Gator Country brings you a Friday bye week Florida Gators recruiting podcast as we talk about where the coaches have been this week and who they’ve visited this week.
Andrew Spivey and Nick de la Torre break down the top guys that the Gators are after at some key positions, plus talk about why Florida is struggling with offensive line recruiting.
Andrew and Nick also talk about the latest injuries for this Gators football, plus predict some key SEC games this Saturday.
TRANSCRIPT:
Friday Bye Week
Andrew:Hello, Gator Country. Your man right here, Andrew Spivey, with Nicholas de la Torre. Nicholas, it’s Friday bye week. Not much to talk about, but I don’t know about you, but it’s been a much needed bye week. I’ve actually caught up on a little bit of sleep, and I’m ready.
Nick:Normally this bye week I would have been exhausted, but I got a bye week two weeks ago.
Andrew:Yeah. It’s the bye week, but it’s not a bye week. We’ve been pounding the recruiting stories left, right, and sideways. Let’s go.
Nick:That’s what happens. The team doesn’t have a game, and the coaches, almost a super needed bye week in the sense of recruiting when you think of what Florida’s lost as far as recruiting weekends. You lost two home games, including your only home game worth a damn on the schedule this year. That takes a huge hit for recruiting. We might be catching up on rest, but the coaching staff sure isn’t.
Andrew:I said that, I think on Wednesday, maybe it was on Monday, but this might be the most important bye week Florida’s had in five years. You see it. You see it’s a more jampacked bye week. Usually Florida doesn’t go out on the road on Tuesday. Usually they let the staff kind of get a little rest on Tuesday, but they were out. They’re seeing more kids that usual, because of that whole not having that game. Trying to get out there, see more guys, and trying to get more guys on campus for that South Carolina game.
Also, Florida’s a little bit different. That is they do exactly like Alabama does, and I say that not in a bad thing. I actually like it, but Florida doesn’t send their staff out during a game week. I know Georgia, for instance, Kirby Smart was talking about this on Wednesday on the teleconference. He was like, “We’ve been able to see a lot of our in state guys this year during the season, because we were able to send some of our guys out on Friday night.”
Florida, Bama, a couple other schools, they don’t do that. They’re all focused on the task at hand, the game at hand, when they’re in season, and they only send their guys out really on the bye week, unless it’s Presbyterian week. They may send someone out, which now that doesn’t have to worry about. It’s more important for Florida and teams that don’t to get out and do that, and have they seen a lot of guys. They’ve seen about 50 on Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday and Friday are going to be jampacked as well.
Nick:Explain to me how you can see that many kids. That’s 10 kids a day.
Andrew:I mean, work from sunup to sundown. That’s about it.
Nick:Log in some miles. Maybe the private jets moving around. That’s a lot of action, and it’s not just in the state of Florida. They’re in Texas. I think they were in California.
Andrew:On Monday, I’ll pull it up real quick while we’re talking about this. On Monday Florida was in Virginia. Coach Mac himself was in Virginia and Michigan all in one day. They were also in California with Tim Skipper. They were also in Georgia and Alabama, and also south Florida. They were in six states all on one day, and then they turned around on Tuesday and were in Georgia again. They were in Mississippi, Alabama, New Orleans, south Florida, Texas. So they’ve been all over the place. Like I said, it’s good, because the staff is just really putting in the work. I continue to say this, and it sounds cliché that I continue to say this, but the lack of offensive linemen is really the only downfall in recruiting for Florida so far. It’s not from lack of trying from those guys. Even Mike Summers, who struggled, it’s not for lack of trying on that part. They’re out doing the work.
Nick:McElwain talked about it a little bit on Wednesday. He said, “You can tell the excitement about the program.” The coaches can’t talk to players right now in person, so he’s talking to teachers, administrators, weightlifting coaches, head coaches, assistant coaches. That’s who he’s talking about when he says people are excited about the program, the direction of the program. Then you hope that there’s some osmosis there, that the coaches being excited about Florida when they’re seeing Florida come through some of that excitement transfers over to the players.
What is hard, to me, it should be easy to get offensive linemen. Mike Summers is beloved by all of the players, the former players, that we’ve talk to. All the current players love him. If you look at it, Florida played three freshmen last year. They’re starting a freshman this year. To me, it’s Florida’s offensive line hasn’t been good. They’re playing young kids. If I want to play early, it’s not going to be at Alabama. If I want to play early I can come to Florida. To me, you kind of say that about a bunch of positions. We’ve said it about receiver for a while, but you look at the offense, and you think, “I don’t want to play in that offense as a receiver.” On the offensive line, to me, that negative doesn’t go with it. It’s just, “I can play early at a school like Florida.”
