GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators lacrosse team will open their season as the No. 12 team in the country, according to the USA Lacrosse preseason poll.
After an impressive 17-4 campaign last season, the AAC Champion Gators will have their hands full this year with a tough schedule. Five of their regular season opponents are in the top 20, with four of the five in the top 10.
The Gators lost two key starters this offseason. With highly decorated goalkeeper Sarah Reznick graduating, Florida’s next goalkeeper will have big shoes to fill this year. The Gators also lost their leading goal scorer for the 2023 season, Emma LoPinto to the transfer portal. The team will lean on Danielle Pavinelli and Maggi Hall to score goals this season.
Meanwhile, a pair of seniors were named to the USA Lacrosse Magazine’s Division I Preseason All-American list. Emily Heller and Danielle Pavinelli were selected after stellar 2023 campaigns.
Heller, a fifth-year senior, was selected as the AAC Midfielder of the year for the 2023 season and also named an IWLCA Second Team All-American. She tallied 43 points and 40 ground balls on the season.
Pavinelli, a 2023 All-AAC First Team selection, scored 47 goals last season and assisted on 21.
Florida will open the season with three straight road games. Starting the year at No. 9 Loyola on Feb. 10. The Gators will then head to Chapel Hill on Feb. 17 to take on No. 3 University of North Carolina. They’ll conclude their road trip on Feb. 24 at No. 6 University of Maryland.
The home opener will be on Feb. 28 against Jacksonville University.
On Thursday, the SEC coaches’ poll results were released.
As a team, the Gators were picked to win the SEC East with 11 votes. They also received two votes to claim the SEC.
Four individuals, which was league-high, were named First Team Preseason All-SEC. Jac Caglianone, Cade Kurland, Colby Shelton and Brandon Neely were the Gators honored.
Jac Caglianone: the name everyone knows on Florida Baseball. Following his 2023 Golden Spikes Finalist year, Caglianone has been named with several Preseason honors. He was named to Golden Spikes 2024 watch list. In addition, he was also named Preseason Two-Way Player of the Year by Perfect Game and Preseason First Team All-American by Perfect Game for the 2024 season. The sky is the limit for Caglianone’s 2024 season.
Cade Kurland in his freshman season hit 17 homeruns and had a .297 batting average. The second-baseman was awarded for his rookie campaign by being named Freshman All-American by BA, CB, D1Baseball, Perfect Game; SEC All-Freshman Team; and First Team All-SEC.
Colby Shelton also earned many honors in his freshman campaign. Shelton transferred from Alabama this past summer and will be a huge contribution to the Gators this season. He was named to the freshman All-SEC team, a Second Team Freshman All-American by NCBWA and Baseball America, First Team Freshman All-American by D1Baseball, and Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News.
Brandon Neely earned a number of awards after his standout sophomore season when he transitioned to his role as a closer. In 2023 he was awarded with NCBWA Stopper of the Year Finalist, First Team All-SEC, and Second Team All-American by NCBWA. He was a member of USA Baseball Collegiate National Team with Caglianone this past summer. This year, he was also named Preseason Third Team All-American by PG. He will be a vital member of the Gator’s pitching staff this season.
The Gators 2024 campaign kicks off Friday February 16th. Opening weekend features a 3-game series against St. John’s.
The softball season is here, and the Gators are set and ready.
The Gators will open their season in Tampa at the USF-Rawlings Invitational. Their first game of the weekend is against the Oregon State Beavers with first pitch at 5:30 p.m.
This is the first matchup of the full weekend. Florida will play two games on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s contests include Michigan and Illinois State while Sunday’s are Bethune-Cookman and USF.
Their first home game is on Wednesday against Jacksonville University at 6 p.m.
The Gators sit at No. 17/18 in the country after the NFCA and USA Softball’s preseason rankings, respectively. They also came it at No. 20 according to D1Softball and No. 24 according to Softball America.
The SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll has Florida sitting at No. 7.
Reigning NFCA Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year Skylar Wallace leads Florida’s campaign after a monumental 2023 season. She racked up accolades such as preseason All-SEC, Softball America’s All-American, No. 6 on the Softball America Top 100 Players List and on the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List.
Brown and Rothrock come into the 2024 season with Gatorade Softball National Player of the Year awards from 2023 and 2022, respectively. Both also have the accolade on the state level, as well.
Florida is led by Tim Walton in his 19th year as head coach. Walton is included in the 2024 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class and will be inducted in December. His all-time record at Florida is 926-223 and has eight SEC titles and two national titles.
If the Florida Gators (15-7) want to be dancing in March, they have to be on their A-game every time they take the court.
On Saturday evening, their best was not enough as they fell just short to SEC rivals Texas A&M (13-8) 67-66.
The Gators came out the gate firing on all cylinders, and were especially hot from beyond the arc in the games first half, eventually taking a six-point lead into the half.
Much of the Gators’ first half success can be attributed to senior guard Zion Pullin, who led the team with 18 points in the matchup.
However, the second half was a completely different story. The Gators, who led by as much as 13 at one point, were ice cold from the field, while the Aggies began picking up steam.
The comeback was led by Texas A&M’s senior guard Tyree Radford, who put up 26 points while uber-efficient from the field, shooting 10-16.
The game came down to the wire, where Radford hit a go-ahead jumper with 35 seconds remaining to give the Aggies a one-point lead.
With one shot at the win, the Gators put the ball in the hands of junior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who missed a potential game-winning jumper.
However, sophomore guard Riley Kugel grabbed the offensive rebound, and dished it out to Pullin, who’s three-point attempt hit the front of the rim.
In the ensuing struggle, Texas A&M sophomore forward Solomon Washington ended up with the ball, capturing the victory as time expired.
The Gators now fall to 5-4 in conference play and now must recover after their four game win streak was snapped. Meanwhile, Texas A&M now sit at 4-4 in SEC play.
Todd Golden’s Gators have a week to figure out how to improve as they will head back to Gainesville to face the No. 16 Auburn Tigers at the O’Connell Center.
Gator fans, get ready for a wild meet – it’s Rivalry Night in Athens! No. 8 Florida will face the No. 21 Gymdogs tonight.
The last time these two teams met in Athens, disaster struck – two Gator athletes incurred season-ending injuries on the Stegeman Coliseum floor in warmups, including Ellie Lazzari, who could be poised to make her AA return tonight two years later. Gymdog at the time, but later Gator, Rachel Baumann also earned a 10.0 on floor that night after Georgia absolutely imploded on beam, while Florida still somehow eked out a normal score despite having to rearrange lineups last minute.
