GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 1,629-page "ESPN College Football Encyclopedia" was published in 2005, the year before
Tim Tebow signed with the Gators. That's one way of saying a lot has happened since the heavyweight volume hit bookstores.
In fact, they don't print many books that size these days, and if they did, there are much fewer brick-and-mortar shops around to buy it. Your best bet is online for those who have been locked in a closet the past two decades.
Meanwhile, I pulled my hefty copy off the shelf Wednesday afternoon curious to read about other eras the game has endured as transfer-portal notices blipped across the computer screen in front of me. The game has survived an era of violent on-field player deaths, nasty court battles, national polls, racial unrest, controversial championships, shady boosters, crooked bowl officials, cheating coaches and inept administrators.
The list goes on and on — as does college football.
Scenes such as the Gator Walk outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium are what make college football a special sport. (File photo: Kelly Chase/UAA Communications)
Included in the early portion of the book is a roundtable discussion with three people still connected to the game today:
Chris Fowler,
Lee Corso and
Kirk Herbstreit. They were asked to defend the game despite all its turmoil in the final segment of their discussion with editor
Michael MacCambridge.
Fowler perhaps said it best in his final statement
: "You just have to focus on what is pure and simple about college football and not dwell on the dark side."
That is easier said than done as 2023 nears the finish line.
Still, you try your best as social media rages about the controversy over this season's College Football Playoff teams, how NIL is bad for college athletics, how conference realignment killed the Pac-12, and how the transfer portal has destroyed player loyalty.
They yell and scream with no end in sight.
All I know about college football is what the late, great
Dan Jenkins wrote in the introduction of the same book nearly 20 years ago.
"College football is the most emotional, hysterical, colorful, musical, thunderous, riveting, dramatic, historical, suspenseful and meaningful game that was ever developed by mankind and Walter Camp for passionate Americans and shapely, adorable cheerleaders."
Yup, sounds about right to me.
In the spirit of the zaniness that the transfer portal has introduced to the sport — and the fact that for better or worse, the portal is dominating the news cycle — let's rank the transfer-portal announcement graphics that the Gators have shared to make their intentions known. What else is there to talk about until the Gators add players in the coming weeks.
A disclaimer: a player can be in the portal today, and out tomorrow, or vice versa. The transfer portal never sleeps.
Finally, wonder what
Walter Camp would think about all this?
Without further adieu, my highly scientific transfer-portal graphic rankings for the Gators who have announced their entry into the portal or strongly suggested they are headed elsewhere:
ALL-AMERICA
Look, I'm old-school. I prefer proper grammar, clean copy and a good action shot. Kicker
Adam Mihalek delivers all three here, and as a bonus, that's former Gators coach
Will Muschamp watching from the sideline …
Tight end
Jonathan Odom uses multiple photos, including one of an impressive stiff arm. Stiff arms should be required for transfer-portal graphics. Thought the black paint on his face added some grittiness. Overall, a strong graphic to emulate if you ever decide to transfer …
Defensive lineman
Keenan Landry kept his message simple and used multiple photos arranged accordingly. What else does a transfer-portal graphic really need? …
REGULAR STARTER
Defensive lineman
Princely Umanmielen made his announcement Wednesday, though he hasn't ruled out a return via his X account. Always a good idea to have your name spelled out clearly when you have that many vowels. Also, strong use of a flag. A four-star announcement graphic in the eyes of someone who admittedly has never created an announcement graphic …
A very solid graphic here from quarterback
Max Brown. By the way, Mr.
Hayes Fawcett seems to be the go-to graphic man for those who hit the portal early, and he delivered in this one for Brown, who said goodbye right when people started to say hello …
Not much to dislike about this graphic other than it was made for receiver
Caleb Douglas, who I had projected as a solid contributor in 2024 following his injury-shortened 2023 season ...
The photo caught my eye here, and let's be honest, any graphic that correctly spells
Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman correctly deserves a passing grade (hope I spelled it correctly) …
ON TWO-DEEP
The intro paid respect to defensive lineman
Chris McClellan's time at Florida in this stick-to-the-basics approach. Solid effort from a player who many think his best days are ahead. Disappointing to see him pack his bags but reinforcements are on the way …
Much like Shakespeare, I'm a big fan of brevity. Why use 4,000 characters when you can say what you want to say in around 3,900 fewer words the way defensive lineman
Will Norman said goodbye …
Defensive back
Kamari Wilson is clearly a fan of Shakespeare, which in the world of transfer-portal announcement graphics is something to be appreciated …
WALK-ON
Shared an elevator with
Jadarrius Perkins during Florida's road trip to Utah. A pleasant guy with a big smile who decided to move on after the first game. He used a basic method and should have spell-checked
Scott Stricklin …
My lasting memory of massive offensive lineman
Jordan Herman is standing behind him on the sideline during preseason camp to find some shade. He is a big, big guy …
Offensive linemen often stick to the nuts and bolts. Nothing fancy here.
Jalen Farmer got his message across and, when you think about it, that's really all that matters …
Linebacker
Andrew Savaiinaea is a straight shooter who gets straight to point. He earns bonus points for keeping the emojis to a minimum …
