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Next season, the Florida Gators will try to repeat as national champions for the second time in franchise history. However, unlike the 2006 and 2007 title-winning teams, next year's rendition of Florida basketball will have a lot of new faces. Nevertheless, Todd Golden just landed another big-time piece for the Gators' title defense.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Arkansas Razorbacks transfer Boogie Fland will head to Gainesville for his second college season. The former five-star guard and 2024 McDonald's All-American gives the Gators a dynamic offensive weapon as they reload following their third national title in program history.
Fland, the No. 16 overall recruit in the 2024 class per ESPN, was named Mr. New York Basketball before enrolling at Arkansas last season. His lone year in Fayetteville was a rollercoaster. Injuries limited his rhythm, and his March Madness performance, lowlighted by a 2-of-18 shooting performance across three games, resulted in an underwhelming first try at college hoops.
He averaged 13.5 points and 5.1 assists per game for the Hogs, albeit on just 38% shooting. His best outing came in December when he torched Oakland for 24 points and six assists during the non-conference slate.
Now healthy and with a full offseason ahead, Fland joins a Florida squad that just hoisted the national trophy and is looking to run it back, without its battle-tested backcourt of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard.
Fland will likely step into the starting point guard role while sharing lead duties with Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee, forming a new-look Gator backcourt loaded with shot-making and playmaking potential. Urban Klavžar will also earn a chance at significant playing time with the loss of Clayton and Martin.
Meanwhile, alongside Fland and Lee, Florida snagged Ohio transfer AJ Brown. The six-foot-four guard Brown averaged 13.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in 2024.
Golden's ability to reload the roster this quickly after a championship run speaks volumes. And if Boogie Fland can tap into the talent that made him a top-20 recruit, Florida might be cooking again next March.
More must-reads:
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Who is the most important player on the 2025-26 Kentucky Basketball team?
Suppose a Kentucky fan was asked who they think the most important player on the 2025-26 basketball team was, most would say Otega Oweh. While this would likely be the universal answer, could it be wrong? There is no question that Oweh is the best player on this team, but sometimes best and most important can be different. Oweh has worked this offseason to improve his shooting, and if he does this, he very well could be a top-five player in college hoops. The player that should be looked at as the most important player on this Kentucky basketball team is Jaland Lowe. He averaged 16.8 points per game, but the knock on him that all fans know is his efficiency shooting the basketball. The goal is that in the Pope offense, Lowe is going to improve when it comes to his efficiency from the field and beyond the three-point line. Last season, Lowe was on a bad Pitt team, and he had to force up some ugly shots to give his team a chance to win ball games. Lowe shot the ball over 14 times per game, and this won't be the case this season at Kentucky. Lowe has turned heads so far during summer practice, and fans really do believe that he is going to improve his shooting splits this season in Lexington. The Wildcats' starting point guard has a real shot to average over 15 points again this season, but hopefully, he does it while being efficient. Fans already know what Oweh is going to bring to the table as a player this season for Kentucky. There is a world where he improves his points per game by a few points if he shoots the ball better from three, but mostly, fans know what they are getting in their star player. This is why Lowe is the x-factor for the Wildcats. He was solid last season at Pitt, and if he has a similar season in Lexington this year, the Wildcats are a top 15 team in the nation. If Lowe is able to take his game to the next level, that is when Kentucky could be considered the best team in college hoops. Lowe is a speedy point guard who helps on the glass and passes the ball well. He is the most important player on this team because if he is able to improve his efficiency, Kentucky will be unstoppable.
Phillies superstar may be building Hall of Fame case
Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber is in the midst of another impressive season. Schwarber entered Wednesday having posted a .249/.373/.578 batting line in his 528 plate appearances this season, hitting 42 homers while driving in a National League-leading 97 runs. The Phillies slugger was named to his third All-Star Game this season and, according to NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, he should be the NL MVP. Schwarber has been one of baseball's premier power hitters since establishing himself in the majors in 2017. He's in his eighth season of hitting 30 or more homers and has reached the 40-homer plateau three times in his four seasons in Philadelphia. The 32-year-old Schwarber may find himself in elite company when his career comes to an end. He has already hit 326 homers in his career, potentially giving him a chance to reach the 500-home run plateau. If Schwarber does hit 500-plus homers, the narrative around his career may change. There have only been 28 players in MLB history to reach that plateau, 19 of whom are in the Hall of Fame. Two players — Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera — are not yet eligible and are expected to be enshrined on the first ballot. The seven players who have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame have been linked to PED use, torpedoing their candidacy. At the same time, his entire candidacy may be based on his home run total. Schwarber has a lifetime .232/.346/.499 batting line over 5,188 plate appearances; although batting average no longer carries much weight for the voters, he would have the lowest batting average of any non-pitcher in the Hall. His 20.7 fWAR has been dragged down by his defense and is unlikely to make him a favorite among the younger voters who put more emphasis on such metrics. Schwarber is marching toward the 500-home run plateau. If he does reach that mark, he could be a polarizing Hall of Fame candidate.
