The Gators’ All-American star forward knew things would be far different as a professional, once he left behind his college life at UF.

Jenn Haugh made sure her son knew what he’d be getting into, even as a potential lottery pick in the 2026 draft. She reached out to Cheryl Foster, the mother of former Florida All-American Walter Clayton Jr.

Clayton, the No 18 pick in the 2025 draft, was on his second team during his first season, having been traded in February after 45 games with the Jazz to the Memphis Grizzlies. After a legendary NCAA Tournament performance during the Gators’ 2005 title run, he averaged seven points as a rookie.

“The NBA life is, is no joke,” Haugh said Tuesday. “I think my mom didn’t really realize that until she talked to Walt’s mom a little bit. You get traded any day of the week; you’re not out there going and getting dinners with your guys every night — or like going on fun trips and stuff like that. It’s a job.

“I think that kind of, I knew that personally, but my mom, I think it kind of put into perspective, like it’s a job. Yeah, she was on my back, ‘Hey, we might want to think about going back.’ ”

Haugh is back to spearhead one final run at a title, with close friend and roommate Alex Condon and brutish big man Rueben Chinyelu also deciding to defer his own NBA dreams.

Expecations will be sky high, but so will the Gators’ goals.

“It’s national championship or bust,” said Haugh.

The preseason No. 1 ranking is likely for Todd Golden’s team. A target will be squarely on the back of a squad returning six of its top scorers from the reigning SEC regular-season champions, while luring shooting guard Denzel Aberdeen back from Kentucky, adding two promising international players (6-foot-10 Arturas Butajevas and 6-foot-9 Domen Petrovic) and bringing back promising sophomores Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram.

When the team opened summer practices Monday, competition was fierce and the Gators’ potential obvious.

“It is insane. The pickup games. It’s crazy,” Haugh said. “I don’t know if any team ever had this much depth.”

Few teams have as much to prove.

Haugh initially struggled to process the Gators’ 73-72 stunning loss as a No. 1 seed to Iowa during the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“Last year our team deserved to go farther,” Haugh said. “We had the squad to do it, the coaching staff to do it. It’s basketball. That’s why it’s called March Madness.

“We were on the positive side the year before that of it and we get the negative side of it then.”

The disappointment, coupled with a considerable NIL investment from the school’s collective Florida Victorious, ultimately reunited Haugh, Condon and Chinyelu on a single-minded mission.

The Gators are believed to have a roster tipping the balance sheet at $25 million.

“In today’s age, that’s college basketball,” Haugh said. “Here at the University of Florida, with Florida Victorious and everybody are able to make our team what we are today and return me, Condo, Rue, and try to get Denzel, and return Boogie (Fland), Urb (Klavzar), you can just see the NIL landscape’s impact.

“You don’t really see that nowadays with guys staying loyal to their school because they can go get a paycheck somewhere else. But with that investment that Florida Victorious made in our team this year, you get retention like you see this year with us.”

Haugh calls his NIL riches “a blessing,” but also knows it isn’t the product of divine intervention.

“I can attribute that to the hard work I’ve put in the last couple of years,” he said. “My parents, the way they raised me — I just want to represent the University of Florida the best I can. They’re investing that much in me and I want to invest the same amount of time and practice and hard work back to the university.”

Haugh has been on a steady progress since he arrived as a lightly recruited 3-star recruit that Golden felt was just tapping his potential.

In 2023-24, he appeared in all 36 games as a freshman reserve, including two starts, while averaging 3.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 14.7 minutes. Haugh then developed into one of the nation’s top sixth men as a sophomore, averaging 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds. He finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds during the Gators’ epic comeback from 10 points down in the final six minutes to slip by Texas Tech in the Elite Eight.

Last season, Haugh emerged as one of the nation’s top players while moving away from the basket to the wing, to the “three” position. The 6-foot-9 Pennsylvania native expects to take another big step in his evolution during his second season at the three spot.

During the offseason he and Condon trained in Los Angeles, with Aberdeen also visiting and looking to elevate his game. Patrick Williams, a former first-round pick from Florida State, also worked out on the West Coast.

The right-handed Haugh said he and Williams worked tirelessly to improve their ballhandling and shooting with their left hand. Three-point shooting was another primary focus for Haugh, who shot 32.6% from long range and was 3-of-18 during his final four games, including the loss to Iowa (2-of-8) and against Vanderbilt (1-of-4) in the SEC Tournament title game.

