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The first rankings from a major publication are in and the Florida Gators are once again highly regarded heading into the 2022 season.
The College Baseball Newspaper announced their top-50 programs (“The Fabulous 50”) heading into the new year and slotted the Gators at No. 6 overall.
Florida is the third SEC team listed, behind just Vanderbilt (No. 2) and LSU (No. 3). In all, ten teams from the conference landed in the top-50, the most of any conference.
This is the fourteenth straight year that Florida was ranked inside the Top-25 in the preseason poll.
The Gators finished 2021 an underwhelming 38-22 before dropping two games in the Gainesville Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
Since Billy Napier’s arrival at Florida, a lot has changed. Just look at the support staff, specifically as it pertains to recruiting. Napier’s staff has overhauled the entire program to fit the image they desire.
Last week, starting quarterback Emory Jones told Yahoo! Sports that he would be transferring from the program, leaving a hole at the most important position on the field. Many expect that Anthony Richardson will fill the void, but he has been often injured, practically forcing Napier to look for more depth.
One prospect that has been in touch with the Florida staff: two-star (per 247Sports) Roswell, GA native Robbie Roper. Roper is considered a fast riser late in the 2022 cycle.
Roper told ChompTalk.com that he has received four offers (Massachusetts, Western Carolina, Morehead State, Morgan State) but has received interest from a number of schools including Ole Miss, Michigan, North Carolina, UConn, and more recently, Florida.
Since arriving at Florida, offensive analyst Ryan O’Hara has been in touch with Roper. He is expecting to talk with Napier this weekend.
O’Hara has told Roper that he likes what he’s seen on film and has requested to see certain throws and footwork from the QB.
As far as being underrated, Roper stated, “I think this was a ‘prove it’ year, not just for me, but for my team…[it] really made us all work harder, like we had nothing to lose every game.”
The 6’4 215 lb signal caller went out and proved it in Georgia’s highest level of competition, 7A. Roper threw for 3,010 yards and 37 touchdowns while gaining 465 yards and five scores on the ground. He was named the Region 5 – 7A, Offensive Player of the Year by the GHSA for his efforts.
Additionally, Roper led his team to a 10-3 season, but fell to Grayson 24-14 in the state quarterfinals last month. In order to get there, Roswell upset the nation’s No. 7 ranked team (No. 1 in Georgia), North Cobb 46-43 on Roper’s last second scamper into the end zone.
Roper is looking forward to taking visits in January before the February signing period. He expects to visit Ole Miss and UConn in addition to Florida.
Roper stated that he loves the Florida program as a whole and that Napier and O’Hara will turn things around quickly.
You can check out Robbie Roper’s film here and follow him on Twitter here.
The Florida Gators once again opened slowly against an inferior opponent and allowed that opponent to remain in the game the entire way. Despite recording a 66-55 win over South Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic, the team and fanbase were left with a sour taste in their mouth.
The slow start was simply missing shots, many of which were wide open, but this has become a common refrain for this team through the first eleven games of the year.
Florida missed their first seven shots of the game that included four three-point attempts by four different players. Finally, with nearly five minutes elapsed, Plandrous Fleming knocked down a trey to put the Gators on the scoreboard. Fleming had substituted in less than thirty second prior to making the basket.
The slump would be further extended, however, as USF took a 11-3 lead before Jason Jitoboh made a lay in.
Florida would outscore USF 27-7 the remainder of the first half to enter the break leading 30-18, which resembled more of what the fans expected.
The Gators came out of the locker room and immediately built the lead to 16 after a Myreon Jones three-ball, but USF went on a run to cut the deficit to three at 48-45 with 9:00 to play. The Bulls could have made it a one-point game the following possession, but Jake Boggs missed the layup and Jones connected on the fast break and-one for the five point swing.
An 11-3 Gators run put Florida back up by eleven with 3:04 to play. The Gators were able to finish it from there.
The Bulls outshot Florida 42% to 39% but the Gators collected 18 more rebounds, including nine more on the offensive glass.
Colin Castelton and Fleming led the Gators with 12 points while Anthony Duruji added 11. In total, Florida made 8-26 from deep, but the starting guards combined to go just 3-16. Castelton finished with a double-double by adding a team high eleven boards. Castleton was named the Orange Bowl Classic MVP.
The Gators will wrap up the non-conference schedule with a home date against Stony Brook on Wednesday before jumping into SEC play against Mississippi a week later.
The Florida Gators appear to be zeroing in on their top target at the quarterback position following the announcement that current starter Emory Jones would seek a transfer.
