Dooley’s Dozen: 12 most famous Florida Gators athletes right now
Here's who Pat Dooley thinks are the most famous Gators athletes right now in 2023.
Gators to Hire Ron Roberts as LB Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator ?
- Thread starter Jeff from Jax
- Start date
He may still be looking - I think the job at Clemson is an analyst/recruiting position. He might want something on field.
I think he is a solid coach - would be a good hire for you guys
Jeff Scott is a really good coach. Just not a good head coach but I’m pretty sure he came out and said he’s taking a year off and not interested in an on-field coaching position in 2023.
Paco,
Don't know the terms of his severance agreement with USF.
Might cost him too much money to go back to work too soon - Wish someone would hire & fire me like that - LOL.
I have no insider knowledge of CBN's interest or lack thereof in Jeff Scott. The article I quoted probably doesn't either.
Spring practice runs Saturday, March 4th until the O&B game on Thursday night, April 13th & Recruiting is a year round activity.
Conventional wisdom is that CBN will need to get replacement, on the field position coaches quickly.
BUT
Will he hire someone just to get a warm body quickly or will he hold out until he can get the quality Asst Coach / Recruiter he wants / needs ?
IMO, better to take his time & get quality Asst Coaches & Recruiters.
"...Peagler didn’t stand out as an SEC-level position coach & for whatever reason, didn’t sign a single recruit in 2023." - Agree !
CBN is listed as our OC & Austin Armstrong is inbound as our next DC, so our coordinators are set. We are short two offensive Position Coaches / Recruiters - TE & WR.
We have enough recruiting people to handle that in the short run.
What we need are Position Coaches with name recognition & NFL experience.
If they were former Gators with Super Bowl Rings, that would also help ! LOL
Perhaps CBN can temporarily shift some of his off the field Quality Control people around & use them as on the field position coaches for Spring Practice ?
Another Question for CBN to deal with - Austin Armstrong, our next DC, was a LB Coach, Patrick Toney was the Safety coach.
How will CBN handle that ?
Andrew Spivey 1st Look at 2024 Recruiting Targets -
A look at the top 2024 OL targets
https://www.gatorcountry.com/featur...-look-at-the-top-2024-offensive-line-targets/A look at the top 2024 TE targets
https://www.gatorcountry.com/featur...ing-a-look-at-the-top-2024-tight-end-targets/A look at the top 2024 WR targets
https://www.gatorcountry.com/featur...a-look-at-the-top-2024-wide-receiver-targets/A look at the top 2024 RB targets
https://www.gatorcountry.com/featur...-a-look-at-the-top-2024-running-back-targets/
Paco,
Don't think Bateman's Recruiting has been much to talk about & Not sure how he will do coaching safeties -
BUT
I am not CBN & with the size of our off the field staff, we probably have someone who does know how to coach safeties & can help out.
Bateman was the safeties coach at UNC for the last 3 years before coming here. He’s a good coach and an Ok recruiter but he did get commits from 2 big time LBs for the 2024 class in Hayes and Graham.
UGA's Greatest Recruiting Pitch - 12 UGA Players Receive Invitations to NFL Combine
Georgia football revealed they have had the most players in the nation invited to the NFL combine over the past three years.One of the most pivotal moments for prospects prior to the NFL draft is the combine event.
One of the most pivotal moments for prospects prior to the NFL draft is the combine event.
Players who receive an invite to the combine are given the opportunity to interview with teams and display their talents on the football field one last time before they officially begin the next chapter of their careers.
https://www.si.com/college/georgia/...s-impressive-statistic-ahead-of-the-nfl-draft
Well so much for that. Raymond was just announced as secondary coach so he is getting safeties and CBs. Not sure what they means now. Is another coach possibly on his way out? Or is Armstrong just going to be the DC only? Can’t have 3 LB coaches in Armstrong, Peterson & Bateman.
Paco,
Thanks for the updates !
Guess we will have to wait & see how thigs play out.
We have enough knowledgeable former coaches, analyst, etc in CBN's Army to assist him, so probably not a big deal for Raymond to "handle" the entire secondary.
Plus our "blown coverages" will hopefully diminish with 1 coach in charge of entire Secondary.
