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We have the departure of two Florida quarterbacks — for very different reasons — to discuss this week, as well as the Gators’ upcoming bowl game.
📣 Richardson among Gators to announce for NFL draft
Quarterback Anthony Richardson has announced his decision to enter the 2023 NFL draft.
The third-year sophomore made the announcement in a social media post, adding that he will not be playing the Gators’ matchup against Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl this month.
“After much prayer, consideration, and speaking with my family, I have decided to forgo the upcoming bowl game and my remaining years of college eligibility to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. As I take the next step in this tourney, I will always be a Gator and strive to make Gator Nation proud! Go Gators!” wrote the 6-foot-4, 232-pound signal-caller from Gainesville.
NEW ARTICLE: Richardson declares for NFL draft
Richardson started all 12 games this season. In the air, he was 176 of 327 passing for 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns, with nine interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns The Gators finished their 2022 campaign 6-6 and 3-5 in the Southeastern Conference.
As far as draft projections, CBS Sports NFL draft analyst Chris Trapasso has Richardson going as high as No. 16 in his mock draft, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. lists Richardson as his fourth highest-rated quarterback. Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis are expected to be the top quarterbacks in the draft, although only Levis has already declared.
We’ll discuss what Richardson’s early departure from school will mean for the bowl game and next season — later in the newsletter.
Richardson joins a list of Gators who have already declared for the 2023 draft. The list includes defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr., offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence and wide receiver Justin Shorter.
🚪 Florida formally dismisses Kitna following arrest
Florida formally dismissed backup quarterback Jalen Kitna from the team following his arrest last week on five child pornography charges.
The Gators scrubbed Kitna’s name from their roster and his biography from their website late Thursday, just hours after Kitna’s first court appearance. Kitna was released from the Alachua County Jail on an $80,000 bond and ordered to have no unsupervised contact with minors and no internet access.
Kitna, 19, returned with his parents, retired NFL quarterback Jon Kitna and wife Jennifer Kitna, to Burleson, Texas.
Kitna sobbed into his hands during his 75-minute court appearance, which included attorneys on both sides arguing bond details and conditions of his release. He wore a solid green smock typically given to inmates being kept under close watch because of welfare concerns.
RELATED: Kitna arrested on child porn charges | Kitna bonds out of jail after arrest | Florida formally dismisses Kitna following arrest
The Gainesville Police Department released Kitna’s arrest report Thursday, providing graphic details about the complaints filed against him.
Police said Kitna shared two images of young girls being sexually abused via the social media platform Discord, including one of a man having sex with a young girl.
According to the arrest report, Kitna told police he thought they were legal because he found them online.
The report shows Kitna also told police “he might have accidentally downloaded child sexual abuse material but would immediately delete it” and “he has been struggling with controlling his interests.”
Police later searched his phone and found three more images of two nude young girls in a shower — photos that had been saved to Kitna’s phone in December 2021. The report did not estimate the ages of the girls. One of Kitna’s lawyers argued those three images could be considered child erotica instead of child porn.
The Gators suspended Kitna following his arrest last Wednesday and took the step of dismissing him a day later.
Kitna appeared in four games as a redshirt freshman this season. He completed 10 of his 14 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. He made his college debut in the Gators’ 52-17 win at home over Eastern Washington on Oct. 2, backing up Richardson, the starter.
🎰 Gators to make 1st appearance in Las Vegas Bowl
Florida will head west to take on Oregon State in the 2022 SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 17.
The event will mark the first meeting between the Gators (6-6, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) and the Beavers (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12). Oregon State represents Florida’s seventh opponent this season against a team in the College Football Playoff top 25 rankings. The Beavers finished the regular season with three straight wins, including 38-34 over archrival Oregon, and their nine victories are the most since 2012.
It will also mark the Gators’ first appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl, which began in 1992.
This is the fifth straight season that Florida has gone bowling and the Gators’ 48th all-time bowl appearance. They enter the matchup with an all-time record of 24-23 in previous bowl games.
This year’s Las Vegas Bowl was originally slated to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Allegiant Stadium but has since been moved to 2:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on ABC.
Join Gators Breakdown host David Waters in the latest podcast episode as he gives an early look at the contest.
It’s unclear who the Gators will turn to at quarterback for the upcoming bowl game. Kitna was dismissed. Jack Miller III had hand surgery this year and has not played in a game for the orange and blue since transferring from Ohio State. But Miller, true freshman Max Brown and walk-in Kyle Engel are expected to be available for the bowl. Only Miller has any college experience, completing 7 of 14 passes for 101 yards with the Buckeyes in 2021.
