Florida

Penn State OG TJ Stranahan commits to Florida Gators

Published

7 days ago

January 7, 2026

Penn State OG TJ Stranahan commits to Florida Gators

Former Penn State interior offensive lineman TJ Shanahan committed to the Florida Gators on Tuesday, Jan. 6, reuniting him with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein in Gainesville.

Trautwein’s connection with Shanahan loomed large in his recruitment. The only visit Shanahan took was to Gainesville on Saturday, and Trautwein recruited him out of high school before he moved from Florida to Texas. The hometown angle also plays a factor here. His family lives outside of Tampa, and his cousin, Jon Halapio, played at Florida from 2009 to 2013 before being drafted in the sixth round.

247Sports does not have a transfer portal grade for Shanahan, but On3 ranks him at No. 341 overall and No. 25 among interior offensive linemen in the portal. He has two years of eligibility remaining with hopes of becoming a full-time starter at Florida.

TJ Shanahan’s college career

A consensus four-star recruit and the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class, Shanahan chose Texas A&M after visiting several SEC programs. He appeared in three games as a true freshman before redshirting. He became a regular in the Aggies’ offensive line rotation in 2024, playing in 10 total games. He spent time at center and left guard, starting four of five games at the latter position.

He entered the transfer portal following coaching changes at Texas A&M, ultimately landing at Penn State. He played in all 13 games for the Nittany Lions, making five starts while jumping between both guard positions. Injuries kept him from playing a bigger role at the end of the regular season, but he played nearly 80 snaps at right guard in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Pro Football Focus gave him a 63.5 overall grade on offense, a 75.1 pass-blocking grade and a 59.2 run-blocking grade in 2025.

Florida’s interior offensive line room

Florida’s interior offensive line returns starting left guard Knijeah Harris and backup guards Roderick Kearney and Tavaris Dice Jr. Assuming Harris stays at left guard, Shanhan is a strong possibility at right guard for Florida next season. Kearney and Dice could provide depth at both positions, or the former could transition to center in hopes of replacing All-American starter Jake Slaughter.

Florida is losing several interior linemen to graduation and the transfer portal. Along with Slaughter, Damieon George Jr. and Kamryn Waites have exhausted their eligibility. Noel Portnjagin and Marcus Mascoll are in the portal. Redshirt freshman Jason Zandamela is staying and received high praise from Slaughter.

Florida is expected to land Georgia Tech lineman Harrison Moore, which would reload the stable with plenty of room for competition at all three positions.

Florida 2026 transfer portal additions

Shanahan is the 10th official transfer portal addition of the 2026 cycle for Florida.

On offense, Georgia Tech quarterback Aaron Philo, Cincinnati running back Evan Pryor, Georgia Tech wide receiver Bailey Stockton, Wake Forest receiver Micah Mays Jr., and James Madison tight end Lacota Dippre have committed. On defense, Florida has earned commitments from Baylor defensive lineman DK Kalu and Baylor safety DJ Coleman. The Gators are also adding a pair of special teamers from Tulane, kicker Patrick Durkin and punter Alec Clark.

Florida is also expected to land Georgia Tech interior offensive lineman Harrison Moore, who is on an official visit (Jan. 6).

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

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Florida

County-by-county: Freeze watch issued for Central Florida

Published

5 hours ago

January 14, 2026

Press Room

County-by-county: Freeze watch issued for Central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. – Ahead of the coldest temperatures in years for Central Florida, the National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch for Friday morning.

A freeze watch means temperatures of 32 degrees or lower are possible.

Actual air temperatures Friday morning

Exterior pipes should be protected in Marion, Sumter and northern Lake counties where temperatures could be below freezing for four to six hours.

Marion County

Sumter county

Lake county

Plants sensitive to the cold should be covered or brought inside by Thursday evening.

Orange County

Flagler county

Osceola county

Brevard County

Volusia county

Seminole county

Polk county

It’s also a good idea to bring pets inside.

A strong Arctic cold front is expected to arrive Thursday morning. Temperatures top out in the upper 50s and lower 60s early in the day, but are expected to fall for most of the afternoon.

Temperatures will bottom out in the 20s and 30s across Central Florida.

This does not include the wind.

Parts of Central Florida could again dip below freezing Saturday morning.

A reinforcing shot of cold air arrives Sunday which could send parts of Central Florida back below freezing Monday morning.

A big warmup arrives late next work week and into the following weekend.

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Florida

Cruise ship out of Florida hit by norovirus outbreak; 94 affected

Published

1 day ago

January 13, 2026

Press Room

Cruise ship out of Florida hit by norovirus outbreak; 94 affected

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A cruise ship that departed Florida has been hit by a norovirus outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC reported that 94 people fell ill on the Holland America Line cruise ship Rotterdam during its voyage between Dec. 28, 2025, and Jan. 9, 2026.

Those affected by the norovirus outbreak showed the typical symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.

The virus, which is highly contagious, is the number 1 cause of foodborne illnesses in the United States, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms appear between 12 and 48 hours after exposure and can include other symptoms like stomach pain, headaches, and fevers.

According to the CDC, 85 passengers out of 2,593 reported being sick. Nine of the 1,005 crew members reported being ill as well.

The CDC said Holland America Line and the Rotterdam crew increased cleaning and disinfection measures and quarantined those who fell ill to prevent the disease from spreading further.

CruiseMapper.com showed that the ship departed Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 28. The cruise line’s website also has several future voyages out of Fort Lauderdale as well.

8 On Your Side has reached out to Holland America for more information on the outbreak.

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Florida

See photos of Monday’s SpaceX rocket launch from Cape Canaveral

Published

2 days ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

See photos of Monday’s SpaceX rocket launch from Cape Canaveral

After a push to nearly the end of the launch window, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off on Florida’s third launch of 2026.

The rocket lifted off at 4:08 p.m. Monday, January 12 from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It had originally been scheduled for earlier in the afternoon, but the launch time was repeatedly pushed back. SpaceX did not give a reason for the change in timing.

The Falcon 9 carried 29 Starlink internet satellites to orbit on the booster’s 25th mission. No sonic booms were heard in Brevard County, as the booster landed on the Just Read the Instructions drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Next SpaceX rocket launch from Cape Canaveral

The next Falcon 9 rocket launch from Florida is scheduled for no earlier than 1:01 p.m. Wednesday, January 14 from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The mission is the next batch of SpaceX Starlink internet satellites, titled Starlink 6-98.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.

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