Zach Abolverdi and Nick de la Torre preview Florida-Miami and the 2024 season with ESPN's Laura Rutledge.
Gators Online Podcast
Ep. 101: Laura Rutledge previews Florida vs. Miami and the 2024 season | Gators Online Show
- What's up, Gator Nation, welcome into the latest skaters online show, Zach Ababerti and Nick Del Torre here, and we've got a guest for you all this week, Laura Rutledge, from SEC Nation, SEC Network and ESPN. We'll be joining the show to talk about the 10-year anniversary of SEC Nation and SEC Network, and then making the trip to Gainesville for week one, four to Miami. We're getting closer to kickoff, Nick. - Yeah, we're getting closer, closer. Growing up in South Florida, I mean, shoot, too, Zach. When I was growing up, Miami was very good football. This rivalry kind of holds a special spot for me. So, yeah, I'm excited for Florida and Miami. We just got in with Kane's sports. We got a bunch of collaboration stuff coming on Gator's online. So, listen, where you are, two weeks from kickoff, there's not a better time to be subscribing and to stay up to the minute on your Florida Gators, over there Gators online. And also, for $3.99, you can join Gator's online plus here on YouTube, where you're getting some extra stuff. We're not putting on this show. For me, Zach, Corey, and Keith. Corey, Keith, of course, handling the recruiting stuff. And then Zach and I have got all of the juicy stuff you want to know about what's happening at practice over there. Yeah, we're more than halfway through camp. I mean, they still haven't had their second scrimmage, but they're on what practice 12 that they've now completed, getting toward the end. And then next week, the guys will get ready to start classes and begin the fall semester, get a little bit of break before they get into game week. But we're a few days removed from the scrimmage. You know, we had our reaction in our last episode. Since then, we've heard from Billie Napeer. We've heard from six players as well. Shout out to Scott and Matt with bringing us a bunch of guys this past week. And again, a good feel for where this team is at, how they feel about the scrimmage played out. We'll talk more about that later on in the show. We'll be joined momentarily here by Laura. But Nick, now that we've had a few days to kind of work the phones, hear from the coaches and players, how do you feel about where this team is at and coming off of its first scrimmage and now heading into its second one, which is Saturday? Yeah, I was just talking to somebody about this. And of course, we get asked about DJ Lagway more than we talk about DJ Lagway. And I was just like, Graham's 24 years old. He's going to his sixth year. Like, we're still in the COVID year where you've got guys who are not as old as Chris Winke was when he was playing for Florida State. But grown men playing against 18, 19, 20-year-old kids. And I think Graham has looked great. And it will be interesting to get the excitement for DJ Lagway. I'm also excited, but I think Graham has looked great. I really like what Florida has done to add some, you know, hashtag speed and space at receiver. So I think I'm overall, I'm really high on Florida's defense. I think they're going to take a huge step this year. And I think Graham Mirth should have a better year in year two of the system. My only question that I keep coming back to is the offensive line, more specifically, the right side of the offensive line. And a bad offensive line can negate all of the good things that, you know, we've been talking about as well. So that's just one thing that I've been keeping my eye on since they've been working some guys and moving some guys around. - Yeah, I mean, that was one of the top storylines coming into camp. I think it'll continue to be coming out of it. And then as we get into the season, Florida's got obviously some really tough games early and get a feel for maybe where this offensive line is at, you know, especially on that right side. You know, we got to hear from Graham for the first time this week. Shemar James, a lot of guys that we haven't heard from since the spring, Nick. And I think one of the storylines that came out, you know, one of the things that we wrote about this week is on that defensive side of the ball, obviously a lot of new pieces, a lot of impact transfers, but some freshmen to be excited about as well. You know, L.J. McCray was a guy that made some plays in the scrimmage. And what was interesting about Saturday, it was the first time the staff and the team ever got to see Aaron Childs and Miles Graham lining up next to each other at the linebacker position. Two guys that were their highest rated recruits in the 24 class, they haven't been together in a scrimmage setting yet. And even though Graham enrolled early, he didn't get to scrimmage in the spring. That was kind of a big deal. And that those two have kind of upgraded the talent in that room overall. - Yeah. And I think we continue to see Hayden Hanson and Arles boarding ham come along. That's funny because neither of them were high school tight ends. And then Arles needs to work on his blocking and is potentially a really good receiver. Hayden really picked up the blocking quicker, but Hayden's I think six foot five, 245, 40, 50 pounds, like big target. It's