Latest news with #GasparillaBowl
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida Revealed as Finalist for Elite EDGE
The Florida Gators have one player committed to them from the 2026 recruiting class and are trying to make it two. On3's Hayes Fawcett revealed Florida as one of five finalists for four-star edge rusher Luke Wafle on Friday. Wafle is also considering the Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns, USC Trojans and Penn State Nittany Lions. Advertisement Wafle attends Hun School in Middletown, New Jersey, and is 6-foot-5.5, 245 pounds. Florida broke through and had a winning season under head coach Billy Napier. In his first year on the job, 2022, Florida went 6-7 and then 5-7 in 2023. The Gators ended the 2024 campaign at 8-5 after beating Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl. Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier celebrates a fourth-down stop. Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Wafle is the No. 53 overall prospect, No. 10 edge rusher and No. 1 recruit from New Jersey in the On3 Industry Rankings. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine is not confident that Florida can land Wafle. The Gators are given the fourth-best odds at 7.2% and are tied with USC. Penn State is the leader at 25.4%, followed by Texas (17.3%) and Ohio State (10.7%). Advertisement Florida had an important weekend visit with Wafle, having him in Gainesville on Friday for an official visit. The Gators previously met with him on April 1 for an unofficial visit. The Gators' only commit from the 2026 class is four-star quarterback Will Griffin. Florida recently had four-star linebacker Izayia Williams and four-star safety Devin Jackson de-commit. Florida is trying to make a good impression with multiple top recruits from the 2026 class. The Gators were inside the top eight for four-star defensive lineman Valdin Sone from PPI Recruits in Malmö, Sweden. The program has also impressed five-star receiver Cederian Morgan, who felt that the relationship with the team is real. Florida's 2025 season opener is with Long Island on Aug. 30. Related: Florida Transfer and Top Available Player in Portal Reveals Commitment
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
DJ Lagway's Confidant Gives Health Update, Sends Subtle Warning To Competitors
It was a solid year for the Florida Gators and head coach Billy Napier, compiling an 8-5 record, marking their first winning season since 2020 and defeating the Tulane Green Wave 33-8 in the Gasparilla Bowl. One of the biggest storylines throughout their season was the emergence of true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who, unfortunately, throughout this offseason, has been battling a lower-body and shoulder injury. Advertisement His road to being fully healthy seems to be going well, though, with Deiric Jackson, the CEO and Owner of Legacy Sports Advisors, who represent the quarterback, offering an update and warning to other teams. "He's healthy now; he's going to have his full arsenal," Jackson said via On3's Keith Niebuhr. "People have not seen his full arsenal. Not even close. I'm looking forward to seeing it this upcoming season.' Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2).Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images That's amazing news, as he already showed flashes of greatness last season, completing 115-of-192 passes for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 154.9 passing efficiency rating. Advertisement Those solid numbers led Lagway to being named Freshman All-American by several organizations, including ESPN and the Football Writers Association of America. He also finished the 2024 season off on a relatively high note, being named the Gasparilla Bowl MVP after completing 22-of-35 passes for, one touchdown and two interceptions. It will remain to be seen if Lagway can help Florida take another step in the right direction in 2025, as they have what could be seen as low expectations with ESPN BET giving them the 10th-best odds (+3000) of winning the SEC. Related: Major College Football Program Lands Third Transfer Portal QB
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Browns' Decision on Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel Draws Attention
On the opening day of the Cleveland Browns' rookie minicamp, third-round pick Dillon Gabriel took the first quarterback reps over fifth-round selection Shedeur Sanders, igniting fan discussion despite coach Kevin Stefanski cautioning against reading too much into the early rotation. Yeah, I wouldn't look into anything. I think you'll see the whole weekend going through the spring." Stefanski said when asked about why Gabriel got the first reps over Sanders. "I mean, we don't pay too close attention to who's in there." Advertisement A fan commented under the post, "This is why teams shyed away from him. This (expletive) is a distraction. I am sure his dad will be not shy a bout criticizing the team or coaches when Shedeur does not play." © Ken Blaze-Imagn Images On Friday at the Browns' CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea, Dillon Gabriel was inserted ahead of Shedeur Sanders for the initial 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. A fan suggested a witty reply to such questions, "He should have just said alphabetical order and called it a day". Another expressed his disappointment at how Gabriel is being treated, "Would the same question be asked if Shedeur took the first snap instead? No. The loser in all of this media love train is clearly Dillon Gabriel who's done nothing wrong and will made the 2nd hand by the media. God Forbid he wins the job and throws a pick or two. Shedeur better win the job cause having this guy as a backup would