What DeSantis’ call to cut H-1B visas means for UF
Over 250 faculty positions at risk
if a change comes to fruition
By Angelique Rodriguez Alligator Staff Writer
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent crackdown on H-1B visas leaves the future of academics at UF hanging in the balance.
An H-1B visa allows American employers to hire college-educated foreign citizens for up to six years, during which the employees can apply for permanent residency.
UF employs the largest number of people under the H-1B visa program among all Florida public universities. This fiscal year, the university approved 253 H-1B visas, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services figures updated this week.
But DeSantis called to “pull the plug” on these visas during an Oct. 29 news conference, citing a need to put American workers first.
The H-1B visa program allows employers to temporarily employ qualified international individuals when U.S.-based supply is low, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
“If any universities are truly struggling to find U.S. citizens to fill their job openings, they ought to evaluate their academic programs to determine why they cannot produce graduates who can be hired for these positions,” Desantis wrote in an X post that same day.
Somnath Datta, a UF biostatistics professor, said it would be hard to fill the spots current UF H-1B visa faculty members hold.
There might not be enough qualified American candidates to be hired into their positions, he said.
“I’m not sure if it can be implemented in all areas, simply because there may not be enough American candidates,” Datta said.
The biostatistics department is already looking for candidates to fill empty spaces, he said, so without current H-1B visa holders, departments like his might be left even emptier.
These candidates are hired based on qualifications, not visa status, Datta said.
“I’m not going to worry about it unless we are specifically told not to even look at candidates who are not U.S. citizens,” he said.
A prospective shakeup to the H-1B visa program extends to the federal level. On Sept. 19, President Donald Trump said he would enact cost restrictions for H-1B workers’ entry, arguing the visa system has been abused and prioritized foreign employees over Americans. The Trump Administration hasn’t announced when the new regulations will go into effect.
Speaking about Florida institutions, DeSantis called on the Florida Board of Governors to crack down on the visa program so Americans could be considered for jobs first.
DeSantis posted on X saying he wanted to end the practice of “importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans who are qualified and available to
Florida cuts Latin American and Caribbean Scholarship across universities
BOARD OF GOVERNORS REPEALED KEY SCHOLARSHIP, RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESS
By Ariana Badra & Vera Lucia Pappaterra Alligator Staff Writers
Seven months after the Florida Board of Governors announced it would discontinue the Latin Ameri-
can and Caribbean Scholarship, out-of-state students and applicants are facing financial uncertainty, forcing many to reconsider how — and where — they can afford higher education.
The scholarship offered in-state Florida tuition rates, rather than outof-state rates, to students from 50 Latin American and Caribbean countries. It could save recipients about $98,000 across four years.
UF confirmed in March 2025 that current recipients will continue
receiving the scholarship through graduation, but no new awards will be offered beginning Fall 2025.
The University of South Florida will not award new LAC scholarships, either. However, it will continue to work with all students to make them aware of scholarship and financial aid opportunities that may be available, according to university spokesperson Althea Johnson.
Some students who had already
Libby Clifton // Alligator Staff Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at Emerson Alumni Hall on UF’s campus Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.
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Former UF law student appears in court to appeal expulsion over social media posts
The student’s lawyer said his client was ‘just trolling’ in a hearing Wednesday afternoon
By Maria Avlonitis
Alligator Staff Writer
Former UF law student Preston Damsky is taking to the courts to determine if an off-campus post warranted his expulsion.
The university is claiming Damsky’s posts, in which he referred to himself as an “anti-Semite” and called for the elimination of Jewish people, disrupted the UF law school learning environment and could be viewed as a threat. His attorney, Anthony Sabatini, is arguing otherwise.
“It was just trolling,” Sabatini said.
Damsky appeared in federal court Oct. 29 for a preliminary injunction against UF for his expulsion from the university. Both parties gathered to present their arguments to Chief Judge Allen Winsor, who questioned both sides of the case’s arguments.
Winsor did not make a verdict.
Chris Summerlin, UF dean of students, notified Damsky Aug. 8 he’d be expelled from the university, according to the lawsuit — a decision Damsky appealed one month later. UF responded Oct. 10, arguing the expulsion did not violate his rights.