almost interesting and like, hey, can we just combine those two and make them an all American tight end with both their skill sets? But I think that's another position that you would hope would show some more progress, become a little bit more part of the offense more so than just blocking. I keep going back like I sat here on this podcast, Zach, and I was screaming, get wide receivers in the transfer portal. You need to take some pressure off Eugene Wilson. I think they did that. Shamir Dike running 22 miles an hour now. That's not on tape from Wisconsin. And that's a credit to him. He puts the work in but also the Tyler Miles and the strength staff in their programming. So he's a completely different player now than what we even saw in the spring. Elijah Badger, Khalil Jackson, Tank Hawkins, TJ Abrams, Aiden Mizell, Andy Jean. There's weapons on offense. And then that running back room, even when Montreal Johnson went down, I'm still like, yeah, I still kind of feel good about it. Obviously you feel better of Montreal's there, but you still feel good about that running back room. I think offense shouldn't be a problem. And then defensively, I imagine how big Austin Armstrong smile was seeing Miles Graham and Aaron Childs playing shoulder-to-shoulder during the scrimmage. And then I think Aces Turner, not only is he a really good player, I really think that him and his experience and his ability, coupled with Jordan Castell, who played 660 snaps as a true freshman, just having that experience back there, the confidence that gives the rest of the secondary. - Absolutely, no, that's definitely one unit that we'll be paying attention to as the season gets closer. But now we're gonna get, you guys have heard our opinions, you guys have heard all the stuff from us in camp. We're gonna bring in Laura now to get her thoughts on her Gators, the SEC and a new 16 team league as we get ready to kick off the 2024 season. Laura, welcome to the show. Thanks for joining us. - Thanks for having me. How are you guys? - We're doing good, we're doing good, counting down the kickoff. - Let's go, it's almost here. - Yeah, absolutely. - First off, congratulations. SEC Network just celebrated 10 years. I think you've been there from the start. How has that journey been and what an accomplishment, an entire decade of covering the best conference in college? - Yes, thank you. I feel like I can't accept the congratulations for the whole network, but I will say it has been so much fun and yesterday was pretty cool just at the 10 year anniversary, thinking back 10 years ago. And as you guys know, even just like knowing y'all when I was really covering the Gators and I was there all the time, my foundation for this career started in Gainesville and to be able to look back on all of it and say, I'm still doing the SEC work, which I love. I never wanna give it up, but also to have realized some of the growth that I've had at ESPN. It wouldn't have happened, if not for the SEC Network. And it is pretty cool too to celebrate 10 years and also know that we're going into a completely different era of SEC football. And I'm real excited about that. - No doubt. And we'll talk, Florida, Miami, we'll talk about the Gators, but I do wanna get your thoughts on that as we kick off 2024. How excited you are about the expansion of the league, Florida gets to take that trip to Texas and just what that means for the SEC. - Yeah, you know, when the news broke that Texas and Oklahoma would be joining the SEC's, now it's been a few SEC media days ago and I'll never forget, I was sitting on the set with Fine Bomb and we're like, is this real? You know, this can't be a real thing. And then to have to wait all this time and now it's finally here, I did the welcoming Texas to the SEC show and it was a four hour show that we did in ridiculous heat in Austin, Texas. And when I tell you guys, it ended up with a pit bull concert after the whole thing and the fans were there, you know, for hours. I mean, there were thousands of fans there and I thought, all right, this school is ready to be in the SEC. I would say the same about Oklahoma. And I think the way that this has been approached by Greg Sankey is great because he's been incredibly selective with the additions and making sure that it is universities that belong, not just in football, but across the board and all of their sports and championship level competition. And so to know that we're bringing that now, I think is really incredible. I also think if you're a fan of a team and in our case, Florida, that is now going to have to face these new schools, you're like, all right, they don't know what they're doing here in the SEC. You know, good luck guys coming here and trying to go up against this competition. I think it's a little bit fun for some of these other fan bases. And I would also say there's probably a little bit of nerves there where it's like, okay, I can't be having these teams come into our place and beat us for the first time. - Well, I remember in 2012, everyone was like, "Why Missouri?" And then Missouri wins the East two out of their first three or four years. You're like, okay, maybe that's why Missouri. But with this expansion, we're losing divisions. And I think I kind of missed that. I almost miss, you know, I