Everyone will be hoping for a much less eventful meet tonight, although Florida is certainly looking to post another improved score and put together a truly complete meet. There’s not much danger of losing to Georgia, but if they can’t compete cleanly, the Gymdogs could sneak up on them. Here’s what to look for to gauge the Gators’ success as we move into February:
Better vault landings, especially from those with really dynamic, clean vaults like Ferris and Pilgrim
The vault squad definitely started to dial it in last week, but key performers like Ferris and Lazzari undercooked it a bit. They need to find their sweet spot by the end of the month, but they’d definitely rather overdo it than under – no more sat vaults, please!
Clean bars routines from the full lineup – no misses, no overarched handstands, no saves – and stuck landings
This team can be a bars team if they can hit a fully clean lineup of six, but illness has clearly been a problem in early season keeping them from getting all their reps in and competing at 100%. The Gators need six hits tonight to show improvement, especially as strong as Georgia is on bars.
A lineup order that works on bars – each routine building from the last, with a strong leadoff score above 9.85
Again, this team can be a bars team with six clean routines. Lineup order is something Rowland and Field are clearly still playing with, and maybe even composition – Arana could still enter back into the lineup after a miss on opening night, she has a quality routine if she can hit when it counts. But they need to find the right six in the right order by the time March rolls around, especially the right leadoff to help them build from a higher place. This team is too good to get stuck in the 9.8s.
Nguyen breaking 9.9 on beam consistently
She was rewarded last week with her first 9.9+ score in her career – to do it again against her former team tonight would make it even sweeter
More than just hits – strong, confident, “I own this beam” routines from the whole squad, but especially Lazzari and Wong
Hurd’s absence in the lineup last week was a little surprising, but regardless of who is in the lineup, they need to own the beam both at home and away. They are the number 2 beam team in the country – let’s start acting like it. I’m especially looking at Wong’s series, which has been problematic for her both last season and this season, as well as during the elite season in between.
A strong leadoff routine on floor from Brubach, followed by higher scores from each subsequent athlete
Brubach is a great leadoff energy-wise, but she needs to set the tone execution-wise as well. Landings of opening passes have looked a little funky for several regular floor performers – February is when those need to start looking more comfortable.
High-energy performances from the entire lineup, especially at away meets
They knocked this out of the park last week, but it’s really most important when they’re on the road, so keep your eyes peeled tonight for high-energy dance and showmanship.
Ferris healthy and nailing whatever events she’s ready for
Whether she only does vault this season or is able to add floor later on, what Ferris does compete needs to be clean. February is the time for her to find that vault landing and decide whether floor is in the cards or not. If it is, I wouldn’t expect it before the last meet of the month – the all-important LSU meet.
Lazzari’s expanded presence
Three events last week indicates that she’s well on her way back to the AA, but vault did not go as planned. Maybe tonight she drops back to two events? But maybe she’s ready to have another go. Going to Stegeman and knocking it out of park, whatever events she competes, will be a big psychological win for her, two years post-injury. She doesn’t have anything to prove, but that memory has to stick in her mind just a little bit.
Not all of this list needs to be checked off tonight, but we are looking for progress. February is considered mid-season now, so we want to see continued upward movement if this slow and steady, marathon-not-a-sprint approach from Rowland is going to work.
It all begins tonight on the SEC Network at 7pm ET, but if you can’t tune in, are watching another meet, or don’t have access, we’ll have all the quick hits here for you.
6:55pm: Broadcast will be starting soon! Live scoring link tonight appears to be broken, so I apologize if I’m a little late on score updates.
7:02pm: Broadcast is live!
Here we go, rotation 1 – Georgia on vault, Florida on bars.
LaClair, UGA VT: Yfull, a little loose in the air, small hop back.
Blakely, UB: Camera error caused us to miss her first handstand, some weirdness on her Maloney but pak was better. Final handstands were alright, double front was a little scary, lunge forward. Not her best, but not as bad as it could have been?
Cashman, VT: Looks like a little wait here? Not sure what for. Judges are conferencing… this is a great sign for the rest of this meet….
Here she goes. Yfull, piked down at the end, little hop back. Yeah, slow mo shows how piked she is in the hips, that should be deducted pretty heavily.
Nguyen, UB: Maloney to pak, legs glued together, much easier than last week. DLO, a little step back. Starting over after that hiccup from Blakely, who only earned a 9.575.
Smith, VT: Yfull, very nice in the air but doesn’t get a whole lot of amplitude. Little hop in place on the landing.
Disidore, UB: Maloney to pak, very patient with it, easy swing. van Leeuwen is clean, a little fingertip catch maybe? DLO, sticks it! That’ll be a good one, although her handstands weren’t as good as I know she’s capable of.
Scott, VT: Yfull, fantastic amplitude, but a big bounce back.
Pilgrim, UB: Strong first handstand. Maloney to pak, legs absolutely pasted together. What gorgeous lines she has! Can’t tell about her last handstand, camera was too zoomed in on her face. Full in dismount – she sticks it cold! What a star.
Finnegan, VT: Y1.5, great distance, pretty clean in the air, a little off to the side but hops forward at an angle to be more centered, never went outside the lines though.
Lazzari, UB: First handstand maybe a little shy? Gorgeous Tkachev to open. Pak salto is super floaty, legs perfectly together. Last handstand looks good. Full in dismount is stuck! Should be 9.9+ easily – as Pilgrim should have been, but she got a 9.875.
Wahl, VT: Y1.5, big hop forward but pretty clean in the air.
Wong, UB: Okay, this needs to be a big one. Great first handstand. Maloney to pak, some leg sep on the pak, weird. van Leeuwen is better. DLO, little slide back. Not going to be as big as it needs to be, but should still be ahead of Georgia no problem.
AFTER ONE: UF 49.35, UGA 49.15
Bars scoring feels… odd. Not tight exactly, but just weird – too harsh on Pilgrim, perhaps not harsh enough on Wong? Hoping it stays relatively tight for the home team as well, and that the Gators get the benefit of the doubt on vault like some of the Gymdogs did. If judging is going to be iffy, it had better be consistently so!
Live scores are now working… although being a little bit glitchy? Hopefully they’ll straighten out before rotation two begins. Find them here.
7:23pm: Rotation two!
Draser, VT: Y1.5, not a lot of distance but basically stuck, WOW! Little bend in the knees in the air, but just a small adjustment with one foot on the landing. 9.9!!
