SEC Announces Television Selections for Four Florida Games
Posted: Thursday, May 26, 2022
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference announced the television selections for the first three weeks of the 2022 football season, in addition to games streamed on digital platforms.
The Gators will play the first three games of the season under the lights at home.
Florida will open the campaign on Sept. 3 hosting Utah at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The matchup will be the first game of a home-and-home series against the Utes for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Florida and Utah’s only previous meeting came in 1977 when the Gators claimed a 38-29 victory in Gainesville.
The Kentucky Wildcats will make the trip down to Gainesville on Sept. 10 for a 7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. It will be the 73rd meeting between the two teams with the Gators leading the series 53-19.
The Gators will then host South Florida on Sept. 17, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network. UF and USF will meet for the second consecutive year and just third time ever. The Gators traveled to Tampa and downed the Bulls 42-20 in 2021.
Meanwhile, the matchup between UF and Eastern Washington on Oct. 1 will kick off at noon on ESPN+/SECN+. The game will be the first-ever meeting between the Gators and the Eagles.
Date Opponent Network Time
September 3 vs. Utah ESPN 7 p.m. ET
September 10 vs. Kentucky ESPN 7 p.m. ET
September 17 vs. South Florida SECN 7:30 p.m. ET
October 1 vs. Eastern Washington ESPN+/SECN+ Noon ET
October 29 Georgia (Jacksonville) CBS 3:30 p.m. ET
November 25 at FSU ABC 7:30 p.m. ET
Something Fishy With Jimbo’s 2022 Recruiting Class
The Texas A&M coach claims his top-rated class was totally based on merit and the undeniable draw of College Station. But something smells fishy.
“Despicable”, you say?Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
If you have ever seen the excellent 1988 movie Eight Men Out that covered the Black Sox scandal of 1919, you may recall a scene in which two of the characters become suspicious of some of the White Sox actions. The two men agree to score a game separately and make notes of which plays seemed suspect to compare after the game.
That concept is basically what I hope to highlight in regards to Jimbo Fisher’s top-ranked recruiting class of 2022. After scanning over recruiting reports from the past year, there are many notations to make. Nick Saban claimed that Fisher “bought” the whole class. Jimbo’s argument for why so many top-rated prospects landed in his lap was because Texas A&M is such an amazing place to go to college.
Fisher signed 30 players to the class. For relative purposes, I will be addressing only the top 14 in that group. An additional 16 lower-ranked recruits were signed, but none of them really factor into this conversation.
#2 player in the nation Walter Nolen DT 5-star Powell, TN
FISHY: When was the last time TAMU pulled a top recruit from a Tennessee high school, much less the #2 player in the country? Looking all the way back to the 2002 class, the Aggies have signed a grand total of four players from the Volunteer state in that span before Nolan. None of them were ranked higher than 400. Since Fisher took over in College Station, there have been two Tennesseans sign on: Dallas Walker IV who was the #487 prospect in 2020 and Chris Russell, the #408 from 2019. Neither is making much of an impact on the team. But this story goes back further. The Nolens originally hail from Memphis. As Walter was emerging as a star football player, he was playing in Olive Branch, Mississippi which is a Memphis suburb. Tennessee started to look like the leader for his signature, when lo and behold – a miracle! Dad gets a new job! In Powell, Tennessee. A suburb of Knoxville. So the whole family just ups and moves 400 miles across the state to – what a coincidence – a town 10 minutes away from the UT campus. But I guess Josh Heupel’s pitch just wasn’t enough after the NIL floodgates burst open.
#9 Shemar Stewart DE 5-star Opa Locka, FL
FISHY: Here we are again with TAMU pulling guys from an other part of the country. Miami was the big leader early on. Stewart practically lived on the Coral Gables campus last summer and attended the Miami-Alabama in Atlanta. Suddenly in October, there is some interest in the Aggies that manifests into all the crootin experts predicting his signing with Texas A&M. New ‘Canes coach Mario Cristobal and former Miami, now Alabama coach Travaris Robinson put the full court press on Stewart, but amazingly he picks the Aggies.
