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  • Florida vs LSU: Key Takeaways

    Florida vs LSU: Key Takeaways

    Photo by James Gilbert • Getty Images

    Florida and LSU engaged in a fun game that took fans through the gauntlet of emotions Saturday night. The Gators prevailed 27-16 on a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns and are now just one win away from being bowl-eligible.

    The following are my top three takeaways from the game.

    1. DJ Lagway is special.

    If you’ve been following this Florida program the last fifteen years, you know it’s been a long time since the Gators had an underclassman quarterback that made a difference (possible exception, Will Grier in 2015), but DJ Lagway absolutely does.

    On Saturday, Lagway was far from perfect, finishing 13-26 overall, but still willed his team to the win. The freshman’s fourth quarter, 36-yard strike to Elijah Badger set up a Ja’Kobi Jackson rushing touchdown from one yard out to put Florida ahead.

    But the most significant thing about Lagway is that he elevates the play of the rest of the team, even the defensive side of the ball. Just look to last week, when Florida started third string QB Aidan Warner. Texas recoded 562 yards of offense. Add Lagway and the Gators defense recorded seven sacks and allowed just 392 total yards. It’s a totally different mentality. We saw it against Georgia until Lagway left with injury. Florida led and had the Bulldogs on the ropes. Lagway makes the team better in all facets and that’s hardly up for debate.

    2. Special Teams plays vital role.

    The special teams unit at Florida has taken a lot of criticism in Billy Napier’s tenure, rightfully so. And they weren’t perfect Saturday. The first punt saw twelve men break huddle resulting in a penalty. But the play of kicker Trey Smack and punter Jeremy Crawshaw shouldn’t go overlooked.

    Smack’s contribution is fairly easy to see. His 49-yard field goal in the second quarter put the Gators ahead 10-7. He followed that up with a 55-yarder in the third quarter that evened the score at 13. If he misses either of those kicks, the LSU offense is playing with a short field and has a chance to change the outcome of the game.

    Crawshaw’s numbers won’t really impress, until you look deeper into it. The Aussie punter was named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award for the nation’s best punter and entered the game averaging better than 46-yards per kick. His four punts against LSU averaged just 37.8 yards but all four of those resulted in the Tigers taking possession inside their own 20.

    3. Defense made strides, but third down is a huge problem.

    Overall, the defense played much better than they have at most points this year. But, Florida struggled mightily on third and fourth down. The Tigers went 13-24 on third downs and 2-4 on fourth downs against the Gators. The problem here is that most of these were not 3rd and 1 type of downs. Oftentimes, the Florida defense would stop the Tigers on first and second down and LSU would be looking at 3rd and 8 or 3rd and 12 but would somehow convert. It became a joke among many fans that LSU should attack every down like it was third down.

    The defense came up with seven sacks against an LSU offensive line that had only allowed six all season. That’s incredible. They forced LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier to drop back 52 times! And finally, late in the third quarter they got a turnover as Caleb Banks came away with a fumble recovery on the plus side of the field.

    Also: Linebacker Shemar James finished with eleven tackles and two sacks to lead the effort and deserves mention.

    …

    Florida will play their final home game Saturday against Ole Miss. The Rebels are 8-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 PM.

  • Staff Predictions: Gators vs LSU

    Staff Predictions: Gators vs LSU

    (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

    Get your corn dogs ready, the LSU Tigers are coming to Gainesville. Florida and LSU will renew their rivalry which has been dominated by the Tigers over the last few years.

    Both teams are coming off embarrassing losses in conference play with the Gators getting waxed in Austin against SEC newcomer Texas, 49-17. LSU, meanwhile, fell to Alabama 42-13 at home.

    The Gators will be looking to improve to .500 on the season at 5-5 overall, and need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible.

    The following are our staff’s predictions for the Florida – LSU game.

    Brian Fox: It’s truly incredible just how important the quarterback position is in football. Just two weeks ago, Florida fans were riding high with a lead against a top-five opponent in Georgia. Then disaster struck and freshman phenom DJ Lagway went down with injury. The momentum change was swift and Georgia rolled to victory in the second half. Then, against another very good team, Texas, Aidan Warner was unable to rally the troops. With Lagway’s return, hopefully, the Gators seize control and the rest of the team is energized for a good LSU team. The Gators are a three point underdog at home, but I have a feeling they are going to make a positive impression on a massive recruiting weekend in the Swamp. Florida, 31-28.