Howard, UGA UB: Good first handstand. Piked Tkachev to overshoot, fine. Full pirouette is pretty clean, to double tuck dismount – stuck. That’s a strong leadoff for Georgia.
Lazzari, VT: Y1.5, stands it up this week! Little hop forward. Much better – we love to see that. Lovely form in the air as we get a slow-mo replay.
Wahl, UB: Maloney to pak, legs glued together pretty well. Final handstand was a little shy? DLO is stuck though.
Pilgrim, VT: Y1.5, very clean in the air, just a little hop almost in place. They look DIALED IN tonight. This is fantastic.
Snyder, UB: Great first handstand. Huge amplitude on the piked Tkachev, overshoot is fine. Full pirouette to double tuck, stuck!
Blakely, VT: Y1.5, amplitude is nice, just a sizeable hop forward. Some knees at the end of her flight, and some leg sep, but harder to see in real time than in slow-mo like we just saw.
7:30pm: Finnegan, UB: Solid first handstand. Big Ray, went too big with it and had to take an extra kip in between to regain her momentum. Transition to low is clean, full in dismount – just drills it.
Wong, VT: Yhalf-on, pike half off – a little off to the side and I think one foot over the line. Little hop back too, and she didn’t hold it very long? I don’t know if they’ll deduct her or not.
9.925 – that feels generous, but Florida will take it!
Scott, UB: Tkachev to pak, WOW she just floats it. van Leeuwen is lovely too, legs glued together. DLO is stuck cold – that will be a big score for the Gymdogs.
Ferris, VT: Bring us home, Danie! Y1.5, almost overcooked her punch and ended up with her hands just on the very end of the table, but pulled it off – clean in the air, just a bound forward on the landing.
Smith, UB: Maloney to pak – just gorgeous. Full in, has so much time to spot the landing and just drop it in. Absolutely incredible form.
AFTER TWO: UF 98.8, UGA 98.6
THAT is the kind of vault rotation I was hoping for from Florida tonight. Those vault landings are much closer to what we want to be seeing midseason, and they should continue improving. Wong is the only one who didn’t do exactly what I expected, but her vault also fluctuates typically during the season and then figures it out just before post, so I’m less concerned about her.
7:45pm: Rotation 3!
Wahl, UGA BB: They’re not letting her start just yet? Even though broadcast seems to believe she’s about to start.
Okay, here we go. Back handspring-back handspring-layout stepout (bhs bhs loso), rhythm was a little funky but she’s rock solid. Side somi is clean. Switch to split 3/4, clean 180s there. Roundoff 1.5 twist, just a little hop forward on the dismount.
Draser, FX: Interesting, no Brubach this week? Punch front to double back, clean landing, although the camera angle was garbage so it’s hard to see exactly how she landed. Leap series is clean, 180 positions were solid. I’m not seeing the performance quality here I was hoping for, though. Double pike, strong landing there. Gator chomp to finish – I want more power out of that move from her!
Morgan, BB: Full turn off the top is clean. Bhs loso, clean. Sissone to switch half, little leg up check there, and maybe of 180 on the switch half? 1.5 dismount, another little hop.
Nguyen, FX: Front double full to sissone, muuuuch better connection this week, I feel a lot better about that one. Switch ring to switch half, gorgeous positions in the air, lovely extension through her toes. Y turn is also very nice, well controlled. 1.5 to front lay, takes it right to the corner, under control. Strong performance quality there too – much better. 9.9!
Turner, BB: Bhs loso loso to open, some knees but very steady, good for her. Switch to split, strong 180s there. Roundoff 1.5, not sure how she stuck that, she looked pretty off on the takeoff, but she did.
Hurd, FX: Punch layout to Rudi, just a little bounce on the landing, much cleaner this week. Switch ring to switch half, lovely leap series. Really bringing the drama in this choreography sequence – definitely upping the ante on performance quality. Double pike – took it all the way to the corner, stepped forward instead of back into the lunge it looked like? But camera angle was not conducive to seeing exactly how she landed. Still, one of their best – another 9.9! Wow! I think that’s Hurd’s career high?
Battle, BB: Full turn is nice. Split 1/2 from side stand, that’s a fun one we don’t see often in NCAA. Splits in her leap series are good, a little bobble but handles it like a pro. Another bobble at the end of her acro series, but again, takes it in stride, keeps her feet down. Gainer full off the side is stuck.
8pm: Pilgrim, FX: Punch front through to double tuck, a little underrotated there but covers well. Maybe a little under rotation on her last of those three dance elements? Hard to tell since her split is sometimes off axis, although always hitting or over 180 degrees. Double pike is super solid to close it out.
Smith, BB: Front aerial to bhs, apparently usually she does two but just one this week. Switch to split leap, maybe a little shy of 180 on the leap. Front toss, finesses that landing, doesn’t show if she was having trouble with it. Gainer full off the side, sticks it.
Blakely, FX: She looks like she’s in the zone tonight. Punch front through to double pike, a little shy of rotation there, has a little weird bounce stumble moment. Leap series is gorrrgeous. 1.5 to front full, perfect landing on that one. Ended a little bit before her music? She looks a little shaken – this floor, man! I do not like it. They need to be able to walk out of Stegeman tonight with no injuries please.
Scott, BB: Full turn is lovely. Front handspring – bobble, has to reset and go to a backup series. Bhs loso is much more steady. Front aerial to split jump to bhs. Split leap to switch leap, gorgeous extension on those. Front handspring front full dismount – don’t see that every day! A little shuffle forward on the dismount.
Richards, FX: The super senior is back! DLO, one of her good ones! Dance series is clean, great straddle positions, well above 180. 1.5 to front half to straddle jump – I think that’s new, that’s really fun. Performance quality was a little muted but I’ll take it after two weeks out of the lineup, at least one of those not feeling well.
AFTER THREE: UF 148.1, UGA 147.825
A solid floor rotation from the Gators – a few issues, including Blakely’s opening pass and still needing a stronger leadoff score, but having Richards back is definitely a big help. Wong resting this week makes sense – she doesn’t need to be doing AA every week while she’s also training elite – but Florida will want her in the final six for sure. This lineup is definitely still in flux, but it is trending upward, and that’s what we needed to see tonight.
8:19pm: Rotation four, here we go!
Draser, BB: Bhs loso, so solid. Very satisfying. Switch to switch half, solid positions in the air. Roundoff 1.5 twist, little hop forward. A good start for the Gators. I just want more command and confidence out of her – I can see it’s in there!