UF issued a trespass warning April 3, banning Damsky from campus for three years, citing the escalating rhetoric and threatening
nature of his words. Until his expulsion was finalized Oct. 9, Damsky was still taking online classes as a law student.
Damsky sat slumped back with his chin down in court as he watched Sabatini make his case.
On March 21, Damsky posted on X, “My position on Jews is simple: whatever Harvard professor Noel Ignatiev meant by his call to ‘abolish the White race by any means necessary’ is what I think must be done with Jews. Jews must be abolished by any means necessary.”
Sabatini said Damsky had roughly 25 followers at the time of the initial post, and it was not a literal, aimed statement. Rather, he argued, his client posted an intellectual, thoughtful post for a small audience of like-minded individuals. It was far from a true threat, as it did not specifically target any person, he said.
Schools must protect views, even if they’re unpopular and made off-campus, Sabatini said.
“It was pure viewpoint discrimination,” he said of UF’s actions.
Arguing on behalf of UF, lead attorney Christopher Bartolomucci countered that Damsky’s statements were a true threat and caused substantial disruption on campus.
About a week after Damsky’s initial post, professor Lyrissa Lidsky, a Jewish member of the UF law fac-
ulty, replied and asked if Damsky would murder her and her family.
“Surely a genocide of all whites should be an even greater outrage than a genocide of all Jews, given the far greater number of whites,” Damsky wrote in response.
In responding to Lidsky, Damsky involved UF in his speech, Bartolomucci said.
Damsky also didn’t disagree with Lidsky’s question, Bartolomucci pointed out, causing her to “sleep with a baseball bat” after the exchange.
Lidsky hadn’t initially felt threatened by the post, until several students came to her office expressing fear for her safety and concern that Damsky might come to the law school armed, according to UF’s motion to dismiss the case, filed Oct. 10.
Students skipped class and chose not to enroll in others because of Damsky, Bartolomucci said, and one professor quit. The former law student’s statements were “wildly viewed as a threat,” he said.
Two academic papers Damsky had written in 2024 had been widely circulated by students, he said. Both called for violence, and other law students knew about them.
One paper, submitted to his professor, Federal Judge John L. Badalamenti, argued the phrase “We the People” in the Constitution referred only to white Americans.
After Damsky received a book award, given to students with the highest overall grade in a UF law school class, Badalamenti informed him there were anonymous demands that the school retract his book award and denounce him and his viewpoints publicly.
Badalamenti disagreed with Damsky’s views, according to court records, but he did not say Damsky intended to threaten university operations or incite others to do so.
Bartolomucci ended with a final plea to the judge, saying UF did not prevent or chill Damsky’s speech. If UF didn’t take action on a statement like Damsky’s, and then an incident happened, it would be an intolerable situation, he said.
“UF needs power to take action,” Bartolomucci said.
carrying out design projects when they both graduated.
Hart inspired everyone who heard her violin performance, he said.
By Angelique Rodriguez Alligator Staff Writer
Sophia Hart was an adventurous hiker who loved the outdoors. An intelligent student who excelled in math, science and engineering. A talented musician who inspired others with her performances on saxophone, violin and clarinet.
But more than anything else, she will be remembered by family and friends as a kind, nurturing person who valued forgiveness and always made others laugh.
Hart, a UF mechanical engineering junior, died Oct. 9 at age 20 from a pulmonary embolism. She was born on Jan. 24, 2005, in Plantation, Florida.
She is survived by her parents, Anita and Michael Hart; her siblings, Lisa and Stefan Hart; and her twin sister, Loren Hart. Her family asked for privacy during this time and declined to comment.
A way with music
Music was one of Hart’s greatest loves in life. A talented musician, she played the violin for Crossroads — a faith-based organization at her high school — and the saxophone and clarinet for her high school marching band.
Hart went on to play the saxophone for UF’s Gator Marching Band, which she joined as a sophomore. Her boyfriend of four and a half years, Erik Neugaard Jr., said she could pick up any instrument and play it with ease.
