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Tag: Florida Sports

  • This year’s showdown between in-state rivals FSU, Miami is Top 25 matchup

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — When No. 18 Florida State and No. 3 Miami meet Saturday in their annual intrastate and Atlantic Coast Conference rivalry game, the contest will be one of only two Top 25 matchups of the day.

    As if the intense rivalry between the teams is not enough, that status brings with it significance in the College Football Playoff picture, and the programs have a history of ending each other’s national title hopes.

    What You Need To Know

    • The FSU-Miami game on Saturday in Tallahassee could decide both teams’ College Football Playoffs fate

    • In the history of the in-state rivalry, the game has a history of hurting national championship hopes

    • The Hurricanes come into the game undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the AP Top rankings

    • The Seminoles are coming off a double-overtime loss to ACC opponent Virginia

    The undefeated Hurricanes are looking to build upon their already strong start to the season, which includes victories against then-No. 6 Notre Dame and Florida, to try to make a run at the national championship. They have not won in Tallahassee since 2019, but Miami quarterback Carson Beck is 4-0 against Florida State and Florida.

    The Seminoles are coming off a stunning, double-overtime loss to Virginia on Saturday, ending their unbeaten run after defeating Alabama in their opener and pounding East Texas A&M and Kent State. The defeat in its ACC opener knocked FSU down 10 spots in The Associated Press Top 25 rankings.

    If they hope to get back into the CFP hunt, the Seminoles need a victory against the Hurricanes on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.

    “We lost the first conference game. We have nothing but an opportunity in front of us this next week in a huge game for us, for our program, for our university,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said.

    In the eyes of Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal, conference games are playoff games, and he pointed out this week that league matchups tend to be tighter than many non-conference contests. 

    “Everybody’s alive, everybody’s vying for a spot,” Cristobal said. “So the margins for error, the margins between winning and not winning, become smaller and smaller. … I think that’s the best part of college football at this time of year. You’re getting everybody’s best, and you’re giving everybody your best.”

    FSU rushed for 256 yards against Virginia, but it also surrendered 211 yards on the ground. The Cavaliers converted seven of 13 third-down attempts. The Seminoles also had two early turnovers that led to the Cavaliers’ first two touchdowns.

    Despite the loss to the Cavaliers, the Seminoles had positive moments that they might look to carry into the matchup with the Hurricanes. They erased a 14-0 deficit against the Cavaliers, and quarterback Tommy Castellanos threw a tying 11-yard touchdown pass to Randy Pittman Jr. with 36 seconds left in regulation.

    Castellanos appeared to throw a tying 22-yard touchdown pass to Duce Robinson in the second overtime. But Robinson juggled the ball as he ran through the back of the end zone. After the play was initially ruled a score, it was reversed on replay. On the next play, Castellanos heaved a desperation pass to the corner of the end zone intended for Squirrel White. He was intercepted by Ja’Son Prevard, closing it out for the Cavaliers.

    “I know our guys will respond,” Norvell said. “We have to go put everything we have into this week.”

    He said he believes FSU could get a boost from playing at home.

    “You’ll see a sold-out Doak Campbell Stadium, nighttime, prime time,” Norvell said. “A wonderful stage to be able to show this team who we are, what we’re about, and the response that we’re going to have.”

    Beck is not worried about the crowd noise.

    “In all these loud stadiums and big-time matchups, I think you can see that throughout these first five weeks of college football,” Beck said. “But for us, if we just have elite communication, we can just kind of block that crowd out and just execute and do what we do.”

    In the end, the outcome could come down to which team’s strengths prevail.

    FSU running back Gavin Sawchuk (234 yards rushing) and Castellanos (217 yards rushing) lead the Seminoles’ ground attack, which ranks second in the Football Bowl Subdivision at 336.3 yards a game. Miami is tied for eighth in the FBS in rushing defense at 76.3 yards a game.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    Spectrum Sports Staff, Associated Press

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  • Fans can see new-look Magic’s 1st preseason game Saturday on FanDuel Sports

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — Magic fans can get their first look at the revamped roster for the 2025-26 season on Saturday when Orlando faces the Miami Heat in Puerto Rico.

    FanDuel Sports Network, the local TV and streaming rights holder to Magic games, will broadcast that game and two other Orlando contests during the preseason. Tipoff for Saturday’s game is scheduled at 8 p.m. ET.

    The Magic’s home preseason games against the Heat at 6 p.m. ET Oct. 12 and the New Orleans Pelicans at 7 p.m. ET Oct. 16 will also be televised and streamed by FanDuel Sports.

    The network will carry all Magic games this season except those broadcast on a national platform. Details of regular-season broadcast plans will be announced at a later date.

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    Spectrum Sports Staff

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  • Napier calls rumors about Lagway opting out midseason ‘comical,’ ‘a total myth’

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway wore a walking boot earlier this week, but coach Billy Napier said Wednesday his foot injury was “no issue at all.”

    Napier said Lagway is “100%” despite getting stepped on during a 26-7 loss at Miami last Saturday.

    Rumors swirled about Lagway’s injury, with some even suggesting he was considering opting out of the season while the Gators (1-3) try to regroup amid a three-game losing streak.

    What You Need To Know

    • The foot injury to Gators quarterback DJ Lagway is “no issue at all,” coach Billy Napier said Wednesday

    • He also dismissed rumors that Lagway could opt out midseason

    • Florida is on a three-game losing streak but has a bye this week 

    • Cornerback Dijon Johnson underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a season-ending knee injury, Napier said

    “It’s comical,” Napier said. “The kid has been back in here since Sunday, working his butt off. Monday, (Tuesday), had a really good day. We can’t control that outside narrative, obviously.”

    “But he’s just fine. He’s been in the building just like he’s on the staff, so he’s been back to work. And certainly, yeah, that’s a total myth that’s out there.”

    Lagway has completed 67.5% of his passes for 690 yards, with five touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He missed most of the offseason and training camp while recovering from core-muscle surgery, a sore shoulder and a strained left calf.

    His Heisman Trophy odds have dipped more than Napier’s approval rating. But Napier has no plans to switch to freshman backup Tramell Jones Jr. He reiterated Wednesday that he will continue to serve as the primary play-caller despite Florida coming off a 141-yard performance against the Hurricanes and having scored one touchdown in each of its last three games.

    The Gators are off this week before hosting No. 10 Texas (3-1) on Oct. 4.

    “There’s a renewed emphasis on accountability,” Napier said. “Obviously, we have to play better. Every position group is contributing to our issues. I know, obviously, a lot is made of DJ and his situation, but I do think when we look at it from a big-picture standpoint, we’ve got to play better around them.”

    “Just some of the points of emphasis are eliminating negative plays. And I do think that first-down efficiency has contributed to some of our problems as well. But, in general, I think we have to address that part of our team, and there’s got to be some changes, and certainly that’s what we’re doing.”

    Also Wednesday, Napier said cornerback Dijon Johnson sustained a season-ending knee injury against the Hurricanes and had surgery Tuesday. Johnson’s injury means sophomore and Colorado transfer Cormani McClain will step into a bigger role moving forward.

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    Associated Press

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  • New CEO of USF Athletics, Rob Higgins, bleeds green and gold

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Rob Higgins stood in front of a standing-room-only crowd at USF and proudly produced a letter from his pocket he had been holding onto for 35 years. And then he hugged the man who sent it to him.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Rob Higgins is the new CEO of USF Athletics

    •  Higgins replaces former Athletic Director Michael Kelly, who left USF for Navy

    •  USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford said Higgins’ new title is the first of its kind in the nation


    The letter was from former USF Men’s Basketball assistant coach and Bulls alum Tommy Tonelli. Dated April 24, 1990, the letter thanked Rob for his role as the team’s manager and for helping the Bulls make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

    “Just like everything Rob’s ever done, he does the best he can possibly do, and it always turns out great,” Tonelli said. “And I’m sure he’ll do the same in his role at USF.”