Williams, UGA FX: 1.5 to front lay, very clean to start. Double pike for her second pass, went out of bounds (OOB) – angle made it hard to see if it was one or two feet. Double tuck – she’s doing three passes! – stuck that one cold, wow.
Blakely, BB: Front aerial to bhs, very confident, very steady. Split leap switch half, a little off axis but definitely hits 180. Switch to gainer full, little hop in place on the dismount.
LaClair, FX: Punch front full through to double full, that’s fun! Don’t typically see that combination. Dance series is very crisp. Lots of walking in this choreography. Rudi to loso is solid to close it out, well controlled.
Pilgrim, BB: Bhs loso, so calm and clean, perfectly straight legs. Full turn as we hear one of her teammates call out “you’re beautiful!” Beat to front aerial, lovely. Switch to split leap, just floats it. Bhs gainer full off the side, sticks it cold! Well done.
Fitzgerald, FX: Ooh, a Britney routine, this could be fun. Rudi to loso, reallllly crooked in the air as she punches from one element to the other. Dance series is a little crooked too on the wolf element, but fully rotated certainly. Double tuck to finish, big slide back as she lands – I couldn’t see if she went OOB because of the camera angle, looked like she was close but maybe not quite.
8:30pm: Lazzari, BB: Looks like a little bit of a wait after Pilgrim’s routine? Wonder what that’s about.
Here we go – still looks cool as a cucumber, bhs loso loso, just gorgeous. Switch leap to split jump, clears 180 degrees no problem. Front aerial, little bobble, brings her foot up but not high, no break at the hips. Full turn is clean. Cartwheel to gainer full stuck! Yes ma’am.
Cashman, FX: 1.5 to front layout to start, very clean, well controlled. Choreograph here is very simple but her lines are lovely. Dance series is lovely, very clean in her positions. Double tuck to finish – very strong.
Nguyen, BB: Onodi to bhs, she was a little off but moved through the connection okay in my opinion. Switch leap to split jump, just gorgeous positions in the air, lovely extension. Another little wobble on choreography? Unusual for her. Bhs 1.5 twist dismount, tried to fight for the stick but had to shift a little bit.
Wahl, FX: Full in, looks like she might have gone OOB but commentator Kennedy Baker says she stayed in? Leap series like fine. Loso to a half turn somersault as choreography, that’s kinda fun? Last pass is clean, a better landing there.
Wong, BB: Switch leap onto the mount but she misses her foot! Somehow stays on the beam?? Gets up, readjusts, continues her routine. Repeats the element for credit, that’s a smart athlete. Bhs loso is dead on this week, good for her. Full turn, steady. Front aerial, textbook. Roundoff double full, little bounce on the dismount.
Smith, FX: Front double full, so clean, wow. 1.5 to front lay, gorgeous twisting form, legs rod straight. She has lovely extension in her dance series, maybe the best wolf jump I’ve seen. Choreography really emphasizes her lines but does almost nothing with them, Georgia needs a new choreographer ASAP. Rudi to straddle to finish it out, lovely.
FINAL: UF 197.475, UGA 197.3
Pilgrim and Wong tie for the vault title with a 9.925, and Blakely and Lazzari tie for the beam title with 9.925. Lily Smith took bars with a 9.95, floor at 9.925, and the AA crown at 39.6.
Only a little higher than last week, but some major improvements this week that Florida will be really happy with. Not the most complete meet, misses from Blakely on bars and Wong on beam aren’t exactly encouraging, but there’s still plenty of time to straighten things out.
Let’s take a look at our checklist:
Better vault landings, especially from those with really dynamic, clean vaults like Ferris and Pilgrim
Much better landings all around tonight! They can get better, but the squad is in a much better place for midseason than they were last week.
Clean bars routines from the full lineup – no misses, no overarched handstands, no saves – and stuck landings
Blakely’s miss tonight is her second this season… it takes three to make a pattern, but it doesn’t feel great for a vet like her to be having weird hiccups like this. Maybe she comes out of the lineup for a week?
A lineup order that works on bars – each routine building from the last, with a strong leadoff score above 9.85
Lazzari was the only athlete to break 9.9 this week, and last week it was only her and Wong. This team has to get off to a faster start so judges are more willing to go higher. Focusing on some stuck dismounts and sharper handstands for certain athletes will also help.
Nguyen breaking 9.9 on beam consistently
Some issues tonight for her on beam – it wasn’t going to happen tonight. Hoping to see her bounce back next week.
More than just hits – strong, confident, “I own this beam” routines from the whole squad, but especially Lazzari and Wong
I got a lot more confidence off of those beam routines than in previous weeks – Wong’s fall was a total fluke, I can’t imagine that happening again. Would love to see Draser spend some time with her teammates, especially Blakely and Lazzari, to find some of that ownership mentality.
A strong leadoff routine on floor from Brubach, followed by higher scores from each subsequent athlete
Brubach missing from the lineup this week is interesting, and I do wonder who they’ll take out for Wong when she’s ready to do AA. I think this was a solid group, although I think Nguyen and Hurd scoring so well may be an indication that Rowland ought to move them back a little.
High-energy performances from the entire lineup, especially at away meets
Some yays, some nays, but they’ve got more away meets to work on it – I’ll be especially interested to see how things go at the “Mizzou to the Lou” quad, where I’ve heard a rumor that they may be on podium!
Ferris healthy and nailing whatever events she’s ready for
Vault this week was a step in the right direction – next week, we’ll want to see vault a little more normal, since she almost overshot the table tonight.
Lazzari’s expanded presence
She did, in fact, stick with three events tonight, which is fantastic, and nailed all three. Two years after her injury, almost to the day – Ellie Lazzari is freakin’ back. Check this one off the list, y’all.
We’ll be back here at 7pm ET for Link to Pink next week, Friday the 9th, on ESPN – see you then!
Coming into the final day of January, it seemed the Florida Gators (15-6) were lacking a “trademark” win to add to their resume, as they were 0-6 against Quad One teams.
Now heading into the first day of February, the Gators have that “trademark” win. And it was against SEC rival and a top ten team, the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats (15-6), 94-91.
It was the first road win by the Gators against a top ten opponent since 2003.
Earlier in January, the Gators suffered a heart-breaking home defeat to the Wildcats, 87-85. However, the Gators headed into Lexington, Kentucky on a three-game win streak and plenty of momentum after a rocky start to conference play.
Just like their first matchup, the game was a competitive bout with a whopping 37 lead changes. Kentucky led by five after the first half, but the Gators stormed back to make it a one-possession game with just seconds remaining.