I imagine, that shortly, as CFB becomes more of a pay for play environment - NFL Minor Leagues, that in player development, the distinction between on & off the field coaches will become blurred.
On & Off the field Recruiting restrictions will probably be. retained - mostly.
EDIT
FWIW - "...Florida's decision to have Raymond coach all defensive backs came shortly after the conclusion of the 2022 season, according to a source, and was not a byproduct of former defensive coordinator and safeties coach Patrick Toney's recent decision to accept a job on Arizona Cardinals' coaching staff."
https://247sports.com/college/flori...pier-Gators-coaching-staff-changes-205241308/
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8 Gators Invited to 2023 NFL Combine
Nine if you count Brenton Cox Jr.
Nine if you count Brenton Cox Jr.
- QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
- WR Justin Shorter, Florida
- OL Richard Gouraige, Florida
- OL O'Cyrus Torrence, Florida
- DL Gervon Dexter, Florida
- LB Ventrell Miller, Florida
- DB Trey Dean, Florida
- DB Rashad Torrence II, Florida
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Comparing the Gators to the Upper Echelon SEC Teams we face.
9 Gators Invited to 2023 NFL Combine
They counted Brenton Cox Jr.https://floridagators.com/news/2023/2/8/football-nine-gators-receive-nfl-combine-invitations.aspx
9 LSU Tigers Invited to 2023 NFL Combine
https://www.si.com/college/lsu/football/nine-lsu-football-players-invited-to-2023-nfl-combine12 Georgia Bulldogs invited to 2023 NFL combine
https://ugawire.usatoday.com/galler...-invited-2023-nfl-combine-uga-football-draft/13 Alabama players Invited to 2023 NFL Combine
https://rolltidewire.usatoday.com/l...players-invited-to-2023-nfl-scouting-combine/
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Hayes: What in the world is Billy Napier doing?
One questionable decision follows another, including Napier's new choice as defensive coordinator.
www.saturdaydownsouth.com
Hayes: What in the world is Billy Napier doing?
One questionable decision follows another, including Napier's new choice as defensive coordinator.
Lol yeah, what IS he doing?!?!
Hiring three guys that took jumps to the NFL?!?! What a terrible eye for talent and ability to hire guys.
Tebow,Hayes: What in the world is Billy Napier doing?
One questionable decision follows another, including Napier's new choice as defensive coordinator.
Interesting article - forced to agree with some of the points the author raised.
Here is another writer's opinion on CBN's staff turnover
https://www.gatorcountry.com/featur...-necessarily-say-anything-about-billy-napier/
CBN still needs to find WR & TE coaches. Will be interesting to see what he does in that regard -
Will he exploit relationships from ULL or his other previous coaching stops ?
Are there people in off the field analyst / coaching positions currently at UF, or will he visit the Craig List Coaching Want Ads ?
I LIKE IKE Hilliard - WR Coach
In an earlier post, knowing I would not get all of them, I listed my ideal criteria for CBN's new coaches -
- Former Gator with NFL playing experience & Super Bowl Ring
- SEC & NFL Coaching experience
- Name recognition in State of Florida & good recruiting skills.
Hilliard’s football career as player and coach
Hilliard has had an illustrious football career. He played under Steve Spurrier at the University of Florida. He was then drafted 7th overall in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the New York Giants and played there from 1997-2004. Hilliard would then play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2008.Hilliard played in Super Bowl XXXV, but didn't get the ring.
Ike's Super Bowl Stats
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/super-bowl/plays.cgi?player=HillIk00
Hilliard NFL Coaching Experience -
- Miami Dolphins
- Washington Redskins
- Buffalo Bills
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Recruiting under Hilliard
Hilliard got his first taste of college football recruiting at Auburn. His name and career have certainly helped him with relevance, but much of the process was new, understandably.Hilliard was working to finish out his first class with the class of 2023. He had a hand in Auburn’s two receiver commitments: 4-starAdam Hopkins and 3-starDaquayvious Sorey. Four-star receiver Karmello English was also committed at one time, but has since decommitted
.https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-ti...iver-coach-ike-hilliard-will-not-be-retained/
Guess we will find out as the season progresses.