#11 Evan Stewart WR 5-star Frisco, TX
FISHY: For the longest time, Texas looked like the leader for the nation’s top wide receiver prospect. He committed to the Longhorns in February 2021 only to decommit a month later. Alabama put uber-recruiter Holmon Wiggins on him. Stewart pared it down to Bama, TAMU, and Texas but he landed at TAMU.
#16 Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy DT 5-star Lakeland, FL
FISHY: Everybody and their brother had this Florida native pegged for Oklahoma, including “experts” such as 247’s Steve Wiltfong and Rivals’ Mike Farrell. Jimbo paid him a visit in December and the guy committed to the Aggies a few days later.
#18 Lebbeus Overton DE 5-star Milton, GA
FISHY: Alabama was never really in on this guy but UGA sure was. Overton was considered top 5 overall prospect in the 2023 class before reclassifying to the 2022 cycle in February. His father, Milton Overton, was a former Associate AD at Alabama from 2009 to 2015 and had a close relationship with Kirby Smart while he was Saban’s DC. To be fair, Milton was also Associate AD at Texas A&M (1999–2009) and is currently AD at Kennesaw State in Atlanta metro. Georgia thought for sure they had this guy.
#22 Conner Weigman QB 5-star Cypress, TX
NOT FISHY: This one is probably pretty legit. [SIDE NOTE: For a 5-star QB, he did not have a big offer list. No Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Notre Dame, So Cal, Oregon, Tennessee, Clemson, etc.]
#23 Denver Harris DB 5-star Houston, TX
FISHY: Alabama looked like the final destination for much of last summer leading up to his OV in late June. Into fall, there was a lot of silence until a December in-home by Jimbo. Harris OV’d College Station a week later and signed the week after that.
#25 Chris Marshall WR 5-star Missouri City, TX
NOT FISHY: He only took two OVs: TAMU and a “sightseeing” tour of Southern Cal.
#39 Jacoby Mathews DB 4-star Ponchatoula, LA
FISHY: It was brought to my attention that there was a whole lotta fishy surrounding Mathews. Leading up to signing day, all the momentum seemed to be for him to stay home and attend LSU. Soon after he surprisingly signed with the Aggies, message boards were blowing up that Jimbo had promised him close to half a million dollars.
#47 Enai White DE 4-star Philadelphia, PA
FISHY: Philadelphia? To College Station? Really? He was actually from the Trenton, New Jersey area before moving 30 miles down the road to a Philly private school. But still. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Summer OVs to Bama, Florida, UGA and Ohio State; Jimbo has an in-house in December; White OVs a week later; signs with TAMU five days later.
#59 Anthony Lucas DE 4-star Scottsdale, AZ
FISHY: Alabama made some strong moves with this guy. He took all his OVs in June and had two unofficial visits to Tuscaloosa for games in November. This time, Jimbo’s December in-home was preceded by a Saban in-home two days earlier. Since when has Fisher been a better closer than Saban? @I’m sure Jimbo had nothing but good things to say about his former boss.@
#64 Kam Dewberry OL 4-star Humble, TX
NOT FISHY: He was pretty gung-ho for the fake Army school for awhile. Not much buzz from Alabama.
#82 Le’Veon Moss RB 4-star Baton Rouge, LA
FISHY: A few days after a June 2021 Official Visit to Tuscaloosa, Moss committed to Alabama. Two weeks later, he OV’d College Station. Shortly after a July unofficial visit to CS, he decommitted from Bama for unexplained reasons.
#95 Jake Johnson TE 4-star; #1 tight end Athens, GA
FISHY: Did you notice the hometown? This one looked like a UGA/Bama/LSU battle: hometown school versus a team that needs a tight end in a bad way versus the school where is brother – Max Johnson – was QB. He committed to LSU to be with his brother. Then despite Max being the Tigers’ starter, they both moved to TAMU. Older brother might not even start this year. [SIDE NOTE: His dad is former NFL QB Brad Johnson who is the brother-in-law of Mark Richt.]
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No.14-seed Florida softball program heads to the NCAA Blacksburg Super Regional for a best of three series against No.3-seed Virginia Tech at Tech Softball Park. This is UF’s 14th super regional appearance since 2007, but will compete away from home in the event for only the second time.
The Gators (46-16) enter the super regional against the Hokies (45-8) after the team took care of business in the NCAA Gainesville Regional with wins over Canisius, Georgia Tech and Wisconsin.
Florida advances to its ninth-consecutive NCAA Super Regional and 14th overall since 2007.
This is only the second time in program history that UF has competed in a super regional on the road. The last time occurred during 2007, when the program went to Texas A&M and fell in the series 2-1.
The program holds a 21-10 record in the super regional round of the NCAA Tournament and an overall record of 97-47 in the NCAA Tournament.
UF holds the best batting average (.461) and also ranks first in scoring (9.33 runs per game) among teams in this season’s NCAA Tournament and ranks third among tournament teams with a 0.82 ERA and stolen bases per game with an average of two swipes.
In the NCAA Gainesville Regional, UF outscored opponents 28-2 with two run-rule victories.
The Gators are 6-0 all-time against the Hokies, but have only met once during the NCAA Tournament. This will mark the first ever trip for the Orange & Blue to Blacksburg.
The two teams met May 31, 2008 in Oklahoma City at the Women’s College World Series. Florida defeated Angela Tincher and Virginia Tech 2-0 (9 Innings) behind a complete-game performance from Stacey Nelson and a clutch two-RBI double from Mary Ratliff in the top of the ninth inning.
The program is on the precipice of setting the single-season record for stolen bases as it is currently tied with the 2007 record of 129.
Skylar Wallace leads the way with 50 as she is now the single-season record holder after she passed Kelsey Stewart’s marks of 36 in 2013 and 2014.
Freshman Kendra Falby currently has 35 stolen bases on the year and is just one shy from tying Stewart’s freshman record of 36 that she set in 2013.
The duo ranks 3rd and 14th nationally respectively in the category. Falby ranks 2nd among freshman nationally this year.
The Gators are seeking their 11th berth to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
When Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier was introduced as the team’s next head coach, he promised the Gator Nation an “army” when describing his incoming coaching staff.
The staff would consist of assistants who have gotten recognition around the college football world as some of the best in the game.
“We’re going to hire an army of people here,” Napier said on Dec. 5 last year. “We’re going to create an infrastructure not only in the personnel department but also from an on-campus recruiting, creative media, name, image and likeness. We’re going to create — we’ve got a great vision for the organization that we’re going to create here.”
Napier, of course, was referring not only to the assistant coaches that he would eventually lock-in but also to the enormous support staff – comprised of 48 individuals that were eventually brought on to help build out the staff.
With that said, over the next couple of weeks, we at AllGators will be releasing profiles to get to know each assistant coach, including their background, recruiting history, quotes and more.
Next up, we will take a look at one of Napier’s right-hand men, co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Patrick Toney.
Background info:
Toney, 31, is a young up-and-comer in the realm of college football. Though he has years of experience at the FBS level, this will be his first opportunity to coach at the Power Five stage, beginning his coaching career at the prep level at Fallbrook (Calif.) High School as the team’s defensive line coach (2008).
He would briefly coach at the junior college level in 2009 at Palomar (Calif.) College as a wide receivers coach before going back to the prep level as an offensive coordinator at La Costa Canyon High School (2010-11).
After that, Toney got his first crack at Division I football, an FCS program called Southeastern Louisiana, as a defensive assistant/secondary coach (2012-13) before being promoted as the team’s safeties coach/special teams coordinator (2014).
From then, Toney’s career would take off as he toured Texas for a bit, coaching up the Sam Houston State secondary (2015) before coaching safeties at UTSA (2016-17).
And then, Toney would finally meet Napier, who hired him away from UTSA to coach with him at Louisiana, becoming his safeties coach for two years (2018-20) before being promoted to the team’s defensive coordinator/safeties coach (2020) and finally DC/outside linebackers coach (2021).
Recruiting history:
Toney’s recruiting history is short due to his fast-tracked start in college football and the world of recruiting at the FBS level. However, he’s already made an impact at Florida, becoming the team’s primary recruiter for one of the top safeties in the 2022 recruiting class, safety Kamari Wilson , with help from corners coach Corey Raymond .
Toney also was the primary recruiter for 2022 Gators signees, linebacker Shemar James and safety Devin Moore .
Though he wasn’t the man who brought them in, he has molded a few defensive backs into NFL-caliber players during his coaching career, including UL safety Percey Butler , who was selected by the Washington Commanders in the fourth round of this year’s draft.
