By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:
WHAT DO THESE NUMBERS TELL YOU?
Georgia 15; LSU 10; Alabama 7; Ole Miss 6; Tennessee 5; Texas A&M 4; Kentucky 4; FLORIDA 3; Arkansas 3; South Carolina 3; Mississippi State 2; Missouri 2; Auburn 1; Vanderbilt 0.
Those are the draft picks for every SEC school. The 65 draft picks once again lead the nation (Big Ten second with 48; Pac-12 and Big 12 tied for third with 25; and ACC with 21, which is just two more than the American Athletic Conference). What the SEC did was impressive and expected.
What Florida did? That’s a different story. The three draft picks are the worst Florida draft since 2012 when Chris Rainey and Jaye Howard were the only two selected. This year, Kaiir Elam was taken first round by the Buffalo Bills, Zachary Carter third found by the Cincinnati Bengals and Dameon Pierce fourth round by the Houston Texans.
There is no way to sugar coat what just happened. That seven SEC teams have more draft picks than the University of Florida is pathetic and should open eyes to the monumental task facing Billy Napier. We can say what we want about how NIL is changing the recruiting landscape, but kids are still going to be asking this question: How many players have you gotten in the league lately? Kids are going to the schools that prepare them for a shot at the NFL. That isn’t Florida, at least for now.
Here is another sobering thought: Cincinnati had NINE (count ‘em) players drafted, three times more than the Gators.
GOLDEN HAS THREE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
With Elijah Kennedy entering the transfer portal, Todd Golden now has three scholarships available. He almost landed Johni Broome but the Morehead State transfer chose Auburn over the Gators. It’s almost a necessity to land at least one big guy. Another point guard wouldn’t hurt and then there is Riley Kugel, a likely signee and a high school teammate of Denzel Aberdeen.
Three bigs to watch
Tre Mitchell (6-9, 230): A year ago, it came down to Florida and Texas for Mitchell, who was brilliant at UMass. At Texas, Mitchell’s minutes went way down, in part due to injuries and because he was a bad fit for Chris Beard’s system. He went from 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game to 8.7 and 4.0 at Texas. He’s in the portal again. He is a legit power forward who could complement Colin Castleton quite well.
Efe Abogidi (6-10, 225): He played for Kyle Smith, Golden’s former boss at Columbia and San Francisco. He’s a legitimate rim protector who is a good shooter from 15 feet on in but terrible from distance.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. (6-7, 270): As big as he is, he does have quick feet and nice range out to 15-17 feet with his jumper. He’s not going to dazzle above the rim, but he eats up space and is an outstanding rebounder. He averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds last season.
Four wings/guards to watch
Baylor Scheierman (6-6, 205): Florida is thought to be a longshot by most experts, but Florida and Kansas might be the best fits. He hit 50.8 percent of his shots, 46.9 percent on threes, while averaging 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists at South Dakota State, which went 30-5 last year. The consensus is he will play in the NBA someday. Kentucky has been ruled out according to reports.
Khalil Shabazz (6-0, 170): He was Golden’s point guard at San Francisco last year where he averaged 13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He’s a terrific defender especially in the open court.
Riley Kugel (6-5, 180, Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips): If he can make the grades (good chance) he will be a Gator. He’s a 6-5 wing who is still growing, a 4-star recruit who was released from his Mississippi State LOI. His recruiter at MSU was Korey McCray, now on the UF staff. Kugel averaged 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 rebounds per game at Dr. Phillips where he was a teammate of UF signee Denzel Aberdeen.
John-Michael Wright (6-0, 186): Wright says the Gators are recruiting him and in the mix. At High Point, where he was All-Big South, Wright averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
UF BASEBALL: GATORS TAKE SERIES AGAINST KENTUCKY
Friday and Saturday nights, the stars and planets aligned for the Gators (25-18, 8-13 SEC) as young pitchers got the job done and Florida’s hitters feasted on Kentucky (24-20, 7-14 SEC) pitching. Sunday afternoon, it was an all-too-familiar story as the hitters struggled and the Wildcats hammered out 11 hits against four freshmen pitchers for an 8-1 win.
In winning 9-2 Friday night, sophomore Brandon Sproat pitched 5-1/3 shutout innings, Wyatt Langford hit his 14th homer and Sterlin Thompson his 8th. Freshman Jac Caglianone had three hits and three RBI. Saturday night, despite a 2-hour rain delay, four freshman pitchers limited the Wildcats to seven hits and Caglianone and Josh Rivera homered as part of an 11-hit attack.
