Category: Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE — Florida football coach Billy Napier’s pivotal 2024 class fell five spots to No. 10 after 5-star safety prospect Xavier Filsaime changed his commitment to Texas. The McKinney, Texas, native was a key member of a class that reached as high as No. 3 nationally in August but declined as the Gators struggled to a 5-7 finish in Year 2 under Napier. Filsaime, the second-rated player at his position per 247Sports, committed to the Gators in April 14 following the team’s spring game. Recruited by Corey Raymond, who was fired Nov. 27, Filsaime chose UF over Georgia, LSU, Oregon and USC. But...

GAINESVILLE — Florida football’s 24-15 flop against unbeaten Florida State followed a familiar, tired script. Coach Billy Napier’s squad staked a 12-0 lead as a sellout crowd at the Swamp rattled backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker on Saturday night. But the Gators (5-7) stumbled down the stretch as penalties, offensive ineptitude and special-teams miscues sent UF to its fourth straight loss after leading during the second half to end 2023 on a five-game skid. “We didn’t have the season we wanted to have,” linebacker Teradja Mitchell said. “When it was needed, we didn’t execute.” Here are three...

GAINESVILLE — It’s never easy to stay motivated during a losing streak, but the Florida football team has continued to show up and fight. The Gators shouldn’t have a problem doing it once again, even as the losses mount and frustration builds. A visit from Florida State on Senior Night in a sold-out Swamp is sure to draw inspired effort Saturday from the reeling Gators, losers of four straight games dating to Oct. 14. “This is a game that matters 24/7, 365,” UF coach Billy Napier said Monday. Florida coach Billy Napier paces the sidelines during the Gators’ 33-31 loss at Missouri Nov. 18, 2023,...

GAINESVILLE — Florida point guard Zyon Pullin is a San Francisco Bay Area native new to the Sunshine State, but he’s had Friday night’s visit from Florida State marked on his calendar. Pullin’s first appearance for the Gators (2-1) arrives during a heated rivalry game where cooler heads might need to prevail against the Seminoles (2-0). Down the stretch of last Friday’s 73-70 loss to national power Virginia, UF could have used Pullin, suspended by the NCAA for the first three games for participating in an offseason NBA Draft showcase for players who’d exhausted their eligibility. A couple of...

Florida football’s struggling defense will likely have to face LSU star quarterback Jayden Daniels, after all. After three days in concussion protocol, Daniels was set for a non-contact practice Wednesday, coach Brian Kelly said on the SEC teleconference. Barring any setbacks, Daniels would practice at full capacity Thursday. Kelly did not commit to starting Daniels, the nation’s top-rated passer, over Garrett Nussmeier, the son of former Gators’ offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. But while younger Nussmeier is capable, Daniels is a Heisman candidate. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior leads...

GAINESVILLE — Florida football’s struggling defense will be without leading tackler Shemar James for the rest of the season after season-ending knee surgery. Speaking Wednesday as UF (5-3, 3-2 SEC) prepares to Saturday’s visit from Arkansas (2-6, 0-5), Coach Billy Napier said James needed to address an issue involving his left knee dating to high school and injured during last weekend’s Georgia loss. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound sophomore aggravated his knee during pregame warmups on a freshly sodded field at Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium. James applied a brace, tested his knee and ultimately played...