By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:
A BIG WEEK FOR ELAM, PIERCE AND CARTER
By the time the NFL calls the name of Mr. Irrelevant with the final pick in the 2022 Draft, three Gators should have heard their names called – corner Kaiir Elam, running back Dameon Pierce and defensive lineman Zachary Carter. Barring something totally unexpected, it should be one of the slimmer drafts for the Gators since 2012 when defensive end Jaye Howard and running back Chris Rainey were the only two Gators drafted.
Most mock drafts have Elam going in the last third of the first round although some have him early second. Mel Kiper has Elam as the sixth best corner. Pierce is somewhat of a puzzle. Kiper rates him as the sixth best running back in the draft but it might be hard for a running back to crack the first two rounds so sometime after the third round seems likely. Carter is ranked the 8th-best defensive tackle by Kiper. Some mocks have him going on the third day, but if there is a run on offensive and defensive lineman, he could sneak into the third round.
UF MEN’S TENNIS: NO. 1 GATORS WIN SEC TOURNAMENT
The No. 1 (USTA ranking) Gators (23-2) made a statement in the SEC Tournament in Athens, scoring a 4-1 quarterfinal win over LSU (15-11), a 4-1 semifinal win over 9th-ranked Tennessee (22-7) and a 4-0 shutout of 8th-ranked Kentucky (21-7) in the championship match. The Gators, who went undefeated to win the SEC regular season title, have now won 18 matches in a row.
Under coach Bryan Shelton, Florida won the 2021 national championship and have won three SEC regular season titles (2019, 2021-22) but this was his first SEC Tournament title.
In winning the SEC title, Duarte Vale picked up his 200th career win against LSU and Josh Goodger got his 100th in the win over Kentucky.
UF MEN’S GOLF: GATORS FINISH SECOND IN SEC
The 12th-ranked Gators had quite the week at St. Simon’s Island in Georgia. First, they qualified for match play by finishing third through three rounds of stroke play with John DuBois winning the SEC individual championship. In match play, the Gators beat 10th-ranked Georgia 3-1-1 in the quarterfinals and then 16th-ranked Texas A&M 3-1-1 in the semifinals when DuBois birdied the 18th hole and then won his match on the 19th.
Sunday, the Gators lost to 5th-ranked Vanderbilt, 3-2, in the championship match. It was the 13th time Florida has finished second in SEC championship history and the highest finish for UF since 2010.
GATORS SWEPT BY VOLS, BUT MAYBE THEY’VE FOUND TWO STARTERS
The bad news is the Gators (23-17, 6-12 SEC) were swept by No. 1 Tennessee (37-3, 17-1 SEC) over the weekend. The good news is that in being forced to go without ace left Hunter Barcourt, who is sidelined indefinitely with a sore elbow, Kevin O’Sullivan may have found two quality starters.
Sophomore Brandon Sproat gave up a pair of home runs Saturday to absorb a 3-0 loss, but he only gave up five hits in six innings. He throws upper 90s and when he has command of the strike zone he’s extremely tough to hit. Control has been a bit of an issue as he has 22 walks and four hit batters in 50 innings. He has given up four home runs.
Freshman Brandon Neely took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Sunday afternoon, departing the game after giving up only one hit (a triple) and just two walks in seven full innings. The Gators held a 4-1 lead when he left the game. It was the bullpen that blew this one, giving up three ninth inning runs to tie the score and an 11th-inning homer to win it.
Florida has one of the youngest pitching staffs in the country. Getting swept at home is never pleasant, but at least O’Sullivan has found himself two quality starters. If and when Barco comes back, the Gators should have a rather strong rotation.
The Gators are idle until Friday when Kentucky (22-18, 6-12 SEC) comes to Gainesville.
THESE SOFTBALL STATS TELL YOU PLENTY
Arkansas, which had lost 30 consecutive softball games to the Gators, did the unthinkable over the weekend. The 6th-ranked Hogs (35-8, 14-4 SEC) swept the 8th-ranked Gators (35-12, 11-10 SEC) to take a commanding lead in the Southeastern Conference regular season race over second place Alabama (39-8, 14-7 SEC). Florida dropped all the way down to seventh place, unfamiliar territory for a program that has won nine SEC titles and two NCAA championships since 2006.
So what has gone wrong? Why are the Gators struggling just a year removed from a 45-11 season that included a tie for the SEC title? The answer is in these two words: free passes.
