. The Gators are a long shot at this point with Arkansas, Kansas, Alabama and Michigan perceived to be the teams to beat.
Kris Parker (6-6, 175, Quincy, FL Crossroad Academy): This is going to come down to a Florida-Florida State decision although Missouri might elbow its way into the mix now that Charlton Young has joined Dennis Gates’ new staff. Parker is a 4-star prospect who plays for Team Breakdown on the Under Armour circuit. He’s a streaky shooter and a slasher who can get to the rim.
Jason Jackson (6-3, 180, Sarasota, FL Riverview): LSU and Virginia Tech are also involved with Jackson, who is listed as a 4-star prospect. He’s a good shooter, but you wish he were taller. He’s a good passer but you wish he were quicker and a better ball handler. His three big offers so far are Florida, LSU and Virginia Tech.
Carl Cherenfant (6-4, 180, Fort Lauderdale, FL Calvary Christian Academy): The backcourt mate to Marvel Allen, he was considered a mortal lock to Memphis, but that was before the NCAA smacked Penny Hardaway with several Level I violations and before Mike White left for Georgia. With White at UF, the Gators had no chance. He’s a 4-star prospect.
Dylan James (6-9, 200, Winter Haven, FL): He’s a 4-star that Florida was going after when Mike White was the head coach. The relationship was with Erik Pastrana, who followed White to Georgia. Alabama, Virginia Tech, Creighton and Georgetown have offered.
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Alabama: Nick Saban on how well Alabama players did with NIL without the benefit of a collective. “We didn’t do that last year and our guys made more money than anybody in college football on their own, representing themselves – creating a good image, being good players, creating value for themselves.”
Arkansas: HBC Sam Pittman on agreeing to a raise and a contract extension: “I agree, they agree, so I guess that means we agreed.”
Auburn: Former Auburn backup quarterback Dematrius Davis, a former 4-star recruit, is transferring to Alabama State.
Georgia: Defensive lineman Tymon Mitchell (6-3, 285), a former 3-star recruit, is in the transfer portal. Mitchell played in six games the past three seasons.
LSU: Former Ohio State corner Sevyn Banks, a former 4-star recruit who played in 24 games in four seasons, is transferring to LSU. He had 43 tackles, an interception, 10 pass breakups and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in his Ohio State career.
Mississippi State: Shakeel Moore is in the transfer portal again. Moore averaged 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals for MSU last year after transferring in from North Carolina State. MSU had four transfers on last year’s team. Garrison Brooks is out of eligibility. The other three are on the move again ... Camryn Carter has transferred to Kansas State.
Missouri: Nick Honor, who started 35 games at the point the last two seasons for Clemson, has committed to Mizzou. He averaged 7.7 points per game last year. Previously, he started 36 games at Fordham where he averaged 15.3 points per game ... Dajuan Gordon, who averaged 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Tigers last year, is transferring to New Mexico State … Transferring out is Yaya Keita (6-9, 235).
South Carolina: Defensive lineman Will Rogers, who played in one game over the last three years, is the third South Carolina DL to enter the transfer portal in the last two days.
Texas A&M: Guard Aaron Cash, who averaged 2.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game last year, is transferring out … Former 5-star tight end Baylor Cupp is transferring to Texas Tech. He was the No. 1 tight end in the country coming out of high school in 2019.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Here is a quote from an excellent article from Stewart Mandel of The Athletic regarding what’s going on with NIL and football recruiting: “We lost a kid (on signing day) over that. That hurt,” a Power 5 head coach told The Athletic. “Two hours before, the mom is telling me he’s coming here. And then she said, ‘Coach, how can we turn down $300,000?’ You can’t. Take it, I get it.”
There is something seriously wrong with a system when a high school kid who has never played a down of college football gets $300,000. If you’ve been thinking this is a random occurrence, then you may want to recalculate. Despite Jimbo Fisher’s feigned outrage that Lane Kiffin and others would speculate that Aggie boosters actively paid recruits to sign, no one should be naïve enough to think it didn’t happen. Jimbo moaned, groaned and acted indignant. Then you can bet the moment no one was watching he broke into “I did it and you didn’t catch me” giggles. He’s probably still laughing. Don’t think for even a nano-second that Jimbo and the Aggies are the only ones doing it, either. This is just the beginning of a nuclear winter that is about to descend upon college football and all college sports.
If you are shocked by what is going on with NIL, then brace yourself. It’s going to get worse and maybe the only way to slow it down is going to be for college football (and other sports) to make athletes employees and pay them. When athletes become employees, their scholarships become taxable income because they are part of their compensation packages. Coaches will be able to fire their players.
These are unintended consequences. NIL, like most things of that nature, may have seemed like a good idea at the moment. We’re just scratching the surface on the problems that are headed our way and we haven’t even had the chance to see how the NCAA is going to try to make things better.
I know. You’re laughing at that. The NCAA never makes anything better. Never.
A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:
GET READY FOR A REVOLVING DOOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS
Redshirt freshman quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson put his name in the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday. He is the first to announce he’s leaving since last week’s spring game, but he definitely won’t be the last as Billy Napier expects to bring in 10 or more players from the portal.