And looking ahead to the 2023 season, the Gators are likely to find Richardson’s replacement in the transfer portal. Although four-star quarterback recruit Jaden Rashada flipped his commitment from Miami to Florida in early November, he’s unlikely to start as a freshman. Another quarterback recruit, Marcus Stokes from Nease High School, had his scholarship offer pulled after a clip surfaced on social media of Stokes using a racing slur while singing a song.
🍾 Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, TCU selected for CFP semifinals on NYE
Also this bowl season, the CFP field of four will include Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State, giving the Big Ten multiple programs in the four-team field for the first time.
READ MORE: CFP features Georgia vs Ohio St in Peach, Michigan vs TCU in Fiesta
The top-ranked and reigning champion Bulldogs (13-0), who dismantled LSU 50-30 in the SEC championship game Saturday, and fourth-seeded Buckeyes (11-1) will meet Dec. 31 at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Ohio State got a reprieve, moving back into the top four after losing to Big Ten rival Michigan just a week ago.
GAME RECAP: No. 1 Georgia romps into playoff with 50-30 SEC win vs LSU
The second-seeded Wolverines (13-0) and third-ranked Horned Frogs (12-1) will play at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, in the first game of the New Year’s Eve doubleheader. The Horned Frogs were third coming into the weekend but had to sweat out their spot Saturday after losing the Big 12 title game 31-28 to Kansas State in overtime. Michigan beat Purdue 43-22 on Saturday night in the Big Ten championship game for its second straight conference title
🏟️ CFP to expand in 2024 season
Speaking of the CFP, it will expand to a 12-team event in two years, completing an 18-month process that was fraught with delays and disagreements.
It is a momentous step that will bring in billions of dollars in television revenue and change the very fabric of the postseason.
FULL STORY: CFP to expand to 12 teams in 2024 season
The announcement came a day after the Rose Bowl agreed to amend its contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the last hurdle CFP officials needed to grow to triple the size of what is now a four-team format.
🎁 Wrapping up Florida’s regular season
While I’m sure many of you are wrapping up gifts this holiday season, David and Will Miles, with Read and Reaction, are also wrapping up Florida’s regular season.
The story of the 2022 Gators under their first-year head coach Billy Napier can surely be defined as “inconsistent.”
In another Gators Breakdown episode, David and Will take a look back at the 2022 season and what is in the immediate future for the orange and blue.
🏆 Miller named Comeback Player of the Year Award semifinalist
In other football news, linebacker Ventrell Miller was named one of 15 Comeback Player of the Year Award semifinalists this year.
The award recognizes student-athletes from all divisions of college football for overcoming injury, illness or other circumstances. In a vote by a panel of Associated Press writers, editors, sports information directors and Fiesta Bowl Organization representatives, three college football student-athletes will be honored as 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Award winners at the CFP semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona.
Last season, Miller played in two games before being sidelined with a season-ending injury. In his sixth year with the program this year, the Lakeland, Florida, native has appeared in 11 games and made 10 starts for the Gators, ranking third on the team with 75 tackles, while also forcing two fumbles this season.
🏀 Men’s hoops gets back-to-back wins
The Gators men’s basketball team has gotten two wins since our last newsletter!
The most recent one was Sunday afternoon when Florida (6-3) defeated Stetson at home 89-51. Guard Will Richard came off the bench to score 14 points without missing a shot. He sank all five of his shots with four 3-pointers. Guard Kowacie Reeves had 12 points, forwards Alex Fudge and Colin Castleton both scored 11, and guard Trey Bonham had 10 points.
“Very pleased,” coach Todd Golden said afterward. “I just told our team, I felt like this was the first time all year out there where I felt like this is what our team should really look like in the sense of our guys did an incredible job executing today what we wanted them to, specifically on the defensive end.”
Prior to Sunday’s win, the Gators got a 102-62 victory in Gainesville over Florida A&M. Bonham scored 23 points, making a career-high seven 3-pointers. Fudge had a double-double off the bench, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for the Gators. Reeves scored 19 points, Castleton added 11 points, and guard Myreon Jones had 10 points.
Florida will have a tough test this Wednesday when it hosts undefeated and fifth-ranked UConn. Tipoff is at 9 p.m.
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