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Hey, Gators fans!
We have a lot to discuss, including the spring game and head coach Billy Napier’s stop in Jacksonville.
Let’s go.
🎤 Napier speaks to Jacksonville Gators fans
Billy Napier stopped in Jacksonville yesterday on his spring speaking tour, giving Florida fans a more personal look at the head coach.
He said the Gators are making progress in an “unprecedented era.”
Gators Breakdown host David Waters was in attendance and asked Napier, “What has been the most challenging aspect of the job so far?” Napier answers that and more on the latest episode of Gators Breakdown.
🐊 Top spring game standouts
Team Blue had a 34-0 victory over Team Orange in the spring game Thursday evening, with attendance listed at 45,000.
Anthony Richardson shined and young players on defense made a name for themselves in Napier’s first Orange and Blue Game as Florida’s head coach.
“I can’t say enough -- his approach has been first class. When I think about a quarterback, I think about a person who represents everything the organization is about. At the highest level of football, the quarterback is the face of the organization and they set the greatest example with their work ethic, their attention to detail, their self-discipline and their approach. He’s a product of his work,” Napier said after the game of Richardson. “He learned a new system, and out there, it wasn’t too big for him. He communicated well, the ball went where it was supposed to go, he was accurate, the players around him played well, the blocking was clean, and our guys made plays on the ball. It was a good day. To win, you need good quarterback play and good quarterback efficiency, and certainly he played well today.”
“I felt like I played good,” Richardson said of his performance. “My main focus was just being consistent and fast. I have some good highs and some bad lows, so I just had to find the midpoint out there and be consistently smart.”
David picked his top standouts from the Orange and Blue Game last week, and, of course, AR 15 made the list:
WATCH: Gators Breakdown host David Waters breaks down his top 4 Orange and Blue Game standouts
- Quarterback Anthony Richardson (Team Blue): Richardson leads the way as the unquestioned starter in David’s opinion after the spring game. Richardson completed 18 of 24 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns through the air and another on the ground. Meanwhile, for Team Orange, quarterback Jack Miller completed 13 of 23 passes for 121 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.
- Tight ends Noah Keeter (Team Blue) and Dante Zanders (Team Blue): The Gators lost tight ends Jonathan Odom and Nick Elksnis in spring football camp, but they may have found two more during the spring game. Zanders was playing defense earlier this spring and was one of the big performers Thursday night. Both Zanders and Keeter made some nice catches and good runs after the catches. Keeter also scored a touchdown.
- Defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp (Team Blue): He had a big hit on running back Demarkcus Bowman (Team Orange) behind the line of scrimmage, forcing a fumble. Richardson scored the very next play. Sapp recorded six tackles.
- Cornerback Jordan Young (Team Blue): He also had six tackles, two of which were nice pursuits and open field tackles. You might hear his name more coming up.
And in another Gators Breakdown episode, David and Will Miles give their takes on the Orange and Blue Game and address a few concerns, as well.
🏈 Gators get commitment from WR
Tyree Patterson has committed to the Gators.
The 247Sports Composite has the 2023 wide receiver from Eustis, Florida, as a three star.
In this Gators Breakdown episode, David chats with Gators fans about the newest Florida commit and reviews spring football practice.
🏀 Gators sign transfer guard
The Florida men’s basketball team has added VMI transfer Trey Bonham to its roster for next season.
The guard averaged 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season, including a 19.6 scoring average over his last 11 appearances. The Mobile, Ala., native earned Southern Conference All-Freshman honors in 2021.
“Trey is simply a great fit four program,” said head coach Todd Golden. “By advanced metrics, he is one of the most efficient guards in the country while using a high percentage of his teams possessions. He has a great ability to rim-finish and draw fouls at a high level. Most importantly, he’s really proud to be a Florida Gator.”
✉️ 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
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