According to multiple reports, Florida’s staff offered former Ohio State signal caller Jack Miller. Miller spent the 2021 season as the third string QB behind CJ Stroud and Kyle McCord. He did play in four contests going 7-14 for 101 yards. He did not throw a touchdown pass or turn the ball over in the limited action he saw.
As a prospect, Miller was the 13th ranked prostyle QB, a 4-star prospect, in the 2020 recruiting cycle. He went to Chaparral High in Scottsdale, AZ.
In his tweet announcing the decision to enter the transfer portal, Miller stated, “I have decided to leave Ohio State and look at opportunities available to me to play the game I love.”
Barring more transfers at the position, the Gators will return Anthony Richardson, Carlos Del Rio – Wilson and Jalen Kitna. Florida has also offered several prospects that could sign in the February signing period, as well.
Billy Napier said all the right things at his introductory press conference at Florida. He came off as genuine but spoke of a plan. That plan revolved around a methodical approach to his first signing day. He even warned that the quantity of players brought in would be on the lighter side.
While that held true, there were a few eleventh hour surprises for the Gators on National Signing Day.
Despite signing just nine players, Florida rose from No. 79 in the recruiting rankings to No. 50. More importantly, the new head coach recognized there was work to be done before the February signing period to improve further.
Florida entered the day with seven verbal commitments and have received letters of intent from six at the time of publication. Additionally, the Gators added a five-star and two four-star prospects to the mix. In all, Florida has signed six blue-chip recruits in the 2022 class.
But what does it mean?
A strong closing to the early signing day means a few things for the Gators.
It should scare the hell out of Kirby Smart and the other coaches that typically poach whatever in-state prospect they want. Gone are the days of lazy recruiting from the Dan Mullen and Jim McElwain eras.
What Billy Napier has accomplished in two weeks as the head coach at Florida is nothing short of incredible.
It started early on Wednesday when Naples, FL native Devin Moore, a four-star safety, chose the Gators over Notre Dame, where he had been previously committed.
The next move came from the nation’s number two ranked safety, Kamari Wilson. The IMG Academy prospect chose the Gators over Georgia. After nearly a decade of being mostly shutout by the nation’s premier prep academy, Napier sent shockwaves across the country by landing Wilson.
But, the Gators weren’t done. In the evening, Mobile, AL native Shemar James, a 4-star LB who recently released a final two of Alabama and Georgia, announced his commitment to Florida. James had been committed to the Gators, but backed off in October.
Sure there were a few misses. CB Julian Humphrey stayed true to his pledge to UGA, DL Shone Washington followed suit, committing to the Bulldogs as well. The night concluded with OL Julian Armella signed with Florida despite his promise to “shock the world”.
Overall, Billy Napier made as positive a first impression as the head coach of the Florida Gators. Florida is better on the offensive and defensive lines and the defensive secondary than they were twenty four hours ago.
And finally, Florida’s rivals know that the Gators aren’t messing around on the recruiting trail anymore.
Most Florida fans were still celebrating the Gators’ haul on National Signing Day when Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel dropped a report that starting quarterback Emory Jones would be entering the transfer portal in the upcoming days.
NEW: Florida redshirt junior QB Emory Jones plans to enter the transfer portal in the upcoming days, he tells @yahoosports. @eXjones6 has two years of eligibility remaining. Jones started 11 games for the Gators this year, completed 67.7% of his passes and threw 19 TDs.
Thamel points out that Jones plans to play in Florida’s bowl game against UCF on December 23 in Tampa before finding a new home.
Jones completed 209-309 passes while accumulating 2,562 yards in the air to go along with 19 scores and 13 picks. The dual threat QB also rushed for 696 yards and four more touchdowns.
Jones was pushed all year by redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson, a local product from Gainesville’s Eastside High School.
While the Gators signed nine players on Wednesday, none were signal callers. It appears Florida will likely add a quarterback, whether it be in the February signing day or through the transfer portal.
If nothing else, the 2021 NCAA football coaching carousel has taught us that the landscape of the sport can shift dramatically, in an instant.
Perennial top tier programs saw their head coaches bolt for supposed “greener pastures.” Meanwhile, the Florida Gators went from ‘an extra point away from Alabama’ to looking for a new head coach in just a few weeks.
Uncanny.
Scott Stricklin focused on his top choice and landed Billy Napier, though the former Louisiana coach had business to finish, leading the Ragin’Cajuns to a Sun Belt Championship.
That allotted Napier just one weekend of official visits in anticipation of Wednesday’s early National Signing Day.
After a flurry of decommitments, the Gators enter NSD with just seven prospects committed to the 2022 class. The class is rated No. 79 in the nation and dead last in the Southeastern Conference.
Billy Napier said to expect a smaller class and has iterated that he wouldn’t take a prospect just for numbers.