Hart’s aspirations were in construction planning and building design; she was well suited in math and science, Neugaard said. She wanted to work with him at a civil engineering firm,
“The beauty of Sophia was that these grand things were not as important to her,” Neugaard said. “It was the small, little adventures that we would go on, small little trips and small little gifts and things that really brought her the most joy.”
Hart cared about everyone’s well-being and made sure people were treated with respect and dignity, Neugaard said, even those who didn’t show kindness in return.
“For those who trespassed against her, she effortlessly found it in herself to forgive them and to let them try again, to be a better person,” he said. “Her forgiveness is, I think, very quintessentially her.”
Neugaard said Hart’s symptoms of pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that blocks one or more arteries in the lung, were easily overlooked; she only had one symptom, which he chose not to disclose. The most minor of symptoms could cause tragedy, he said.
Michael McCormack, Hart’s high school teacher and Crossroads moderator, said Hart lit up the room. She was deeply loved by the campus ministry team, faculty members and the student body.
McCormack and Hart formed a close bond. They became colleagues over her time in high school and connected over a love of music.
“I was a moderator, their teacher moderator, but it was more than that,” McCormack said. “It was a family.”
Hart became a leader within their musical group, he said, and was instrumental in recruiting new members. She had a gift of connecting with students, McCormack said, and she was very gregarious.
At her funeral Mass, Hart’s instruments were put on display. McCormack recalled walking toward them and encountering Hart’s violin teacher, who was leaving a note on the violin.
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“Her instruments were silenced on this earthly planet,” McCormack said, “but they are not silenced in our hearts and in our minds.”
A friend to stand by
Hana Mongkolsindhu played in the St. Thomas Aquinas High School marching band with Hart. The 20-year-old University of Central Florida biological sciences junior said Hart was the kind of person she could count on for support.
“She had so much love for everyone,” Mongkolsindhu said. “You could feel it when you hung out with her. You just felt loved.”
Mongkolsindhu said during their high school marching band years, Hart was a respected leader and “the only one who could get us under control” when the band director couldn’t.
“She had this authority to her that was still very friendly,” Mongkolsindhu said.
Even when people did not keep in contact with her, she said, Hart showed care and forgiveness.
Alissa Brady, Hart’s close childhood friend, described Hart as talented, smart and funny. Brady, a 20-year-old UF sociology senior, studied with Hart since elementary school. Though they didn’t plan to attend the same university after high school, Brady said they were happy to commit to the same school.
They both played in the UF marching band, where she witnessed Hart’s fondness for music. Hart loved performing, Brady said, and she often played at concerts with her twin sister.
“I remember how beautiful it was and how much I admired her talent and her ability to create such beautiful music just from the violin,” Brady said.
Family was always a priority to Hart, Brady said, and she loved taking vacations and spend-
ing time with them. Hart’s loved ones said she loved her Austrian heritage and went to Austria every few years to visit family. She loved Austrian food and often made it at home.
Radiating kindness and love
Josie Brown, a 20-year-old University of South Florida anthropology senior, went to school with Hart from pre-K to high school. She described Hart as a “wild card” at times, who loved to make others laugh. Other times, she was a sensible, decisive woman who gave the best advice.
“When we were in band, she’d always either be really loud … to make people laugh with her dancing, her faces and her impersonations,” Brown said. “When she wasn’t trying to make people laugh, she’d have really good conversations.”
Brown loved going on night swims at the Harts’ pool with Hart and their friends — they made up some of her fondest memories of Hart. She was also nature-loving and adventurous; Brown said she loved hikes and was rarely scared of anything.
Hart was sentimental in a way. She kept knickknacks — including every stuffed animal, keychain and collectible item from loved ones, Brown said.
The last time Brown and Hart spoke, they talked about their plans for the rest of their academic careers. They talked about graduate school and how Hart cared about being a big achiever and taken seriously in her field. She was also thinking about studying abroad in Japan.
She was an easy person to enjoy being around, Brown said. She was unforgivably herself and so sure of herself.
“If you had gotten to know her, you would probably immediately be friends with her,” Brown said.
