Dooley’s Back Nine: Florida Football Staff Doing Work In Recruiting

The Back Nine comes at you after a wonderful Father’s Day weekend that included crab legs, boiled shrimp and steak. My wife and daughter should open a restaurant.

10. What a big weekend for Florida and Billy Napier looks like — recruit like it’s nobody’s business. While you and I might have been playing golf, Napier and the staff of polo shirts that people like to make fun of killed it with a huge recruiting weekend. That included a commitment from edge rush JaReylan McCoy and because he is from Tupelo, Miss., I am giving him the nickname “The Tupelo Terror.” No good? How about the “Tupelo Honey Badger?” Well, we have plenty of time to come up with a good one for McCoy, who decommitted from LSU, and running back Carsyn Baker (the Touchdown Maker? Naw, that one has been used) and receiver Marquez Daniel (Daniel My Brother?).

11. Too many of us look at the rankings for a class or a player and judge it or them based on what someone else thinks. You either trust your coaches or you don’t. Same goes for basketball. And every other sport. Kevin O’Sullivan is being aggressive in the portal and I will say that there is a chance it could be pretty good around here in the 2025-26 academic year.

12. Even with the only two Gators (both incoming) missing the cut, that was an entertaining U.S. Open. The Open is different from the other majors in that we root for car wrecks. And they kept coming. And then we added rain to the mix. Congrats to J.J. Spaun, who let the emotions flow after that ridiculous putt to win it (the longest putt made by anyone in this tourney). Some guys deal with rain delays well, some do not. Maybe Spaun is a closet Gator.

13. All I know is he is a worthy champion who has been playing as well as anyone the last few months. John Michael Spaun was the true winner, although Oakmont finished a close second. They kept talking about what an amateur would shoot there and I’d say I could break 100 … from the senior tees … with gimmees … and a traveling mulligan … maybe. Someone mentioned that it would be more difficult if the crowds were there, but I have news for you — nobody wants to watch 18 holes of an amateur playing golf and also taking your life in your hands because I don’t always know where it is going.

14. So, we are here. This is the end, my only friend, the end. Now that track and field has wrapped it up, we are done with Gator sports until, well SEC Media Days are only a month away. I always say that this time of the year is a great time to live in Gainesville because the traffic is miniscule and the restaurants are easy to get into. You just have to be able to handle oppressive heat and humidity that will make you dizzy.

15. Let’s evaluate the academic year as a whole. Won a national championship in basketball. Check. Won eight games in football. Really, is this where we are? OK, a reluctant check. Went to the Women’s College World Series. Check. Won the SEC title in men’s golf. Check. Elected a new university president. Oh, never mind.

16. One Father’s Day note — I still miss mine. My Dad is the reason I love golf so much and why I will keep playing until I can’t. When he was no longer able to play, he told me that was his only wish, to swing a club again. Bob Dooley was a great man and hopefully we’ll be able to get the tournament reinvented soon.

17. I did manage to make it a Father’s Day Weekend playing golf Saturday at the Starke Country Club with three Bradford County legends — Dick Smith, Tom Smith and David Elder. I was expecting the worst from my game because it had left me, but I made one slight grip adjustment and that — combined with the senior tees — allowed me to have a fun day. Elder might have edged me by double figures, but those of you who were around here back when he was a high school phenom know he has game.

18. There was a controversy over the music in the golf cart. When I commandeered it, my worst playlist popped up and kind of led to some snarky comments. This one would have been better:

* “After the Setting Sun” which is new from The Head and The Heart.

* “Nothing I Need” by Lord Huron.

* And for an old one, the sad news that Brian Wilson passed away led to multiple versions of multiple songs on my Facebook feed. I chose this one from Pet Sounds, one of the best albums ever — “I Know There’s An Answer” by The Beach Boys. Yeah, I know my Mom’s favorite was “Kokomo” but I digress.

WRUF.com sports columnist Pat Dooley can be heard on “The Tailgate” along with Jeff Cardozo from 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday on 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF.