Georgia
Florida Continues Push to Beat Out Georgia for Top LB Recruit
After a huge ratings boost in the updated Rivals300 rankings that now has Joakim Gouda as a top-30 prospect in the 2027 class, the Florida Gators remain in contention for the elite Georgia linebacker despite an apparent leader in his recruitment.
Gouda, once unranked by Rivals, is now the second-highest-rated linebacker in his class. He has seen multiple expert predictions to land with Kirby Smart and the in-state Georgia Bulldogs recently. However, the Gators have consistently been in the mix for the athletic backer under Jon Sumrall, with both schools making his top five, as well as Texas, Auburn and Alabama, and official visits scheduled to all remaining contenders.
Despite the smoke around Georgia, Florida will still have a strong shot at the 6-foot-2, 225-pound defender with plenty of time left before his decision is officially made.
“Florida is definitely still strongly in the race,” Gouda told Florida Gators on SI. “I’m just focused on building relationships and taking my time. I’m not rushing a commitment — I want to make the best decision for me and my future.”
Though the Gators offered Gouda only just over two months ago, Florida has wasted no time in aggressively pursuing the talented athlete, who is expected back on campus for a visit this spring on top of his scheduled official visit from June 4 to June 6. While still somewhat early in the building of a relationship, the new staff member has stood out.
“Florida sits in my top 5 because I really like the program and the energy around it right now. Even with a lot of competition, I believe in my ability to compete and contribute.” Gouda said. “I think I could fit in well with Sumrall and the new staff because I’m coachable, hardworking, and focused on team success. I like their energy and vision for the program, and that’s earned them a real chance in my recruitment.”
Florida’s chances will rely heavily on the next few months, however, as Gouda goes through his visits looking for the best program fit amongst multiple premier options. With a long way to go till signing day, the Gators will have plenty of time to prove to the elite prospect that they meet his criteria.
“From Florida, I’m looking for a staff that truly believes in me, a system where I can develop, and a culture that feels like family,” Gouda said. “A program will earn my commitment by showing consistency, developing players, and giving me the best opportunity to grow on and off the field.”
After making 100 tackles during junior season at South Pauling High School (Ga.), Gouda is expected to surge up recruiting rankings as he heads toward a decision next year. While becoming one of the largest risers in his class as of late, the four-star is not getting complacent.
“The attention on Rivals feels good because it shows people are noticing my work,” Gouda said. “…I think it’s just a result of staying consistent and improving every day, but I’m still keeping my head down and grinding.”
The Gators will likely be in it till the end for the potential future five-star Gouda, with Sumrall and staff looking to fight off Smart in his home state and land one of the more exciting prospects at his position in 2027.
More From Florida Gators on SI
Former Glynn County, Georgia Police Chief Scott Ebner, now a finalist for the Honolulu chief job, has been under investigation for months over allegations of inappropriate behavior with a subordinate but apparently failed to mention that to a hiring consultant who recommended him as a top candidate for the Honolulu job.
When asked directly about the ongoing investigation last week by Civil Beat, Ebner professed not to know anything about it and denied he was under investigation.
“That’s not the case,” he said.
Civil Beat confirmed a complaint was filed in early August against Ebner alleging inappropriate conduct between him and Stephanie Oliver, an assistant chief, who he had promoted. Civil Beat also confirmed an independent investigator was hired by Glynn County a month later and that both Ebner and Oliver were notified of the complaint and investigation, which is still open.
Ebner resigned as chief and public safety director in December, about four months after the complaint was filed and less than two years after he had taken the top role at the Glynn County Police Department. In a Dec. 22 press release, county officials said he was moving into a transitional role to “support continuity of operations and leadership planning” at the end of that month. He is set to leave that position on June 30.
A Note On Anonymous Sources
Ebner has said he left the chief job simply because it was time to move on. He had his eye on the chief job in Honolulu by then and knew a search would be starting soon. During his interview with Civil Beat he pointed to a glowing letter of recommendation from the Glynn County Board of Commissioners and asked why the board would write such a letter if he had left under a cloud of suspicion.
Oliver did not respond to messages left seeking comment. An email sent to her police department email address bounced back.
The allegations were first made public in Georgia on a local news organization’s Facebook page in December.
However, Honolulu Police Commission Chair Laurie Foster said commission members did not know about the allegation against Ebner before selecting him as a finalist. Now that they are aware of it, she said they are investigating, adding that commissioners are doing deep background research on all three of the finalists.
“We’re looking into all sorts of rumors, and they come up every day,” she said. “And we continue to investigate rumors and allegations that come up.”
Screened By Consultant
Ebner, who was also a finalist for the chief position in 2022, was named as a finalist last week by the Police Commission, along with David Lazar, a retired assistant chief from San Francisco, and Mike Lambert, director of Hawaiʻi’s Department of Law Enforcement.
Before advancing, Ebner was interviewed and screened by the executive search firm, Public Sector Search & Consulting Inc., which specializes in law enforcement executive hiring. The city is paying the company $121,900 to conduct the chief search.
When asked if she thought the consultant should have uncovered the allegation about Ebner’s investigation and warned the commission, Foster said she didn’t know yet.
“I’m not going to respond to that right now,” she said.
Starting with a pool of more than 40 candidates put forward by the consulting firm in April, the commission chose six semifinalists, who were interviewed by four panels of stakeholders, including top city and state officials, first responders and community organization leaders.
Based on the results of those interviews, commissioners then advanced Ebner, Lazar and Lambert, who have been making the rounds of media outlets for in-person interviews and were interviewed on a PBS program on Thursday evening.
They are scheduled to meet privately this week with Mayor Rick Blangiardi, who wants input into who becomes chief, followed by closed-door interviews with only two police commissioners at a time. If more than two commissioners participated in each interview, the meetings would have to be open to the public under Hawaiʻi’s Sunshine Law.
On Wednesday, the full commission is scheduled to hold a public session with each finalist, then decide later in the meeting who will get the job.
‘I’ve Never Been Disciplined’
The Glynn County Board of Commissioners did not mention an investigation or any allegations of misconduct when it announced Ebner was leaving the chief’s job in December. The press release contains quotes from commissioners praising Ebner’s leadership and his achievements as chief, including improving staffing levels by 25%, implementing salary increases for personnel and championing technological improvements in the department.
“On behalf of the Board of Commissioners, I want to thank Chief Ebner for his dedication to Glynn County,” commission Chairman Walter Rafolski said, according to the press release. “His work to elevate public safety standards and support the men and women who serve our community every day is sincerely appreciated.”
Rafolski did not respond to a call seeking comment. Other commissioners either declined to comment or did not respond.
During his interview with Civil Beat, Ebner said if an investigation had been opened into him prior to his departure from Glynn County, he wasn’t aware of it.
“Unless something’s happened that I don’t know about, which is always possible,” Ebner said at the end of the interview.
Civil Beat confirmed that Ebner was notified of the complaint and investigation several months before he left the police department and that an outside investigator hired by the county had begun conducting interviews.
Asked specifically about the allegations that he was having an affair with a subordinate, Ebner replied: “You’re always going to have people that file allegations … And then, like I said, if I had done anything wrong, I don’t think they would have let me leave or continue to pay me until June.”
He pulled the letter of recommendation from the Glynn County Board of Commissioners and signed by Rafolski out of his briefcase and gave it to a reporter.
“That’s who I work for, directly,” he said. “That’s what they gave me when I left.”
His recommendation letter also is from Rafolski and covers some of the same ground as the press release. It says the county saw improvements in public safety and emergency preparedness under Ebner’s leadership.
“Mr. Ebner has raised public safety standards in Glynn County through his dedication, integrity and commitment to excellence,” Rafolski says in the letter. “I give my highest recommendation and I’m confident he will excel in future roles.”
