Tag: Orlando Sentinel

Former Florida quarterback reaches plea deal on felony charges

The die has been cast in the Jalen Kitna case.

Jalen Kitna, a former quarterback on the University of Florida’s football team, will be charged with two counts of breach of peace stemming from his arrest for child pornography in late November 2022, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The plea deal reduces his charges from five felony child pornography counts to just two second-degree misdemeanor crimes.

Eighth Judicial Circuit Judge Susan Miller-Jones gave Kitna six months of probation for each count without issuing fines or requiring the 20-year-old to register as a sex offender.

The erstwhile member of the Gators 2021 recruiting class is the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, who played 14 seasons in the National Football League split between the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, from 1997 to 2011.

Following the decision made at the Alachua County courthouse in Gainesville, Florida, Kitna offered the following statement.

“I want to start off by apologizing to my family, my friends and those that care about me. Their support through this whole ordeal has meant a lot to me. The hardest thing about this whole process has been seeing how it’s affected them.

“The valuable lessons that I’ve learned through this whole deal have been very helpful. I’m looking forward to applying those things and moving forward.”

Kitna completed online classes focused on advertising during the spring semester at UF but the university has since banned him from campus until November 2025.

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Florida football’s 2023 opener could be played on a Thursday night

Could next season start early? Quite possibly.

Florida football’s 2022 season opener saw the Orange and Blue beat the Utah Utes in front of a sold-out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on in primetime on ESPN to give [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] his first win as the Gators’ head coach.

The 2023 season opener will see the Gators complete the home-and-home and travel out west. Originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 2, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the game could be moved to Thursday, Aug. 31, per the contract details.

The Sentinel obtained the contract via a public records request and found out that the document allows for the game to be played on either date. When the SEC’s 2023 schedule was released last September, the game was slated for Saturday.

The flexibility comes down to logistics. By playing on Thursday night, the Gators would be able to spend the night in Salt Lake City and provide more recovery time before Florida’s home opener against McNeese State on Sept. 9. It would also be a safety net in case something prevents the Gators to fly back. on Saturday night. When Utah came to Gainesville last year, their plane had mechanical problems that delayed the team’s departure until 5 a.m. EST Sunday morning.

There is no official word on if the game has been moved. If it is played on Aug. 31, it would be the first Thursday night game Florida plays since Oct. 1, 1992, where the Orange and Blue lost to Mississippi State, 30-6.

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Anthony Richardson could be dropping his AR-15 nickname

The AR-15 nickname is catchy but Florida’s Anthony Richardson is looking to distance himself from any association with gun violence.

Before [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] was the starting quarterback at the University of Florida, he was just another Gainesville kid wearing the same No. 15 as one of the greatest to ever put on the orange and blue — [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag]. It didn’t take long for the “AR-15” nickname to set in considering Richardson’s explosive arm and it quickly turned into his brand.

The problem is that Richardson no longer wishes to share a nickname with the type of semi-automatic rifle that has been used in several mass shootings across the country in recent years, according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Bianchi. Richardson’s NIL marketing representative Deiric Jackson spoke with Bianchi on Friday about the potential shift.

“We are in discussions right now about what to do,” Jackson said. “Anthony does not want his name to be associated with gun violence in any way.”

That’s not a new position from Richardson either. Bianchi mentions that Richardson was the public face of the Gainesville Police Department’s gun buy-back program in the fall. Here’s a YouTube video the student-athlete appeared in last year:

Changing the nickname isn’t as simple as it sounds, though. It’s one of the more recognizable brands on the team, and maybe even across the SEC, right now. It’s also plastered across his clothing apparel complete with a scope sight logo on each shoulder. All of that could change, according to Jackson.

“We are thinking about changing the clothing brand,” he said. “We don’t want Anthony’s name associated with assault rifles. In fact, Anthony has been very active in trying to get guns off the streets in Gainesville.”

It’s hard not to think of the weapon when you say the nickname, but it’s also hard to think of Anthony Richardson without the moniker. It’s not the easiest or typical problem most athletes deal with, but it has been done before. Bianchi uses the example of Allen Robinson switching his number from 15 to 12 in 2018 to avoid the same association.

It doesn’t seem like Richardson will drop Tebow’s number just yet, but he will look to distance himself from AR-15 nickname by whatever means necessary.

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Report: Florida football’s recruiting budget sees substantial increase under Napier

Billy Napier said that Florida was going to provide the resources for him to be successful on the recruiting trail, and this budget report backs that up.

Florida football isn’t spending Alabama or Georgia money just yet, but the Gators received a nice boost in the recruiting budget this year, according to a report from Edgar Thompson the Orlando Sentinel.