“It’s just being able to be more comfortable in the three (position),” he said. “Having that under my belt, I should be more experienced out there on the perimeter, be able to hit people, make some more assists out there in the corner, and also knock down more shots.

“Towards the end of the year, I started shooting a little bit worse. So I need to just stay consistent through the entire year.”

Despite all the reasons his return made sense, Haugh struggled to decide whether to begin his NBA career.

Unexpected advice came courtesy of Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, now teammate of former Gator Will Richard, who facilitated a 45-minute phone call.

“He said he would have come back, too,” Haugh said of Green.

Teammates, coaches, friends and family remained anxious for a decision as Haugh and his girlfriend vacationed this past April in Hawaii, where the couple ignored their phones.

“I’m out there just chilling in Hawaii,” Haugh said. “I kind of felt bad. So right when I got back, I was like, ‘I need to make a decision.’ My dad was kind of getting on me.”

Haugh said he reached out to Golden, who flew to L.A. with his staff to meet Haugh at All Time, a dining hot spot in the city. Before lunch was served, Haugh delivered the news.

“I didn’t make them wait, I told them at the beginning,” he said.

The group exchanged hugs, broke bread and set a championship course for the Gators.

Golden traveled 3,000 miles to find out Haugh would return to the Gators, and join his coach among the highest-paid members of the school’s athletics department. When it was time to pony up for lunch, the 6-foot-9 Haugh developed alligator arms.

“Todd got the check,” he said, with a laugh.

Haugh plans to pay it forward this season while pushing to become the rare UF athletes with two national championships. The list includes basketball stars Al Horford and Joakim Noah and football greats Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow, Haugh’s childhood idol.

“I like to just keep it down and keep it humble,” Haugh said. “But if we go out there and win another national championship, I think this team and the players on it will be remembered like those two Florida football teams with Tebow.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

The additions give Florida 21 commitments in its 2027 recruiting class, which ranks No. 4 nationally in the 247Sports composite team rankings.

Wheeler, a 6-foot-5, 266-pound prospect from St. Paul’s School in Baltimore, is rated the nation’s No. 11 defensive lineman and No. 108 overall recruit in the 2027 cycle. He becomes the 14th Florida commitment ranked among the top-300 nationally.

In seven games during the 2025 season, Wheeler recorded 30 tackles, including four sacks. He is the highest-rated defensive lineman among the five defensive line commitments in Florida’s 2027 class.

Johnson, a 6-foot, 185-pound playmaker from Clinch County High School in Homerville, Georgia, adds versatility to the Gators’ class.

Over the past two seasons, he has caught 68 passes for 1,559 yards — an average of 22.9 yards per reception — and 16 touchdowns. Johnson also contributed on defense in 2025, totaling 29 tackles and five interceptions. A dynamic return specialist, he scored on two punt returns and one kickoff return.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

The Blue Devils will visit the O’Connell Center during the 2026-27 a season, one year after Florida traveled to Durham and suffered a 67-66 loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Both programs are expected to enter the season ranked among the nation’s top five teams, with the Gators likely in the top spot after returning six of their top seven scorers along with the frontcourt of Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Each received postseason recognition after the Gators led the nation in rebounding, won the SEC regular season and earned a No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Gators’ 73-72 loss to Iowa in the second round spurred the trio to return to school for their senior seasons. Chinyelu, Condon and Haugh combined for an average of 43.1 points and 24.8 rebounds.

Florida also returns starting point guard Boogie Fland and SEC Sixth Man of the Year Urban Klavzar.

Guard Denzel Aberdeen also transferred back from Kentucky after spending a season with the Wildcats after the Orlando native helped the Gators to the 2025 national title. Aberdeen, a former Dr. Phillips standout, has applied for an NCAA waiver for a fifth season and could join a deep guard rotation that includes Fland, Klavzar, Isaiah Brown, AJ Brown and Alex Lloyd.

Golden also added two intriguing international prospects: 6-foot-10 forward Arturas Butajevas of Lithuania and 6-foot-9 Domen Petrovic of Slovenia.

Duke, meanwhile, lost All-American center Cameron Boozer to the NBA draft after one season in Durham. But Jon Scheyer’s squad returns starting point guard Cayden Boozer, veteran guard Caleb Foster and center Patrick Ngongba II, a projected first-round pick in 2027.

The Blue Devils also added Wisconsin transfer guard John Blackwell, who averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting nearly 39% from 3-point range.

