Texas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender.

On Friday, the Florida Department of Education announced the winners of its 2nd Annual Cybersecurity Competition, an event held in partnership with the Florida College System and Tallahassee State College, where the contest took place.

Heisman Trophy hopeful Cam Ward threw for 400 yards and five more touchdown passes, three to Xavier Restrepo on a record-setting day for both of them, and No. 5 Miami erased a double-digit deficit for the third time this season to roll past Duke 53-31 and stay unbeaten.

The Miami sideline was loaded with talent this past weekend.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference Wednesday morning at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference on Monday morning at a charter school in South Florida.

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) sent a letter to Duval County Public Schools on Thursday expressing concerns the department has with the failure of school leaders to respond to student safety issues.

A former Duval County teacher who is banned from working for the district will fight for the chance to continue teaching in Florida.

Duke has hired Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as its head coach.

The class at the forefront of this discussion is called “The Principles of Sociology.”

College students and professors in Florida are suing over a new law that they say censors academic freedom.

Lawmakers, teachers, school board members and parents crowded into a South Florida church for a forum on the state's new standards for teaching Black history.

Lawmakers, teachers, school board members and parents crowded into a South Florida church for a forum on the state's new standards for teaching Black history.

The principal of the school alerted parents Tuesday that Corey Thayer had been reassigned based on information received during its ongoing investigation. Thayer is chair of the cinematic arts department.

Hundreds of people from 11 countries are gathered in Venezuela to participate in boxing, swimming, gymnastics and other events.

Gov. Ron DeSantis was at Ridgeview High School on Thursday where seven Clay County teachers received the Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement, which comes with a $3,000 check.

Florida Democrats have selected former state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried to lead their party after a disastrous midterm performance in the onetime presidential battleground state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz were in Jacksonville on Monday morning to unveil a number of new education initiatives that will be a priority heading into this year’s legislative session.

The guardian program was introduced after the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and provides a framework for armed safety officers to police public and charter schools.

A group of St. Johns County teachers is planning a show of solidarity to protest pay.

The head of the Florida Democratic Party has resigned after a disastrous midterm election in the onetime battleground state.

The head of the Florida Democratic Party has resigned after a disastrous midterm election in the onetime battleground state.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has four new coaches for this season, all in the same division.

Republican Sen. Manny Diaz will become the state’s first Hispanic education commissioner.

The House passed the bill last month in a 74-41 party-line vote.

The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature has given Gov. Ron DeSantis another victory in what some call his political culture war.

Former Miami coach Manny Diaz has been hired as defensive coordinator at Penn State less than a week after he was fired by the Hurricanes.

Miami welcomed new coach Mario Cristobal with an introductory news conference in Coral Gables, Florida.

Mario Cristobal is leaving Oregon and headed home to Miami.

Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene.

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson and Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett headline The Associated Press' list of midseason football honorees for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Florida has fallen out of the AP Top 25.

Miami quarterback D’Eriq King needs surgery to repair his right shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season.

Miami quarterback D’Eriq King has a shoulder injury that will need further evaluation this week in the latest blow to the reeling Hurricanes.

Payton Thorne passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns, two of those scoring throws going to Jalen Nailor, and Michigan State extended its unbeaten start by topping No. 24 Miami 38-17 on Saturday.

Top-ranked Alabama looks very much like a team capable of making another run at a national title.

Top-ranked Alabama looks very much like a team capable of making another run at a national title.

Atlantic Coast Conference coaches are counting on high program COVID-19 vaccination rates to minimize risks of illnesses or lineup-depleting contact tracing for the upcoming college football season.

College football coaches around the country are spending much of the offseason urging their players to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Hundreds of people across Jacksonville gathered to fight for a free Cuba on Sunday.

Former Georgia and Miami football coach Mark Richt has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The Florida Panthers entrusted their season to a rookie goalie making his playoff debut.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On this edition of “This Week in Jacksonville,” former U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire weighs in on the national political scene now that President Joe Biden has taken office. State Rep. Paul Renner comments on the upcoming legislative session. And Florida Democratic Party Chairman Manny Diaz talks about his new role and the election results.

Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is the new chair of the Florida Democratic Party. “It is a business, and its business is electing Democrats statewide,” Diaz said. The last time a Democratic candidate took Duval in a presidential election was President Jimmy Carter in 1976. Diaz credited state Rep. Angie Nixon, Rep. Tracie Davis, state Sen. Audrey Gibson and chair of the Duval County Democratic Party Daniel Henry for the success in Jacksonville. “What they do is they’re on the ground, and that’s the kind of operation that I’m gonna build statewide,” Diaz said.

Lawmakers heard from students and parents who have benefited from the state’s private school scholarship programs Wednesday, as they considered this year’s school choice bill. AdWhat gives Democrats pause, is that both private school scholarships would be funded through the main pot of money for public schools. “The most important thing is we’re funding students and we’re funding them where they’re being served. Between the five existing scholarships, nearly 185,000 students received school choice vouchers last year, costing taxpayers well over a billion dollars. Until the Legislature sets per-student funding for this upcoming year, it’s not clear how much overall spending on private school vouchers will rise.