The University Athletic Association increased football spending by $4.72 million to $90.2 million, according to the Gators’ operating budget obtained by the Sentinel. Roughly $700,000 was added to the recruiting budget, a 55% increase, to hit the $2 million mark.

Billy Napier‘s staff is all in on recruiting from top-to-bottom and athletic director Scott Stricklin indicated a willingness to spend more on the program under the new regime. These numbers not only back up those expectations but also place Florida fifth in the country in terms of recruiting budgets, according to 247Sports’ most recent update on the topic.

Still, other schools may have adjusted their numbers in the last year and reached that $2 million mark as well. Florida does have some hidden recruiting money in the UAA’s two private jets and nearly a flight department budget of $839,000.

With more money to spend than ever before, the expectation is for Billy Napier to help Florida rebound quickly in recruiting space. So far, Florida has eight recruits after a recent decommitment from offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag]. That puts UF at No. 42 on 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings and several misses have some Gators fans questioning the first-year coach before his first real game.

Four-star cornerback [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag]’s commitment on Monday did bring the fanbase back down to earth, but there’s bound to be unrest as long as UF remains outside of the top 20, especially with the news of increased spending coming in. Hopefully, those dollars pay off and the UAA invests even more into the program over the coming years.

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This 2023 in-state WR just committed to Florida

Commitment No. 4 for the Gators recruiting class of 2023 is a speedy receiver out of Central Florida.

Darren “Goldie” Lawrence, a three-star receiver in the class of 2023, announced his commitment to the University of Florida on Saturday.

Lawrence called coach Dan Mullen on Tuesday and committed, according to the Orlando Sentinel. He tweeted out the news on Saturday hours ahead of Florida’s game with Tennessee after initially waiting for an announcement video to go with it.

After the Gators offered Lawrence in June, Ole Miss, Michigan State and Miami began to take interest in him. Florida stayed at the top of his list and he only needed to convince his mother before making the call to Mullen. A coach’s blessing later and mom got on board.

 

Lawrence joins Raymond Cottrell, Mac Markway, and Aaron Gates in the Gators’ recruiting class of 2023. Florida already sat at sixth on 247Sports’ team rankings for 2023, and Florida State is only about seven points ahead of UF. Lawrence could put the Gators over the top.

Both Rivals and 247Sports rate Lawrence as a three-star receiver. 247Sports has him the No. 63 receiver in the country and the No. 79 prospect out of Florida.

The Seminole High receiver has played limited minutes in his junior year due to his team’s consistent dominance, but he’s managed 15 receptions for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Lawrence has three rushing touchdowns on just eight carries this year as well.

It’s typical for Mullen to target an in-state receiver who runs a 4.47 40-yard dash early, but getting the commitment this soon is truly impressive. Lawrence’s recent visit to the Swamp for the Alabama game may have put Florida over the edge.

“You couldn’t even hear anything in the stadium because it was so loud,” Lawrence said according to the Sentinel. “The place was on fire and it made me want to come there even more.”

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Keyontae Johnson vows to return to the court as he awaits clearance

Johnson told the Orlando Sentinel that he’ll be back on the court, one way or another.

In the opening minutes of Florida basketball’s matchup against Florida State on Dec. 12, Gators star forward Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the floor and had to be taken to a local hospital. He was initially listed in critical condition and was in a coma.

Now, more than seven months later, Johnson eagerly awaits a return to the court. He told the Orlando Sentinel’s Edgar Thompson that he’ll be playing basketball again, whether it’s at the University of Florida or elsewhere.

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“I don’t know if it will be here, but I’m for sure going to play basketball again,” he said. “Just taking it day by day, going to see doctors and everything. They really haven’t given me a timeline yet.

“Hopefully, I get it soon.”

No diagnosis for Johnson has been publicly announced, and he told Thompson that it has not yet been determined if the collapse stemmed from a heart malfunction. Until that is ruled out, he isn’t allowed to undergo cardiovascular exercise. He’s limited to spot-up jumpers and a few dribbles on pull-up attempts.

“That’s why they’re doing tests. That’s why it’s longer than expected. They just don’t know,” Johnson said. “They don’t know if it was my heart or it could be something else. It was just a freak incident; they’re just trying to figure it out to make sure I’m fine before they clear me.

“I go on a walk daily with Coach [Mike] White and stuff like that, or with our athletic trainer. They don’t want me to do anything until I’m cleared.”

For now, Johnson is focused on helping others improve. He took advantage of the new name, image and likeness rules to start a local paid youth basketball camp as he awaits his medical clearance.

“There’s a lot of kids out here that nobody knows about that want to hoop, and I want to help them fulfill their dreams,” he said. “I feel like this could be the start of it.”

But make no mistake, Johnson wants to be back on the court. And if he’s medically cleared, he should be playing for the orange and blue this fall.

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