    The fact that Higgins kept that letter all these years tells you everything you need about the new chief executive officer of USF Athletics. That love was on display at his introductory press conference that included fanfare, cheerleaders, Rocky the Bull and an array of Tampa Bay sports dignitaries.

    “This is a celebration of appreciation,” Higgins said. “A celebration of Bull pride and a celebration of USF’s rightful place among the hierarchy of team Tampa Bay.”

    The fact that Higgins doesn’t carry the athletic director title, like those who came before him, and instead is CEO of the athletics department speaks volumes about the evolution of college sports. While addressing the crowd and talking about why Higgins was their choice, USF Board of Trustees chair Will Weatherford proudly declared Higgins not only USF’s first CEO of athletics, but the nation’s first.

    “Where we’re going is very different from where we’ve been,” Weatherford said. “And for us to think about what it takes to run an athletics program at a university today is completing different than what it took 10 years ago.”

    Higgins is prepared to wear his green and gold heart on his sleeve and roll up those sleeves and get to work. His No. 1 focus is the student-athletes. He said he wants their experience from the moment they set foot on the USF campus until they leave to be a next-level one.

    “My focus and my excitement and what our team will bring to the table is making sure we do anything and everything we can to elevate USF Athletics’ next chapter,” Higgins said.

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    Katherine Smith

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  • Miami’s Beck has faced Florida a few times, but Saturday to be 1st time as ‘Cane

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    CORAL GABLES, Fla. — There’s a lot of things that Miami quarterback Carson Beck had to learn when he joined the Hurricanes in January.

    The meaning of rivalry weeks was not among them.

    For the first time, Miami is set to face its two biggest rivals — Florida and Florida State — in consecutive games during the same season. (Technically, there have been three instances of Miami seeing those opponents in back-to-back games, all when the Hurricanes ended one season facing the Gators and opened the next season against the Seminoles.)

    What You Need To Know

    • No. 4 Miami will play host to Florida on Saturday

    • Carson Beck is the Hurricanes’ quarterback this year and has defeated the Gators twice when he played for Georgia

    • Beck said he is very familiar with rivalry games — at Georgia and among college teams in Florida

    • Miami already has played USF this season, and it will take on Florida and Florida State, too

    It starts Saturday, when Beck and the fourth-ranked Hurricanes (3-0) play host to the Gators (1-2). Miami beat Florida last season, and Beck was Georgia’s starting quarterback for wins over the Gators — the Bulldogs also count Florida as a big rival — in 2023 and 2024.

    “I’m very up to speed,” Beck said. “Obviously, being at Georgia, we value our rivalries. I mean, Georgia-Florida is one of the biggest games of the year for us every year. Being in Miami, you get two in-state rivalries, which is pretty dope. The tensions rise. The competition is always heightened with those rivalry games. And obviously, I’ve been in Florida my whole life, so I’m super familiar with all the rivalries.”

    In turn, the Gators are also super familiar with Beck.

    He has the chance to be the third quarterback in the past 25 years — fellow former Georgia quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Aaron Murray are the others — to beat Florida three times as a starter. Beck was 44 of 68 passing for 624 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions against Florida in the past two seasons, getting wins by scores of 43-20 and 34-20.

    “He’s a good quarterback,” Florida defensive lineman George Gumbs Jr. said. “I feel like going into every game with a good quarterback, our goal is to affect the quarterback. The quarterback is usually going to be the team. So, once we affect the quarterback, we slow the offense down.”

    Miami’s three opponents so far this season — Notre Dame, Bethune-Cookman and USF — have had similar mindsets going into their games against the Hurricanes. None were successful.

    Among quarterbacks with more than 20 pass attempts so far this season, Beck leads the country with a 79.3% completion percentage. He’s 65 of 82 through three games for 812 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions, both of those picks coming against USF last week and neither exactly being his fault. And nobody in the past 30 years has gotten off to such an accurate start in three games, with at least two of those contests coming against AP-ranked opponents.

    Plus, there’s this: Beck simply knows the Gators. It’s a plus for Miami this week.

    “You prepare for everything historically, what teams have done and whatnot,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “But without question, experience at that position and understanding conceptually what we do versus what opponents show us is always a tremendous bonus. And certainly, he takes a lot of pride in studying his opponents. So, any insight from him is welcome and respected.”

    Beck is from Jacksonville, not too far from Gainesville, and around his freshman year of high school, he decided that he would attend Florida to play both football and baseball. Plans changed, obviously, but he clearly has more than just a basic understanding of the rivalry.

    And he knows Florida’s defense is better than the Gators’ 1-2 record. Florida’s defense has yielded only two touchdowns this season so far and has given up just seven in its past seven games going back to last year.

    “It’s a really good defense, and they’ve shown that this year in the three games that they’ve played,” Beck said. “So again, it’s going to be a challenge for us. But you know, we’re excited to accept that challenge.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Schröder takes over late as Germany tops Turkey for EuroBasket gold

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    RIGA, Latvia — The Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner and Tristan da Silva combined for 31 points, and Dennis Schröder took over to deliver more gold for Germany.

    Schröder, who will play for the Sacramento Kings in the upcoming season, had the game’s final six points, Isaac Bonga scored a team-best 20 points and Germany topped Turkey 88-83 on Sunday in the gold medal game at the European championship.

    It was Germany’s first EuroBasket title since 1993 and comes two years after the team — largely with the same core — won the World Cup title in 2023.

    “We never shy away from the big moments. … Everybody is so confident,” Schröder said. “Just big-time plays from big-time character people.”

    Wagner scored 18 points, pulled down eight rebounds and blocked two shots, and Schröder finished with 16 points and 12 assists for Germany, which finished the tournament 9-0. Da Silva added 13 points and four rebounds for Germany.

    The game had 15 lead changes and 11 ties, with the final lead change coming when Schröder scored on a drive to put Germany up by one with 1 minute, 15 seconds left.

    He added a jumper with 18.7 seconds remaining and after Turkey’s Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets hit a 3-pointer that would have tied it, Schröder sealed gold with a pair of free throws.

    “To be a World Cup winner and a European champion, that’s big time,” Schröder said.

    Sengun had 28 points for Turkey, which got 23 from Cedi Osman and a 13-point, nine-assist, six-rebound game from Shane Larkin, who played for Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando and for the Miami Hurricanes. Larkin is the son of baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin.

    Schröder, Wagner, Sengun, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Slovenia’s Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers were named to the Eurobasket 2025 All-Tournament Team.

    Bronze: Greece 92, Finland 89

    Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, leading Greece past Finland for the bronze medal earlier Sunday.

    It was Greece’s first EuroBasket medal since winning bronze in 2009.

    “We did it. This is probably one of the biggest accomplishments that I’ve ever accomplished as an athlete,” said Antetokounmpo, a past NBA champion and MVP. “I know I’ve won an NBA championship, but there’s no feeling like representing your national team and representing 12 million people that breathe and live this national team. This is probably the greatest accomplishment so far in my life.”

    It was the sixth time that Greece finished on the podium at the EuroBasket, with two golds, one silver and three bronze medals.

    Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Finland.