Through 46 games and 316 innings this season, Florida pitchers have walked 157 batters and hit another 31. In the field, the Gators have committed 26 errors. Now compare that to the last three full seasons (2020 doesn’t count since COVID wiped out half the season) and the national championship seasons of 2014-15.
2014 (55-12, NCAA champs): Florida pitchers walked 133 batters and hit 26 in 435 innings. In the field the Gators committed 40 errors.
2015 (60-7, NCAA champs): UF pitchers walked 100 batters and hit 36 in 437-1/3 innings. The Gators committed only 33 errors.
2018 (56-11, SEC champs, WCWS): The Gators walked 114 batters and hit 20 in 426-2/3 innings. The Gators committed 27 errors.
2019 (49-18, WCWS): The Gators walked 131 batters and hit 43 in 456 innings. The Gators committed 24 errors.
2021 (45-11, SEC champs): The Gators walked 117 batters and hit 22 in 375-2/3 innings. The Gators committed 28 errors.
The Gators are likely to host an NCAA regional but unless they turn things around in their final nine regular season games (final SEC series next weekend in Baton Rouge) and then do some damage at the SEC Tournament it will be next to impossible for UF to host a super regional. For the Gators to go from a team treading water into a team capable of making it to the Women’s College World Series, they have to quit shooting themselves in the foot. That means throwing strikes and making plays in the field.
That’s a tall order. It’s not impossible, but improbable. It’s very rare that a team suddenly finds the strike zone when it’s been missing on a regular basis. As for the fielding, with Hannah Adams out perhaps for the rest of the season, the defense has taken a huge hit.
Other UF sports: The 15th-ranked women’s tennis team saw its bid for the SEC Tournament championship come to a crashing halt with a 4-3 loss to 6th-ranked Texas A&M (29-1) in Saturday’s semifinals. The Aggies went on to beat Georgia Sunday to win the tournament title. The Gators are idle until NCAA Tournament play begins in a couple of weeks …. Senior Day was memorable for the Florida lacrosse team as the 10th-ranked Gators boinked Temple, 18-7, to win the American Athletic Conference championship. It marked the 11thstraight year the Gators have won or shared a conference lacrosse title in the 13 years UF has fielded a team.
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Alabama: Point guard Jahvon Quinerly announced that he will be back for one more season. In two seasons at Bama he is averaging 13.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game … Wide receiver Tyler Harrell is transferring to Alabama. Last season he caught 18 passes for 523 yards and six touchdowns. At Louisville’s Pro Day in 2021, Harrell was clocked at 4.24 in the 40.
Auburn: Former Auburn corner Ro Torrence has committed to Arizona State. As a juco transfer at Auburn last year, he played in 10 games with six tackles.
Georgia: Running back Kenny McIntosh was arrested and charged with reckless driving and failure to wear a seat belt. He was released on $2,000 bail.
Kentucky: Former Ole Miss defensive back Keidron Smith is transferring to Kentucky. In 2021 he was in on 65 tackles with two interceptions, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries … Wide receiver Clevan Thomas is in the transfer portal. He played in 29 games with eight starts while at Kentucky.
LSU: Four quarterbacks played in LSU’s spring game – Myles Brennan, Garrett Nussmeier, Arizona State transfer Hayden Daniels and freshman Walker Howard – and each one threw at least one TD pass. None of the four emerged as a clear starter. Said HBC Brian Kelly: “We didn’t clear anything up with the quarterback today. We probably made it even more difficult.”
Missouri: Point guard Jarron Coleman, who averaged 8.6 points and led the team in assists, is in the portal. This will be his second transfer. He spent three seasons at Ball State, one of which was a redshirt.
Ole Miss: Last year’s backup Luke Altmeyer outplayed Southern Cal transfer Jaxson Dart in the Grove Bowl game Saturday.
Tennessee: Three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference guard Tyreke Key, who has averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game for his career at Indiana State, is transferring to Tennessee. The 6-3 Key averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists last season.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Divorces are never without pain, not even when they are necessary and unavoidable. In the case of college football, we have one group that shall be labeled The Haves. The other group shall be labeled The Have Nots. Before going into further detail, the simple way of looking at this is The Haves have and The Have Nots have not. Unless you were on a mission to Mars the last dozen or so years, then you know what this is all about – money. The Haves – at least those that belong to the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten – have lots of it. Those that belong to the ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12 have less of it but still a whole lot more than those that belong to The Have Nots.
