Category Archives: Gator Sports
Sale Announced as O.C.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida head football coach Billy Napier announced Tuesday that Rob Sale will join his staff as the Gators’ offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
Sale heads to Gainesville after serving as the New York Giants’ offensive line coach in 2021.
A 14-year collegiate coaching veteran, Sale spent three seasons at Louisiana (2018-20) as the Ragin’ Cajuns offensive coordinator and offensive line coach under Napier.
In 2020, the Ragin’ Cajuns offense ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference in points per game (33.6), fifth in yards per game (421.5), third in yards per play (6.3) and fourth in rushing yards per game (213.0).
In 2019, Sale’s offense set numerous school records, including total yards (6,918), touchdowns (69), rushing yards (3,604), rushing touchdowns (42) and passing touchdowns (27).
In his first season coaching the Louisiana offense, three players rushed for more than 700 yards each. Trey Ragas logged 1,149 yards and nine touchdowns, Elijah Mitchell led the Sun Belt with 16 touchdowns and ran for 985 yards of his own, while Raymond Calais tallied 754 yards and seven scores.
Prior to Louisiana, Sale was the offensive line coach/running game coordinator at Arizona State in 2017, when the Sun Devils averaged 31.9 points, 427.6 total yards and 179.9 rushing yards a game.
In 2016, Sale served as the offensive line coach at the University of Louisiana Monroe. That season, the Warhawks ranked third in the Sun Belt with 181.3 rushing yards per game and allowed just 19 sacks.
Prior to ULM, Sale was the offensive line coach at Georgia in 2015, when the Bulldogs averaged 375 yards a game. The offensive line – led by All-SEC first-team offensive tackle John Theus – helped the team rush for more than 190 rushing yards per game.
Sale spent three seasons at McNeese State serving as the offensive line coach for the Cowboys from 2012-13 before being elevated to co-offensive coordinator in 2014. In his final season, the Cowboys offense averaged 32.4 points, 396.5 total yards and 221.9 rushing yards a game.
From 2007-11, Sale gained his first college coaching experience as a strength and conditioning assistant and offensive analyst at Alabama. He began his coaching career as the offensive line coach at Catholic High of Pointe Coupee in New Roads, La. in 2006.
Sale played in 35 games with 25 starts, including 13 at right guard as a senior in 2002, at LSU. As a junior, he started at both center and guard when the Tigers won the SEC title. During his sophomore season, he started the final five games of the regular season and the Peach Bowl at left guard.
Season Opener Victory
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -The preseason No. 2 Florida gymnastics team brings back its entire roster from last year’s team that made the NCAA finals. But as much as fans will enjoy seeing some familiar faces, the team’s newcomers are ready for their moment in the spotlight as well.
Freshman Sloane Blakely became the first UF freshman since Kytra Hunter in 2012 to win an All-Around crown in her collegiate debut, and Florida prevailed in Friday’s season-opening quad meet against Rutgers, Northern Illinois, and Texas Woman’s University, putting up a score of 197.675. Blakely’s All-Around score of 39.450 edged out teammate Megan Skaggs (39.400) for the honor.
Senior Trinity Thomas competed in two events and led all scorers on vault with a 9.950. On bars, 2021 Olympic alternate Leanne Wong and UF teammate Savannah Schoenherr tied for the highest mark, a 9.875. On beam, victory went to Blakely and Gator senior Leah Clapper at 9.950. And on floor, fifth-year gymnast Alyssa Baumann nearly pulled off a perfect 10, settling for a 9.975.
Florida gymnasts accounted for each of the top five scores on beam and six of the seven highest on bars.
The Gators stay home to face Alabama on Sunday, Jan. 16 in a meet that will be televised nationally on ABC at 2:45 p.m.
Update on Coaching Hires
James Gilbert/Getty Images.
Former Alabama defensive lineman Alex Watkins is headed back to the SEC. He’s also reuniting with Billy Napier.
Watkins is joining Florida as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, the Gators announced Friday. He spent the last two years at Mississippi State, where he worked as a strength and conditioning coach. Before he went to Mississippi State, Watkins worked at Alabama-Birmingham, Texas Southern and Stillman College.
He played at Alabama from 2007-11 and won two national championships with the Crimson Tide. Napier worked as an analyst at Alabama on that 2011 national championship team.
Watkins played a year with the Tennessee Titans in 2012 before joining the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders in 2013. That’s when he headed to Stillman as head of the strength and conditioning department in 2014.
Billy Napier, Florida bring back program legend in coaching role
Florida has hired former Gators linebacker Mike Peterson as an assistant coach, coaching the outside linebackers and also serving as an alumni liaison for first-year head coach Billy Napier, according to a release.
Peterson is no stranger to the SEC, not just from his playing days but also from his coaching career. The former Florida linebacker coached the last six seasons at South Carolina as an outside linebackers and defensive ends coach, with some of his products — Kingsley Enagbare, TJ Brunson, Ernest Jones and DJ Wonnum — receiving All-SEC honors and/or being selected in the NFL Draft.
