By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
A COMPLETE COACHING STAFF AND A BIG TIME TRANSFER
A day without some sort of positive news from Billy Napier is almost like a day without sunshine. Perhaps this is all part of Napier’s plan. By spreading out the announcements the way he has, he’s keeping Florida football in the news and that is keeping Florida fans, rival coaching staffs and recruits engaged on a daily basis.

Monday, Pete Thamel, formerly of Yahoo Sports but now of ESPN, announced that Florida will be hiring North Carolina co-defensive coordinator Jay Bateman as its inside linebackers coach, which completes Napier’s staff. Also announced was the transfer of two-time All-Sun Belt offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence from Louisiana.

Bateman is a powerhouse recruiter who is also a former Broyles Award (nation’s top assistant coach) finalist from his four years as the defensive coordinator at Army (2014-18). He has worked his way up through the ranks starting as a graduate assistant at DIII Hampden-Sydney and then moving up through the D1AA ranks until he got his first Division I coaching job at Ball State (MAC) coaching inside linebackers. At Army in 2018, his defense finished eighth nationally, allowing just 295.5 yards per game. The Black Knights finished 10th in scoring defense that year (17.7 per game) and 10th against the run (106.77 yards per game). At North Carolina he coached safeties while sharing coordinator duties with Tommy Thigpen.

Napier’s assistant coaching staff looks like this: Jabbar Jaluke (RB), Keary Colbert (WR), William Peagler (TE), Darnell Stapleton (OL), Rob Sale (OL/OC), Sean Spencer (DL/Co-DC), Mike Peterson (OLB), Bateman (ILB), Corey Raymond (CB) and Patrick Toney (S/Co-DC).

Torrence was thought to be a heavy Gator lean from the time he entered the NCAA transfer portal. When it was announced that Rob Sale would be joining the staff after a year with the New York Giants and reuniting with Darnell Stapleton to coach the offensive line, it seemed to be one further indicator that Torrence (6-5, 335) would be coming to Florida.

Torrence is the fifth transfer Napier has brought to Florida, the third (offensive tackle Kamryn Waites and running back Montrell Johnson are the others) who followed their coach from Louisiana.

SEC BASKETBALL
It seems a little bit strange that Gonzaga regained the No. 1 position in both the Associated Press and Coaches top 25 basketball polls. The Zags have won seven games in a row but their last loss was by nine points to Alabama on a neutral court. That’s important because No. 2 Auburn, which has one fewer loss than the Zags, just beat Alabama last week on the road in Tuscaloosa. One fewer loss and a win over a team that beat Gonzaga seems more impressive than the Zags seven straight.

The SEC has four teams in the top 25 now: No. 2 Auburn, No. 12 Kentucky, No. 13 LSU and No. 24 Tennessee. Only the Big Ten and Big 12 (five each) have more top 25 teams than the SEC.
Tuesday’s games: South Carolina (10-6, 1-3 SEC) at Arkansas (12-5, 2-3 SEC); No. 22 Tennessee (11-5, 2-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt (10-6, 2-2 SEC); Missouri (7-9, 1-3 SEC) at Ole Miss (9-7, 1-3 SEC)
Wednesday’s games: Mississippi State (12-4, 3-1 SEC) at FLORIDA (10-6, 1-3 SEC); No. 18 Kentucky (14-3, 4-1 SEC) at Texas A&M (15-2, 4-0 SEC); No. 12 LSU (15-2, 3-2 SEC) at No. 24 Alabama (11-6, 2-3 SEC); Georgia (5-12, 0-4 SEC) at No. 4 Auburn (16-1, 5-0 SEC)

The Associated Press Top 25: 1. Gonzaga 14-2; 2. Auburn 16-1; 3. Arizona 14-1; 4. Purdue 14-2; 5. Baylor 15-2; 6. Duke 14-2; 7. Kansas 14-2; 8. Wisconsin 14-2; 9. UCLA 11-2; 10. Houston 15-2; 11. Villanova 13-4; 12. Kentucky 14-3; 13. LSU 15-2; 14. Michigan State 14-3; 15. Iowa State 14-3; 16. Southern Cal 14-2; 17. Illinois 13-3; 18. Texas Tech 13-4; 19. Ohio State 11-4; 20. Xavier 13-3; 21. Providence 14-2; 22. Loyola Chicago 13-2; 23. Texas 13-4; 24. Tennessee 11-5; 25. UConn 11-4

