Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier gained leverage ahead of a pivotal 2025 season when 2026 ESPN 300 five-star recruit JaReylan McCoy committed to the program.
The defensive end is the highest-ranked recruit in Florida's surging 2026 class. Per On3, the Gators ranked outside the top 25 in its rankings two weeks ago but have since risen to No. 13.
Florida has jumped from outside the top-25 to No. 13 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings over the past two weeks
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 14, 2025
Gators are ROLLING! https://t.co/Omvx50Ih6p pic.twitter.com/yX30jTKXAn
McCoy is the No. 9 overall player in ESPN's high school prospect rankings and top Florida recruit. Per ESPN's Eli Lederman, the 6-foot-7, 260-pound edge chose Florida over SEC rivals LSU and Texas.
McCory originally committed to LSU in January 2025.
Napier scored another huge recruiting win this month with McCoy's decision to enroll at Florida.
On June 3, four-star safety Kaiden Hall committed, followed five days later by four-star wideout Justin Williams.
BREAKING: Four-Star Safety Kaiden Hall has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 3, 2025
The 6’3 200 S from Milton, FL chose the Gators over Alabama, Florida State, & Oklahoma
“Building something special for the next few years!! #gogators”https://t.co/RUejPVnxsi pic.twitter.com/Ib2TlBzQO7
The Gators added another four-star wide receiver, Marquez Daniel, on Saturday.
Despite limited on-field success in three seasons as Gators head coach, Napier's strong recruiting class should give him extra job security ahead of the 2025 season.
In February, The Athletic's Seth Emerson ranked Napier No. 2 in his SEC coaching hot seat rankings.
Through his first three seasons at Florida (2022-24), Napier has a 19-19 record, including 1-1 in bowl games. He posted his first winning season last year, going 8-5 and leading the Gators to a Gasparilla Bowl win.
2024 five-star quarterback recruit D.J. Lagway had a promising freshman season, winning late-season home games against LSU and Ole Miss, eliminating both from the College Football Playoff conversation.
While expectations might be higher for the Gators, they could find it difficult to improve much from last season.
Per ESPN's Football Power Index, Florida has the country's toughest strength of schedule. It should begin the season 2-0 with games against FCS Long Island and South Florida, but a brutal stretch follows.
Florida plays LSU and Miami in back-to-back weeks on the road. Following a bye, it hosts Texas, then travels to Texas A&M. The Gators also play Georgia and Tennessee in The Swamp while getting Ole Miss on the road.
It's a daunting schedule with several land mines. Florida is unlikely to emerge unscathed, but Napier might.
With his recruiting success, the Gators would risk losing their talented prospects by firing Napier should Florida underwhelm this fall.
According to Reuters, Daniel, an Alabama native, explained his decision to commit to Florida by saying, "What makes Florida stand out to me are the coaching staff. Coach Napier is really a great coach."
McCoy also praised Napier and the coaching staff, crediting the "family atmosphere" as a major draw in his choice.
Florida isn't the power it once was, and it's unclear whether Napier is the right coach to return the program to glory. But with every high-profile recruit who commits to the Gators, the chances increase that he'll be around in 2026.
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At this point in last year's offseason, there was a fair bit of skepticism already building on just how good the Oklahoma Sooners would be offensively. Multiple practice highlights were produced, with most being interceptions, in an effort to drum up buzz around the defense being good. As it turns out, the defense was good and the offense was that bad. While we initially thought it was a good sign that a true freshman like Michael Hawkins was keeping up with Jackson Arnold, it actually served as an indictment of Arnold's ability in the offseason. This season, Brent Venables feels much more comfortable with the way the offense is performing in practice, and openly admitted that last year's offense wasn't fun to watch. "Last year, there wasn't a lot of competition (in practice), the defense was really dominant. And this year, the offense has been able to punch back from almost the very first practice. That's what you want, that's when you know you feel like you have a pretty good team. There's ebbs and flows, there's back and forth. You're never happy with anything because everybody is having some success. As a byproduct, our team has elevated. John and some of the other explosive playmakers we've been able bring in on offense-Jaydn Ott, some of the receivers, the tight end group-we're deeper and more capable than a year ago." The optimism surrounding the new look offense under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and the slew of transfer portal additions has been a constant theme of the offseason, unlike this time last season. If the old adage of iron sharpens iron holds up for the Oklahoma Sooners, then this season should be much more enjoyable for all parties involved moving forward with a dynamic offense and dominant defense.