    Greece — which never trailed and led by 17 at one point — had an 11-point lead with less than two minutes remaining, but Finland rallied.

    Elias Valtonen had a chance to tie the game with three free throws with five seconds left but missed the third. Antetokounmpo eventually controlled the rebound for Greece and sealed the game with a pair of free throws.

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    Spectrum Sports Staff, Associated Press

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  • LSU intercepts 5 of DJ Lagway’s passes in 20-10 victory

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    By  BRETT MARTEL

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Garrett Nussmeier threw for 220 yards and a touchdown, Dashawn Spears returned one of his first two career interceptions 58 yards for a touchdown and No. 3 LSU beat Florida 20-10 on Saturday night.

    After the ejection of LSU preseason AP All-America linebacker Whit Weeks for a targeting penalty in the game’s opening minutes, the Tigers (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) intercepted five of Florida quarterback DJ Lagway’s passes and sacked him three times.

    Lagway’s career high in interceptions came in what was widely seen as a pivotal bounce-back game for the Gators (1-2, 0-1) and fourth-year coach Billy Napier after a surprising home loss to South Florida a week earlier.

    The Gators amped up the intensity more than an hour before kickoff when many of them jogged or walked a lap around the entire field — a route that took them near the tunnel to the LSU locker room.

    As Florida players stared down hecklers in the LSU student section, several Tigers players warming up in the area began shouting as well as they advanced toward the Gators. Shoving ensued, and as officials and uniformed officers on the field diffused the standoff, an official threw a “sideline warning” flag.

    After kickoff, the game was hard fought, with defenders hitting hard and offensive linemen vigorously finishing blocks — including one by LSU lineman Weston Davis that wiped out Tigers coach Brian Kelly along the sideline. Kelly was uninjured.

    But both offenses stumbled.

    LSU, which had starting center Braelen Moore back in the lineup after an ankle injury last week, gained just 96 yards rushing (with 51 coming on a late run by Caden Durham) and punted seven times. Nussmeier also was intercepted on a risky throw back across the middle that infuriated Kelly.

    Florida, which punted five times, finished with 366 total yards to LSU’s 316. Lagway finished 33 of 49 for 287 yards and one TD passing.

    Nussmeier’s 23-yard scoring pass to Zavion Thomas gave LSU a 10-3 lead in the second quarter.

    Florida responded with Lagway’s floating 10-yard pass to Aiden Mizell as he crossed the back of the end zone in tight coverage from Tamarcus Cooley, who disgustedly kicked the ball after the play, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

    Lagway’s second turnover was AJ Haulcy’s interception that set up Damian Ramos’ 45-yard field goal, giving LSU a 13-10 lead as time expired in the first half.

    Spears’ second interception and long return put LSU up 20-10. And after Cooley redeemed himself with an interception of Lagway’s pass in the end zone with less than seven minutes remaining, cornerback DJ Pickett had an interception to end Florida’s final possession.

    The takeaway

    Florida: The Gators’ evident intensity and effort was canceled out by turnovers and other mistakes, including an offensive holding call that nullified an 87-yard touchdown pass to Jadan Baugh in the first half.

    LSU: The defense has been good enough to compensate for an offense that has been inconsistent and less explosive than expected with the experienced Nussmeier — a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite who passed for 4,052 yards last season — under center.

    Up next

    Florida: At Miami next Saturday.

    LSU: Hosts Southeastern Louisiana next Saturday.

    ___

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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    Associated Press

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  • LSU intercepts 5 of DJ Lagway’s passes in 20-10 victory

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    By  BRETT MARTEL

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Garrett Nussmeier threw for 220 yards and a touchdown, Dashawn Spears returned one of his first two career interceptions 58 yards for a touchdown and No. 3 LSU beat Florida 20-10 on Saturday night.

    After the ejection of LSU preseason AP All-America linebacker Whit Weeks for a targeting penalty in the game’s opening minutes, the Tigers (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) intercepted five of Florida quarterback DJ Lagway’s passes and sacked him three times.

    Lagway’s career high in interceptions came in what was widely seen as a pivotal bounce-back game for the Gators (1-2, 0-1) and fourth-year coach Billy Napier after a surprising home loss to South Florida a week earlier.

    The Gators amped up the intensity more than an hour before kickoff when many of them jogged or walked a lap around the entire field — a route that took them near the tunnel to the LSU locker room.

    As Florida players stared down hecklers in the LSU student section, several Tigers players warming up in the area began shouting as well as they advanced toward the Gators. Shoving ensued, and as officials and uniformed officers on the field diffused the standoff, an official threw a “sideline warning” flag.

    After kickoff, the game was hard fought, with defenders hitting hard and offensive linemen vigorously finishing blocks — including one by LSU lineman Weston Davis that wiped out Tigers coach Brian Kelly along the sideline. Kelly was uninjured.

    But both offenses stumbled.

    LSU, which had starting center Braelen Moore back in the lineup after an ankle injury last week, gained just 96 yards rushing (with 51 coming on a late run by Caden Durham) and punted seven times. Nussmeier also was intercepted on a risky throw back across the middle that infuriated Kelly.

    Florida, which punted five times, finished with 366 total yards to LSU’s 316. Lagway finished 33 of 49 for 287 yards and one TD passing.

    Nussmeier’s 23-yard scoring pass to Zavion Thomas gave LSU a 10-3 lead in the second quarter.

    Florida responded with Lagway’s floating 10-yard pass to Aiden Mizell as he crossed the back of the end zone in tight coverage from Tamarcus Cooley, who disgustedly kicked the ball after the play, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

    Lagway’s second turnover was AJ Haulcy’s interception that set up Damian Ramos’ 45-yard field goal, giving LSU a 13-10 lead as time expired in the first half.

    Spears’ second interception and long return put LSU up 20-10. And after Cooley redeemed himself with an interception of Lagway’s pass in the end zone with less than seven minutes remaining, cornerback DJ Pickett had an interception to end Florida’s final possession.

    The takeaway

    Florida: The Gators’ evident intensity and effort was canceled out by turnovers and other mistakes, including an offensive holding call that nullified an 87-yard touchdown pass to Jadan Baugh in the first half.

    LSU: The defense has been good enough to compensate for an offense that has been inconsistent and less explosive than expected with the experienced Nussmeier — a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite who passed for 4,052 yards last season — under center.

    Up next

    Florida: At Miami next Saturday.

    LSU: Hosts Southeastern Louisiana next Saturday.

    ___

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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    Associated Press

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  • Suspects in shooting of FSU football player being held without bond

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Four suspects arrested in connection with the shooting of Florida State linebacker Ethan Pritchard made their first appearance in court Thursday and were ordered held without bond, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

    Caron Miller, 18, of Havana; Jayden Bodison, 22, of Woodville; and a 16-year-old from Havana have been charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle. Germany Atkins, 23, of Havana was arrested on a violation of probation charge.

    The 16-year-old was remanded to Department of Juvenile Justice custody on a no-release hold charge.

    Pritchard, a 6-foot-2, 224-pound freshman who graduated from Sanford Seminole High School, was ambushed and shot in the back of the head while inside a vehicle on Aug. 31. He was dropping off his aunt and a child at an apartment complex in Havana at the time. An FDLE spokesman said he wasn’t doing anything wrong.

    Investigators said they believe the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young said at a news conference announcing the suspects’ arrest Wednesday.

    Pritchard remains critical but stable at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • 4 arrests made in connection with shooting of FSU player, FDLE says

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Four people have been arrested in connection with the shooting of Florida State linebacker Ethan Pritchard, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said Wednesday.