The Coaches Top 25: 1. Gonzaga 14-2; 2. Auburn 16-1; 3. Arizona 14-1; 4. Purdue 14-2; 5. Duke 14-2; 6. Baylor 15-2; 7. Kansas 14-2; 8. Wisconsin 14-2; 9. UCLA 11-2; 10. Houston 15-2; 11. Villanova 13-4; 12. Kentucky 14-3; 13. Michigan State 14-2; 14. Iowa State 14-3; 15. Southern Cal 14-2; 16. LSU 15-2; 17. Illinois 13-3; 18. Ohio State 11-4; 19. Texas Tech 13-4; 20. Xavier 13-3; 21. Providence 14-2; 23. Colorado State 13-1; 24. Loyola Chicago 13-2; 25. (TIE) Tennessee 11-5 and UConn 11-4

SEC FOOTBALL
Alabama: Linebacker Christian Harris will enter the NFL Draft after a season in which he had 70 tackles, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Arkansas: Former LSU cornerback Dwight McGlothern, who had 32 tackles and an interception in 2021, is transferring to Arkansas … Quarterback Cade Fortin, who began his collegiate career at North Carolina, is transferring from South Florida to Arkansas. He was 25-48 for 183 yards and two interceptions in 2021 at USF.

Auburn: Guard Alec Jackson is returning for the 2022 season ... In the portal is defensive lineman J.J. Pegues, who also doubles as a tight end.

Georgia: Brace yourself. JT Daniels, who was going to be the savior of Georgia football except he couldn’t beat out former walk-on Stetson Bennett, is expected to put his name in the transfer portal. If he leaves, his next destination will be his third school. Bennett, by the way, is pondering coming back for another year … Edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. has decided to return in 2022 as is defensive back William Poole III ... Linebacker Channing Tindall, who had 67 tackles and 5.5 sacks, is off for the NFL

LSU: Punter Jay Bramblett, who averaged 43.8 yards at Notre Dame last year, is transferring to LSU … Wide receiver Jaray Jenkins, who caught 34 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns is returning for the 2022 season … Defensive analyst Gerald Chatman, who was retained by Brian Kelly, is leaving to become the defensive line coach at Tulane.

Missouri: Edge rusher Tyrone Hopper, who suffered a season-ending injury in North Carolina’s first game of 2021, is transferring to Mizzou. This will be his seventh year of college football. Hopper is a grad transfer.

Ole Miss: All-Conference USA offensive tackle Mason Brooks is transferring to Ole Miss from Western Kentucky. Brooks will bookend with Nick Broeker, the starting left tackle from 2021 who announced that he’s returning for 2021.

Tennessee: Wide receiver JaVonta Payton, who caught six touchdown passes and led the SEC with 22.9 yards per catch, is headed to the NFL.

THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT COLLEGE SPORTS SINCE 2000
Since 2000, there have been 64 national champions in the three most important college sports – football, basketball and baseball. Here is a breakdown of the conferences and the number of champions produced:

Football (22)
SEC 13; ACC 3; Big Ten 2; Big 12 2; Pac-12 1; Big East 1

Basketball (21)
ACC 8; Big East 7; SEC 3; Big 12 2; Big Ten 1

Baseball (21)
SEC 9; Pac-12 5; Big 12 2; ACC 1; WAC 1; Sun Belt 1; Mountain West 1; Big West 1

Conferences with the most national championships
SEC 25; ACC 12; Big East 8; Big 12 6; Pac-12 6; Big Ten 3; WAC 1; Sun Belt 1; Mountain West 1; Big West 1

MATT HAYES WROTE IT …
Writing for Saturday Down South, Matt Hayes gives us his take on ACC commissioner Jim Phillips going out on a limb to oppose expansion of the College Football Playoff and how the ACC could turn out to be the biggest loser in the future. Here are a few gems from that column:

“Why would the ACC make a stand when it knows an expanded Playoff is the answer for monetary concerns (remember universities cutting programs during the 2020 season?), and for other issues that are quickly and clearly coming into focus (hello, pay for play).

“Multiple industry sources believe there were two overriding reasons: A check on SEC power, and an attempted power play for force Notre Dame into the ACC – to supplement the conference’s undervalued media rights deal.

