Florida
Why Transfer WR Elijhah Badger is so Important to Florida Gators
With the Florida Gators set to add former Arizona State wide receiver Elijhah Badger to the roster via the NCAA Transfer Portal, Gators Illustrated takes a look at what the former Sun Devil brings to the program.
Putting it bluntly, Billy Napier and his staff get their guy as they close the book on its 2024 recruiting class.
With Ricky Pearsall off to the NFL, questions arose in spring camp about who would be the guy to replace his production at receiver. The obvious answer is rising sophomore Eugene Wilson III, who tremendously complemented Pearsall last season as an x-factor on offense.
Then there’s Kahleil Jackson, the walk-on quarterback-turned scholarship wide receiver who showed tremendous potential as a deep threat and big-body receiver last season as a starter.
Florida also has a pair of talented redshirt freshmen in Andy Jean and Aidan Mizell.
There’s also veteran backups Ja’Quavion Fraziars and Marcus Burke, who have yet to find a consistent role on the depth chart, but consistently earned the praises of their coaches and teammates in spring camp.
Not to mention, Florida signed a speedy freshmen receiver duo in Jerrae “Tank” Hawkins and TJ Abrams.
That being said, the vast majority of Florida’s receiving room is either young, unproven or both, and after spring camp, it was evident the Gators could use a seasoned vet with consistent production in the room.
As a result, Florida dipped into the transfer portal prior to spring camp, and they landed on quarterback Graham Mertz’s former Wisconsin teammate Chimere Dike, who had his best success with Mertz as his passer. Still, though, the vast majority of the Gators’ receivers are either veterans who haven’t been able to crack the depth chart or youngsters who haven’t been on campus long enough to make an impact.
Specifically, outside of Dike and Wilson, Florida’s current receiving corps has combined for 60 catches, 777 yards and four touchdowns in their respective careers.
Spoiler alert- Badger eclipsed all of those numbers on his own in 2022 and nearly did so again last season.
The Gators alleviate that inexperience and then some with Badger. His past two seasons with a struggling Arizona State program showed that.
In 2022, he recorded 70 catches for 866 yards and seven touchdowns. Although his numbers dipped in 2023, he still managed to catch 65 passes for 713 yards and three touchdowns. PFF graded Badger as the No. 78 receiver nationally last season (Pearsall was No. 74).
His catch total last season would’ve tied Pearsall for the team-high, and his yardage would’ve been second. Two years ago, he would’ve been the Gators’ top receiver in all three categories.
An underrated aspect to Badger’s game is his potential as a kick returner.
Lackluster special teams performances by the Gators over the last two seasons have been a major eyesore, and the lack of a consistent threat at kick returner hasn’t done them any favors. Not to mention, Florida’s two returners from last season (Pearsall and now-Georgia running back Trevor Etienne) are no longer part of the program.
Florida did have options prior to Badger’s addition to the program. Wilson III’s agility makes him an automatic contender. There’s also Hawkins, who was once credited with a 4.25-second 40-yard dash. Additionally, running back Montrell Johnson even indicated in the spring that he was working out at punt returner.
Again though, the one thing Badger has that that group doesn’t is successful experiences in that roles.
Last season, he returned 20 kickoffs for 578 yards, which equates to a 28.9-yard return on average. He also had an 81-yard return in the Sun Devils’ season-opener.
For comparison’s sake, the Gators averaged under 21 yards per kickoff return as a team last season. Florida hasn’t had a kick returner with over 500 yards in a season since Brandon Powell in 2015, and they haven’t had a player with a single kickoff return of over 80 yards since Solomon Patton in 2013.
Patton’s 2013 campaign was also the last time Florida had a kickoff returner average at least 28 yards a return.
Another point, Florida hasn’t had a kickoff returned for a touchdown since Antonio Callaway in 2016, which was a onside kick attempt against Missouri.
Needless to say, it’s been a long near-10 years since Florida had a threatening return man on kickoffs. There’s potential all around this year’s Gator team to be that person, and Badger could be the best of them. At the very least, he will provide more competition for that role entering fall camp.