find myself catching myself and being like, oh, well, this is an SEC, oh, it's not an SEC match up. Do you, how do you think that will play out? Not having divisions and what will that look like when we get to Atlanta? - Yeah, I've caught myself a few times too. Even at SEC Media Days, I'm like, okay, well, you know, they're behind this team in the East. Well, actually they're not, you know, that's all it has anymore. And I think it's interesting. I feel like initially we will all miss divisions. It's going to feel a little weird. But I love the idea of the two best teams in the conference competing for the SEC Championship. And I think, you know, as we then turn our attention to an expanded playoff with 12 teams in the playoff, it's good for the SEC overall because you've got those two, you know, teams that will play in the championship that you would think likely, I mean, depending on what's happening, but they might both be in the playoff. And then you could even say, although the SEC haters are going to come at me here, but then you could even say, like, there's two more teams or maybe another team after that. I mean, I just think there's a lot more opportunity overall for teams in the Southeastern Conference to make it to the college football playoff. And I like the idea of those two best, you know, being at the top. Hopefully, one day soon, Florida is one of those teams. - No doubt. And obviously a lot of rivalries at this school gets to be a part of. Hopefully we don't lose some more of those with the expansion of the league. I think Florida and Georgia is not going anywhere. But one rivalry that we get to enjoy this year is Florida Miami. It's been a while since those two faced off in the swamp way back in 2008. You get to be in Gainesville, SEC Nation kicks off the season for that matchup. How excited are you about returning, especially for that game? - We can't wait. It's been too long since we've been to Gainesville. And this is just the perfect way to open the season. You mentioned the rivalry aspect of this Florida Miami game. I think that's real, but there's also so much pressure on both of these teams. And I think as much as we want to say, you know, things are different now and we haven't expanded playoff and you can maybe afford to lose some here and there. It doesn't feel like that's the case for both of these squads. I'm not going to say it's must win because that's crazy, right? Like Florida still has so much ahead of them. And I think they're going to be a lot better than they were last season, both offensively and defensively. But to get an opportunity at home to make a statement, I love it right off the bat. We are so excited. We'll be at Plaza of the Americas. You guys got to stop by and come see us. We have all kinds of surprises ready. I was actually just, so Tebow's birthday was yesterday. So I was just talking to him and he was like, I can't wait to get the team back together. Like he loves this. He's so excited that we're starting in Gainesville. And you guys got to come out. Anybody who is looking for something to do on that that morning will be on at our usual time of 10 to noon. And we'll be over there even before that because Marty and McGee get going at nine Eastern. So y'all come out because it is going to be a whole lot of fun. - Now, how does your schedule, does it permit you to stay in Gainesville with that game? Do you want to, do you try to work like the airlines? Like, hey, listen, let's fly out. The Red Eye can catch Florida, Miami in person. - God, I wish, I know, I'm so sad 'cause I am going to have to leave. I am also a, like a very superstitious fan. So I like to sort of have a controlled environment when I'm watching the games, which means like, you know, sitting at home. There's no controlled environment in my life at this point 'cause I have a one year old and a four year old, but as controlled as it could possibly be. You know, with the NFL schedule that I have, I'm not gonna be able to stay, but I'm so disappointed. 'Cause I actually, we had talked about it. We were like, there's gotta be a way to figure this out. And I couldn't end up figuring it out, but you guys who were there better be cheering really loud. I think that's, I mean, this sounds so corny, but I really do think like the swamp and the crowd and the noise is probably one of the key factors in that game and that's on our side. So we need to make sure that's really, really loud. - Now, as long as Reese picks the right helmet that week, we've already, I've been kind of feeding their little nuggets here and there. You know, I never influence her picks, but I'm like never peace. - Just coaching. - Yeah, like remember the gator is you can't be forgetting about them. So we'll try to influence her just subtly. She'll be like asleep and I'll be in her room playing the fight song, you know, just to get it going in her head. - And now before we talk more about the team, Laura, I wanna ask you since you get to come back to games, though, obviously it's changed probably a lot since you were last living here. When you get to come back, what are like some things that you have to do when you get the time? Are there any spots you have to go? - Yeah, that's a great question. So it is, it's so different. And it makes me feel like a really old