Here are the seven current commits:
DL Chris McClellan #100 (247Sports)
OT Tony Livingston #294
DL Jamari Lyons #360
OL Jalen Farmer #673
OL David Conner N/R
OL Christian Williams N/R
K Trey Smack N/R
I fully expect all seven to sign with the Gators, as it would be surprising to see any leave the class. McClellan did visit both Oklahoma and Florida last weekend. In social media posts, he has reaffirmed his commitment to the Gators.
Top Targets
S Kamari Wilson, 5-Star, #28 overall
Wilson, the five-star prospect from IMG Academy, visited UF last weekend after receiving a visit at school from Napier. It would be a massive win on the trail for the Gators, but Kirby Smart has put in the work, I think he will sign with Georgia.
LB Shemar James, 4-Star, #64 overall
James was committed to Florida for four months following his official visit in June. He recently posted his Top-2 of Alabama and Georgia, but he has remained in contact with the new UF staff. It wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see him sign with Florida, but I think the Mobile, AL prospect stays in-state and signs with the Crimson Tide.
*Over the last 24 hours there has been a lot of steam about James signing with Florida, including a Crystal Ball prediction from Blake Alderman.
CB Julian Humphrey, 4-Star, #90 overall
The Texas speedster decommitted from Florida on October 25 and committed to Georgia just two weeks later. Florida naming Corey Raymond the DB head coach might help the Gators’ position, but if he signs on Wednesday, it’ll likely be on Georgia Bulldogs letterhead.
S Devin Moore, 4-Star, #253 overall
Moore is down to two, Florida or Notre Dame. The Naples, FL native was committed to the Irish, but once Brian Kelly left, Moore did the same. While neither choice would be a surprise, I expect Moore to sign with Florida.
DL Shone Washington, 3-Star, #477 overall
After visiting Florida last weekend, the Gators are right in the thick of the race for the Louisiana native, Shone Washington. Washington is currently committed to Georgia, but that could change on Wednesday. I fully expect Billy Napier to steal this one from Kirby Smart due to his ties to Louisiana.
…
Do you think Florida lands any surprises in the early signing period that opens on Wednesday?
It’s a bumpy ride on the recruiting trail, but Florida head coach Billy Napier and his staff are on the road trying to convince those recruits to sign on to a new beginning. Mark McLeod & Jake Hitt discuss the decommits, transfer portal, and Florida staff as the early signing period is upon us.
Click play on the following audio player to listen to this week’s episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast:
You can also follow The Gridiron Growl Podcast on the following platforms:
The Gators looked to continue correcting recent wrongs with their trip to New York. After dropping an inexcusable home contest against previously winless Texas Southern and following it with a drubbing of North Florida, the Gators sought to feed on a reeling Maryland squad that saw their coach quit just a week earlier.
Instead, as has played out far too often, the streaky shooting of the squad forced a much closer game than what should have been.
While neither team ever led by more than 7, it was a sluggish pace for the Gators. Eventually, Tyree Appleby would come in and hit some shots to keep Florida in striking distance, but that wasn’t nearly enough against the Terrapins.
Appleby and Phlandrous Fleming each scored 15 to lead the Gators, but the absence of an interior threat hurt. Forward Colin Castelton made just 3-9 from the floor and missed several opportunities at the rim before fouling out.
Maryland’s three guard set seemed to result in constant open shots, which were made most of the time. Eric Ayala, Fatts Russell, and Hakim Hart combined for 49 points on 16-30 from the field.
The Gators will have to get it figured out as they get set to wrap up non-conference play. They will face South Florida in Sunrise on Saturday as part of the annual Orange Bowl Classic. That game is scheduled to tip-off at 1:00 PM.
“I feel like my personal gymnastics career ended last year… I was gifted this additional year, [and] I want to use it to give back.”
Megan Skaggs is wielding her extra year of eligibility with a targeted focus unlike any other athlete in the sport. Like all other NCAA athletes last season, she was offered the opportunity to compete for an extra season due to the accommodations made for the pandemic. In taking it, she becomes only the fifth Gator to ever have a fifth rostered season, and the first to ever compete in all five of those seasons. Also like most NCAA athletes this season, she has pressed full steam ahead when it comes to using her name, image, and likeness (or NIL) to profit off of her visibility and platform as an athlete. She has three big-name brand deals, she’s designed a leotard with Ozone, she’s selling her own monetized social shoutouts, and she’s one of only a dozen or so gymnasts who has professional representation. However, her approach to both of these things is uncommonly genuine. “[It’s] a very noisy place on Twitter, Instagram, everywhere, with athletes rightfully using their ability to make money off of their NIL. But sometimes you see something that [doesn’t] really align or make sense. To me, that’s something that I really care about – authenticity… I want to make sure that it’s true to me and my values and what I care about.”
