Look at this disgusting nonsense. It's almost as bad as the article on Saturday Down South.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- After a turbulent couple weeks for Florida football, many fans are wondering what the heck has happened?
TRUE.
Momentum could not seem to be lower coming off a 10-win season and a dominant bowl win over Michigan. Somehow, despite all the success in Year 1, a wave of negative offseason headlines has left coach
Dan Mullen scrambling to try to recapture the positive vibe that surrounded the program just a few short months ago.
TRUE.
Here's the deal: Things are never as good as they seem and never as bad as they seem.
CLICHE.
That's cliche, certainly, but it applies to Florida football right now. And with everything that's been reported in the past two weeks, there's usually a back story to reported news that sometimes doesn't make print.
AT LEAST HE ADMITS TO THE CLICHE. OOH, BUT WAIT, THERE'S A "BACK STORY".
So let's lay it out and illustrate what should be concerning for Florida fans and what maybe shouldn't be.
SURE, THOMAS, YOU CAN BE THE SPIRIT GUIDE WHO TAKES US THROUGH THIS CONFUSING STORY.
It all starts with
two accusations of sexual assault against early enrollee quarterback Jalon Jones in his dorm room within 30 minutes on April 6. No charges were formally filed in either case, though at least one made it to the UF Student Conduct review board.
FUNNY, STEELE THINKS IT STARTED MONTHS EARLIER WHEN HE REALIZED THAT JONES HAD SERIOUS ISSUES AND HE WANTED TO MOVE TO A NEW DORM.
In the aftermath,
Jones entered the NCAA transfer portal and left the program, a move more or less required by the Gators given the circumstances.
SURE, IT WAS THE GAYTORS WHO "MORE OR LESS REQUIRED" JONES TO TRANSFER. MORE OR LESS. MORE OR LESS?
That incident had more repercussions than Jones' immediate departure, though.
TRUE.
As noted by Swamp247 a handful of times, sources informed us that Jones was not well-liked by most of his teammates, including roommates
Chris Steele and
Jaydon Hill, who were both named as witnesses in the police report documenting the alleged assaults in a formal complaint affidavit.
OK, BUT EVERY GAYTOR KNOWS YOU CAN'T GET RID OF A GUY THAT CONTRIBUTES SO MUCH TO THE RECRUITING CLASS CALCULATOR JUST BECAUSE HIS TEAMMATES DON'T LIKE HIM.
On Thursday, the proverbial stuff hit the fan when
Steele also entered the NCAA transfer portal. As Florida's top-rated recruit in the 2019 class at a position of need for the Gators moving forward, Steele basically pulled the pin from the grenade and Gator Nation collectively exploded.
RIGHT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT GOLDKAMP SHOULD DO, BLAME STEELE FOR PULLING THE PIN ON THE GRENADE.
Worse, when news that Steele had requested a room change well before the alleged assaults because he was uncomfortable living with Jones became public -- again, not necessarily surprising information given his dislike of the quarterback signee -- it pointed to a huge potential misstep by coach
Dan Mullen.
DON'T FORGET, GOLDKAMP IS BASICALLY ARGUING THAT STEELE SIMPLY "DOESN'T LIKE" JONES, WITHOUT CONSIDERING WHETHER THERE WERE TANGIBLE AND SPECIFIC REASONS FOR STEELE TO REACH THIS CONCLUSION.
Had Mullen simply acquiesced with the room change request, perhaps Steele's name wouldn't have been tied into the Jones incident report and he wouldn't have felt the need to transfer.
SURE. SIMPLY ACQUIESCING. THAT WOULD HAVE FIXED EVERYTHING.
Couple things here.
HOO BOY, HERE WE GO.
First, Steele's transfer isn't that simple. He had been unhappy at Florida for much of his first semester, with sources telling Swamp247 that homesickness was part of that. But Steele also wasn't the only one involved in the decision to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal to return somewhere closer to home.
GOLDKAMP HAS SAUCES. GOOD LORD, PROBABLY HALF THE KIDS WHO ENTER COLLEGE STRUGGLE WITH SOME AMOUNT OF HOMESICKNESS IN THEIR FIRST SEMESTERS. BUT TO GOLDKAMP, THIS ALONE IS REASON TO QUESTION EVERY SUBSEQUENT DECISION THAT STEELE MAKES.