The Gators are in fifth place in the SEC East but with the 11th best record in SEC play at 8-13. With three SEC series remaining, the Gators have too much ground to make up to get the first day bye at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, but road series at Mississippi State (25-20, 9-12 SEC) and Missouri (24-17, 7-14 SEC) and the final home series against South Carolina (22-20, 9-12 SEC) are all winnable. If the Gators could go 7-2 in SEC play to get to 15-15, that would be an accomplishment.
UF SOFTBALL: PITCHING COMES THROUGH TWO STRAIGHT VS. LSU
After getting run-ruled by LSU Friday night, Florida pitching came through on consecutive games, which has to be encouraging for Tim Walton. Saturday, Lexi Delbrey and Rylee Trlicek gave up two hits as the 9th-ranked Gators (38-13, 13-11 SEC) bounced back with a 6-1 win over 19th-ranked LSU (32-19, 11-10 SEC). Sunday, Elizbeth Hightower, Rylee Trlicek and Natalie Lugo combined for a 6-hitter as the Gators took a 9-inning, 2-1, win over the Tigers on a home run by Cheyenne Lindsey. That Sunday win was particularly special because it gave Walton his 1,000th victory as a Division I head coach.
By winning the series in Baton Rouge, the Gators finish the regular season of SEC play at 13-11. They have a shot at finishing top four in the final regular season standings which would give them a first round bye in the SEC Tournament.
Other UF sports: The 9th-ranked Gators (13-4, 5-0 AAC) won the American Athletic Conference lacrosse championship outright with a 16-4 win over East Carolina (9-8, 2-3 AAC) … McCartney Kessler was voted SEC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year by the coaches. Voted second team All-SEC and All-Freshman was Alicia Dudeney while Marlee Zein made second team All-SEC for the second time in her UF career.
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Alabama: Offensive tackle Evan Neal (New York Giants) and wide receiver Jameson Williams (Detroit Lions) were the only two Bama players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Alabama had seven players drafted, which trailed Georgia (15) and LSU (10).
Arkansas: Wide receiver Treylon Burks was taken 18th in the first round by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Razorbacks had three players taken total … Arkansas State defensive tackle Terry Hampton is transferring to Arkansas.
Auburn: Corner Roger McCreary, a second round pick of the Tennessee Titans, is the only Auburn player drafted … The big news of the weekend was landing Morehead State big man Johni Broome (6-10, 240), who chose the Tigers over Florida.
Georgia: The Bulldogs set an NFL record with 15 players selected in the draft including five defensive players in the first round … Mike White added Syracuse transfer Frank Anselem (6-10, 215) who averaged 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game; North Texas transfer Mardrez McBride, who averaged 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists; and KyeRon Lindsay (6-8, 205), who signed with UNLV but was released from his LOI.
Kentucky: Kentucky had four players taken in the NFL Draft … Keion Brooks (6-7, 210), who averaged 10.8 points per game last season is in the transfer portal … The Wildcats landed former Illinois State star Antonio Reeves (6-6, 190), who averaged 20.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and shot 39 percent from 3-point range last season.
LSU: Led by Derek Stingley Jr., taken in the first round with the third pick by Houston, LSU had 10 players taken in the NFL Draft … Former LSU big man Efton Reid (7-0, 240) is transferring to Gonzaga.
Mississippi State: Left tackle Charles Cross was taken by Seattle with the 9th pick in the first round is the headliner of the two MSU players taken in the NFL Draft … All-Ohio Valley Conference guard Eric Reed, who averaged 16.1 per game is transferring to Mississippi State … Cameron Matthews (6-7, 220) has pulled his name out of the portal and will return to MSU … Forward Andersson Garcia (6-7, 210) is transferring after averaging 4.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last year.
Missouri: Two Tigers were taken in the NFL Draft … Guard Amari Davis (6-3, 170) is transferring to Wright State after averaging 9.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game … Wide receiver Javian Hester is in the transfer portal. A former 4-star who was Mizzou’s top recruit in 2020, Hester caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.
Ole Miss: Quarterback Matt Corrall wasn’t selected until the third round of the NFL Draft with the 94th pick by the Carolina Panthers. Ole Miss had six players taken in the draft.
