Alabama defeats Florida in OT, holds on to one game lead in SEC

The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Florida Gators in overtime to remain in sole possession of first place in the SEC standings.

Transfer Grant Nelson had 22 points, eight rebounds, and a season-high six blocks as Alabama secured a 98-93 overtime win over Florida to maintain a one game lead in the SEC standings.

‘Bama has now won 16 straight SEC home games and is 11-2 in conference play and 19-7 overall this season. An ugly 2-5 stretch of basketball in November notwithstanding, this Nate Oats led team has been among the most prolific teams in the entire country and their odds of winning the SEC in wire-to-wire fashion continue to grow.

It wasn’t easy on Tuesday night though, as ‘Bama went one for their first 17 from the perimeter and needed a clutch offensive rebound and bucket from Aaron Estrada to secure the victory over a Gators team that, lately, has looked like not only an NCAA Tournament team, but a potential Sweet 16 caliber squad.

The loss pushes the Gators into sixth place in the SEC, although it likely won’t have a major impact on their at-large hopes. Golden’s team has two games left against Vanderbilt (2-10) and one against Missouri (0-13), which should pad the W-L record, but they also take on South Carolina on the road and have a home game left against Alabama.

A win in that one would go a long way toward putting this team on the six line (or higher) in the Big Dance, assuming they take care of business elsewhere.

Florida lands former 4-star Texas defensive line commit

Florida lands former 4-star Texas defensive line commit

Only days after being released from his NLI, former Texas commit D’antre Robinson officially committed to the Florida Gators on Friday afternoon.

Robinson, who had previously committed to the Longhorns back in July, as well as signed with Texas in December, had been officially released from his National Letter of Intent earlier this week. It did not take Robinson long to decide on his future destination either, with the former Texas signee now committing to return home to the Sunshine State to play for the Florida Gators.

Robinson is ranked as a four-star defensive lineman in the 2024 class out of Jones High School in Florida, as well as the No. 252 overall player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite.

The four-star is also now one of the highest-rated commitments of the 2024 cycle for the Gators and is the fourth defensive lineman joining the likes of LJ McCray, Brien Taylor, and Michai Boireau.

Wake Forest, Florida atop D1Baseball’s 2024 preseason rankings

The Demon Deacons and the Gators are considered the teams to beat in college baseball as the 2024 season approaches.

With the calendar turned to the start of 2024 and warmer weather theoretically on the way, college baseball season is quickly approaching. The first signs of life on the NCAA diamond came on Tuesday when D1Baseball released its preseason rankings of the 25 best teams this upcoming year.

The defending champion, LSU, is only six months removed from its College World Series title. However, the rankings think the leaders the Tigers lost, including the first two picks of last year’s MLB draft in pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews, are enough to drop LSU down to a humble fourth.

Two conference foes slot in ahead of the defending champions. Florida, the team that lost to LSU in the final series, sits second. The Gators also won the title in 2017 and were atop the national rankings with a 16-1 record in 2020 before the rest of the season was canceled due to COVID-19. Arkansas finished the regular season 39-15 last year, but a surprising 4-3 postseason campaign held them back from advancing to Omaha after TCU stunned them in their home regional.

All three of the top SEC teams are looking up at Wake Forest, however. The Demon Deacons lost to LSU in the 11th inning of a survive-and-advance game with a ticket to the championship series on the line.

Here are the full rankings:

Rank Team 2023 Record
1 Wake Forest 54-12
2 Florida 54-17
3 Arkansas 43-18
4 LSU 54-17
5 TCU 44-24
6 Vanderbilt 42-20
7 Oregon State 41-20
8 Texas A&M 38-27
9 Tennessee 44-22
10 Clemson 44-19
11 East Carolina 47-19
12 Duke 39-24
13 N.C. State 36-21
14 Virginia 50-15
15 North Carolina 36-24
16 Texas 42-22
17 UC Santa Barbara 35-20
18 Coastal Carolina 42-21
19 Alabama 43-21
20 Iowa 44-16
21 Texas Tech 41-23
22 UCLA 28-24-1
23 Northeastern 44-16
24 Kansas State 35-24
25 South Carolina 42-21

 

Florida State adds two big-name SEC transfers including a Florida lineman

Just one day after head coach Mike Norvell signed an extension, the Seminoles brought in an Alabama running back and a Florida offensive lineman.

