Carter's Corner: Caglianone's Royal Introduction, Olympic Vibes, Football Happenings, More Gators Tidbits
Thursday, July 25, 2024 | General, Baseball, Scott Carter
The Paris Olympics open Friday and more than three dozen Gators are participating.
Meanwhile, Major League Baseball's pennant races are starting to bloom and several former UF players are in the race for the postseason.
These are some items that have my attention and likely are of interest to Gators fans as the sports schedule expands.
ROYAL JAC
Former Gators star Jac Caglianone was in Kansas City on Wednesday for his introductory press conference at Kaufmann Stadium. Caglianone was joined by his family and girlfriend, UF volleyball player Elli McKissock. The Royals drafted Caglianone No. 6 overall in the MLB amateur draft and he signed a deal that is worth $7.5 million, slightly above the $7,213,800 slot value of the No. 6 pick, according to sources who spoke to MLB.com. To watch Caglianone's press conference, check out the video below:
GATOR LINKS
— Olympic great Katie Ledecky, who has spent the past three years in Gainesville training with the Gator Swim Club, is hoping for a clean Paris Games following the Chinese doping scandal after the Tokyo Games via the Associated Press.
— A familiar face has returned to the Heavener Training Facility: Joe Hamilton. He left for Texas A&M earlier this season but has rejoined head coach Billy Napier's recruiting staff writes Zach Abolverdi of On3.com. Meanwhile, according to 247Sports.com, chief of staff Mark Robinson, who was hired from Texas A&M in the offseason, interviewed at Georgia this week writes Jacob Rudner.
— Former Gators golfer Billy Horschel returned to the U.S. this week for his next tournament and shared a word that helped him turn his season around at last week's British Open writes Josh Berhow of Golf.com.
— UF athletic director Scott Stricklin spoke to Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi about hurdles facing Olympic sports in the NIL era of college athletics.
FLAME HOLDER
Former Gators basketball player Will Yeguete, a personal favorite in my time around UF, received a special honor this week. Yeguete arrived at UF in 2010 from Meaux, France, and has continued his career for several seasons overseas. He got to carry the Olympic torch through his hometown as it made its way to Paris.
Feeling so blessed and thankful to have been chosen to care the Olympic Flame!
— Will Yeguete 🌍💭🧠 (@Will15Yeguete) July 24, 2024
Such an amazing moment & experience to be able to represent not only my family but also the people of my hometown Meaux!
Merci @Villedemeaux , @jf_cope @Jf_Parigi @Paris2024
🔥🙏🏾🇫🇷😃#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/RubC0pTm2G
POLITICAL FOOTBALL
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not hopeful Congress can solve much of anything, much less the issues that face college football in the NIL era. His goal is that the Gators, Seminoles, Hurricanes and Florida teams to be at the top the way they used to be. Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times has more ...
Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants Florida schools to be No. 1 in football again.
— Matt Baker (@MBakerTBTimes) July 25, 2024
He also said he's spoken with other governors about NIL and the portal because Congress "can't address anything," including college sports.https://t.co/Og4FLk1uL6
$TAR POWER
Former Gators point guard Andrew Nembhard is playing for Canada in the Paris Olympics. You could say Nembhard is at the top of his game. He has a new deal with the Indiana Pacers that puts him in elite company ...
Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard has agreed on a three-year, $59 million contract extension, Todd Ramasar and Jaafar Choufani of @LifeSportsAgncy tell ESPN. Deal is maximum allowable over that term for one of the breakout players of the 2024 NBA playoffs. pic.twitter.com/N4dKUEX4YN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 24, 2024
PARIS POSTCARD
Gators head swimming coach Anthony Nesty, he head coach of the U.S. men's Olympic team in Paris, checked in from France by taking a photo with the Gators' contingent at the Games ...
📍Paris, France
— Anthony Nesty (@Anthony_NestyUF) July 23, 2024
Ready for #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/UZT2LDVj7K
WONG & SNOOP
Gators gymnast Leanne Wong met a new friend in Paris ...
Snoop Dogg and the CEO — EPIC combo!#Paris2024 | #ArtisticGymnastics pic.twitter.com/XKEq2kffqQ
— Gymnastics Now (@Gymnastics_Now) July 24, 2024
FALL FANATICS
With all that's going on, we know what you care about the most. Check out FloridaGators.com in the coming days as we ramp up coverage of fall camp toward the season opener Aug. 31 against Miami. Gators quarterback Graham Mertz is ready to go ...
Bouncing from sport to sport, always takes time to shift from rhythms of Omaha to football camp ... photos like this by @JordanHerald5 help ... #Gators pic.twitter.com/lgekhCTRpI
— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) July 23, 2024
