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Florida’s recruiting received a significant boost on Sunday as 5-star CB Jason Marshall of Miami Palmetto committed to the Gators via a post on Twitter.
Marshall broke up fifteen passes as a junior and intercepted five more for the Panthers.
Recently, 247Sports insiders, Andrew Ivins and Brady Ackerman has posted crystal ball’s in Miami’s favor for the talented DB.
The Max Preps Preseason All-American is ranked No. 29 in the nation overall in the 2021 recruiting cycle and is the No. 2 ranked cornerback, according to the 247 composite rankings.
Marshall selected Florida over Miami and Alabama and is the Gators’ 24th committed prospect in the 2021 class.
On this week’s episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast, David and Michael are joined by Nick de la Torre of GatorCountry.com to discuss the conference only schedule for the 2020 season, rumors about an eight team playoff, college athletes opting out early for the season due to Covid-19, and waiver statuses for players such as Justin Shorter.
Joseph Hastings, Recruiting Reporter at Gators Territory and Ohio State (Rivals), also joins the conversation to discuss the current state of recruiting at the University of Florida, Corey Collier, Jr. (set to announce August 10th), as well as how recruiting in the Sunshine State has changed and how it can get better.
David and Michael also discuss how the transfer portal has changed a lot of things in college football, how it will change even more next year, how Dan Mullen has utilized the transfer portal to fill gaps and how his coaching staff has formed relationships with families . As always, let us know your thoughts on any or all of the subjects we talked about.
Feleipe Franks will return to play in The Swamp one last time; Jimbo Fisher to face Florida for the first time since leaving FSU.
Photo by The University of Arkansas via 247Sports
The Southeastern Conference has announced the two additional games that have been added to each team’s schedules. Last week the conference announced that they were moving to a ten game, conference only schedule in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Gators have drawn Arkansas and Texas A&M in addition to their previously scheduled league matchups. The SEC is expected to release a new schedule later, possibly as early as next week.
The Razorbacks will travel to The Swamp and will represent a homecoming of sorts for former Gators QB Feleipe Franks. Franks opted to transfer to Arkansas after the 2019 season. As a graduate transfer, Franks is eligible in 2020.
Franks played in 28 games at UF before suffering a season ending injury against Kentucky last season. He threw for 4,593 yards and 38 touchdowns as a Gator. The Crawfordville, FL native was named the MVP of the 2018 Peach Bowl after a dominant victory over Michigan.
Against Texas A&M, Florida will see a familiar face roaming the sideline. Jimbo Fisher left Florida State after the 2017 season and has accumulated a 17-9 record in two seasons in College Station.
In eight seasons with the Seminoles, Fisher led FSU to a National Championship and three ACC titles. Fisher was the helm as FSU defeated Florida in seven of eight games from 2010-17 (Fisher resigned after the UF game in 2017).
The SEC is expected to kickoff the 2020 season on September 26, with teams allowed to practice beginning on August 17.
Stay posted with ChompTalk.com for all the latest on the University of Florida’s athletic programs.
This is the first episode of ChompTalk’s Bits and Pieces—an all-sports Gators podcast.
Co-hosts Ainslie Lee and Payton Titus are joined by UF alumni Mari Faiello and Olivia Granaiola. Together, they discuss COVID-19, bubble leagues and the fate of college sports amid the pandemic.
After listening, feel free to share thoughts, concerns and any helpful tips as to how we can improve moving forward in the comments or on social media. You can follow the podcast @bitsnpiecespod on both Twitter and Instagram.
Click the audio player below to listen to the debut episode of ChompTalk’s Bits and Pieces.
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the 2020 college football season. On Thursday, a bit of normalcy returned as the Amway Coaches Poll was released.
The Florida Gators check in at No. 8 in the poll, the fourth highest ranked SEC team. Alabama (3), Georgia (4), LSU (5), are the higher ranked SEC teams.
The SEC has announced a ten game, conference only schedule in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Other conferences have made similar announcements as well.