The Gators won their only previous home game in the SEC-ACC Challenge, an 87-69 victory against Virginia on Dec. 4, 2024.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Soon, he hopes to win more titles with the Gators.

“I already have a lot of good rings,” Bell said Thursday on the “The Frangie Show” on 1010XL in Jacksonville. “I want some more of those.”

Bell has deep ties to the Southeastern Conference.

He served as Alabama’s president from July 2015 to July 2025, a span during which the Crimson Tide won two national championships and five SEC titles under Nick Saban. Before that, Bell was LSU’s provost from 2012 to 2015 and spent 16 years on Alabama’s faculty from 1986 to 2002.

The 69-year-old earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and a bachelors degree in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M long before the Aggies joined the league.

Bell’s passion and interest in college athletics will serve him well if the school’s Board of Trustees approves him following a formal interview June 10, followed by a vote. The state’s Board of Governors has final approval.

Over the years, he has witnessed the expectations in Gainesville and throughout the premiere athletics conference.

“Gator Nation, they’re used to winning,” he said.

Bell knows the SEC’s competitive landscape well. He served as president of the conference from 2023 to 2025 and on its Executive Committee from 2021 to 2025.

“We all have the same target,” he said. “That’s to make sure that our athletic plan is able to compete at the highest level, and my expectation is win some championships.”

While at Alabama, Bell attended Heisman Trophy ceremonies, including those honoring Crimson Tide winners DeVonta Smith in 2020 and Bryce Young in 2021. There, he met Florida legends Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow.

“I actually stood up with some of those guys and got to know them,” Bell said. “They’re just a lot of fun.”

Bell said he appreciates the pageantry and traditions that define college football programs.

“I think about just the traditions that have meant so much at Florida, and traditions matter,” he said. “I know there’s a lot around the Gator Bait (cheer). It’s meaningful to the Gator family. I hope we’re able to have some really great conversations around that.”

Former UF President Kent Fuchs announced in June 2020 that Florida’s band would no longer play the musical cue prompting fans to chant “Gator Bait” because of concerns about possible racial undertones. Art depicting alligator hunters using Black babies to lure the animals into the open was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The decision came amid a broader national reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Bell emerged as the sole finalist as UF president after the school began its third presidential search in four years in December 2025. Florida’s Board of Governors rejected the selection of Dr. Santa Ono, the former president of the University of Michigan, in June 2025.

UF’s Board of Trustees subsequently extended the contract of Fuchs, who had served as the university’s interim president since Aug. 1, 2024, after serving in the position from 2015 until 2023.

Donald W. Landry, a professor of medicine at Columbia University, has served as interim president since September 2025.

Bell would become UF’s first permanent president since Ben Sasse resigned in July 2024, fewer than 18 months after taking office. Sasse said he stepped down to help care for his wife as she dealt with epilepsy.

Sasse was diagnosed in December 2025 with stage-four pancreatic cancer.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

A day later, coach Jon Sumrall and his staff landed 4-star defensive tackle Zahmar Tookes as Florida’s class jumped to No. 3 nationally, according to 247Sports’ composite team rankings.

Jackson’s decision continued the success of offensive line coach Phil Trautwein landing top prospects at an area critical to Sumrall’s rebuild. The 6-foot-6, 297-pound Jackson and 6-foot-4, 235-pound Tookes are among 13 top-300 prospects in UF’s 19-member class.

Jackson, who hails from Lithonia, ranks as the nation’s No. 14 player at his position and No. 135 overall, based on 247Sports’ composite rankings. He is the fourth offensive lineman in Florida’s 2027 class.

Jackson joins Pennsylvania 5-star Maxwell Hiller, the nation’s top-rated interior lineman, Elijah Hutcheson, a 4-star prospect from Roanoke, Virginia, rated the nation’s No. 7 offensive tackle, and 4-star offensive lineman Peyton Miller of Texas, the nation’s No. 8 interior lineman.

Trautwein’s impact has been immediate since Sumrall’s December hiring of the former Gators’ All-SEC offensive tackle.

Last week at the SEC spring meetings, Sumrall said recruiting is a staff-wide effort.

“The one thing that we’re unique about, is we staff recruit more than (most),” he told the Orlando Sentinel. “Phil deserves all the credit in the world, but we put him on the staff recruit list. I want the whole staff to be all hands on deck with recruiting every player.”

