Tag: rankings

Gators nowhere to be seen in D1Baseball’s latest rankings

The Gators fell out of D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings last week and remained outside the top tier of the sport in the Week 10 update.

It has been a precipitous fall for the Florida football season, going from the runner-up in the College World Series last year to a mediocre team that has barely kept afloat at the .500 mark with a few weeks remaining in the spring campaign.

The Gators fell out of D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings last week and remained outside the top tier of the sport in the Week 10 update. Kevin O’Sullivan’s team earned revenge for an earlier loss against the Jacksonville Dolphins in blowout fashion but then dropped two of three at the Vanderbilt Commodores for yet another Southeastern Conference series loss.

And thus, the Orange and Blue remain black and blue.

Speaking of the SEC, the conference is currently represented by the top-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, followed by the Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 2), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 3), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 4), Vanderbilt Commodores (No. 11), Georgia Bulldogs (No. 20), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 23) and South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 24).

Next up for the Orange and Blue are the Stetson Hatters, who come to Gainesville on Tuesday, April 23, for a one-game midweek matchup inside Condron Family Ballpark. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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CBS Sports moves Florida up in early college basketball rankings

It’s way too early to be concerned but it is nice that the national media is showing the Gators some off-season respect these days.

The 2024-25 men’s basketball campaign is still a long way away but CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish has already been busy publishing his weekly rankings in a top-25-plus-1 format. The Florida Gators have been among the group stretching back to the end of last season and once again remain in the upper tier of the collegiate sport.

In his update last week, Parrish had the Orange and Blue ranked No. 22 overall thanks to the acquisition of Sam Alexis via the transfer portal. This week, he ranked Todd Golden’s gang a notch higher at No. 21 — between the No. 20 Miami Hurricanes and No. 22 Seton Hall Pirates.

Parrish did not update his blurb for this week’s entry, but this is what he had to offer last week.

“This ranking is based on Todd Golden’s Gators returning six of the top nine scorers — everybody besides Zyon Pullin, Tyrese Samuel and Riley Kugel — from a team that secured a No. 7 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament,” Parrish said. “The addition of Sam Alexis gives Florida a 6-9 forward who averaged 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds at Chattanooga as a sophomore.”

Not mentioned was the acquisition of center Rueben Chinyelu on Thursday, a 6-foot-11-inch, 245-pound transfer from the Washington State Cougars. He will ostensibly fill the role that Micah Handlogten — who will need some time to recover from a severe leg fracture — had in the rotation.

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Florida basketball high in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings for 2024-25

Believe it or not, ESPN thinks the Gators are a top-15 team right now among their men’s basketball peers.

The college basketball season is well in the rearview mirror but that only means the next cycle of predictions and prognostications is ready to begin.

The Florida Gators had a successful campaign, earning its first NCAA Tournament appearance in three years while making it all the way to the Southeastern Conference Tournament Finals. The fans and media alike have gained a great deal of confidence in Todd Golden after he navigated his team through some dire straights in 2023-24.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello recently published his way-too-early rankings for the upcoming season that still lies many months away, surprisingly putting the Orange and Blue at No. 13 in the nation.

“Florida struck gold in the portal last spring and bringing in a few more reinforcements on the wing could be beneficial for the Gators again,” Borzello begins.

“But they should have an All-America candidate at the guard position in Walter Clayton Jr., one of the nation’s top scorers, and Will Richard is a double-figure scorer. Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and a hopefully healthy Micah Handlogten form a terrific frontcourt group — but another perimeter piece or two would be huge.”

It seems pretty unlikely that Handlogten will contribute much — if anything — next season, but otherwise the roster does look very tidy with some room left for additions. A projected starting five consisting of Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, Denzel Aberdeen, Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon could bring some serious beef to the court this fall.

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Florida outside of D1Baseball Top 25 after losing week

Florida started the season as one of the top teams in college baseball, but D1Baseball’s Week 9 update has the Gators outside of the top 25.

Florida was already down to No. 24 in the D1Baseball rankings last week, so it’s not surprising to see the Gators knocked out of the top 25 after another losing week.

Texas A&M took over the top spot on the rankings, moving Arkansas down to No. 2 overall. Kentucky moved into the No. 3 spot, and Tennessee gives the SEC total control of the top four.

Florida’s opponent this weekend, Vanderbilt, slid from No. 6 to No. 13 this week. The Gators should still be the underdogs on the road, though. No. 14 Alabama, No. 20 South Carolina and No. 24 Georgia are the other three SEC programs inside the top 25.

UF’s losing streak hit six games before Sunday’s win. The Gators are now 18-17 overall and 7-8 in conference play. A midweek game against Jacksonville gives Florida a chance to reset before starting a three-game series with the Commodores on Thursday.