fart because I'm like, man, I feel like it wasn't that long ago that I was here and now it's totally different. I, so I'm always like, I gotta stop by my different coffee shops. You know, when I look like so much has changed, you know, but like mods is always one that I gotta go see and it's kind of a classic. I found a place, the last time I was there, I was there in the winter for something with the J school and I'm blanking on what it was called, but it was really good. And then I am a big fan of Ember's Woodfire Girl. I don't know if you know. - Oh, you're talking to the man right now. - I love that place, that place is so good. And it was funny because when I was in college, we used to do a radio show from there. Like that was how I found out about it. It was pretty new back then. And it's actually funny because I have been striking out, you guys gotta give me some advice. I've been trying to be like the team party planner for SEC Nation. I've been striking out on reservations across the board. Every place that I try to get us into on Friday night and I know it's so crowded that it's like, you know, gonna be hopeless. But as Jordan Rogers' birthday, so I was trying to get everybody together on Friday night and I am striking out. So I'm gonna have you all embers again. I would say I would think if you told embers that you had a guy named Tebow with you, they might make a table. - I hate to be like a name dropper. So I'm really trying not to do that. But if it comes down to it, it might happen. Tim knows we have, we have to use him sometimes, but he's okay with it. - No, Nick always drops embers picks on his social media. Whenever he goes, he probably eats there like twice a month, at least. - I love this. - It's so good. - It's so good. Like, yeah, so that's always a must visit if I can't. - I like dragon flight too. I'm a sushi girl. So I really, it's always good. Yeah. - Dragonfly's elite. - Elite. (laughing) - It, what do you think? It's funny. I've been talking to people about that Miami game and it's not an SEC game. It's just the first game of the year. We have all this hype and build up to it. But like, if Florida wins or loses, are we even thinking about it or still talking about it in November based on what else happens? But how much does it mean, I guess, to the fan base? It being a rivalry game, it being the first game of the season and kind of a tone set? - I think what you said is really important about it being a tone setter. And I hate this for Florida because you hate to be, you know, you think about the players, like they're doing the best they can. They've got a lot at stake here as well. You know, Graham Mertz coming back for his second year, I think he's gonna be so much improved. We forget that like, this was his first time even playing with this team. He's trying to figure out who's even on the team. And now he really knows this team. He knows the offense. He knows what he's supposed to be doing. They're dealing with so much pressure. Billy Napier's dealing with his own set of pressure, right? But I do think that the tone that's set in this game, and I hate to be the person that's like, oh, even if they look great and they lose, but I do think that matters here. I think people, and the people that I talked to overall, pretty optimistic about the offense. It seems like they're a playmakers. I think the run game's gonna be better. It seems like they have plenty of weapons, and I do think Graham Mertz is gonna be better. I imagine, you know, I felt like there were opportunities downfield last season that he didn't take advantage of, or maybe it wasn't part of the playbook. I think that will be improved. I think they'll be more explosive, all those things, right? But to me, the defense is a bit of a question mark, and that's part of it, right? But I think people just wanna see them look better. And maybe this is an opportunity to do that at home where even if they don't win the game, you feel a little better about it if you're a Florida fan, but I do think that this game matters when it comes to setting tone is really the best way to put it, and I actually think Florida, and this is, you know, unbiased opinion, I think Florida's gonna look really good in this game. And the interesting thing is, if they do, you know, just like the hype machine, get rolling again, and people start maybe putting a little bit too much hype on the team. But either way, I do think this one really matters. Beat Miami in the over-under goes to 15 and a half games, immediately. That's the new win to go to. - We're speaking with Laura Rutledge from ESPN and SEC Network. Laura, before we get you out of here, what are your thoughts on Billy Nate here? Obviously, there's a lot of talk about him going into the year. A lot of changes that he's made within his program, right? Hired a new defensive coordinator, new special teams coordinator, new strength and conditioning coordinator, new nutritionists, like he made a lot of changes across the board. What do you think about what he's doing to try to rebuild Florida, and then what have been your interactions with him when you've come to Gainesville? - Yeah, I'm such a fan of Coach Napier, and I think he really is an awesome coach. He's a great person, right? All those things being said, he needs to