Latest news with #Gators
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Three Florida Gators on ESPN's way-too-early 2026 NBA big board
Florida basketball just saw three players selected in the same draft for the first time since 2007, but it might not take more than a year for the Gators to accomplish the feat again. Center Alex Condon, transfer point guard Boogie Fland and forward Thomas Haugh are all inside the top 40 on ESPN's first 2026 big board. Condon appearing at No. 29 is no surprise. He tested the draft waters this year and decided to return to improve his stock. A fringe first-round projection fits that narrative, and he can easily move up if he develops into the All-American/All-SEC big man many expect him to be. With only five centers ahead of him on ESPN's lists, the movement could happen quickly. Fland also gauged NBA interest after his freshman year with Arkansas, but a second-round projection has him back in school, except with a different SEC program. A former All-American, Fland averaged 15.1 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds over the Razorbacks' first 18 games. He shot 36.5% from 3-point range, but the hand injury that ended his season might have kept that from rising over the year. Scouts will be looking for better shot selection from him and a better finishing touch near the rim. Size is also a question mark, but he can't do much to grow. ESPN has him just outside a first-round ranking at No. 31 overall. Haugh might have the highest ceiling of the group. He wasn't on draft boards coming into last year, but it's hard to imagine that there's an NBA front office without knowledge of him after the run he made in the postseason. Haugh is a big riser already at No. 40, but he could easily end the 2025-26 season as a first-rounder. 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
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Which Gator lands on CBS Sports' list of most dynamic CFB players
What does it take to be labeled a "dynamic" player in college football? Dual-threat quarterbacks mix the pro-style pocket passing NFL scout love and the running ability that seems to be taking over the position at large, a chunk of skill position players are recruited as "athletes" while playing multiple positions and then there's Travis Hunter who played at an All-American level on both sides of the ball while at Colorado. All of these archetypes fit the Merriam-Webster definition of the word dynamic — "marked by usually continuous and productive activity or change" — but in sports, dynamism has a certain je ne sais quoi to it. As CBS Sports' Brad Crawford puts it, "the players I most remembered jumped off of the screen in the biggest moments of the biggest games." Crawford put together a list of college football's 25 most dynamic players of the past 25 years, and there's surprisingly just one Florida Gator on there. While Gators fans may be quick to jump to the most sacred name in all of Gainesville — Tim Tebow — it's not the golden boy who made the cut. Tebow helped popularize the running quarterback, and he did it in a bruising way that hasn't quite been replicated. But his passing lacked at times, and there's a better all-around choice for this list. Percy Harvin. Athlete. "The Gators did an expert job picking and choosing when to incorporate Harvin offensively," wrote Crawford, "whether that meant lining him up next to Tim Tebow in the backfield or breaking him out at receiver. Over this three-year stint in Gainesville, Harvin was instrumental in leading one of the nation's most explosive offenses, averaging 11.6 yards per touch with 32 touchdowns. His 9.2 yards per rushing attempt led the country in 2007, which ironically, was Tebow's Heisman year." Harvin was a video game character in real life. An offensive weapon that demanded the focus of multiple defenders, Florida and Tebow likely wouldn't have the same success without him on the field. His success carried over into the NFL, and he's the kind of name that comes up in water cooler talk, which is the kind of topic Crawford is looking to explore deeper. Did he miss the mark by leaving Tebow out, though? 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
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Here's where Florida basketball lands in ESPN's June bracketology update
The summer doldrums are here for college sports, but that certainly does not slow down ESPN's Joe Lunardi and his monthly bracketology updates, in which he revises his forecast for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Lunardi will be providing updates once a month until October as he navigates the various offseason topics that invariably affect his outlook. This time around, he is considering every transfer, portal maneuver and NBA draft entry (and exit) in his projections as he fine-tunes his crystal ball. While the latest update was released prior to the 2025 NBA draft, those results have no bearing on Lunardi's latest revision. Here is a look at where the Florida Gators now stand, as well as their Southeastern Conference peers and others. Florida basketball's seeding in ESPN's 2026 bracketology In Lunardi's May installment, he had the Gators as a No. 3 seed in the South Region, matched up with the 14th-seeded Furman Paladins in Tampa, Florida. In his recent update, the Gators are now the top overall seed while placed in the East Region against the 16th-seeded Southeast Missouri State Redhawks in Tampa. "No one would question the significant personnel losses incurred by defending NCAA champion Florida," Lunardi begins. "Replacing a backcourt of Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin is no easy task: The trio combined for better than 46 points per game, and Clayton made numerous clutch shots in the Gators' title-winning season. ESPN 100 freshmen Alexander Lloyd and Cornelius Ingram Jr. will help fill the void, but it's two stellar transfer portal additions — Xaivian Lee (Princeton) and the surprising entry Boogie Fland (Arkansas) — who make the Gators a legitimate threat to repeat," he continues. "Add returning big man Alex Condon to an already loaded frontcourt, and it's no wonder Florida jumps up to the top line. This team has all the pieces to make a Final Four return and win the title again. The Gators won't be overwhelming favorites like Billy Donovan's repeat champions in 2007, but the 2026 Gators will be in the mix next March." Top seeds in ESPN's 2026 bracketology Along with Florida in the East, the other three top seeds in the June edition of ESPN's bracketology are the Houston Cougars – the team UF beat to win the national championship — who remain in the Midwest, as well as the Duke Blue Devils, who moved from the South to the West Region, and Purdue Boilermakers who are now in the South after landing in the Midwest last month. The Gators' promotion bumped the UConn Huskies from the top seed in the West. SEC schools in ESPN's 2026 bracketology The SEC added a school to its bracketology tally and now has 14 of its 16 member schools mentioned in Lunardi's update, headlined by the top-seeded Orange and Blue. The Tennessee Volunteers moved up to No. 2 in the West while the Kentucky Wildcats remained a No. 3 seed but moved back to the Midwest. The Auburn Tigers bumped up to a No. 4 seed in the South, followed by the Arkansas Razorbacks, who slipped to No. 5 in the Midwest, and the Alabama Crimson Tide, who rose to No. 5 in the West. The Missouri Tigers are still a No. 7 seed in the East, while the Vanderbilt Commodores (West) and Oklahoma Sooners (South) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (Midwest) are No. 8 seeds, Texas Longhorns (East) at No. 9, Ole Miss Rebels (West) and Georgia Bulldogs (South) at No. 10. The Texas A&M Aggies entered the bracket at No. 11 and are lined up among the first four matchups. 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
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Is Steve Spurrier right about the Texas Longhorns starting QB?
Texas sophomore quarterback Arch Manning has been the talk of the offseason with 100% positive coverage from the national media, which is not surprising given his lineage and five-star recruiting rating. Already the preseason front-runner for the 2026 Heisman Trophy with +700 odds (FanDuel), Manning's lack of playtime over the last two years after sitting behind veteran Quinn Ewers has led to one famous name questioning the overwhelming hype. This week, Hall of Fame coach Steve Spurrier, most known for coaching Florida (1990-2001) and South Carolina (2005-2015), including leading the Gators to the 1996 National Championship, made an appearance on Pat Dooley's Another Dooley Noted Podcast, as the topic of Arch Manning's first starting season came up, and Spurrier did not hold back. "They've got Arch Manning already winning the Heisman (Trophy), too. My question is, if he's that good, how come they let Quinn Ewers play all the time last year? He was a seventh-round pick." Spurrier is, of course, entitled to his opinion, but it's fair to note that Quinn Ewers played through a torn oblique through most of the 2024 season, resulting in a lack of mobility that hindered his accuracy. During Ewers' two-game absence, Manning looked solid in his place and went on to appear in ten games, primarily used as a runner. However, Manning will be playing in front of two new starters at left and right tackle and throwing to an inexperienced wide receiver corps, but will be aided by a talented running back room led by junior Quintreveon Wisner. Using Ewers' 7th-round draft selection could be seen as a cheap shot. Still, I believe that last season's veteran team would have continued to back Ewers as the starter to finish his Texas career on a high note before Manning eventually took the reins. Arch Manning's arm strength, dual-threat running ability, and above-average accuracy and touch should lead a young but highly talented Texas offense to at least 10 or 11 wins, mainly due to head coach Steve Sarkisian's play-calling. Like Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed, both sophomore signal callers will be under fire if things go south. Still, unlike Manning, Reed will be working with an equally talented, but more experienced, receiving corps and a loaded running back room in front of what many consider the best offensive line in the SEC. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alijah Martin headed to the Toronto Raptors and this time has his passport
NEW YORK (AP) — It takes more than just great basketball skills to play for the Toronto Raptors. It also takes a passport. Alijah Martin learned that this spring and kept it in mind on NBA draft night. Advertisement The 6-foot-2 guard from national champion Florida, delayed in his first chance to work out for the Raptors when he forgot his necessary document, made sure he brought it to New York for the draft. Sure enough, he's Toronto bound after he was taken with the No. 39 pick. Martin had finished his five-year college career and was looking for his pro chance when the Raptors sent word they'd like him to come to Canada so they could take a look. 'I was going to the airport, because I was already on the road doing workouts, and I was just thinking like, `Oh, I can just show a picture, you know how you do with the ID,'' Martin said. 'But I get there, try to check in and I tell her I left my passport and she goes, '0oh, that's a bad thing.'' Martin was able to rebook the flight for later the same day and get to Toronto. Advertisement He was a starter for two Final Four teams, having helped Florida Atlantic get there in 2023 before transferring to Florida for his final season. He averaged 14.4 points last season as the Gators went 36-4 and won their third national championship. Now he's on his way back to Toronto, and this time the passport is already packed. 'Just in case,' he said with a smile. ___ AP NBA:
