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Hugh is a fourth year student majoring in Journalism: Sports and Media at the University of Florida.
  • Florida Football Preview: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

    Florida Football Preview: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

    Photo by Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images

    While much of Florida’s offense has gone through the ground game in Billy Napier’s first two years at the helm of the Gators, there may be a need for the passing game to step it up in 2024.

    Graham Mertz is entering his second season as Florida’s QB1 and his sixth year in college after an impressive 2023. While he has gotten Napier’s scheme down, Mertz will have to target more of a variety of receivers this season as his No. 1 man, Ricky Pearsall, was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

    See Also: Quarterbacks Preview

    Even with big shoes to fill as the primary target, it seems like sophomore Eugene Wilson III is up to the task. In his freshman year at Florida, Wilson boasted a spectacular 61 catches for 538 yards and a team-high six touchdowns. The most explosive player on the Gators showed glimpses of greatness and will need to continue that for Florida to be successful this season.

    Redshirt junior Kahleil Jackson was Mertz’s third favorite target in the wide receiver room in 2023 and is poised for a big fifth year with the Gators this fall. Jackson caught 21 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown last season and will look to build on those numbers this year.

    While Wilson and Jackson are the two biggest-name receivers returning for Florida in 2024, two new faces promise to have big roles as well. Elijhah Badger, a transfer from Arizona State and two-time All-Pac-12 honorable mention receiver, put up incredible numbers in his final two years with the Sun Devils. He had 135 receptions for over 1,500 yards and 10 scores in the past two seasons. Badger, along with Mertz’s former teammate at Wisconsin Chimere Dike will fight for first-team reps at the wideout position. In his four years with the Badgers, Dike caught 97 passes for almost 1,500 years and 9 touchdowns.

    See Also: Running Backs Preview

    A handful of young, talented receivers will also look to get on the field in Napier’s offense this season. Andy Jean and Aidan Mizell, both redshirt freshmen, had little playing time last year but will look for bigger roles in 2024. They will have to compete against two true freshmen in Tank Hawkins from IMG Academy and TJ Abrams from Dunbar High School in Fort Myers.

    This young core of wideouts will be assisted by veterans in the receiver room. Senior Ja’Quavion Fraziers and redshirt junior Marcus Burke who have both had meaningful playing time in their careers will be leaders in the locker room for the young guys to learn from.

    As for the tight end position, it will be led by two returners in Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen. Boardingham’s presence as a receiver cannot be overlooked by opposing defenses. He led the position group with 26 grabs for 289 yards and four touchdowns a season ago. Hansen doesn’t have the receiving skills Boardingham does, but makes up for it with his blocking ability. With that being said, Hansen put up a respectable 150 yards receiving with two scores in 2023.

    While those two will be the primary tight-end targets once again this season, two newcomers in Caleb Rillos and Amir Jackson will look to get some snaps as well. Rillos is a graduate transfer from Air Force where he was mainly in for blocking in the military academy’s triple-option offense. Jackson, a freshman from Portal, GA, was the fifth-ranked tight end in the 2024 recruiting class by ESPN.

    A few others who will look to get snaps at the tight end position are Keon Zipperer, Gavin Hill and Tony Livingston. Zipperer, who is entering his sixth season with the Gators missed last year with an injury. In his career, he has put up 38 catches for almost 500 yards and four touchdowns.

    Even without the big-play ability of Pearsall, this group of wide receivers and tight ends may be the deepest that Napier has had in his tenure at Florida. They will need to put up big numbers this season against the toughest schedule in the country.

  • SOC: Gators Open 2024 Campaign With Win Over Western Carolina

    SOC: Gators Open 2024 Campaign With Win Over Western Carolina

    Photo by Benjamin Fox | ChompTalk

    The Florida Gators are 1-0 to open the season following a 2-0 win over Western Carolina Friday evening in front of the largest crowd season opening crowd in the program’s thirty year history.

    The Gators took the lead late in the first half and carried the momentum into halftime. Florida dominated the action throughout the first forty-five minutes of play, leading to numerous scoring chances.

    “We were really happy, especially with the first half. We thought we came out with some intensity and created some chances,” said head coach Samantha Bohon, entering her third year at Florida.

