Zone, man, off-man – you name it, Danny Odem has got you covered. Most corners are only active in one area of the game, going against the pass. With the Class of 2026 talent, Odem is ever present on the field. Watching the First Academy (Orlando, FL) cornerback play, his passion for the game comes through on every snap. That dedication to the game was in Gainesville on Wednesday checking out the Gators.

Working his way to 13 scholarships, Odem updated which programs might be next on his offer sheet, “Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Ohio State, those are the main ones right now. North Carolina, they keep in touch too. There are a couple of others, but that’s all I can think of right now.”

Visits during the 2024 season were taken to Miami, Florida, and North Carolina. The rapport with the Hurricanes is growing.

“That relationship is good,” Odem stated. “Coach (Chevis) Jackson (CB) hits me up; he called me this morning. He keeps in contact often.”

Florida’s bond is tight.

“That relationship is great,” Odem shared. “I am leaving Florida right now.”

Odem continued talking about his time with Florida’s coaching staff, “The visit was great. I watched practice, toured the facilities, and talked to their coaches.”

With former New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick signing on to lead the Tar Heels, that has Odem’s attention.

“I feel like he will turn the program around, and do great things there,” Odem said.

Another visit could happen this weekend.

“I am trying to get to Syracuse for a Junior Day this weekend,” Odem stated. “If not this weekend, then this spring.”

Odem shared his thoughts on the Orange’s coaching staff, “Our relationship is great. A few of them reach out a couple of days out of the week.”

In addition to visiting Syracuse when the schedule works out, there are two more trips Odem wants to take in the New Year.

“I will be back at Florida for a Junior Day in January, and I will go on a couple of visits to Miami,” Odem stated. “I will visit where I am invited.”

Odem was all over the gridiron for the Royals during his junior run producing 45 tackles, two tackles for a loss, two picks, two forced fumbles, and picked up a fumble.

TALLAHASSEE – Deaths this year linked to COVID-19 rose to 5,768 with a 284 increase in November, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Meanwhile, cases are the lowest since the pandemic began in 2020.  

The previous month the increase was 703.

For 11 months that averages to 524 monthly.

Since the pandemic hit the state in 2020, there have been 98,744 fatalities.

That year, Florida had reported 23,349 deaths, according to state data. The number jumped to 39,870 in 2021, declining to 21,307 in 2022 and then 8,442 in 2023.

The largest number of deaths this year was reported in Miami-Dade County with 512, followed by 437 in Palm Beach County and 351 in Pinellas County.  

In the past week there were 1,787 cases compared with 1,453 the week before, the lowest since 358 on March 3, 2020 at the start of the pandemic when few tests were available. The high this year was 23,772 on July 19 

In 2023, the weekly low was 4,441 on Nov. 17 and the high was 28,162 on Jan. 6.

The most ever was 428,380 on Jan. 7, 2022.

Cases reached 8,18.237 including 412,947 so far this year. These are only infections reported to the state and often doesn’t include at-home tests. Weekly cases are adjusted as more data come in.  

The most weekly cases was 393,672 on Dec. 31, 2021.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer tracks cases and deaths have transitioned to the National Center for Health Statistics. Those stats show Florida with 85,148, behind California with 115,210, Texas with 106,457 and New York with 85,523.

So far, 32 panthers have died, mostly getting hit by vehicles on increasingly busy roads in their stronghold in southwest Florida. 

Traci Deen is president of the environmental group Conservation Florida. She says what little habitat the cats have left is becoming increasing squeezed by new developments and roads to funnel traffic to them. 

“The population in Florida is somewhere between 130 maybe to 230. So losing 32 panthers in one year is a tremendous loss to the Florida panther population,” she said. “It could represent, you know, over 10 percent of those population in our states. It’s devastating.” 

Deen said protecting natural lands along their migratory routes is the best way to ensure that panthers can thrive in the future.

“If we want our state animal to not only survive but thrive now and into the future, land conservation has to be a huge part of that solution,” she said, “and we need all Floridians to get involved and let it be known that this matters and support land conservation across the state.” 

Deen says creating highway underpasses that allow animals like the panther to safely migrate along wildlife corridors is another way to help preserve the species far into the future. 

She said panthers need 200 to 400 square miles to roam, but every single day 1,000 new Floridians move to the state. One way to protect them is to help preserve the Florida Wildlife Corridor: an 18 million-acre network of green spaces that panthers call home. Ten million acres are protected, but eight million acres of this corridor are still at risk for development.

Last week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced today that the remains of a juvenile male Florida panther had been found in Glades County. It’s thought that the panther was killed by a vehicle collision.

“This little panther’s tragic death illustrates the dire need for wildlife officials and state lawmakers to save this species before it’s too late,” said Jason Totoiu at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Development keeps eating away at the little bit of habitat left in southwest Florida, and it’s remarkable this panther made it this far north. It appears this animal tried hard to find safe passage through a narrow strand of habitat only to be hit by a car.

“We can’t keep hoping that panthers run the gauntlet north to get to safer ground. We need the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to act on its long-stated vision and work with Florida officials to move panthers north of the Caloosahatchee River. State lawmakers need to establish dedicated funding for wildlife crossings that are strategically placed to facilitate movement. Many states have done this already, and Florida needs to follow suit.”