Meanwhile, Tookes, who hails from Rochester, New York, is rated his state’s top prospect, No. 28 at his position and No. 250 nationally overall, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He had 77 tackles, including 10 for loss, in 2025 for Brighton High School.

The Gators also added 4-star linebacker Ja’Bios Smith this past week. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Smith is a native of Swainsboro, Georgia, rated the nation’s No. 12 linebacker and No. 142 overall prospect.

He recorded 160 tackles, including 13 for loss, the past two seasons.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Kevin O’Sullivan’s team entered the tournament as the No. 8 national seed and positioned to host the school’s first Super Regional since 2023 in the Gators’ bid for their third College World Series appearance in four seasons. Instead, Florida (41-21) fell for the fourth time during a regional since 2021.

On paper, Troy was a huge underdog. The Trojans earned the regional’s No. 3 seed and slipped into the 64-team field as an at-large team out of the Sun Belt Conference.

But for two days at Condron Family Ballpark, the Trojans (36-30) were the superior team in every way.

“They outplayed us in two games,” O’Sullivan said. “They deserve to move on.”

A night after Troy recorded five home runs and 17 hits during a 16-11 rout to force a winner-take-all rematch, O’Sullivan sent out Cooper Walls, with the Gators’ pitching options limited after three games in three days.

Walls, a 6-foot-5 right-hander and Hawaii transfer, immediately struggled, managing just one strike on his first seven pitches.

Josh Pyne connected on his eighth pitch for a single. Two batters later, Troy star catcher Jimmy Janicki ripped a double down the right-field line to score two runners before Walls struck out the next two batters.

After Walls walked the first batter he faced in the top of the second inning, O’Sullivan sent in Caden McDonald, the team’s designated hitter and one of Florida’s better relievers.

“There were some other options, but Coop has started for us before,” O’Sullivan said. “We just didn’t get the start that we needed. Quite frankly, we just didn’t pitch well enough in this tournament.”

McDonald’s outing started well enough. Troy’s Jabe Boroff hit into a double play, and Houston Markham flew out to end the inning, beginning a scoreless four-inning stretch by the sophomore right-hander from Tampa.

Trailing 2-0, the Gators got on the board after Cade Kurland opened the bottom of the fifth inning with a double down the left-field line against reliever Benjamin Stubbs. Florida’s veteran second baseman scored two batters later on a single by Kyle Jones.

In a regional where 36 home runs were launched in seven games — and each of the six previous games featured no fewer than 15 combined runs — the finale was shaping up to be a low-scoring, old-school affair.

But O’Sullivan then made another pitching change.

The longtime Florida coach swapped a tiring McDonald for Russell Sandefer with one out in the top of the sixth inning. Sandefer, a UCF transfer, walked the three batters he faced to load the bases, though, which led O’Sullivan to turn to senior left-hander Ernesto Lugo-Canchola.

“It’s always easy to second guess,” O’Sullivan said. “But I saw (McDonald) in the dugout and he looked gassed. I made a decision and obviously it didn’t work out.”

Lugo-Canchola, who struggled Sunday night in limited action, gave up five runs. A two-run single by left fielder Drew Nelson and a two-RBI double by Boroff book-ended a squeeze bunt RBI single where no one covered first base for Florida.

Troy ended the inning ahead 7-1, with the game effectively out of reach.

Florida did manage a run in the top of the seventh inning on a single by leadoff hitter Jones, scoring Landon Stripling. But with runners on first and second and facing a full count, Florida home-run leader Brendan Lawson hit an infield pop-up to second base to end the inning.

Troy added to its lead in the top of the eight inning on a three-run home run by Boroff, who broke open Sunday night’s game with a grand slam.

“It’s surreal,” said Boroff, who was named the regional’s most valuable player.

Before routing the Gators on Saturday night, Troy rallied from a 6-2 deficit to beat Miami 9-6. To earn their at-large bid, the Trojans made a run at the Sun Belt tournament title, beating in-state rival South Alabama twice in the double-elimination format to reach the semifinals. It was enough for Troy to join four other Sun Belt schools in the field of 64.

“No one does that two times in two weeks — come on,” coach Skylar Meade. “This team’s built for it.”

Troy’s mettle and hitting have set up an improbable Super Regional meeting on the Trojans’ home field against Arkansas-Little Rock (36-26). Little Rock, of the Ohio Valley Conference, was the No. 4 seed and champion of the Hattiesburg Regional at Southern Miss. Whichever school wins the Super Regional — both are the Trojans — there will be a surprise participant in the College World Series.