    Ryan Friedwald: it’s a big day at the Swamp this Saturday. Both teams are coming off very disappointing losses from last week. The Gators are much healthier this week and DJ Lagway is more than likely going to play. LSU may come into this game thinking it’s going to be easy after the performance from Florida over this past weekend. I believe LSU comes in cocky and they find out how resilient this Florida team is. I think Florida squeaks by, 24-20, in classic SEC fashion.

    Aiden Wacksman: Florida desperately needs a fresh start after it was thrashed last weekend at Texas. While the Gators will be healthier this week, depth will remain an issue. Similarly to the match against Texas, the Gators will be without their WR1/CB1 (Eugene Wilson, Jason Marshall) and linebacker Pup Howard, among others. While Lagway remains questionable to play against LSU, I believe he will be ready to go as he has practiced multiple times this week. I think Florida gives LSU a run for its money, but I think depth will be an issue heading into the second half. LSU, 31-27.

    Florida and LSU kickoff from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at 3:30 PM. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

  • MBB: Gators Hold Off Florida State in Rivalry Victory

    MBB: Gators Hold Off Florida State in Rivalry Victory

    Photo by James Gilbert • Getty Images

    The No. 20 Florida Gators (4-0) took down the Florida State Seminoles 87-74 at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee as the Gators knocked down 10 threes en route to their fourth straight victory in the Sunshine State Showdown.

    Walter Clayton Jr. led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 4-of-10 on 3-pointers. Clayton was phenomenal on the offensive side all night in his best shooting performance of the season. He also added five rebounds and three assists.

    Alijah Martin and Sam Alexis were also key contributors to Florida’s victory. Martin, the graduate transfer from FAU, scored 17 points as he went 7-of-16 from the floor and connected three times from bonus land. Alexis had 12 points and was almost perfect from the field, going 5-of-6 with five rebounds.

    After struggling from beyond the arc in their first three games of the season, the Gators came out on fire from 3-point range in the first half. Florida shot 7-of-15 from deep, including 3-of-6 from Clayton and 2-of-3 from Martin. This led to the Gators’ 13-point advantage at halftime.

    After trailing by as many as 15 points, the Seminoles came storming back late in the second half. Florida State went on a 10-2 run and was down just four with 2:23 left in the game. After two free throws from Thomas Haugh, Martin banked in a long triple to beat the shot clock buzzer and swing the momentum back to the Gators. On the next offensive possession, Clayton rained in another shot from deep, putting the final nail in the coffin.

    Even with making a season-high 10 threes, Florida dominated on the inside as well. The Gators outrebounded the Seminoles 47-29 and had a 40-36 scoring advantage in the paint. Twelve of the boards came from Alex Condon, who also scored seven points in the win.

    Florida overcame turning the ball over 19 times, the most the team has had in a game so far this season. Florida State scored 16 points off the Gators’ turnovers as opposed to scoring just six off of the Seminoles’ eight turnovers.

    Todd Golden’s squad was able to put together a great performance in a true road test against a Florida State team that came into the matchup undefeated.

    The Gators will be back on the court on Tuesday at home against Florida A&M as they look to go 5-0 for the first time in three years. Tipoff at Exactech Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on SEC Network+.

  • MBB: Gators Trample Grambling Amid Golden Investigation

    MBB: Gators Trample Grambling Amid Golden Investigation

    Photo by James Gilbert • Getty Images

    The Florida Gators defeated the Grambling State Tigers 86-62 Monday night at Exactech Arena, improving to 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2021.

    This was the first game Florida played since the news of a Title IX complaint showed that the university was investigating head coach Todd Golden for allegations of sexual harassment and cyberstalking of multiple women on social media, which was first reported by The Independent Florida Alligator.

    “I think they know who I am and, again, they’re mature,” Golden said of his team after the game regarding the days since the news. “They’re all really good guys and all super-focused. We had really good practices. We had a great shoot-around today, and I thought they were all really locked in. I felt like we were going to play really well tonight.”

