Florida

Former teammate of Ewers, Manning at Longhorns could join Florida Gators through transfer portal

Published

2 years ago

December 25, 2024

Former teammate of Ewers, Manning at Longhorns could join Florida Gators through transfer portal

The transfer portal continues to generate moves in the NCAAF, even now during crucial moments for the season’s conclusion. The Texas Longhorns, led by Steve Sarkisian, surprisingly lost one of their WRs this fall, who was a key piece alongside Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. All signs point to his destination finally being Gainesville, where he would join Billy Napier’s Florida Gators.

Johntay Cook arrived at Texas in 2023 from DeSoto High School and, during his time with the Longhorns, became an important player on the offense. However, surprisingly, he decided to leave the program and, after several meetings, could end up with the Gators to help DJ Lagway have a great campaign next season.

The news was reported by Pete Nakos on On3’s, who made it clear that while nothing is confirmed, all signs point to Cook continuing in the SEC next year, specifically wearing the Florida Gators’ jersey.

“Coming off trips to Florida and Washington, the momentum sits with the Gators as Johntay Cook was able to spend one-on-one time with true freshman star DJ Lagway,” Nakos said. “I’ve logged a prediction for Cook to land in Gainesville.”

Johntay Cook II 1 of the Texas Longhorns warming up before the game vs the UL Monroe Warhawks at DKR-Memorial Stadium.

Cook ends his Longhorns career with just 16 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns across two seasons. If his move to the Gators is confirmed, the WR will face his former team on October 4, 2025, in Gainesville.

NCAAF News: Jalen Milroe weapon leaves Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama for Michigan

Sarkisian doesn’t want to repeat mistakes in the matchup against Arizona State

On January 1st, the team lead by Quinn Ewers will face the Arizona State Sun Devils in a Peach Bowl matchup. In this high-stakes game, head coach Steve Sarkisian knows they must minimize the margin for error following their recent games against Georgia and Clemson.

“We had a real come to Jesus meeting after the SEC Championship game when we essentially lost that game because of the penalties,” Sarkisian said to the press. “We just said we’re not going to do that anymore, and we’re going to play as clean football as we can play, as fundamentally-sound football as we can play. Still be aggressive. We never want to lose our stinger, we never want to lose our aggressiveness, but we can play smarter.“

“I critiqued one of the penalties that we got today, you can’t hit the quarterback late, and that was one of our two penalties Saturday,” Sarkisian said. “So we are continually trying to preach playing smarter football as well as playing hard and playing tough and playing physical. But quite frankly, that just came out of a come to Jesus meeting coming out of the SEC championship game.”

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on during the first half of the college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Texas Longhorns on November 30, 2024 in College Station, Texas.Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on during the first half of the college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Texas Longhorns on November 30, 2024 in College Station, Texas.

Zac Swanson seeks redemption against the Horns

When the Longhorns face the Sun Devils on January 1st, they will see many familiar faces on the opposing team. One of them is none other than Zac Swanson, who once wore the Texas colors and left the program under unfavorable circumstances.

When asked about the situation where Swanson will face his former team, he didn’t hold back in his response: “That’s my dream…That’s a team that kicked me out,” Swanson said. “They said if you want to stay at Texas, you might as well quit football and just go to school here. So, a lot of motivation there for me.”

Rather than wanting to confront, Sarkisian spoke to the press and expressed his happiness that his former players could be part of this great game: “For them to be in the quarterfinals of the CFP, I’m really happy for those guys,” Sarkisian said. “Our players were talking about it today, so and so, you know that name started popping up again today. I do think that’s the era of college football where we’re at now.”

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Florida

Summer Scheming ‘26: Florida State Seminoles

Published

10 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Summer Scheming ‘26: Florida State Seminoles

After a stellar run at Memphis Mike Norvell has had a rollercoaster run in Tallahassee as the Florida State Seminoles head football coach. Norvell finished his four year stint at Memphis with a 38-15 record.

At FSU Norvell started off slow winning only eight games in two years. Then the ‘Noles had an awakening and won 23 games from 2022-2023. And now that reality has come crashing back down with seven wins the past two seasons.