Andrew:First, let me say this. It is the most stupidest craziest, any bad word you can say, that a coach cannot talk to kids when they go. You’re telling me, and I know I’m about to hear about this, but the University of Florida is paying thousands of dollars to go out and see these kids, whether it be the private jet, whether it be a first class ticket on a regular plane, whatever it may be, and they can’t talk to the kids. That just, to me, is one of the stupidest rules the NCAA has, and I know I’m talking about the NCAA, nothing makes sense, but, Nick, that’s just so stupid. Tim Skipper’s going all the way out to California. Jim Mac’s going out to Michigan, and he can’t even speak to the kids. That’s so stupid, in my opinion.
Nick:Yeah. Kind of like you said, we’re talking about the NCAA here, so throw out common sense.
Andrew:Yeah. Back to what you said about offensive line. It’s one of those things, and I like Mike Summers. I do. I think Mike Summers is a really smart coach, is a technician, as far as they say, but I think the thing that is for me is this, and that is he kind of lacks energy. Really and truly on the recruiting trail it’s all about your energy. You look at the guys that have had the most success, it’s guys that kids can relate to. No offense to Mike Summers, but he’s just an older guy. He’s kind of the grandpa of the staff a little bit, and that’s to say it’s a bad thing. It’s just it’s tough. He doesn’t do social media very well, that kind of stuff. It’s just very difficult to relate to him.
I mean, I know myself, personally, Nick, same thing. When you see him at camps he’s just kind of there. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just he’s an older guy. He is like our grandpas. That’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just that’s why there’s the disconnect in recruiting. I don’t know the answer to it, but something has got to get better with that, because Florida need offensive linemen, and this year there’s a couple out there that they really need to get.
Nick:Let’s segue into that then. Number one player Florida needs to get on the offensive line is?
Andrew:No doubt in my opinion, Alex Leatherwood. I say this, and, Nick, you know how hesitant I am. You know I’m not the usual guy that says this. He’s a guy that sets foot on campus, day 1, is probably your best offensive lineman on campus. Maybe behind Jawaan Taylor, maybe. He is that good. He is a special player. He is one of those guys that is like a Laramie Tunsel to where he’s going to step foot on campus, he’s going to be that dude. He’s going to be that dude until he leaves in three years. You can mark it down. He’s not graduating school, unless he finishes in three years. He’s not staying for his senior year. He’s gone.
Nick:He certainly looks the part already. 6’6”, almost 330 pounds.
Andrew:Long arms.
Nick:A tackle. Where does that fit in? Do you see him sliding in and playing left tackle right away?
Andrew:See, I had this question for me on the mailbag, and it was kind of tough for me when I thought about it, because I’m one of those old school kind of guys that I don’t like seeing my left tackle be a freshman. Not in the SEC. So maybe he slides to right, and let’s Jawaan play left tackle. Maybe that’s what it is, or maybe he’s just simply, like I said, he’s one of those few kids that is ready to play. You could put him at the NFL Combine, and I’m not going to say he would get drafted or anything like that, but you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the kid, because he’s that good looking as far as physical tools. He plays somewhere day 1, and that’s about the extent I can say with confidence today.
Nick:Figure it out.
Andrew:Figure it out.
Nick:That’s what we used to say about Pete Alonso in baseball. You put him somewhere, because he’s such a good hitter. You figure out where to put him in the field.
Andrew:Yeah. I want to talk about this for a second. Yes, he’s committed to Alabama right now, and it’s a weird thing where I’ve only said this really about one kid while doing recruiting, and I said it about Dante Fowler. It was one of those where he can say all the right things, and do I believe at the end of the day he does love Alabama? I absolutely do, just like I believed for a while Dante Fowler loved Florida State. I think that quit instantly when he got to Florida, and then Florida State fans got on him, but there is something about Leatherwood.
I know he’s trolled Florida a couple times and not shown up. He loves Florida. He does. He loves Florida like he loves Alabama, but he knows deep down he plays from day 1 at Florida. You talk about that, Nick, Leatherwood’s one of those kids. He wants to play from day 1. He’s thinking about how quick can I get to that first big money contract in the NFL. That’s him. Call me stupid. Call me crazy. Call me whatever you want. I’m going to stick by it until he arrives in Tuscaloosa that I feel like at the end of the day Florida lands Leatherwood. It is nothing that I know.