“Neither will work, and both could eventually further strengthen the SEC.”

On Notre Dame staying in lockstep with Greg Sankey and the SEC:
“If FBS football contracts as part of the reorganization of the NCAA structure – and the Autonomous 5 (see: Power 5) conference break away from the Group of 5 – Notre Dame will almost certainly need a conference partner … Notre Dame knows this, and that’s why it has been tied at the hip with the SEC and Big 12 in pushing for the 12-team model – a model that would preserve its independent status and preserve some form of the current makeup of the FBS division. The very thing that Sankey has been trying to do.”

On the ACC going alone: “The easiest way to understand the enormity of this moment: the SEC, Big 12 and Notre Dame favor 12-team Playoff expansion. The Pac-12 announced last week it’s agreeable to any form of Playoff expansion … The Big Ten doesn’t have a problem with a 12-team format; it does have an issue with the structure (number of automatic qualifiers). The ACC is the odd conference out.”

On the possibility that stonewalling the playoff could force teams from other conferences to petition the SEC for membership:
“The future of revenue generation is marketable marquee games. That’s why the SEC added Oklahoma and Texas and why the SEC could add more marketable teams – if pushed into the decision … Does the SEC want to expand? The short answer now is no. But you better believe Sankey has answers in case the landscape suddenly turns unstable.

“Guess who stands to lose big if the SEC expands again? That’s right, the ACC.”

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: To expand the playoff or not to expand the playoff. That is only one of many questions that need to be answered for the health of all college sports but it just happens to be the single most important. Because football is the engine that drives all college sports, the revenue generated by an expanded playoff is critical and the sooner it happens, the better. The revenue from an expanded playoff isn’t going to cure all the financial problems facing college athletics, but if some of the economic projections are correct, a 12-team playoff could double or perhaps triple the current yearly payout which would mean bigger payouts to each conference. There is very little room to increase the $450 million or so generated in the current 4-team model, so expansion is imperative. I believe that far more money will be generated if the ESPN/ABC stranglehold is broken so that the playoff is spread out among multiple networks. The NFL is smart the way it spreads out its playoff broadcasts among CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN/ABC and then rotates the Super Bowl among its network affiliates. Since the NCAA Basketball Tournament expanded its coverage from a solo effort by CBS to include the networks of the Turner family (TBS, TNT and a couple others), the tournament is far better because fans can see entire games instead of hopscotching from one game to another. No matter who broadcasts, however, whether it’s ESPN/ABC or multiple networks, it’s time for the conference commissioners who have the final say in an expanded playoff to figure out how to get this done before the current contract with ESPN/ABC expires after the 2025 season. It would be a big help if the commissioners would eliminate this silly notion that any expansion vote has to be unanimous.

Reznick Earns Preseason All-America Nod
Inside Lacrosse tabbed the redshirt sophomore goalie to the Second Team

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Inside Lacrosse released its Division I Preseason All-Americans Tuesday morning and redshirt sophomore goalie Sarah Reznick found herself on the Second Team.

Reznick is one of only two sophomores (true or redshirt) to earn a spot on the Second Team and is one of only six sophomores to be tabbed to any of the four teams (First, Second, Third, Honorable Mention) this preseason.

The Long Beach, N.Y. native is coming off a stellar 2021 campaign in which she led the nation in both save percentage (.567) and goals against average (6.42).

For her efforts a season ago, she was tabbed as both an ILWomen and an IWLCA Second Team All-American.

Reznick and the rest of the Gators kick off the 2022 campaign against Kennesaw State on Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. in the confines of Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

Below are the accolades for Reznick:

* 2022 Preseason Inside Lacrosse Second Team All-American
* 2021 IWLCA All-America Second Team
* 2021 ILWomen Media All-American Second Team
* 2021 IWLCA All-Region Second Team
* 2021 Tewaaraton Watch List
* 2021 AAC Goalkeeper of the Year
* 2021 All-AAC First Team
* Five-time AAC Freshman of the Week
* Finished the 2021 season first in the nation in both save percentage (.567) and goals against average (6.42)
* Ranks first in Florida's record books in saves per game (8.00) and save percentage (.535)
* As a redshirt freshman with 29 games under her belt, she already sits tied for fourth in total saves at UF (232) and is fourth in total wins (24)
* Finished the season first in the conference in save percentage and goals against average, third in saves per game and seventh in groundballs per game
* Among active Division 1 players, she is first with a 7.80 GAA

UNC buddy of mine with solid sources up there had this to say in a nutshell.