With one chance at sending the game to overtime, Florida put the ball in the hands of junior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who hit a game-tying three-pointer with five seconds remaining on the clock.
It was one of Clayton Jr.’s seven three-point makes in the game, as he finished the contest as Florida’s leading scorer with 23 points.
The Gators controlled the pace in overtime, grabbing a lead behind Clayton Jr.’s proficient shooting and then locking down defensively. In fact, the Gators did not allow Kentucky to score any points for over two and a half minutes during the overtime period, a drought which ended with just 11 seconds remaining in the matchup.
Despite a late scare off a Clayton Jr. turnover, the junior guard grabbed the game-sealing rebound and time expired, giving the Gators the three point win.
Alongside Clayton Jr., Florida had two other players score 20 or more points in the contest. Senior forward Tyrese Samuel added 22 points as well as 13 rebounds, and senior guard Zion Pullin also put up 21 points alongside seven rebounds and seven assists.
On the scoring end for the Wildcats, their dynamic freshman guards Reed Sheppard and Robert Dillingham led the way, scoring 24 and 20 points respectively. Senior guard Antonio Reeves also added 19 points, and sophomore forward Ugonna Onyenso put up a career-high 13 points to go along with 16 rebounds and eight blocks. Onyenso also had an unreal nine offensive rebounds in the contest.
Despite many standouts on both sides, the difference in the game could be attributed to one simple factor: free throws. In the past few matchups, the Gators have drastically improved from the stripe, and they shot 18-22 from the line today. In comparison, the Wildcats shot 11-17. In a three-point game, any and every point matters, and Florida found the way to get those points today.
Now riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak and a massive road victory, the Gators will head to College Station on Saturday to face Texas A&M (12-8). That matchup will take place at 4 PM eastern.
It comes at no surprise that Jac Caglianone continues to pick up more honors. On Monday, D1Baseball announced Preseason All-Americans for the 2024 season. Caglianone was given first-team honors.
Some of Caglianone’s honors last season include First Team All-SEC, Golden Spikes Award Finalist, Unanimous First Team All-American, BCA National Position Player of the Year, along with several others. He finished the season with .322 batting average with 33 home runs and 90 RBIs. When on the mound, Caglianone had a 7-4 record and 87 strikeouts.
Caglianone was not the only Gator to be mentioned. Brandon Neely was named to the second team. Neely moved into the closer position for the Gators last season and was a critical piece to the Gators roster. Neely had 13 saves on the season in 34 appearances. He posted a 3.58 ERA with 72 strikeouts. Some of Neely’s awards last season include First Team All-SEC, NCVWA Stopper of the Year Finalist, and a Second Team All-American by NCBWA.
Both Caglianone and Neely represented USA baseball this past summer as a part of the USA Baseball Collegiate Team.
Preseason All-America honors for Cags and Neels from @d1baseball 🇺🇸
The anticipation for the Gators 2024 campaign draws closer as opening day is on Friday, February 16th. The Gators have a three-game series against St. John’s at Condron Family Ballpark.
A win is a win, but the Florida Gators (14-6) made the UF faithful in the packed Stephen O. Connell Center hold their breath.
The Gators bested the Georgia Bulldogs (14-6) but needed overtime to do it, eventually winning 102-98.
Florida led by as much as 21 points in the second half, and led the entire game, except when Georgia somehow made it even at 85 to end regulation.
The Gators controlled most of the matchup, especially on the boards. The Gators out-rebounded the Bulldogs 48-27, which usually lends itself to a dominant win.
However, Florida seemed to shoot themselves in the foot whenever given the opportunity. UF turned the ball over a whopping 19 times, a few of which came when the Gators attempted to control the clock late, which did not work in their favor.
Once the game reached the extra quarter, however, Florida kicked into gear and secured its fourth SEC win of the season.
Florida was led offensively sophomore center Micah Handlogten, who scored a career-high 23 points along with 17 rebounds.
The Gators also had three other players that played 39 or more minutes in the contest, all of whom scored 18 or more points.
Junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. had 18 points, including four three-pointers, junior guard Will Richard also scored 18, and senior guard Zion Pullin added 20 more points.
Seven of Pullin’s points came in OT, where the Gators prevailed due to their proficiency from the free-throw line. For the second straight game, UF shot 85% from the charity stripe, showing improvement from the lackluster free throw efforts this season.
Much of Georgia’s comeback in the matchup should be attributed to junior guard RJ Melendez, who came off the bench to score 35 points on 13-19 shooting. Melendez also had six three-pointers made on 10 attempts.
Florida’s decision to slow the tempo and control their lead almost came back to bite them, but they ultimately added another W to the win column, which makes it three straight.
Now, the Gators will travel to Lexington to face the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats (14-4), who previously defeated UF in Gainesville earlier this month. That game will take place on Wednesday.
Tonight, Florida welcomes home Gator greats of the past, including Alabama assistant coach Amelia Hundley, ESPN commentator Bridget Sloan, and more, as they celebrate Alumni Night and face their first major test of the season. While last week’s meet at Auburn could have been close, Florida was certainly the favorite, but Alabama might honestly be favored over Florida in tonight’s faceoff. The Tide have been ranked above the Gators for two weeks now – the first time that’s happened in regular season in a full decade.
Still, these teams have changed enormously even in just the last year or two. Let’s take a look at how they stack up against each other and see what the keys to the Gators’ success tonight might be.
VAULT: Florida and Alabama are actually tied on vault, both sitting at No. 9 nationally. Alabama has a higher ceiling so far this season, but the Gators are only two meets into their season, while the Tide have had one more week of competition already. Look for vault standouts like freshmen Danie Ferris and Anya Pilgrim to really dial in their landings tonight, if the Gators are going to start ahead of Bama. Sloane Blakely doesn’t look to be in the lineup tonight, but if things change, a good one from her tonight would also be a step in the right direction.
BARS: Alabama is ranked No. 1 in the nation on bars right now, while Florida is all the way down at No. 16 due to an uncharacteristically low first week on the event. Bars coach Owen Field will be looking for performances much closer to last week at Auburn if the team wants to keep up with Alabama – lots of sticky feet, perfectly vertical handstands, and certainly no falls! They’ll also likely want a higher leadoff score from freshman Gabby Disidore to give the squad a higher starting point to build from – a repeat of her 9.875 from last week would be ideal.
