DJ Lagway is exciting, but UF’s future is in Graham Mertz’s hands | Commentary

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on April 14, 2024. Posted in Columnists, Florida Gators, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Opinion, Sports.

GAINESVILLE — This timeless phenomenon is as old as college football itself: Fans, almost without fail, will embrace the potential and promise of the future more than the steadiness and stability of the present. They want to play with their new Buzz Lightyear action figure while casting old reliable Woody, the pull-string cowboy doll, into the deepest recesses of the toy box. Who cares if Florida Gators senior quarterback Graham Mertz led the SEC with a 72.9% completion rate and had a 20-to-3 touchdown-to-interception comparison last year? Who cares if he has 43 college starts on his resume? Who...

UF G Walter Clayton Jr. weighing NBA options after leading Gators in scoring

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on April 9, 2024. Posted in College Sports, Florida Gators, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Sports.

GAINESVILLE — Florida leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. will explore whether to enter the NBA Draft before deciding whether to return to the Gators for his senior season. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Clayton, a junior from Lake Wales, announced his decision Monday on his social media accounts. “I am grateful for being able to come back this past year and be a part of something special being built her in Gainesville,” the 21-year-old wrote. Clayton transferred from St. John’s in 2023 to join the Gators, who finished 24-12 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021. UF guard Walter...

UF’s Billy Napier confident Gators’ embattled D on right track

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on April 7, 2024. Posted in College Sports, Florida Gators, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Sports.

GAINESVILLE — Florida’s defense dominated the 2023 spring game, led a September upset of Tennessee and then fell off a cliff, dragging down the Gators with it. Amid the offseason talk of Billy Napier maintaining play-calling duties, quarterback Graham Mertz’s improvement in attacking down the field and tailback Trevor Etienne’s transfer to Georgia, the Gators set out to fix the team’s biggest problem during a 5-7 finish. Napier is confident the Gators’ retooled defense has the talent, experience and staff to chart a new course after two seasons of historically poor play during consecutive losing...

UF’s Billy Napier praises impact from Gators’ new coaches

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on March 24, 2024. Posted in College Sports, Florida Gators, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Sports.

GAINESVILLE — The Florida football team entered March with renewed hope, new faces and a new attitude. The Gators expect sweeping changes to help produce different results following consecutive losing seasons. After UF wrapped up its second week of his third spring, embattled coach Billy Napier said he sees immediate and impactful results from the changes to his coaching staff. “One of the things that has become very evident is the new staff members are making an impact,” he said Saturday. “I got a ton of conviction about the new people that we’ve added to our team. I’ll tell you, it’s given...

Gators can’t convert at end in loss at Texas A&M

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on February 4, 2024. Posted in College Sports, Florida Gators, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Sports.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Tyrece Radford scored 26, including the final three points of the game, and Texas A&M rallied to beat Florida 67-66 on Saturday. Zyon Pullin hit a jumper to put Florida up 66-64 with 3:04 remaining, but the Gators would not score again. Radford made the second of two free throws with 2:37 to go and buried a go-ahead jumper with 35 seconds left. Florida had three shots at the winning basket on its final possession but could not get one to fall. Radford made 10 of 16 shots with two 3-pointers and 4 of 7 free throws for the Aggies (13-8, 4-4 Southeastern Conference),...

GATORS PODCAST: Is Florida coach Billy Napier’s seat hot or not? (Ep. 211)

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 19, 2024. Posted in College Sports, Florida Gators, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Sports.

By virtually any measure, Billy Napier entered 2024 squarely on the hot seat after consecutive losing seasons and a substandard brand of football. Florida AD Scott Stricklin disagrees and passionately backs the coach he hired to turn around the Gators. Will Stricklin be the one who ultimately decides Napier’s fate? During the latest Swamp Things, Mark and Edgar agree Stricklin has to stand by his man but wonder whether Napier’s approach to the transfer portal relative to the Gators’ competition is the latest red flag. Scott Stricklin on Billy Napier (:00) Adjusting coaching staff (8:05) Need...

Dalton Knecht scores 39 to lead No. 6 Tennessee past Florida

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 17, 2024. Posted in College Sports, Florida Gators, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Sports.

By Al Lesar Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Dalton Knecht scored a career-high 39 points and had 8 rebounds to lead No. 6 Tennessee past Florida 85-66 on Tuesday. Jonas Aidoo had 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds to help the Volunteers (13-4, 3-1 SEC) win their 12th straight at home. UF AD Scott Stricklin insists Billy Napier is not on hot seat: ‘It has nothing to do with reality’ “Anytime Jonas is aggressive and locked in, he’s a major factor,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. “The guys are starting to understand each other where they need the ball.” Knecht averaged 32 points in...

College ADs cower in the presence of coaching super-agent Jimmy Sexton | Commentary

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 17, 2024. Posted in Columnists, Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Miami Hurricanes, Opinion, Sports, UCF Knights.

Who do you think is the most powerful person in college football? SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey? Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti? NCAA President Charlie Baker? College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock? Influential ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum? Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong. You’re not even close. It’s college football coaching super-agent Jimmy Sexton, the man who has literally and legally convinced college athletic directors to sign away mega-millions, if not billions of dollars, in one-sided coaching contracts to his grateful clients over the years. Sports agent Jimmy...

Gators bounce back with resounding win against Arkansas

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 14, 2024. Posted in College Sports, Florida Gators, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Sports.

GAINESVILLE — The Florida men’s basketball team and star Riley Kugel followed their most embarrassing performance with an emphatic response to avoid an inescapable hole in SEC play. The Gators’ 90-68 win Saturday against Arkansas was the bounce-back performance coach Todd Golden’s squad (11-5, 1-2 SEC) and Kugel needed after a 103-85 lopsided loss Wednesday at Ole Miss. The Rebels were the first opponent to crack the century mark against UF since Tennessee in 2008, and Kugel failed to score during just four minutes after getting crossways with his coach. But against Arkansas, to 6-foot-5 Orlando...

If FSU and other college stars are getting paid, then they should play in bowl games | Commentary

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on January 2, 2024. Posted in Columnists, Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Miami Hurricanes, Opinion, Sports, UCF Knights.

With apologies to the the legendary Simon & Garfunkel and their iconic song Mrs. Robinson: “Where have you gone, Charlie Wysocki? A college football nation turns its lonely eyes to you — woo, woo, woo.” As I sat in the press box for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl matchup Monday between Iowa and Tennessee, I thought back to the first bowl game I ever attended in this same stadium more than four decades ago. I was a wide-eyed teenager as I excitedly watched the Charley Pell-coached Florida Gators play the Jerry Claiborne-coached Maryland Terrapins in the 1980 Tangerine Bowl. I don’t remember a whole...

Category: Florida Gators