Toney also had a hand in putting Southeastern Louisiana players, cornerback Harlan Miller (Round 6, Arizona Cardinals) and Robert Alford (Round 2, Atlanta Falcons) into the NFL via the draft in 2016 and 2013, respectively.
How it’s going:
Already briefly touched on, Toney played a significant role in Florida landing its first IMG Academy player in Wilson. Though fellow defensive back Kamar Wilcoxson attended IMG Academy for a short time, he ultimately never suited up for the high school.
Toney is also working hand-and-hand with Raymond on recruiting some of the best defensive backs in the country in the class of 2023 to Florida, including CB Cormani McClain (Lake Gibson, Fla) and AJ Harris (Central, Ala) among several others.
Quotable:
“I’ve been around a lot of coaches, right? I mean, I’ve worked in some of the best programs in the entire country. I’ve worked in some of the best programs in the entire country. I’ve worked with not only with some of the best head coaches but – it gets overlooked – (also) some of the best assistant coaches you get a chance to be around. And this guy … he knows what he’s doing.”- Napier on Toney
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 2022 Florida-Georgia game on Oct. 29 is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS, the network announced Wednesday.
This year’s Florida-Georgia game, which will take place in Jacksonville, marks the 100th meeting between the Gators and the Bulldogs in the rivalry that dates back to 1915.
The game has been played in Jacksonville since 1933 with the exception of 1994 (Gainesville) and 1995 (Athens) due to renovations to the stadium. The Bulldogs lead the series 53-44-2.
2022 Gators Football Announced TV/Time Schedule:
Date Opponent Network Time
October 29 Georgia CBS 3:30 p.m. ET
November 25 at FSU ABC 7:30 p.m. ET
Florida earns pledge from 2022 four-star SG Riley Kugel
Riley Kugel, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound shooting guard out of Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips High School, announced his pledge to the Gators via Instagram Live on Monday. Kugel, who was the second-highest ranked uncommitted 2022 prospect, picked Florida over two other finalists, Georgia and LSU.
A four-star prospect, Kugel is ranked No. 78 nationally, No. 8 among shooting guards and No. 14 in the state of Florida on the 247Sports Composite, though he is viewed more favorably on the 247Sports independent player rankings, which have Kugel at No. 48 in the nation, No. 4 at his position and No. 11 in Florida.
The Gators’ 2022 high school recruiting class consists of Dr. Phillips High School’s backcourt with Kugel and three-star signee Danzel Aberdeen in the fold. Kugel is the first high school player to commit to Golden at Florida, though it was one of the team’s new assistant coaches who likely capitalized on his familiarity with Kugel to seal the deal.
Korey McCray, who spent the last seven seasons at Mississippi State, recruited Kugel there and even secured his signature, which Kugel backed out of after the Bulldogs made a coaching change.
“My relationship is great with Coach (Korey) McCray and he can’t wait to get me there next year,” Kugel 247Sports reported Paul Jones in February. “He loves the way I have played this year and he likes how I fit in the program.”
Kugel’s commitment to Florida is the program’s latest recruiting win under first-year head coach Todd Golden, who has completely reshaped the Gators’ roster in the two months since his hiring. Golden has secured four Divison I transfers — Belmont guard Will Richard, former VMI guard Trey Bonham, former LSU forward Alex Fudge and former St. Bonaventure guard Kyle Lofton — and owns the No. 5 ranked transfer class in the country as a result, according to 247Sports’ calculations.
Between Kugel, Richard, Bonham, Lofton and returning guards Kowacie Reeves and Myreon Jones, the Gators should have a reasonably solid backcourt that was quickly molded to fit Golden’s fast-paced style of play.
According to two of his former players from his time at San Francisco, Golden and his staff would focus on things like the amount of consecutive scoreless possessions the team could create in a game and maintaining at least an eight percent rebounding differential between the Dons and their opponents, each aspect playing a significant role in the team’s overall win probability in a given contest.
Golden’s system also asks players to maintain short and sharp possessions that move the ball around frequently in search of the fastest high-percentage look the team can take.