Week 9 D1Baseball Rankings

Here is a look at the complete Week 9 rankings from D1Baseball.

Rank Team Overall Last Week Previous Rank
1 Texas A&M 32-4 4-0 3
2 Arkansas 30-5 3-2 1
3 Kentucky 30-5 3-1 8
4 Tennessee 30-6 4-0 4
5 Oregon State 29-5 3-1 5
6 Clemson 29-6 1-3 2
7 Duke 26-10 2-2 7
8 Florida State 30-5 4-0 10
9 East Carolina 27-8 4-1 9
10 Virginia 28-8 3-1 11
11 North Carolina 29-7 3-1 13
12 Wake Forest 24-11 3-1 14
13 Vanderbilt 26-10 1-3 6
14 Louisiana 28-9 4-1 19
15 Oklahoma State 25-11 4-0 21
16 Oregon 25-10 3-2 18
17 UC Irvine 25-7 1-3 12
18 Alabama 24-12 2-2 25
19 Coastal 24-11 2-2 20
20 South Carolina 25-11 3-1 NR
21 Arizona 21-13 4-0 NR
22 West Virginia 22-13 3-1 NR
23 Virginia Tech 23-10 2-2 16
24 Georgia 27-9 3-1 NR
25 Dallas Baptist 26-8 1-2 15

Dropped Out

No. 17 UCF; No. 22 Mississippi State; No. 23 Nebraska; No. 24 Florida

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The Athletic ranks Florida’s 2025 college football recruiting class

The Athletic’s college football staff recently assembled to give its current rankings from top to bottom of the Power Four schools.

Florida football has been grinding away at the recruiting trail after an embarrassing collapse at the end of the 2024 cycle. Bill Napier and Co. have put a tremendous amount of effort into the upcoming 2025 class and the fruits of their labors are beginning to show.

Make no mistake, there is still a long way to go in this marathon but the Gators have been piling up the blue-chip official visit invites while hosting many top prospects during the spring practice season. There is good reason to feel confident in the program’s progress even if it is still early in the process.

The Athletic’s college football staff recently assembled to give its current rankings from top to bottom of the Power Four schools. Florida landed at No. 17 — between the No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers and No. 18 Penn State Nittany Lions — the same ranking they had last season at this point.

“The Gators’ NIL collective has gotten its act together since the Jaden Rashada fiasco, and the in-state talent pool will always keep UF in a strong position to be a top-20 program,” Manny Navarro notes.

“Florida’s 2024 recruiting class reached as high as No. 3 nationally but fell into the teens amid a five-game losing skid and a rash of decommitments to end the season. Billy Napier needs a boost of positive momentum or Florida will continue to slip further behind in an expanded SEC.”

The Gators will play their annual Orange and Blue game on Saturday, April 13, with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. ET. The intrasquad scrimmage will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.

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The Athletic has Duke first in too-early rankings for 2024-25 season

The Blue Devils and the No. 1 recruiting class in the country could run the men’s college basketball scene next season, according to The Athletic’s rankings.

The Athletic released its early top 25 for the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season on Monday evening, and the Blue Devils were first in the rankings.

The Blue Devils made the Elite Eight this season, and despite (probably) losing presumed first-round picks Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain to the NBA, they have the top overall recruiting class in the country. Cooper Flagg, the highest-ranked prospect in the country, will lead a freshman class with three other five-star prospects and two more four-star players.

The Athletic’s CJ Moore and Sam Vecenie, who put the rankings together, gave an expected starting five in the rankings, too. They had Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor, and Caleb Foster coming back to start alongside Flagg and Khaman Maluach.

“This is the deepest team in college basketball as presently constructed at the time of recording,” the duo wrote. “This Duke team kind of has everything.”

Moore and Vecenie emphasized that the Blue Devils, in their projections, have a balance of freshmen and veteran leadership.

Gonzaga was second in the site’s rankings, with Houston, Iowa State, and Connecticut rounding out the top five. North Carolina came in ninth in the rankings, and Miami (18th) was the only other ACC team in the top 25.

Florida barely stays ranked by D1Baseball in Week 8 update

Florida’s disastrous weekend against Missouri resulted in a big move down the D1Baseball rankings, but the Gators are still a top-25 team for now.

Florida baseball nearly lost its top-25 status last week as it squeaked by against Florida A&M at home Tuesday and went winless at Missouri over the weekend. The Week 8 D1Baseball rankings update has the Gators down 18 spots to No. 24 overall.

“Along with LSU and Alabama, Florida takes a huge tumble in the rankings after getting swept at last-place Missouri,” the D1Baseball staff wrote. “The Gators, who are just 17-14 overall despite winning their first three SEC series and six straight weekend series overall before this weekend, plummet 18 spots to No. 24.”