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Miami, Cavinder Twins Subject of First NIL Infractions Ruling
Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde of SINow Report Violations From The Recruitments of Cavinder Twins
Ruiz might have got caught with hand in the cookie jar
Miami, Cavinder Twins Subject of First NIL Infractions Ruling
Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde of SINow Report Violations From The Recruitments of Cavinder Twinswww.si.com
Ruiz might have got caught with hand in the cookie jar
Well if they were going to start investigating anywhere, you'd think it would have to be with the biggest, most vocal of them all.
Gators add graduate transfer QB as PWO
Florida added a fifth signal-caller to the room in graduate transfer walk-on Micah Leon.
247sports.com
Miami Booster Says NCAA Ruling Will Not Change His NIL-Related Business
Businessman John Ruiz says there was ‘nothing improper’ about his meeting with the Cavinder twins, despite the infractions handed down on Friday.
Ruiz seems disappointed the NCAA didn't try to do anything to him. Wants to have a court case on it I guess.
Florida football’s 2023 schedule among toughest in country
Florida's schedule will be among the toughest in all of college football in 2023, but that doesn't mean doom for the Gators.
sports.yahoo.com
Florida football’s 2023 schedule among toughest in country
Florida's schedule will be among the toughest in all of college football in 2023, but that doesn't mean doom for the Gators.
I hope he can pull an 8-4 record somehow so the feeling isn't bad going into 2024. Utah will be pretty tough on the road but if that QB is back from injury just in time to play us it will be without hardly any practice time. If Mertz is below average we are probably looking at a season like 2022 again.
Fever,Miami Booster Says NCAA Ruling Will Not Change His NIL-Related Business
Businessman John Ruiz says there was ‘nothing improper’ about his meeting with the Cavinder twins, despite the infractions handed down on Friday.www.si.com
Ruiz seems disappointed the NCAA didn't try to do anything to him. Wants to have a court case on it I guess.
Probably has lawyers on his payroll & hates to see them sitting around with nothing to do !
Fever,
8-4 would have Gators dancing down Univ Ave & 13th Street !
In your 8-4 season, who are the losses ?
Utah
LSU
FSU
UGA
I actually hope for 7-5 with the above losses plus Tenn;
Vandy probably a toss-up LOL
We will see how it goes
Five Potential Candidates to Assume Florida's WR Coach Vacancy
They omitted my favorite - Ike Hilliard;
none of their candidates were 1st Round Draft picks, made the Super Bowl, or have much (if any) on their NFL resumes.
CBN's Army helps a great deal with identifying & recruiting top WR talent
BUT
IMO, the next Coach has to show that he was able to play WR at a high level to attract & coach top WRs.
https://www.si.com/college/florida/...-candidates-assume-wide-reciever-coach-vacany
EDIT
Could Ike Hilliard return to the Gators as a coach?
A recap of Ike’s dominance as a Gator -Over his career, he caught a total of 126 passes for 2,214 yards, including a 1,000-yard season in 1995. He also caught 29 touchdowns over his three years, 15 of which came in his sensational ’95 season.
As a coach, he’s been around a lot of different organizations. He was in the NFL as a receiver coach from 2011-2021, with the Dolphins, the then-called Redskins, the Bills, and the Steelers.
His latest stop was with the Auburn Tigers, where he was also the wide receiver coach and interim Co-OC last season.
We also know that Ike can do this job at a high level. You don’t make it a decade in the NFL if you aren’t doing your job incredibly well.
The Gators could benefit a lot from having Ike on the staff.
Florida hasn’t had an elite receiver with NFL abilities since Kadarius Toney left a few years ago, and Hilliard could come in and re-establish the culture of elite wideouts in the orange and blue.
https://hailfloridahail.com/2023/02/25/florida-football-gators-ike-hilliard-coach/
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The idea that someone played a decade in the NFL so that means they would be a great coach is a bit much.
Being extremely naturally talented and athletic often times means that you didn't necessarily have to work as hard at your craft, so you may not be able to teach it as well as someone who had to overcome their talent deficiencies.