FSU will have 17 transfers in the 2-deep once again in 2026. It’s become a double-edged sword where he only way Norvell can keep his job (buyout be damned) after this year is to inject talent into the roster but he’s got a bad culture in the field house up at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Now let’s put the ‘Noles through The Goal, our 2026 Summer Scheming analysis system.

Acquisition: The ’Noles high school recruiting hasn’t been as ‘bad’ s advertised. FSU is 16th over the past three years in prep signings and 14th when it comes to the transfer portal for an average of 15th overall.

Development: Now this is the crazy part. Over the past couple of years the ‘Noles have only produced eight NFL players. Only eight have stuck it out from the 2025 and 2026 NFL Draft classes. Remember all of those drafts loaded with FSU talent like Jameis Winston and Jared Verse? Right now it’s Deuce Robinson and who else?

Deployment: This preseason Bill Connelly’s SP+ has FSU 35th in overall SP+. The Seminole offense is 45th, the defense 30th and the kicking game is 94th. So where as Mike Norvell has the 15th best players he’s producing the 35th best team. He’s revamped his coordinators once again sending Gus Malzahn off to the glue factory and promoting Tim Harris Jr to OC.

The bottleneck to success at FSU is the culture within the program. The Seminoles went hellbent on the transfer portal to improve from 5-7 to 10-3 and dipped their toe in again to move to 13-1. They were Jordan Travis’ leg away from competing for a national championship. But injuries do happen and losing your starting QB is a devastating one.

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 05: A fan cosplays as Scorpion from Mortal Kombat during the 2018 New York Comic Con at Javits Center on October 5, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

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Mike Norvell has taken the Manny Diaz approach to the transfer portal and it’s killed any semblance of a culture that could possibly have been built in the FSU locker room AND he’s losing games.

The FSU strength of schedule is 45th of 138 in FBS per CFB News. Florida State faces SMU before an off week. Then they head to Tuscaloosa to play the Alabama Crimson Tide. After a cupcake, FSU hosts UVA before consecutive road trips to Louisville and Miami. The ‘Noles also face Clemson, Pitt and Florida over the back half of the schedule.

The inventory space includes returning production per Bill Connelly, the On3 top-100 list and the Athlon preseason All-Conference Team honorees. The ’Noles returning production is 48th in FBS at 57% production. FSU has two players on the On3 top-100 list in WR Deuce Robinson (74th) and DL Mandrell Desir (97th). The ‘Noles have one player on the Athlon All-ACC Team and that’s Robinson.

CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 08: Mandrell Desir #93 of the Florida State Seminoles sacks Cade Klubnik #2 of the Clemson Tigers during the first half of a football game at Memorial Stadium on November 08, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)

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FSU hit the transfer portal for four of their five potential starting OL in ‘26. They also brought in QB Ashton Daniels (Auburn) and RB Quintrevion Wisner (Texas). Daniels is another FSU QB with a penchant for throwing interceptions.

Robinson averaged 19.3 yards per catch with six scores in 2025. Wisner adds over four yards per carry and three TD’s from his run at Texas. On defense M. Desir returns with 7.5 TFL’s and 6.5 sacks from a year ago.

Southern Miss transfer LB Chris Jones logged 9.5 TFL’s and 3.5 sacks a year ago. Another transfer, this one DB Nehemiah Chandler, picked up 13 PBU’s last season with two INT’s.

Mike Norvell is committing highway robbery with the past two seasons performances. After the 13-1 season and the Alabama opening with Nick Saban’s retirement, Norvell landed himself a nice raise up to $10.3M a season. The issue is they’ve only won six games per season under Norvell which adds up to $1.7M per win. That’s second to only Bill Belichick in the grand theft coaching category.

There is no chance the goal at FSU is anything short of eight wins. What a sad cry from only three seasons ago when the ‘Noles were potentially a national championship program. That’s the crux of the transfer portal, live by the transfer / die by the transfer.

TALLAHASSEE, FL – MARCH 13: Head Coach Mike Norvell of the Florida State Seminoles during Spring Football Practice at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility on the campus of Florida State University on March 13, 2026 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

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Highly successful clubs have started to be extremely careful with who comes in and out of their program, think: Ohio State, Notre Dame, Indiana and even lately- Miami. The vetting process is pivotal for not bottlenecking your success by bringing in locker room cancers.