The Haves are known as the Power Five, which is the five conferences plus Notre Dame. The Have Nots are the Group of Five. There are 65 Haves and 65 Have Nots at present, but there will be a bit of adjusting because BYU, Houston, UCF and Cincinnati are divorcing the Have Nots to join The Haves as newly minted members of the Big 12, which will finally have 12 teams again after all these years with 10. The Big Ten still insists it’s the Big Ten even though it has 14 members. It would gladly become the Big 15 if only Notre Dame would have one of those Eureka moments and wake up, smell the coffee and join a league. There are two chances that will happen – no way and no how. For one thing, Notre Dame is contractually obligated to join the ACC if it ever decides to join a conference again (they were ACC champs during the COVID year of 2020, their only foray into conference play).
Back to the divorce. This could end up in several layers. Swarbrick can see where some athletic departments will essentially be tied to a university in name only. Florida Gators Inc. if you will. Sponsored by Publix or Tropicana? Georgia Bulldogs Inc. Sponsored by Chico’s Bail Bonds? Money will do the talking.
Then there will be those tied to the university with the athletic department and education all bundled up together. The Have Nots in other words.
Swarbrick doesn’t see this happening soon, but when everybody’s TV deals run out. The SEC, as Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated points out, has a deal that runs with ESPN through 2034. The ACC deal runs through 2036. Fox, he points out, is about to close in on the Big Ten. So, midway through the 2030s will be the eventual divorce to end all divorces.
“I think it’s inevitable,” Swarbrick points out.
Another layer while waiting for the eventual split. Schools trying to hook up with the SEC and Big Ten. Do we wind up with college football’s version of the NFL with the NFC and AFC? Swarbrick says “there are so many schools trying to get out of their current conference” but he didn’t name names, obviously to protect the guilty.
Final layer. The NCAA. Swarbrick nor Forde said it but the implication was clear. They’re toast.
So to sum it all up: The Haves will have more. The Have Nots will continue to have not. The NCAA will be standing in front of a congressional committee, hat in hand, begging. Too late.
A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:
A BIG WEEK FOR ELAM, PIERCE AND CARTER
By the time the NFL calls the name of Mr. Irrelevant with the final pick in the 2022 Draft, three Gators should have heard their names called – corner Kaiir Elam, running back Dameon Pierce and defensive lineman Zachary Carter. Barring something totally unexpected, it should be one of the slimmer drafts for the Gators since 2012 when defensive end Jaye Howard and running back Chris Rainey were the only two Gators drafted.
Most mock drafts have Elam going in the last third of the first round although some have him early second. Mel Kiper has Elam as the sixth best corner. Pierce is somewhat of a puzzle. Kiper rates him as the sixth best running back in the draft but it might be hard for a running back to crack the first two rounds so sometime after the third round seems likely. Carter is ranked the 8th-best defensive tackle by Kiper. Some mocks have him going on the third day, but if there is a run on offensive and defensive lineman, he could sneak into the third round.
UF MEN’S TENNIS: NO. 1 GATORS WIN SEC TOURNAMENT
The No. 1 (USTA ranking) Gators (23-2) made a statement in the SEC Tournament in Athens, scoring a 4-1 quarterfinal win over LSU (15-11), a 4-1 semifinal win over 9th-ranked Tennessee (22-7) and a 4-0 shutout of 8th-ranked Kentucky (21-7) in the championship match. The Gators, who went undefeated to win the SEC regular season title, have now won 18 matches in a row.
Under coach Bryan Shelton, Florida won the 2021 national championship and have won three SEC regular season titles (2019, 2021-22) but this was his first SEC Tournament title.
In winning the SEC title, Duarte Vale picked up his 200th career win against LSU and Josh Goodger got his 100th in the win over Kentucky.
UF MEN’S GOLF: GATORS FINISH SECOND IN SEC
The 12th-ranked Gators had quite the week at St. Simon’s Island in Georgia. First, they qualified for match play by finishing third through three rounds of stroke play with John DuBois winning the SEC individual championship. In match play, the Gators beat 10th-ranked Georgia 3-1-1 in the quarterfinals and then 16th-ranked Texas A&M 3-1-1 in the semifinals when DuBois birdied the 18th hole and then won his match on the 19th.