Not saying that applies to Ike, but saying that playing a decade in the NFL isn't exactly a sure fire indicator that he's a great coach.
GA is the only game I see as a very likely loss. We need to go 5-3 in these 8 games to get an 8-4 record I think. Except maybe at QB we have more talent than 6 of those teams probably.
@Utah
Tenn
@KY
@SC
Arkansas
@LSU
@Mizzu
FSU
Agree
My reference was unclear; apologize.
Ike both played for a decade & coached for a decade in the NFL & I should have distinguished between them.
IMO, being a 1st Round Draft Pick (#7 overall), playing for a decade, & making it to the Super Bowl are important because you need to "connect with" / "impress" the high profile, talented players - both HS & Portal - you are trying to recruit.
WR are a lot more cocky & egotistical than OL.
If you haven't done it yourself, why should a recruit listen to you ?
Ignoring, of course, the ever popular, over flowing McDonalds Bags or today's NIL equivalent.
Since UF doesn't have bushels of cash to throw around, we need someone - like IKE - with a "REP" so that he will stand out from the crowd of "ordinary" recruiters circling all the 5* products !
Agree !
But Ike also spent a decade coaching in the NFL.
IMO, he would not have been retained & rehired if he could not analyze his own skill set & teach major elements of it to the players he was coaching & help them to improve
Fever,
Don't understand why someone would be both a Graduate Transfer & a walk on.
Did we just need another "arm" to throw passes for spring practice ?
I don't think that Spurrier, Meyer, or even Mullen would have recruited him or any of the other QBs we now have in G'ville ?
Napier did say he needed another QB for depth and practice reasons I think. How many normal scholarship ones do we have? Just Mertzer, Miller and Brown? That QB from Broward gets a scholarship if one is available.
The number of QBs isn't unusual. We were looking to sign 2 this class, and had Miller and Kitna, before we knew how anything was going to work out.
AR goes to the draft, Kitna goes to jail, Stokes gets canceled and Rashada was loon. So yeah...
People are acting like we're just grabbing QBs for no reason.
AR goes to the draft, Kitna goes to jail, Stokes gets canceled and Rashada was loon. So yeah...
People are acting like we're just grabbing QBs for no reason.
Florida has one of college football’s 12 most lethal rosters in 2023
Florida has a ton of talent on its roster heading into the 2023 season, but that doesn't guarantee success.
www.yahoo.com
Hmmm
Tebow,
Florida has one of college football’s 12 most lethal rosters in 2023
Florida has a ton of talent on its roster heading into the 2023 season, but that doesn't guarantee success.
Hmmm
Article is basically Click Bait !
The team he compares us to - Michigan is favored to win Big Ten; Gators will be lucky to go 7-5.
We are shooting blanks from the QB position; only one real playmaker at WR; & as usual - OL a huge ???
Defense sucked last year; incoming FR will not change that much & who knows if Transfers will work out.
But I do believe this Quote from the article -
"... it’s unwise to think of the Gators as a top-12 program in terms of actual talent heading into the season."
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We probably do have a roster about like that if you just look at the roster out of high school. Napier won't be doing anything real special with an 8-4 record since this is not 2024 yet with no more East protection and adding OK and TX along with a 9th SEC game. The big question mark is QB if the players are coached up this season.
The only teams I think have a more talented roster than us in 2023 are GA, LSU and with transfers FSU has an argument or is roughly equal probably. So we have more talent than at least 9 teams on our schedule. QB will determine where we end up - anywhere from 6-6 to 9-3 I would say.
Fever,
Agree
Would be great if Mertz surprised all of us !
RBs solid, but talent thin at WR, & as has been the case at UF for many years - OL a big ???
No clue about TE Coach & as I have posted -
I Like Ike Hilliard as our WR Coach -
IMO, a respected UF player with NFL playing / coaching / & Super Bowl experience very important in recruiting.
Don't think this is the case with Ike, but as Danny pointed out you can get too carried away by hiring former players and/or members of a "Coaching Tree" & CBN will obviously decide without benefit of my direct input.
Defense - who knows ? Austin Armstrong - if he comes to UF - no announcement as yet - will have his hands full.
Young HS DL recruits will be good in future - not likely to be mature enough to play in SEC now.