Great human being. Great communicator. Wasn't a fan of the scheme he ran and clearly did not work out as a DC. Said he expects him to be a great recruiter. Without giving too specific info, he turned down pay raises from some higher level SEC schools as DC to stay in Chapel Hill due to family medical reasons which should keep him in Gville as well imo. I'm just not sure if its appropriate to give the details but its similar to Seider's situation I believe.

Superbowl Squares Time Again

I know three of you won money last year and it is that time again. For those that don’t know this is a little fun fundraiser we do each year for our 14U baseball team. IF you are interested in grabbing a SB square for 10.00 please shoot me an email through the site. You will login to either link below pick your square. I would suggest using UF and your initials for the squares and I will email you back my venmo. If you are not interested no big deal. Thanks. 1st-3rd QT winners get 100.00 and 200.00 for the 4th QT.

Seems some of the girls got the ring.


Now it would be nice to see slick get convicted and his legacy tarnished. Biden can pardon him but being a diddler of underage girls would be an unrecoverable stain in the history books. Way too many give him credit for coasting on Reagan's coattails and being put in check by Newt.

That era was financially golden but the country was being sold out and eroded morally from the bully pulpit.

Coach Raymond is going to see him this Wednesday - Gentry knows very little about the new UF staff and he is looking forward to getting to know Coach Raymond and learn as much as he can about the new coaching staff.....

Login to view embedded media

Couple of key players for today include Harold Perkins, Max Brown, Matthew McCoy, Jordan James and Khamari Terrell.

I posted a poll about a month and a half ago about your expectations for 2022 on-field results. Most of you predicted 8 wins.

Napier is plugging holes left and right. More will be plugged over the next couple weeks. On paper, Florida will be more talented than probably every team on their schedule except for Georgia, Texas A&M and LSU.

Does any of the last month change your opinion?

Prediction time...

Every team gets 25 Initial Counters per Academic Cycle

1. Additions (High School, JUCO, Transfer) to the scholarship list count as an Initial Counter.
2. These additions are also not counted as an 'Initial Counter' until they enroll. So if they don't qualify or get released from their LOI before enrolling it doesnt count as an initial counter
3. If they leave the day after enrolling it still counts as an initial counter
4. If a player leaves and then comes back, they only count as 1 initial counter (no double counting)
5. Players who have been walk-ons (paying their own way) for at least 24 months and then granted a scholarship do not count as an initial counter
6. Counters not used in 1 cycle can be carried-over to the next cycle
7. To go above the annual allotment of initial counters can only be done so if the player is a Blue Shirt. A Blue Shirt utilizes a counter from the upcoming cycle since the current cycle has exhausted its 25.

What is a Blue Shirt?

1. It is an unrecruited athlete for that school: No Home visits with that school, No Official Visit with that school, No LOI
2. A Recruit can only enroll as a blue shirt when all other initial counters in that cycle have enrolled, which means they will typically have to wait until the Fall (unless the whole class early enrolls)
3. Much easier to do with a Transfer, because they are easier to be "unrecruited"

What about the impact of the new NCAA Counter rule?
The new NCAA rule is that a team can get an extra counter (up to 7) for every Portal entrant a team loses AFTER December 15, 2021 and is academically eligible at their new school. As of right now we have 2 transfers (Diabate and Gamble) who look to have already met the criteria. By my tracking we have 24 annual counters (25 minus Tyrone Truesdell Blue Shirt), plus the 2 who look to have met the relief requirement. Given that we will be going through a cultural change it's extremely likely we will have more than 7 Portal entrants after 12/15, perhaps significantly more. So, given that environment it's fair to say we likely have 31 counters to use.