“Coach Golden believed in us,” former San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea told Swamp247. “He knew what he was looking for in the recruiting process and he brought guys in who wanted to win then he gave us the keys to the car.”
The Gators might not be done on the recruiting front, either. The team still has one scholarship spot available on its 2022 roster and multiple sources have told Swamp247 that the team plans to use it on a transfer big man.
The team has expressed interest in former Washington State forward Efe Abogidi, a 6-foot-10 big man who posted a 9.5 percent block rate last year, the 34th-best mark in the country, according to KenPom. Abogidi’s 66 blocks were the fifth-most in a single season by a Washington State player.
35COMMENTS
“I think the two areas that we’re going to really strive to be better at next year is shooting the ball,” Golden said when asked for his early assessment of his team. “The team I think was around 30.5% from the year on (three-pointers) and the way that I like to play that’s simply not going to be good enough. We’re going to have to go out and shoot the ball better to achieve the goals we want to achieve.
“Also, defensively, rebounding,” Golden continued. “That was an area that was surprising to me when evaluating the team and the roster that they didn’t have a lot of success in because I think the pieces are there, and I think the talent is there in terms of being able to get on the glass. I think if we can lift those two areas up a couple of pegs and stay consistent and get better in other areas, we should be back in the tournament next year.”
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Flynn also had a PWO offer from Louisville and visited the school March 8.
Napier revealed a unique plan for his walk-on program back in January. The new skipper wants to maximize the walk-on capacity of his squad.
A full team has 125 active players, with a maximum of 85 scholarship players. That leaves room for 35 walk-ons in any given year. Napier, however, would like up to 50 walk-ons.
“We’re going to approach 130 — somewhere around that number — players. We have 85 scholarship players, and the goal is to have a 50-man walk-on roster,” Napier said. “That ratio there, when you really think about coach-to-player ratio, if you evaluate other sports, I think that coach-to-player ratio is much smaller.”
Since Napier’s comments on Jan. 14, the Gators have added at least nine preferred walk-ons to their 2022 roster.
Taurean Green Joins Gators as Director of Player Development
Posted: Monday, May 23, 2022
Taurean Green, point guard for Florida’s two national championship teams, returns to UF’s men’s basketball program as director of player development, head coach Todd Golden announced on Monday.
“I couldn’t be more excited for Taurean to join our staff,” Golden said. “He’s one of the best to ever wear the Gator uniform and understands what it takes to achieve at the highest levels here. He’ll be an incredible resource for our student-athletes and an important connection to the tradition of excellence here, both for our fans and for all the past Gators who will always be part of the Florida family.”
“Gainesville became like another home to me during my time at UF, and I can’t wait to be back,” Green said. “Florida is such a special place, and I’m ready to do everything I can to help our players, Todd Golden, the coaching staff and the entire program have success. Gator Nation, it feels great to be coming home!”
A Ft. Lauderdale native, Green wrapped up a 14-year professional playing career in 2021 and joined the Chicago Bulls’ staff as a player development coordinator, working under Billy Donovan.
Green played three seasons with the Gators from 2004-07, a member of the unforgettable “Oh-Fours” recruiting class that helped bring back-to-back titles to UF in 2006 and 2007. The point guard was a two-time All-SEC honoree and earned MVP of the Midwest Regional in the Gators’ 2007 NCAA Tournament run, averaging 19.0 points in wins vs. Butler and Oregon. Green was also the leading scorer on Florida’s 2006-07 squad with a 13.3 scoring average.
Green finished his collegiate career with 1,174 points and was a 2007 NBA Draft pick by the Portland Trail Blazers. He played with Portland and the Denver Nuggets before embarking on a decorated overseas career that included league championships in France and Poland and an All-Star honor in Greece.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The booming voice and his signature “Oh My!” are unmistakable. As the longtime “Voice of the Gators,” Mick Hubert has called national championships, momentous plays and more than 2,500 games at Florida.
After 33 years, Hubert is calling it a career.
The 68-year-old Hubert informed Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin earlier this week that he is retiring following the UF-South Carolina baseball series this weekend at Condron Ballpark.
“That’s going to be it,” Hubert said. “This wasn’t the end of a five-year plan. I don’t know if I can explain how I knew, but I knew. I had been considering this for a little while. I just had to do some praying about it and enjoy every game.”