win, and that's just the reality of this business, right? It is a business, and he knows that better than anybody. You know, this is not breaking news to him. I do think the changes that he has made have me really optimistic about this team, especially on the defensive side, he's never had to fire staff members before, and he immediately made those changes last season. I thought, okay, he gets it. Like he's not trying to, you know, spin his wheels here, and he knew he needed a clean house. I also think the additions that they've made defensively made me feel like hopefully they get a little bit more pressure on the quarterback, and some things that could help the secondary. I think their line-backing core is gonna be a lot better, so it looks like on paper is gonna be a lot better, and you guys are actually there at practice, and so you've probably seen more than I am, obviously, but I feel optimistic about those changes, and I do think that the strength and conditioning changes, and I mean, he's talking about how much muscle mass they've gained and all this, that's probably real, right? That helps you win some of the games that you lost last year, I believe in that. I do think that he's gonna have to really show massive improvement this year, and that is just the nature of what this business is. It's the nature of the SEC. It's what makes this great, right? It's the best conference in the land, but you're gonna have to win, and Florida fans have had to wait too long for those wins, so I think it's, it kind of all comes together to equal a really important year for Billy Napier. - No doubt. We're looking forward to seeing it kick off in the swamp. August 31st, SEC Nation will be in Gainesville. We're looking forward to coming by and seeing the set, seeing you guys, and I'm glad you get to come back to Gainesville. It's always a treat, I'm sure. - Me too. I can't wait to see everybody. It's gonna be so fun, and it's gonna be really hot. I joked that we should all just wear bathing suits on the set, but our bodies are now, so. - It has been hot, and the typical Florida weather, where it's going to rain, whether it's 15 minutes or the whole day, there is going to be rain, and then the humidity will be 1,000% after that rain. - We love it, the swamp, man. - Just tell your boss that if you could get fine bomb in a blow-up pool, that's great TV in the ratings. - If that happens, I'm gonna give Zach some credit, because it might happen. You never know. - Paul strikes me as the guy that wears floaties in the blow-up pool, so I think that should be just for safety. - You're not wrong. (laughing) - Well, if you're listening to this, make sure you get to Plaza the Americas, August 31st, Laura, Tim, Paul, the whole team there. They do a great job, and they keep you entertained during the commercial breaks as well. It's a good time. - Thank you. - And good luck with your embers call. We hope you did. - I might have to, I'll see if I can make a call, but I definitely don't have the kind of pull that Tim has. - No, you got a word called in me. Put it a good word for me. Trying to show my team the greatness of embers. - I don't think there's anybody that spends more money per month at embers and Nick, so he might have a little bit of pull. - I love it. (laughing) - Laura, it was good seeing you. Thanks for joining us, and we'll see you on August 31st. - Awesome. - Take care. All right, Laura Rutledge from FTC Network joining us, and I'll tell you what, Nick, she knows her stuff. - Yeah. - You know? Obviously, she's got a lot that she's dealing with in terms of the SEC, her NFL responsibilities. Obviously, dealing with her family as well and being a mom, but you hear her talk about Florida, she's keeping tabs on the Gators. She even knew that nugget that you have dropped in the past, Nick, about Napier never firing the assistants until the end of last season's show. Maybe she's listening to some Gators online shows. - Maybe, maybe, maybe. I had a chance to talk to her at SC Media Days and I was asking her more about advice on being a new dad than the Gators, but she certainly knows. And it's tough, too. You have to talk intelligently about 16 teams now in the league, but she does her homework. She's a really, really smart woman and a Gator through and through. She is, she probably wants to watch, like she said in the controlled environment at home, doesn't need to be caught, you know, getting angry on the sideline if things aren't going well. But yeah, she's certainly a great Gator. And also, you know, on the Florida victorious advisory board as well, so helping them, you know, raise money and helping Florida victorious anyway she can. - Absolutely. Well, before we continue the conversation, I want to give a shout out to myperfectfranchise.net. If you're ready to leave the corporate rat race for the American Dream, looking for a side hustle while working your current job, wanting to diversify, build wealth and/or leave a legacy, Andy can help. He's a franchise consultant, as well as a franchise owner and helps people find franchises that fit their skill sets, financial requirements, time to commit and more. His services are 100% free and he's here to help. If you have any questions about business ownership, you can learn more and contact Andy anytime at