BEAM: In the Jenny Rowland era, Florida has almost always been a beam team. It’s ranked No. 3 right now, while Alabama is No. 15 after a sluggish start to its beam squad’s season – no event scores above 49.2 yet. Florida can keep this edge by turning in strong performances from beam queens Ellie Lazzari, Morgan Hurd, and Leanne Wong, but even better would be seeing Victoria Nguyen break 9.9 for the first time in her career.
FLOOR: Florida is also ranked above Alabama on floor, No. 6 to No. 16, but don’t let the wide number gap fool you. The difference in their average is only about a tenth, which is just one uncontrolled landing or underrotated leap. Florida will likely be starting Lori Brubach as leadoff once again this week, and a repeat 9.9 from her would be excellent. The goal will be for each subsequent athlete’s score to build on hers, and that will take clean, controlled landings, precision in dance elements, and strong performance. The performance should come easier at home in the O-Dome, but the other pieces of the puzzle will depend on how dialed in the Gators are and how much gas they have left in the tank at the end of the meet.
To sum this up in an easy-to-read checklist, we’re looking for:
Better vault landings, especially from those with really dynamic, clean vaults like Ferris and Pilgrim
Clean bars routines from the full lineup – no misses, no overarched handstands, no saves – and stuck landings
A strong leadoff routine on bars from Disidore – above 9.85 please!
Nguyen breaking 9.9 on beam for the first time in her career
More than just hits – strong, confident, “I own this beam” routines from the whole squad, but especially Lazzari, Hurd, and Wong
A strong leadoff routine on floor from Brubach, followed by higher scores from each subsequent athlete
All tumbling and leap series landings fully rotated and well controlled
High-energy performances from the entire lineup (and next week, we’ll be looking for this even though they’re not in the O-Dome)
In addition, we’re still looking for a few bullet points from our early season checklist we’ve been using the last two weeks.
Ferris’s return: a better-controlled vault tonight (which she showed in warmups) would definitely show progress for her. At media this week, Rowland indicated she’s impressed that Ferris is back at all, so I don’t expect to see her on floor anytime soon.
Lazzari’s expanded presence: floor last week looked good, but beam suffered a little. We’re looking for two hit events tonight, and maybe adding bars. She does not appear to be in the vault lineup, and honestly, maybe that’s what she needs.
It’s hard to say who I give the edge to here, but since the meet is in Gainesville, I’m leaning Florida. The meet starts at 7pm on ESPN2, but if you don’t have access, are watching another meet, or can’t get to a TV, we’ll have all the play-by-play right here for you.
7:01pm: We are live on ESPN2!
The Gators are wearing the SEC Championship leos… I feel like that’s a little bit of subtle attitude, reminding Alabama who has the crown? And honestly I’m here for it.
Ellie Lazzari is listed in the vault lineup!!!! This is not a drill!!
7:05pm: Draser, VT: Y1.5, a little underrotated but only takes one step back. Very floaty in the air.
LaCoursiere, Bama UB: First handstand a little quick? Maloney to pak is very pretty. van Leeuwen is also super clean. Short on the last handstand though. Toe on to full in, low chest but saved it as best she could, just a hop forward.
Pilgrim, VT: Y1.5, very clean in the air, just a little hop forward. Legs absolutely pasted together through the whole thing, maybe just a little teeny knee bend? Still, gorgeous.
Waligora, UB: Lovely handstand on the blind change, let go early on the Jaeger and eats mat, ouch. Takes time to rechalk, but the Tide did not want to open that door this early. Repeats the Jaeger, much better. Overshoot is fine, DLO dismount, little bounce back.
7:10pm: Lazzari, VT: Y1.5, comes up short, staggers back to try and save it but sits it down. Ouch. They’ll need a reset after that. She gets a hug from student coach Trinity Thomas afterward, hopefully she’ll have time to mentally reset before beam.
Pawlak, UB: Maloney to bail, handstand a little loose. Final handstand also shy. DLO is stuck!
Nguyen, VT: Y1.5, basically stuck! Just a little shift backward as she straightens her legs, WOW! A little knee bend in the air. That’s a great reset for this Gator squad, what a rock she’s become for this team. 9.975!! Feels a little generous given the foot adjustment and the knees in the air, but I’m not at the judging table.
Machado, UB: A wait for her here, but here we go. Great opening handstand. Lovely pak, great following handstand work as well. van Leeuwen is really floaty. Double tuck dismount, looked like a little bounce on her dismount.
7:15pm: Wong, VT: Yurchenko half-on, pike half off, just a little slide, but holds her salute nice and long. Some leg separation is more obvious when we go to slow-mo.
Doggette, UB: Shy on the opening handstand. Tkachev to pak, just gorgeous – you don’t see too many of those anymore. DLO feels like it freezes in the air as she rotates, stuck cold.
Ferris, VT: Y1.5, ooh, oh no, she tried too hard to stick it and undercooked it just a little. Didn’t sit it, if only for the strength of her thighs. But that won’t be the score she wanted or the team needed.
Blanco, UB: Cleanest of releases, but handstands are maybe a little loose? Stuck full in.
AFTER ONE: BAMA 49.375, UF 49.275
Florida just a tenth behind Alabama here – it’s just a close of a meet as I expected. Ferris and Lazzari are still works in progress, but the Gators put up a full lineup of 10.0 start values! Alabama didn’t have their cleanest rotation either, but they were able to put up 5 complete routines, so they end up ahead.
7:26pm: Rotation 2!
Sears, Bama VT: Yfull, HUGE air, very clean in the air, flared out just before the landing. Just a little bounce in place when she hits the mat.
Blakely, UB: Great opening handstand! Maloney had some leg separation, pak salto is clean. Final handstand work is strong. Double front dismount, has to lean to keep it but she does NOT move those feet! Holds her stick so long, good for her.
LaCoursiere, VT: Y1.5, waaaay off to the side though, lands fully outside the line.
Nguyen, UB: Maloney is lovely, some leg separation on the pak salto, off her axis on the half pirouette on the low bar, tried to keep going but couldn’t muscle through it, has to hop down. Gets back up, finishes it out with a DLO dismount, just a step forward. They do not need that.
Hudson, VT: Y1.5, basically stuck! Just a little shift back as she stands up. Some knee bend in the slow-mo, team is screaming for a 10 but I’d guess it’s about even with Nguyen’s earlier.
Disidore, UB: Not in the leadoff spot this week. Maloney to pak, both clean. van Leeuwen is also nice. DLO, just a little step back – great job tuning out the chaos happening on vault and staying calm after Nguyen’s fall for the freshman.