The letter says Ebner improved staffing, got strategic grants for the department, built public trust and prioritized transparency. The department also achieved state police certification, established an Office of Professional Standards and Accountability and acquired new technology and modern equipment under his leadership, it says.
“I’ve never been disciplined, I’ve never been verbally counseled or written a reprimand, I never had to be retrained or go over a policy because I did something wrong,” Ebner told Civil Beat. “And that’s kind of an anomaly with almost 35 years of law enforcement. That’s how seriously I take my job.”
County spokeswoman Brittany Dozier did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.
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BRIGHTON, Mass. – No. 3 Georgia Tech (45-9, 25-5 ACC) closes out its record-breaking regular season with a 15-2 (7) run-rule victory over No. 23 Boston College (36-20, 17-13 ACC) on Saturday afternoon at Harrington Athletics Village in Brighton, Mass. The Yellow Jackets scored five runs in the first inning and kept the Eagles off the board for the final six innings of play for yet another dominant victory, securing the most lopsided sweep over a Top 25 opponent in program history (38-3) and 25 Atlantic Coast Conference victories, tied with 2015 Louisville for the most ever recorded over a 30-game conference season.
All nine hitters reached base with six recording multiple hits. Kent Schmidt led the team with three hits (3-for-3) while Vahn Lackey led the way in with three RBI in another complete offensive effort. On the mound, Jackson Blakely settled in after allowing two runs (one earned) in the first inning, delivering four scoreless innings over his 5.0 IP before handing the ball to Cooper Underwood and Justin Shadek to complete the run-rule victory.
QUICK HITS: TEAM
- The Jackets improve to 45-9, the best regular season record, by winning percentage, since going 16-2 back in 1920..
- Tech finishes 25-5 in ACC play, tied with 2015 Louisville for the best 30-game conference record in ACC history.
- This is only the 2nd time Georgia Tech has won at least 45 regular season games in program history, and first since 1987 (47).
- The Jackets have swept six ACC series and nine series overall for the first time in program history.
- The Jackets are now 14-3 against Top-25 opponents, the best win % against ranked teams in program history. Seven of the 14 wins vs. Top 25 teams have been by a margin of at least 10 runs, including tonight.
- Tech has scored 578 runs this regular season. The most runs scored through 54 games in program history and the most scored by any Power 4 team through 54 games in the BBCOR era.
- GT’s 578 runs are a new program BBCOR era record and tied for the 6th-most ever recorded in a single season at GT.
- The Jackets hit two home runs tonight, for a season total of 114 – the 4th most in program history. Tech is eight homers away from the program record (122 – set in 2010).
- GT is outscoring its opponents 578-255, that +323 margin is the highest in program history.
- Tech’s offense is currently on pace to set program records in batting average (.357 – record is .347), on-base percentage (.468 – record is .434), slugging percentage (.626 – record is .575) and runs-per-game (10.6 – record is 10.3).
- Tech pitching finished with an ERA of 4.36 in ACC games, the best in the conference.
- This was the 31st game of the season in which Tech has scored double-digit runs (57.4 % of all games).
- The Jackets scored five runs in the first inning, the 36th inning with at least five runs scored (8.4% of all innings).
- Tech finishes their ACC schedule with a 69-6 combined score over the last five games.
- The Jackets have held their opponents to two or fewer runs in each of the last five league games.
- Georgia Tech has won back-to-back ACC regular season titles for the 2nd time in program history and the first time since 2004/2005
- Georgia Tech is the first back-to-back ACC Regular Season Champion since UVA in 2010/2011 (15 years)
- This is GT’s 11th Regular Season ACC Championship and 8th outright season title.