Sunday, the Gators lost to 5th-ranked Vanderbilt, 3-2, in the championship match. It was the 13th time Florida has finished second in SEC championship history and the highest finish for UF since 2010.
GATORS SWEPT BY VOLS, BUT MAYBE THEY’VE FOUND TWO STARTERS
The bad news is the Gators (23-17, 6-12 SEC) were swept by No. 1 Tennessee (37-3, 17-1 SEC) over the weekend. The good news is that in being forced to go without ace left Hunter Barcourt, who is sidelined indefinitely with a sore elbow, Kevin O’Sullivan may have found two quality starters.
Sophomore Brandon Sproat gave up a pair of home runs Saturday to absorb a 3-0 loss, but he only gave up five hits in six innings. He throws upper 90s and when he has command of the strike zone he’s extremely tough to hit. Control has been a bit of an issue as he has 22 walks and four hit batters in 50 innings. He has given up four home runs.
Freshman Brandon Neely took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Sunday afternoon, departing the game after giving up only one hit (a triple) and just two walks in seven full innings. The Gators held a 4-1 lead when he left the game. It was the bullpen that blew this one, giving up three ninth inning runs to tie the score and an 11th-inning homer to win it.
Florida has one of the youngest pitching staffs in the country. Getting swept at home is never pleasant, but at least O’Sullivan has found himself two quality starters. If and when Barco comes back, the Gators should have a rather strong rotation.
The Gators are idle until Friday when Kentucky (22-18, 6-12 SEC) comes to Gainesville.
THESE SOFTBALL STATS TELL YOU PLENTY
Arkansas, which had lost 30 consecutive softball games to the Gators, did the unthinkable over the weekend. The 6th-ranked Hogs (35-8, 14-4 SEC) swept the 8th-ranked Gators (35-12, 11-10 SEC) to take a commanding lead in the Southeastern Conference regular season race over second place Alabama (39-8, 14-7 SEC). Florida dropped all the way down to seventh place, unfamiliar territory for a program that has won nine SEC titles and two NCAA championships since 2006.
So what has gone wrong? Why are the Gators struggling just a year removed from a 45-11 season that included a tie for the SEC title? The answer is in these two words: free passes.
Through 46 games and 316 innings this season, Florida pitchers have walked 157 batters and hit another 31. In the field, the Gators have committed 26 errors. Now compare that to the last three full seasons (2020 doesn’t count since COVID wiped out half the season) and the national championship seasons of 2014-15.
2014 (55-12, NCAA champs): Florida pitchers walked 133 batters and hit 26 in 435 innings. In the field the Gators committed 40 errors.
2015 (60-7, NCAA champs): UF pitchers walked 100 batters and hit 36 in 437-1/3 innings. The Gators committed only 33 errors.
2018 (56-11, SEC champs, WCWS): The Gators walked 114 batters and hit 20 in 426-2/3 innings. The Gators committed 27 errors.
2019 (49-18, WCWS): The Gators walked 131 batters and hit 43 in 456 innings. The Gators committed 24 errors.
2021 (45-11, SEC champs): The Gators walked 117 batters and hit 22 in 375-2/3 innings. The Gators committed 28 errors.
The Gators are likely to host an NCAA regional but unless they turn things around in their final nine regular season games (final SEC series next weekend in Baton Rouge) and then do some damage at the SEC Tournament it will be next to impossible for UF to host a super regional. For the Gators to go from a team treading water into a team capable of making it to the Women’s College World Series, they have to quit shooting themselves in the foot. That means throwing strikes and making plays in the field.
That’s a tall order. It’s not impossible, but improbable. It’s very rare that a team suddenly finds the strike zone when it’s been missing on a regular basis. As for the fielding, with Hannah Adams out perhaps for the rest of the season, the defense has taken a huge hit.
Other UF sports: The 15th-ranked women’s tennis team saw its bid for the SEC Tournament championship come to a crashing halt with a 4-3 loss to 6th-ranked Texas A&M (29-1) in Saturday’s semifinals. The Aggies went on to beat Georgia Sunday to win the tournament title. The Gators are idle until NCAA Tournament play begins in a couple of weeks …. Senior Day was memorable for the Florida lacrosse team as the 10th-ranked Gators boinked Temple, 18-7, to win the American Athletic Conference championship. It marked the 11thstraight year the Gators have won or shared a conference lacrosse title in the 13 years UF has fielded a team.
