This story first appeared in Chomp, our Gators football newsletter. Subscribe here.
Recommended Videos
Hi, Gators fans.
First... Let’s — quickly — get to what happened last night. (I hope you didn’t stay up to watch. 😬)
😞 UGA demolishes TCU for 2nd straight title
Georgia had no problem dominating TCU on Monday night to win its second straight national title.
The No. 1 Bulldogs’ 65-7 win over the No. 3 Horned Frogs makes Georgia the first team to win consecutive College Football Playoff national championships and the first repeat champs since Alabama went back-to-back a decade ago.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE: Georgia bullies TCU 65-7 to win 2nd consecutive title | Georgia becomes 12th back-to-back champ in AP Top 25 history
Unfortunately, the Gators’ rival UGA (15-0) just had way more talent than the Frogs (13-2).
Georgia coach Kirby Smart is now 81-15 in his first seven seasons at Georgia with two national titles. His mentor, Alabama coach Nick Saban, was 79-15 with three titles in his first seven seasons with the Crimson Tide.
🏆 Tebow elected to College Football Hall of Fame
Former Florida star Tim Tebow was elected Monday to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Joining Tebow in the class were 18 other players, including former Southern California running back Reggie Bush and former Georgia and Miami coach Mark Richt.
Tebow was on two national championship teams with the Gators (2006 and ‘08) and won the Heisman Trophy in 2007. He was also a Heisman finalist in 2008 and is only the second player in college history to win back-to-back Maxwell Awards (2007 and ‘08).
READ MORE: Former Gators star Tim Tebow elected to college Football Hall of Fame
The Gators were 48-7 during Tebow’s time in Gainesville.
Tebow becomes the 13th overall Gator to enter the College Football Hall of Fame. Since 2006, Florida has had seven inductees, the most by a Southeastern Conference school.
🐊 Gators get new additions
The Gators have a huge need for offensive linemen and were able to secure a commitment from three-star offensive tackle Caden Jones, of Louisiana.
In the latest episode of Gators Breakdown, host David Waters details Jones’ pledge to Florida’s 2023 class.
The Gators also need all the help they can get on the defensive side of the football, and after adding a couple of defensive linemen, they have added transfer linebacker Teradja Mitchell.
David, in another episode of Gators Breakdown, takes a closer look at Mitchell’s career at Ohio State and how he fits into the linebacker depth chart.
Plus, defensive lineman Cam’Ron Jackson, who is transferring from Memphis, chats with David in a different podcast episode about why he chose Florida and more.
🥂 New Year’s resolutions for Florida
After a 6-7 season, there is plenty of growth for the Gators football team.
In this Gators Breakdown episode, David and Will Miles give their 2023 New Year’s resolutions for Florida.
Also, the pair look back at what they got right or wrong in their preseason predictions.
😏 Florida men’s basketball team defeats former coach
The Florida men’s basketball team defeated former coach Mike White’s Georgia squad this past Saturday for its first SEC win of the season.
The Gators’ 82-75 victory during White’s return to Gainesville extended their win streak against the Bulldogs to seven games.
White spent the previous seven seasons at Florida before leaving amid frustration on both sides.
“Different, unique, glad it’s behind me,” White said. “Would have been happier, obviously, if it was behind me with a win. ... It was great to see a lot of people today, a lot of loved ones.”
GAME RECAP: Kugel, Lofton spark Florida to 82-75 win over Georgia, White
Guard Riley Kugel threw down a pair of dunks in the final half-minute to put an exclamation point on Florida’s victory. Guard Kyle Lofton, a graduate transfer from St. Bonaventure, scored 18 points to lead the Gators’ offensive effort, and forward Colin Castleton blocked seven shots and grabbed eight rebounds to anchor Florida’s defensive effort while putting up 12 points and making five assists.
“Overall just really proud of our guys. We have been asking a lot of them in terms of staying together and having the right mentality moving forward — not allowing close losses to take us out of what we know equates to winning. They did a really good job today,” coach Todd Golden said. “Really proud of our guys, they finished it out today.”
READ MORE: Texas A&M hit with rare tech before tip-off against Florida for jersey error
The Gators’ win over UGA followed a 66-63 loss at home to Texas A&M last Wednesday — despite the Aggies trailing before the opening tip.
Shortly after leaving the court following final warmups, the Aggies realized managers had left their game jerseys at the team hotel. They double-timed it back to grab them, but officials hit them with a delay of game penalty — officially deemed an administrative technical foul — because the start had to be postponed a few minutes.
“I’m 37, I’ve played basketball my whole life, and that’s never happened to me in an aspect or any point in my career,” Golden said. “It wasn’t ideal. I thought we were ready to go and we were sitting there maybe 15 or 20 minutes, waiting for these guys to show up. It is what it is. We didn’t handle the situation well enough.”
Looking at the schedule for this week, the Gators go on the road to take on LSU at 7 p.m. Tuesday. This coming Saturday, Florida is back home to face Missouri, with tip-off at 3:30 p.m.
✉️ 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