myperfectfranchise.net or calling or texting him at 404-973-9901. And with that, we'll turn our attention back to fall camp. The Gators will be back on the practice field Friday, their final practice before scrimmage number two. And Nick, we're kind of toward the end of the road of the viewing periods, all the videos that you guys have been enjoying on the Gators Online channel are gonna go away starting next week. So, they will close the gates and no media will be allowed once they start Miami Prep. I think we can start on the latest Nick on the injury front. Obviously, Jamari Lyon suffered the season ending injury. We've since found out that official injury, which was a broken ankle and a really tough injury that Jamari had. I was watching the defensive line group on Wednesday, Nick, when we were in the IPF. And he was right there cheering on his position group and giving guys pointers and tips as they were going through drills and very, very engaged in the practice. And you just hate to see it for that guy. I think we're getting a little bit of a clearer picture of who they could use to replace Jamari and what that could look like. I think that that's something that's gonna be monitored because really they got a lot of options. They can obviously lean on the nose tackles that they have. How many more snaps does Desmond Watson get? How many snaps does Micah Baro get? Whereas he might not have gotten any snaps on the rotation and now he might at least get in there to give some guys some plays off. But then I think what's more intriguing and what we're gonna be watching more closely is at the end position because you've got so many guys. It's one of the most stacked positions on Ford's defense. There was already competition a lot there for that spot before Jamari's injury between Joey Slachman, Caleb Banks, Kelby Collins, Brian Taylor, Tavares Brown. There were five guys that were playing that end spot. I think now you're gonna see some of those guys now play both. Like Jamari did, Jamari played an end in nose. And I think Kelby Collins, Caleb Banks, I think they can all do it. It's just a matter of getting their best guys on the field. Where are those guys most effective at what spots and how do we get that matchup on the field? - Yeah, I think that's the biggest thing that I took away from Bill and Napier answering kind of questions about Jamari lines was it's really the versatility. And I've said before I think the strength of the defensive line is not necessarily that you have a, you know, a bane like Miami does or a first team all American, but you've got three guys, four guys at some position deep. And you can ask, hey, Cam Jackson, every play you get, you need to go 110%. Don't hold anything back. You're only gonna play 20, 25 snaps. Des, you got 15, 17 snaps. Every time you're out there, go, you're not in a situation where like in 2022 in Napier's first year, you're asking a grubon Dexter at 66, 340 pounds to play 68 snaps. I always go back to what Chris Rump said to us, Zach, when he was here, so I learned to Alabama, those big boys down in the trenches only have one gas tank. You don't refill it at halftime. And when they're done, they're done. It's just the nature of the position and their size. So to me, who can play both? And I look at, probably depends on Kelby Collins. And is Kelby Collins able to play more at defensive end, which would allow a Caleb, Caleb Banks to slide over. Now, Caleb Banks was second on the team last year in pressures and hurries from that defensive end spot. But I think that's gonna be critical. How do you find a guy to slide that can be that versatile piece that Jamari Lyons was? I think Caleb Banks, the guy that sticks out to me, Joey Slackman's the guy that sticks out to me. But then you're gonna be asking more of the younger players who, like you said, Michael Barrow, I think he was probably, might've been on track for a red shirt this year before this injury. Right now, you're gonna have to look at a guy and go, "Hey, bud, plan has changed and you gotta be ready." In 16 days. Yeah, it's kind of a whirlwind probably for him. I think that Kelby Collins is probably gonna be the guy that benefits the most. I thought it was interesting that Napier didn't name Caleb Banks or Joey Slackman as guys that you would might see more of or as maybe some guys that would cross-train. But I think it's interesting, look at Jamari Lyons and as Napier mentioned, he was playing both and Nosed, even though Nosed was his primary position, but he was only 304 pounds. So it wasn't like he had the same frame as a Cam Jackson, Des Watson, Micah Barrow. Like those are Nosed Tacos who aren't playing N. Those guys are not cross-training. And so that's where Lyons is a little bit unique and maybe don't necessarily need a 325-pound guy like a Caleb Banks, but hearing from Banks this week, Nick, he kind of spoke highly about Kelby Collins. I wrote about it in the "Fall Can't Focus" on the defensive line. He thinks that he's gonna have a bigger role year and specifically said he thought Kelby could play inside. That was the first guy that Napier named as well. So just kind of reading between the lines, he was already a guy that was 13 at the end spot, calling it like it is. I mean, he was behind Joey Slackman and Caleb Banks. Now