By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
FLORIDA PRO DAY QUOTES
Florida held its Pro Day Monday morning. Here are a few quotes from a few of the participants.
Kaiir Elam (CB), who projects late first to second: “I sat down with my parents after the season and we discussed it, my pros and cons of staying and going. Obviously there were more pros and less cons going. But coach Napier made it hard for me. I felt like I had a lot more to prove and more I didn't get to accomplish with my team goals, as well. We went to the SEC Championship and lost, so that was something holding me back from leaving as well. So I just, God willing I made the right decisions."
Zach Carter, who is projected to go late second or third round: “Before Pro Day I already talked to a lot of teams. I talked to Seattle, New Orleans, Atlanta, Minnesota, Buffalo to name a few. And set up here before the draft I have some visits. I’m actually going to Jacksonville this week. I’m going to see the 49ers maybe this month. Right now that’s all that’s set up visit wise. But I got some meetings and workouts scheduled back in January, so it’s going good.”
Malik Davis (RB), who most likely projects undrafted free agent: “I have a few visits. I have a visit with the Cowboys. I have a visit with the Bucs coming soon, and a few more other teams.”
Antonio Valentino (DT), who is most likely an undrafted free agent: “I think I can move. I think I showed I can move very well. A lot of people will say I’m undersized. I’m 6-2. I think that being quote unquote undersized, there are certain guys in the NFL that are breaking that mold. I know as long as I go in there and play my game, be as consistent as I can be, I think I’ll be fine. I think I showed that I can move very, very well. I showed that I’m very explosive. I’m strong at the point of attack. I’m strong with my hands. Flipping my hips.”
Stewart Reese, who has medical school waiting when football is over: “This is what I fell in love with. This is the opportunity that’s primary at this point. Not to say that the medical field is not important. But right now, this is at the top of the list because it’s the most prevalent in my life right now. I owe it to myself to see it through. I don’t want to give up saying, ‘What if,’ or ‘What could have been.’ At the end of the day I want to say I gave my best and I can go to sleep knowing I gave it my all.”
Daquan Newkirk (DT), who is most likely an undrafted free agent: “I was supposed to get 30 (reps), man, but, they had me. So, I don’t count, I asked them, I said, ‘Let me know when I get to 15’ so I could chunk out 5,5,5 and then 1s. So once I got to 15, I chunked out 5, I chunked out 5, so I got to 25, then I really lost count. So I can’t think, my brain’s hurting, so I’m like, ‘I’ve gotten like 27 I think,’ I don’t know. I’m asking them, ‘What am I at, what am I at’, they wouldn’t tell me, so I just tried to keep going. But that pause kind of messed me up, so.”
Jean Delance (OT), who is most likely an undrafted free agent: “They like me personally, they like that I'm an athletic, long guy. They feel like I can be a swing tackle but also get in there and play guard. A lot of different teams want me to be able to play five positions and I feel like I can do that, so they were very impressed … April 4th I'm going to the Chargers, then April 11th I'll be with the Cardinals. Then, on April 7th I'll be going to Tampa's pro day as of now ... I met with the Eagles last night, had a dinner with them. So there's a lot of different interest from different places."
Carter on Billy Napier: “All the coaches greeted me like I was still a player. I really don’t know anybody on this new staff. They kept a few faces around, but just the feeling I had when I met these guys they made me feel like I was still part of the family. So that was a good feeling for me. I had tweeted the other day, I was like, Florida is family. Even with a new staff it still feels like home. I think they have something good going on.”
Carter on Dameon Pierce: “Oh man, Dameon Pierce is an animal. He deserves all the hype he’s getting. We all knew he might not have gotten enough carries while he was here and all that stuff. I look at that as a good thing. He’s a fresh back going to the league. He’s a good guy. He lights up a room everywhere he goes. He’s a good guy to have.”
Delance on the state of the Florida program: "I mean, so far, just coming around and seeing these guys, how they work. It's like, 'Okay, this is how we're going to do things the right way.' There's organization, first and foremost. Guys are coming in and buying into the process, they're looking better, they're running better. And in practice, it's set. It's like, this is the tempo, this is the tone and this is how we're going to practice. So those guys are looking really solid."