@angeliquesrod arodriguez@alligator.org
Gainesville may remove purple curb honoring veterans to comply with state rules
Memorial Mile may be taken away after Florida-wide ban on pavement art
By Teia Williams Alligator Staff Writer
A mile-long purple line stretches along Northwest Eighth Avenue in Gainesville to remind passersby of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The purple curb is a nod to the purple hearts soldiers receive after they have been injured or killed in war.
Now that curb, dubbed Memorial Mile, may be removed. The Florida Department of Transportation ordered in late June that all pavement art not used for traffic control be taken out or painted over. FDOT is in contact with the city of Gainesville over whether to remove the Memorial Mile.
In August, a similar ordinance enforced by FDOT demanded the city remove the three rainbow crosswalks or lose transportation funding. Eventually, on Aug. 25, Gainesville complied despite the mayor’s chagrin.
Memorial Mile started on Memorial Day weekend in 2007 to honor soldiers across the U.S. who lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. Veterans for Peace set up over 4,000 white coroplast tombstones with each soldier’s name, rank, hometown and date of death.
Throughout the years, the count grew to over 6,000 tombstones. Over 7,000 soldiers died in the wars in total. The mile-long stretch of Northwest Eighth Avenue looked like an official military graveyard, said City Commissioner James Ingle.
“We wanted the public to see the cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Scott Camil, the 79-year-old president of Gainesville’s chapter of Veterans for Peace.
The soldiers' loved ones came to the site and left photos, letters and trinkets. Veterans for Peace kept those items, along with the tombstones, and brought them back out each Memorial Day.
Gov. to cut visas
do the job.”
A state audit found H-1B visas have been used for assistant athletic coaches and media relations specialist positions, DeSantis said in another post on X.
UF Interim President Donald Landry spoke at the news conference, saying visas were primarily used in exceptional cases at UF, like an occasional “bright light” that would be “good enough for the faculty.” He added the university is currently conducting a review of H-1B visas.
"We know that H-1B is not handled in a pristine fashion, even in academia, certainly not in business," Landry said.
Meera Sitharam, president of UF’s chapter of United Faculty of Florida, said she’s against DeSantis’ policy and thinks what he’s attempting is illegal.
“The U.S. won’t be the U.S. anymore,” Sitharam said. “The patriotic anti-immigrant American is an oxymoron.”
Despite DeSantis’ announcement, Sitharam’s colleagues who are working under H-1B visas are not worried, she said. International students at UF looking for academic jobs rarely want to work in Florida after they graduate, she said.
Sitharam also isn’t worried about the friction between foreign and domestic workers in academia, as U.S. institutions tend to hire foreign workers under H-1B status only if they demonstrate “exceptional ability” among their competition, she added.
“It will be more or less impossible to say ‘you are taking American jobs,’” Sitharam said.
“This statement is just another inflammatory, racist statement designed to distract from the fact that the Florida statehouse refuses to address any real issues facing the state, while working tirelessly to hurt unions and international residents who only are here to get an education and give back,” Britton said.
GAU Co-president Cassie Urbenz said people under H-1B visas don't just provide labor. They’re integrated into their communities, and they did the work necessary to come to America, she added.
But GAU isn’t worried about DeSantis’ announcement, Urbenz said. Equipped with legal protection and in constant communication with its members, the group is prepared to fight back, she said.
“We’ll be communicating with our members as soon as we hear any updates from actual policy, not just Ron DeSantis getting on his high horse in a press conference,” Urbenz said.
The organization works with several members who live in the U.S. under the H-1B visa program. While Urbenz plans to keep a close eye on the announcement, she also said it would be legally impossible to carry out.
The move is simply another way to get foreigners to leave the U.S. while disregarding the law, she said.
“That’s all it is. It’s an announcement. No paperwork has been filed, no legislation has been filed, I haven’t seen anything that’s legally binding,” Urbenz said. “You can’t expel someone who’s legally here.”
Those white tombstones are now preserved at Camil’s house in an air-conditioned shed.