His parents were heavily involved in that decision, sources informed 247Sports. And it's hard to blame them, given the headlines surrounding Steele thanks to Jones.
GOLDKAMP HAS MORE SAUCES THAN RAGU. ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THAT FRIENDS OF THE STEELE FAMILY ARE SELLING THEM OUT AND INFORMING TO GOLDKAMP?
Still, the move wasn't purely about the Jones incident, though that certainly accelerated things and made a potential move much easier. With the NCAA handing out transfer waivers seemingly at will with any hint of impropriety toward an athlete, the circumstances surrounding the Steele situation made it an easy out -- and one that, in some ways by necessity, pinned some blame on Florida for not acting immediately.
GOLDKAMP STATES A FACT ("THE MOVE WASN'T PURELY ABOUT THE JONES INCIDENT") WITH ZERO SUPPORT. HE CONFUSES YOU WITH SOME SLEIGHT OF HAND ABOUT THE NCAA WAIVER PROCESS, BUT NEVER STATES OR PROVES THAT THE STEELE FAMILY CONSIDERED THIS.
That said, it's not exactly easy to simply transfer dorm rooms mid-semester at a place like Florida. That doesn't absolve Florida from all responsibility in the situation, but it's at least understandable that Steele wasn't going to be relocated until the summer semester.
THIS MIGHT BE THE BIGGEST LOAD OF HORSESH!TE THAT GOLDKAMP SHOVELS, THAT IT IS "NOT EXACTLY EASY TO SIMPLY TRANSFER DORM ROOMS MID-SEMESTER AT A PLACE LIKE FLORIDA". ARE YOU F---ING KIDDING ME? THAT IS A HUGE COLLEGE CAMPUS WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AVAILABLE ROOMS, AND THEY CAN'T FIND ONE SPARE BED IN A COLLEGE TOWN FOR A FRESHMAN WHO IS APPALLED BY THE SEXUAL MISCONDUCT OF HIS ROOMMATE?
The question that lingers for us is why Steele felt the need to transfer once the Jones situation had essentially been resolved. With Jones transferring out, he was no longer going to be an issue for Steele.
OH SURE, ONCE THE RAPIST IS REMOVED FROM CAMPUS, EVERYTHING GOES BACK TO NORMAL AGAIN.
That led to some digging and, as alluded to above, this was a potential move in the works that had been bubbling well before the Jones incident occurred.
OOOH, "SOME DIGGING". NO PROOF OF WHAT HE DUG UP. JUST "ALLUSIONS". AND "POTENTIAL" MOVES. AND "BUBBLING". GOLDKAMP IS DOING A HIT PIECE ON STEELE AND THE STEELE FAMILY, BUT HE DOESN'T WANT TO TELL YOU SPECIFICS, HE JUST WANTS TO "ALLUDE" TO THINGS AND THEN HAVE GAYTOR FANS JOIN HIM IN BLAMING THE STEELES.
Fact of the matter is that Steele was looking for a potential way out and circumstances delivered it, in the form of a brutal set of headlines for the Gators.
"FACT OF THE MATTER"? HOW? WHERE ARE THESE FACTS ESTABLISHED? GOLDKAMP MADE SOME ALLUSIONS AND NOW HE WANTS YOU TO CONCLUDE THAT HE PROVED SOME FACTS, WHICH HE NEVER DID. WHERE DID IT EVER SAY THAT STEELE WAS LOOKING FOR A POTENTIAL WAY OUT? BECAUSE HE WAS HOMESICK FOR A MINUTE, ALONG WITH HALF OF THE FRESHMAN CLASS?
Aside from the negative headlines, though, we're left to wonder just how much culpability Florida has in all this. More specifically, how much should fans blame (for lack of a better term) Mullen?
OH, SURE, JUST WONDER AWAY.
Two trains of thought from us on this:
BOTH TRAINS HAVE JUMPED THE TRACKS.
___
1) Florida has done plenty to attempt to salvage the Steele situation, including flying Dan and Megan Mullen out to California to meet with Steele and his family following his transfer request to apologize for the situation (
ESPN report).
