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Greetings, Gators fans!
We finally got the news we’ve all been waiting for: Tim Tebow is returning to the NFL. He’s teaming back up with Urban Meyer, but this time, he’ll be playing tight end.
And while Tebow, of course, is dominating the headlines today, another major story broke earlier this week when the University of Florida announced that Ben Hill Griffin Stadium will be back to full capacity.
🐆 It’s Tebow time in Jacksonville
The Jaguars announced that quarterback-turned-tight end Tebow signed a contract with the team, ending speculation on the rumor that began on draft day about the former Gators star reuniting with his college coach.
“I want to thank the Jaguars for the opportunity to compete and earn the chance to be part of this team,” Tebow said. “I know it will be a challenge, but it is a challenge I embrace. I am dedicated to taking the direction of our coaching staff and learning from my teammates. I appreciate everyone’s support as I embark on this new journey.”
Tebow is joining the team for the offseason program, and a News4Jax camera spotted him this morning walking from the stadium in downtown Jacksonville to the practice fields. He had on a Jaguars jersey with No. 85 (quarterback Gardner Minshew II currently wears No. 15). NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Tebow’s jersey number could change, “but that’s his number for today.”
The Heisman Trophy winner has no tight end experience at the college or NFL level, but the Jaguars’ weakness at the position makes him an interesting project.
🏟️ Fans can pack The Swamp
Full crowds at The Swamp are coming back this year.
UF announced on Monday that athletic events this fall will operate at full capacity as the transition back to normalcy after the coronavirus pandemic continues.
The university said that beginning with the start of the 2021-22 academic year on June 28, things will return to pre-pandemic operations. That includes full classroom capacity, full in-person participation in athletic and other activities, and full fan participation in stadiums and arenas.
Read the full message from UF here.
🏈 Mullen ranked 10th among college football coaches
CBS Sports ranked every Power Five college football coach entering the 2021 season from 1 to 65 and released the top 25 on Wednesday.
This year’s list has Dan Mullen at No. 10, coming in below three other SEC coaches and two spots lower than his ranking last year.
This is what CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli wrote about Florida’s head coach:
“He finally wins the SEC East ... and drops two spots in the rankings. Being fair to Mullen and our rankings, his drop was not due to his performance but rather because two coaches jumped him in the rankings after tremendous seasons, pushing him down. While an 8-4 record in 2020 was the worst of Mullen’s three seasons in Gainesville, you can easily argue it was his best season with the Gators. I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that if the Florida wins the East again in 2021, Mullen will rise quite a bit in these rankings. 2020 rank: 8 (-2)”
And here’s the top 10 (Spoiler alert: You already know who No. 1 is):
10. Dan Mullen – Florida
9. Matt Campbell – Iowa State
8. Pat Fitzgerald – Northwestern
7. Kirby Smart – Georgia
6. Jimbo Fisher – Texas A&M
5. Brian Kelly – Notre Dame
4. Ryan Day – Ohio State
3. Lincoln Riley – Oklahoma
2. Dabo Swinney – Clemson
1. Nick Saban – Alabama
You can view the list of the top 25 coaches here, and the 65-26 list here.
🐊 Exploring the potential of Florida’s offense in 2021
With Kyle Trask in the NFL, we know the Gators’ offense will look much different this season.
In an episode of Gators Breakdown, host David Waters and Will Miles with Read and Reaction take a look back at Mullen’s history of dual-threat quarterbacks and how they impact the entire offense.
Click here to listen.
👏 Trask begins NFL career in Tampa with praise from Arians
And as Trask begins his NFL career, he’s already getting some praise from Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians.
According to Rick Stroud with the Tampa Bay Times, the former Gators quarterback made every throw during his first rookie minicamp practice Friday. Stroud said most were on target, but Trask did have one throw intercepted and returned for a touchdown. (Stroud said either Trask underthrew an out route or a receiver ran the wrong depth.)
“I thought he was great,” Arians said. “I thought he was fantastic. He’s got three guys coaching the [expletive] out of him on each play, so they need to calm down and let him go. I’m really pleased with where he’s at right now.”
The Tampa Bay Times also reported Arians said: “He was throwing the ball where it’s supposed to go. He had a couple drops on him, but I thought he looked really good. Just the way he processes information. He took it from the first time ever hearing it, and he was throwing it to the right guy. He was throwing against some really well-disguised coverages that he saw for the first day of his career. I was real impressed how he processed his information. He was very accurate.”
⚾ Florida wraps up regular season with top-10 showdown at Arkansas
No. 9 Florida (35-16, 17-10 SEC) wraps up the 2021 regular season with a trip to Fayetteville to take on No. 1 Arkansas (30-19, 19-8 SEC) in a top-10 national matchup.
Entering the weekend series, the Gators have won 15 of their last 20 games, including seven of their last 10. With a 17-10 record in SEC play, Florida has sole possession of third place in the SEC East standings, sitting just one game back of No. 4 Tennessee and a mere half-game behind No. 3 Vanderbilt. Although Florida sports a losing record on the road, the squad is 5-2 across their previous seven SEC games away from home. Most recently, the Gators took two of three from Kentucky in Lexington May 6-8.
Games one and two will both air on SEC Network, with the opener starting at 7 p.m. ET Thursday and the latter having an 8 p.m. first pitch time Friday. Game three will stream live on SEC Network+ at 3 p.m. Saturday. Fans can listen in Gainesville on WRUF 850 AM/98.1 FM and in Jacksonville 1010 XL.
Last time out: By taking games one (W, 4-3) and two (W, 9-2) at home versus Georgia last weekend, the Gators clinched their eighth consecutive home series win and fifth-straight series victory overall.
Next time out: With the regular season concluding this weekend in Fayetteville, Florida’s next action comes in the form of the 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament, scheduled for May 25-30 in Hoover, Ala.
🏀 Florida to face South Florida in Orange Bowl Classic
Florida men’s basketball returns to the Orange Bowl Classic next season and will face South Florida on Dec. 18 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. Game time and television information will be announced later.
Florida and South Florida will square off for the first time in 19 years, with the Gators holding an 18-5 all-time record versus the Bulls. The teams played annually from 1981-96 but have played just twice since as the Gators swept a home-and-home series in December 2001 and December 2002.
The double-header event will also include a game between Central Florida and Florida State.
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