In 2021, the same year the final troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan, the group stopped the annual event and made a permanent homage to the soldiers. The city of Gainesville painted the purple line to represent each soldier’s Purple Heart, in place of the mile where they used to put up the tombstones.
Camil said if the curb gets removed, a member of Veterans for Peace will attend the removal and document the process, adding the photos to the group’s growing archive of pictures and videos of the mile dating back to 2007.
“It’s a memorial site. And we’re upset that the governor would shut down part of a memorial site,” Camil said.
Sheila Payne, who now lives in New York, worked on Memorial Mile for years, helping
set up the tombstones while the group still displayed them annually. Payne’s husband and his father are veterans, and her fatherin-law came down from Seattle each year to help, as well.
The purple line isn’t a distraction, she said, and she wouldn’t consider it dangerous.
“Frankly, it is so ridiculous,” she said.
There is no verdict on if the purple curb violates FDOT laws, said Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward.
Ward is in contact with Veterans for Peace and said there are a lot of dedicated veterans in the community. He said he doesn’t see how honoring veterans by painting a curb is interfering with traffic safety.
“I’m hopeful that they will make a good decision,” Ward said of FDOT.
@teia_williams twilliams@alligator.org
Scholarship discontinued
@angeliquesrod arodriguez@alligator.org LAC, from pg. 1 H-1B VISA, from pg. 1
Austin Britton, co-president of the university’s graduate student union, UF Graduate Assistants United, said pulling H-1B visa programs would heavily impact the campus and the community at large.
The Board of Governors will meet at the University of South Florida Nov. 6. As of Nov. 2, the agenda doesn’t address H-1B visas.
been awarded the aid said their scholarships were revoked, the university’s student newspaper reported.
USF did not provide a comment in regards to students losing their already awarded aid.
Three of the five students who spoke with The Alligator requested to remain anonymous for fear of losing current scholarships or opportunities for new aid. The Board of Governors is set to vote on repealing the scholarship during its Nov. 6 meeting at USF.
A bridge between Florida and Latin America
The Florida Legislature created the LAC Scholarship in 1997. Its repeal came as part of a broader rollback of policies offering nonresident tuition exemptions.
To receive the waiver, students must make satisfactory academic progress, a parameter that varies by university. They must also be enrolled on a full-time basis and receive at least $500 in total scholarships per semester. That money may come from the LAC Scholarship program itself or from other sources.
For decades, the program represented a bridge between Florida and its neighbors, reflecting the state’s role as an educational hub for Latin America and the Caribbean.
But on Sept. 11, 2024, a state public notice announced the program’s repeal, mandating all Florida universities to end it by the 20252026 academic year. No public explanation was offered at the time, and no board members replied to The Alligator’s request for comment in time for publication.
The end of the LAC program has left a financial void for both international and out-of-state students, who often depend on tuition exemptions to afford a Florida education.
Without the program, non-Florida residents are facing tuition costs nearly three times higher than those paid by Florida residents. At UF, instate students pay about $6,400 per
year, while out-of-state students pay about $31,000.
Opportunity disappears
“My heart dropped,” said a 20-year-old UF aerospace engineering sophomore from Trinidad and Tobago, after learning the scholarship was eliminated.
The student applied for the scholarship twice — once through essays her freshman year, then through departmental interviews — only to receive an email announcing her final meeting was canceled due to the scholarship’s discontinuation.
Now, the Trinbagonian student must continue paying out-of-state tuition at UF, after getting only inches close to the possibility of easing her family’s financial burden.
“It’s definitely a lot more money than I would have expected it to be,” she said of her current tuition rate, “but I already started. I might as well just finish. I don’t really have a choice.”
If she’d known she was pursuing unrealistic expectations for financial aid, she might not have enrolled at UF at all, the student said.
Gabriel Marchiori De Almeida, a 20-year-old USF computer science sophomore, had been hoping to receive the LAC Scholarship ever since he arrived at college in 2024. His friends home in Brazil and his peers at USF had spoken highly of the scholarship, which he thought could ease his family’s financial strain.