    Golden has been with the team since the news broke and was on the bench coaching on Monday against Grambling.

    His team showed up with a very balanced attack on offense as five players scored in double figures including a career-high 14 points from Rueben Chinyelu. The transfer center from Washington State made 7-of-8 field goal attempts and recorded three rebounds, two blocks and two assists.

    Will Richard, Walter Clayton Jr. and Sam Alexis all had 12 points in the winning effort. Richard lit up the stat sheet as he added five boards and five steals to go with his offensive output. Clayton connected on a team-high three triples and dished out three assists. Alexis went 5-of-9 from the floor and brought in six rebounds.

    “This team is super unselfish and they play for each other,” Golden said.

    Florida’s unselfishness almost led to a wire-to-wire victory but the Tigers scored the first points of the game on a layup from Kintavious Dozier. Clayton responded with a 3-pointer to take the lead and the Gators did not give it up the rest of the way.

    Florida played bully ball against Grambling all night. The Gators outrebounded the Tigers 45 to 24, including a game-high eight boards from sophomore Alex Condon, who also scored 10 points in the game. Florida converted those extra possessions into points as they led the second-chance points battle 18-2.

    The 24-point win for the Gators marked their largest margin of victory since Dec. 30 of last year when Florida beat Quinnipiac by 25 in Gainesville.

    After their hot start to the young season and the noise surrounding Golden, the Gators will have to face their toughest test yet on Friday against Florida State in Tallahassee. This is a matchup that has been favorable for Florida over the years as the Gators lead the all-time series against the Seminoles 46-28, including a 20-13 record away from home. Tipoff on Friday at the Tucker Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.

  • Nation’s No. 1 Kicker, Evan Noel, Commits to Gators

    Nation’s No. 1 Kicker, Evan Noel, Commits to Gators

    Photo via X • @EvanNoel14

    Florida head coach Billy Napier has landed the first commitment in the 2025 recruiting class since Athletic Director Scott Stricklin announced publicly that the head coach will remain in his position moving forward.

    The nation’s No. 1 ranked kicker, Evan Noel, announced his commitment via social media Monday evening.

    Noel is rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports and the No. 58 ranked prospect in Mississippi.

    The Bay Saint Louis, MS native was committed to Arkansas since October 2023 but received an offer from Florida in July 2024.

    On September 20, Noel knocked down a state record 61-yard field goal.

    Noel becomes the twelfth commit in Florida’s 2025 class that ranks No. 45 overall per 247Sports.

  • VB: Gators Claim Four of Five SEC Weekly Honors

    VB: Gators Claim Four of Five SEC Weekly Honors

    Following a pair of sweeps, the Florida Gators find themselves all over the SEC’s weekly awards. In all, the Gators claimed four of the five honors the conference awards each week.

    Player of the Week / Offensive Player of the Week

    For the fourth straight week, Kennedy Martin earned the SEC Offensive Player of the Week honor. Martin was also awarded the conference’s player of the week, as well. Martin is the first Gator to be earn four straight honors and only the third to earn four honors in a single season (joining Kelly Murphy and Alex Holston).

    Martin finished the Auburn game with twenty kills and only one error while hitting .559 overall. On Sunday, the Fort Mill, SC native led Florida over Alabama with 16 kills and three service aces.

    Martin has recoded double-digit kills in 44 straight matches.

    Setter of the Week

    Alexis Stucky recorded 46 assists to tie her three-set career high in the match against Alabama. For Stucky, this is her fourth honor of the season and fifteenth of her career.

    Co-Freshman of the Week

    Jean Auguste finished the Auburn match with seven kills and five blocks and followed that effort with an eleven kills, three blocks performance against Alabama. She finished the week with a .654 hitting percentage. This is the first SEC honor for the Spring, TX native.

    Florida will take on Missouri Friday. First serve is scheduled for 8:00 PM.

  • UAA: Todd Golden to Coach Gators Monday Night

    UAA: Todd Golden to Coach Gators Monday Night

    (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

    Florida men’s basketball head coach Todd Golden will remin in charge despite an ongoing Title IX investigation as the Gators take on Gambling State Monday evening.