How do you know UF has 24 counters instead of 25 in this cycle?
Quite a few years back the numbers of counters available at UF was leaked. In fact someone had taken a picture of a chalkboard in one of the Coaching office meeting rooms. Once you know a definitive amount at any point of time it's easy to track from that point forward



Are there limitations on these 7 extra counters?
It's not clear how one goes about getting them awarded, but the general thought is once they are awarded they have to be used for other portal players and not recruits in the current or future class. I also believe that they are not likely to be allowed to be carried over (portal players in the next cycle). Once these new counters are awarded you will see UGA and Bama (and other top programs) become even more active in the Portal, that's why it was important for UF to take as many top players from the Portal early as they could. Kudos to Napier and the Administration for allowing as many as 3 early enrollees AFTER the Drop/Add date. I'm not aware of that ever happening in the past. Another sign that everyone is on the same page with the program turnaround. UGA signed a large Early Signing Day because so many top players wanted to sign with them that it has limited their early action in the Portal. That will change shortly as they are awarded counters for Kimber (UF), J.Robertson (Miss St) and several others as they meet the criteria. Bama held back some on Early Signing Day to make sure they room for guys like Ricks and Gibbs. They will also be active again soon.

Will UF use all 31 counters?
That's where the 85 man limit comes into play.
After you remove the guys who have entered the Portal, I have 67 scholarship guys with eligibility returning. I don't count Marco Ortiz (1 yr scholarship).
67 +
9 Early Signees +
4 announced transfers in +
3 commitments (Etienne, Farmer, M.Mitchell) +
2 possible imminent transfers in Javon Baker, O'Cyrus Torrence
6 more late signees (Douglas, Boardingham, Winston, C.Story/J.Jenkins, M. McCoy, +1 type)
=91 for Fall 2022
- 9 (I'm going to assume at least 9 more transfer out/medically disqualify between now and the Fall)
=82

Leaves room for 3 more transfers (mostly DL)

The scenario above has UF using 27 counters (9+4+3+2+6+3).

To use all 31, we will need 13 transfers out/medically disqualified. Sure would be nice to have 7 (3 DL, another OL, LB, 2 best available) more transfer spots instead of 3.

Even though several players stuck with the team despite having intentions of leaving, I would not infer from that the staff doesn't want some players to leave. I think they will still want that but not until after Spring when both sides know each other a little better.

Feel free to ask Initial Counters questions

A few things most of us can agree on:

1. If you don’t have the resources: money, facilities, staff you have no chance to win championships consistently in college football

2. The payout of money to schools bc conferences tv deals is creating haves and have nots in the sport

3. Players (transfers, recruits, current players) are being paid via nil that have no regulations.

4. College football and player acquisition is the Wild Wild West because of the transfer portal and NIL

5. The are few regulations that can be put in place by the NCAA that can prevent what is going on right now. The NCAA getting defeated court has given them no power.

6. College Football is a business and schools and players are treating it like a business

As much as I LOVE Florida and have enjoyed the sec dominance, the sport is in a better place when all regions of the country are interested in the sport. To help fix what is the wild Wild West without going backwards I believe the plan to put into action to make college football better across the country is to make an an nfl model ( pay for play). This is the only thing i can think of to help control the chaos of the spending we are seeing right now in the sport with no regulations. Here is the structure I’d like to see moving forward and it’s similar to the nfl model:

• Players where have a salary and sign a 4 year contract. Ever player caps play 5 years. That 5th year if they have graduated is a free agency year.
• 40 team super league - money distributed evenly to all teams of this league with negotiated tv contracts. This league will have a commissioner and will not be under the NCAA.
• There still be a league salary cap ( cannot go over the cap) if you gain 75,000 bc 75,000 left the team, you can replace players by using the 75,000.
• 8 division broken up into 5 teams
• Relegation
• Staff Regulations: 10 onfield 30 onfield 10 paid interns ( can’t go over)
• Penalties for hiring more staff or going over the salary cap = loss of scholarships or loss of money or relegation
• The super league consist of the 40 teams that move the needle financially. Vanderbilt for example is not in this 40 team league. However there will be a lower tier made up of division 1 teams that did not make the 40 team league. The winner of this lower tier league will move up to the 40 team league and the team with the worst record (tie breaker point differential) will be relegated to the lower tier.

Here are the divisions:
1.
Florida
Fsu
Miami
Uga
Tennessee

2.
Clemson
South Carolina
Unc
Nc state
Uva

3.
Va tech
Penn State
West Virginia
Kentucky
Cincy

4.
Alabama
Auburn
LSU
Ole miss
Arkansas

5.
Oklahoma state
Texas
Oklahoma
Texas a&m
Nebraska

6. Ohio state
Michigan
Michigan state
Wisconsin
Iowa

7. Usc
UCLA
Arizona state
Oregon
Washington

8. Utah
BYU
Missouri
Georgia Tech
Notre Dame

12 game schedule, 4 conferenSo I like the idea of 8 5 team divisions more which would create more variety of teams you play every year vs the 4 10 team divisons.