    What You Need To Know

    • Four people are now in custody in connection with the shooting of FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard on Aug. 31, FDLE says

    • Jayden Bodison, Caron Miller, and an unnamed minor were charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle

    • Pritchard was ambushed as he dropped off an aunt and a child in Havana and was shot in the back of the head, according to FDLE

    • Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young said authorities believe Pritchard’s shooting was a case of mistaken identity

    • The 6-foot-2, 224-pound freshman is still critical but stable at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital

    Glass said Pritchard was “not doing anything wrong” when he was ambushed outside an apartment last month. He added that Pritchard was dropping off family members, an aunt and a child, when he was shot in the back of the head.

    Pritchard, a 6-foot-2, 224-pound freshman from Sanford, remains critical but stable at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. He was shot Aug. 31 while inside a vehicle outside apartments in Havana, according to the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office.

    Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young said authorities believe Pritchard’s shooting was a case of mistaken identity.

    Jayden Bodison, Caron Miller, Germany Atkins and an unnamed minor have been arrested in connection with the shooting, the FDLE said. Bodison, Miller and the juvenile were charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle. Atkins was charged with one count of probation violation. It was not immediately clear whether any of the accused had attorneys.

    Pritchard did not play in Florida State’s season opener, a 31-17 victory against No. 8 Alabama in Tallahassee on Aug. 30.

    “I recruited him for years, got a chance to watch him grow,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said Saturday. “The way that he plays the game, it’s a passion, energy. He loves it, absolutely loves it.

    “To know that right now that’s taken away from him in a senseless act … you don’t always know why you have to go through things in life. You don’t understand the reasoning. But I do believe that God has his hand over Ethan and this football team and just all the relationships.”

    Ethan’s father, Earl, attended Florida State’s win over East Texas A&M on Saturday. He was on the sideline and in the locker room afterward.

    “He’s a wonderful man,” Norvell said. “And being with him, I know it’s so very hard for anybody to have to go through. … But he told me earlier this week, ‘I know where my boy wants to be, so I’m going to go stand in his place for him.’”.

    Pritchard’s high school alma mater, Seminole High School in Sanford, hosted a fundraiser last Friday at its football game, selling T-shirts with his number on them.

    All funds from T-shirt sales and concession sales went to his family to help pay for his medical bills.

    “We did this because we’re a community. I mean, that’s the biggest thing about Seminole High School is we’re a community,” explained Seminole High School Booster Club President Michelle Wright.

    “Ethan is a part of our family, and you know he’s always going to be a ‘Nole,” she added.

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    Spectrum News Staff, Associated Press

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  • Gators face a daunting stretch with Napier’s job on the line

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Billy Napier has a path to a fifth year in Gainesville. It’s one of the most perilous in school history.

    The now-unranked Gators (1-1), coming off an embarrassing loss to USF in the Swamp, have an opportunity to climb out of their latest early-season hole over the next three weeks. The stretch begins at No. 3 LSU (2-0) on Saturday, followed by a trip to fifth-ranked Miami, an off week and then a visit from No. 7 Texas.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Gators football team is facing a series of Top 10 teams in its next three games

    • The stretch could be decisive in Billy Napier’s tenure as coach

    • Florida’s loss to USF last week knocked the team out of the rankings and put Napier on the hot seat

    • Napier is 20-20 at Florida in his fourth season as coach

    The top 10 trifecta spans 22 days and gives Napier a chance to change the narrative — or perhaps seal his fate.

    “It’s all about how you respond to it,” Napier said. “It’s all about, ‘Do we take the lessons that we learned?’ It’s all about application. How do we channel this emotion? Do we have the maturity to turn it around? There’s certain emotions that come with getting beat that can go both ways. I’m anxious to see how we are going to respond. … But you don’t know until you play again.”

    The Gators rallied from a 1-2 start last year, so this is familiar territory. They won their final four games to finish with a winning record (8-5) for the first time under Napier.

    Those victories, though: against a Tulane team playing without its starting quarterback; against the worst Florida State team in 50 years; against an Ole Miss team that dropped at least six passes, including three would-be touchdowns; and against an LSU team that was bickering on the sideline.

    ‘We know how to handle it’

    Florida’s current road to redemption appears tougher, although players and coaches might have a map.

    “We’ve had that taste in our mouths before and had to regroup and come back,” tight end Hayden Hansen said. “One of the positives is that we know how to handle it. We know how to respond.”

    Napier got credit for keeping his team together after lopsided home losses to Miami and Texas A&M in the first month of the 2024 season.

    The Gators responded by playing stellar defense down the stretch, finding a potential star in quarterback DJ Lagway and developing young talent on both sides of the ball. Napier will need a similar winning formula to keep his job now.

    Otherwise, he would be owed roughly $20 million — 85% of what remains on his contract — if Florida fired him during or after this season.

    Latest loss has Napier back on the hot seat

    Even Napier’s most ardent supporters could be losing faith amid the latest debacle.

    Florida never found an offensive rhythm and settled for field goals early. With the Bulls hanging around, the Gators botched a snap that resulted in a safety, were penalized for an illegal substitution that kept a drive alive following a failed fourth-down play and gave up a 66-yard touchdown pass that came while defenders were caught staring at the sideline.

    The most egregious mistakes were 11 penalties for 103 yards, including defensive tackle Brendan Bett getting flagged and ejected for spitting at an offensive lineman. The undisciplined error helped set up Nico Gramatica’s chip-shot field goal, which gave the Bulls an 18-16 victory.

    Florida’s first loss in five meetings with USF landed Napier back on the proverbial hot seat. Athletic Director Scott Stricklin, however, is unlikely to make a coaching change soon, even if the Gators lose the next three games and fall to 1-4.

    Stricklin made it clear last year that patience is the best approach, especially with the Gators now paying some $20 million annually to athletes and planning a $1 billion renovation to Florida Field. But there’s little doubt Napier is on thin ice.

    A pattern, not a phenomenon

    The two-time Sun Belt Conference coach of the year was hired from Louisiana-Lafayette in November 2021 and is now 20-20 at Florida, with eight of those wins against teams outside the Power Four. It’s the worst 40-game start for a Florida football coach since Charley Pell (18-21-1) in 1982.

    Napier is 10-14 in Southeastern Conference play, 15-7 at home and 3-10 against rivals Florida State, Georgia, Miami, LSU and Tennessee.

    He’s often compared with Ron Zook, who replaced Steve Spurrier in 2002 and was fired midway through his third season. Zook was 20-13 overall and 14-7 in league play when he was canned.

    The better match might be Will Muschamp, a great recruiter, a defensive mastermind and someone well-liked inside the program who just couldn’t get it done on game days. Muschamp was 27-20 overall and 17-15 in the SEC when he was let go in his fourth season in 2014.

    Napier, 46, has done plenty right during his tenure. He oversaw the opening of an $85 million standalone facility, roughly doubled his support staff, more than tripled his recruiting budget and signed consecutive top-15 recruiting classes.

    But the on-field results — mounting losses, game-management clunkiness and play-calling ineptitude — have been difficult for the Florida faithful to stomach. The miscues at Tennessee last year, the unforgivable special teams mistake against Arkansas in 2023, the comedy of errors at Utah earlier that year or the stunning loss at Vanderbilt in 2022.

    “We’ve been here before; we know what it is,” center Jake Slaughter said. “A lot of guys on this team, we’ve experienced this kind of adversity, and we need to use it as a springboard. We cannot let it hold us back. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes. We’ve got to move forward.”