Nick:Just a gut feeling.
Andrew:It’s just a gut feeling from being around the kid and talking to a few people that the kid wants to play, and he loves Florida. He truly did. I almost thought he was going to flip right after the spring game. He went back and got into Bama’s ear, but here’s the key, and this is the one thing I want people to remember. He’s going to Alabama on the Iron Bowl weekend. That leaves two official visit weekends left in December. Guess who’s going to get one of those?
Nick:South Alabama.
Andrew:Yeah. My Jags would be lucky as hell, but Florida’s going to get one of those official visit weekends, and I’m just saying, when it happens, remember the only person that had the fortitude to go out and say it was right here.
Nick:So you’re saying Florida gets an official visit from Alex Leatherwood.
Andrew:Absolutely. He’s said that forever. I’ll say this. He has told me, he’s told other people as well, that he is trying to plan to come down to the South Carolina game. If he can hit two in a month, put the momentum in the Gators thing. Here’s another thing with Leatherwood. Throw out the visits. Throw out all of that trash. At the end of the day, Alex Leatherwood is making a business decision on where he can play.
Nick:That’s what we’re sitting here talking about.
Andrew:Right. He’s not worrying about, and this is going to sound cliché to say, he’s not going to worry about the facilities, not going to worry about the beautiful women at the University of Florida or Alabama. He’s not going to worry about how awesome the atmosphere is or anything else. It’s going to be, how quick can Alex Leatherwood play? When you look at it, and you check the boxes, the box is checking Gainesville. He cannot, I don’t care what my boy Nick Saban is telling him, cannot check the boxes in Tuscaloosa.
Nick:He certainly can at Florida. Even though Florida, would David Sharpe, we talked about David Sharpe as a guy who was going to leave.
Andrew:I’m not talking about David Sharpe. Every time I talk about David Sharpe I get in trouble on the message board. People tell me I’m being too hard on him.
Nick:No. Here’s what I’m saying. Would David Sharpe staying in school affect Alex Leatherwood? It’s a guy that we thought was going to be gone no matter what after the year. The year he’s having, maybe he’s not gone.
Andrew:I don’t think so.
Nick:You don’t think that affects Leatherwood?
Andrew:No. Alex Leatherwood’s better than David Sharpe.
Nick:Alright.
Andrew:Let’s talk a couple other kids, Nick.
Nick:Sticking on offensive linemen, there’s another one you wrote about. It’s Stephan Zabie. I’d never ask you how to say a name.
Andrew:It is Zabie. When I’ve seen him, he’s in a different circumstance, Nick. This is something you and I were talking about. Texas a rule where you can only play varsity sports for four years. Alabama and Florida you can play 20 years. You can play every year you’re born. Nobody’s going to care. Texas is four. In eighth grade Stephan was in Jersey playing football. He played varsity football as an eighth grader up there. So when he transfers to Texas he already has one year of varsity football against him. They don’t let him play his senior year, because they say he’s already played four years varsity sports, even though it was legal in Jersey.
He’s not playing this year, and I think that’s a thing that has maybe hurt his stock, per say, because when you break down his film he’s got a good looking film, and he’s a guy that I think would be one of your top tackles in the country, and is someone that Florida’s really turned the heat up on. Sounds like he wants to go out of state, and right now I would say that he’s one of those guys that Florida really has a good shot at. He’s wide open.
Did I just lose you there, Nicholas, or did you just get speechless?
Nick:I muted myself. I had a little cough going on. Didn’t want to cough in everyone’s ears. Why not go to IMG? Seems like they have room to take on anybody from any state.
Andrew:Some kids just don’t like that, boss. I mean, that’s the wonderful nature of IMG. Some kids you like, and some kids you just straight out strike out for.
Nick:Alright. Give me a couple more offensive linemen. You don’t have to get into them, but a couple more offensive linemen that Florida is in on, that Florida’s trying to get, and what’s the total?
Andrew:I think they want three. I mean, I think they would. Three’s the number that I think they hit, but I think they would like four. They need three tackles.
Nick:Aren’t we talking about every year you should be signing minimum four though?
Andrew:Most schools, in my opinion, should sign three to four. That should be your number. Then that’s your number should be you want 15, 16, offensive linemen on campus. So some years you’re going to sign more than others, but I would say Florida should sign four, and I think that’s the number they would like to hit, but I think they realistically get three.