That one word – authenticity – has been her guiding compass through the vast sea of opportunities she’s been presented with, but it’s also the sword she’s used to cut through the noise, standing out in the mass of athletes now flooding the Internet with their ideas. Her idea, her brainchild since NIL began nearly six months ago, is a perfect expression of that authenticity, that Skaggs the athlete and Skaggs the person really are identical: the Tiny Bow Project.
Taking the image and likeness part of NIL quite literally, Skaggs is using her signature meet hairstyle (shown above) as a way to create merchandise. She’s selling a package of hair bows, each one themed after a different cause she supports, with a different cause for each Florida gymnastics meet during the 2022 regular season. The list of causes is limited, as there are only so many meets in a season, but Skaggs has chosen them with care. “When this idea was born, I took a good amount of time – probably two months – just internally questioning myself and thinking hard about what I care about, what’s meaningful to me, and where I want to make impact and use my platform to inspire change and to inspire others in my community.”
20% of the proceeds from her shop – not just the bows, but all of her online sales – will go toward specific charities that support the causes she’s chosen, including The Trevor Project, Play for P.I.N.K., and Rise to Win. She’ll also be dedicating her online platform to each week’s cause, sharing different activations with her audience to further support each chosen charity. Skaggs shared that some of these will be interviews with members of some of the charities she’s working with, while others might be talks with fellow athletes who share her passion for a particular cause. We did learn of a team-up Skaggs has planned for Florida’s annual Link to Pink meet, which will be against Arkansas on January 28th. The Razorbacks have announced a giving project of their own for the season, so this meet will present a perfect opportunity for these charitably-minded athletes to join forces and support a great cause.
Skaggs also shared that the first cause she chose for her project was mental health awareness, and she’s chosen The Hidden Opponent as the charity to which she’ll donate to support that. It’s a cause that’s incredibly important to her, as she hopes to help end the stigma surrounding openly discussing mental health, especially in sport, which is exactly the goal THO states in their own mission. Another no-brainer for her was supporting the autistic community, as she has a cousin on the spectrum. Before this interview, I had actually approached Skaggs about her choice of charity for this cause, as she had originally chosen Autism Speaks. When I came to her on Twitter with information on why that choice was problematic and recommended an alternative, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, she was immediately responsive to the idea of changing her choice. Her exact words were, “Though my family had a positive experience, I cannot support an organization that does not provide equal opportunity for everyone.”
Later, in the interview, she shared, “[It’s] been a learning process for me, and I’m still learning every day going through it.” Even in today’s world, where the block and mute buttons are easy to press, and genuine dialogue is so easy to mistake for criticism without in-person context clues, Skaggs didn’t hesitate to do just the opposite. She opened herself to listening to her community, as I was not the only one who voiced concerns, and learned from what they had to say, choosing to switch to ASAN. As she continues this project and is planning conversations with activists and members of these organizations, it seems evident that Skaggs is interested in not only educating others, but educating herself as she pledges her support to these causes in every way she can.
Her unique take on this extra chance to leave a legacy has spread to her gymnastics as well. She still loves the sport and is thankful for the extra opportunity to compete and go after it for another year with her teammates, but Skaggs feels there is a bigger purpose to her presence in the gym. “It’s very special to be able to still participate on the team and give back to [my teammates] using this extra year. I feel like I’m not here for myself, but I’m here for them, and that just gives me additional purpose coming into the gym every day knowing that.”
Both in and outside of the gym, her overall goal for this year is pretty straightforward: leave her microcosm of the world better than she found it. “I would love, personally, to step away from this year still loving the sport as much as I did when I started, but [also knowing] that my impact meant more than just putting up good scores for the team. I would like to walk away knowing that I impacted those around me and made a positive change in my community and elsewhere.”
She also hopes to impact the student-athlete community as a whole, setting an example for others to follow who might want to use their NIL to affect change in this or a similar way. She hopes her efforts with Tiny Bow Project can be used as a blueprint, saying that she thinks that even though this is uncommon now, that other student-athletes are out there thinking about it – “There’s just a question of ‘How do I do that?’ So I hope that through Tiny Bow Project, I can inspire or ignite that and help other student-athletes figure out how to align their heart with their other NIL activities.”
You can learn more about or support the Tiny Bow Project by visiting the website, and be sure to keep an eye there and on social media for the activations Skaggs mentioned. Season is just around the corner, which means the time to support is coming soon, and even if bows are not your style, there’s always something you can do to support the community and causes you care about.
ChompTalk.com 