Just one day after Florida State announced head coach Mike Norvell signed an extension, the Seminoles reeled in two big transfers from the SEC, including one big rival.

Former Alabama running back Roydell Williams and former Florida offensive lineman Richie Leonard IV both committed to join Norvell in Tallahassee next season.

Williams spent the past four seasons with the Crimson Tide, rushing for 1,168 yards and 11 touchdowns in an Alabama uniform. His carries increased in each of his four seasons, culminating in his best season in 2023. He ran for 560 yards and five touchdowns on 111 carries, the highest single-season marks of his career in all three categories.

Leonard started every game for the Gators last season, and PFF credits him with 1,250 snaps across the past three seasons. He earned a pass-blocking grade of 63.7 and a run-blocking grade of 63.9 last season.

Both transfers will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Former Florida defensive lineman Chris McClellan commits to Missouri

The former top-100 recruit from the Class of 2022 had 46 total tackles and 2.0 sacks in two years with the Gators.

Former Florida defensive end Chris McClellan is staying in the SEC. He announced on Tuesday that he was committed to the Missouri Tigers, according to a report by On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

“I felt as if they are going to put me in the best position to make me successful and develop me over the next (two) years,” McClellan said in Fawcett’s report on the decision.

McClellan was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2022, one of 247Sports’ top 100 prospects in the class. He was the No. 12 defensive lineman, and the Oklahoma native was the top recruit in his state.

The 6-foot-3, 320-pound lineman had 23 total tackles in both of his seasons with the Gators, finishing with seven solo tackles and 16 assists in both 2022 and 2023. He has 2.0 career sacks, with his only full sack coming against Missouri last season.

His highest PFF grades from this past season came as a tackler (74.6) and run defender (67.5).

McClellan joins a Missouri team on the rise. The Tigers won 10 games this season for the first team since 2014, and while head coach Eliah Drinkwitz has only pulled six transfers now with McClellan, four of them are four-star prospects.

Auburn lures premier defensive lineman and top-50 prospect from Florida

Amaris Williams, who had been projected to flip from the Gators, chose to stay in the SEC with the Auburn Tigers.

Defensive lineman Amaris Williams, who ranks as 247Sports’ eighth-best defensive lineman in the Class of 2024 and the No. 34 overall prospect, officially flipped from Auburn to Florida on Wednesday. On3’s Hayes Fawcett first reported the announcement on social media.

Williams committed to Florida in June, but he was expected to change his mind with 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong predicted the jump to the Tigers this morning.

The 6-foot-3 and 270-pound defensive tackle initially had his eyes on running back as a position, and he ran a 4.7 40-yard dash. The North Carolina native chose Auburn despite recent visits to Georgia and Ohio State.

Williams is the third-highest prospect in the Tigers’ 2024 class behind five-star wide receivers Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson, a pair of Alabama natives both within the 30 best players in the country.

Florida has now lost six recruits with four or more stars since the start of November. Williams is the third Florida commit to flip this week after safety Xavier Filsaime chose Texas on Monday and linebacker Adarius Hayes chose Miami less than an hour before Williams announced his decision.

Get more Auburn coverage at Auburn Wire.

Four-star linebacker chooses Miami over Florida

Adarius Hayes committed to Florida in January, but he switched to the Hurricanes and signed his letter of intent to seal the flip.

Linebacker Adarius Hayes, a four-star prospect within the top 200 of 247Sports’ Class of 2024 rankings, flipped in-state from Florida to Miami on Wednesday. On3 reported the switch.