APPLEBY TRANSFERRING
Tyree Appleby is a good kid who never gave less than his best on the court for the Florida Gators. He had some great games, hit some big shots, and unfortunately had some games that can only be described as forgettable. There’s a pretty good explanation for the inconsistency. Tyree is a shooting guard in a point guard body but he operated best with the ball in his hands. Brandon McKissic was a true point but no threat offensively, a situation that was made worse when he gave the ball up to Appleby, which essentially left him standing around, something the Gators did way too much in the Mike White offensive scheme anyway. Playing the two of them together was always a liability.
That Appleby is taking advantage of his COVID year is no surprise. He told me more than a month ago that was a likely decision. It’s also no surprise that he’s elected to play his final year somewhere else. He could use a fresh start and maybe, in the right offense with the right guidance, he can become more of a pass first point guard who has shooting skills.
There is no word presently on Colin Castleton, although it might be in his favor to come back rather than go NBA. He won’t have a chance to work out for the NBA since he has to have surgery and the recovery time typically goes 4-5 months. That might make a return to UF more likely.
UF BASEBALL: GATORS FALL OUT OF TOP 10
D1Baseball Top 25: 1. Tennessee 23-1; 2. Arkansas 18-4; 3. Oregon State 17-5; 4. Virginia 22-2; 5. Florida State 16-7; 6. Oklahoma State 18-6; 7. Texas Tech 20-5; 8. Texas 19-7; 9. Vanderbilt 19-4; 10. Ole Miss 16-7; 11. Louisville 19-5; 12. TCU 18-5; 13. LSU 17-7; 14. FLORIDA 17-7; 15. Arizona 17-7; 16. Notre Dame 12-5; 17. Miami 17-6; 18. North Carolina 18-6; 19. Dallas Baptist 15-8; 20. Texas State 20-5; 21. Oregon 16-7; 22. Georgia Tech 16-9; 23. Georgia 18-6; 24. Gonzaga 16-6; 25. UConn 17-5
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS DROP TO NO. 7
D1Softball Top 25: 1. Oklahoma 29-0; 2. UCLA 28-3; 3. Florida State 30-2; 4. Alabama 28-4; 5. Virginia Tech 25-3; 6. Northwestern 22-4; 7. FLORIDA 27-5; 8. Duke 23-5; 9. Oklahoma State 24-6; 10. Arkansas 21-6; 11. Tennessee 22-9; 12. Kentucky 22-7; 13. Oregon 24-5; 14. Arizona State 25-5; 15. Texas 26-9-1; 16. Washington 20-10; 17. Auburn 27-4; 18. Georgia 29-5; 19. Clemson 21-10; 20. UCF 29-7; 31. Michigan 18-9; 22. LSU 22-11; 23. Oregon State 25-8; 24. Ohio State 20-6; 25. Boise State 27-5
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Auburn: Corner Eric Reed, who has already been in and out of the portal, is back in it again. He was a 4-star recruit in 2020.
Georgia: The new women’s basketball coach is Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, formerly the head coach at UCF. She replaces Joni Taylor, who left to take the HBC job at Texas A&M. Abrahamson-Henderson has a career 372-157 record in 17 seasons as a head coach with stops at Albany and Missouri State prior to UCF.
LSU: Kendal Coleman (6-8, 220), who averaged 15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds at Northwestern State, will transfer to LSU ... Shareef O’Neal, son of LSU great Shaquille, is transferring.
Missouri: New basketball coach Dennis Gates got a 6-year deal worth $16.5 million with a first year salary of $2.5 million … 7-3 center Jordan Wilmore, who averaged 1.7 points and 1.6 rebounds, is transferring.
South Carolina: Reserve guard Devin Carter, a former 4-star recruit who averaged 18.7 minutes per game last year, is the fifth South Carolina player in the transfer portal.