“You can anticipate us being very aggressive in the portal this spring,” Napier said back on March 31. “We need players. Now, I think the approach is going to be, you know, acquire as many good players as we can at any position, right? So, you know, we're thin and we need help in a lot of different spots. So, I think we have, we're approaching double digits if that makes sense.”
For the Gators to bring in 10 or more transfers plus put give scholarships walk-ons – “I mean, we're literally going to give five walk-ons scholarships this spring,” Napier said on March 31 – it means there will be some serious attrition. Counting super seniors back for their COVID year plus the signees who have yet to arrive on campus and the Gators have approximately 90 players on scholarship. So add in the five walk-ons and that could mean 95, 10 more than the NCAA limit of 85. Figure then 10 current Gators will have to exit the team just to get to 85, but that’s when the situation gets tricky. If there are no transfers, then Napier is at the limit, but if he wants to bring in 10 or more, then for every transfer he signs, the Gators will have to lose one to the portal, retirement or disciplinary actions.
As the May 1 deadline approaches for players to be in the portal so they can have eligibility in the fall, it will seem like a revolving door as Florida’s roster rebuild enters the next phase.
JUD FABIAN’S HOME ENSURES 10-8 WIN OVER STETSON
Jud Fabian hit his 16th homer of the season, a 2-run shot to left field with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Gators the cushion they would need to take a 10-8 win over Stetson at the Florida Ballpark Tuesday night. The Gators led, 8-7, when Fabian launched Florida’s third home run of the game to give the Gators a three-run cushion, rather helpful considering the visiting Hatters added a run in the top of the ninth.
The big inning for the Gators was the bottom of the fourth when they struck for five runs to take a 7-5 lead. Josh Rivera hit a solo homer to lead off the inning, Sterlin Thompson had a run-scoring single, and Wyatt Langford drove in three with his 13th homer of the season. Langford added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to give the Gators an 8-5 lead.
The Florida bullpen had a shaky seventh when Stetson rallied for two runs to close the gap to 8-7. Kevin O’Sullivan had to use three pitchers in the inning to snuff out the rally and preserve the lead. All told, O’Sullivan used seven pitchers on the night. Nick Ficarrotta (2-0, 4.28 ERA), who gave up a couple of runs in three innings after relieving starter Karl Hartman, picked up the win while Blake Purnell (1.62 ERA), who gave up Stetson’s ninth inning run, picked up his fourth save.
Next up for the Gators (23-14, 6-9 SEC) is No. 1 Tennessee (34-3, 14-1 SEC), a 9-3 winner over Bellarmine Tuesday night.
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS EXPECT TO FACE USF ACE TONIGHT
When the 10th-ranked Gators face South Florida (35-11) of the American Athletic Conference tonight (6 p.m., SEC Network+) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, it’s expected they’ll be going against ace Georgina Corrick, who owns an 0.48 earned run average. She’s thrown 25 shutouts this season while striking out 315 in 204 innings. The challenge of getting on base and scoring against Corrick will be good preparation for the Gators (34-9, 11-7 SEC), who host 6th-ranked Arkansas (32-8, 11-4 SEC) in a critical Southeastern Conference series beginning Friday.
The Gators own a 12-0 win over South Florida from the first weekend of the season, but Corrick didn’t pitch that game. While Corrick has been mowing down the hitters since that first weekend, the Gators have put together one of their better offenses in recent years. Currently UF is hitting .325 and is averaging 6.37 runs per game, which is 18th nationally. Skylar Wallace is having an All-America type season for the Gators, hitting .414 with five homers, 35 RBI and 36 stolen bases. Wallace needs one more steal to set the single season Florida record held by Kelsey Stewart in 2013.
UF MEN’S BASKETBALL: 2023 RECRUITING BEGINS IN THE STATE
The roster is in a state of transition that isn’t going to end even when Todd Golden fills out the roster for next season. Colin Castleton and Myreon Jones will be 5th-year guys so they’ll definitely be gone after next season. CJ Felder and Jason Jitoboh are listed as seniors so four of the 11 currently on the roster could be gone, leaving room for as many as six signees in case Golden doesn’t completely fill out the roster with high school kids or transfers.
Here are eight in-state prospects on the Florida radar.
Jayden Hastings (6-10, 220, Orlando, FL Orlando Christian Prep): His offense is a work in progress, largely because at OCP he’s been the fourth option, but he can protect the rim. He’s still growing and has a tremendous upside. He’s a 4-star recruit who Georgia Tech has been working a long time.
Sam Walters (6-9, 180, The Villages, FL): He seems an exceptional fit for Golden’s offense because he can load it up and drain it from distance. He’s got very narrow shoulders and he’s skinny, but surprisingly strong and a better defender than you would think. LSU looked like the place he would be but regime changes in Baton Rouge and Gainesville make the Gators serious players. He’s a 4-star recruit. If the Gators want him, he’ll be at UF.
John Gamble (6-6, 175, Punta Gorda, FL Charlotte County): Gamble is a 4-star wing whose best offer so far is Ole Miss. He’s draw interest from Florida, FSU, Michigan and Alabama but hasn’t gotten an offer from any of them yet. If Florida were to offer, he would probably say yes.
