Latest news with #GasparillaBowl
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida WR placed on scholarship
The Florida Gators football program has placed wide receiver DeBraun Hampton on scholarship, according to his social media accounts. A preferred walk-on out of Willis High in Texas, Hampton is best known for being high school teammates with Florida quarterback DJ Lagway. As a senior, Hampton hauled in 57 receptions for 926 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Gators are hoping to exploit that connection and get Hampton going at the collegiate level. Hampton's only snap last season came as a run blocker in the waning moments of the Gasparilla Bowl. He took his redshirt and could potentially see more action this season. Florida's wide receiver room is among the strongest position rooms in the program. Redshirt senior Kahleil Jackson, redshirt sophomores Eugene Wilson III and Aidan Mizell, sophomore Tank Hawkins and redshirt freshman TJ Abrams make up the returning group. UCLA transfer and Sturdivant and true freshmen Dallas Wilson, Vernell Brown III, Naeshaun Montgomery and Muizz Tounkara are the newbies. Hampton could compete with Montgomery and Tounkara for action on the third team. Whatever happens, performing well enough to be put on scholarship is impactful for the family. Tuition isn't cheap. Hampton could find himself in a special teams role as a punt returner. With spring camp starting on Wednesday, it will be easier to gauge his role on the team following the scholarship offer. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Florida football's Billy Napier fall in CBS Sports' SEC coach rankings?
Florida football head coach Billy Napier has been ranked No. 11 in CBS Sports' SEC coach rankings for the 2025 season. Last year, Napier was ranked No. 13 on the list, although moving up two spots doesn't feel like much of an improvement despite finishing the season on a four-game win streak. Included in those victories were then-ranked No. 21 LSU, No. 9 Ole Miss, Florida State and Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl. But that late-season surge didn't move the needle much going into this year's SEC coach rankings. Napier is entering his fourth and most important season with the Florida Gators and has garnered an exact record of 19-19 during his tenure. CBS Sports' Brad Crawford emphasized the reliance that Napier has on quarterback DJ Lagway. If Lagway struggles, it could be Napier's last season in Gainesville. Here is everything Crawford wrote about Napier heading into the 2025 college football season. What CBS Sports said about Napier "Napier slashed his way through what many considered the toughest schedule in college football history last fall and lived to fight another day with the Gators. And part of the reason for optimism under his tutelage is the emergence of D.J. Lagway at quarterback, a former elite recruit that Napier managed to hold onto before unleashing as a freshman in 2024. "Lagway's the singlemost important player for the former Louisiana coach and likely determines whether his tenure will be successful or not." CBS Sports' 2025 SEC coach rankings Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze finally stops excuses but is he ready for expectations?
Hugh Freeze has proven himself a virtuoso in the excuse-making arts, but he shelved those abilities at SEC media days and welcomed expectations for Auburn. What Hugh Freeze didn't say became more notable than what he said. The Auburn coach didn't call for patience. He didn't become defensive when asked about the amount of golf he played this offseason. He didn't blame his predecessor for Auburn's 2024 record. Freeze has proven himself a virtuoso in the excuse-making arts throughout his career, but he shelved those abilities Tuesday during his turn in the spotlight at SEC media days. Good. There's no stomach for a coach's excuses in Year 3, anyway. Auburn fans are starved for success after four consecutive losing seasons. So, Freeze might as well vow to deliver results, because that's the only path forward for an embattled coach whose buyout is cheaper than most in the SEC. 'I love this team,' Freeze said from the stage in Atlanta. Earlier this offseason, Freeze said on a Birmingham-based podcast that he's 'no fool' and he knows Auburn must make a bowl game. Excuse me? That comment made Freeze sound like a fool. A third-year coach with an 11-14 record at Auburn, with losses to New Mexico State, California and Vanderbilt, can't think of the Gasparilla Bowl as a safe space. Freeze changed his tune at SEC media days. He talked as if the College Football Playoff is within reach. 'I truly believe that, in the playoff run, we're going to be in this discussion,' Freeze said. 'That is what Auburn should be, in those talks, year in, year out.' For the past several years, there's been more talk of hot seats at Auburn than the playoff, for which the Tigers never have qualified. Auburn's best postseason triumph since the playoff's inception came at the Music City Bowl during the Guz Malzahn era. Auburn cast itself into a pit by making one of the worst college football hires of the 21st century by anointing Bryan Harsin to replace Malzahn. Harsin, an interloper from Boise State, strutted in with a tough-guy attitude. He quickly lost portions of the locker room, and he failed to recruit the type of athletes he'd need to thrive in the SEC. He proved a massive bust. I can say that. Freeze shouldn't, because, no matter how poorly Harsin fared at Auburn, a third-year coach can't cast his program's shortcomings onto his predecessor's shoulders. Not in the SEC, and certainly not in this era when fixes are found in the transfer portal and improvement is possible in leaps, not baby steps, early in a coach's tenure. Auburn showed little improvement throughout Freeze's first two seasons. Auburn's 22 turnovers and an inability to finish games strongly contributed to the Tigers finishing 5-7 last year, when 8-4 was possible. Freeze's recruiting haul buoyed some belief in a brighter future, no matter the on-field results, until recruiting stalled this offseason. Auburn's 2026 class ranks last in the SEC. Freeze offered a feeble explanation earlier this month when asked about the recruiting ranking. Enough already. Athletic director John Cohen promised a big August for recruiting. We'll see. Regardless, recruiting can't be the only thing propping up a third-year coach at a program that last tasted more than six victories in a time before any of us had ever heard the word 'coronavirus.' Instituting a turnaround will require more fortitude and fewer flubs in close-game situations, but Freeze also improved the puzzle pieces. Auburn's bundle of key transfer acquisitions included wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech) and offensive tackles Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech) and Mason Murphy (Southern California). Freeze described this team's potential as 'limitless.' 