PLENTY? LIKE WHAT? WHAT WERE THE OTHER THINGS? NOT IMPEDING THE POLICE INVESTIGATION? ACKNOWLEDGING THAT RAPE IS BAD?
Again, this is indicative of the fact that there was more to Steele's transfer than just the Jones situation.
THIS MIGHT BE THE WORST SENTENCE IN THE WHOLE FREAKING ARTICLE. FLYING MULLET OUT TO CALIFORNIA IS "INDICATIVE" OF THE "FACT" THAT THERE WAS "MORE" TO STEELE'S TRANSFER THAN JUST THE JONES SITUATION. WHAT AN INSANE AND FALSE SENTENCE.
Steele's parents were heavily involved in the decision, something that probably becomes more of an issue when you're dealing with a player who is 2,398 miles from home. Florida's heavy push into California in recruiting since Mullen arrived had been mostly fruitless, until a long battle with Steele was finally won after multiple commitments.
AGAIN, THIS GUY GETS THE NCAA NEVIN SHAPIRO AWARD FOR TRUTH IN JOURNALISM, BECAUSE ALL HE DOES TO ESTABLISH A FACT IS TO REPEAT A LIE TWO TIMES. STEELE'S PARENTS WERE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE DECISION. STEELE'S PARENTS WERE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE DECISION. THERE, NOW IT'S A FACT.
And therein lies part of our gripe with the Florida coaching staff in this matter. The Gators simply haven't done well recruiting California in their history, and it seems to us the time and resources would be better spent closer to home.
OH, I SEE, THE "GRIPE" IS THAT MULLET SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN RECRUITING CALIFORNIA. YEAH, THAT'S IT. BECAUSE IF A KID FROM FLORIDA WAS JONES' ROOMMATE, HE WOULD HAVE JUST KEPT HIS MOUTH SHUT. WAIT, WHAT?
That the Gators did land Steele was a feather in Mullen's cap for a while. Instead, now it looks like another pointless endeavor as a player that had some transfer red flags (multiple decommitments during the process) ultimately looks set to leave Gainesville for good.
MORE STEELE-BLAMING. YEP, HE DECOMMITTED MULTIPLE TIMES, HE'S A BAD SEED. YET THE GATORS WERE HAPPY TO TAKE HIS FINAL COMMITMENT WHEN THEY WERE DESPERATE FOR A BOOST IN THE RECRUITING CLASS CALCULATOR.
Steele hasn't firmly committed to his departure yet, we're told, but it's hard to see the two sides reconciling at this point. One source informed Swamp247 that Steele isn't expected to be on campus for the Summer A semester, at the very least, a move that would be extremely unusual for an early enrollee who planned to be with the program in the fall.
TRUE.
Bigger than the recruiting effort seemingly wasted in California, though, our second train of thought takes us here...
IF TWO TRAINS LEAVE A STATION...
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2) The absolute miss on the evaluation of
Jalon Jones is very troubling.
OH, SURE. VERY TROUBLING.
It's easy to look in hindsight and say that there were plenty of red flags for Jones during the recruiting process (he went to multiple high schools, was kicked out of a playoff game for fighting, some say he didn't interact much with his teammates on the sidelines during games), but that would be a bit disingenuous.
A "BIT" DISINGENUOUS? OH, THOMAS GOLDKAMP, I WOULD HATE TO SEE YOU WHEN YOU ARE BEING FULL-ON DISINGENUOUS.
By most accounts, Jones seemed like a stand-up guy according to those close to him.
OK, SO IN THE LAST PARAGRAPH, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT A SCUMBAG JONES WAS, BUT NOW HE IS A "STAND-UP GUY". THIS IS LIKE WHEN THE MEDIA INTERVIEWS THE NEIGHBORS OF A SERIAL KILLER, AND THEY ALL TALK ABOUT HOW NORMAL HE SEEMED.
Mullen and his staff certainly felt so, taking his commitment twice, first at Mississippi State and then at Florida.