Hayes had committed to Florida back in January, but he signed his letter of intent with the Hurricanes on early signing day to seal the switch.

The Florida native, who plays for Largo High School, climbs as high as 73rd on 247Sports’ composite rankings. The website’s director of scouting, Andrew Ivins, describes him as a “lanky second-level defender that can drop back into coverage and fill gaps.”

He measures out at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, and he is one of the website’s top 15 linebackers in the class.

His addition to the Miami class helps bump the Hurricanes up to fourth in the 2024 team rankings while the Gators, who were once No. 3, tumble outside the top 10. Hayes was the fifth 2024 recruit with four or more stars to decommit from Florida in the past six weeks.

Five-star defensive lineman and Florida commit may not sign on early signing day

McCray, a five-star defensive lineman and one of the top 10 players in the upcoming class, may not make his commitment to Florida official.

Defensive lineman LJ McCray, who is currently 247Sports’ No. 2 defensive lineman in the Class of 2024 and the No. 6 overall player, may not put pen to paper on Early Signing Day on Wednesday.

On3 reported that McCray described it as a “high possibility” that he doesn’t sign on Wednesday.

The defensive lineman, who plays for Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, committed to Florida on October 21. He’s the second-highest recruit in the Gators class.

McCray has visited Florida State and Auburn over the past few weeks, but On3’s report did not elaborate on whether McCray’s commitment to Florida was wavering at all. The Gators have lost four players of four stars or higher over the past month, including five-star safety Xavier Filsaime who flipped to Texas on Monday.

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Top safety prospect Xavier Filsaime flips from Florida to Texas

Xavier Filsaime, a Texas native who had been committed to Florida since April, announced on Monday he would instead play for the Longhorns.

Xavier Filsaime, a consensus top-50 prospect and one of the best safeties in the Class of 2024, flipped his commitment from Florida to Texas, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported on Monday.

247Sports grades Filsaime as a five-star prospect, the No. 32 overall player, and the second-best safety in the upcoming class. He had been committed to Florida since April.

“One of my hardest decisions ever,” the Texas native said in Fawcett’s report on the decision. “I have lots of love for everyone over there.”

The move jumps Texas to No. 5 in 247Sports’ 2024 team recruiting rankings. Billy Napier and the Gators, who were once as high as third in the country, tumbled down to 10th with the decommitment.

Filsaime becomes the latest player to detach from the Florida football program. Four other 2024 recruits have decommitted from the Gators since the start of November, including three four-star prospects in defensive lineman Nasir Johnson, edge rusher Jamonta Waller, and cornerback Wardell Mack. Edge rusher Princely Umanmielen and running back Trevor Etienne also left for the transfer portal.

Get more Texas coverage at Longhorns Wire.

Florida running back Trevor Etienne in the transfer portal

The sophomore, Florida’s second-leading rusher with 753 yards in 2023, has two years of eligibility left.

Florida running back Trevor Etienne entered his name in the transfer portal,  On3’s Pete Nakos first reported on Thursday.

The running back released a statement on social media shortly after the report.

“I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to put on the Orange and Blue every Satrda, going to war with my teammates who would become brothers for life,” the running back wrote. “My time as a Gator was an invaluable experience and one that I will cherish for years to come.”

The sophomore, the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, rushed for 753 yards on 131 attempts this season. He led Florida with eight rushing touchdowns.

Etienne was named the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week in Week 3 of this regular season, when he tallied 172 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries against Tennessee.

In his first season in Gainesville, Etienne was named to the Freshman All-SEC team after he took 118 carries for 719 yards and six touchdowns. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week when he ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on eight carries against South Carolina.

The news of Etienne’s departure comes one day after Florida edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, the only Gators player to make the All-SEC team this season, announced he’d enter the transfer portal as well.

Get more Florida coverage at Gators Wire.