    “Todd Golden’s status as UF men’s basketball coach has not changed,” a UAA spokesperson said Sunday evening. “He will be coaching the game Monday night.”

    On Friday, the Independent Florida Alligator reported the Title IX investigation which accused Golden of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking from several women.

    Golden is accused of sending pictures of his genitals and making unwanted sexual advances towards multiple women. Additionally, Golden allegedly took photos of women walking or driving and sent them to the subject of the photos.

    Golden responded to the report Saturday afternoon:

    “For the last month, I have actively participated in and respected the confidentiality of an ongoing school inquiry,” Golden said in a statement posted on X. “I have recently engaged Ken Turkel to advise me on my ability to bring defamation claims while this confidential investigation is ongoing. My family and I appreciate the support we have received and remain confident the university will continue its efforts to finish its review properly.”

    The Gators are 3-0 and face Grambling State at 7:00 PM. Florida then travels to rival Florida State Friday evening for what will likely be an extremely hostile environment.

  • MBB: Gators Breeze Past Jacksonville in Home Opener

    MBB: Gators Breeze Past Jacksonville in Home Opener

    Photo by James Gilbert • Getty Images

    The Florida Gators handled the Jacksonville Dolphins 81-60 Thursday night at Exactech Arena as Florida improved to 2-0 on the season and won its 34th straight home opener.

    Sophomore forward Alex Condon had a career night for the Gators as he led all scorers with 23 points, his most in the orange and blue. Condon was perfect from the floor, shooting 7-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. He also made seven free throws in what was a fantastic offensive display.

    Three other Gators scored in double-figures as Alijah Martin poured in 15, Will Richard had 11 and Sam Alexis added 10.

    For Martin, the Florida Atlantic graduate transfer, 13 of his 15 came in a scorching first half. He went 5-of-6 from the floor including three triples. He also had six steals as he was in Jacksonville’s passing lanes all night.

    The Gators shot the lights out in the first 15 minutes of the game, making 13 of their first 15 from the floor, an 86% clip. Florida cooled down to end the first half, missing seven of its final 10 shots. A key difference in favor of the Dolphins in the first was the offensive rebounding category. Jacksonville cleaned up 10 offensive boards, leading to nine second-chance points. However, with the hot shooting start, Florida led by 14 at halftime.

    In the first four minutes of the second half, the Gators extended their lead to 20 thanks to a 10-2 run. From there, Florida never looked back as the advantage got as high as 25 with over four minutes to play. The bucket that made it a 25-point game was a monstrous, posterizing slam from Walter Clayton Jr. that sent the Rowdy Reptiles into a frenzy.

    After a 29-point season opener for the senior guard, Clayton scored just nine against Jacksonville. However, his presence was felt elsewhere as he was a phenomenal facilitator, racking up seven assists, the most he’s had in a Gators’ uniform.

    Thursday night was a homecoming game for Jacksonville head coach Jordan Mincy who spent six years on the coaching staff at Florida from 2015-21. He was part of four consecutive NCAA tournament births with the Gators in his tenure in Gainesville. Mincy is looking to lead the Dolphins to a second winning season since taking the reigns before the 2021-22 season.

    Mincy and Jacksonville’s leading scorer on the night was Robert McCray V, who had 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting. McCray, a junior guard, was named the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 18.4 points per game last season.

    Todd Golden’s Florida squad impressed on the defensive side of the ball. Besides McCray’s 20 points, there was only one Dolphin in double-figures as Zach Bell scored 11. The Gators forced 18 Jacksonville turnovers leading to 24 points off of them. Florida also blocked 10 shots as a team, four of them coming from Alexis, the Chattanooga transfer, in just 15 minutes.

    The Gators will look to continue their defensive dominance and improve to 3-0 on Monday as they take on the Grambling State Tigers in a Veteran’s Day matchup at Exactech Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on SEC Network+.

  • MBB: Gators Pull Away Late in Season Opener Against USF

    MBB: Gators Pull Away Late in Season Opener Against USF

    Photo by James Gilbert • Getty Images

    The No. 21 Florida Gators used a dominant second-half performance to defeat the South Florida Bulls 98-83 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville to begin their 2024-25 campaign.