Tennessee: Reserve guard Victor Bailey Jr., who averaged 9.6 minutes per game off the bench, is in the transfer portal … Nose tackle Elijah Simmons, who played at 340 last year, says he has lost 20-25 pounds and predicts a breakout 2022.
Texas A&M: Former 5-star wide receiver Demond Demas is transferring.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: A couple of things that make me go hmmm on a Monday night.
JT Daniels was at Missouri for the spring game. Mizzou is one of his three finalists along with Oregon State and West Virginia. These three were about as average as it gets last year and none of the three figures to be any better in 2022 than they were in 2021. They do share a need for a quarterback but why is this guy that the national and SEC media had penciled in on the Heisman podium even before the 2021 season began transferring to a mediocre team that won’t get that much better if he’s taking the snaps in 2022? We know why he’s transferring from Georgia. He can’t beat out Stetson Bennett IV and the Poodles have at least two other QBs they think are better. Still, if this guy oozes with as much arm talent as he’s alleged to have, then why aren’t championship contenders from all over the country who lack only a stud QB beating down his door and begging him to transfer? And why, pray tell, did JT Daniels sit until after Georgia lost to Florida in 2020 when he was actually cleared to play after week two?
I don’t bet on anything that can talk, but if I were the wagering type, I would put money on the national and SEC pundits placing Texas A&M in the preseason top five while lauding Jimbo Fisher as the coach who will surpass Nick, Kirby and everybody else in the SEC and the entire country to become the greatest that ever lived. All because Jimbo beat Alabama last year, ironically by the same score he beat Florida in 2020 (41-38). Please note that Jimbo and the Aggies went 8-4 last year with losses to Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and LSU. Now if he beat Alabama and then did something phenomenal like finish 11-1 I would have been impressed. To go 8-4 with all the talent he had last year? Sorry, not impressed. I couldn’t care less about all the stud freshmen he signed thanks to all that NIL money – I for one don’t believe Jimbo’s denial – because until the Aggies go 11-1 or 12-0 regularly, I’m not buying the hype.
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
FLORIDA PRO DAY QUOTES
Florida held its Pro Day Monday morning. Here are a few quotes from a few of the participants.
Kaiir Elam (CB), who projects late first to second: “I sat down with my parents after the season and we discussed it, my pros and cons of staying and going. Obviously there were more pros and less cons going. But coach Napier made it hard for me. I felt like I had a lot more to prove and more I didn't get to accomplish with my team goals, as well. We went to the SEC Championship and lost, so that was something holding me back from leaving as well. So I just, God willing I made the right decisions."
Zach Carter, who is projected to go late second or third round: “Before Pro Day I already talked to a lot of teams. I talked to Seattle, New Orleans, Atlanta, Minnesota, Buffalo to name a few. And set up here before the draft I have some visits. I’m actually going to Jacksonville this week. I’m going to see the 49ers maybe this month. Right now that’s all that’s set up visit wise. But I got some meetings and workouts scheduled back in January, so it’s going good.”
Malik Davis (RB), who most likely projects undrafted free agent: “I have a few visits. I have a visit with the Cowboys. I have a visit with the Bucs coming soon, and a few more other teams.”
Antonio Valentino (DT), who is most likely an undrafted free agent: “I think I can move. I think I showed I can move very well. A lot of people will say I’m undersized. I’m 6-2. I think that being quote unquote undersized, there are certain guys in the NFL that are breaking that mold. I know as long as I go in there and play my game, be as consistent as I can be, I think I’ll be fine. I think I showed that I can move very, very well. I showed that I’m very explosive. I’m strong at the point of attack. I’m strong with my hands. Flipping my hips.”
Stewart Reese, who has medical school waiting when football is over: “This is what I fell in love with. This is the opportunity that’s primary at this point. Not to say that the medical field is not important. But right now, this is at the top of the list because it’s the most prevalent in my life right now. I owe it to myself to see it through. I don’t want to give up saying, ‘What if,’ or ‘What could have been.’ At the end of the day I want to say I gave my best and I can go to sleep knowing I gave it my all.”