Season Prediction: I can see this winding up anywhere from 5-7 to 7-5. They’ve got the 2nd most players on the On3 top-11 than anyone else on Miami’s schedule (ND has five). They also have the 15th best grouping of talent in the country. And yet I just can’t see Daniels, four new OL, a new RB, and another dozen guys on defense gelling together under Mike Norvell and into some phoenix that rises from the ashes of the ACC cellar.

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Florida

Iranian drones in Cuba could threaten South Florida, officials warn

Published

20 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Iranian drones in Cuba could threaten South Florida, officials warn

An Iranian-made drone displayed at the Biltmore Hotel served as a stark warning from national security advocates and South Florida officials who say Cuba’s growing military ties with Iran could pose a threat to the United States.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, chairman of the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, joined U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Florida, to highlight concerns about what they say are roughly 300 Iranian drones that have been delivered to Cuba.

Standing alongside one of the drones, Bush described the weapon as among the deadliest battlefield threats faced by American forces in recent years.

“Most loss of life of the U.S. military than any single weapon that exists over the last 15 years,” Bush said.

Gimenez warned that the drones’ capabilities make them particularly concerning because of their ability to carry significant explosive payloads over long distances.

“This particular model, there is about over 100 pounds of explosives,” Gimenez said. “That’s a pretty big bang. That’s why they call them kamikaze drones — they crash into their target and they explode.”

According to Gimenez, the drones can reach speeds of about 115 miles per hour and travel more than 1,000 miles, placing South Florida well within range. He said the aircraft could also reach the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay and other cities throughout the southeastern United States, including Tallahassee and Atlanta.

The congressman said one of the primary concerns is the potential for Iran-style drone warfare tactics, in which large numbers of drones are launched simultaneously to overwhelm air defense systems.

While the United States has sophisticated defense systems capable of intercepting incoming drones, Gimenez noted that a successful strike may require only one, or a handful of aircraft to penetrate those defenses.

The event was organized by United Against Nuclear Iran, which has sought to draw attention to expanding military and strategic cooperation between Iran and countries aligned with its interests, including Cuba.

Supporters of the group’s effort say the growing presence of Iranian military technology in the Western Hemisphere warrants increased attention from policymakers and defense officials.

For South Florida residents, the warning underscores the region’s proximity to Cuba and the continuing role the island nation plays in broader geopolitical tensions involving the United States and its adversaries.

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Florida

Video shows man attack Florida deputies in snake-and-gator-infested canal, sheriff says

Published

1 day ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Video shows man attack Florida deputies in snake-and-gator-infested canal, sheriff says

Body camera video shows a man fighting with Florida deputies who were trying to rescue him from a snake-and-alligator-infested canal, authorities said.

The incident happened July 3 when Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies found a man lying on the ground shirtless in front of an elementary school.

The man, 47-year-old Ryan McMinn, who had been then subject of a previous welfare check, fled on foot, the sheriff’s office said.

A short time later, authorities received a call about a man trying to climb on the side of a house in Palm Coast.

Deputies responded and found McMinn near the canal behind the house and when he spotted the deputies, McMinn ran into the canal and started swimming, authorities said.

“What’s your name?” a deputy asks him in the bodycam footage, as McMinn is seen swimming backwards. “You getting tired?”

Officials said McMinn was ordered to get out of the water multiple times but refused, and when he started to show signs of exhaustion, two deputies went into the canal to pull him out.

The video released by the sheriff’s office on Monday shows the deputies wading into the water before a struggle ensues.

Authorities said McMinn tried to grab one deputy’s head to push it under the water, before he tried to grab the neck of the other deputy.

The deputies were able to get control of McMinn and get him safely to shore.

He was hospitalized before he was arrested and booked into jail on two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer.

“Battering a Deputy Sheriff will guarantee you the loss of your freedom and a trip to jail,” Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said. “These deputies went into the water to rescue this guy, and he responded by fighting them. I commend our deputies for their willingness to get in a canal that usually have snakes and gators and pull this guy to safety before he drowned.”

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