The biggest name outside of Leatherwood for me is Navaughn Donaldson. That is a monster road grader, bulldozer. You name the adjectives to describe an offensive lineman, you’re describing Navaughn Donaldson. Committed to Miami, out of Miami Central. Randy Shannon’s working it, and Randy Shannon may not be the best recruiter outside of south Florida, but you put him down in south Florida, and he’s got a good shot. He’s a guy.
Michigan commit, Kai-Leon Herbert’s a guy that is still in the mix. Jake Allen’s good buddy. He’s a guy to watch out for. Tony Gray is a guy out of Georgia, a big tackle to watch out for that is supposedly going to visit. We’ll see when he visits. He’s a different cat all around. Still monitoring Calvin Ashley up in Maryland, the Auburn commit. Don’t think Florida gets a chance there. They also just hosted Cesar Ruiz. He is the IMG center. I think he’s Michigan bound, but they’re still working on him. Then the Juco guy, Demarcus Hayes, is the guy they visited on Tuesday, and he’s set up an official visit for December. There’s plenty of names there. Just need to get some signatures. Signatures is probably going to be the big thing here, Nicholas.
Nick:This is one that I like to talk about, switching positions here, switching sides of the ball. It seems to get our friends down south a little riled up when his name gets brought up in and around the Gators, that is safety CJ Henderson. Where are the Gators trending for him? When you look at what Florida’s going to be losing in Marcus Maye this year, how important is it to start getting a couple safeties back?
Andrew:I think Florida’s all in on CJ. I think it would be bad news if they didn’t. I really think they’re fine there. For me, CJ is a little bit of a different guy. When I say this, I think he needs to be more polished at safety. I think he’s still got some work to do there, because he’s a guy that is a running back as well as DB in high school. So I think he’s got that, but the one thing he has is that electric 4-3 speed. Right now Florida needs speed, and they need speed bad. So that’s why I think that you need to get CJ, even if he can’t play DB year 1. Get him on special teams. Get him in the program, and let him go.
Nick:What do you think the realistic possibilities are? I talk about losing Marcus Maye, but you still have Nick Washington, who I think’s having a good season. He’s having a good season. Marcell Harris is coming back. I won’t say anything about the season he’s having. You’ve got Jawaan Taylor. Chauncey Gardner’s a guy that can play back there. So I guess, kind of like you said, not necessarily a guy that you would need to start day 1.
Andrew:No, but I think you, if you were starting 8 and 26 you got some issues, but Jawaan’s going to be fine. I think Chauncey stays at corner. My thing for me at safety is this. You need one of Devon Hunter or Brad Stewart. Those are your two guys you need at DB. You need one of those guys. That’s just what you need. You need one of those guys. Those guys can play early. So you need one of those guys, and then let CJ develop. It’s not a bad thing that he has to develop. Let him develop and go forward. That’s where I sit with safety right now.
At DB though, at corner, where they really need help, is where they got some dudes coming in that can play. Shawn Davis, Marco Wilson, Elijah Blades, all three of those guys could really play early for Florida next year. Then you look at some of their top targets in Shaun Wade, Ambry Thomas. You can kind of go on and on down that list of really corners that they would kind of love to get. Trey Bishop’s another guy. Then at safety is another guy, Grant Delpit, the guy at IMG that’s going to LSU right now. I think that’s where you look at corner is where you need some guys to help. Shaun Wade can do that for sure. If you got Trey Bishop he could do that. Then the three guys they got committed already can do that as well. That’s where I think you need guys that can play early is at corner.
Nick:I think Marco Wilson is a guy that can come in and play right away.
Andrew:Yeah.
Nick:I’m not sure if I’m sold on Shawn Davis being able to come in and play right away, on defense. I mean, you know.
Andrew:Right. The thing that I think about Shawn Davis and that is the thing that I do think about Shawn is that I think he can be at nickel, because he’s physical, and I think it’s much easier to get on the field early at nickel. Marco Wilson is this. He may come in and need to gain weight. He may come in and need to do a lot of things, but the one thing he ain’t going to come in and need is work on his technique, work on his understanding of the game. Chad, his father, puts in the work with those guys.
Nick:No one’s ever questioned Quincy Wilson as far as being a technician.
Andrew:Exactly.
Nick:That’s not something you’re going to need to question with Marco either.