Hudson ends up with a 10 – that’s going to be big for the Tide.
Blanco, VT: Y1.5, little hop forward on the landing. Form in the air is very clean.
Pilgrim, UB: Maloney and pak are pretty clean. Great last handstand! Slings it out a little bit on the dismount, just a little hop forward. Another hit – they need two more of those!
Gladieux, VT: Just a Yfull, but very clean, great distance – just a little bounce in place it looked like.
Lazzari, UB: Is she in AA tonight?? Great opening handstand! Tkachev is solid. Pak had some minor leg separation. Handstand look a little labored? Full in is nice and high, just a little hop in place but good for her, she’s such a fighter.
Doggette, VT: Yfull, a bigger bounce back than Gladieux, so score should be lower if judges are doing their job. Great distance from the vault though, and pretty clean in the air.
Wong, UB: Good first handstand. Maloney to pak, a little leg separation toward the end. van Leeuwen is clean there. DLO, just a little hop back – they’ll drop Nguyen’s fall with that and maybe take back the lead? This is a TIGHT MEET y’all.
AFTER TWO: BAMA 98.775, UF 98.625
Wong only earns a 9.9, so Alabama’s lead grows to a tenth and a half despite counting a lower score than Florida had to.
9.925 is a career-high for Ellie Lazzari in her first bars routine since 2021!
Florida is ranked higher than Alabama on beam and floor, so hopefully they can close the gap in these next two rotations.
7:45pm: Rotation 3!
Draser, BB: Back handspring to layout-stepout (bhs loso), very secure. Switch leap to switch half, clean positions in the air. Roundoff 1.5, little hop forward.
Burgess, Bama FX: It’s been a while since we’ve seen her on floor, if I remember correctly! She’s been beam only for a few years. Double pike to open, a little crooked on takeoff it looked like but fixed it in the air. Double tuck for her second pass, much cleaner. Dance series is really crisp, great oversplits in the air. Punch front full to front layout, that’s a great leadoff for Alabama.
Blakely, BB: Front aerial to bhs, very confident. Split leap to switch half to beat jump, very sharp with each of those elements, good 180 positions. Switch leap to gainer full stuck! Her celebrations are my favorite.
Machado, FX: Double tuck to open, well controlled, good amplitude. Triple wolf turn to a double wolf turn – hers are actually really good, wow. 1.5 to front layout, one big leap forward on that landing. Switch to switch half, some funkiness on her back leg/foot but not sure if it’ll be caught by the judges.
Pilgrim, BB: Candle mount, lovely. Bhs loso, so patient, so steady. Full turn is so graceful. Beat jump to front aerial, secure. Switch leap to split leap, maybe a little shy of 180 on the first one? Stuck gainer full! I love that she uses Take a Bow for her beam music – more use of Rihanna, who also hails from Barbados, in addition to her floor music.
Sears, FX: DLO gets huge air, well controlled on the landing. Really bringing the performance in this choreo section. Switch ring to tour jete half, clean. Double tuck, overpowers it a little, wobbles a little bit like she was going to take a step back but doesn’t, staying in bounds.
Lazzari, BB: We need the beam queen now! Bhs loso loso, no problems this week! Gorgeous! Switch leap to split jump, 180s were clean. Little bobble on the full turn? Cartwheel to gainer full, maybe a little foot adjustment – still, should be a good score.
Hudson, FX: Front lay to front double full, wow, that’s a challenging pass. Dance series is nice and precise. I’m less than impressed with this choreography though. Double tuck is also clean. They’re shouting for 10s but I don’t think that’s going to be enough.
Nguyen, BB: She’s set up perfectly for a 9.9 tonight if she can hit a gorgeous routine. Onodi to bhs, flawless. Full turn – the best in the business, honestly. Switch leap to split jump, lovely extension, great positions in the air. Bhs 1.5, just the smallest of adjustments on one foot. That might be her best routine to date!
Gladieux, FX: Full out to open this routine, really high, decently clean. This choreo isn’t super exciting but she’s selling it decently. Dance series is pretty. Front layout to Rudi to a big split jump, lots of air but doesn’t travel a whole lot. Should be a good score.
Wong, BB: Switch leap mount to split leap, well connected and gorgeous positions. Bhs loso, leg comes up but not above 90 degrees and she immediately puts it back down, no leaning or fighting. Front aerial is sharp. Roundoff double full, looked like a little adjustment on the landing but Sloan says she stuck?
Blanco, FX: Double wolf turn, fine. Double pike, front foot slides backward as she lunges. Double tuck, another slide. Switch ring to switch half, both nice and high, clean positions. Really selling the choreo throughout this routine – it’s a fun routine! Front full to front layout, finds her control on that last pass. It’s going to be close! And we still have one rotation to go…
AFTER THREE: UF 148.15, BAMA 148.125
This is a CLOSE meet, y’all. The Gators are strong on floor, but judging was definitely tighter on floor than it was on beam. Who will come out on top? I think it’s going to come down to the final routine, much like the commentators have said.
Oop, they adjusted Gladieux’s floor score again, so now it is fully a tie meet at 148.15 each.
8:18pm: Rotation 4, let’s go!
Gladieux, Bama BB: Bhs 2 foot layout – she didn’t even take the full length of the beam, wow. Front aerial to beat jump, lovely. Switch leap to split jump, her splits felt a little tight there. Roundoff double full, little adjustment on the landing.
Brubach, FX: Front lay to Rudi, a little bouncy on the landing? Dance series is clean, that’s good. She feels like she’s rushing a little through this choreography? Double tuck to finish, better control there. Adrian Burde and Jeremy Miranda are both behind her and they’re happy! She finishes her routine to big cheers from the crowd.
Waligora, BB: Full turn is solid, very precise. Bhs loso, very slow to take off, it looked like she was going to stall out but somehow muscled through it. Switch leap to tuck jump full, maybe shy of 180 on that first element. Roundoff 1.5 is stuck – a good last impression but there were some question marks in there.
Nguyen, FX: Front double full to sissone, had some trouble connecting – it looked like she was just glued to the mat – but pulled it out somehow. Gorgeous leap series, lovely extension. Y turn is fabulous. 1.5 to front lay, much better connection and great control.
Burgess, BB: One-arm bhs to loso, a little lean to the side but doesn’t bobble at all. Side aerial, very clean. Cat leap to switch side, kind of weird technique on the cat leap but it’s fine I guess? Gainer pike off the end is stuck.