- Tech has won nine ACC Regular Season/Division titles this century, the 2nd most in the conference behind only Florida State (11)
- James Ramsey becomes the first ACC Coach to win a Regular Season Title in his first season since 1994 (Jack Leggett at Clemson) and the first coach to win the ACC regular season in his first season as a head coach since 1958 (Bill Wilhelm at Clemson).
- GT is the first program in ACC history to win back-to-back ACC championships with two different coaches, securing the conference title with Danny Hall in 2025 and James Ramsey in 2026.
QUICK HITS: THE BATS
- Junior Jarren Advincula extended his hitting streak to a career best 22 games, tied for the 8th longest in program history and the longest since 2005. He recorded his 100th hit of the season today, becoming the 14th Yellow Jacket in program history to record 100 hits in a single season and the first since 2005 (Wes Hodges & Tyler Greene).
- He went 2-for-5 with two singles. He has gotten a hit in 37 of his last 38 games dating back to March 10 and 50 of 54 games this season.
- He is the first Division I player to reach 100 hits this season after also being the fastest to 80 and 90.
- His batting average now stands at .441 for the season, the highest in Power 4 and the 2nd best in the nation. It is the 4th highest in program history. He has the highest batting average of any Tech player since 1979, when Doug Ibele went 52-for-112 (.464)
- Should the season end today, Advincula would have the highest batting average of any Yellow Jacket with at least 200 ABs – a record currently held by Jay Payton (.434) from back in 1994.
- This was his 35th multi-hit game of the season, the most on the team.
- Junior Vahn Lackey extended his hitting streak to a career best 11 games, going 2-for-2 with a home run, a triple and two hit-by-pitches. He led the team in runs scored (four) and RBI (three).
- He hit his 15th HR of the season in the fourth inning to break the game open.
- He has scored 72 runs this year, 13 more than his career total over his freshman and sophomore seasons.
- This was his 25th multi-hit game of the season, his 23rd game with multiple runs scored and his 19th game with multiple RBI
- He hit his team-leading 3rd triple of the season, a new career high, giving him career-bests in doubles (16), triples (3) home runs (15), RBI (69), total bases (145) and walks (43) this season.
- He has driven in 69 RBI this season, the second most on the team.
- Junior Carson Kerce reached base four times, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple and two walks, finishing with two RBI and three runs scored.
- He has now hit eight home runs this season, surpassing his career total from his freshman and sophomore seasons (six).
- He leads the team with 39 extra base hits this season.
- Junior Drew Burress extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a pair of doubles, getting an RBI and a run scored.
- He has now scored an ACC-best 74 runs, bringing his career total to 224, the 5th most in program history and eight away from Darren Bragg (1988-91) for 4th.
- His 224 runs scored is the most among active Division I players
- He produced his 3rd game with multiple doubles this season, giving him multiple hits in 12 of his final 16 regular season games dating back to April 19.
- Junior Kent Schmidt went 3-for-3 with two walks and two RBI. It was his fifth game of the season with at least three hits and his 11h game with multiple RBI.
- He finishes as GT’s ACC season leader in RBI, with 36.
QUICK HITS: THE ARMS
- Sophomore Jackson Blakely made his 10th consecutive weekend start, pitching 5.0 innings with one earned run allowed and five strikeouts with five hits and three walks surrendered.
- The Jackets have won each of Blakley’s last nine starts.
- His ERA stands at 2.75 over 55.2 innings, the lowest among all regular starting pitchers on the roster and the second lowest ERA overall on staff.
- He stands at 61 strikeouts this season, the second most on the roster, and 55.2 innings pitched, also the second most, both behind Friday night starter Tate McKee.
- Blakely would get credit for the win, bringing his record to 7-1 for the season and joining Carson Ballard (7-0) for the second most wins on the staff, behind McKee (8).
- He is currently on pace to be the first Tech pitcher with an ERA under 3.00 since 2016 – Brandon Gold 2.48 ERA over 105.1 IP.