“It’s really tough in baseball,” Meade said. “Beautiful things do happen where unpredictability prevails. There’s a reason college baseball … the excitement is through the roof. It is an absolutely great thing for the sport.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

The Trojans’ 16-11 victory forced a winner-take-all rematch at 6 p.m. Monday in the NCAA Regionals and left Gators’ coach Kevin O’Sullivan searching for pitching options.

“We are just going to have to pitch better if we want to move on,” he said.

O’Sullivan did not name a starter for Monday. He said that if needed, he’ll cycle through his staff to find an effective answer to Troy’s bats.

“We’ve obviously seen Troy can hit,” said redshirt sophomore Cade McDonald, who is 5-1 in relief in 2026. “We just have to be confident in our stuff and really execute. We trust everybody, we know how good our staff is. We just got to go out there and dominate.”

Florida (41-20) could not find anyone on Sunday to slow Troy’s hitters as the Sun Belt champion Trojans (35-30) set a school record for runs against a SEC opponent, bettering their 14 runs against Auburn in 1984 and 2011.

Gators’ football coach Jon Sumrall, who coached at Troy in 2022-23, turned out to see a former school face his new one. But he and a reported crowd of 4,751 witnessed a tough night on the mound for the Gators.

After a 9-6 comeback win earlier in the day eliminated Miami, the Trojans recorded 17 hits, including five home runs.

“Our guys are absolutely going to fight,” Troy coach Skyler Meade said. “When you challenge them, they rise up.”

Starter Liam Peterson struggled from the start, but lasted into the sixth inning. By the time O’Sullivan finally replaced the 6-foot-5 junior right-hander, Peterson had allowed 10 hits and, ultimately, nine earned runs on 104 pitches.

Troy catcher Jimmy Janicki tagged Peterson twice for home runs, beginning with a two-run, 440-foot shot to left field by the 6-foot-4, 223-pound sophomore in the bottom of the first inning.

After Peterson’s exit, the Gators came undone.

Troy scored nine runs in the bottom of the sixth while generating seven hits — highlighted by a grand slam from designated hitter Jabe Boroff — and forced two more pitching changes.

“You certainly don’t have that on our bingo card,” Meade said. “It was awesome.”

After Peterson walked a batter and allowed a single to open the inning, O’Sullivan opted for senior left-hander Ernesto Lugo-Canchola. He immediately yielded consecutive singles, the second scoring a run, leading O’Sullivan to bring in Schuyler Sandford with the bases loaded and Florida trailing 8-5.

The freshman was not the answer.

After recording an out on a pop-up to shortstop Brendan Lawson, Blake Cavill drew a four-pitch walk off Sandford for a run. He then hit Janicki with a pitch to hand Troy another run.

A Steve Meier single pushed the Trojans’ lead to 11-5, with another walk scoring another run and setting the stage for Boroff’s grand slam.

“The sixth inning was pretty much a disaster,” O’Sullivan said. “It kind of got away from us. The start today wasn’t what Liam wanted.”

The Gators tried to stage a comeback.

Second baseman Cade Kurland’s third home run of the regional was a grand slam to cut the lead to 16-9. McDonald’s two-run shot in the top of the ninth made it 16-11.

But with two out, Kurland popped up to shortstop Aaron Piasecki to end the game, leaving Troy a win away from advancing as the No. 3 seed. Meanwhile, Florida aims to avoid squandering a chance to host a Super Regional for the first time since 2023, when the Gators were national runner-ups.

“This has been an exciting weekend,” Troy right fielder Houston Markham said. “Just to see some of the best teams in the country. We talk about this all the time. Just sitting on the couch, watching TV, it’s like, ‘Man, that could be us.'”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

The deliberate, measured SEC commissioner spent last week’s conference Spring Meetings on Florida’s Panhandle in a familiar position: standing firm while others pushed for change.

Amid College Football Playoff expansion, conference realignment, governance issues that have reached Capitol Hill or the future of the NCAA itself, Sankey has emerged as an influential gatekeeper — and perhaps the last prominent voice urging caution.

The financial forces driving change are real.

Revenue sharing with athletes is stretching budgets. NIL opportunities redirect money toward players rather than athletic departments. Television revenue is increasingly key to balancing the books, leaving schools searching for every possible source of income.