Marvel Allen (6-4, 195, West Palm Beach, FL Calvary Christian): He is a 5-star point guard who decommitted LSU when Will Wade was fired. The Gators are a long shot at this point with Arkansas, Kansas, Alabama and Michigan perceived to be the teams to beat.
Kris Parker (6-6, 175, Quincy, FL Crossroad Academy): This is going to come down to a Florida-Florida State decision although Missouri might elbow its way into the mix now that Charlton Young has joined Dennis Gates’ new staff. Parker is a 4-star prospect who plays for Team Breakdown on the Under Armour circuit. He’s a streaky shooter and a slasher who can get to the rim.
Jason Jackson (6-3, 180, Sarasota, FL Riverview): LSU and Virginia Tech are also involved with Jackson, who is listed as a 4-star prospect. He’s a good shooter, but you wish he were taller. He’s a good passer but you wish he were quicker and a better ball handler. His three big offers so far are Florida, LSU and Virginia Tech.
Carl Cherenfant (6-4, 180, Fort Lauderdale, FL Calvary Christian Academy): The backcourt mate to Marvel Allen, he was considered a mortal lock to Memphis, but that was before the NCAA smacked Penny Hardaway with several Level I violations and before Mike White left for Georgia. With White at UF, the Gators had no chance. He’s a 4-star prospect.
Dylan James (6-9, 200, Winter Haven, FL): He’s a 4-star that Florida was going after when Mike White was the head coach. The relationship was with Erik Pastrana, who followed White to Georgia. Alabama, Virginia Tech, Creighton and Georgetown have offered.
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Alabama: Nick Saban on how well Alabama players did with NIL without the benefit of a collective. “We didn’t do that last year and our guys made more money than anybody in college football on their own, representing themselves – creating a good image, being good players, creating value for themselves.”
Arkansas: HBC Sam Pittman on agreeing to a raise and a contract extension: “I agree, they agree, so I guess that means we agreed.”
Auburn: Former Auburn backup quarterback Dematrius Davis, a former 4-star recruit, is transferring to Alabama State.
Georgia: Defensive lineman Tymon Mitchell (6-3, 285), a former 3-star recruit, is in the transfer portal. Mitchell played in six games the past three seasons.
LSU: Former Ohio State corner Sevyn Banks, a former 4-star recruit who played in 24 games in four seasons, is transferring to LSU. He had 43 tackles, an interception, 10 pass breakups and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in his Ohio State career.
Mississippi State: Shakeel Moore is in the transfer portal again. Moore averaged 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals for MSU last year after transferring in from North Carolina State. MSU had four transfers on last year’s team. Garrison Brooks is out of eligibility. The other three are on the move again ... Camryn Carter has transferred to Kansas State.
Missouri: Nick Honor, who started 35 games at the point the last two seasons for Clemson, has committed to Mizzou. He averaged 7.7 points per game last year. Previously, he started 36 games at Fordham where he averaged 15.3 points per game ... Dajuan Gordon, who averaged 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Tigers last year, is transferring to New Mexico State … Transferring out is Yaya Keita (6-9, 235).
South Carolina: Defensive lineman Will Rogers, who played in one game over the last three years, is the third South Carolina DL to enter the transfer portal in the last two days.
Texas A&M: Guard Aaron Cash, who averaged 2.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game last year, is transferring out … Former 5-star tight end Baylor Cupp is transferring to Texas Tech. He was the No. 1 tight end in the country coming out of high school in 2019.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Here is a quote from an excellent article from Stewart Mandel of The Athletic regarding what’s going on with NIL and football recruiting: “We lost a kid (on signing day) over that. That hurt,” a Power 5 head coach told The Athletic. “Two hours before, the mom is telling me he’s coming here. And then she said, ‘Coach, how can we turn down $300,000?’ You can’t. Take it, I get it.”
There is something seriously wrong with a system when a high school kid who has never played a down of college football gets $300,000. If you’ve been thinking this is a random occurrence, then you may want to recalculate. Despite Jimbo Fisher’s feigned outrage that Lane Kiffin and others would speculate that Aggie boosters actively paid recruits to sign, no one should be naïve enough to think it didn’t happen. Jimbo moaned, groaned and acted indignant. Then you can bet the moment no one was watching he broke into “I did it and you didn’t catch me” giggles. He’s probably still laughing. Don’t think for even a nano-second that Jimbo and the Aggies are the only ones doing it, either. This is just the beginning of a nuclear winter that is about to descend upon college football and all college sports.
If you are shocked by what is going on with NIL, then brace yourself. It’s going to get worse and maybe the only way to slow it down is going to be for college football (and other sports) to make athletes employees and pay them. When athletes become employees, their scholarships become taxable income because they are part of their compensation packages. Coaches will be able to fire their players.
These are unintended consequences. NIL, like most things of that nature, may have seemed like a good idea at the moment. We’re just scratching the surface on the problems that are headed our way and we haven’t even had the chance to see how the NCAA is going to try to make things better.
I know. You’re laughing at that. The NCAA never makes anything better. Never.
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