Andrew:I wanted to talk real quick, Nick, before we move on to football talk, is the linebacker position. They had Anthony Hines on campus this past weekend. He doesn’t like to talk very much. Him and his dad, they don’t talk very much. One thing that I was told is that Florida and A&M may have jumped up to be the top two. His father has a relationship with Randy Shannon that goes back a long time, so that’s going to help Florida out with him, and then Anthony sees the ability to play early.
It very well could come down to this, and that is Florida and A&M are both in the top one or two with Anthony Hines and Levi Jones that’s out there in Texas as well. He’s at Zabie’s school out in Westlake, in Austin. So I think that Florida and A&M could actually end up splitting with those two guys, and if that’s the case, that’s great, because Florida needs those guys to come in at linebacker, even if it’s just for depth purposes, not to start from day 1. I think they can get one of those two guys, and then possibly you can add Raheem Johnson, who Tim Skipper visited on Monday.
Nick:I really like, and we kind of got to see him in his first extensive action, David Reese, and Reese was kind of an unknown to most, I guess I would say. I really liked what I saw from David Reese, but you are going to lose two. If Alex Anzalone stays healthy and keeps playing the way he’s playing, I think he’s a goner. So you’re going to need to have somebody fill in there. I think getting somebody in. Are either of those guys early enrollee kind of guys? I think that’s something that really helped Reese when you look at linebacker and everything that goes into playing linebacker.
Andrew:Hines is an early enrollee, and Raheem is trying to early enroll. Excuse me, Raheem is not. He said he’s not now. Levi is not an early enrollee. Only Hines is. Like you said, that’s big if you can get a guy to come in and go through spring ball, go through summer workouts, get big, get physical, and start to learn that playbook.
Nick:What’s the number here?
Andrew:For a while I thought it was three, and I’m going to still stick with three, but if four want in, can you realistically turn four away? Especially with James Houston being a guy that has got a torn ACL.
Nick:You’re almost taking James Houston thinking, we’ll see him in 2018.
Andrew:Yeah.
Nick:Maybe not, but it’s just he’s someone you’re going to ease into things.
Andrew:Yeah. You got to see how his rehab’s coming. He’s an early enrollee though, so that’s good. He can get on campus and rehab.
Nick:You’ll learn something about that. Still, good for Florida for not backing off a kid that’s hurt, but some unknowns that come along with that.
Andrew:Let’s talk Gator football. While it may be a bye week, we talked to Mac a little bit on Wednesday, and he talked a little bit about these injuries. You and I both have understood, and you and I both, we love Coach Mac. I think we both will admit we love Coach Mac, but he’s a bullshitter when it comes to injuries, and, quite frankly, he threw out the whole truckload of bullshit on Wednesday.
Nick:Yeah. Jordan Sherit was back at practice. The team wasn’t in pads, but when I was walking, I was leaving baseball, watching a scrimmage, saw the football team walking in, Sherit was not even wearing the knee brace that he had been wearing previously. That appears to be a good sign. Bryan Cox hurt his hand before last game, and he’s actually in a hard cast. He’s in a black hard cast right now. He was not out at practice. Who else?
Andrew:Joey Ivie.
Nick:Joey Ivie. I tried to ask, and I got the typical Jim McElwain, Doogie Howser doctor references. I think it’s a question worth asking. Joey Ivie can’t play right now, but can Joey Ivie play with a club? That’s something you see players in college and the NFL, defensive linemen, playing with a club. Does it hurt? It hurts, but it’s a way to get you back on the field. McElwain talks about Jarrad Davis being a guy that Davis probably wanted to go back into that game. Once he realized nothing’s torn, he probably wanted to go back in the game on Saturday. Joey Ivie’s that kind of guy too.
Andrew:Yeah.
Nick:I think if there’s any way, if the trainer says, “Joey, it’s going to hurt like hell, but you can wear a club, and you can play, and you’ll be okay,” you’re not keeping Joey Ivie off the field for his last Florida/Georgia game.
Andrew:That’s what I was going to say. That’s even how I feel about Jarrad Davis. You’re not going to convince me. I’m going to have to see it for myself, see Jarrad Davis not play in the Georgia game before I believe Jarrad Davis is not playing. He’s a Georgia guy that’s from kind of the state line, right in that area. He doesn’t like Georgia. They disrespected him and didn’t offer him in high school. Also, Jarrad Davis is one of the toughest human beings there is in the world. So you’re going to have to show me he doesn’t play before I believe there’s any chance.