    The question is whether — or when — Stricklin is saying the same thing.

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  • Florida’s Bett says spitting at opponent was ‘a terrible mistake’

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett publicly apologized on Monday for spitting at South Florida offensive lineman Cole Skinner, saying “there is no excuse for my actions.”

    Bett also apologized to his teammates earlier in the day.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett issues apologies for spitting at a USF player in Saturday’s loss

    • The red-shirt sophomore specifically expressed contrition to his teammates, Gators fans, the player he spit on, USF and his family and friends

    • “I made a terrible mistake, and it won’t happen again,” Bett said

    • The team has not yet decided whether the red-shirt sophomore will be suspended for next Saturday’s game at LSU

    “I want to sincerely apologize for my actions in the game this past Saturday,” Bett wrote in social media posts. “I let down my teammates, coaches, family and all of Gator Nation. Our coaches always instill in us the value of sportsmanship, and I crossed the line. I also want to apologize to South Florida.

    “That’s not the person or player I strive to be. I made a terrible mistake, and it won’t happen again.”

    He then mentioned Skinner specifically, saying, “I’m truly sorry to both you and your family.”

    Coach Billy Napier said earlier Monday that the now-unranked Gators (1-1) have yet to decide whether Bett would be suspended for Saturday night’s game at No. 3 LSU (2-0).

    “The kid is remorseful,” Napier said. “He feels as if he let the team down. In general, it was out of character for him. He made a mistake, and he compromised the team. He made a selfish decision. He misrepresented our fans, our alumni, the university.

    “When a young man comes into your office and his immediate concern is how he didn’t represent this place the right way, I think that’s a good indication of his attitude towards it.”

    Napier said Bett would face “internal discipline,” which could mean daily runs early every morning during the week. He also could be fined as part of his name, image and likeness contracts.

    “We’re even having him reach out to the young man on the other team,” the coach added. “So no stone unturned here in terms of maximizing this for him to learn and also for our other players to see how to take ownership of a mistake and go about this the right way.”

    Bett was ejected during the final drive against USF on Saturday, a 15-yard penalty that helped propel the Bulls to a stunning victory that landed Napier back on the proverbial hot seat.

    Bett, a red-shirt sophomore who transferred to Florida this year after two seasons at Baylor, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and escorted to the locker room after spitting in Skinner’s facemask. It was one of two penalties assessed against the Gators during an 87-yard drive that set up Nico Gramatica’s 20-yard field goal on the final play.

    “To my family and friends, l know that my actions didn’t reflect the way I was raised, and I regret the disappointment I caused,” Bett added. “I take full responsibility. I pray that we can all move forward. Thanks for believing in me, and I won’t let you down again.”

    Bett’s spitting foul came two days after Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the NFL opener.

    A few days before that, in the Leagues Cup soccer final in Seattle, Inter Miami star Luis Suárez spat toward a Sounders staff member and grabbed a Seattle player by the neck after a loss.

    Bett wasn’t the first player under Napier to be ejected for spitting during a game. Defensive lineman Jamari Lyons was tossed for spitting at a Florida State player late in the first half of Florida’s 24-15 home loss to the Seminoles in 2023.

    “Brendan, he’s a heck of a player,” Gators quarterback DJ Lagway said after the game. “He made a mistake there. That doesn’t identify his character at all. He’s such a nice guy, nice kid, nice person to have in the locker room. He was in there crying and stuff like that, feeling bad, talking to the coaches, talking to the players, and apologizing for it.

    “We don’t ever hold that against anybody. He’s going to come prepared this week.”

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  • Florida’s Bett says spitting at opponent was ‘a terrible mistake’

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett publicly apologized on Monday for spitting at South Florida offensive lineman Cole Skinner, saying “there is no excuse for my actions.”

    Bett also apologized to his teammates earlier in the day.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett issues apologies for spitting at a USF player in Saturday’s loss

    • The red-shirt sophomore specifically expressed contrition to his teammates, Gators fans, the player he spit on, USF and his family and friends

    • “I made a terrible mistake, and it won’t happen again,” Bett said

    • The team has not yet decided whether the red-shirt sophomore will be suspended for next Saturday’s game at LSU

    “I want to sincerely apologize for my actions in the game this past Saturday,” Bett wrote in social media posts. “I let down my teammates, coaches, family and all of Gator Nation. Our coaches always instill in us the value of sportsmanship, and I crossed the line. I also want to apologize to South Florida.

    “That’s not the person or player I strive to be. I made a terrible mistake, and it won’t happen again.”

    He then mentioned Skinner specifically, saying, “I’m truly sorry to both you and your family.”

    Coach Billy Napier said earlier Monday that the now-unranked Gators (1-1) have yet to decide whether Bett would be suspended for Saturday night’s game at No. 3 LSU (2-0).

    “The kid is remorseful,” Napier said. “He feels as if he let the team down. In general, it was out of character for him. He made a mistake, and he compromised the team. He made a selfish decision. He misrepresented our fans, our alumni, the university.

    “When a young man comes into your office and his immediate concern is how he didn’t represent this place the right way, I think that’s a good indication of his attitude towards it.”

    Napier said Bett would face “internal discipline,” which could mean daily runs early every morning during the week. He also could be fined as part of his name, image and likeness contracts.

    “We’re even having him reach out to the young man on the other team,” the coach added. “So no stone unturned here in terms of maximizing this for him to learn and also for our other players to see how to take ownership of a mistake and go about this the right way.”

    Bett was ejected during the final drive against USF on Saturday, a 15-yard penalty that helped propel the Bulls to a stunning victory that landed Napier back on the proverbial hot seat.

    Bett, a red-shirt sophomore who transferred to Florida this year after two seasons at Baylor, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and escorted to the locker room after spitting in Skinner’s facemask. It was one of two penalties assessed against the Gators during an 87-yard drive that set up Nico Gramatica’s 20-yard field goal on the final play.

    “To my family and friends, l know that my actions didn’t reflect the way I was raised, and I regret the disappointment I caused,” Bett added. “I take full responsibility. I pray that we can all move forward. Thanks for believing in me, and I won’t let you down again.”

    Bett’s spitting foul came two days after Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the NFL opener.

    A few days before that, in the Leagues Cup soccer final in Seattle, Inter Miami star Luis Suárez spat toward a Sounders staff member and grabbed a Seattle player by the neck after a loss.

    Bett wasn’t the first player under Napier to be ejected for spitting during a game. Defensive lineman Jamari Lyons was tossed for spitting at a Florida State player late in the first half of Florida’s 24-15 home loss to the Seminoles in 2023.

    “Brendan, he’s a heck of a player,” Gators quarterback DJ Lagway said after the game. “He made a mistake there. That doesn’t identify his character at all. He’s such a nice guy, nice kid, nice person to have in the locker room. He was in there crying and stuff like that, feeling bad, talking to the coaches, talking to the players, and apologizing for it.

    “We don’t ever hold that against anybody. He’s going to come prepared this week.”

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  • Florida’s Bett plans to apologize to fans, the USF player he spit at during loss

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett was planning to apologize to teammates, fans and the player he spit at during an 18-16 loss to South Florida, coach Billy Napier said Monday.

    Napier said the now-unranked Gators (1-1) have yet to decide whether Bett would be suspended for Saturday night’s game at No. 3 LSU (2-0).