Transfers (DL & OL) are Transfers - some may step up but who knows. Hopefully Spring Practice will tell us something.
The start of the season will be important (DUH !).
If we lose to a veteran team like Utah (very possible) can we regroup & move on from there ?
Fever,
as you pointed out in an earlier post, schedule actually sets up better than last year - we have lesser teams (McNeese State & Charlotte) alternated with Tennessee (home) & Kentucky (away).
Hopefully this allows us to gain a victory & regroup even if we lose one or both of these early SEC games.
Realistic expectations for Florida football in 2023
I think we all realize that Gators will be Mediocre (at best) next year.2-3 after first 5 games very possible.
"... Defensively, I expect Florida to be improved next season. The balance on offense could be better too but Mertz isn’t a great quarterback and he’ll struggle in the SEC, just like the Gators will struggle to have a winning season."
https://saturdayblitz.com/2023/02/26/florida-football-realistic-expectations-gators-2023/
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Florida Officially Hires Austin Armstrong as Defensive Coordinator
Austin Armstrong is officially replacing Patrick Toney as the Gators defensive coordinator in 2023.https://www.si.com/college/florida/...-hires-austin-armstrong-defensive-coordinator
We actually did enough in the portal to at least have serviceable SEC lines I would say. Don't understand why we didn't get a speedy WR in the portal to help stretch a defense though for one season until the true freshman are ready to go however. We have to hope either Boardingham or Livingston make some noise catching the ball at TE this spring.
Hope you're right; OL & DL we saw in the L V Bowl won't work.
Once Ricky Pearsall decided to return, didn't seem like we even tried to recruit another Transfer WR
Agree
FWIW
During his time at Tulane, RB Cameron Carroll (6-0, 225) had these receiving stats
23 receptions, 247 yds, 5 TDs, 10.7 yd /catch avg.
Also had
312 Rush attempts, 1,638 yds, 19 TDs, 5.3 yds/attempt
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/cameron-carroll-1.html
Maybe he can play H-Back in a 2-back set or be a receiving TE in certain formations.
Hope that Boardingham and Livingston develop over the course of the season as our TE room will be empty at the end of the year & I don't see a True FR being an SEC level blocker.
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4* OL Daniel Calhoun talks about his recruitment and the relationship he has built with Georgia's staff.
Calhoun mentions that he will probably be taking visits to Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee though sources have indicated this battle remains between Georgia and Alabama for the most part, with a handful of schools fighting to creep their way in.
He also mentioned that the
Bulldogs have been recruiting him since 8th grade and that they were the first to offer
which will always help a school stand out amongst the rest. Calhoun also mentioned that Stacy Searels in a "really good" offensive line coach and that he keeps in touch with him about once a week.
https://www.si.com/college/georgia/...-talks-recruitment-relationship-with-bulldogs
Other Thoughts on Calhoun
He credited Stapleton and Sale for their involvement in his recruitment since the day they arrived at UF as assistant coaches, leading to Florida’s placement among his current crop of contenders.
"I think they like me at tackle, tackle or guard," Calhoun said of UF. "I'm physical and I'm fast for my size."
https://www.si.com/college/florida/...ors-recruiting-really-up-there-daniel-calhoun
Calhoun mentions that he will probably be taking visits to Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee though sources have indicated this battle remains between Georgia and Alabama for the most part, with a handful of schools fighting to creep their way in.
He also mentioned that the
Bulldogs have been recruiting him since 8th grade and that they were the first to offer
which will always help a school stand out amongst the rest. Calhoun also mentioned that Stacy Searels in a "really good" offensive line coach and that he keeps in touch with him about once a week.
https://www.si.com/college/georgia/...-talks-recruitment-relationship-with-bulldogs
Other Thoughts on Calhoun
He credited Stapleton and Sale for their involvement in his recruitment since the day they arrived at UF as assistant coaches, leading to Florida’s placement among his current crop of contenders.
"I think they like me at tackle, tackle or guard," Calhoun said of UF. "I'm physical and I'm fast for my size."
https://www.si.com/college/florida/...ors-recruiting-really-up-there-daniel-calhoun
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