Florida Gators Bait & Bits: Way Too Early Preseason Rankings & Mock Drafts, Plus Tim Walton & Charley Pell
By Brett Kaplan
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to Bait & Bits, a series on Hail Florida Hail that will feature one “bait” about an opposing school and some bits about the Florida Gators. Have any links that you want on Bait & Bits? Tweet it at us @HailFloridaHail or @BrettKaplan13 or email it to us at BrettKaplanHFH@gmail.com.
Bait
USF Baseball. Gators baseball finishes off their regular season home schedule Tuesday night when they face the USF Bulls. Although Florida has struggled recently in midweek games, odds say they should get off the schnide and beat the Bulls. The Gators have an overall record of 54-24 against USF, with a 35-9 advantage in Gainesville. Under Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida owns a 11-1 record against South Florida, including a 12-1 victory last season, the largest margin of victory in series history. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm.
Bits
Football Preseason Ranking Comes in at 23. Athlon Sports does football preseason rankings every year and they previewed Florida monday. The Gators are ranked 23rd. I think that’s a solid ranking. Coming off a dismal season and with a new offensive coordinator, it’s better to be underestimated. (Athlon Sports)
Mock Drafts: Speaking of preseason rankings, our friends over at The Pewter Plank took a look at some mock drafts to check out who the Bucs would think about drafting. Well, I took a look at the mocks and found that half of the six didn’t have a Gator going in the first round. I think that’s a mistake given the talent at Florida. It surprises me that Dante Fowler, Jr. wasn’t on some of those lists. But there were three that did have him:
"21. Green Bay Packers — Dante Fowler, DE, Florida: The Packers addressed the front-seven in free agency and the draft, but will have room to add more impact rushers up front, especially in that division. – Dane Brugler, CBS Sports8. New England Patriots – Dante Fowler, DE, Florida. The new “Patriots are trading the pick” is “the Patriots are taking someone from Florida.” – Jason McIntyre, The Big Lead15. Arizona Cardinals – DL Dante Fowler, Florida – Fowler can play inside or out and is the next big time prospect from the Gators. I loved Dominique Easley last year. I love Fowler this year. – Josh Norris, RotoWorld"
The Legacy of Charley Pell. Will Muschamp and Charley Pell have something in common. Thank goodness it isn’t for NCAA violations, but unfortunately Pell was the last Florida head coach to have a losing season. This tale provides an in-depth history of the beginning of the Gators football prowess. (Franz Beard, GatorCountry)
Tim Walton Selected to USA Softball Coaching Pool. Softball coach Tim Walton’s Florida teams have consistently played well and advanced in the NCAA Tournament. In Walton’s nine seasons, he’s quickly become one of the best coaches in the game. So it should come as no surprise that he has been named to the 2015-16 USA Softball Coaching Pool. Basically what that means is Walton has a chance to be either the head coach or an assistant coach for those seasons. The competition includes the 2015 Pan American Games and the XV ISF Women’s World Championships in 2016. Walton is one of 25 coaches to be added to the pool. (GatorZone)
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