The Senate proposal also would establish the “Gardiner-McKay Scholarship,” by combining two existing voucher programs that serve students with special needs. Diaz’s plan would result in the consolidation of five of the state’s existing major school-voucher programs into two programs. Step Up for Students, a nonprofit organization that helps administer two of the state’s existing voucher programs, also is backing Diaz’s proposal. The Democrats expressed fear that Diaz’s proposal would shift Florida’s public schools toward a universal school-choice system. “We’re going to have to fight like hell on this one.”The Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, also opposes the measure.

Diaz is taking over a state party that lost ground in November's election, causing some national political commentators to suggest Florida may no longer be a swing state but solidly Republican. AP VoteCast, a survey of the Florida electorate, found Trump won 58% of Cuban American voters statewide. Biden only won the county by 7 points, which accounts for most of Trump's increased victory margin in the state. Florida Democrats must win South Florida by large margins to offset the Republicans' strong support in north Florida. Diaz told Saturday's meeting that Florida Democrats are "at a crossroads.” A lawyer, he served as Miami mayor from 2001 to 2009.

Miami quarterback D'Eriq King (1) looks for a receiver as Oklahoma State defensive tackle Sione Asi (99) rushes during the first half of the Cheez-it Bowl NCAA college football game, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami quarterback D’Eriq King tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the Hurricanes’ loss this week in the Cheez-It Bowl. The Hurricanes went 8-3 this season, the best record among the seven FBS schools in the state of Florida. King, in first season at Miami following his transfer from Houston, was a big reason for that. King completed 64.1 percent of his passes, the second-best single-season completion percentage for any Miami quarterback and one that qualifies him as, for now anyway, the most accurate passer in Hurricanes history. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

The annual question in Coral Gables — “Is Miami back?” — might finally have an answer Hurricanes fans will like. 9 Miami gets its first ACC championship, a drought that’s now 17 years and counting, but the Hurricanes (8-1, 7-1 ACC, No. Just finishing the right way, that’s really, really, really important. “We were taken away from each other for almost two weeks and didn’t really get back as an entire football team — I mean, not even an entire football team, but anything resembling a football team — until this past Monday. Odd as this sounds, that’s Miami’s second-longest ACC streak; the Hurricanes won 11 consecutive league games spanning 2016 and 2017.

So we can complain about this and this and that but, listen, we’re still getting to play football,” Fisher said. Last week, 15 FBS games were called off because of COVID-19, the most yet this season. Major college football conferences have been tweaking policies to provide their schools flexibility to schedule games on short notice. That probably won't work for LSU-Alabama, which was among four SEC games postponed last week. __Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Zonovan Knight had a 100-yard kickoff return to put NC State (4-3, 4-3) on top in the third quarter. NC State led at halftime on the strength of Hockman’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Cary Angeline with 2:49 left. NC State: Angeline, a redshirt senior, has caught at least one touchdown pass in five of the Wolfpack’s games. With a victory, NC State would have been a candidate to climb back into the rankings. NC State: Hosts Florida State next Saturday.

11 Miami outlasted Virginia 19-14 on Saturday night. Harley's big night for Miami (5-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) started with a 43-yard touchdown grab on the Hurricanes’ second play from scrimmage. “It was a really tough game," Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said. Virginia tied the game at 7-7 on its first drive, with Tony Poljan hauling in a 2-yard scoring pass from Armstrong. Virginia, however, was out of time-outs at that point and Miami punted the ball away with only 23 seconds left.

12 Hurricanes beat Florida State 52-10 on Saturday night. Miami scored touchdowns on its five possessions and built a 35-point lead at halftime. He also ran for 65 on eight carries against Florida State. “Any time you give up 52 points, it’s never progress,” Florida State linebacker Amari Gainer said. STREAK REVERSAL:Miami won its fourth straight over Florida State and leads the series 35-30.

Facing questions about whether he would fulfill his promise, Bloomberg moved over the weekend to direct $100 million to Florida alone in support of Joe Biden. “Mike Bloomberg is an impact player,” said former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who served as a co-chair of Bloomberg’s presidential campaign. After spending $1 billion on his own campaign, Bloomberg won just one primary contest: American Samoa. And they say that, beyond Florida, Bloomberg is one of the Democratic Party’s biggest funders. Many say Biden, who visited the state on Tuesday for the first time since becoming the nominee, has not reached out enough to Hispanics in particular.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Feleipe Franks made up for three inexcusable turnovers by accounting for three touchdowns, doing just enough to help No. 8 Florida beat Miami 24-20 Saturday night in the opening game of the college football season. Florida's defense bailed Franks out time and time again, finishing with 10 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss. SPURRIER & MEYERFormer Florida coaches Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer watched the game from a luxury suite alongside Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin. It's the first of two games the Gators play against Football Championship Series teams.