Mick Hubert solidified his place in Gators lore behind the mic in a 33-year career as the “Voice of the Gators.” (File photo)
Hubert and his wife Judi sold their Gainesville home recently and will open a new season of life in Sarasota, where they bought a house in 2019 and plan to relocate next week.
While his departure is sure to startle diehard fans that have listened to his spirited style and meticulous preparation over the airwaves, Hubert said he is at peace and excited about living a different life in retirement.
“Five years ago, I’d probably told you I was going to do it until I was at least 80,” Hubert said. “That was five years ago. A couple of years ago, I started changing. I had a change of heart. Only God can change a person’s heart. I’m just being obedient right now.”
Hubert said he can’t identify a specific moment when he decided to step away from behind the mic that defined his professional career. He said it’s more of a feeling that now is the right time, a place he reached through his strong faith and discussions with his wife and their pastor. Judi retired after 32 years as a kindergarten teacher at Oak Hall in May 2021.
The Gators announced Hubert’s hiring on May 4, 1989, to replace David Steele as the “Voice of the Gators.” Hubert spent the previous 10 years as sports director at CBS affiliate WHIO in Dayton, Ohio. He also served as radio play-by-play announcer for the University of Dayton football and men’s basketball teams.
Hubert arrived as an outsider, but he became synonymous with the Gators over time. Hubert, Steele and Otis Boggs are the only three full-time play-by-play voices in UF sports history. He is the only broadcaster in history to call national championship wins for the same school in college football (three), men’s basketball (two), and baseball (one). He stopped doing radio play-by-play for baseball after the 2017 season but has continued to call games for the SEC Network and its streaming services.
MICK AT THE MIC A look at Gators play-by-play voice Mick Hubert‘s career from 1989-2022 in numbers:
SPORT
GAMES
MOST GAMES
YEAR
Football
419*
92
1996
Men’s basketball
1,061
90
1998, 2005
Baseball
1,027
88
2002
Total**
2,507
87
2011
*Has called every UF football game since the 1989 season opener; **Does not include approximately 100 events in women’s basketball, soccer, softball, tennis and gymnastics
Hubert considers his call of Danny Wuerffel’s touchdown pass to receiver Chris Doering in the final seconds of a victory at Kentucky in 1993 as the one that “put him on the map” in Gator Nation.
“I’ve probably listened to that over 100 times in my life,” former UF athletic director Jeremy Foley said. “You could feel his passion. He wasn’t just calling that as a play-by-play guy. He was calling it as a Gator. That’s the magic he brought to a Gator broadcast.”
Hubert steps away with no regrets following a career filled with awards and recognition, including induction into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.
Hubert made his play-by-play debut at a high school football game on WMDB in Peoria, Ill., as a student at Illinois State University nearly 50 years ago. He was inducted into his alma mater’s communications program’s Hall of Fame last month.
A native of St. Anne, Illinois, Hubert is grateful for longevity in a field that has undergone significant changes during his career.
“No one is invincible. You can be replaced at any moment, and I understand that,” Hubert said. “But like I [told Stricklin], I think by doing it now that I’m going out at what I consider the top of my game. It’s just time. It’s just time for me to go. I can still do it, but my wife has sacrificed her whole career. We missed so many get-togethers and parties and meetings.”
Preparing to move reminded Hubert of how much he had missed at home as he and Judi cleared out photos and looked through old scrapbooks. There were so many photos of Judi back in their native Illinois with family and friends. He was always out of the picture, off at the latest football, basketball or baseball game.
“I wanted to cry,” he said. “Nothing was more important than the Gators. That’s what this business requires.”
Meanwhile, Hubert’s exit will awaken emotions for generations of fans who have shared the highs and lows of their beloved Gators through Hubert’s broadcasts.
The University Athletic Association will have an in-stadium recognition of Hubert’s career on the video board during this weekend’s baseball series. There are also plans to honor him at a UF football game in the fall.
Mick Hubert courtside at a UF men’s basketball game. (File photo)
“Mick Hubert has shared his immense talents and represented the Gators incredibly well for the past 33 years. All of Gator Nation will be eternally grateful for providing the soundtrack for so many special Gator athletic moments,” Stricklin said. “It’s hard to imagine a UF football or basketball broadcast without his voice being a part of it. Mick is a true pro and one of the all-time greats. We wish him and Judi the very best in the next chapter of their lives.”
