By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:
GATORS HAVE TO DEFEND THE PERIMETER TONIGHT
It isn’t a big secret what Alabama coach Nate Oates wants to do. He wants the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide (10-3, 1-0 SEC) to play lockdown defense and when the Tide has the ball, launch a lot of 3-pointers.
It is the Alabama 3-point shooting that has to be the biggest concern for Florida coach Mike White when the Gators (9-3, 0-0) open SEC play at the O-Dome (7 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU). Bama doesn’t shoot the 3-ball very well – just 32.8 percent – but guards Jahvon Quinerly, Keon Ellis and Jaden Shackleford are streaky and they are each capable of lighting it up. Shackleford is the greatest concern. He’s Bama’s leading scorer (16.5 per game) and he hits 39.4 percent of his 3-point attempts. Because Alabama shoots so many threes, there are a lot of long rebounds, which has everything to do with Ellis (6.7 rebounds per game) and Shackleford (6.4) are the leading rebounders.
The Gators, who missed their first SEC game against Ole Miss last week due to a COVID outbreak on the team, have been practicing and should be ready. The Gator currently rank 28th in the Kenpom.com analytics and they’re 23rd in the ESPN power rankings. With a gauntlet of games against top teams in the SEC to begin league play, it is imperative for UF to hold serve at home which means getting the job done on the defensive end to slow down Quinerly, Ellis and Shackleford. Brandon McKissic, who was a finalist last season for the Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year at Missouri-Kansas City, will probably get the opening defensive assignment on Shackleford.
The Gators will also have to do a good job of protecting Colin Castleton. At 6-11, he’s the Gators’ only size, and he will be going up against freshman 7-footer Charles Bediako, who had six blocked shots in Bama’s surprising win over 4th-ranked Gonazaga. Noah Gurley, a Furman transfer that the Gators tried to recruit, is coming off a 20-point, 10-rebound game off the bench. He also factors prominently in Florida’s defensive approach.
Keys for the Gators: (1) In your face defense on the perimeter; (2) keep Quinerly and JD Davison off the bench from penetrating and getting into the lane; (3) Alabama will try to double the ball so make the extra pass because someone will be open; (4) give Castleton help in the lane by swarming defensively; and (5) a 2-1 turnover-to-assist ratio.
SEC Basketball
Tuesday’s games: No. 21 LSU (13-1, 1-1 SEC) 65, No. 16 Kentucky (11-3, 1-1) 60; No. 9 Auburn (13-1, 2-0 SEC) 81, South Carolina (9-4, 0-1 SEC) 66; Texas A&M (12-2, 1-0 SEC) 81, Georgia (5-9, 0-1 SEC) 79; Vanderbilt (9-4, 1-0 SEC) 75, Arkansas (10-4, 0-2 SEC) 74
Wednesday’s games: No. 15 Alabama (10-3, 1-0 SEC) at FLORIDA (9-3, 0-0 SEC); Ole Miss (8-4, 0-0 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (9-3, 0-1 SEC); Mississippi State (10-3, 1-0 SEC) at Missouri (6-7, 0-1 SEC), Postponed
DIABATE TO UTAH
Former Florida linebacker Mohamoud Diabate pulled off a shocker when he announced he’s transferring to Pac-12 champion Utah. A native of Auburn, Alabama, it was thought that Diabate would either choose hometown Auburn or stay with the Gators.
During his Florida career, Diabate was in on 174 tackles. He had 14 tackles for loss, six sacks and an interception. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME …
Mike Peterson is coming home. The former All-SEC and first team All-America linebacker for Steve Spurrier, is leaving South Carolina to join Billy Napier’s Florida staff as the outside linebackers coach per multiple reports.
Peterson, who played quarterback at Santa Fe High School, transitioned to linebacker at UF where he was in on 249 tackles and posted 8.5 sacks. A second round selection of the Indianapolis Colts, Peterson played 14 years in the NFL, earning second team All-Pro honors in 2005.
This will be the second time Peterson has worked as a Florida assistant. He worked as a graduate assistant in strength and conditioning before. When Muschamp landed the South Carolina job in 2016, he hired Peterson to coach outside linebackers.
Florida assistant coaches as of January 4, 2022:
Quarterbacks: Billy Napier
Running backs: Jabbar Juluke
Wide receivers: Keary Colbert
Tight ends: William Peagler
Offensive line (expected): Rob Sale
Offensive line assistant: Darnell Stapleton
Co-defensive coordinator/safeties: Patrick Toney
Outside linebackers: Mike Peterson
Cornerbacks: Corey Raymond
LIFE IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL
Montrell Johnson, who ran for 838 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman playing for Billy Napier at Louisiana, put his name in the transfer portal. Johnson made second team All-Sun Belt and was selected Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year. Johnson played prep football at De La Salle in New Orleans. Also in the portal from Louisiana are three-year starting left tackle and two-time All-Sun Belt O’Cyrus Torrence (6-5, 338) and corner Mekhi Garner (6-2, 217), a third-team All-Sun Belt selection. Torrence and has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Garner was in on 58 tackles the last two seasons with three interceptions and 15 pass breakups. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Four wide receivers who have entered the portal are Mario Williams (5-9, 186), Winston Wright Jr. (5-9, 180), Shocky Jacques-Louis (6-0, 190) and Kobe Hudson (6-1, 196). Williams, a freshman from Plant City, caught 35 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns at Oklahoma. Wright, who is from Savannah, has two seasons of eligibility remaining. In 2021 he caught 63 passes for 688 yards and five touchdowns. In his West Virginia career, Wright caught 127 passes for 1,314 yards and seven touchdowns. Jacques-Louis is a native of Fort Myers with one year of eligibility remaining. He has 83 receptions for 1,010 yards and three touchdowns. Hudson was Auburn’s leading receiver with 44 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns. A native of Pine Mountain, Georgia, Hudson has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Quarterbacks on the move include Grant Wells (6-2, 210), Jarrett Doege (6-2, 208) and John Rhys-Plumlee (6-0, 200). Wells has three years of eligibility remaining. At Marshall he threw for 5,627 yards and 34 touchdowns. Doege threw for 3,048 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2021 at WVU. For his career, which began at Bowling Green, Doege threw for 10,494 yards and 79 touchdowns. He will be a sixth year senior. Plumlee led all SEC quarterbacks in rushing in 2019 at Ole Miss with 1,023 yards and 12 TDs, but he spent most of the last two seasons at wide receiver while Matt Corral took the snaps. Plumlee reportedly has narrowed his choices to UCF and Indiana.