OH, SURE, THEY TOOK HIS COMMITMENT "TWICE". WAIT, THAT MEANS THE KID DECOMMITTED. I THOUGHT THAT WAS A HORRIBLE CHARACTER FLAW OF STEELE'S. OH MAN, I AM SO CONFUSED BY GOLDKAMP'S HYPOCRISY.
Obviously the evaluation fell flat.
OBVIOUSLY.
Within weeks of his arrival at Florida it was clear that not many teammates meshed with Jones from a personality standpoint. The later allegations of sexual assault were a huge black eye for the university and the program, whether charges were pursued or not.
CLEAR? CLEAR TO WHOM? CLEAR TO THE GAYTOR WRITERS AND FANS WHO FOLLOWED THE SPRING PRACTICES AND SCRIMMAGE? BECAUSE ALL I REMEMBER IS SOME RAVING ABOUT HOW JONES WAS THE FUTURE, NOT THAT HE DIDN'T GET ALONG WITH HIS TEAMMATES. "CLEAR" AS MUD.
And that's where the feeling of frustration comes for many Florida fans.
SURE. "THAT'S" WHERE THE FEELING OF FRUSTRATION COMES.
If there's any one area that Mullen and his staff have perhaps been just a bit lacking, it's been in recruiting. A recent miss on the likes of five-star Lakeland product Demarckus Bowman was just the latest for Florida among truly elite prospects and had started the complaints about recruiting back up. Now they're full-throttle after a
string of decommitments and the benefit of hindsight on the 2019 class.
"JUST A BIT" LACKING. REMINDS ME OF BOB UECKER'S "JUUUUUST A BIT OUTSIDE". OH BOY, NOW WE GET THE OBLIGATORY "WE SHOULD HAVE LANDED BOWMAN" COMPLAINT.
Without Jones and Steele, Florida's class would have ranked just 14th nationally. That's not good enough for the Gators, not when they have to go up against the likes of Florida State, Georgia and LSU every single year, with the looming possibility of Alabama if they navigate the tough SEC slate successfully.
GOLDKAMP'S CONTRACT CALLS FOR AT LEAST ONE "RECRUITING CLASS CALCULATOR" REFERENCE IN EVERY ARTICLE HE WRITES. HE DIDN'T WANT TO INCLUDE THIS PARAGRAPH, BUT IT'S A CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION.
The one thing that has kept the fans who follow recruiting so closely mostly content is that 10-win season and the on-field success from Year 1.
ISN'T THAT TWO THINGS?
It's easy enough to look at the roster Mullen inherited and see what a tremendous job he and his coaching staff did developing players and coaching them to 2018's results. In short, Mullen maximized the talent and won with it. He's done that throughout his career, part of the reason fans were so optimistic coming off the 2018 season after seeing it first-hand.
OH SURE, IT'S EASY ENOUGH. TREMENDOUS JOB. HE'S DONE THAT THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. WAIT,WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?
If Mullen can simply bring the talent gap closer, he should have no problem re-establishing Florida as the top dog in the SEC East.
"BRING THE TALENT GAP CLOSER". REMEMBER, THIS GUY EARNS A LIVING WRITING. A MEAGER AND UNDESERVED LIVING, BUT A LIVING NONETHELESS.
The problem is that gap hasn't been getting smaller as quickly as it should.
THE GUY HAS BEEN THERE FOR ONE YEAR. THIS IS WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT GAYTOR FANS ARE DELUSIONAL IN THEIR UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.
And the way the Jones situation unraveled -- complete with a hugely whiffed evaluation at a position where Florida should absolutely be spending the most time evaluating every possible angle on a recruit -- is a gut punch. It's a body blow to the notion that just because UF's recruiting classes might not look like they're up to snuff on paper, Mullen and his staff have a different set of criteria they use and their track record speaks for itself in taking lesser-regarded prospects and then developing them.
WE HAVE A "HUGE WHIFF" AND A "GUT PUNCH" IN THE SAME SENTENCE. AND THEN A "BODY BLOW" IN THE NEXT SENTENCE. GOLDKAMP SHOULD WIN THE PULITZER FOR BAD WRITING. AND "UF'S RECRUITING CLASSES MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE THEY'RE UP TO SNUFF ON PAPER"? THAT IS, LITERALLY, THE ONLY PLACE THAT GAYTOR RECRUITING CLASSES LOOK GOOD, ON PAPER. OH, AND MULLET'S "TRACK RECORD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF"? WELL THANK GOODNESS, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE COULD HANDLE GOLDKAMP ATTEMPTING TO WRITE ANOTHER SENTENCE ABOUT IT USING A BOXING ANALOGY.