Like many international and outof-state students, Marchiori De Almeida has seen his parents sacrifice their own well-being for his education’s sake. Because of his tuition, his family hasn’t been able to afford pain-relieving treatment for his mom, he said.
“Instead of being one of the main choices because it is affordable [while] having a great education, now it’s expensive, having great education,” he said.
One of his friends at USF, also from Brazil, is now considering transferring to a cheaper university, possibly back home.
“It’s definitely not a sanctuary
now, not the place to reach your goal,” he said.
As of Fall 2025, Brazil ranks third for the country with the most international students at USF. Beyond individual hardship, Marchiori De Almeida said the loss of programs like LAC weakens educational and diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Brazil.
An anonymous 20-year-old UF computer science junior from Venezuela applied for and received the LAC scholarship this past year, around the same time its discontinuation was announced.
“I was somewhat left in the dark,” he said. “I would speak to advisers from either the International Center or general advising from the College of Engineering, and they were unable to provide me with an answer of whether it would be dispersed or not.”
In the end, although the LAC scholarship appeared on his financial bursar account, he only received part of it. He received the $500 per semester stipend included in the LAC scholarship, but his tuition was not reduced. As a result, he is paying out-of-state tuition.
He also noted the LAC was not structured around just international students. The merit-based award could also be granted to students with dual citizenship with the U.S. as long as they met the scholarship’s eligibility requirements.
“Already, there’s a variety of other factors that are tarnishing America’s image as a place for international students to go to,” he said, referring to governmental regulations imposed on international students, such as the “extra visa checks.”
The removal of the LAC scholarship is simply another element that adds to the existing problem, he added. Read the rest online
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2025
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Exquisite Corpse project challenges local creators to join forces for fundraising
ARTISTS PARTICIPATED IN MYSTERY ART GAME TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE GAINESVILLE FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION
By Isabel Kraby Avenue Staff Writer
Artists often seclude themselves in their studios with nothing but their tools and their own imagination. That can get lonely.
“I think people are craving collaborative projects,” said Katy Lemle, the 41-year-old executive director of the Gainesville Fine Arts Association.
That’s why, from Oct. 28 to Oct. 31, GFAA held its first Exquisite Corpse Art-A-Thon, a 72-hour group art project to raise money for the arts association. Each artist involved has a fundraising page and receives 30% of the money they raise. As of the afternoon of Oct. 31, GFAA raised $5,731.
Soft jazz and chatter filled the sunlit studio as participants worked away at their stations.
Eight different artists worked during each 24hour session, for a total of 24. They filled the canvases in Exquisite Corpse style, where each artist builds off what the previous began.
Lemle said the 100-year-old idea originates from surrealist artists, who would write part of
a sentence on a napkin, cover all but one word and pass it along to the next person to finish the thought. Now, it is often reinterpreted through art rather than writing.
Each team of artists was given a human-sized canvas with two-thirds covered by a tarp, only a couple of inches visible from what the previous artist had added.
Exquisite Corpse was one of Lemle’s favorite activities to practice with friends and with her students when she taught art. However, she has never seen it done on this scale.
“It’s fun for people to let go a little bit of control, for our local artist community to have an assignment and to work together with people,” she said.
One artist, who also taught his students the Exquisite Corpse project, is 53-year-old Brian Moody.
Moody has been practicing art since childhood, crafting sculptures out of wire food packaging from his family’s barbecue restaurant. Now, his favorite medium is sumi ink, a stark black medium made of soot, which he incorporated into his drawing on Wednesday. His intricate drawing resembled branches and bark.
As a teacher, Moody rarely has free time to practice his own art and meet new people in the art community.
“Being involved with other artists, being exposed to new things and challenging myself … all around, I think everything about [the event]
was pretty intriguing and positive,” he said.
Another artist hard at work Wednesday was 68-year-old Sylvia McIntyre-Crook.
Her current body of work is inspired by lichens, a type of algae and fungi. She started getting curious about the organisms during COVID-19, when she spent much of her time isolated and in her backyard. During the Exquisite Corpse challenge, she aimed to blend lichen with the human body in her painting.
McIntyre-Crook was eager to practice in a time-restricted environment among other artists, and as a volunteer for the GFAA, she also participated out of her love for the organization.
