Graphic: Scott MacCord (UAA Communications)
Herbstreit on Mac's offense, Singer No. 1, Horford says goodbye, more Gators tidbits
Thursday, August 24, 2017 | General, Scott Carter
The latest from around the internet of interest to Gators fans.
College baseball enthusiasts already had solid a scouting report on Singer, a rising junior who who helped the Gators win the program's first College World Series in June, finishing the season 9-5 with a 3.21 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 126 innings.
Singer's stats are healthy, but what makes him a potential No. 1 overall pick is his 95-mph fastball and fiery nature as one of the Gators' top competitors.
Singer was named the top college prospect in next year's draft this week by MLBPipeline.com. The MLB-affiliated site ranked Singer's former teammates, A.J. Puk and Alex Faedo, as the top college prospects the past two years.
Both were drafted in the first round, Puk with the sixth pick by Oakland in 2016 and Faedo with the 18th pick by Detroit in June. Singer did not pitch in summer ball after his stellar work in the postseason (2-1, 2.66 ERA, 40 strikeouts in five appearances).
Here is what MLB.com columnist Jim Callis wrote about Singer:
For the third straight time, a Gators pitcher will enter the year as the top college prospect and a strong favorite to go No. 1 overall. After playing a major role in Florida's 2017 College World Series championship, Singer once again will look to carve up hitters with a 92-96 mph fastball with nasty life and a slider with which he can alter the depth and speed at will.
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ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit appeared this week on a conference call with reporters to discuss the upcoming college football season.
Gators head coach Jim McElwain's offense surfaced during the call. While McElwain arrived at Florida with flashy credentials as an offensive coach, the Gators have ranked near the bottom of the FBS in total offense in his first two seasons despite winning back-to-back SEC East titles.
"When I think of Jim McElwain and offenses, I think of teams that are able to control the line of scrimmage," Herbstreit said. "Teams that always had not only one, but two tailbacks that could rotate in. I think those two things were always there. He had a quarterback that was literally an extension of him into the huddle. He had a quarterback that he trusted."
As Alabama's offensive coordinator from 2008-11, McElwain trusted Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron to lead the Crimson Tide to national titles, and at Colorado State as head coach, McElwain developed Garrett Grayson into an NFL draft pick.
Herbstreit expects similar results at Florida over time.
"I think it's ironic that in his first couple years they've gotten to the SEC championship game and they've had offenses that have averaged 23 points a game,'' Herbstreit said. "If he's getting to Atlanta with averaging 23 points a game, if I were a Florida fan, I would not think, 'wow, Jim McElwain's forgotten how to coach offense.' I would think, 'wow, we've got to keep believing in what he's doing, defense with the athletes this he get on that side of the ball, the defense is going to keep them in a lot of games.' "
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Former UF golfer Fred Ridley was at work in the downtown Tampa offices of law firm Foley & Lardner LLP on Wednesday morning soon after he was introduced on social media as the next chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters.
Meanwhile, his former Gators teammate, Andy Bean, was in the clubhouse at Lone Pine Golf Club in Lakeland. Bean considered calling Ridley, who beat Bean in the semifinals of the 1975 U.S. Amateur, to catch up following the news he is replacing the retiring Billy Payne.
"I might just call him up and ask for four [Masters] tickets to see what the heck he would say,'' Bean told GolfDigest.com.
For more about Ridley's interesting career and his ascent into one of the most visible jobs in professional golf, check out this story by Tim Rosaforte.
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The Florida volleyball team returns 14 letterwinners and a five-player senior class, tied for the largest in school history. Factor that with the most regular-season home matches in 20 years (18) and the Gators seem primed for a big season.
We know they have a big star in senior Rhamat Alhassan. The three-time All-American spent her second consecutive summer playing in the Pan American Cup with the U.S. Women's National Team.
.@pat_dooley tells the story of @ra_montie's journey to volleyball stardom ????https://t.co/dZH7QViOgn
— Gators Volleyball (@GatorsVB) August 20, 2017
"Rhamat's got a fun, light energy about her. She's interested in learning, and that's a big one for us," said Karch Kiraly, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and head coach of the USWNT. "We chose her as one of our younger players specifically because we believe she has a bright future beyond college. Our belief is Rhamat has some significant potential as an international middle."
The Gators open the season Friday at home against Texas (first serve is at 7 p.m.) to give fans a chance to see how far Alhassan has come from last season and what volleyball looks like in the renovated Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.
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The big news in the NBA this week is Cleveland's trade of All-Star Kyrie Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder, two players heavily involved in enticing former UF standout Al Horford to sign with Boston last summer.
Horford took a moment Thursday morning to say goodbye to two former teammates who basically helped recruit him a year ago.
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Another former UF golfer, current PGA Tour professional Billy Horschel, is in New York this week for the Northern Trust. Horschel teed off in Yankee Stadium for a promotion and on Tuesday stopped by the New York Stock Exchange.
.@BillyHo_Golf rings the Opening Bell @NYSE.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 22, 2017
"I hope I bring the market some luck today." pic.twitter.com/4j6gxLEMx5
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The UF soccer team is off to a 2-0 start and fifth-year senior Gabby Seiler, a transfer from Georgia, factors heavily into the plans this season writes Morgan McMullen of Alligator.org.
Florida welcomes No. 1 Stanford on Friday night in a tough early season test.
It's No. 8????? vs. No. 1? Stanford
— Gators Soccer (@GatorsSoccer) August 24, 2017
Friday at 5pm - Dizney Stadium
?? admission.https://t.co/k9c02huKQR pic.twitter.com/sMHvBLvFvo
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Former Gators head coach Billy Donovan is heading into Year 3 with the Oklahoma City Thunder and second season without All-Star Kevin Durant. A look at the tone around Donovan's latest team and the addition of Paul George:
*****Thunder pressure moves to Billy Donovan https://t.co/8xzXRpojgr pic.twitter.com/VVRx3l38hS
— TheOklahoman (@TheOklahoman) August 21, 2017
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Florida Men's Basketball | Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh Post Double-Doubles
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Wednesday, November 12