    The Gators first real opportunity came in the opening minutes when Madison Jones attempted a pair of shots just past the 18-yard box on the left side of the field. In the 14th minute, Jones fed a pass to a wide open Vera Blom, but the connection was just a bit off and out of Blom’s reach.

    When the Gators finally did put the ball in the net, it came off a corner kick as Delaney Tauzel found Madison Young’s head and snuck into the right side of the goal.

    The second half saw a lot of back and forth momentum from both teams. It seemed every time the Gators put together a good chance, the Catamounts would stage an opportunity of their own. Bohon made the move to Paloma Pena in the second half to relieve Alexa Goldberg in the goal and the move paid off. Pena made a pair of saves but also did a good job of cutting off angles and communicating with her back line to preserve the clean sheet.

    A hard foul in the 81st minute put Florida at the penalty kick marker. Lauren Donovan sent a shot to the left side of the net but WCU GK Leanne Trudel made an incredible save to keep it a 1-0 ballgame.

    Six minutes later, Njeri Butts ran down the left side, dodging defenders on her way near the end line, sent the ball across the box into the waiting foot of Delaney Tellex. Tellex was able to send it to the back of the net to extend the lead to 2-0 and clinch the victory for the Gators.

    The Gators attempted twenty shots while WCU finished with seven. Florida fired nine shots on target.

    The Gators improved to 1-0 with the win. Florida will travel to Jacksonville on Thursday to take on North Florida. The match is set for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

  • SOC: Five Gators Named To SEC Preseason Watchlist

    SOC: Five Gators Named To SEC Preseason Watchlist

    The 2024-25 athletic calendar is set to kickoff Friday evening as the Florida Gators soccer team will open the year with a matchup against Western Carolina.

    Two days after releasing the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll, the conference announced the 2024 Preseason Watchlist, a collection of star players from each program that are expected to make a difference on the field. Five Gators were named to the list.

    GK Alexa Goldberg, Sr. started every game for Florida in 2023 posting a 6-5-6 record between the posts. Goldberg recorded eight shutouts and a .667 save percentage for the season. She also set a career-best allowing just 0.91 goals per game.

    F Lena Bailey, So. suited up in seventeen games as a freshman for the Gators. Finished with four goals, tied for second highest total on 2023 squad.

    MF Delaney Tauzel, Sr. played an important role in the middle of the field. Finished 2023 campaign with 1 assist. Played 1,259 minutes, fifth highest on team.

    D Daviana Vaka, Sr. a 2023 First Team, All-SEC selection, played in every match in 2023 and led the Gators by averaging 86.8 minutes played per contest. Finished with one assist.

    D Josie Curtis, Sr. played in 17 games in 2023 after transferring to Florida from FGCU before the 2022 season. Played entire game in eight of ten SEC matches.

    Florida opens the 2024 season with a home match against Western Carolina Friday evening at 7:00 PM.

    Check out our Gators Soccer Preview when it comes out Friday morning to get you ready for the 2024 soccer season.

  • Florida Football Preview: Running Backs

    Florida Football Preview: Running Backs

    Through two years of his tenure, the strength of Billy Napier’s offense has been the running game. Napier leaned heavily on his feature backs, Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne.

    While Etienne left seeking greener pastures (Georgia), Johnson returns to Gainesville for his senior season as the clear-cut, RB1. Behind the former Louisiana running back, a stable of young talent is looking to carve their own legacy in the orange and blue.

    Johnson has rushed for over 1,600 yards in his first two years with the Gators. In 2023, Johnson averaged 5.4 yards on the ground (same average as 2022) and scored five touchdowns. He also caught 30 balls out of the backfield. Unfortunately, Johnson underwent knee surgery this month and is currently listed as week-to-week. Said Napier this week, “he’s already on his feet. He’s made significant progress.” The head coach also emphasized that the procedure was “very minor.”

    Sophomore Treyaun Webb saw action in eleven games as a freshman. He rushed the ball 26 times for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 6.3 yards per carry was the highest mark amongst the running backs to see game action.