    What You Need To Know

    • Gators player who spit on USF bull to apologize to teammates, fans and the player he spit on

    • Defensive lineman Brendan Bett was ejected on the final drive Saturday

    • Coach Billy Napier said the team has not yet decided whether the red-shirt sophomore will be suspended for next Saturday’s game at LSU

    • Napier also said sophomore edge rusher LJ McCray underwent surgery Monday to repair an injured right foot

    “The kid is remorseful,” Napier said. “He feels as if he let the team down. In general, it was out of character for him. He made a mistake, and he compromised the team. He made a selfish decision. He misrepresented our fans, our alumni, the university.

    “When a young man comes into your office and his immediate concern is how he didn’t represent this place the right way, I think that’s a good indication of his attitude towards it.”

    Napier said Bett would face “internal discipline,” which typically means daily runs early every morning during the week.

    Napier added that Bett would speak to the team before practice Monday and was set to “apologize publicly.”

    “We’re even having him reach out to the young man on the other team,” the coach added. “So no stone unturned here in terms of maximizing this for him to learn and also for our other players to see how to take ownership of a mistake and go about this the right way.”

    Bett was ejected during the final drive against USF on Saturday, a 15-yard penalty that helped propel the Bulls to a stunning victory that landed Napier back on the proverbial hot seat.

    Bett, who transferred to Florida this year after two seasons at Baylor, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, kicked out of the game and escorted to the locker room after spitting in the facemask of Bulls offensive lineman Cole Skinner. It was one of two penalties assessed against the Gators during an 87-yard drive that set up Nico Gramatica’s 20-yard field goal on the final play.

    Bett’s spitting foul came two days after Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott in the NFL opener.

    A few days before that, in the Leagues Cup soccer final in Seattle, Inter Miami star Luis Suárez spit toward a Sounders staff member and grabbed a Seattle player by the neck after a loss.

    Bett wasn’t the first player under Napier to be ejected for spitting during a game. Defensive lineman Jamari Lyons was tossed for spitting at a Florida State player late in the first half of Florida’s 24-15 home loss to the Seminoles in 2023.

    “Brendan, he’s a heck of a player,” quarterback DJ Lagway said after the game. “He made a mistake there. That doesn’t identify his character at all. He’s such a nice guy, nice kid, nice person to have in the locker room. He was in there crying and stuff like that, feeling bad, talking to the coaches, talking to the players, and apologizing for it.

    “We don’t ever hold that against anybody. He’s going to come prepared this week.”

    In other injury-related news, Napier confirmed that sophomore edge rusher LJ McCray out of Daytona Mainland underwent surgery to his right foot. Napier did not announce the injury and did not have a timeline for McCray’s return.

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  • No. 14 Florida State scores on 10 straight drives in 77-3 rout of East Texas A&M

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    By  BOB FERRANTE

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Tommy Castellanos passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Duce Robinson, as No. 14 Florida State routed East Texas A&M 77-3 on Saturday.

    FSU (2-0) scored on 10 straight drives to open the game and finished with its most points in the Mike Norvell era. The Seminoles’ six passing TDs is their most in a game since 2011.

    Gavin Sawchuk had three touchdowns, including a 53-yard catch-and-run on fourth down that was his first career receiving TD. The Oklahoma transfer also had a pair of 1-yard scoring runs as the Seminoles piled up 361 rushing yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

    Coming off an upset of then-No. 14 Alabama in the opener, coach Mike Norvell wanted to see how the Seminoles responded.

    “I thought they truly came with a purpose and a passion to get better,” Norvell said. “I wanted to see their response and to go compete as a team that’s passionate to get better.”

    Robinson had four catches for 160 yards in the first 15 minutes, the most receiving yards by a Florida State player in a quarter in program history. The Southern Cal transfer finished with five catches for 173 yards and two scores, including an impressive one-handed snag.

    Castellanos, a Boston College transfer, guided Florida State’s first six touchdown drives. Freshman backup Kevin Sperry had a pair of touchdown passes, including Amaree Williams’ 35-yard catch-and-run. Williams’ touchdown catch came in the third quarter, and a few minutes later the tight end / defensive end recorded his first college sack.

    Earl Little Jr. and Jerry Wilson each had interceptions in the first half that led to Florida State touchdowns.

    Playing for Pritchard

    The Seminoles were playing with heavy hearts after freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard was shot on Sunday night in Havana, Fla. Florida State players honored him by wearing sweatbands with his No. 35 jersey number, and Little Jr. brought Pritchard’s No. 35 jersey to midfield for the pregame coin toss.

    “It’s something that made us go out there and play for him today,” Castellanos said. “His dad was with us on the sideline and in the locker room. We’re praying for Ethan. We wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully God upstairs gives him a second chance at life.”

    Pritchard is in critical but stable condition at a local hospital.

    Poll implications

    Florida State opened the season unranked and isn’t likely to move up from No. 14 unless an upset or two creates a spot.

    The takeaway

    Florida State: The Seminoles dominated from the start through the air and on the ground. They were on pace to surpass the school record of 80 points before they backed off in the fourth quarter.

    East Texas A&M: The Lions (0-2) punted seven times and couldn’t generate much offense, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry.

    Up next

    Florida State: Has a bye. The Seminoles next host Kent State on Sept. 20.

    East Texas A&M: Has a bye. The Lions next play at Grambling on Sept. 20.

    ___

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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  • Florida AD Scott Stricklin gets $250,000 raise, semi-retirement role

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin will make more than $2 million a year after signing a three-year contract extension that keeps him under contract through October 2030.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin signed a three-year contract extension in June

    • The agreement, which keeps him under contract through 2030, pays him more than $2 million a year

    • It also includes a provision that would make him “special assistant to the athletic director” for 5 years after that

    • Stricklin got a $250,000 raise and could make as much as $2.175 million a year with bonuses

    Stricklin’s new deal also includes a provision that would make him “special assistant to the athletic director” for five years beginning in 2030. It’s a role similar to the one former Florida AD Jeremy Foley assumed following his retirement in 2016.

    Stricklin, 55, signed the extension in June, two months after the Gators won their third national championship in men’s basketball. Florida released details Wednesday in response to a public records request by The Associated Press and other media outlets.

    Stricklin’s previous deal paid him $1.8 million annually and ran through 2027. He got a $250,000 raise and could make as much as $2.175 million a year with bonuses.

    But the most interesting part of the new agreement was his semi-retirement role, which outgoing interim school president Kent Fuchs signed off on this summer. New Florida interim president Dr. Donald Landry was confirmed last month, and a search committee is expected to begin searching for a permanent leader early next year.

    Stricklin’s duties as special assistant would be determined by the university president and shall not “interfere with or undermine” the new AD’s functions or authority, according to terms of the agreement.

    Stricklin would get $100,000 annually for those five years plus basic benefits, as well as use of the athletic association’s aircraft for a value of up to $55,000, an office, administrative support and complimentary club seat tickets to football games, men’s basketball games and baseball games.

    Hired to replace Foley in 2016, Stricklin has seen the Gators win 13 national titles and 44 conference crowns while leading one of the most recognizable brands in college sports. He has been instrumental in helping the Gators navigate the ever-changing landscape of college sports, including revenue sharing and name, image and likeness payouts, as well as catching up in the facilities chase.

    Under Stricklin, Florida opened an $85 million football facility and a $65 million baseball stadium. The athletic program also has preliminary plans to embark on a $1 billion renovation to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, better known as “The Swamp.”

    He hired current Florida football coach Billy Napier, whose team made a late-season surge to close out 2024 and is ranked 13th in the latest AP college football poll. He also hired men’s basketball coach Todd Golden, who won an NCAA championship in his third season in Gainesville.