Overall, Napier and Co. hit the transfer portal jackpot with Badger. He was the top-remaining receiver in the transfer portal and No. 79 overall transfer in the country, according to the On3 Industry Comparison at the time of his commitment.
As with any transfer, though, only time will tell just how beneficial the addition will be. For now, the potential to be an instant-impact player is there, and this is an offseason win Gator Nation should celebrate.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is cooperating with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier after being issued a subpoena.
Uthmeier sent the subpoena to the NFL on May 13 as his office investigates whether the league has committed potential civil rights violations related to the Rooney Rule and the league’s other employment practices, policies and programs.
“I think we have been very clear about our programs, and we obviously evaluate them all the time, not just for how they get better, but also to make sure that they’re consistent with the law,” Goodell said Tuesday during league meetings in Orlando, Florida. “We’re engaging with the Florida attorney general and will continue to. We’ll share everything we’re doing with them. We think it’s certainly within the law, but also something very positive.”
Uthmeier threatened possible enforcement actions against the league in March if it didn’t suspend the 23-year-old Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions. At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.
Uthmeier said in a letter to Goodell that the Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.”
The subpoena orders the league to appear at the attorney general’s office in Tallahassee, Florida, on June 12. It asks the league to produce extensive documents, including “all diversity reports, coaching census data, or demographic surveys that reflect the race and sex of coaching staffs of the teams from 2017 to the present.”
Among the programs being reviewed by Uthmeier’s office is the accelerator program, which the league created in 2022 as an extension of the Rooney Rule to increase diversity among coaches and front office executives.
The accelerator program gives participants an opportunity to connect with owners and team executives, and attend informative sessions designed to equip them for future interviews.
The NFL held its revamped accelerator program on Monday and Tuesday in Orlando after pausing it last May. It now includes nonminority participants and nearly half of this year’s group were white men.
“There are a lot of candidates up there that are diverse, that are getting the opportunity to improve themselves and to get exposure, to get an opportunity,” Goodell said. “So, the people that are up there are the best of the best and they are a very diverse group, but they are the best of the best. And what we’re trying to do here is to make them even better and to give them opportunities. And that’s what I heard is that one, they appreciate the opportunity; two, it was helpful in that.”
Florida wildlife officials will release more information about the 2026 Florida Python Challenge on Tuesday, which brings hunters from all over to compete for a big cash prize while also helping protect the local ecosystem.
The competition has been held every year since 2013 to help raise awareness of the invasive Burmese python, which has contributed to the decline of small mammals like opossums, bobcats and foxes.
On Tuesday, officials with the Florida Wish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District and partners are holding a news conference to release more information about the unique competition that helps to support the delicate Florida Everglades ecosystem.
It was a record-breaking year for the competition in 2025. The FWC said 934 people from 30 states and Canada removed a record 294 pythons during the 10-day competition.
Last year was also the first time Everglades National Park was included among the official competition locations.
And last year’s winner removed 60 invasive Burmese pythons and claimed the $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize.
When is the 2026 Florida Python Challenge?
The 2026 Florida Python Challenge starts at 12:01 a.m. on July 10, 2026, and ends at 5 p.m. on July 19, 2026. Those who are interested in participating in the event can register here.
Participants must follow the competition rules and specific area regulations of the eight competition locations.
Those who are taking part will also be required to take the 2026 version of the Required Online Training, and training from a previous year is not valid for the 2026 registration.
The Florida Python Challenge aims to raise awareness, remove the invasive snakes
The Florida Python Challenge, now a yearly event, includes public education and a 10-day competition in which participants attempt to capture and remove Burmese pythons from public lands.
The Burmese python is one of the largest snakes in the world, with adult snakes caught in Florida growing to between 6-9 feet in length, and the largest captured in Florida measuring more than 18 feet long.
Because of their large size, adult Burmese pythons don’t have many predators, with humans being the exception.
They can also pose a threat to human safety, with pythons also preying upon pets like cats and dogs.
A truck driver is accused of hitting a parked car and then driving off, according to Orlando police.
Rakeem Williams, 32, faces a charge of leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, according to an arrest affidavit.
Police said Williams attempted to drive down a narrow road near South Street when he hit the parked car.
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