    Previewing: Quarterbacks

    Cam Carroll enters his seventh season of college football. The former Tulane Greenwave running back missed the entire 2023 campaign after transferring to Florida due to a torn ligament in his knee. In 2022, while still in New Orleans, Carroll rushed just one time for three yards before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

    In the four years leading up to 2022 (including redshirting as a true freshman), Carroll amassed 1,638 yards on the ground and 19 touchdowns. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry.

    Two incoming freshman that are expected to see some reps are KD Daniels and Jadan Baugh. Daniels was a four-star prospect out of Mississippi in the 2024 class. Baugh was a three-star recruit originally committed to Arkansas before choosing to switch his pledge to Florida.

    The Gators will be led by Montrell Johnson in the backfield. The veteran leadership he can provide will benefit the offense immensely. He’s put up solid numbers against the best of the SEC and will continue to do so. Webb and Carroll will provide a good 1-2 punch in relief of Johnson. The freshman will also get some touches and Napier likes to put the ball in the hands of his receivers at times, as well. Expect Eugene Wilson to get quite a few carries as the season plays out.

    The backfield is certainly a strength of this team heading into 2024, even if they did lose a talented player to a rival.

    This is part two of our 2024 Florida Football Preview. Stay posted for our receiver room preview coming later this week.

    *Photo by David Rosenblum | Getty Images

  • MBB: Gators Release 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

    MBB: Gators Release 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

    Photo by James Gilbert | Getty Images

    The Florida Gators released the 2024-25 non-conference men’s basketball schedule Tuesday. Florida will play seven home games at the friendly confines of Exactech Arena and will play four more games in the state of Florida.

    The Gators schedule is highlighted by a home date with the Virginia Cavaliers on December 4 as part of the SEC-ACC Challenge. The Gators fell to Cavs 73-70 in an early season contest in November 2023 Florida will also face ACC blueblood North Carolina in the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte. The Gators also added a neutral-site matchup with Arizona State in Atlanta during the Holiday Hoopsgiving tournament.

    Florida’s 2023-24 Non-Conference Schedule:

    • 11/4 vs USF in Jacksonville
    • 11/7 vs Jacksonville
    • 11/11 vs Grambling State
    • 11/15 at Florida State
    • 11/19 vs FAMU
    • 11/22 vs Southern Illinois
    • 11/28 (ESPN Events Invitational)*
    • 11/29 (ESPN Events Invitational)*
    • 12/4 vs Virginia
    • 12/14 vs Arizona State in Atlanta
    • 12/17 vs North Carolina in Charlotte
    • 12/21 vs North Florida
    • 12/29 vs Stetson

    *The Gators will compete in the ESPN Events Invitational over Thanksgiving. They will play two of the following three: Minnesota, Wake Forest, Wichita State.

    Florida finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 24-12 overall record, including a 11-7 mark in SEC play. Florida finished 14-1 at home, as well. The Gators advanced to the NCAA tournament in head coach Todd Golden’s second season in Gainesville, but ultimately fell to Colorado, 102-100 in the NCAA opener.

  • #GatorMade: Brandon Sproat Promoted to Triple-A Syracuse Mets

    #GatorMade: Brandon Sproat Promoted to Triple-A Syracuse Mets

    Photo by Richard Rodriguez | Getty Images

    Former Florida Gators RHP Brandon Sproat is making quick work of the New York Mets’ farm system.

    Sproat, in his first season of professional baseball following four seasons at the University of Florida, was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse Saturday.

    Sproat opened the season at Single-A Brooklyn. There he made five starts and recorded a 1.07 ERA over 25.1 innings of work.

    Upon being promoted to Double-A Binghamton, Sproat continued to excel. In 11 starts, his ERA is just 2.45 over 62.1 innings. He’s also shown outstanding control, striking out 77 and walking just 15. In his final outing for the Rumble Ponies, Sproat struck out 13 (11 in a row) in five innings of work.

    In July, Sproat represented the Mets in the 2024 Futures Game. He pitched one scoreless inning, inducing a double-play following an error.

    Syracuse is the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. The S-Mets play in the International League and are just one level from the majors. Many of the players Sproat will face in Triple-A have seen action (some significant) in the MLB.

    Sproat played at Florida from 2020-23 and compiled a 19-8 record in his collegiate career. In his senior season, the Gators competed in the national championship series against LSU.

