Running back Demarkcus Bowman announced Monday that he is transferring to UCF. (Photo: Isabella Marley/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Reboot Takes Time, Bowman's Move, More Gators Tidbits
Monday, June 27, 2022 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. β In my days at the Tampa Tribune, we had a digitized "best-of" file containing the most entertaining, outlandish and unintelligible letters/e-mails to the sports department.
Once in while when working in the office I would have our clerk call up the file for a good laugh. You wondered what these individuals did after taking the time to fire off their missives about the latest Bucs loss or Rays trade, the most memorable letters usually full of misspellings, unreasonable thoughts and raw emotion.
Mostly, I just hoped they lived to see another day. A much simpler time, long before the NIL era dominated college football's headlines.
I was reminded of those humorous outbursts over the weekend when I logged onto social media late Sunday to see what I had missed. I knew there would be disappointment over the Gators missing out on a highly touted California prep quarterback who committed to Miami over Florida, LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
It's recruiting, so most of the well-adjusted among us understand not to make too much of an 18-year-old deciding where he plans to start his college football career. If the talented quarterback had picked UF, that would have been a nice get, but certainly would not have guaranteed a national title or Southeastern Conference championship in the next three years.
What does it mean in the grand scheme? I don't know if it will matter at all in future seasons, but whether a good or bad omen, the Gators aren't going away.
Still, the keyboard coaches raged on Twitter and Facebook at the injustice of it all. I don't do recruiting message boards, but evidently, the flames were burning out of control there as well.
Considering the time investment Gators head coach Billy Napier and his staff made on the recruiting trail, they had the most reason to be disappointed. Of course, I didn't see Napier ripping the player on Twitter, questioning whether he should have ever left Louisiana, or tossing out the idea that maybe the Gators should just drop the football program.
My initial reaction to some of the overreaction was to question whether any of these people actually listened to Napier at his introductory press conference or in subsequent public appearances the past six months.
You know, clear-cut messages like this.
"We've got a very specific plan here,'' Napier said in December. "To our fans, our alumni, our investors, any and everybody that loves this university and this football program, this will be a team effort. That's what it's going to take. It's going to take all of us."
He has continued to stress the importance of patience as the Gators undergo a transformation unlike any the program has experienced. Make no mistake, this is a total reboot of Florida Football as we have known it. This was never a six-month turnaround or magic carpet ride back to the top of the national polls.
Napier has cautioned that from the start.
"I think it's critical that we take that desire and that energy and we channel that towards our daily process, our self-discipline as we get our football team ready to play," Napier said at his introductory press conference. "We will do this with a very specific detailed, structured plan and we will execute it phase by phase."
As we have trudged deeper and deeper into the era of social media the past decade, it's become obvious that many of us live in two worlds: one in which we need air to breath, and the alternative online universe fueled by emotion and anonymity.
To be fair, for every upset Gators fan who fired a verbal pistol over the weekend, a joyous rival amplified the mood with their own rumor or zany claim. Part of the landscape in that world.
Thankfully, they keep score in the real world. That is what will determine Napier's success at Florida, not a strikeout more than two months before his first game. He'll have to win some of those recruiting battles of course, but one or two or three losses along the way can easily be overcome.
Something else Napier said in December resonated in the wake of another toasty June weekend.
He grasps the passion that some fans let explode when things don't go the way they want.
"You're going to figure out I'm a football junkie. I'm well aware of the history and the tradition here,'' Napier said. "This is one of the few places in the country β you're talking about a championship culture. We're talking about it's been done multiple times. Trust me, no one's got higher expectations for what we want to do and what we want to accomplish than myself.
"We're going to line up and kick this thing off next year in the opener. And everybody is going to want to win. Everybody's going to be excited."
That hasn't changed. The Gators kick off the season in a little more than two months when Utah visits The Swamp on Sept. 3.
There is still ample reason to be excited. The Gators have a young quarterback named Anthony Richardson set to make his first career start at home. He is rumored to be very talented.
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BOWMAN NAMES DESTINATION
Β
Running back Demarkcus Bowman, who started his career at Clemson and spent his redshirt freshman season with the Gators, has committed to make his next stop at UCF. A 5-foot-9, 192-pound sophomore from Lakeland, Bowman rushed for 81 yards on 14 carries in five games with the Gators last season. Bowman was set to enter the season at UF down the depth chart behind a group of backs including Montrell Johnson, Lorenzo Lingard and Nay'Quan WrightΒ β¦
Β
Β
GATOR BITES
-- Richardson attended the 26th annual Manning Passing Academy over the weekend in Louisiana and Chris Hummer of 247Sports.com provides storylines from the college quarterbacks in attendance β¦
Β
-- Defensive back-turned-receiver Fenley Graham and defensive lineman Chris Thomas Jr. officially entered the transfer portal on Monday according to On3.com. Reports surfaced recently that Graham, Thomas and defensive back Mordecai McDaniel are no longer part of the program.
Β
Once in while when working in the office I would have our clerk call up the file for a good laugh. You wondered what these individuals did after taking the time to fire off their missives about the latest Bucs loss or Rays trade, the most memorable letters usually full of misspellings, unreasonable thoughts and raw emotion.