Those realities have intensified the calls to expand the CFP to 24 teams just two years after the format went from four participants to 12.

Expansion talk prominent at SEC meetings

The issue dominated conversations during the three days of Spring Meetings, where conference leaders wrestled with the future of college sports.

Some administrators, led by Georgia’s president, Jere Morehead, even suggested the SEC eventually consider breaking away unless the NCAA cannot better address tampering, eligibility disputes and enforcement tied to the the House settlement.

“That is a really draconian step,” said Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin. “I don’t think you can make up your own rules and still compete against others who are following different rules.”

When meetings concluded Thursday, all options remained on the table.

But the most pressure-packed issue facing Sankey remains playoff expansion, with a Dec. 1 deadline approaching if changes are to be made to the CFP format.

As the most powerful figure in college athletics, Sankey is resisting public opinion and growing sentiment within his own conference to expand.

The Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and Group of Six leagues continue to advocate for a 24-team playoff. Sankey favors growing to 16, if expansion happens at all.

“We’ve not stated opposition to 24,” he said. “We’ve stated support of 16.”

His distinction matters.

Many SEC athletic directors and coaches have warmed to the idea of a 24-team field. More playoff access would create additional opportunities for revenue and help justify the considerable investment schools continue making in football.

“We’ve got to think of the unintended consequences when we make decisions to move in whatever direction we decide to go,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “But I think change is inevitable.”

More info before rush to change

This sense of inevitability has left Sankey publicly at odds with longtime colleagues and friends in his own league. Yet he continues to ask questions many others seem eager to move past.

Sankey wants more information before committing to a larger playoff field — and to learn more before expecting ESPN to significantly increase its investment in a postseason package. The network is already paying roughly $1.3 billion annually through the 2031-32 season.

Not everyone believes Sankey’s caution is misplaced.

Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts echoed some of his commissioner’s concerns. A former All-American at Nebraska, Alberts wants to better understand the effects of expanding to 12 teams before growing again just two years after increasing from the four-team model in place since 2014.

“I remember back, ‘Oh gosh, are we going to devalue the regular season by going to 12?’” Alberts recalled. “We have some data that shows we didn’t. The regular season was still protected. But, man, we haven’t done that very long, and so sprinting to something else without a little bit more data, without understanding … we have to be deliberative and be careful, because you can’t go back.”

Concerns include player health, scheduling

Reservations extend beyond playoff math.

An expanded postseason would create challenges involving scheduling, conflicts with the NFL calendar, Early Signing Day, transfer portal timing and player health.

It also could signal the end of the SEC Championship.

Played annually since 1992, the title game has become a popular and valuable asset, generating upwards of $100 million in revenue. Eliminating the game would intensify the pressure for playoff expansion to offset those losses.

SEC schools with vast athletic departments — Florida and Georgia each sponsor 21 sports, for example — bank on football revenue to fund other programs.

“I’m really more worried about the financial burden that we’re under right now of paying for all of the athletic department,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “When you take that revenue stream out, can we make it work? Is it sustainable to do without it, would be my biggest concern.”

ESPN has not definitively indicated an appetite to increase its college football inventory. If negotiations stall, the SEC could ultimately let Fox in the henhouse.

Such a move would further strengthen the Big Ten’s position.

The conference already distributes more money to its members. Big Ten schools averaged $76.1 million in conference revenue during the 2024-25 fiscal year, with Ohio State receiving more than $91 million.

The SEC handed out $72.4 million per institution and the league office, though 2024 newcomers Texas and Oklahoma received reduced shares during their transition year.

Big Ten’s trophy case filling up

At the same time, the Big Ten is winning where it matters most.

The conference has produced the past three national champions and seized momentum after two decades of SEC dominance. From 2006 to 2022, SEC schools produced 13 national champions. Ohio State’s 2014 title represented the Big Ten’s lone championship.

The balance of power recently has shifted.

The SEC has not played for a national championship during the past three seasons. The conference is 0-4 in head-to-head CFP meetings against the Big Ten in that stretch. Meanwhile, the Big Ten owns a 15-4 CFB record against non-Big Ten foes, while the SEC is just 3-7.

Still, Sankey rejects the notion the SEC has lost its place atop the sport.

The 61-year-old from New York noted the SEC’s 37 games on ABC and ESPN averaged 7.3 million viewers last season. The league also had a CFP-high five teams in the 2025 field.