be as unfun as it gets for a starter Closest thing I've seen to Tebow since." Advertisement Gabriel connected on a touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. during red-zone work, demonstrating why he was a third-round pick out of Oregon this spring. He started his career at UCF in 2019, guiding the Knights to a 10–3 record, a 48–25 Gasparilla Bowl victory, completing 236 of 398 passes for 3,653 yards. Almost every fan echoed the same sentiment, that the media is reads too much into it when it comes to the former Colorado signal-caller. "The exact reason Stefanski and many other teams didn't want to select Sanders. The media CIRCUS that will constantly follow him." One said. "Cleveland media is the worst. Actively trying to sow drama when there is none. Someone had to go first. Plenty of reps in rookie camp. So far all draft picks have been model citizens. All showed up, all have great mindset and 2 are already under contract." Another posted. Related: Steelers-Aaron Rodgers Information Spells Good News for Will Howard
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CBS Sports shares early bowl projection for Auburn
After missing out on bowl season last year, the Auburn Tigers are expected to be in the mix to secure a postseason destination in 2025. CBS Sports recently revealed their early bowl projections, which included the Auburn Tigers. CBS projects Auburn to head to Florida for bowl season to meet up with the Memphis Tigers in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, which will take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida in December. The Gasparilla Bowl, which has also been historically known as the St. Petersburg Bowl and the Beef O'Brady's Bowl, has been played before Christmas since 2017. Last season, Florida defeated Tulane, 33-8, in the game that took place on Dec. 20. Auburn hopes to re-write its bowl history in 2025 After piecing together its longest bowl streak in program history by playing in nine-consecutive postseason games from 2013-21, Auburn has missed postseason play in two of the last three seasons. Auburn's last bowl win came in 2018 when it defeated Purdue in the Music City Bowl, 63-14. Since then, Auburn has lost four-straight bowl games, including its most recent appearance in 2023 when it lost 31-13 to Maryland in the Music City Bowl. Advertisement Auburn is also looking to end a bleak streak in which they have lost seven games in each of the last four seasons. Last year, Auburn finished 5-7 with a 2-6 mark in SEC play. Auburn started the season with a 2-5 record before winning three of its last five games. The Memphis Tigers could be a quality bowl opponent for Auburn Auburn's projected bowl opponent, Memphis, won 11 games last season. The Tigers have won four bowl games in five seasons under head coach Ryan Silverfield, which includes a three-game streak. Memphis is projected to be another strong contender in the American Athletic Conference this season alongside Tulane, USF, and Navy. Gasparilla Bowl history If this projection were to hold, it would be Auburn's first-ever appearance in the Gasparilla Bowl and the second for Memphis. Memphis lost the inaugural Gasparilla Bowl to USF in 2008, 41-14. Advertisement Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__ This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: CBS Sports projects Auburn to face Memphis in bowl season
USA Today
10-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
CBS Sports shares early bowl projection for Auburn
CBS Sports shares early bowl projection for Auburn CBS Sports expects the Auburn Tigers to return to bowl season in 2025 after missing out last year. After missing out on bowl season last year, the Auburn Tigers are expected to be in the mix to secure a postseason destination in 2025. CBS Sports recently revealed their early bowl projections, which included the Auburn Tigers. CBS projects Auburn to head to Florida for bowl season to meet up with the Memphis Tigers in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, which will take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida in December. The Gasparilla Bowl, which has also been historically known as the St. Petersburg Bowl and the Beef O'Brady's Bowl, has been played before Christmas since 2017. Last season, Florida defeated Tulane, 33-8, in the game that took place on Dec. 20. Auburn hopes to re-write its bowl history in 2025 After piecing together its longest bowl streak in program history by playing in nine-consecutive postseason games from 2013-21, Auburn has missed postseason play in two of the last three seasons. Auburn's last bowl win came in 2018 when it defeated Purdue in the Music City Bowl, 63-14. Since then, Auburn has lost four-straight bowl games, including its most recent appearance in 2023 when it lost 31-13 to Maryland in the Music City Bowl. Auburn is also looking to end a bleak streak in which they have lost seven games in each of the last four seasons. Last year, Auburn finished 5-7 with a 2-6 mark in SEC play. Auburn started the season with a 2-5 record before winning three of its last five games. The Memphis Tigers could be a quality bowl opponent for Auburn Auburn's projected bowl opponent, Memphis, won 11 games last season. The Tigers have won four bowl games in five seasons under head coach Ryan Silverfield, which includes a three-game streak. Memphis is projected to be another strong contender in the American Athletic Conference this season alongside Tulane, USF, and Navy. Gasparilla Bowl history If this projection were to hold, it would be Auburn's first-ever appearance in the Gasparilla Bowl and the second for Memphis. Memphis lost the inaugural Gasparilla Bowl to USF in 2008, 41-14. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
