Tag: colelge football

Dooley’s Dozen: 12 things Texas, Oklahoma need to know about the SEC

Here’s what Pat Dooley thinks should be on the minds of Longhorns and Sooners fans.

If it feels like forever until the college football season starts again, think how Texas and Oklahoma feel.

Those two programs have been slated for a move to the SEC for what seems like a decade, even though it’s been less than a year since the announcement that the two schools would be switching conferences a year early.

I know SEC fans who believe those guys and gals have no idea what they are getting into. The counter to that would be that they know exactly what they are getting into – cold, hard cash.

But the Dooley’s Dozen is here to spread the news to fans of both schools. It just means more, so be prepared for these 12 things that are coming, Longhorns and Sooners.

Former Arkansas OL to make transfer portal visit with Florida

This massive offensive lineman will be visiting Gainesville for the start of the transfer portal contact period.

The college football transfer portal entry list officially came to a close at midnight on Tuesday but there is still a long line of student-athletes who already submitted their names. And thus begins the official contact period — the window when players can make their official visits again.

Among those seeking greener pastures through the sport’s de facto free agency system is former Arkansas Razorbacks offensive lineman [autotag]Devon Manuel[/autotag], who entered the portal back on Dec. 4. The massive 6-foot-9-inch, 310-pound trench warrior originally out of Sunset, Louisiana, is reportedly visiting Florida’s football program from Jan. 3-5, according to a source familiar with 247Sports.

Manuel has already visited the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Kentucky Wildcats, plus a trip to see the Missouri Tigers lined up right after the Gators.

The redshirt sophomore played in just one game prior to 2023 (in a win against the Auburn Tigers) and last fall saw his efforts hampered by an injury in training camp. Nonetheless, he started the final three of the nine games he appeared in for the Hogs, earning an overall grade of 68.4 on 417 total offensive snaps from Pro Football Focus.

PFF also assigned him a pass grade of 89.4, a pass block grade of 63.5 and a run block grade of 65.6. On3’s transfer portal tracker gives the Orange and Blue a 91.5% chance of landing him.

Florida has already signed former San Diego State Aztecs offensive tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson but could still use more help up front from the portal. A healthy start to the season with the Gators might be what Manuel needs to finally break out.

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Dooley’s Dozen: Behind the numbers of the Heisman Trophy

Take a look at some off-the-beaten-path numbers behind the Heisman Trophy over the years.

There are times when I am so grateful to have been covering Florida football during its heyday and one of those times is this weekend.

Because this is Heisman weekend and I was lucky enough to be there for three of them – one Danny and two Tebows.

I consider it the biggest honor any athlete can get because it stays with you forever. There is a reason there is a Heisman house. I asked [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag], who won it in 1966, about that and he said, “The biggest individual honor, yes. But you’d rather win SEC championships and national championships.”

But it got me to thinkin’ (Andy Griffith reference) about the history of the award and some interesting tidbits about the stiff-armed one. So, here we go with another Dooley’s Dozen: 12 things you need to know about the Heisman.

Which bowl game will the Florida Gators play in?

It’s almost bowl season, but which game will the Gators be playing in? Here’s what the experts are saying.

Now that the regular season has concluded, there is no shortage of predictions as to which bowl game the Florida Gators will take part in. UF secured bowl eligibility with its sixth win of the season over South Carolina but failed to pick up another win over the remaining two games in the season.

A 6-6 finish means that Florida is likely to play in a very minor bowl game, but plenty of host cities would relish the opportunity to market tickets to one of the larger fan bases in the country. It comes as no surprise then that the bowl game experts all have different takes on where the Gators will end up. Some have UF playing in a game close to home to capitalize on the nearby fans, and others have Florida playing as far west as Las Vegas.

Whichever game Florida does end up accepting an invitation to should be more competitive than the Gators’ 2021 loss against UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl. A lame-duck staff had all but cleared out and players were jumping ship left and right. Sure, [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] and [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] could sit out this year to preserve their draft stock and avoid injury, but there’s still plenty to prove for the younger players on the team that are fighting for a spot next season.

Here’s a look at which bowl games the experts think Florida will play in this year.