South Carolina: South Carolina had three players taken in the NFL Draft … Offensive lineman Jazton Turnetine, who started seven games last year, is in the transfer portal.
Tennessee: Five Vols were taken in the NFL Draft … Justin Powell (6-6, 205), who transferred to Tennessee from Auburn last year, is on the move again. Powell was one of the top transfers in the country when he left Auburn after averaging 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. At Tennessee he only averaged 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds.
Texas A&M: Offensive lineman Kenyon Green, taken in the first round with the 15th pick by Houston, is one of four Aggies selected in the NFL Draft.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Keyontae Johnson graduated from UF Saturday and put his name in the basketball transfer portal Sunday. It seems odd that he is in the transfer portal, but he has steadfastly held to the hope that he will recover enough to play again from whatever it was that caused him to collapse in Tallahassee back in December of 2020.
Johnson has a $5 million insurance policy that he took out prior to the 2020-21 season that pays off if he cannot play basketball again, which seems likely. He could play in a few games to test his health but if he plays more than the prescribed number, the policy would be completely nullified. Even if given a clean bill of health, it is difficult to imagine any school in the country willing to take a chance that Keyontae is healthy enough to play again. His collapse in Tallahassee brought back too many memories of Hank Gathers dying on the court at Loyola Marymount back in 1990. Although that happened 32 years ago, it’s still a vivid memory that will discourage anyone from taking a chance.
There is also a legal matter that hangs over Keyontae’s head – a sexual assault allegation from February 26 – that remains under investigation. There has been no indictment nor is there any indication how long the investigation might take. Keyontae has always been looked up to as a young man of high character, so let’s give him the benefit of the doubt on this one, as troubling as the allegations may be.
As inspirational as Keyontae Johnson has been the last couple of years, Todd Golden doesn’t have a scholarship to spare waiting on a miracle that can restore the health of this one time budding superstar. It’s best that Keyontae moves on and gets a fresh start somewhere else. Hopefully, there is someone with good judgment to guide him. He desperately wants to play again, but that probably isn’t what is best, not to mention there aren’t many opportunities to start life with $5 million in the bank.
A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:
WHAT DO THESE NUMBERS TELL YOU?
Georgia 15; LSU 10; Alabama 7; Ole Miss 6; Tennessee 5; Texas A&M 4; Kentucky 4; FLORIDA 3; Arkansas 3; South Carolina 3; Mississippi State 2; Missouri 2; Auburn 1; Vanderbilt 0.
Those are the draft picks for every SEC school. The 65 draft picks once again lead the nation (Big Ten second with 48; Pac-12 and Big 12 tied for third with 25; and ACC with 21, which is just two more than the American Athletic Conference). What the SEC did was impressive and expected.
What Florida did? That’s a different story. The three draft picks are the worst Florida draft since 2012 when Chris Rainey and Jaye Howard were the only two selected. This year, Kaiir Elam was taken first round by the Buffalo Bills, Zachary Carter third found by the Cincinnati Bengals and Dameon Pierce fourth round by the Houston Texans.
There is no way to sugar coat what just happened. That seven SEC teams have more draft picks than the University of Florida is pathetic and should open eyes to the monumental task facing Billy Napier. We can say what we want about how NIL is changing the recruiting landscape, but kids are still going to be asking this question: How many players have you gotten in the league lately? Kids are going to the schools that prepare them for a shot at the NFL. That isn’t Florida, at least for now.
Here is another sobering thought: Cincinnati had NINE (count ‘em) players drafted, three times more than the Gators.
GOLDEN HAS THREE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
With Elijah Kennedy entering the transfer portal, Todd Golden now has three scholarships available. He almost landed Johni Broome but the Morehead State transfer chose Auburn over the Gators. It’s almost a necessity to land at least one big guy. Another point guard wouldn’t hurt and then there is Riley Kugel, a likely signee and a high school teammate of Denzel Aberdeen.
Three bigs to watch
Tre Mitchell (6-9, 230): A year ago, it came down to Florida and Texas for Mitchell, who was brilliant at UMass. At Texas, Mitchell’s minutes went way down, in part due to injuries and because he was a bad fit for Chris Beard’s system. He went from 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game to 8.7 and 4.0 at Texas. He’s in the portal again. He is a legit power forward who could complement Colin Castleton quite well.