Pilgrim, FX: Punch front through to double tuck, perfectly controlled, just steps into the lunge casually. Her splits in her dance elements aren’t at the peak of her jump height but they’re perfectly extended and great 180 positions – I don’t think that’s a deduction? It’s just technique I’m not used to. Double pike, just a little slide of the front foot but that should be a great score for her.
Hudson, BB: Front aerial to bhs, sharp. Full turn is clean. Switch leap to switch leap, both shy of 180 – those better be taken. Side aerial to beat jump, barely switches her feet. Roundoff 1.5, hop forward.
Pilgrim only had a 9.825?? I’m so confused.
Blakely, FX: She needs one of her good ones! Punch front through to double pike, about as perfect as we’ve seen from her! Really giving the performance here, love this. A little flexed feet on her leaps but great angles. 1.5 to front full to close is fabulous. She killed that routine, that should be an excellent score.
Adams, BB: Double wolf turn to open, so clean. Front aerial, dead on. Bhs loso, a little lean to the side but keeps it small. Switch to split, goooorgeous extension, but maybe a little off her axis? Doesn’t let it show hardly at all though, that’s a pro move. Bhs 1.5 twist, little adjustment. Some question marks, but overall a good routine.
8:35pm: Wong, FX: Double wolf turn, no issues. Double pike, opened too early, bounced forward a little. Leap series is gorgeous and quite precise. Whip half to front full, basically stuck, gorgeous.
Blanco, BB: Front aerial, very steady. Full turn, a little bobble there. Bhs loso loso, solid as a rock. Needle scale is really nice, wow. Switch leap to beat jump, safe but very clean. Roundoff 1.5 is stuck – that’ll be huge for Bama. Florida needs a big score from Hurd.
Hurd, FX: Front lay to Rudi, looked like she stepped out of bounds from here but I’m not sure. Leap series looks lovely. Double pike, front foot moves on the landing. It’s a good routine but I don’t think it’ll be enough to pull out the win here.
FINAL: BAMA 197.575, UF 197.425
Blanco takes the all-around at 39.7 and the beam title at 9.95, Hudson takes vault with her 10.0 and ties for floor with Blakely at 9.925. Bars was a three-way tie for Doggette, Blanco, and Lazzari at 9.925.
Does the loss at home feel disappointing? Absolutely. Does this jeopardize another regular season SEC title? Potentially yes, though there’s a lot of regular season left.
However, there are also bright spots to be found in this meet. Let’s take a look at the checklist we had at the beginning of the night:
Better vault landings, especially from those with really dynamic, clean vaults like Ferris and Pilgrim
Definitely improved landings this week! And having the full lineups of 1.5s is definitely a huge step in the right direction. Ferris just needs to find a sweet spot between a big bounce forward and underrotating
Clean bars routines from the full lineup – no misses, no overarched handstands, no saves – and stuck landings
I believe Nguyen was a fluke – we know illness has been running through the team, so I’m hoping this will be solved soon
A strong leadoff routine on bars from Disidore – above 9.85 please!
Disidore moved later in the lineup tonight. Blakely got a 9.875 in the leadoff, which was excellent, but Disidore ended up with just a 9.8 after the fall. We need a rotation that isn’t interrupted with a fall to know if this lineup order works
Nguyen breaking 9.9 on beam for the first time in her career
Check! Now we hope for this again next week to make it consistent
More than just hits – strong, confident, “I own this beam” routines from the whole squad, but especially Lazzari, Hurd, and Wong
No Hurd on beam this week and an error from Wong – how long until we see Wong switch to a two-element series and one more connection or dance element?
A strong leadoff routine on floor from Brubach, followed by higher scores from each subsequent athlete
Brubach’s routine was strong but was not rewarded like it was last week, but the team definitely built on the foundation she laid!
All tumbling and leap series landings fully rotated and well controlled
Very pleased with most of the floor rotation tonight – still some tweaks to be made, including Nguyen and Wong’s opening passes
High-energy performances from the entire lineup (and next week, we’ll be looking for this even though they’re not in the O-Dome)
They knocked this out of the park, but it’s really most important when they’re on the road, so keep your eyes peeled next week.
Ferris’s return: a better-controlled vault tonight (which she showed in warmups) would definitely show progress for her. At media this week, Rowland indicated she’s impressed that Ferris is back at all, so I don’t expect to see her on floor anytime soon.
Alas, tonight was not her night. Hopefully next week she can find the sweet spot.
Lazzari’s expanded presence: floor last week looked good, but beam suffered a little. We’re looking for two hit events tonight, and maybe adding bars. She does not appear to be in the vault lineup, and honestly, maybe that’s what she needs.
Three events tonight! Took out floor, but nailing bars was huge. Now she just needs to find the confidence on vault again.
Overall, taken with quotes from Rowland in media this week, I think fans and detractors alike need to remember that this team is young, a little injured, and has been ill. Pacing gradually will be crucial to their success longterm. The continual, steady improvement is encouraging to see – the Gators started at 197.1, went up to 197.3 last week, and went 197.425 this week. I’m certainly not panicking yet.
If you’re at home getting worried about this team’s chances, let Rowland and her team do their thing. This team is staying in their bubble, which is what’s gotten them to Four on the Floor the last several years.
That’s it for me tonight, y’all. We’ll see you back here for Rivalry Night at Georgia next Friday, 7pm on SECN.
Last year was a low-scoring contest, the Orange team edging the Blue team 10-7.
The Orange and Blue game will be a good preview for the season as the newly signed class will make its debut. Many will be eager to watch incoming quarterback and 2023 National Gatorade Player of the Year, D.J. Lagway. Graham Mertz will be returning for another year coming off of a collarbone injury he suffered against Mizzou. Mertz and Lagway will likely face-off as the Orange and Blue team quarterbacks.
The 2024 signee class has been highly anticipated in the Swamp. The Gators had a solid recruiting and signing class that will be eager to make an impact right away. Recently, the Gators added more talent to the 2024 class with Jameer Grimsley who was committed to Alabama, but entered the transfer portal and committed to the Gators following Nick Saban’s retirement.
The Gators also picked up a handful of transfers in the offseason including Grayson Howard, a linebacker from South Carolina and Trikweze Bridges, a safety from Oregon along with several others.
This upcoming season will have high expectations for the future of the football program as it will be Napier’s third season as head coach. The outcome of the 2024 season will have a big impact on his future at Florida along with future signee classes.
The 2024 season for the Gators will officially kick off on Saturday, August 21st against the Miami Hurricanes at Ben Hill Griffin.
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