My divisons would be
1.
Florida
Fsu
Miami
Uga
Tennessee

2.
Clemson
South Carolina
Unc
Nc state
Uva

3.
Va tech
Penn State
West Virginia
Kentucky
Cincy

4.
Alabama
Auburn
LSU
Ole miss
Arkansas

5.
Oklahoma state
Texas
Oklahoma
Texas a&m
Nebraska

6. Ohio state
Michigan
Michigan state
Wisconsin
Iowa

7. Usc
UCLA
Arizona state
Oregon
Washington

8. Utah
BYU
Missouri
Georgia Tech
Notre Dame

12 game schedule (4 division, 8 non division)

12 game playoff 8 division winners, 4 wild cards.

Top 4 get byes

Wildcard round, team with better record regardless of if they are division winner host the playoff game.

Round 2 hosted at the top 4 seeds. Semi finals and championship hosted at a bowl site.



Curious the feedback? It’s similar to the nfl. The difference is there is no draft, contracts are 4 years, we are capping the size of a off field staff. Pay for play is the key here. We must openly have salaries and contracts that have a team salary cap to create more equity in the sport.

Anyone hearing anything about Lee Hunter (DT - Auburn). It would be great to add a big body like this.

and imo is the No 1 reason why UF landed O'Cyrus. Coach Stapleton I think will be a big time addition to the staff on the field and recruiting........

I see we got a QB from Ohio State I guess to be there in case AR-15 tries to dance in his hotel room again. What positions do you think we need to address in the portal? We need to get some open space playmakers on the team.

I'm not going to link to it because it's a competing site, but there is now a composite overall ranking that includes transfers as well as high school recruits. The Gators have now moved up to 14th overall and 6th in the SEC. It's obviously not where we aspire to be, but it's a big improvement in a short period of time since Napier arrived.

From my Gator Bait Magazine article
By Franz Beard

The situation called for perfection or whatever is next Sunday afternoon where a sellout crowd of 8,781 was shoehorned into the O-Dome and an ABC national television audience watched the biggest early-2022 gymnastics meet come down to Nya Reed and Trinity Thomas. This wasn’t national championship-on-the-line pressure but it was thick enough that it would have taken a chainsaw to cut through it.

It was one of those rare moments when a head coach discovers exactly what kind of team she has. It’s one thing to see a team in the gym every day, or like last week when second-ranked Florida blew the doors off three underwhelming opponents in a season-opening quad meet. It’s something else when the opponent is sixth-ranked Alabama, which has six NCAA championship banners hanging from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. It’s never an embarrassment to lose to the Crimson Tide, but this was anything but a vintage Florida performance.

With the exception of a 9.975 by Reed followed by a perfect 10 from Thomas on the first rotation vault, the Gators were hardly living up to the pre-meet hype. Florida had to take at least one score of 9.775 or less on every rotation. There were deductions for falls, near falls, bobbles and dismounts. The Gators turned in a 48.975 on bars and their normally powerhouse beam rotation needed a 9.90 by freshman Leanne Wong to salvage a 49.100. Those kind of scores on bars and beams are the source of a lot of lost gymnastics meets.

While the mistakes kept piling up for the Gators, Alabama wasn’t exactly turning in a championship-level performance, but Tammy Duckworth’s team made fewer mistakes and they were ever so close to walking out of the O-Dome with their first road win in Gainesville since 2003. When Luisa Blanco closed out a brilliant day at the office (9.925 bars, 9.900 floor and 9.950 beam) the Crimson Tide had a .350 lead, which probably seemed insurmountable. About the only thing standing in Alabama’s way of scoring a huge win that would send ripples through the collegiate gymnastics world was for Reed and Thomas to close out the meet the way they finished on the vault.

But, that’s exactly what they did as the Gators rallied to a 197.000-196.925 win that head coach Jenny Rowland called “the toughest 197 we’ve ever had to sweat out.”