you go from 13 to second team and probably a lot more snaps if you slide inside. I think that's probably what we're gonna see. And I think he will be the biggest beneficiary from that and talk about quite the transition going from edge to end to now nose and maybe he won't play like true nose. Like he might not line up right across from the center, but that is, along with the offensive line, Nick, that is probably the top storylines right now with his football team is how it shakes out on the right side of the whole line and what they do inside on the D line. - Well, he's a guy who's changed his body. I think he showed up at like 250 and he's 278, 280 now. So I'm not sure that he moved from edge or as much as he outgrew edge. - Yeah, good point. - Like a shirt that used to fit when you were in college or in high school that is a little tight now. I think he grew out of that position, but I still feel like Florida has enough depth there to withstand this kind of injury. Last year when Justice Boone went down, I think I made the comment that they have depth to make up for it, whereas a year or two ago, they might have devastated them. And I think Florida, while I expected Jamar Alliance to get a fair bit of playing time this year, I think they have the depth to figure it out. And then the same breath, it hurts your depth because now you're asking guys to play more and potentially play a position that they haven't really spent a ton of time on. Now, talking to Caleb Banks, it was his opinion that nose tackle defensive tackle, we're really in this offense and they call it defensive end. It's kind of more of a defensive tackle, but he's like, it's really the same stuff. Like we're really being asked to do the same kind of stuff, you know, whether you're lining up to zero, one, two. So it'll be interesting to see. It certainly was not timely. Maybe cancel the scrimmage Saturday. Maybe only, hey, we're doing third team scrimmage. Like just get to August 31st, healthy. 'Cause this has been three straight fall scrimmages in a row now, dating back to last year with some sort of season ending injury. And it's football, it's going to happen. You have to practice to a certain level. And these scrimmages are really the only time you're getting tackling to the ground. And listen, if we get to Miami and there's 24 missed tackles, you're going to be screaming about it and wanting them to have done more tackling to the ground, but there's a caveat to that and a risk to that. - Yeah, and I think the other storyline that we're monitoring as we get toward the end of camp and then approach game week is the status of Florida starting running back Montreal, Johnson. I don't want to give away all of Nick's juice from his practice report. So I'll encourage you guys to go to GatorsOnline.com and read what Nick observed when he was inside the facility on Wednesday, it was a very positive. - Not only negative Nick, and listen, when negative Nick is positive, take that. - Yeah, take it to the bank, baby. - We're going to say take it with not a grain of salt but a handful of salt. Yeah, take it to the bank. If negative Nick is positive, please keep that positivity. I did my whole practice report and somebody, or not my practice report, my Q and A that I did yesterday on the message board and there's a ton of positive news and notes in there and somebody comes out and is like, "Oh man, the offensive line, really?" And I'm like, my guy, there's nine questions, 10 questions answered in there and nine and a half of them are positive and they just hold the one out. - To be fair, I got the same thing, man. We put out the insider on Sunday, the day after the scrimmage and it was like a lot more details and stuff that we had heard and a lot of positive in there. And I'm like, we can't give them all positive. Like, okay, well, what's the bad that came out of the scrimmage or what's the concern? And it was the offensive line and more specifically the right side. And like the first five, six comments to the, to the 800,000 word story was this one section about the offensive line. People just fixate on that, you know, obviously that's where this team is at too. So it's, you know, you're gonna get that from fans. - There's so many different ways to cover a team and some sites you might just be, they're just fans and there's gonna, it's gonna be sunshine bumping. I think we, listen, if Florida's really good at football, it's gonna be great for our business. We would love for Florida to be really good at football, but we're not gonna lie or sugarcoat or hide things. We're just gonna tell you what we're seeing, what our opinion is. You and I. - Come over here. - Yeah, what we're hearing, we've covered the team for more than a decade. Each of us. - We've seen bad football. - We've seen some really bad football. But I think that's why what the value is in our site. Like if things are going great, we're gonna tell you this going great, we're gonna help you cheer, but we're not going to try to sell subs by line to you. And then all of a sudden we get into October and you're like, "Nix, this is not what we heard." This is not what you told us. So we tried to prepare people for what we, or our expectations are based on the people we're talking to, sources players, coaches, the lunch lady who heard something while the players were in there. But yeah, I think I'm more positive. I think we are more positive, specifically me, maybe. You're a, since I'm the negative one, I'm a lot higher on this team. Now through fall camp, then maybe I even was after spring. - Yeah, I mean, that's a good thing that you bring up there. 