Efe Abogidi (6-10, 225): He played for Kyle Smith, Golden’s former boss at Columbia and San Francisco. He’s a legitimate rim protector who is a good shooter from 15 feet on in but terrible from distance.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. (6-7, 270): As big as he is, he does have quick feet and nice range out to 15-17 feet with his jumper. He’s not going to dazzle above the rim, but he eats up space and is an outstanding rebounder. He averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds last season.
Four wings/guards to watch
Baylor Scheierman (6-6, 205): Florida is thought to be a longshot by most experts, but Florida and Kansas might be the best fits. He hit 50.8 percent of his shots, 46.9 percent on threes, while averaging 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists at South Dakota State, which went 30-5 last year. The consensus is he will play in the NBA someday. Kentucky has been ruled out according to reports.
Khalil Shabazz (6-0, 170): He was Golden’s point guard at San Francisco last year where he averaged 13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He’s a terrific defender especially in the open court.
Riley Kugel (6-5, 180, Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips): If he can make the grades (good chance) he will be a Gator. He’s a 6-5 wing who is still growing, a 4-star recruit who was released from his Mississippi State LOI. His recruiter at MSU was Korey McCray, now on the UF staff. Kugel averaged 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 rebounds per game at Dr. Phillips where he was a teammate of UF signee Denzel Aberdeen.
John-Michael Wright (6-0, 186): Wright says the Gators are recruiting him and in the mix. At High Point, where he was All-Big South, Wright averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
UF BASEBALL: GATORS TAKE SERIES AGAINST KENTUCKY
Friday and Saturday nights, the stars and planets aligned for the Gators (25-18, 8-13 SEC) as young pitchers got the job done and Florida’s hitters feasted on Kentucky (24-20, 7-14 SEC) pitching. Sunday afternoon, it was an all-too-familiar story as the hitters struggled and the Wildcats hammered out 11 hits against four freshmen pitchers for an 8-1 win.
In winning 9-2 Friday night, sophomore Brandon Sproat pitched 5-1/3 shutout innings, Wyatt Langford hit his 14th homer and Sterlin Thompson his 8th. Freshman Jac Caglianone had three hits and three RBI. Saturday night, despite a 2-hour rain delay, four freshman pitchers limited the Wildcats to seven hits and Caglianone and Josh Rivera homered as part of an 11-hit attack.
The Gators are in fifth place in the SEC East but with the 11th best record in SEC play at 8-13. With three SEC series remaining, the Gators have too much ground to make up to get the first day bye at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, but road series at Mississippi State (25-20, 9-12 SEC) and Missouri (24-17, 7-14 SEC) and the final home series against South Carolina (22-20, 9-12 SEC) are all winnable. If the Gators could go 7-2 in SEC play to get to 15-15, that would be an accomplishment.
UF SOFTBALL: PITCHING COMES THROUGH TWO STRAIGHT VS. LSU
After getting run-ruled by LSU Friday night, Florida pitching came through on consecutive games, which has to be encouraging for Tim Walton. Saturday, Lexi Delbrey and Rylee Trlicek gave up two hits as the 9th-ranked Gators (38-13, 13-11 SEC) bounced back with a 6-1 win over 19th-ranked LSU (32-19, 11-10 SEC). Sunday, Elizbeth Hightower, Rylee Trlicek and Natalie Lugo combined for a 6-hitter as the Gators took a 9-inning, 2-1, win over the Tigers on a home run by Cheyenne Lindsey. That Sunday win was particularly special because it gave Walton his 1,000th victory as a Division I head coach.
By winning the series in Baton Rouge, the Gators finish the regular season of SEC play at 13-11. They have a shot at finishing top four in the final regular season standings which would give them a first round bye in the SEC Tournament.
Other UF sports: The 9th-ranked Gators (13-4, 5-0 AAC) won the American Athletic Conference lacrosse championship outright with a 16-4 win over East Carolina (9-8, 2-3 AAC) … McCartney Kessler was voted SEC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year by the coaches. Voted second team All-SEC and All-Freshman was Alicia Dudeney while Marlee Zein made second team All-SEC for the second time in her UF career.
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Alabama: Offensive tackle Evan Neal (New York Giants) and wide receiver Jameson Williams (Detroit Lions) were the only two Bama players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Alabama had seven players drafted, which trailed Georgia (15) and LSU (10).