In college football, perception often becomes reality. Quickly, too.
MORE CLICHES. THIS TIME HE DOES NOT ADMIT TO IT.
Mullen and his staff had convinced most with a terrific show on the field in 2018 that perhaps the reality they were used to might not quite be the perfect tell-all for where things were headed.
WHAT? WHAT DOES THIS SENTENCE EVEN MEAN?
It's possible he could continue doing that by beating the odds on the field with terrific in-game coaching and a staff that's tremendous at developing players going forward.
SOMEHOW, AFTER YEARS OF TOP RECRUITING CLASSES, NOW THE GAYTORS ARE THAT SCRAPPY UNDERDOG WHO TAKE 3-STAR TALENT AND PROVIDE THEM WITH AMAZING DEVELOPMENT AND "TERRIFIC IN-GAME COACHING". FEEL FREE TO FALL OUT OF YOUR SEATS LAUGHING.
But the last few weeks have given some pretty concrete reasons to at least raise doubt about that possibility.
PRETTY CONCRETE. ASSUMING THE PRECEDING SENTENCE ACTUALLY MEANT SOMETHING. SO MAYBE THE LAST FEW WEEKS HAVE GIVEN SOME PRETTY HOT DIARRHEA REASONS.
If you build it they will come, right?
RIGHT? AMIRITE? NOW HE IS CITING A BASEBALL MOVIE. FOR WHAT, I DON'T KNOW.
That's been the motto for Florida under Mullen so far. Build up the program and establish the foundation, the wins will come and then the recruiting floodgates will open.
THE MOTTO? HAVE WE EVER SEEN THIS MOTTO ON ANYTHING? AT LEAST SLICK WILLIE TAGGART TRADEMARKED "DO SOMETHING". I HAVE NEVER ONCE SEEN MULLEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE "IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME, RIGHT?" MOTTO. IN FACT, IT SEEMS TO BE ONE CONSISTENT COMPLAINT AMONG GAYTOR FANS, THAT THEIR FACILITIES ARE LAGGING. AND THAT THEIR RECRUITING IS LAGGING. AND THAT THEIR ASSISTANT COACHES ARE LAGGING. SO WHAT, EXACTLY, IS MULLET "BUILDING" WITH HIS NON-MOTTO?
The problem? Right now it's May and the Gators could really use a win. Unfortunately, the next game isn't until August.
FREAKING BRILLIANT SUMMATION. GOLDKAMP SHOULD BE WRITING FOR LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL GAYTORS VICTIMS UNIT
After a rough few weeks and with recruits seemingly buying into the notion that the program is in disarray with
decommitment after decommitment, perhaps it's time for Mullen and his staff to try to manufacture a win elsewhere. The Gator Nation could certainly use it.
MANUFACTURE A WIN ELSEWHERE? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? IS MULLET GOING TO WIN WRESTLEMANIA? IS MULLET GOING TO THREATEN CHINA WITH TARIFFS? IS MULLET GOING TO EDIT HIMSELF INTO AVENGERS ENDGAME TO CUT OFF THANOS' HEAD?
A string of bad headlines and bad news for the program has left a lot of fans down in the dumps, and rightfully so. And just waiting to see the results on the field feels like a tough ask at Florida right now.
WOW, BAD HEADLINES AND BAD NEWS. THAT'S A LOT. OH, AND THE GAYTOR FANS ARE DOWN IN THE DUMPS. PLUS THEY HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE THE RESULTS ON THE FIELD. OH MY GOSH, WHAT A LITANY OF HORRIBLES, THESE GAYTOR FANS REALLY HAVE IT WORSE THAN THE KIDS IN SOMALIA.
THANK YOU THOMAS GOLDKAMP. YOU ARE THE GAYTOR GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING. I KNOW THAT'S A CLICHE, BUT SO ARE YOU.