Florida returns redshirt senior QB Kyle Trask, but will look to replace a ton of production as his top running back and four of his top receivers from a year ago graduated. The Gators do return most of their offensive line from last season and potential All-American tight end Kyle Pitts.
Defensively, Florida will need to replace much of their production along the defensive line as well as weather the losses of MLB David Reese and CB CJ Henderson.
2020 Preseason Amway Coaches Poll – Top 10:
The Gators are set to kick off on September 26. The Southeastern Conference is expected to release a revised schedule soon.
Follow ChompTalk.com on Twitter and Facebook for the latest on the UF athletic program.
Expanded rosters and missing starters have brought lots of opportunity to former Gators in the NBA Orlando Bubble.
Two UF legends from the back-to-back title teams of 2006 and 2007, forward Corey Brewer and center Joakim Noah, claimed roster spots on the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively, after spending the rest of the 2019-20 season as free agents.
Noah has seen limited minutes as expected, playing 10 in a two-point loss to the Lakers on July 30 and almost seven minutes in a blowout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Aug. 1. However, with the continued absence of Montrezl Harrell and no timetable for his return, Noah could see his game time steadily increase despite not playing in the Clippers’ last outing on Aug. 4.
Guard Chris Chiozza is getting a lot of opportunity with the Brooklyn Nets, as Spencer Dinwiddie (coronavirus) and Kyrie Irving (shoulder) sit on the shelf. Chiozza was playing rather well before the NBA shut down due to Covid-19 in March, averaging 10.0 points and 2.6 assists in 19.1 minutes over the last five games.
Since the restart, his minutes have increased to 20.9 per game, and so have his assists at 5.3. And then, on Aug. 4, Cheezsanity struck, as the crafty, 5-foot-11 facilitator registered his first career double-double (10 points, 10 assists in 31 minutes) in a two-point win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Center/power forward Al Horford continues to get heckled for his pedestrian offensive numbers with the Philadelphia 76ers this season. The 13-year veteran is out of the starting lineup, replaced in favor of guard Shake Milton.
However, Horford is still averaging over 28 minutes off the bench for Philly, and he does bring a stabilizing defensive prowess.
He had a difficult first game back in a six-point loss to the Pacers on Aug. 1, but nobody could guard T.J. Warren that night, who exploded for a career-high 53 points.
However, the 76ers were +17 and +18 in their next two games when Horford was on the floor, earning wins against the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards.
Forward Dorian Finney-Smith continues to be a consistent defensive and rebounding presence for the Dallas Mavericks. In their last game and first win since the restart, Finney-Smith scored 16 points and pulled down 16 boards (six offensive). He’s averaging 10.0 rebounds per game in the bubble, almost doubling his season average from before the restart.
Other Gators on bubble rosters are forward Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat and guard Michael Frazier, both of whom have yet to play in Orlando.
At 6’2, Williams played an important role for the Gators over the last two seasons. The Lake Wales, FL native found a home in the paint and averaged 10.4 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting at a 62% mark.
Williams began her collegiate career at the University of Miami before transferring to Florida prior to the 2017-18 season.
MBK Ruzomberok was the top team in the Extraliga last season. The team based in northern Slovakia enjoyed an undefeated 19-0 season and have the league’s top two scorers in the fold.
*Information for this article came from the University of Florida press release.
Big news came out of Bradenton, Florida on Monday as IMG Academy four-star safety, Kamar Wilcoxson announced that he is forgoing his senior season. Originally a member of the 2021 signing class, Wilcoxson will enroll early, joining an already solid defensive back class for the 2020 cycle.
BREAKING: Florida #Gators commit Kamar Wilcoxson tells @GatorsTerritory that he is reclassifying and will enroll at #UF this month.
“Honestly, it’s just going to be funny seeing all the fans that said I wasn’t going to sign.”
The recruitment of the 6’1″ 183-pound defensive back provided fans with a rollercoaster of emotions, but the Gators expect to have him enrolled by the 24th of August. This will be cutting it close as the fall semester kicks off one week later. However, the accelerated enrollment was made possible with collaboration from the UF academic support staff and Coach Todd Grantham.