Mostly, I just hoped they lived to see another day. A much simpler time, long before the NIL era dominated college football's headlines.
I was reminded of those humorous outbursts over the weekend when I logged onto social media late Sunday to see what I had missed. I knew there would be disappointment over the Gators missing out on a highly touted California prep quarterback who committed to Miami over Florida, LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
It's recruiting, so most of the well-adjusted among us understand not to make too much of an 18-year-old deciding where he plans to start his college football career. If the talented quarterback had picked UF, that would have been a nice get, but certainly would not have guaranteed a national title or Southeastern Conference championship in the next three years.
What does it mean in the grand scheme? I don't know if it will matter at all in future seasons, but whether a good or bad omen, the Gators aren't going away.
Still, the keyboard coaches raged on Twitter and Facebook at the injustice of it all. I don't do recruiting message boards, but evidently, the flames were burning out of control there as well.
Considering the time investment Gators head coach Billy Napier and his staff made on the recruiting trail, they had the most reason to be disappointed. Of course, I didn't see Napier ripping the player on Twitter, questioning whether he should have ever left Louisiana, or tossing out the idea that maybe the Gators should just drop the football program.
My initial reaction to some of the overreaction was to question whether any of these people actually listened to Napier at his introductory press conference or in subsequent public appearances the past six months.
You know, clear-cut messages like this.
"We've got a very specific plan here,'' Napier said in December. "To our fans, our alumni, our investors, any and everybody that loves this university and this football program, this will be a team effort. That's what it's going to take. It's going to take all of us."
He has continued to stress the importance of patience as the Gators undergo a transformation unlike any the program has experienced. Make no mistake, this is a total reboot of Florida Football as we have known it. This was never a six-month turnaround or magic carpet ride back to the top of the national polls.
Napier has cautioned that from the start.
"I think it's critical that we take that desire and that energy and we channel that towards our daily process, our self-discipline as we get our football team ready to play," Napier said at his introductory press conference. "We will do this with a very specific detailed, structured plan and we will execute it phase by phase."
As we have trudged deeper and deeper into the era of social media the past decade, it's become obvious that many of us live in two worlds: one in which we need air to breath, and the alternative online universe fueled by emotion and anonymity.
To be fair, for every upset Gators fan who fired a verbal pistol over the weekend, a joyous rival amplified the mood with their own rumor or zany claim. Part of the landscape in that world.
Thankfully, they keep score in the real world. That is what will determine Napier's success at Florida, not a strikeout more than two months before his first game. He'll have to win some of those recruiting battles of course, but one or two or three losses along the way can easily be overcome.
Something else Napier said in December resonated in the wake of another toasty June weekend.
He grasps the passion that some fans let explode when things don't go the way they want.
"You're going to figure out I'm a football junkie. I'm well aware of the history and the tradition here,'' Napier said. "This is one of the few places in the country β you're talking about a championship culture. We're talking about it's been done multiple times. Trust me, no one's got higher expectations for what we want to do and what we want to accomplish than myself.
"We're going to line up and kick this thing off next year in the opener. And everybody is going to want to win. Everybody's going to be excited."
That hasn't changed. The Gators kick off the season in a little more than two months when Utah visits The Swamp on Sept. 3.
There is still ample reason to be excited. The Gators have a young quarterback named Anthony Richardson set to make his first career start at home. He is rumored to be very talented.
Β
Β
Running back Demarkcus Bowman, who started his career at Clemson and spent his redshirt freshman season with the Gators, has committed to make his next stop at UCF. A 5-foot-9, 192-pound sophomore from Lakeland, Bowman rushed for 81 yards on 14 carries in five games with the Gators last season. Bowman was set to enter the season at UF down the depth chart behind a group of backs including Montrell Johnson, Lorenzo Lingard and Nay'Quan WrightΒ β¦
Β
ΒOrlando vs everybody @CoachT_HarrisJR@ColeHeard_UCF@UCF_Football @CoachGusMalzahn
β BowβοΈ (@Bowman_22) June 27, 2022
#GKCO βοΈ pic.twitter.com/yDYqvd82SH
Β
GATOR BITES
-- Richardson attended the 26th annual Manning Passing Academy over the weekend in Louisiana and Chris Hummer of 247Sports.com provides storylines from the college quarterbacks in attendance β¦
Β
ΒFlorida signal-caller Anthony Richardson has the best raw tools among the quarterbacks of the 2023 draft class.
β Luca Sartirana (@SartiranaLuca) June 25, 2022
If he puts his tools together, he has the potential to end up as a top-10 pick in next year's Draft.pic.twitter.com/Pv8fdHQLhx
-- Defensive back-turned-receiver Fenley Graham and defensive lineman Chris Thomas Jr. officially entered the transfer portal on Monday according to On3.com. Reports surfaced recently that Graham, Thomas and defensive back Mordecai McDaniel are no longer part of the program.
Β
ΒFlorida defensive lineman Chris Thomas has entered the transfer portal, per @On3sports @mzenitz.
β On3 (@On3sports) June 27, 2022
Thomas was among the players who had been cut by new head coach Billy Napier recently.
More details HERE: https://t.co/l6n3I8ocqy pic.twitter.com/Jtrsp0kKNZ
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