Daquan Newkirk (DT), who is most likely an undrafted free agent: “I was supposed to get 30 (reps), man, but, they had me. So, I don’t count, I asked them, I said, ‘Let me know when I get to 15’ so I could chunk out 5,5,5 and then 1s. So once I got to 15, I chunked out 5, I chunked out 5, so I got to 25, then I really lost count. So I can’t think, my brain’s hurting, so I’m like, ‘I’ve gotten like 27 I think,’ I don’t know. I’m asking them, ‘What am I at, what am I at’, they wouldn’t tell me, so I just tried to keep going. But that pause kind of messed me up, so.”
Jean Delance (OT), who is most likely an undrafted free agent: “They like me personally, they like that I'm an athletic, long guy. They feel like I can be a swing tackle but also get in there and play guard. A lot of different teams want me to be able to play five positions and I feel like I can do that, so they were very impressed … April 4th I'm going to the Chargers, then April 11th I'll be with the Cardinals. Then, on April 7th I'll be going to Tampa's pro day as of now ... I met with the Eagles last night, had a dinner with them. So there's a lot of different interest from different places."
Carter on Billy Napier: “All the coaches greeted me like I was still a player. I really don’t know anybody on this new staff. They kept a few faces around, but just the feeling I had when I met these guys they made me feel like I was still part of the family. So that was a good feeling for me. I had tweeted the other day, I was like, Florida is family. Even with a new staff it still feels like home. I think they have something good going on.”
Carter on Dameon Pierce: “Oh man, Dameon Pierce is an animal. He deserves all the hype he’s getting. We all knew he might not have gotten enough carries while he was here and all that stuff. I look at that as a good thing. He’s a fresh back going to the league. He’s a good guy. He lights up a room everywhere he goes. He’s a good guy to have.”
Delance on the state of the Florida program: "I mean, so far, just coming around and seeing these guys, how they work. It's like, 'Okay, this is how we're going to do things the right way.' There's organization, first and foremost. Guys are coming in and buying into the process, they're looking better, they're running better. And in practice, it's set. It's like, this is the tempo, this is the tone and this is how we're going to practice. So those guys are looking really solid."
APPLEBY TRANSFERRING
Tyree Appleby is a good kid who never gave less than his best on the court for the Florida Gators. He had some great games, hit some big shots, and unfortunately had some games that can only be described as forgettable. There’s a pretty good explanation for the inconsistency. Tyree is a shooting guard in a point guard body but he operated best with the ball in his hands. Brandon McKissic was a true point but no threat offensively, a situation that was made worse when he gave the ball up to Appleby, which essentially left him standing around, something the Gators did way too much in the Mike White offensive scheme anyway. Playing the two of them together was always a liability.
That Appleby is taking advantage of his COVID year is no surprise. He told me more than a month ago that was a likely decision. It’s also no surprise that he’s elected to play his final year somewhere else. He could use a fresh start and maybe, in the right offense with the right guidance, he can become more of a pass first point guard who has shooting skills.
There is no word presently on Colin Castleton, although it might be in his favor to come back rather than go NBA. He won’t have a chance to work out for the NBA since he has to have surgery and the recovery time typically goes 4-5 months. That might make a return to UF more likely.