I’ve already been told that he’s been begging to practice this week. What does he need to practice for? That’s just the way he is. Is there an opportunity that he can make it a little worse by tearing the ligament more? Sure, but at the day really it’s about the pain tolerance. Give him a cortisone shot. Give him something. Tape it up, and let him go. When the adrenaline goes, he’ll be all right. After the game he may be hurting like hell, but he may not practice the rest of the year, but I would be shocked if he misses a game.
Nick:I would also be shocked. Jarrad Davis would have to not be able to walk.
Andrew:See, that’s me. I just can’t. You’re not going to convince me he’s not going to play.
Nick:They might have to amputate, and he would try to figure it out.
Andrew:He would be like, “Can I get a little peg?” That’s how I feel. I’ll be honest. I know Cronk’s out, or not practicing, whatever. I don’t know what that situation is. Brantley, he’s playing. He played the other day. It’s more about just kind of rehabbing that broken hand a little bit, getting it as better as can be. Brantley and those guys, they don’t need this practice more so as the younger guys do. I’m trying to think. Daniel McMillian back.
Really the only guy that I question if he’ll be back is Bryan Cox, and I think that me and you, Nick, and this is not to talk bad about either one of us, and this is not to call you out, but I think you and I kind of forget how much Bryan Cox means to this defense from an energy standpoint. Him and Jordan Sherit are both very big character, energy guys. I think that they miss his energy more than anything, and that’s in regards to Bryan Cox.
Nick:Yeah. I don’t think he was even playing that well as far as just stats, but yes, he is a senior guy, a redshirt senior guy, so I am totally on board with that.
Andrew:I think you and I maybe don’t talk about it as much as we should.
Nick:No, you’re right.
Andrew:That’s not to say we don’t respect his game. You and I both respect Bryan Cox’s game a ton. It’s just energy isn’t something you can tally up.
Nick:No. It’s intangible.
Andrew:Yeah, and we both forget about it, but it’s stuff that is there. I was having a conversation with a guy the other day who does some NFL scouting and stuff like that, and he goes, “I’m going to be honest with you.” He said, “I’m not sure how good Bryan Cox is in the NFL. He’ll get drafted, because of the energy and stuff he is.” He goes, “But he’s one of those guys he’s a damn good college football player.” He goes, “But he’ll make an NFL roster simply because he can do a little bit of everything.” That kind of goes to what we just spoke about of being a special teams guy. To recap, Bryan Cox about the only one that we think could miss the Florida/Georgia game.
Nick:That’s a big deal. Florida/Georgia is going to be a physical, physical game, and you need all hands on deck.
Andrew:Yeah. Something else though, Nick, I wanted to talk about, and that is Mac called his offense average yesterday, and I’m not even sure, Nick, if you watched this. This tells you how much Nick and I rehearse our shows, but I watched the little SEC Film Room. Did you get a chance to watch that on SEC Network?
Nick:I did not.
Andrew:Okay. Mac was on there talking about the offense with David Green. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it, just watch it, because it’s good stuff. Mac kind of talked about this a little bit, and he said, “I think the offense is getting to where we want it to be.” He said, “They got 500 yards. We’re just not executing in the red area,” and that’s something that has been big, and that’s something Dan Thompson talked about the other day with us. So Mac calls his offense average, but I think it could be okay if they can just start converting some.
Nick:It’s really self-inflicted crippling wounds. I don’t know who to blame that on, and that’s where I struggle.
Andrew:It’s on everybody, in my opinion. A coach can only tell a guy, “Don’t just off sides at home,” so many times. At some point you think, “Maybe I should get him out.” You know what I’m saying? I think it’s a little bit on both.
Nick:You know me. I think coaches get blamed a lot, and I’m quick to say, kind of like you just did, at some point it’s on the players.
Andrew:Right.
Nick:At some point you need to take responsibility for your own actions. It’s not the coaches’ fault. I don’t blame the coaches for false starts.
Andrew:See, I can’t either.
Nick:That’s on you, homey.
Andrew:Especially David Sharpe.
Nick:At home, and you’re on offense. You’re a third year player. You started as a freshman some.
Andrew:And Antonio Callaway.
Nick:Two year starter now. There is no excuse for a receiver to have a false start.
Andrew:No excuse.
Nick:No excuse.
Andrew:Zero at all.
Nick:No excuse for a receiver to be off sides. No excuse for a receiver to have a false start.