Foley was part of the committee that sifted through 150 applicants for the job in 1989. Three decades later, there’s no doubt the committee hired the right guy.
“As the years went on, his incredible passion for the Gators, you could feel it come through the broadcasts,” Foley said. “When the Gators won or something exciting happened, he could bring it to life. I used to love watching Gator highlights from TV that had his call on them. He’s incredibly talented.
“Mick Hubert, in multiple sports, was part of the fabric of following the Gators. He’s meant a lot to this program. He obviously rewarded our faith in him by becoming one of the all-time greats.”
Hubert has worked with several different analysts throughout his career at Florida, most prominently Lee McGriff in football, Mark Wise and Lee Humphrey in basketball, and Nick Belmonte and Jeff Cardozo in baseball.
Belmonte, a former UF baseball player, veteran announcer, and scout, has been with Hubert from the beginning. They will be in the SEC Network booth for the Gators-South Carolina series from Thursday through Saturday.
“It’s been an amazing 33 years together with 530 broadcasts, 1,600 hours on the air — or 65 days of our life. And I loved every minute of it,” Belmonte said. “In many ways, he is the best ‘teammate’ I ever had!”
When asked what broadcasts stand out the most, Hubert said the national championships are moments he will cherish forever. In 33 years, Hubert never missed a game due to sickness and only missed a handful of men’s basketball games because of conflicts with football.
He said what he treasures the most are the relationships he built with coaches, players, colleagues and fans.
“I was not doing brain surgery,” he said. “I was in the toy department of life calling games. But I’m going to do it to the best of my ability that God gave me. I also liked the preparation Monday through Friday. By the time Saturday came, I was kind of like a fan ready for the game.”
In an hour-long interview the day after he met with Stricklin, Hubert answered two questions that many are sure to have.
Will he call any games in the future if the opportunity presents itself?
“I might, but I don’t see it.”
Finally, what does he hope Gators fans got from the last 33 years of listening to him on the radio and TV?
“I hope they heard the enthusiasm, and the credibility is important to me,” he said. “You need to be factual and credible, but you need to be enthusiastic. That’s what I always felt. I always wanted to take my audience on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. I also wanted to give them enough information so they could paint that picture in their mind.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sterlin Thompson lifted Florida to a 7-5 walk-off victory over No. 20 Florida State with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth in the decisive third game of the season series at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday night.
Thompson’s ninth-inning blast broke a 5-5 tie that lasted from the top of the fourth until the bottom of the ninth. The walk-off winner marks Florida’s second in as many home games against the Seminoles (32-19, 15-12 ACC), following last year’s 10th inning walk-off shot by Kendrick Calilao.
Leadoff man Wyatt Langford got the Gators (33-19, 13-14 SEC) on the board on the very first pitch of the bottom of the first inning, homering off the batter’s eye in center field. The big fly marked Langford’s 18th of the campaign and his second since being moved to the leadoff spot 12 games ago.
The Seminoles quickly responded, grabbing the lead on a two-run home run off the bat of James Tibbs in the second inning. Logan Lacey extended the advantage to 3-1 with an RBI double down the left-field line, scoring Brock Mathis.
After a scoreless frame from reliever Fisher Jameson in the third, the Florida bats busted out for a four-run frame. Langford got it going with his second homer of the night, sending a 3-1 offering over the wall in center. Jac Caglianone then drove in a pair with a single through the right side, as both Josh Rivera and Thompson crossed home. Ty Evans capped off the outburst, tripling to deep right field to plate Caglianone.
Florida’s newfound 5-3 edge was squashed the next half inning, with Florida State knotting the game up with two runs. Mathis came in to score on a wild pitch for the first run, while Jordan Carrion singled in Tyler Martin to tie the game at five runs apiece.
The score remained locked at 5-5 from the bottom of fourth through the eighth, thanks to 3 1/3 shutout innings of relief from right-hander Tyler Nesbitt. The Labelle, Fla. native entered in the sixth and blanked the Seminoles throughout the duration of his outing, allowing just one hit and recording five strikeouts.