UF BASEBALL: GATORS FALL OUT OF TOP 10
D1Baseball Top 25: 1. Tennessee 23-1; 2. Arkansas 18-4; 3. Oregon State 17-5; 4. Virginia 22-2; 5. Florida State 16-7; 6. Oklahoma State 18-6; 7. Texas Tech 20-5; 8. Texas 19-7; 9. Vanderbilt 19-4; 10. Ole Miss 16-7; 11. Louisville 19-5; 12. TCU 18-5; 13. LSU 17-7; 14. FLORIDA 17-7; 15. Arizona 17-7; 16. Notre Dame 12-5; 17. Miami 17-6; 18. North Carolina 18-6; 19. Dallas Baptist 15-8; 20. Texas State 20-5; 21. Oregon 16-7; 22. Georgia Tech 16-9; 23. Georgia 18-6; 24. Gonzaga 16-6; 25. UConn 17-5
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS DROP TO NO. 7
D1Softball Top 25: 1. Oklahoma 29-0; 2. UCLA 28-3; 3. Florida State 30-2; 4. Alabama 28-4; 5. Virginia Tech 25-3; 6. Northwestern 22-4; 7. FLORIDA 27-5; 8. Duke 23-5; 9. Oklahoma State 24-6; 10. Arkansas 21-6; 11. Tennessee 22-9; 12. Kentucky 22-7; 13. Oregon 24-5; 14. Arizona State 25-5; 15. Texas 26-9-1; 16. Washington 20-10; 17. Auburn 27-4; 18. Georgia 29-5; 19. Clemson 21-10; 20. UCF 29-7; 31. Michigan 18-9; 22. LSU 22-11; 23. Oregon State 25-8; 24. Ohio State 20-6; 25. Boise State 27-5
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Auburn: Corner Eric Reed, who has already been in and out of the portal, is back in it again. He was a 4-star recruit in 2020.
Georgia: The new women’s basketball coach is Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, formerly the head coach at UCF. She replaces Joni Taylor, who left to take the HBC job at Texas A&M. Abrahamson-Henderson has a career 372-157 record in 17 seasons as a head coach with stops at Albany and Missouri State prior to UCF.
LSU: Kendal Coleman (6-8, 220), who averaged 15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds at Northwestern State, will transfer to LSU ... Shareef O’Neal, son of LSU great Shaquille, is transferring.
Missouri: New basketball coach Dennis Gates got a 6-year deal worth $16.5 million with a first year salary of $2.5 million … 7-3 center Jordan Wilmore, who averaged 1.7 points and 1.6 rebounds, is transferring.
South Carolina: Reserve guard Devin Carter, a former 4-star recruit who averaged 18.7 minutes per game last year, is the fifth South Carolina player in the transfer portal.
Tennessee: Reserve guard Victor Bailey Jr., who averaged 9.6 minutes per game off the bench, is in the transfer portal … Nose tackle Elijah Simmons, who played at 340 last year, says he has lost 20-25 pounds and predicts a breakout 2022.
Texas A&M: Former 5-star wide receiver Demond Demas is transferring.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: A couple of things that make me go hmmm on a Monday night.
JT Daniels was at Missouri for the spring game. Mizzou is one of his three finalists along with Oregon State and West Virginia. These three were about as average as it gets last year and none of the three figures to be any better in 2022 than they were in 2021. They do share a need for a quarterback but why is this guy that the national and SEC media had penciled in on the Heisman podium even before the 2021 season began transferring to a mediocre team that won’t get that much better if he’s taking the snaps in 2022? We know why he’s transferring from Georgia. He can’t beat out Stetson Bennett IV and the Poodles have at least two other QBs they think are better. Still, if this guy oozes with as much arm talent as he’s alleged to have, then why aren’t championship contenders from all over the country who lack only a stud QB beating down his door and begging him to transfer? And why, pray tell, did JT Daniels sit until after Georgia lost to Florida in 2020 when he was actually cleared to play after week two?
I don’t bet on anything that can talk, but if I were the wagering type, I would put money on the national and SEC pundits placing Texas A&M in the preseason top five while lauding Jimbo Fisher as the coach who will surpass Nick, Kirby and everybody else in the SEC and the entire country to become the greatest that ever lived. All because Jimbo beat Alabama last year, ironically by the same score he beat Florida in 2020 (41-38). Please note that Jimbo and the Aggies went 8-4 last year with losses to Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and LSU. Now if he beat Alabama and then did something phenomenal like finish 11-1 I would have been impressed. To go 8-4 with all the talent he had last year? Sorry, not impressed. I couldn’t care less about all the stud freshmen he signed thanks to all that NIL money – I for one don’t believe Jimbo’s denial – because until the Aggies go 11-1 or 12-0 regularly, I’m not buying the hype.
