This story first appeared in Chomp, our Gators football newsletter. Subscribe here.
Recommended Videos
Hey, Gators fans!
We have a brief newsletter this week, but, of course, we’ll be touching on football and hoops as March approaches.
But the question is: Will the Gators be in the midst of the madness?
🏀 NCAA Tournament on the line for Gators men’s hoops
The euphoria surrounding the Florida men’s basketball’s team’s win over then-No. 2 Auburn was quickly dampened by a loss.
Florida took down the Tigers 63-62 last weekend at home. Tyree Appleby scored 26 points, 20 of which came in the second half, while Colin Castleton had 19.
The Gators remained in Gainesville to host No. 18 Arkansas on Tuesday and lost 82-74.
It was the Gators’ third loss in four games, and their NCAA Tournament hopes are now in jeopardy. The Gators (17-11, 7-8 Southeastern Conference) haven’t missed the tourney since 2016, the longest current streak in the SEC.
Next, the Gators play Georgia on the road at noon Saturday.
In the meantime, the conversation surrounding the future of coach Mike White continues to splinter the fan base.
🐊 Napier makes another hire
Turning to the football program, coach Billy Napier on Wednesday announced Benedick Hyppolite will join the staff in the role of quality control - running backs.
Hyppolite was previously at the University of Miami, where he served as a wide receivers analyst this year and as a graduate assistant from 2020 to 2022.
In 2019, Hyppolite, a Miami native, was the offensive coordinator for Florida Memorial University. Before that, he had stops at several high schools — including at his alma mater, Booker T. Washington Senior High School — as a head coach, OC and wide receivers coach.
🏈 A look at Napier’s offense
Napier comes to Florida with an extensive offensive background and will call the plays for the Gators offense.
What does he like to run? How does he prepare?
In the latest episode of Gators Breakdown, host David Waters is joined by Will Miles, with Read and Reaction, to answer those questions and more on Napier’s offense.
✉️ Send us your Gators thoughts & questions
David and I want to hear from you. Do you have any thoughts or questions about the Gators football program? Agree or disagree with something we’ve said? Let us know here, and we’ll share our responses to your questions.
🎙️ Listen to more Gators Breakdown
You can catch up on previous episodes of Gators Breakdown at News4JAX.com/GatorsBreakdown or click one of the following to tune in: Megaphone | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Google Podcasts | Stitcher