Arkansas: Wide receiver Treylon Burks was taken 18th in the first round by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Razorbacks had three players taken total … Arkansas State defensive tackle Terry Hampton is transferring to Arkansas.
Auburn: Corner Roger McCreary, a second round pick of the Tennessee Titans, is the only Auburn player drafted … The big news of the weekend was landing Morehead State big man Johni Broome (6-10, 240), who chose the Tigers over Florida.
Georgia: The Bulldogs set an NFL record with 15 players selected in the draft including five defensive players in the first round … Mike White added Syracuse transfer Frank Anselem (6-10, 215) who averaged 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game; North Texas transfer Mardrez McBride, who averaged 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists; and KyeRon Lindsay (6-8, 205), who signed with UNLV but was released from his LOI.
Kentucky: Kentucky had four players taken in the NFL Draft … Keion Brooks (6-7, 210), who averaged 10.8 points per game last season is in the transfer portal … The Wildcats landed former Illinois State star Antonio Reeves (6-6, 190), who averaged 20.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and shot 39 percent from 3-point range last season.
LSU: Led by Derek Stingley Jr., taken in the first round with the third pick by Houston, LSU had 10 players taken in the NFL Draft … Former LSU big man Efton Reid (7-0, 240) is transferring to Gonzaga.
Mississippi State: Left tackle Charles Cross was taken by Seattle with the 9th pick in the first round is the headliner of the two MSU players taken in the NFL Draft … All-Ohio Valley Conference guard Eric Reed, who averaged 16.1 per game is transferring to Mississippi State … Cameron Matthews (6-7, 220) has pulled his name out of the portal and will return to MSU … Forward Andersson Garcia (6-7, 210) is transferring after averaging 4.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last year.
Missouri: Two Tigers were taken in the NFL Draft … Guard Amari Davis (6-3, 170) is transferring to Wright State after averaging 9.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game … Wide receiver Javian Hester is in the transfer portal. A former 4-star who was Mizzou’s top recruit in 2020, Hester caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.
Ole Miss: Quarterback Matt Corrall wasn’t selected until the third round of the NFL Draft with the 94th pick by the Carolina Panthers. Ole Miss had six players taken in the draft.
South Carolina: South Carolina had three players taken in the NFL Draft … Offensive lineman Jazton Turnetine, who started seven games last year, is in the transfer portal.
Tennessee: Five Vols were taken in the NFL Draft … Justin Powell (6-6, 205), who transferred to Tennessee from Auburn last year, is on the move again. Powell was one of the top transfers in the country when he left Auburn after averaging 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. At Tennessee he only averaged 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds.
Texas A&M: Offensive lineman Kenyon Green, taken in the first round with the 15th pick by Houston, is one of four Aggies selected in the NFL Draft.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Keyontae Johnson graduated from UF Saturday and put his name in the basketball transfer portal Sunday. It seems odd that he is in the transfer portal, but he has steadfastly held to the hope that he will recover enough to play again from whatever it was that caused him to collapse in Tallahassee back in December of 2020.
Johnson has a $5 million insurance policy that he took out prior to the 2020-21 season that pays off if he cannot play basketball again, which seems likely. He could play in a few games to test his health but if he plays more than the prescribed number, the policy would be completely nullified. Even if given a clean bill of health, it is difficult to imagine any school in the country willing to take a chance that Keyontae is healthy enough to play again. His collapse in Tallahassee brought back too many memories of Hank Gathers dying on the court at Loyola Marymount back in 1990. Although that happened 32 years ago, it’s still a vivid memory that will discourage anyone from taking a chance.
There is also a legal matter that hangs over Keyontae’s head – a sexual assault allegation from February 26 – that remains under investigation. There has been no indictment nor is there any indication how long the investigation might take. Keyontae has always been looked up to as a young man of high character, so let’s give him the benefit of the doubt on this one, as troubling as the allegations may be.
As inspirational as Keyontae Johnson has been the last couple of years, Todd Golden doesn’t have a scholarship to spare waiting on a miracle that can restore the health of this one time budding superstar. It’s best that Keyontae moves on and gets a fresh start somewhere else. Hopefully, there is someone with good judgment to guide him. He desperately wants to play again, but that probably isn’t what is best, not to mention there aren’t many opportunities to start life with $5 million in the bank.
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