Right-handed pitcher Ryan Slater took over for Nesbitt with one out in the top of the ninth, needing just five pitches to send the matchup into the bottom of the ninth and setting up a potential walk-off winner.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, a familiar-but-magical moment struck Condron Family Ballpark in the Florida-Florida State rivalry. After working a full count, Langford singled to center to keep the inning alive, prompting a Seminole pitching change with Thompson stepping to the plate. After taking a pair of pitches for a 1-1 count, Thompson unloaded on a mammoth, walk-off home run to right field to send Gator fans into a frenzy.
Slater (4-3) earned the victory, tossing 2/3 of an inning in the top of the ninth with no baserunners allowed.
Florida State reliever Davis Hare dropped to 1-3 on the year, finishing with 1 2/3 innings pitched and allowing one earned run on one hit and one walk. He struck out three.
Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision. Gators starter Nick Ficarrotta pitched two-plus innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one. Seminoles starting pitcher Jackson Baumeister lasted 2 2/3 frames, surrendering four earned runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out five.
Langford (3-for-5) and Evans (2-for-4) collected multiple hits in the victory.
NOTABLES
Thompson collected the first walk-off hit of his college career, connecting on a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Thompson’s walk-off winner marks Florida’s second in as many home games against the Seminoles, following last year’s 10th inning walk-off shot by Kendrick Calilao.
With the victory, Florida claims the season series over Florida State, two games to one.
Florida improves to 4-2 vs. the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.
Ficarrotta made his first-career start on the mound.
Langford’s leadoff homer marked his 18th of the campaign and his second since being moved to the leadoff spot 12 games ago for the series opener vs. Kentucky.
Langford picked up his 22nd multi-hit game and 10th three-hit performance of the campaign, both of which lead the team.
Langford later hit his 19th home run of the season, tying Jud Fabian for the team lead.
The Gators are 12-1 in midweek games this season.
Florida improves to 14-2 vs. in-state teams in 2022.
Florida is now 124-131-1 vs. FSU including a 65-49 mark at home.
The Gators are 32-19 vs. the Seminoles under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan including 17-3 at home.
Florida has won 19 of the last 23 meetings including 14 of the last 17.
Florida has won 10 of its last 12 games.
Thompson extended his on-base streak to 22 games.
Langford extended his on-base streak to 14 games and his hitting streak to nine straight.
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN On Wyatt Langford’s hot streak and the walk-off winner…
“We’ve had some really good hitters come through here, but it seems like every time he comes to the plate, he’s got a chance to do something special. When guys are hot like this, you sit back and enjoy it. It kind of reminds me of when Preston Tucker was here. When he would get hot the whole ballpark would stop and watch him. Starting the game off with a homerun, three hits again tonight, a couple of home runs. We get that thing going in the ninth and Sterlin sat on a pitch and came up big for us at that point…. It was a fun night. The crowd was awesome. They were into it. We’re looking forward to finishing this thing up this weekend against South Carolina.”
On the team bringing the energy vs. Florida State…
“Yeah, of course. I think they would tell you the same thing. Anytime you play any in-state school, but Florida State has a little extra to it, Miami has a little extra to it. It means a lot to a lot of people, a lot of fans.”
On the importance of this win…
“You saw the reaction. I think that tells you everything you need to know. It’s big. Playing this time of the year. Playing Florida State at home in front of seven thousand people or so. We were fortunate enough to win some games recently, so we’ve kind of built some momentum. It’s important. We’re getting in the part of the season where every win is magnified, and I’d like to think that we’re hopefully playing the best baseball this time of year. Certainly, this win is only going to help the RPI moving forward. Yeah, it was a big win. It was a fun win, too.”
FROM STERLIN THOMPSON What went through his mind during the walk-off…
“It was a blur, honestly. I saw enough, I knew it was gone and I threw my bat. That’s something I dreamed of as a kid, especially against FSU, a big-time rival. It was amazing going around the bases… It was something I’ll never forget.”
UP NEXT
Florida welcomes South Carolina to town for a three-game series spanning from Thursday, May 19 to Saturday, May 21. Saturday’s season finale is Senior Day. All three game against the Gamecocks will stream on SEC Network+.
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