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an immediately polarizing move that did not sit well with large portions of the fan base. It also did not sit well with one of the team's all-time greatest players, four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw initially referred to the signing of Rodgers as a "joke" and that he should "stay in California and go chew bark" in reference to Rodgers isolating himself in a darkness retreat last year. On Saturday, Rodgers finally had a chance to respond to Bradshaw and did so with a combination of taking the high road, and also trying to make light of it. “I whisper to the gods every single day. I’ve known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He’s had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. And so, he’s got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I’ve done, the documentary, what I’ve said, darkness retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about. I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level. I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, then we’d have a good friendship." He ended the answer by saying, "So, I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level if he’s open to it. And maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about together.” The Steelers were in a pretty desperate quarterback situation this offseason after completely overhauling the position for a second year in a row. They missed out on the chance to re-sign Justin Fields, let Russell Wilson walk, missed out on every other veteran who changed teams and passed on the opportunity to select a quarterback near the top of a weak quarterback draft class. (They ultimately selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round.) The whole Rodgers saga has been quite a soap opera for the Steelers as they waited around for months while he decided on whether or not he wanted to play this season, and if he wanted to play for the Steelers. Add in the fact he has had a tendency to cause some off-field distractions with his comments and weekly "Pat McAfee Show" appearances, as well as the fact he will turn 42 years old this season and hasn't been a top-tier quarterback in three years, and a lot of Steelers fans — and former players — were put off by the idea. The only thing that will matter in the end, however, is how Rodgers plays on the field. He has said all of the right things since joining the team, and his new teammates have all spoken highly of him so far, but it will still come down to results on the field. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in eight years and are facing added pressure each year to end that drought. They are hoping Rodgers has one more good year in him to help them advance in the postseason.
Being the backup quarterback isn't necessarily the most exciting role for anyone, but for a team like the Miami Dolphins, where starter Tua Tagovailoa has suffered four concussions since entering the NFL in 2020, it could be vital. As of now, a clear battle for that spot has formed between rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers and veteran former first-round selection Zach Wilson as they go head-to-head. Of course, training camp is where these kinds of questions can be solved, and so far, it appears that Ewers has done a good job in putting his best foot forward. On Friday, David Furones of the Sun Sentinel gave a very positive update on the young quarterback, stating, "Dolphins rookie QB Quinn Ewers had a strong third practice of training camp. Made several impressive, big-time throws." The update sparked conversations among many fans, both supporting Ewers and a serious showing that there's interest in seeing who comes out on top. "Show ‘em, Quinn," said one comment. "He just does a lot of things (anticipatory throws, timing throws, MOTF accuracy, etc.) that fit this system much better than what Wilson does. I think with refinement and development we could have a backup in Miami that can operate the offense efficiently…finally," said another. "Love to hear it!" a third added. A fourth stated, "I'd be surprised if he's not the backup.." "I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Quinn Ewers has the physical tools to stick at the next level. It’s just a matter of shaping the rest," a fifth continued. "That’s QB2 potential QB1 in the future Glad we drafted Ewers," said another. Another big test for both Ewers and Wilson will be during the Dolphins' three preseason games, as the coaching staff will get a much better look at how these two perform during live matchups. Luckily for both, though, being the backup is all they're truly fighting for, as Kyle Crabbs of A to Z Sports predicts that each will make the final 53-man roster, with cuts needing to be made by Aug. 27.
Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t have a good relationship with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, according to NBA insider Sam Amico of Hoops Wire. Kuminga is a restricted free agent. He doesn’t want to return to the Warriors. Kerr benched Kuminga for the final regular-season game of last season versus the Los Angeles Clippers and the play-in game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kuminga played in Games 2 and 3 of the Warriors-Houston Rockets first-round postseason series, but that was only because Jimmy Butler was injured. Golden State beat Houston in seven games. Kuminga played in every game of the Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves second-round playoff series, but that was only because Stephen Curry got injured in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series. Golden State lost to Minnesota in five games. The seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga played in 47 games for the Warriors last season. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field, 30.5% from beyond the arc and 66.8% from the free-throw line. The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings are interested in Kuminga, who has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists. The forward, though, hasn’t gotten an offer sheet from the Suns or Kings. As a restricted free agent, Kuminga has three options: re-sign with the Warriors on a new deal, play next season on his $7.9 million qualifying offer with Golden State and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason or sign an offer sheet with a new team. If Kuminga signs an offer sheet with a new team, the Warriors can either match the offer sheet or let the 2022 NBA champion leave and work on a sign-and-trade deal. “We’re trying to be responsible,” a Warriors front office executive told NBA reporter Keith Smith of Spotrac. “With the aprons and hard caps and all of that, you can’t just throw money around. We still love Jonathan. We’re hopeful we can figure out a way to strike a balance that works for him and for us. “But we’re not going to compromise our roster-building ability now, or in the future. We have to be responsible in the way we build our team.”