Florida Gators News: Napier hits a HR, Gymnastics bracket set, Golden assistant hired

Maybe it's because of the run basketball has been having, but all has felt quiet surrounding Florida Football this spring. They have been doing most of the bidding behind the scenes as they get ready for the spring game on April 12.

Football took the softball field to have a little fun, and Billy Napier took a turn in the batter's box and managed to hit a home run over the left-field fence.

Gymnastics Bracket Set

It has been an up-and-down season for Florida Gymnastics at times this season. Florida had a shot at winning the SEC Championship, but a shaky performance on the balance beam dashed those dreams as the Gators finished third.

However, Florida is third overall in the country as well, behind LSU and Oklahoma, and learned their pathway to Nationals yesterday.

The Gators will travel to Tuscaloosa as the top-rated team in that region. On April 4 at 8PM, they will take part in a four-team rotation with Oregon State, NC State, and the winner of a Clemson/Rutgers duel.

The top two teams will advance to face the top two teams from Alabama, UNC, Iowa, and Cal. Of the four teams that compete in the Regional Final on April 6 at 6 PM, the top two teams from that will advance to nationals.

Basketball Assistant Hired

Todd Golden has had a second member of his staff get hired as a head coach elsewhere. John Andrzejek was previously named the head coach at Campbell and it was announced yesterday that Kevin Hovde will become the head coach at Columbia.

Hovde and Golden have a long track record together. The two were previously assistants together at Columbia before Hovde joined Golden's staff in San Francisco. Hovde then came to Gainesville from Richmond when Golden was hired in 2022.

Hovde will remain with the Gators through the rest of their NCAA Tournament run.