You’ve probably heard the old adage that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place. While it isn’t necessarily true, it doesn’t happen very often. Back-to-back 10s at a gymnastics meet, especially when that’s almost what it will take to score a come-from-behind win? Let’s just say if you’re into wagering on such things, put your money on the lightning.

In the case of the Gators Sunday afternoon, Reed and Thomas were lightning bolts. Although they didn’t know exactly what kind of deficit the Gators needed to erase to come away with a win, they knew both had to score big.

Reed, whose 9.975 on the vault was a collegiate best in the event, went first. By the time she had completed her first tumbling run it was evident that this had the makings of a huge score as long as she didn’t overshoot a landing. She was a blur and then she exploded off the mat, so high that the crowd almost gasped in unison. It was scintillating. When she finished she was mobbed by teammates and the O-Dome crowd roared, then began a chant that was more of a demand from the judges.

They screamed, “10! 10! 10!”

Because Reed’s routine was both electric and without visible flaws, the judges could only comply with the crowd’s wishes. When the score was posted, the roar from the crowd was deafening.

Reed’s 10 only drew the Gators close but it would still take Thomas coming through with one of her patented icewater-in-the-veins clutch performances. But how much to tie? How much to win? Rowland didn’t know but Florida assistant Adrian Burde did. When the Gators are performing, Burde’s brain works like a calculator. He had the winning score down to the hundredths of a point.

“My brain doesn’t work like that but he [Burde] is always the person to come to and if you need to know what score we need at the moment,” Rowland said.



A 9.925 would have tied the score, but Thomas, already with the 10 on the vault, was following a 10, which only increased the degree of difficulty. Since the judges had a baseline of perfection from which to score, if Reed’s floor was a 10, then Thomas probably needed something even more flawless if that was even possible.

Two 10s in the same meet is a rarity. Three? It’s only happened once in Florida history, ironically at the O-Dome against Alabama. Alex McMurtry on bars, Bridget Sloan on beam and Kennedy Baker on floor were perfect that night in 2016.

Perfect back-to-back? Kristen Guise and Amy Myerson did it for the Gators back in 1996. When Bridget Sloan and Kytra Hunter did it in 2014, it gave the Gators a come-from-behind win over Georgia in the SEC Championships in Birmingham.

The pressure Sunday didn’t faze Thomas, who has had her share of perfection in a Florida leotard. An 18-time All-American, she isn’t a stranger to big moments. The focus it takes to score a perfect 10 requires requires completely zoning out the noise and neutralizing the pressure. Prior to Sunday, Thomas had a perfect score seven times – three each on floor and bars, one on beam. When she nailed her landing for a 10 on the vault, Thomas became only the third Florida gymnast – Sloan and McMurtry are the other two – and just the eleventh in NCAA history to complete the Gym Slam, which is at least one 10 on all four events.

When Reed’s score was posted, the roof nearly blew off the O-Dome. Thomas was caught up in the excitement momentarily. She wanted to join her teammates who encircled Reed, but thought better of it. Before going into her personal cone of silence to reduce the crowd noise and neutralize the electricity, Thomas thought about the conversations she’s been having with Reed about the possibility of one day going back-to-back perfect scores.



“I saw Nya’s 10 go up, and I was like, ‘This is it!’” Thomas said. “We’ve talked about going back-to-back 10s before forever, and today, literally right before we went, we said, ‘Let’s do it!’ and her 10 came up and I gasped, and I was like, ‘Ahhh, this is the moment!’”

In that moment, it’s almost like the O-Dome crowd anticipated what was about to happen. From the moment, Thomas made her way to the edge of the mat, there was real electricity in the air. When voice of the O-Dome Tom Collette announced her as the last competitor of the day, the crowd erupted louder than before.



As if she needed an adrenaline rush, Thomas got one. She responded with a brilliant effort, so flexible, a combination of grace and power. By the time she finished and Burde leapt high and punched a giant hole in the air, there was little doubt that Thomas had delivered a winning performance. Teammates danced and hugged. The crowd erupted even louder than before, almost blowing the roof off the O-Dome and in doing so, practically willing the judges to score another 10.

The 10 the judges awarded set off a celebration in the stands and on the mat. The only ones who weren’t celebrating were the Alabama Crimson Tide. They had come so close to breaking a long O-Dome losing streak only to see victory snatched away when only one, but two perfect tens would do.