Browns' Shedeur Sanders could be losing valuable opportunity after injury update
Just when it seemed everything was going right for Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback caught an unlucky break on Wednesday. The 23-year-old QB was sidelined during Wednesday's joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles after suffering an oblique injury. Per Kelsey Russo of the team website, the 2025 fifth-round pick won't practice Thursday and is considered day-to-day. He is deemed unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against Philadelphia, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Before Wednesday's practice, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed rookie QB Dillon Gabriel will start against Philadelphia as long as he's healthy enough to play. The 2025 third-rounder missed Cleveland's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers because of a hamstring issue. However, Stefanski previously said Sanders would get more reps this week after a solid preseason debut. The former Colorado Buffaloes star received the start in the 30-10 win over Carolina, going 14-of-23 passing for 138 yards and two touchdown passes. Not playing against Philadelphia could disrupt Sanders' momentum. More importantly, it may eliminate another opportunity for him to overtake Gabriel in Cleveland's four-way QB competition. Sanders is listed as the Browns QB4 behind Gabriel, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco on the team's unofficial depth chart. Despite questions about Gabriel's size (5-foot-11, 205 pounds), the coaching staff seems to favor him over Sanders. Earlier this offseason, Gabriel's processing speed reportedly impressed Browns coaches, giving him an edge over Sanders. The former Oregon Ducks star also received reps with the first-team offense during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, while his fellow rookie didn't. If Gabriel plays well against the Eagles, that would continue to affirm the coaching staff's confidence in the 24-year-old QB. Neither Sanders nor Gabriel is expected to be the Week 1 starter for the Browns. It's likely going to be Flacco, who helped Cleveland make the playoffs in 2023 when he went 4-1 during a late-season stretch. Still, another solid preseason showing could help Sanders position himself to replace 40-year-old Flacco in the future. With the setback, it may take more time to climb the depth chart.
Troubling news emerges on Bears QB Caleb Williams’ workout with HC Ben Johnson
It might have been a good thing the Chicago Bears didn’t play Caleb Williams on Sunday. The Bears might need to hide their second-year quarterback as he irons out his wrinkles in the pre-snap process and with accuracy issues. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft struggled with timing and accuracy during the Bears’ joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Friday. Caleb Williams was inaccurate in the red zone against no defenders On Sunday, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson chose not to play second-year quarterback Caleb Williams against the Dolphins in their first preseason game. Instead, Johnson led a workout with Williams and wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore before the game. Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears ran a total of 87 plays during the workout. All of the plays were routes in the air with no defenders on the field for the scripted practice. Despite going against no defenders bringing pressure or guarding his receivers, Williams struggled to hit his targets in the red zone. "Williams would stand next to Johnson, who would give him the play," Biggs wrote. "Then, the quarterback simulated a huddle with the player (only one ran a route on each snap) and gave the play call. They’d break the huddle, go to the line of scrimmage, Williams would simulate pre-snap actions and then the play would be run… "Before ending the session with eight deep balls, there was a 25-play set of snaps in the red zone. One thing Williams struggled to connect on was out routes to Moore and Odunze near the goal line. Those throws were not close and Williams consistently led the receivers too much." A closed-door problem for the Chicago Bears The throws weren’t close during routes on air… in the red zone? Williams wasn’t ready to take the field for the preseason game. For all of the flak he’s been getting from practice reports, the quarterback would have been relentlessly mocked for having these issues shown during an NFL Network broadcast. Biggs’ report is troubling, with a month to go before the season. Williams has much to improve upon, and the Bears are very much trying to do so without cameras present for a reason.
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