The road doesn’t get much easier for Florida with series against several top-10 teams ahead. Taking two of three from Arkansas, Tennessee or Vanderbilt would give Florida a boost back up the rankings; winning multiple series would likely lock in the Gators’ top-25 status for the rest of the year.

Up next, Florida faces No. 10 Florida State in Tallahassee in hopes of avoiding the season series sweep. Then, it’s back at Condron Family Ballpark for a weekend set with the South Carolina Gamecocks, who recently got booted out of the D1Baseball top 25.

Week 8 D1Baseball Rankings

Here is a look at the complete Week 8 rankings from D1Baseball.

Rank Team Overall Last Week Previous Rank
1 Arkansas 27-3 4-0 1
2 Clemson 28-3 4-0 2
3 Texas A&M 28-4 3-1 3
4 Tennessee 26-6 2-1 4
5 Oregon State 26-4 5-0 5
6 Vanderbilt 25-7 2-1 7
7 Duke 24-8 4-0 9
8 Kentucky 27-4 3-0 17
9 East Carolina 23-7 3-1 12
10 Florida State 26-5 4-1 14
11 Virginia 25-7 3-1 15
12 UC Irvine 24-4 2-1 16
13 North Carolina 26-6 1-2 10
14 Wake Forest 21-10 4-0 21
15 Dallas Baptist 25-6 2-2 8
16 Virginia Tech 21-8 0-3 11
17 UCF 21-8 3-1 25
18 Oregon 22-8 3-1 NR
19 Louisiana 24-8 4-0 NR
20 Coastal Carolina 22-9 2-2 20
21 Oklahoma State 21-11 3-1 NR
22 Mississippi State 21-12 2-2 23
23 Nebraska 22-7 2-2 24
24 Florida 17-14 1-3 6
25 Alabama 22-10 1-3 13

Dropped Out

No. 18 LSU; No. 19 NC State; No. 22 South Carolina;

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Florida football among ESPN’s top 25 recruiting classes for 2025

There is still plenty of time for the Florida Gators to gain ground in ESPN’s 2025 recruiting rankings.

ESPN’s Craig Haubert authored the publication’s latest top-25 rankings for the 2025 college football recruiting cycle and the Florida Gators were among the top schools in the country.

Coming off a disappointing 2024 class that was highly ranked at one point but saw a handful of defectors when it came time to sign the scholarship offers. When the dust finally settled, Billy Napier’s program ranked No. 10 in ESPN’s final tally with 10 ESPN Top300 signees.

In the newest edition of the rankings, Florida is off to a sluggish start landing at No. 18 with just three ESPN Top300 commits. Haubert broke down the Gators in his article explaining the rankings.

“The Gators navigated a turbulent 2024 recruiting cycle to still finish with a top-10 class,” he begins. “Looking to return the program to the national title hunt, Billy Napier still needs to add more impact talent to the roster. Pulling Jalen Wiggins out of rival Florida State’s backyard was a key in-state win. He is an aggressive defensive lineman with excellent length and good initial quickness and range. He has shown he can be tough to handle, recording 16 sacks and over 30 tackles for loss as a junior.”

Haubert continues with an analysis of the other side of the ball.

“On offense, running back Waltez Clark is a smooth runner with the speed to generate explosive plays when he gets in the open field. Offensive tackle Enoch Wangoy is very raw and still learning the game, but he has a big frame with good length and is a multi-sport athlete. He is not a quick fix, but he has the physical tools to develop.”

There is still plenty of time for the Orange and Blue to gain ground, especially with the official visit schedule filling up in early summer. Nonetheless, Napier and Co. have their work cut out in the meantime.

Up next

Florida will host many prospects from the 2025 cycle and beyond for its annual Orange and Blue game on Saturday, April 13, inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET and the game can be watched on the SEC Network+.

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Dennis Allen ranked worst among NFL’s returning head coaches

This isn’t a glowing endorsement for Dennis Allen. The New Orleans Saints head coach was ranked worst among the NFL’s returning coaches by NBC Sports:

This isn’t a glowing endorsement for Dennis Allen. The New Orleans Saints head coach was graded worst among his peers by NBC Sports analyst Patrick Daugherty, clocking in at the bottom of the offseason coach rankings — at least among returning head coaches. The eight first-year coaches were also ranked beneath Allen, but that’s because they’re all relatively unknown quantities.