Andrew:No.
Nick:And he had two of them.
Andrew:Yeah. Especially on running plays that Callaway was jumping off sides for. It’s like, I know you want to get out there and block, but take your time there. Take your time. I just think that there are one or two plays, Nick, and you and I kind of talked about this last week when we were previewing the Missouri game. We were like, we want to see the offense score more points. I went back, and I watched the Missouri game, and then I watched the Film Room on Wednesday night, and it kind of brought something to my attention that we really talked about a little bit. That is had Florida scored two touchdowns and sent Eddie Pineiro, we’re talking about a 48-14 game, and I think you and I are excited about the offense.
Nick:I don’t know if I’d be excited about the offense.
Andrew:Okay. We’re more excited than we were.
Nick:I wouldn’t feel like this about the offense.
Andrew:Okay. That’s fine. You know what I’m saying? It’s a few things that have set it back to be that way. I don’t know. I’m interested to see where it is. He talks about Del Rio being upset about it, and he should. We’ll see how he does in the Georgia game. Georgia’s not that good defensively. They’re okay. They’re not great defensively. So Florida should be able to at least be good, in my opinion.
Nick:Okay. I want to talk about scheduling. ESPN Stats and Info put out the top 25 of the rest of their schedule, likelihood that they win their conference, likelihood that they win out, likelihood this and that. ESPN Stats and Info gave Florida a 0% chance of winning out the rest of the season.
Andrew:Here’s the thing.
Nick:They gave LSU a 4% chance of winning out, and that means LSU would be beating Alabama. ESPN Stats and Info says that LSU has a better chance of beating Texas A&M, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Arkansas than Florida has of beating LSU, Will Muschamp, Georgia, and Florida State.
Andrew:You know what the thing is? All of those games are on the road.
Nick:Not Will Muschamp, which I can’t wait for.
Andrew:You know what I meant.
Nick:Yes, all of those are on the road.
Andrew:That’s why I say that. Here’s my thing. You would be naïve to say that they’re going to go undefeated, and I think that’s anybody. You’d be naïve to say LSU is going to go undefeated. It’s just crazy. I don’t think Florida goes undefeated the rest of the way, per say. Would it surprise me if they did? Yes and no, because I think with a little bit of luck they can. You’re not talking about, there’s not Alabama in that. LSU is just an okay team. Arkansas’s just an okay team. It makes it tougher you’re going to those places. I mean, Georgia is just an okay team. It makes it tougher, because that’s a rivalry game. Florida State is just an okay team. It makes it tougher, because it’s a rivalry game. You haven’t beaten them, and it’s at Florida State.
You see what I’m saying, Nick? You’re not facing a great team, but you’re facing teams that are capable of winning the game, in circumstances that aren’t usual. The Georgia/Florida game is not a usual game. It’s a different game. Going to Death Valley is not a usual game. It’s hard as hell. Going to Arkansas and making that long flight that you only take one time ever, and that’s to Missouri, is different. Florida State is different, because it’s a rivalry game.
Nick:I agree.
Andrew:I mean, does that make sense with what I was saying? It’s just different circumstances surrounding all those games.
Nick:No. I agree 100%. It’s like I say, and I’ll say it next week, I don’t know how to pick the Georgia game. Will Muschamp beat Georgia, so that shows me that I don’t know how to pick that game.
Andrew:For real. Alright, Nick, let’s go to some picks, my friend. We’ll end this podcast with some picks. Nick, real quick, we’re going to pick one player for Florida that’s going to succeed this weekend.
Nick:CJ Worton.
Andrew:CJ Worton?
Nick:He’s going to have an awesome weekend with no games.
Andrew:Yes, he is. I was going to say Teez Tabor.
Nick:Probably also going to have a good weekend. CJ Worton will have a great time in Gainesville or back down home in Miami. He will have an awesome time this weekend.
Andrew:He’ll probably let you know about it on Twitter.
Nick:Hopefully.
Andrew:Let’s go. Let’s pick the worst of the games that we’re going to pick, and that is Mississippi State at Kentucky. Could this be a game where the loser gets fired? New AD at Mississippi State.
Nick:I think, do both of these guys get fired at the end of the year?
Andrew:Maybe. Could be. Who do you got?
Nick:A 0-0 tie. Can that happen?
Andrew:No.
Nick:I’m going to go with Kentucky at home. I don’t feel good about it, but who knows?
