- The 2026-27 Florida Gators basketball team will be ranked No. 1 in the preseason and face pressure to perform perfectly like past teams.
- Florida football went 4-8 last year but had an NFL Draft pick in every round for the first time in school history, reflecting poorly on the Napier regime.
- Five former undrafted Gators, including Trey Burton and Shane Matthews, had significant professional football careers.
The Front Nine comes at you after a busy weekend that included some golf, some hoops, some football, some steak and, of course, no rain.
1. The news of last week about Florida Gators basketball with so many players (and the head coach) coming back (we started checking into Bradley Beal’s eligibility) brought up some memories about two seasons. One was the 2009 football season when Florida went 13-1 and hated every minute of it. The pressure to be perfect was overwhelming for that team. The second was the 2007 basketball team as it tried to repeat. That team succeeded but went through a miserable stretch of feeling a heavy weight over their collective heads that sucked away all of the joy they came back to experience. The point is that the 2026-27 Gator basketball team will be ranked No. 1 in the preseason and will have to deal with it. Just win, baby.
2. I thought Florida smelled on ice in football last year. Didn’t the Gators go 4-8? And yet, my alma mater had an NFL Draft pick in every round for the first time in school history. The draft is a fickle partner, but I think having all those players selected, with some very draftable players on the current team, is an indictment of an already beleaguered former staff. Billy Napier can complain that the culture wasn’t right at UF when he got here, but he did have four years to get it right and failed miserably. Am I right or am I right?
3. FOMO game of the week
It might not be the first semifinal of the Big 12 Championship, but certainly the second. Florida already has a banner to raise for the regular-season lacrosse title and will face UC-Davis (the same team it just beat 19-6) in the semis Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Diz. The Gators should win and go for the tournament title two days later at 4 against either Arizona State or Colorado.
4. Four questions with ESPN’s Laura Rutledge, a UF grad of course:
- How difficult is it to balance work and family with two youngsters at home?
Rutledge: It’s exceptionally difficult but I try hard to be where my feet are. Being mom is the most important job. Everything else is temporary and I’ve had to get comfortable being uncomfortable. - Do you prefer studio work or sideline reporting?
Rutledge: I love both! My favorite is hosting live on location at premier events and I’m really thankful I get to do both, sometimes in the same game! - Do you still have the sash from your Miss Florida pageant win?
Rutledge: Yes! It’s in our basement with the Miss Florida crown. Reese Rutledge (her daughter) will often go try it on. - Is it true you really live in a log cabin in Connecticut, and does it have heat?
Rutledge: We moved from the log cabin because we wanted to get in a better school district with Reese starting kindergarten. It was heated though and it’s still one of my favorite places in the world!
5. The List
With the NFL Draft in the books, here are five former Gators you may not know were undrafted:
- Shane Matthews (1993): Went on to play 14 years in the NFL with 22 starts.
- Earnest Graham (2003): Played eight seasons, scored 10 TDs for Bucs in 2007.
- Eddy Pineiro (2018): Still in the league and has made 139 field goals.
- Trey Burton (2014): Famous for the “Philly Special” where he won a Super Bowl ring.
- Chris Leak (2007): Florida’s all-time leading passer ended up playing in the CFL and Arena League.
6. This will happen this week
The Florida softball team will take two-of-three at Georgia to close the regular season and put the Gators on the bubble to host a Super Regional. Florida will be hosting the first weekend of the NCAAs, but to host the second weekend UF may need to win at least one game at the SEC Tournament.
7. Hot take of the week
Us old folks like to yell at the clouds and tell kids to turn it down, but streaming so many NBA playoff games is not working for anybody. Well, except the league which is collecting $1.8 billion a year from Amazon Prime.
8. Tweet of the week
From NFL insider Albert Breer: “All 11 defensive starters from Ohio State’s CFP title game win over Notre Dame, 15 months later, have become NFL draft picks, none going lower than the fifth round. And that doesn’t count Arvell Reese, who was rotating in as a backup.” No wonder the Buckeyes won the 2024 title.
9. Movie recommendation
If you are not a Mike Myers fan, you probably shouldn’t see “So I Married an Axe Murderer.” If you are, then you are like me. And if you have never seen it, stop right now and rent it. Although Blockbuster is closed. What? Too soon?