'Cause you know, that I think about it, like the concerns that I had coming into camp about the team haven't really gone away. I think it was-- - And the things that you were like cautiously optimistic about, I think a lot of those things have been like, okay, yeah, no, I thought that this could be the case and now you're seeing it or hearing it. And I think that's another thing that has helped me start to shape my opinion, as we get ready for coming soon, the annual Gators Online staff pick 'em, which I dominated last year, thank you. - But like, tackling, obviously we won't really know what the true, where that really looks like until we get to the season. Napier talked about it in his presser this week and gave some numbers on the missed tackles, but we don't know if it was 50% of that or 70% of that when the third and 14 units were playing, which negates some of those missed tackles, or at least in the eyes of fans, obviously a lot of open competitions that are still taking place. I think we have probably a picture where most of those stand, you know, wanna find out what the returners are gonna be on special teams, Nick. That's gonna be very intriguing to find out. And then the other thing that we had going into camp was how the carries were going to be split. And that storyline has kind of been shifted because of the Montreal injury and how you go from what percentage of the carries is Montreal gonna get to, okay, well, what could the rotation look like without him? But circling back to what I said earlier, Nick had a very positive update on Montreal Wednesday that I encourage you guys to go check out. And that could once again change the dynamics of the rotation and how the carries are split. I do think how he is able to progress and come back and what his workload looks like would also potentially impact that. So as well as how these other guys have played in camp and performed in the scrimmage and what type of carries they've earned, it's fascinating because it's not just the Trevor and Montrell show this year. And a lot of these guys are vying for carries. And I don't know if they're gonna read, I don't think we're gonna read you either. Either one of the freshmen running back, Nick, based on what we've been hearing about them. Like there's been a lot of hype about Jaden Ball and I've heard more hype about him in the scrimmage. But Katie Daniels is also making plays and also standing out as well. Like they got two good ones. - Yeah, Katie's got some freaky kind of speed and shifting us to his game as well. Jaden Ball, I say this about like defensive lineman and linebackers who don't wear gloves. So there's like a screw loose that they don't have it all up there. Jaden Ball just runs naked arms. Like there's no wristbands, there's no sweatbands, no gloves, like there's no flash, no flare. He's just out there to run through somebody. - He's out there to run the ball. - He's just run the ball, yeah. But yeah, I think I'm interested to see if Montrell cannot play, what does Trey on web look like? You know, we saw glimpses of him. I'm sure everyone up in the 904 Jacksonville area has seen plenty of him. It was cool to like talk to Austin Barber about that. And it's like, hey, you're blocking again for the guy you blocked for in high school. But yeah, I think obviously the room is better with a healthy Montrell Johnson, but the room is not bad. Florida's not changing their game plan of what I think is run the ball first and use the passing game off of the running game, but without Montrell Johnson, I don't think they're changing who they are because of one injury. - Yeah, I think the only thing that you could potentially lose is the pass protection element. But you got four guys there that, you know, that they can trot out if one guy's not getting the job done. So we will continue to monitor that and see how it progresses. The Gators will scrimmage on Saturday in the swamp. It'll be their final scrimmage of fall training camp. Then like I said, they will shift gears as the players get ready to start the fall semester, get into their classes, all the freshmen find out where they're going on campus. And then they turn the page, Nick, and it is Florida Miami Week. We will start to preview that now. As we get closer, obviously once we get to game week, we'll have Miami rider on to give you guys a perspective on the canes. But this is it. We'll have one more show next week, guys. And then after that, every single show will be a preview show for a game. - Made it. - We made it. Shout out to Laura Rutledge for joining us. Great to hear from her exciting times. Obviously coming to Gainesville and then for her career with SEC Network celebrating 10 years. So looking forward to that. Plaza the Americas is where you want to be on Saturday, August 31st before the game. We will be popping by there as well. So we'll be back next week with a new episode of the Gators Online Show. For Nick Del Toro, I'm Zach Ababur. - Wow.