“If you look at the entirety of our league, we are by far the most competitive, the strongest football league — by far,” Sankey said. “But you’re going to lose games when it’s close and competitive like that. So why have they surpassed us? It’s an oddball, it’s bounced a couple times the wrong way.”

He cited Alabama’s overtime loss to eventual national champion Michigan in the 2023 playoff and Ole Miss’ last-second defeat against Miami as razor-thin outcomes determining perceptions.

“Those are small margins between winning and losing,” he said. “We prevailed by those small margins a number of times.”

As college football races toward another round of transformative change, Sankey remains unmoved by the momentum around him. Expansion appears inevitable, while change is essential.

For now, Sankey is unfazed and unflinchingly confident in the SEC’s current position — and its future.

“I can assure you that everyone in this league is trying to figure out how to come up on the top end,” he said.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad blasted a five homers, including three in a row, during the bottom of the eighth inning of a 22-10 rout that began Saturday night and ended early Sunday morning.

“I can’t explain tonight,” O’Sullivan said. “It was amazing. That doesn’t happen very often. It’s incredible.”

A reported crowd of 5,673 at Condron Family Ballpark savored every blast over the fence. At one point fans chanted, “SEC, SEC,” as ACC’s Hurricanes watched helplessly as baseballs cleared the outfield wall at a record rate.

Florida had never hit five homers in a single inning.

“I’ve never seen the atmosphere it was tonight, and it helped,” O’Sullivan said. “This is my 19th year and that’s the best it’s ever been.”

During the four-hour, 13-minute marathon, the Gators (41-19) recorded seven home runs, an NCAA Tournament record for Florida, and 15 hits while cycling through nine Miami pitchers and producing a pair of seven-run innings.

Florida’s run total is the most scored against the Hurricanes in Miami school history.

The Gators will now play Troy (34-30) on Sunday at 5 p.m. seeking to sweep the double-elimination regional and avoid a Monday winner-take-all game. Troy knocked the Hurricanes out of the tournament with a 9-6 win early Sunday. Miami ends its season 39-20.

“I’ve never done that, three games straight, so that’d be awesome,” said redshirt junior Cade Kurland, who hit two home runs against Miami. “Let’s do it.”

Neither team could pull away as the Gators and Hurricanes were knotted 8-8 entering the bottom of the sixth inning.

Miami had chased Florida ace Aidan King after three innings as the SEC Pitcher of the Year allowed eight hits and six earned runs while striking out three on 74 pitches.

The Hurricanes, however, struggled even more on the mound, while adding to their problems in the field. The ACC leader with 89 errors committed four more against Florida.

“That’s not the way you draw it up,” coach J.D. Arteaga said. “Starting pitcher (AJ Ciscar) doesn’t get out of the first inning, you make four errors … That’s a good team. You can’t give them extra outs.”

The Gators broke open the game as Miami used three pitchers in the sixth, and was inept in the field. Florida managed just one hit but scored seven runs during a 35-minute inning to lead 15-8.

Two Florida batters walked to sandwich the inning’s first out. The second came on a pop-up by third baseman Ethan Surowiec to catcher Alonzo Alvarez.

The Hurricanes then fell apart.

A Miami miscue loaded the bases. Shortstop Vance Sheahan fielded a grounder by Caden McDonald, but casually threw the ball to third baseman Gabriel Milano who missed the tag of Kyle Jones to load the bases.

Florida catcher Karson Bowen drew four consecutive balls off pitcher Ryan Bilka, who had replaced Jack Durso (0-2), to score Jones to break the tie. Miami then brought in Brixton Longren. He immediately walked Landon Stripling to score Blake Cyr — a former Hurricane who transferred to Gainesville in 2024.

A line drive by Kurland was then misplayed by Sheahan, allowing McDonald to score.

Longren followed with a wild pitch to score Bowen. A double by Jones over the head of Miami right fielder Derek Williams scored three more runs to complete Florida’s scoring.

Miami rallied briefly to score two runs in the top of the eight inning against Jackson Barberi. The second score came on a line drive that ricocheted off the 6-foot-4 sophomore right-hander’s right ankle — leading a trainer to the mound to check on him.

With runners on first and second, Barberi (5-2) quickly refocused and struck out pinch hitter Brandon DeGoti swinging at a 96 mph fastball — his 61st pitch of the night.

O’Sullivan praised Barberi’s resiliency, considering he’d allowed a grand slam to Rider on Friday to tie the game 4-4 during the Gators’ dramatic 8-7 win.