In addition to Johnson, running backs worth mentioning are Ky Thomas (5-11, 205), Christopher Beal-Smith (5-11, 200) and Dylan McDuffie (6-0, 207). As a true freshman at Minnesota in 2021, Thomas ran for 824 yards and six touchdowns. Beal Smith ran for 604 yards and seven TDs in 2021, 1,871 yards and 14 TDs in his career. He has one year of eligibility remaining. In his first year as a starter in 2021, McDuffie ran for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has one year of remaining eligibility.
On the D-line, Tulsa is losing two-time All-American Athletic Conference tackle Jaxson Player (6-0, 294), who has 126 tackles in his career including 31.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Linebackers joining the portal are Cam Bright (6-0, 220), Tatum Bethune (6-1, 215) and Jackson Sirmon (6-3, 230). Bright is a Montgomery, Alabama native who has 186 tackles including 23 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. He has one year of eligibility. Bethune led UCF with 108 tackles in 2021. A Miami native with two years of eligibility remaining, Bethune has 185 career tackles with 13 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and two interceptions. Sirmon led Washington with 92 tackles in 2021. He has 148 tackles in his career and two seasons of eligibility.
In the secondary are Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph (6-1, 192), Central Michigan’s Devonni Reed (6-0, 195) and Coastal Carolina’s Enock Makonzo (5-11, 195). Joseph is a College Station, Texas native who was in on 92 tackles in 2021 to go with three interceptions. For his career he has 148 tackles and nine interceptions. Detroit native Reed has 286 career tackles and three interceptions in his career. Makonzo has two seasons of eligibility remaining and 150 career tackles.
SEC FOOTBALL
Alabama (13-1): Greg McElroy, a former Alabama quarterback turned ESPN TV analyst and host of a morning ESPN radio show, says there is no question who he’s picking for next Monday’s national championship game between Alabama and Georgia. McElroy said, “I cannot pick Georgia in this game. I’ll make my pick now. I’m picking Alabama. I don’t know how you can pick Georgia. I understand why people might be able to see through that, but man, I’ve also witnessed Bama beat Georgia convincingly a few times. I just can’t go that far. I understand it. I get it, but I can’t make that decision.” … Adam Rittenburg of ESPN says that if Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan for a head coaching jog in the NFL that Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien will be prominent on the Michigan radar.
Auburn: Former Texas A&M starting quarterback Zac Calzada will be making a visit to Auburn this weekend. Calzada threw for 2,185 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2021.
Georgia: All-America tight end Brock Bowers will be playing in the national championship game despite a nagging shoulder injury.
Kentucky: Tight ends coach Vince Marrow got a 3-year contract extension and a raise that will elevate his salary to more than $1 million per year.
LSU: The Tigers dressed only 39 scholarship players for their Texas Bowl loss to Kansas State. The starting QB was former wide receiver Jontre Kirkland.
Mississippi State: Wide receiver Makai Polk, who made 105 catches for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021, has declared for the NFL Draft.
Missouri: Former Oklahoma State defensive lineman Jayden Jernigan, who had 11 quarterback hurries and a sack in 2021, is transferring to Missouri. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Ole Miss: Former 5-star running back Zac Evans is expected to transfer to Ole Miss, per Matt Zenitz of On3. He ran for 648 yards and five touchdowns in 2021.
South Carolina: Corner Jaylan Foster, who led the SEC with five interceptions and made first team All-SEC as well as first team Walter Camp All-America, has declared for the NFL.
Tennessee: Corner Trevon Flowers, who was in on 79 tackles in 2021, has elected to return to Tennessee for the 2022 season.
Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher is trying to lure Ole Miss defensive coordinator DJ Durkin to Texas A&M. Durkin was Florida’s defensive coordinator from 2013-14 and was the winning coach as Florida’s interim in the 2014 Birmingham Bowl.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The 10 Division I commissioners and Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick are meeting to discuss expansion of the College Football Playoff, and once again the “alliance” is trying to be a power player. That caused Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby to remark that he would be “very pleasantly surprised” if this week’s meetings come up with a workable model moving forward, adding “there’s not much spirit of doing what’s best for the game.” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said, “The reality is if we don’t make a decision now, the same issues being identified are going to be present, whether it’s 12, 18 or 24 months from now when we approach the conclusion of a 12-year cycle … and we’re going to have to come to trips with decision-making in the future.”
I am of the opinion that if George Kliavkoff (Pac-12), Jim Phillips (ACC) and Kevin Warren (Big Ten) actually had functioning brains they would take them out of their skulls and play with them.
I am of the opinion that if George Kliavkoff (Pac-12), Jim Phillips (ACC) and Kevin Warren (Big Ten) actually had functioning brains they would take them out of their skulls and play with them.
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