- Freshman Cooper Underwood produced a quite 6th inning, recording a pair of outs around a walk before Drew Rogers threw out a would-be base stealer from BC.
- This was his fifth appearance out of the bullpen this season and his 11th overall He owns a 1.04 ERA over 8.2 innings out of the bullpen this year, allowing only three hits with 10 strikeouts.
- R-sophomore Justin Shadek made his 14th bullpen appearance of the season and his 16th He pitched a scoreless seventh inning recording two of his three outs via strikeout.
- He has struck out 40 batters over 23.1 innings this season, a K/9 of 15.43, the most on the team among pitchers with at least 10.0 innings.
Up Next
The Jackets will turn their attention to the ACC Tournament at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. As the No. 1 seed, the Yellow Jackets will play the winner of the No. 8 seed vs. the winner of the No. 9/16 seeds on Thursday, May 21 at 3 p.m.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on X (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
Georgia has some of the most prestigious universities in the United State. In fact, the Peach State has three of the 50 best national universities according to U.S. News & World Report.
Our list is composed of the 12 national universities in Georgia. National liberal arts colleges (like Morehouse College) and regional universities (like Berry College) are not included.
What exactly is a national university? “Schools in the National Universities category … offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs,” U.S. News said. “These colleges also are committed to producing groundbreaking research.”
Graduation rates, peer assessment, financial resources, faculty per student and more are among the top factors in the rankings. Overall, Georgia has several great universities that all offer plenty of resources for students hoping to earn a college degree. The University of Georgia is no exception. UGA is the No. 19 public university in the country and has a competitive rate of tuition.
How does U.S. News rank the top 12 national universities in Georgia?
1. Emory University
National ranking: No. 24
Tuition and fees: $68,056
Enrollment: 7,406 (fall 2024)
Location: Atlanta
2. Georgia Institute of Technology
National ranking: No. 32
Tuition and fees: $35,092 (out of state), $12,008 (in-state)
Enrollment: 20,592 (fall 2024)
Location: Atlanta
3. University of Georgia
National ranking: No. 46 (tied)
Tuition and fees: $32,336 (out of state), $11,492 (in-state)
Enrollment: 32,399 (fall 2024)
Location: Athens
4. Mercer University
National ranking: No. 169
Tuition and fees: $43,570 (private)
Enrollment: 4,690 (fall 2024)
Location: Macon
5. Georgia State University
National ranking: No. 198 (tied)
Tuition and fees: $31,320 (out-of-state), $10,500 (in-state)
Enrollment: 27,4338 (fall 2024)
Location: Atlanta
6. Augusta University
National ranking: No. 273
Tuition and fees: $25,202 (out-of-state), $8,414 (in-state)
Enrollment: 6,078 (fall 2024)
Location: Augusta
7. Clark Atlanta University
National ranking: No. 329
Tuition and fees: $30,270 (private)
Enrollment: 3,618 (fall 2024)
Location: Atlanta
8. Georgia Southern University
National ranking: No. 343
Tuition and fees: $21,784 (out-of-state), $7,144 (in-state)
Enrollment: 23,618 (fall 2024)
Location: Statesboro
9. (tied) University of West Georgia
National ranking: No. 373 (tied)
Tuition and fees: $21,850 (out-of-state), $7,210 (in-state)
Enrollment: 9,157 (fall 2024)
Location: Carrollton
9. (tied) Kennesaw State University
National ranking: No. 373
Tuition and fees: $22,278 (out-of-state), $6,948 (in-state)
Enrollment: 42,840 (fall 2024)
Location: Kennesaw
11. (tied) Valdosta State University
National ranking: No. 395-434
Tuition and fees: $17,863 (out-of-state), $6,124 (in-state)
Enrollment: 7,206 (fall 2024)
Location: Valdosta
11. (tied) Brenau University
National ranking: No. 395-434
Tuition and fees: $35,520 (private)
Enrollment: 1,273 (fall 2023)
Location: Gainesville
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