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  • Howard, Donovan to take their place among basketball’s elite Saturday

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — The spotlight will shine on basketball in the state of Florida Saturday when former Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and former Gators men’s basketball coach Billy Donovan will be among the stellar 2025 class inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

    What You Need To Know

    • Former Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and ex-Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday

    • Howard will be inducted twice, for his individual accomplishments and as a member of the 2008 men’s U.S. Olympic team

    • Donovan coached the Gators to national championships in 2006 and 2007 during his 19 seasons as coach

    • Other inductees Saturday are Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, Miami Heat Managing General Partner Micky Arison and longtime NBA referee Dan Crawford

    Howard will be inducted twice — for his individual contributions as one of the best centers in NBA history and as a member of the 2008 men’s U.S. Olympic basketball team that was nicknamed the “Redeem Team” for bringing the gold medal back to the United States.

    Donovan was coach of the Florida Gators for 19 seasons from 1996 to 2015. He led the Gators to their first two men’s NCAA basketball championships in back-to-back seasons, 2006 and 2007. That team was led by three players who went on to standout NBA careers in Al Horford, who is still playing in the league, Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer.

    Billy Donovan holds up the championship trophy after coaching the Gators to the title in 2007, the team’s 2nd in 2 seasons. (Associated Press)

    While at Florida, Donovan became the most successful coach in Gators history. In total, the Gators went to four Final Fours and won six Southeastern Conference regular-season titles. He left with a 467-186 record, a .715 winning percentage. He was hired by the NBA’s Bulls in September 2020 and still coaches in Chicago today.

    Howard and Donovan could have paired up earlier because the Magic hired Donovan to coach the team in mid-2007. But Donovan changed his mind just six days later and returned to Florida to coach through the 2014-15 season.

    Howard was drafted by the Magic in 2024 straight out of high school at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, and the partnership paid off for the player and Orlando, where he helped lead the team to the NBA Finals in the 2008-09 season and to two Eastern Conference Finals, in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

    The honor capped off a career in which Howard was selected as an NBA All-Star eight times (from 2007-2012), was a five-time NBA rebounding champion (from 2008-2010, in 2012 and 2013), a two-time blocked shots champion (2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons) and the only player to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons (2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11). All of those accolades were achieved as a member of the Magic, except one of the seasons he led the league in rebounding, 2012-13.

    He also was named to the 2006-07 All-NBA Third team and the All-NBA First Team for five seasons in a row, starting in 2007-08, and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2007-08 and the NBA All-Defensive First Team for four consecutive seasons, starting in 2008-09.

    Howard was a showman, too. He took part in three NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contests. He won in 2008, when he stepped out of a mock phone booth, donned a cape and soared from around the free-throw line to the hoop for his iconic “Superman” dunk.

    “I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve had longevity, and I’ve been able to play as long as I’ve been able to play and stay as healthy as I have,” Howard said. “And I want people to say that one thing about me is that I was always going to put my best foot forward, 100% effort. They can say, ‘No matter what it is, he’s going to put in everything he has’.”

    In Orlando, Howard remains the career leader in minutes played (22,471), points (11,435), free throws made (3,366) and attempted (5,727), rebounds (8,072), blocked shots (1,344) and personal fouls (2,002). On Nov. 12, 2008, he recorded a triple-double against Oklahoma City with 30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocked shots.

    While with the Magic, center Dwight Howard (right) won 3 NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

    He was strong off the court, too. Howard received the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award for his community service six times while he played in Orlando.

    The only achievement he did not record with Orlando was winning an NBA championship. He got his lone NBA ring in 2020, with the Lakers when Los Angeles defeated the Miami Heat in the bubble finals, ironically played at Walt Disney World in Orlando during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Howard averaged 15.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game for his career. Only 13 other players in the history of the NBA have posted those numbers for a career. He is 10th on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list, 13th on the list of blocked shots. His three DPOY awards trail only four-time winners Dikembe Mutombo, Ben Wallace and Rudy Gobert.

    Only one other player — Elvin Hayes — finished his NBA career averaging as many points, rebounds and blocked shots as Howard did. Blocks didn’t become an official stat until 1973, but regardless, the numbers showed Howard was a lock for the hall in Springfield, Mass., to call.

    Howard was left off the NBA’s 75th anniversary team that was unveiled nearly four years ago.

    His longtime coach with the Magic, Stan Van Gundy, said Howard deserved to be on the team because his intelligence, athleticism and quickness helped him dominate opponents.

    “It was absolutely ridiculous that he didn’t make Top 75,” said Van Gundy, who was hired by Orlando after Donovan stayed at Florida. 

    Howard and Van Gundy didn’t always agree. On that point, they’re in lockstep.

    “I was wondering if I was ever going to get into the Hall of Fame after the Top 75 thing because it just seemed like, as far as my basketball play, I haven’t really received that much respect from my years in the league,” Howard said. “It was a little difficult. But then once I got the call, I was like, ‘Wow, this is here’.”

    The 75th anniversary team snub might come up in the speech that Howard is planning to deliver this weekend. If this speech goes like the one he gave earlier this year when he was inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame, expect some laughs and some tears. Howard doesn’t mind showing his emotions.

    The Hall didn’t make him wait, either. Howard was voted in during his first year of eligibility.

    “It’s happening. It’s me being in the Hall of Fame, being inducted in the Hall of Fame as a player and then being inducted into the Hall of Fame as an Olympian,” Howard said. “It’s just like a double whammy, but in a good way.”

    Howard is one of two dual-enshrinees this weekend; he and former Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony are both going into the Hall of Fame for their individual achievements and as part of the “Redeem Team.”

    Also entering the Hall this weekend: women’s basketball greats Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, Miami Heat Managing General Partner Micky Arison and longtime NBA referee Dan Crawford.

    “It’s a great class,” USA Basketball men’s national team director Sean Ford said.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Revamped Florida State ‘desperate to win,’ eager to get back into ACC contention

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Coming off the program’s worst season in 50 years, Florida State could have used a soft opening.

    Instead, the Seminoles will host college football’s premier powerhouse, eighth-ranked Alabama, while showcasing a $265 million stadium renovation, a revamped offense and a retooled defense.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida State is hoping to get back into contention in the ACC after its worst season since 1974

    • Coach Mike Norvell brought in 23 players through the transfer portal to shake up the Seminoles’ roster

    • Former Boston College and UCF quarterback Thomas Castellanos will start, and former UCF coach Gus Malzahn is offensive coordinator

    • The defense includes seven projected starters, including safety Earl Little Jr. out of Alabama, brought in from other colleges

    • Get the latest on the upcoming season with Spectrum Sports’ 30-minute College Football Preview Show at 6:30 p.m. Thursday

    It’s a daunting task, no doubt. But it’s also an unbelievable opportunity for the Seminoles and coach Mike Norvell to kick-start the team’s climb from the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

    The ‘Noles finished 2-10 in 2024, with wins against Cal and lower-division Charleston Southern. It marked FSU’s fewest victories since going 1-10 in 1974 and prompted Norvell to fire offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and receivers coach Ron Dugans.

    It was a stunning slide for a team that went 13-1 in 2023, won the ACC and would have made the College Football Playoff if not for a gruesome injury to all-everything quarterback Jordan Travis.

    And it left the ’Noles in rebuilding mode.

    “There’s not going to be a player who stands up and says they want to be mediocre or they want to be average,” Norvell said. “Everybody’s going to say the same things. It’s like every team when they report: ‘This is the year; this is the time.’ It all sounds the same. But on a daily basis, what shows up? Are you truly willing to give everything?”