'We absolutely want the expectations,' Freeze said, 'and this team deserves them.' Looking at Auburn's schedule, I can talk myself into the Tigers achieving a much better record. So much hinges, though, on quarterback improvement. Auburn transitioned to Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold, a former five-star recruit who didn't live up to the billing with the Sooners. Oklahoma's shoddy pass protection and numerous wide receiver injuries didn't help Arnold's cause. From Freeze's vantage point, Arnold fits 'everything that I believe in doing offensively.' Here again, I say, we'll see. 'I've seen (Arnold's) swagger and confidence come back pretty quickly,' Freeze said. That attitude must spread throughout the roster – and to the head coach. At least the excuses and downplaying of expectations dried up Tuesday. Neither will serve Freeze well at this juncture. Only wins can save him. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What preseason magazines think of Florida football entering 2025 season
With Florida football set to begin practice at the end of July, hope remains high entering the 2025 season. The Florida Gators return an experienced squad that includes eight starters on offense, eight starters on defense and kicker Trey Smack. UF closed its season at 8-5 on a four-game win streak and picked up its first bowl win since 2019, beating Tulane 33-8 in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa. Advertisement Florida is 19-19 in three seasons under head coach Billy Napier, who for now, at least, appears off the hot seat. The challenge for Napier is to build off that momentum against another challenging schedule that includes games against national-title contenders LSU, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia and Tennessee. "We've gotten more and more familiar with the evaluation process in terms of what's required in our league at the top of college football," Napier said. "And then I think you learn a lot about the football piece, too, in terms of how you put your team together and what it takes to win our conference and win a national championship." Here's where preseason magazines project the Gators going into the 2025 season: Where Phil Steele Magazine projects Florida football Phil Steele has Florida at No. 17 in its preseason poll and picks the Gators to finish seventh in the SEC. Advertisement "Billy Napier took over a Gators squad that had below average recruiting classes prior to him and two super tough schedules," the magazine wrote. "In '22 they got to a bowl game and lost (6-7) and in '23 were 5-7 with three close losses. Last year they had a brutal schedule, but all of my nine sets power ratings call for seven-plus wins with just three true SEC road games. After a 4-5 start, which included their QB out for the year, DJ Lagway led them to four wins and an 8-5 year (beat No. 21 LSU. No. 9 Ole Miss). This year Lagway is back, and they face the fourth-toughest schedule in the SEC." Steele has seven UF players on his All-SEC teams, with defensive tackle Caleb Banks and long snapper Rocco Underwood on the first team, center Jake Slaughter and left tackle Austin Barber on the second team and defensive end Tyreak Sapp, kicker Trey Smack and wide receiver Eugene Wilson on the third team. Underwood was named a first-team All-American by the magazine, while Slaughter was named a second-team All-American, Banks a third-team All-American and Wilson a fourth-team All-American. Where Lindy's Magazine projects Florida football Lindy's has Florida as No. 15 in its preseason Top 25 and picks Florida to finish seventh in the SEC. Advertisement "No longer on college football's hottest seat, Billy Napier hopes to ascend with DJ Lagway, the most talented quarterback the program has had since Tim Tebow," the magazine writes. "UCLA wideout J. Michael Sturdivant was a nice add and edge Kofi Asare (UMass) was a needed depth piece." Lindy's has Slaughter as an All-SEC first team selection and Banks and Smack on its All-SEC third team. Where Athlon Magazine projects Florida football Athon has Florida at No. 11 in its preseason Top 25 and picks Florida to finish fifth in the SEC. "The Gators have momentum after ending 2024 on a four-game winning streak," the magazine writes. "The late surge helped ease the pressure on head coach Billy Napier, especially with quarterback DJ Lagway's emergence to superstar status. However, the Gators will be holding their breath all offseason after Lagway was limited in spring practice due to a shoulder injury ... The Gators could play seven preseason Top 25 teams on a daunting schedule. Lagway's recovery and development will share just how successful the '25 season will be." Advertisement Athlon has Slaughter at center on its All-SEC first team. Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@ Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators' national championship basketball season in 'CHOMP-IONS!' — a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Sun. Details at This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Where preseason magazines pick Florida football to finish in SEC, nationally
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Tulane Green Wave win total predictions, futures, over/under and odds
After the Tulane Green Wave fell just shy of a bowl game victory in 2024 following a loss in the Gasparilla Bowl, oddsmakers have set their win total for this season at an over/under of 8.5 wins. The Green Wave finished 9-5 a season ago, and have -104 odds to go over their win total in 2025. Tulane futures: win total over/under, odds College football odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Monday at 3:25 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Tulane splits - last season Tulane draft picks lost Watch College Football on Fubo!
