GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Here in our little corner of the internet, the emphasis is on the Gators. They can be from the past, present or future.
Information moves so swiftly in today's world that it's easy to miss a notable item if you blink. So, we're here to help if you had a dentist appointment or, you know, stopped looking at those BTS posts on Instagram (K-Pop, it's all the rage if you haven't heard).
Here are three bits of Gators that caught my attention:
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1. Â Safety
Trey Dean III, who won the title of "most vilified Gators player" last season, was named Defensive MVP in the East-West Shrine Game. Dean drew rave reviews all week, according to those who watched practice. In fact, the
NFL Network reported that Dean and a couple of his former teammates – linebackers
Brenton Cox Jr. and
Mohamoud Diabate – impressed NFL personnel in practice sessions to improve their draft stock. You never know with the draft, but Dean was considered a likely late-round pick prior to his performance in Las Vegas. Dean's trip West worked out much better for him than the previous month when the Gators lost to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium. He recorded a pair of interceptions in one practice, and playing for the winning West team in Monday's game, Dean picked off a pass by Minnesota quarterback
Tanner Morgan that deflected off a receiver. Dean's ability caught the eye of the Patriots coaching staff, which directed the West team. New England coach
Bill Belichick has a penchant for drafting Gators. Despite Dean's on-field struggles in 2022 – communication issues leading to big plays haunted him – Dean is undeniably a gifted athlete who does not shy away from physical contact in the run game. Those traits will earn him a spot on somebody's roster next season.
2. Colin Castleton did everything he could to give the Gators a chance in Saturday night's 72-67 loss at Rupp Arena. He finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He outplayed Kentucky's
Oscar Tshiebwe, the reigning NCAA Player of the Year. Castleton's performance was nothing new to Florida fans, who watched as Castleton scored 20 points on Wednesday in Florida's upset of No. 2-ranked Tennessee at the O'Dome. Still, for Castleton to shine head-to-head against Tshiebwe – and do it live on a Saturday night before a national audience on ESPN – can only help Castleton's NBA prospects. Tshiebwe scored just four points (on 2 of 14 shooting) and was out of sync trying to shoot over the taller Castleton. But the 6-foot-9, 260-pound Tshiebwe did grab a game-high 15 rebounds and three assists, though he was a minus-five while on the court, the only Wildcat in the negative. It was a fun matchup and one we'll hopefully see again in 17 days at the O'Dome. After Saturday's game, Tshiebwe ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference in scoring (15.9), Castleton seventh (15.6); Tshiebwe is the league's top rebounder (13.6), Castleton the SEC's top shot blocker (3.1). Both players are in the top five in field-goal percentage, with Tshiebwe third (55.6) and Castleton fifth (50.0). If we're lucky, maybe they will meet again more than once.
3. The Gators baseball team opens the season in less than two weeks, hosting Charleston Southern at Condron Ballpark for a three-game series Feb. 17-19. Southern Mississippi transfer
Hurston Waldrep is one of the newcomers to watch. Waldrep is a junior right-hander who averaged 14 strikeouts per nine innings a season ago. I stopped by Condron Ballpark the other day to chat about an upcoming story with Waldrep. In researching Waldrep, an item that caught my attention was that in a victory over Rice last April, Waldrep was clocked at 100 mph on a radar gun at Pete Taylor Park, Southern Miss' home stadium in Hattiesburg. Waldrep dominated the Owls that day, striking out 12 in seven innings. "I think that was the hardest I had ever thrown, but it wasn't the first time I had hit 100,'' Waldrep said. "I hit it a couple of times early in the spring, and I hit it my freshman year a couple of times. But that was kind of the big moment where I needed it the most and where it mattered the most." Waldrep is a classic power pitch who does his best work in the gym. He started to work out seriously in high school when he noticed the results on the mound began to trend upward. Waldrep grew up in Thomasville, Ga., and was born in Cairo, Ga., Jackie Roosevelt Robinson's birthplace. Waldrep is slotted as a weekend starter for the Gators and one of the top pitching prospects in college baseball this season.Â
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