    Norvell changed just about everything in hopes of delivering a quick turnaround and quieting speculation about his future in Tallahassee. He hired former UCF and Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator and brought in Nebraska’s Tony White as defensive coordinator.

    Norvell then signed 23 players out of the transfer portal, which ranked sixth nationally according to 247Sports. The group included former UCF and Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, three plug-and-play receivers and four starting offensive linemen.

    Their goal is to improve an offense that averaged 15.4 points a game and ranked 131st out of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

    “We’re not going to look in the future and make expectations and stuff like that,” Castellanos said. “We’re just going to focus on one day at a time, and we’re going to earn it and we’re going to work.”

    Castellanos brings an edge to FSU’s huddle

    Castellanos raised eyebrows over the summer when he said the Crimson Tide “don’t have (coach) Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.”

    He hasn’t backed down.

    “I said what I said, and we stand on that,” he said. “I don’t mean no disrespect to none of those guys at Alabama or anything like that. I just have confidence in my guys and the work we have been putting in and preparing and the preparation we’ve been putting together.”

    FSU’s defense got overhauled, too

    The Seminoles added five defensive transfers who are expected to start, including well-traveled linebackers Elijah Herring (Memphis/Tennessee), Stefon Thompson (Nebraska/Syracuse) and James Williams (Nebraska/Iowa Central). FSU is expected to have at least seven defensive starters who came from elsewhere, including nose tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. (Miami/Maryland) and safety Earl Little Jr. (Alabama).

    “Desperate to win, desperate to eat, just desperate to succeed,” Little said. “We hit on that every day. You come here to be desperate and to succeed and put that logo on your chest and play for your last name and the school.”

    A tough start and a formidable finish

    As challenging as it is to start against the Crimson Tide — FSU has lost six of its past eight openers — the team’s toughest stretch might come in November.

    The Seminoles close out the regular season with three of four on the road, including games at preseason No. 4 Clemson, at North Carolina State and at rival and preseason 15th-ranked Florida. They also host No. 10 Miami in early October.

    Alabama, 1st opponent, has some challenges, too

    Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson will be making his first start after beating out former Washington backup Austin Mack and highly touted freshman Keelon Russell for the job.

    The Crimson Tide could be without running back Jam Miller and possibly without starting guard Jaeden Roberts. Miller will miss several weeks with a dislocated collarbone sustained in the team’s second scrimmage of training camp. Roberts, a fifth-year senior who has started 21 games over the past two seasons, missed the past two weeks of practice and remains in the NCAA concussion protocol.

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    Associated Press

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  • Former Boone standout Mizell in position to make his mark at Florida this season

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With seven of their 12 games against teams ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25, the Florida Gators need talented weapons, and Florida wide receiver Aidan Mizell said he is ready to make a splash this season.

    Mizell, a redshirt sophomore, showed flashes of the player he could turn into last season, when he caught 17 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

    What You Need To Know

    • Former Boone star Aidan Mizell says he hopes to make a bigger impact for the Gators this season

    • The wide receiver caught 17 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns last season

    • Florida’s top two receivers from last season — Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike — are now in the NFL

    • Andy Johnson, his coach at Boone, said Mizell has the right mindset and is hard-working, so he thinks Mizell could play a big role at Florida

    “I feel like I still have a lot to go. I feel like there’s always more to do,” Mizell said. “I feel like I’ve gotten better at the top of my route, the route running, every nook and cranny.”

    Mizell could get the opportunity to increase his production this season because the Gators’ top two receivers from a year ago — Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike — are both in the NFL now.

    Mizell has already built a rapport with Florida starting quarterback DJ Lagway.

    This will be the Orlando native’s third year in Gainesville, but he said he doesn’t see himself as a late bloomer. He said he thinks his career is right on course. 

    “I feel like some people come in more ready than others,” Mizell said. “I got hurt my senior year (of high school), didn’t play much football. I didn’t play receiver in middle school; I wasn’t allowed to play football. So, just a slow learner, I guess.”


    Mizell’s coach at Boone High School would disagree with that.

    “The thing about Aidan is he wasn’t just a fast guy. He knew how to play football,” Boone coach Andy Johnson said.

    He said he would not be surprised to see Mizell dominate this season because he’s seen him do it before.

    During his junior season for the Braves, Mizell had over 1,000 receiving yards with 18 touchdowns.

    “I think anything is possible,” Johnson said. “He’s a hard-working kid. He’s always approached things the right way. He’s a kid that gives back to the community. So, I think his mindset is right, too.”

    Mizell has all the tools in the toolbox. Now he just needs to put them together on Saturday afternoons. 

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    Brandon Green

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  • ‘Football is not life’: Frost back at UCF with a new perspective, same goal

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    ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Scott Frost is back in Orlando, but he isn’t the same man or coach that he was in 2016 when he first arrived.

    Frost has the mental and emotional scars to prove it.

    What You Need To Know

    • Scott Frost is back at UCF to try to revive the football program — again

    • In his first stint as the Knights’ coach, the team went undefeated and won the Peach Bowl in the second season 

    • Then his alma mater, Nebraska, called to hire him, and he struggled through 4-1/4 losing seasons before being fired

    • Frost said he knows now that “football is not life,” but he wants to help the Knights to be elite again

    After his teams went 13-31 in 4-1/4 seasons at Nebraska, the Knights’ head coach had to dust himself off. 

    Now he said he’s ready to lead the Knights in a new direction after they went 4-8 last season.

    “I feel like, in my bad times, I have something to prove. But this isn’t about me,” Frost said. “One of my first messages to the team tonight will be, ‘Football is what we do, and I want to be elite at it and be the best that we can be at it and get better every day. But football is not life’.”

    It’s hard to understand where you’re going without revisiting where you’ve been. Frost left UCF on top of the world in 2018.

    The 2017 football team he coached in his first stint at UCF had an undefeated season, became the 2018 Peach Bowl champion by beating Auburn of the powerhouse Southeastern Conference and had a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback McKenzie Milton.

    After leaving UCF, his time in Nebraska and the Big Ten was anything but a smooth ride.

    “I think sometimes when you make football the most important thing in your life, then you ride the highs and lows of that,” Frost said. “It can wreck you individually and personally.”

    He was fired by his alma mater in 2022, and he didn’t coach college football for three years. He spent some time with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams as an analyst.

    Coming back to UCF isn’t for Frost’s ego, though. He said it’s for the black and gold.

    “I think if I said I had a lot to prove personally, that would be about me, and it’s not about me,” Frost said. “It’s about the university and this team.”


    Just like his first stint at UCF, Frost is taking over a program that finished the previous season with a losing record. He will be coaching in a new conference for the first time. The Knights were in the American Athletic Conference the last time. Now, they are in the Big 12 Conference.

    One difference this time is there are about 70 new players on the roster since last season.

    “I feel really good about the talent level on our team, but we’re largely unproven,” Frost said. “We don’t have a lot of returning production. So, it’s really going to be how fast can these guys operate at a level, that they can compete at the level in a game against teams from the Big 12.”

    It’s a new beginning for Frost in a similar place. But he knows success won’t come overnight.

    “Sometimes it happens slower than you want. Sometimes it happens faster than you want,” Frost said. “Last time I was here, it happened faster than even we expected. We have a saying around here that’s still up on the walls when I got back the first time, ‘rise and conquer’.”

    Frost’s return to UCF is more than a feel-good story. He is here to change the culture and win. 

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    Brandon Green

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