  • Florida Football Preview: Quarterbacks

    Florida Football Preview: Quarterbacks

    Photo by Ed Zurga | Getty Images

    One of the most intriguing storylines for Florida football at the start of fall camp is the quarterback position. For the first time in what feels like forever, the Gators actually have a capable returning starter in veteran Graham Mertz.

    What makes this such a position of interest is the arrival of Gatorade National Player of the Year, DJ Lagway. Lagway was a consensus five-star prospect out of Texas and chose the Gators over in-state powerhouse Texas A&M, among many others.

    Florida head coach Billy Napier has said that Lagway will get reps this year and depending on his ability, fans could clamor for the future to begin immediately, especially if the Gators struggle out of the gate.

    Mertz, who enters his sixth year of FBS football, transferred to Florida prior to last year after four years at Wisconsin. Despite the Gators finishing just 5-7 overall, Mertz set personal bests in virtually every statistical category in 2023. His 20-3 touchdown inception rate was phenomenal, but also indicates just how safe the game plan often was. This is also demonstrated by the spike in his completion percentage since arriving in Gainesville. In 2022, Mertz completed just 57.3% of his passes but that jumped to 72.9% with Florida.

    To be clear, Graham Mertz will be the starting quarterback heading into the 2024 season, there is no question about that. Mertz was named to the preseason Maxwell Award Watchlist just last week. The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the player voted as the best all-around player in the nation.

    As stated previously, Lagway will see live action, as well. A year ago, the talented signal caller tossed a Texas 6A record 59 touchdowns. He threw for more than 4,000 yards while completing 72.1% of his passing attempts. Lagway also offers the Gators the opportunity to run the quarterback. He rushed for more than 900 yards and 16 scores as a senior.

    Ideally, Lagway is going to push Mertz into being an even better quarterback than he’s already shown and Mertz is going to help Lagway develop into the player we all think he’s capable of being.

    Also in the room:

    Florida added a couple of pieces to its QB room via the transfer portal.

    • Clay Millen (Colorado State/Nevada), RS-Jr. Millen opened 2023 as the starter for the Rams after a successful freshman year campaign at Colorado State. Under Jay Norvell, Millen set the NCAA freshman completion percentage record (72.2%).
    • Aidan Warner (Yale), RS-Fr. The 6’3, 206 lb signal caller did not play a snap for Yale but transferred to Gainesville as a walk-on.

    The Gators also added a pair of walk-on freshmen.

    • Paul Kessler, 6’5, 220 lbs, a freshman from Los Angeles, CA. Preferred walk-on.
    • Lawrence Wright, IV, 6’1, 236 lbs. A freshman from Miami, played high school at PK Yonge. Son of 1996 National Champion Lawrence Wright.

    The Gators aren’t super deep at the quarterback position, but the talent, especially among No. 1 and No. 2 is there. Graham Mertz is more than adequate as a starter and will help DJ Lagway become a better quarterback in the long run.

    This is part one of our 2024 Florida Football Preview. Stay posted for our running backs room preview coming later this week.

  • MLB Draft: Jac Caglianone Selected By Royals No. 6 Overall

    MLB Draft: Jac Caglianone Selected By Royals No. 6 Overall

    Photo by Wesley Hitt | Getty Images

    Florida superstar Jac Caglianone was selected No. 6 overall by the Kansas City Royals in Sunday’s MLB Draft.

    Caglianone set numerous program records including the all-time home run mark, with 75. His 2024 campaign will go down as one of, if not the the top all-around year in Gators baseball history.

    Caglianone entered college following Tommy John surgery and was thought to redshirt his first year at UF. However, with the Florida lineup struggling, he and head coach Kevin O’Sullivan decided to let Caglianone DH because of his power potential. In 28 games as a freshman, the Tampa native slugged seven homers and hit .289. He struck out 21 times and only walked five times in 115 plate appearances.

    As a sophomore, Caglianone found a brand new stride. At the plate, he hit a BBCOR-era record 33 home runs and 90 RBI. He hit .323 at the plate and struck out 58 times while walking just 17 times. Caglianone led the Gators to the final game of the national championship series. Additionally, he went 7-4 on the mound with a 4.34 ERA over 74.2 innings.