Andrew:I’m going to go Kentucky at home, just because it’s at home. Let’s move to the plains. Arkansas Razorbacks, woo pig suey, versus the Auburn Tigers, who somehow have snuck into the top 25. Last year, Nick, they played a four overtime game where Arkansas won 54-46.
Nick:I’m going to go with Arkansas, woo pig.
Andrew:Woo pig. I’m going woo pig too. Still not a believer in Auburn. Arkansas wins, and probably wins in an ugly affair, some way, shape, or form. Let’s move to Death Valley. Ed Orgeron faces his old team in Ole Miss. Rebels/Tigers. Does Orgeron keep the mo alive?
Nick:I think he does, because Chad Kelly will throw several interceptions.
Andrew:Ole Miss wins, and Ole Miss wins big. Period. End of discussion.
Nick:Okay. Leonard Fournette’s back this week.
Andrew:I don’t care. Ole Miss is a better football team. Aggies/Alabama, 1 versus 6, and this is the most lopsided 1 versus 6 matchup. Alabama is an 18.5 point favorite against the #6 team in the country.
Nick:At home, 3:30 game.
Andrew:Stop. I know you’re going to pick Bama. Do they cover?
Nick:What was the line you just gave me?
Andrew:18.5 is what I have on my phone.
Nick:Man. They might. Here’s one reason I think they might not. Lane Kiffin hasn’t been fired from Texas A&M. It seems like when Lane Kiffin plays teams that have fired him he runs it up. So I will say that Alabama does not cover, but they win.
Andrew:Alabama does not cover, but they win. 18.5
Nick:That’s a lot of points.
Andrew:I know. Here’s my thing, and let me just walk you through this, Nick. When has Sumlin every done well in big games? Outside of Johnny Manziel beating him. I can’t say. 18.5 is just a hell of a lot of points. I say they won’t cover either, but Bama wins comfortably. Maybe two touchdowns. Would it surprise you if they covered?
Nick:I kind of talked you off of that.
Andrew:Would it surprise you if they covered?
Nick:No.
Andrew:See, it wouldn’t surprise me if Bama beat them 35-0. It just wouldn’t. Nick, we’re going to get out of here. Couple things, we’ll have tons of recruiting coverage throughout the weekend. I’m playing golf. Nick, you’re going home. We’re taping this Thursday. I’m going to go check out my Jaguars at South Alabama on Thursday night. Rivalry game against Troy. For people that don’t know, this is Florida/Florida State for South Alabama. We do not like each other. We’re two hours apart, and the bad blood is there.
Nick:Is there a trophy?
Andrew:Yes. It’s called the Belt. We get a belt, whoever wins. It’s like a wrestling belt.
Nick:Who has the belt right now?
Andrew:My Jags. So funny story about my Jags. We go out, beat Mississippi State, beat #23 San Diego State at home, and we lose to rinky dink Arkansas State, who’s won one damn game. We’re 0-2 in our conference, and we’ve beaten an SEC team and a top 25 team.
Nick:So that’s like a severe case of playing up and down to your opponents, a severe case.
Andrew:Lordy, it is. It sucks. It sucks so bad. Anyway, I’ll be checking that out. If you’re listening to this on Friday, check out my Twitter. I’ll be tweeting some photos. Nick, tell the people where they can find us. We’ll get out. We’ll see everyone on Monday when we get to be talking some Florida/Georgia.
Nick:World’s largest outdoor cocktail party. I don’t care what the city of Jacksonville says, that’s what it is called. Find us on iTunes. You can find us on www.GatorCountry.com. The podcast is there in text form and audio form. @GatorCountry on Twitter and Facebook. @TheGatorCountry on Instagram. I’m @NickdelaTorreGC. I almost changed my Twitter handle, because the account was suspended, but I didn’t. I might change it, so stay tuned. Keep listening.
Andrew:What are you going to change it to?
Nick:I can’t say. Someone might try to nab it.
Andrew:Got you.
Nick:He’s @AndrewSpiveyGC.
Andrew:I might just change mine to The Goat.
Nick:Might be taken.
Andrew:Might be. Then they would be a fraud. So I would report them. Guys, you’re going to be listening to this again on Friday, so that means Butch Jones, I mean, he’s not going to get a loss this week, but that means Mark Richt has probably got another loss against Virginia Tech. We’ll see you guys on Monday. As always, chomp, chomp. Go Braves. Butch and Mark, you still suck, buddy.
Nick:You stay classy, Gator Country.