“He just reached back and threw three of his best fastballs the entire night,” O’Sullivan said. “If he doesn’t pitch the way he does tonight, we’re still playing, who knows? It was really good to see him bounce back.”

Meanwhile, Florida’s hitters were just getting warmed up.

Kurland delivered a solo home run with one out in the top of the eighth inning. After a second out and walk by Jones, shortstop Brandon Lawson blasted a homer to center field, his team-leading 18th of the season.

Cyr and Surowiec followed with home runs. Two batters later, Bowen hit his second of the night as the senior recorded a team-best five RBI.

All five homers came against sophomore Tate DeRias.

In two NCAA Regional games, Florida now has 12 home runs, giving the Gators 102 in 2026 — ranking sixth in school history.

“It’s kind of just building for awhile, where we can kind of just explode at any moment,” Bowen said.

Miami was blown away and then blown out of the tournament.

“Backed ourselves into a corner,” Arteaga said.

Florida needs just one more victory to advance. But Kurland warned the Gators need to quickly put a historic performance behind them.

“Tomorrow’s a new day,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many runs you put up, you gotta do the same thing day after day. It’s as simple as that.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Sophomore shortstop Brendan Lawson’s walk-off home run to open the bottom of the ninth inning carried Florida past Rider 8-7 as the No. 9 Gators avoided a crushing defeat during their first regional game at home since 2023. Lawson drove a 2-1 pitch from senior Christian Aiello to center field to cap a wild finish.

Before he stepped to the plate, Lawson said told outfielder Blake Cyr he was confident the Gators would avoid extra innings.

“I’m going to get on and we’re going to end the game,” Lawson recalled telling the Miami transfer and Gators’ leading hitter.

On Saturday, Florida will host the Hurricanes (39-18), who defeated Troy 10-5 late Friday night. The Trojans (32-29) were to play Rider in an elimination game Saturday. The Gators nearly ended up in the loser’s bracket, which would have put the tournament’s No. 8 national seed in a more difficult position to advance out of the double-elimination regional and into one of next weekend’s Super Regionals.

Coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s team (40-19) was cruising along, leading 4-0 entering the eighth inning after No. 3 starter Russell Sandefer rose to the occasion and delivered a gem. Florida’s batters supported him with two home runs, beginning with center fielder Kyle Jones’ solo shot in the opening inning.

But the Gators were just getting started with the long ball on a day they hit five.

Meanwhile, Rider (33-19), a veteran group from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, featuring 13 seniors, finally began to warm up at the plate. Facing a full count and two outs with the bases loaded, Broncs’ senior outfielder Anthony Paskell smacked a pitch by sophomore Jackson Barberi over the left-field fence to tie the game at 4-4.

O’Sullivan sent in top reliever Joshua Whritenour, but the redshirt freshman allowed a double followed by a home run from junior catcher Nick Shuhet to push Rider’s advantage to 6-4.

Florida responded with a home run from Caden McDonald to open the inning, a triple by catcher Karson Bowen and home run by second baseman Cade Kurland after a strikeout by first baseman Landon Stripling, who had homered in the sixth inning to make it 4-0.

Trailing 7-6, the Broncos answered again, with a solo shot by junior shortstop Matt Leahy to leave the game tied before Lawson’s walk-off effort.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” O’Sullivan said. “At this point in the season, a win is a win. We need to pitch better at the end of the game to reach our ultimate goal.”

O’Sullivan had given Sandefer the nod over SEC Pitcher of the Year Aidan King and veteran Liam Peterson in order to save them for bigger games over the weekend.

Sandefer allowed just two hits and struck out five during 5.2 innings after lasting just an inning in his last appearance during the SEC tournament semifinals against Georgia. The Tampa native in his first season at UF was hit by a line drive against Georgia and left the game.

At one point, Sandefer retired 12 straight batters.

McDonald replaced him but O’Sullivan replaced him after 1 1/3 innings having allowed just one hit. From there, the Gators used three pitchers over two innings as Rider turned a runaway into a nail-biter.

“He was really good,” O’Sullivan said of Sandefer. “It was hot and it was probably as humid a day as we’ve had. I thought he ran out of gas, that’s why we went to Caden — then I thought he ran out of gas. Hoping to stretch the lead out a little bit more from four runs, we wouldn’t have to use some of the guys we did.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com