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Alabama: Point guard Jahvon Quinerly announced that he will be back for one more season. In two seasons at Bama he is averaging 13.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game … Wide receiver Tyler Harrell is transferring to Alabama. Last season he caught 18 passes for 523 yards and six touchdowns. At Louisville’s Pro Day in 2021, Harrell was clocked at 4.24 in the 40.
Auburn: Former Auburn corner Ro Torrence has committed to Arizona State. As a juco transfer at Auburn last year, he played in 10 games with six tackles.
Georgia: Running back Kenny McIntosh was arrested and charged with reckless driving and failure to wear a seat belt. He was released on $2,000 bail.
Kentucky: Former Ole Miss defensive back Keidron Smith is transferring to Kentucky. In 2021 he was in on 65 tackles with two interceptions, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries … Wide receiver Clevan Thomas is in the transfer portal. He played in 29 games with eight starts while at Kentucky.
LSU: Four quarterbacks played in LSU’s spring game – Myles Brennan, Garrett Nussmeier, Arizona State transfer Hayden Daniels and freshman Walker Howard – and each one threw at least one TD pass. None of the four emerged as a clear starter. Said HBC Brian Kelly: “We didn’t clear anything up with the quarterback today. We probably made it even more difficult.”
Missouri: Point guard Jarron Coleman, who averaged 8.6 points and led the team in assists, is in the portal. This will be his second transfer. He spent three seasons at Ball State, one of which was a redshirt.
Ole Miss: Last year’s backup Luke Altmeyer outplayed Southern Cal transfer Jaxson Dart in the Grove Bowl game Saturday.
Tennessee: Three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference guard Tyreke Key, who has averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game for his career at Indiana State, is transferring to Tennessee. The 6-3 Key averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists last season.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Divorces are never without pain, not even when they are necessary and unavoidable. In the case of college football, we have one group that shall be labeled The Haves. The other group shall be labeled The Have Nots. Before going into further detail, the simple way of looking at this is The Haves have and The Have Nots have not. Unless you were on a mission to Mars the last dozen or so years, then you know what this is all about – money. The Haves – at least those that belong to the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten – have lots of it. Those that belong to the ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12 have less of it but still a whole lot more than those that belong to The Have Nots.
The Haves are known as the Power Five, which is the five conferences plus Notre Dame. The Have Nots are the Group of Five. There are 65 Haves and 65 Have Nots at present, but there will be a bit of adjusting because BYU, Houston, UCF and Cincinnati are divorcing the Have Nots to join The Haves as newly minted members of the Big 12, which will finally have 12 teams again after all these years with 10. The Big Ten still insists it’s the Big Ten even though it has 14 members. It would gladly become the Big 15 if only Notre Dame would have one of those Eureka moments and wake up, smell the coffee and join a league. There are two chances that will happen – no way and no how. For one thing, Notre Dame is contractually obligated to join the ACC if it ever decides to join a conference again (they were ACC champs during the COVID year of 2020, their only foray into conference play).
Back to the divorce. This could end up in several layers. Swarbrick can see where some athletic departments will essentially be tied to a university in name only. Florida Gators Inc. if you will. Sponsored by Publix or Tropicana? Georgia Bulldogs Inc. Sponsored by Chico’s Bail Bonds? Money will do the talking.
Then there will be those tied to the university with the athletic department and education all bundled up together. The Have Nots in other words.
Swarbrick doesn’t see this happening soon, but when everybody’s TV deals run out. The SEC, as Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated points out, has a deal that runs with ESPN through 2034. The ACC deal runs through 2036. Fox, he points out, is about to close in on the Big Ten. So, midway through the 2030s will be the eventual divorce to end all divorces.
“I think it’s inevitable,” Swarbrick points out.
Another layer while waiting for the eventual split. Schools trying to hook up with the SEC and Big Ten. Do we wind up with college football’s version of the NFL with the NFC and AFC? Swarbrick says “there are so many schools trying to get out of their current conference” but he didn’t name names, obviously to protect the guilty.
Final layer. The NCAA. Swarbrick nor Forde said it but the implication was clear. They’re toast.
So to sum it all up: The Haves will have more. The Have Nots will continue to have not. The NCAA will be standing in front of a congressional committee, hat in hand, begging. Too late.
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