Wilcoxson said that it was Grantham who originally approached him and his family with the idea of reclassifying. After some deliberation, the family made their decision, “My family and I were kind of back and forth and we decided it was best.”
Wilcoxson is an athletic safety with edge-to-edge speed and capable hands. He could transition to cornerback, displaying the typical DBU swagger, quick cut ability, and great ball skills.
Check out the very first episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast starring David Soderquist and Michael Pfeffer from Chomptalk.com.
This week’s guests include: Graham Hall (2:00) from The Gainesville Sun, who discusses recruiting in 2020 and the upcoming football season; Josh Pray (37:00), social media influencer, comedian, and die hard Florida Gators fan; and Mike Alosa (53:30), bassist from the band Felicity and a University of Florida Alumnus. Mike shares his fondest memories and experiences as he attended UF from 2005 to 2009, the glory years.
Please share your thoughts and any suggestions in the comments or on social media.
Click play on the audio player below to listen to the debut episode of The Gridiron Growl from ChompTalk.com:
It was a rather unspectacular week for former Florida Gators players in Major League Baseball. The only notable exceptions were the MLB debut of Brady Singer and a 4-4 outing by Pete Alonso on Wednesday.
RHP Brady Singer (KC):
Brady Singer made his MLB debut on July 25 in Cleveland. Singer tossed five innings, but collected a no-decision in the Royals’ 3-2, extra inning victory. Singer allowed two earned runs, both in the third inning, but struck out seven while only walking two.
Singer made his second career start on July 30, also resulting in a no-decision. The 2018 first round draft choice threw 82 pitches in five innings of work allowing two earned runs while striking out three and walking two.
2020 STATS: 2 GS, 10 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 10 K, 4 BB
1B Pete Alonso (NYM):
2019 National League Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso opened the season mired in a 2-22 slump, but broke out on July 29 with a 4-4 night at the dish against the Boston Red Sox. On July 27, Alonso cranked his first home run of the season, a 402-foot blast that was clocked at 116.3 miles per hour, off LHP Jeffrey Springs.
Veteran righty Darren O’Day has made two appearances in relief for the Atlanta Braves so far in 2020. On July 25, O’Day tossed one inning, allowing just one hit. Four days later, O’Day was credited for the win after 0.2 IP despite giving up a run against Tampa Bay.
Former Gators slugger Mike Zunino has had a rough start to the 2020 campaign. The No. 3 overall pick from the 2012 MLB Draft has recorded only two hits in 12 at-bats on the season. On July 27, Zunino did hit his first homer of the year and also scored a pair of runs.
2020 STATS: 2-12 (.1
RHP SHAUN ANDERSON (SF):
Anderson opened 2020 with two solid outings on back to back nights (July 25 and 26) in which he pitched one inning, and allowed just one walk each night. On July 29, San Diego roughed up the righty to the tune of two earned runs in 0.2 IP, thanks to a homer from Trent Grisham.
2020 STATS: 3 G, 2.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
OF HARRISON BADER (STL):
Despite being one of the rangiest outfielders in the Majors, Harrison Bader is finding playing time hard to come by. Bader has played in only four games, and much of that likely has to do with his struggles at the plate. In 11 at-bats, Bader has recorded only one hit, a double off Minnesota’s Cody Stashak. Bader has also been hit by a pitch twice (both occuring in the same game, July 25th, against Pittsburgh. Bader scored both times he reached base.
Justin Shafer was designated for assignment prior to opening day by the Cincinnati Reds, but was quickly claimed by the Miami Marlins on July 27. Shafer has been unable to play in any games due to the Marlins’ Covid-19 outbreak that has seen as many as 17 players contract the virus.
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Make sure to check in next Friday for the latest updates on your favorite Gators in the Majors.
This is the first episode of ChompTalk’s Bits and Pieces—an all-sports Gators podcast.
ChompTalk.com 