Unfortunately for Allen, we know exactly what he is and where his shortcomings lie. We’ll let Daugherty explain why Allen was ranked at No. 24 among the 24 head coaches returning from 2023:

“We lost a lot of bad coaches last winter. Arthur Smith, Brandon Staley, Josh McDaniels and Ron Rivera send their regards. That means we are left with the merely mediocre to round out our list. No one is more committed to the bit than Dennis Allen. A defensive coordinator trapped in a head coach’s body, Allen has treated Sean Payton’s leftover offense like a museum heirloom that disintegrates if you touch it. This is an attack that hasn’t innovated in three years, right down to banging Alvin Kamara between the tackles for no reason and rushing Taysom Hill onto the field any time there’s a critical down. Well, it’s not entirely true there’s been no innovation. Allen has decided to find out just how boring Drew Brees-style quarterbacking can become. Andy Dalton pushed the envelope in 2022. Derek Carr reached new heights in 2023. Allen, who admittedly takes care of business on defense, has finally moved on from Payton Ball on offense but replaced it with … Kubiak Ball. Not Gary, but Klint. It’s a fine system in a vacuum. It’s also become mummified under Klint, with no new wrinkles inserted since the Peyton Manning days in Denver. Maybe 2023 49ers passing-game coordinator Klint learned something under coach Kyle Shanahan. That’s what the Saints’ season and Allen’s future employment hinges on: This old Kubiak dog picking up some new Shanahan tricks. I suppose there are worse plans, but I’m not seeing many for 2024.”

That uncalled-for shot at Taysom Hill aside — the Saints have used him on critical downs because he’s more reliable than anyone else, being one of 11 players in the NFL with a positive success rate as both a runner and receiver on 100-plus touches — this is a good assessment of the trouble the Saints have found themselves in.

Allen was either unable or unwilling to replace Pete Carmichael when it was clear he couldn’t call a functional offense in 2022, and he bet big on Derek Carr covering up Carmichael’s shortcomings in 2023. That’s a bet he lost, which is why the offensive coaching staff was overhauled from the top down.

Now Allen is gambling again, hoping that Kubiak will run an offense styled more strongly after Shanahan’s example than what we’ve seen when Kubiak called plays in the past. With the odds stacked against him, he has to be hoping for this plan to pay off.

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Gators hold steady in Week 7 D1Baseball Top 25 rankings

Florida’s 2-2 week has it holding steady in the D1Baseball rankings, but a series loss could boot the Gators out of the top 10 at any point.

Some may be upset that Florida didn’t drop from the No. 6 spot in the Week 7 update to the D1Baseball Top 25 rankings, especially after going home early on Tuesday in a run-rule loss to Florida State, but the Gators’ ability to come out on top each weekend has kept them afloat in the top-5 conversation all season long.

“Florida holds steady at No. 6 after continuing its season-long pattern: losing midweek but rebounding to win two of three against a ranked opponent on the weekend,” the intro to the top-25 rankings read this week.

“The Gators have done that three weeks in a row, posting three straight 2-2 weeks, but those weeks included series wins vs. No. 3 Texas A&M, at No. 18 LSU and vs. No. 23 Mississippi State. As a result, Florida has moved neither up nor down in the rankings, instead simply holding its position.”

The SEC continues to dominate the ratings, with 10 teams inside the top 25 and five inside the top 10. There’s a reason conference play gets likened to Single-A competition.

Nebraska and UCF broke into the top 25 this week, making Florida’s midweek loss to the Knight a bit more palatable. Florida State is ranked No. 14 and has already taken the season series against UF

Week 6 D1Baseball Rankings

Here is a look at the complete Week 6 rankings from D1Baseball.

Rank Team Overall Last Week Previous Rank
1 Arkansas 23-3 4-0 1
2 Clemson 24-3 2-1 3
3 Texas A&M 25-3 4-0 4
4 Tennessee 24-5 3-1 5
5 Oregon State 21-4 0-2 2
6 Florida 16-11 2-2 6
7 Vanderbilt 23-6 4-0 7
8 Dallas Baptist 23-4 4-0 10
9 Duke 20-8 3-1 11
10 North Carolina 25-4 4-0 14
11 Virginia Tech 21-5 3-1 13
12 East Carolina 20-6 4-0 15
13 Alabama 21-7 3-1 16
14 Florida State 12-4 3-1 17
15 Virginia 22-6 2-2 9
16 UC Irvine 22-3 4-0 20
17 Kentucky 24-4 4-0 24
18 LSU 20-9 1-3 8
19 NC State 18-7 3-0 22
20 Coastal Carolina 20-7 2-1 19
21 Wake Forest 17-10 1-3 12
22 South Carolina 21-7 2-2 18
23 Mississippi State 19-10 2-2 21
24 Nebraska 20-5 3-0 NR
25 UCF 14-9 1-3 17

Dropped Out

No. 23 Kansas State, No. 25 Oklahoma

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