    Florida was led by the veteran guard pairing of Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard as both were very efficient all night. Clayton led all scorers with 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and 7 of 7 from the charity stripe. Richard set a new career high with 25 points as he went 10 of 17 from the floor and brought down six rebounds.

    Although Clayton and Richard had the bulk of the buckets for the Gators, it took a complete team effort to take down the Bulls. Alijah Martin, the graduate transfer guard from FAU, struggled from the field in his Florida debut but still finished with 13 points and added six boards and four steals. Sophomore forward Alex Condon also added 13 for the Gators with five rebounds, all of which were offensive.

    For USF, this game was about more than just basketball as it took place just 11 days after Bulls head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim died during a surgical procedure at the age of 43. USF players wore patches with his initials, as Florida players warmed up in shirts with “Abdur-Rahim” on the back.

    The Bulls came out of the gates hot. They led by as many as 13 with six minutes left in the first half. However, the Gators answered by scoring 10 straight, the last eight coming from Richard as he drained his only two 3-pointers during the run. Richard also knocked down a jumper right before the first-half buzzer sounded to cut the Gators’ deficit to just one as they trailed 40-39 at the half.

    For the first 10 minutes of the second half, the game stayed tight with both teams throwing punches. But, two made free throws by Martin with 9:43 to play started a 13-0 run for the Gators that saw them jump out to a 14-point lead. Florida did not look back from there as a fast-break dunk from Richard with just over two minutes left put an exclamation point on the Gators’ victory.

    Although Florida was able to pull away in the end, the long-range shooting from the Gators was not something to marvel at. They shot just 5 of 25 from beyond the arc, a 20% clip. This is something that third-year head coach Todd Golden will want his team to improve on before the Gators hit the floor again.

    Even with the poor shooting from deep, this was a very promising showing from a team that has high preseason expectations for the first time in the Golden era. The Gators will be back in action on Thursday in their home opener against the Jacksonville University Dolphins at Exactech Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET after the conclusion of the women’s game against Florida A&M.

  • WBB: Gators Race Past Owls in Season Opener

    WBB: Gators Race Past Owls in Season Opener

    The Florida Gators opened the 2024-25 season with an 82-54 win over Florida Atlantic. The Gators utilized a big first quarter to cruise to the victory. The inside-out combination of Ra Shaya Kyle and Liv McGill proved to be more than the Owls could handle.

    The Gators got on the board early and often by going inside to the senior center, Kyle, who scored the first six points. That was followed by the former five-star guard McGill, Florida’s highest-rated signee ever, draining a deep three for her first collegiate basket. The Gators expanded their lead to 15-8 at the first media timeout after treys by seniors Kenza Salgues and Jeriah Warren. The teams mostly traded buckets through the end of the first period with the Gators extending the lead to as many as 13 after a pair of made free throws by McGill.

    The second quarter saw Florida maintain, and even build on the lead it forged in the opening ten minutes of play. Florida never saw it’s lead evaporate to less than ten but by half, the Gators led FAU 46-29. With 4:31 left in the half, another Florida freshman, Me’Arah O’Neal entered the scoring column with a deep three off the left side of the arc. Alexia Dizeko finished the half with her own four-point run, to send the Gators into half with all the momentum.

    The third quarter saw the Gators continue to expand their advantage over the Owls, quickly extending the lead to into the twenties before FAU appeared to settle into the second half of play. Warren came to life in the third, scoring ten of Florida’s 15 points in the period. Overall, the Gators shot just 4-15 from the field in the third but held the Owls to just 33% from the field on the defensive end.

    The fourth quarter saw the Gators continue to ice the game and the large lead allowed Florida to empty the bench to get experience for the younger players on the team.

    In total, Florida finished with a 19-8 assist to turnover ratio, and McGill finished with six assists and no turnovers.

    Warren led all scorers with 21 points while Kyle added 17 points and six rebounds. McGill added 14 points, five rebounds and six total assists.

    “I thought she had an overall very good floor game…Overall, [I was] really pleased with her game tonight,” said head coach Kelly Rae Finley of McGill’s debut.

    The Gators will face Florida A&M Thursday. Tipoff is slated for 5:00 PM. The game will be part of a double-header with the men’s game against Jacksonville.