    In 2024, Caglianone was superior to his record setting 2023 season by nearly every metric. He smacked 35 home runs, including a 516-foot moon shot over the scoreboard at Condron Family Ballpark. He reached base at an incredible .544% rate and recorded a batting average of .419 for the season. Most important, Cags cut down his strikeouts to just 26. He also pitched to a 5-2 record with a 4.76 ERA and played spectacular defense at first base.

    The sixth overall pick is slotted for $7,213,800. The Royals have a bonus pool of just over $13 million. In 2023, all but one of the prospects selected in the top ten rounds signed with their respective teams.

    Caglianone becomes Florida’s 221st individual selected in the draft and the 106th since head coach Kevin O’Sullivan took over.

  • #GatorMade: Jonathan India Goes 3-4 in Win Over Colorado

    #GatorMade: Jonathan India Goes 3-4 in Win Over Colorado

    Photo by Jason Mowry | Getty Images

    As the baseball season reaches its midpoint, former National League Rookie of the Year Jonathan India is starting to heat up. As a result, the Fort Lauderdale, FL native is starting to hear his name in trade rumors just a few weeks from the MLB trade deadline.

    India sparked a 8-1 win over Colorado on Thursday by reaching base four times and scoring a pair of runs. India recorded a double and two singles while also walking to leadoff the first inning.

    For the season, the Reds’ starting second baseman is hitting .276 with 7 HR and 37 RBI. His on-base percentage is .375 and he has stolen eight bases.

    In his last thirty games, India is hitting .333 with three homers and 11 RBI and has solidified himself as the everyday leadoff hitter for Cincinnati.

    Perhaps the biggest area of improvement for India is his fielding. During his rookie of the year campaign in 2021, India made 15 errors. So far, he’s committed just two errors in 2024.

    India’s recent hot streak, coupled with the Reds’ 45-49 record, have led to rumors that the four-year veteran could be on the move at the trade deadline. The Yankees stand out as a team looking to make a move and are specifically looking for a leadoff hitter and a second baseman. Empire Sports Media featured India in it’s look at “Finding The Perfect Leadoff Man” for the Yankees. They examined why India makes sense in New York. You can check it out here.

    The Reds will open a three game home series against the Miami Marlins before heading into the All-Star break. For Gators fans, that means India will be on local television this weekend.

    India attended Florida from 2016-18 and was the starting third baseman for the only national championship in program history in 2017. As a junior in 2018, India hit 21 home runs and had 52 RBI in leading the team back to the College World Series.

  • VB: Gators Ranked No. 2 in SEC Preseason Coaches Poll

    VB: Gators Ranked No. 2 in SEC Preseason Coaches Poll

    Florida volleyball enters the 2024 campaign with lofty expectations as the coaches of the Southeastern Conference voted the Gators as the second best team in the preseason coaches poll, announced Monday.

    Florida finished with one first place vote and twenty-twp points behind SEC-newcomer Texas. The Longhorns received fourteen first place votes.

    SEC Coaches Poll

    • Texas (14)
    • Florida (1)
    • Kentucky
    • Georgia
    • Tennessee
    • Missouri
    • Texas A&M
    • Arkansas
    • LSU
    • Auburn
    • Oklahoma
    • Mississippi
    • South Carolina
    • Mississippi State
    • Alabama

    Florida returns twelve players from the 2023 squad that finished 19-10 overall but defeated No. 8 Penn State, No. 2 Stanford, and No. 5 Minnesota at the beginning of the season before a season-ending injury to setter Alexis Stucky.

    The Gators added All-American Honorable Mention, redshirt senior Isabel Martin from UNLV. Florida also added setter Erin Engel from Maryland out of the transfer portal. Additionally, the Gators added six new freshman recruits for the 2024 team.

    Florida will open 2024 on the road with a trip to Colorado. On August 30, the regular season gets underway with a matchup against Colorado State in Fort Collins followed by a match vs Northern Colorado. The weekend will conclude with a neutral-site contest against Michigan State.

    The Gators will be in action on August 24 for an exhibition match vs Georgia Southern. Fans will be welcome as part of the annual fan day experience.