A native of Gainesville, Florida, Peterson attended Santa Fe High School before committing to the University of Florida under Steve Spurrier. He played for the Gators from 1995 to 1998 and was a member of the 1996 team that went 12-1, defeated the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles, 52-20, in the Sugar Bowl, and won the national championship. Peterson started 24 of the 42 games in which he appeared at Florida, and he posted 249 tackles, three forced fumbles, 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. His senior season, in 1999, Peterson was a first-team All-SEC linebacker and a first-team All-American, prompting the Indianapolis Colts to select him in the second round, with the 36th overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.
He played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons, notching 951 total tackles, 21.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and 19 interceptions, while once being named a second-team All-Pro in 2005, before beginning his coaching career in 2013.
The first role Peterson landed out of the NFL was also with Florida, as he served for three seasons as the program’s strength and conditioning coach. In 2016, after his first Florida coaching stint concluded, he accepted a role at South Carolina.
Most Unpredictable in the SEC?
This title is often reserved for Auburn given the Tigers’ annual spells of highs and lows, but Florida under first-year coach Billy Napier will be one of college football’s most intriguing teams to watch in 2022. For starters, how the Gators fare against Utah in the season opener may have little to no bearing on the SEC opener the following weekend against Kentucky. Then, after beating USF in Week 3, the road trip to Tennessee is quite worrisome. Prepare yourself, Gators fans, for a wild and unpredictable first month before things settle down just a bit. The two-game stretch to open as well as consecutive contests against Georgia and Texas A&M after an open week will be season-defining.
Welcome Home !
🏀 Gators vs. Bama 🏀
The Alabama and Florida College men’s basketball teams are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. CT.
Alabama, ranked No.19 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, comes into the matchup 10-3 overall. Most recently, the Crimson Tide beat Tennessee 73-68 on Dec. 29.
Florida enters the game 9-3 overall. On Dec. 22, the Gators beat Stony Brook 87-62.
How to watch Alabama vs. Florida men’s basketball on TV, live stream
Game time: 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Jan. 5
Location: Gainesville, Florida
TV: ESPN 2
On DirecTV, ESPN2 is channel 209. On Dish, ESPN2 is channel 143.
Online live stream: ESPN.com/watch
Online radio broadcast: Alabama radio broadcast
Nate Oats is the Alabama men’s basketball head coach. Mike White is the Florida men’s basketball head coach.
Director of Player Engagement and NIL
Billy Napier has tapped Marcus Castro-Walker to the Florida Gators staff. Castro-Walker will be the Director of Player Engagement and Name, Image, and likeness for the University of Florida.
Castro Walker comes to Florida from Nebraska. He joined Scott Frost’s program in February of 2021 as the Huskers’ director of player development. In that role, Castro-Walker “develops, implements and monitors an effective student mentoring program for Husker football student-athletes,” according to the Nebraska website. Castro-Walker worked closely with Frost to manage and oversaw many off-field responsibilities for Nebraska players.
Prior to Nebraska, Castro-Walker spent four years as the director of college personnel at Arizona State. Previously, he also worked in a similar role at the University of Central Florida, under Frost.
Castro-Walker first joined the Sun Devils in 2008 as a graduate assistant. He worked with the Office of Student-Athlete Development (OSAD) while obtaining his master’s degree in higher and post-secondary education.
After graduating from his master’s program at ASU, he began working with the football program. He assisted student-athletes in academic support and life skills training.
This is a new role for the University of Florida. It adds a person who will directly work with student-athletes and NIL. The University recently partnered with INFLCR, a company dedicated to helping companies, brands, and collectives reach student-athletes.
Great News !
Welcome Coach Peagler
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida head football coach Billy Napier announced Friday that William Peagler will join his staff as an assistant, coaching the tight ends.
Peagler will head to Gainesville after spending two seasons as Michigan State’s running backs coach, helping the Spartans finish the 2021 regular season with a 10-2 record and reach their third New Year’s Six Bowl. Peagler and MSU will face Pittsburgh in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.
Prior to Michigan State, Peagler was the director of quality control for the offense in 2019 at Colorado.
Peagler spent the 2018 season as Louisiana’s director of player personnel and quality control coordinator, helping the Ragin’ Cajuns recruit the No. 1 class in the Sun Belt Conference that year.
Prior to Louisiana, he served as a graduate assistant at Georgia during the Bulldogs’ run to the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017. Peagler worked with NFL first-rounder Isaiah Wynn, who earned first-team All-SEC honors as an offensive tackle that year.
In Athens, Peagler was also part of the staff that signed the nation’s consensus top recruiting class for 2018.
Peagler spent the 2016 season at Minnesota, where he served as an assistant in quality control for the offense. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Olive Branch High School in Mississippi in 2015, and the run game coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Coffeyville Community College in 2014.
Peagler spent the 2011-13 seasons at Louisiana. He initially joined the Ragin’ Cajuns staff as an offensive quality control assistant and then was an offensive graduate assistant coach in his final two years there. UL won the New Orleans Bowl all three seasons he was on the staff.
A 2010 Clemson graduate, Peagler began his coaching career as student assistant for the Tigers from 2006-09 and later as the tight ends coach at Valdosta State for the 2010 season.