“GFAA has been such a great incubator for artists around,” she said. “This is one of my ways of giving back.”
Frank Curtis had to step out on the back patio to spray paint his piece, one of the few that used three-dimensional elements. After backing into his neighbor’s mailbox, the 64-year-old artist took off his broken taillights and planned to incorporate them into his section.
Although making art was taboo throughout Curtis’ childhood due to his family’s strict rules, he would go on to fully immerse himself in the Gainesville art scene. He currently directs Gainesville Artwalk, plays saxophone in the Gainesville Community Band and has been a member of GFAA for about 12 years.
Curtis likes to experiment and take risks with his sculptures, so Exquisite Corpse
seemed like the perfect opportunity to test his creativity.
“I want to challenge myself,” he said. “I want to enjoy it, see what happens. It may turn out great, it may not. It’s okay. It’s making art.” Lemle said fundraising is crucial to GFAA. Grants and donations are volatile and never certain, she said. She has big hopes to open artist studios in Gainesville with the funds, but for now, the money raised will go towards the organization’s programmatic and operating expenses.
Lemle is GFAA’s only full time member, and the rest of her coworkers consist of volunteers and one part-time employee.
“A big portion of it goes toward making sure we can sustain our staff,” Lemle said. “We’re doing way, way more than one and a half staff members can handle.”
The eight works will be unveiled Halloween night during Artwalk Gainesville, which falls on the last Friday of every month. It’s bound to be a memorable “ooh aah moment,” Lemle said.
The pieces will remain on display in the gallery for a month and will be auctioned through silent bidding. On Nov. 29, GFAA is hosting its first art market, MADE, where the auction’s winner will be announced.
@isabelgkraby ikraby@alligator.org
Gainesville indie artist Alex Willow takes a glance inward on debut record
THE SINGERSONGWRITER DISCUSSES HIS WRITING PROCESS, ENGLISH DEGREE AND SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
By Christopher Rodriguez Avenue Staff Writer
Alex Wilson has a lot going on.
The 20-year-old UF senior is at a turbulent time in his life: He’s grappling with the recent loss of a pet and upcoming graduation as a double major in English and French, all while growing his own career as an indie singer-songwriter. On Oct. 17, he released his debut EP, “Willow.” Wilson, who uses the stage name Alex Willow, integrates everything in his life into his art. From classes on Plato’s “The Symposium” to a semester-long spiritual dissection of John Milton’s epic “Paradise Lost,” Wilson pieces together the puzzles of his life for each song. He compares his songwriting to some of his classwork.
“It’s not that different from writ-
ing a paper,” Wilson said. “I’m a writer in general, I like doing that kind of stuff. And I definitely love songwriting the most. It’s the most fun to me. It’s like a puzzle.”
Wilson is solving that puzzle with the support of fellow musicians. The Gainesville music community has welcomed Wilson with open arms, and he’s grateful to be surrounded by such talented people, he said.
Creating with a community is like grafting a branch onto a plant, Wilson said. He attaches his branch of artistry to the tree of the local music scene, joining the larger organism.
This collaboration inspired Wilson to write a song about creating a garden with somebody, an act of creation that isn’t sexual but still a product of love. The track is currently unreleased.
“There’s something so beautiful about being able to make something, no matter who you are and whatever your situation is,” Wilson said.
Kevin Bruchert, Wilson’s producer and one of his main collaborators, said part of what makes Wilson so special is his open-mindedness.
While in the studio, that means
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trusting the producer to add strings to a track. Besides being a producer, Bruchert works as a minister for Gainesville’s Meizon Church, known for its progressive nature. One of Willow’s tracks, “Stained Glass,” features religious imagery. “A kingdom that you’ve built in vain / I know now, how the glass is stained,” Willow sings.
Although he’s a church leader, Bruchert understands Wilson’s rocky experience with religion. Wilson, who identifies as queer, struggled to come to terms with his identity while raised in a conservative environment.
Bruchert said he celebrates that complicated relationship. As a minister, Bruchert has met many queer people who have felt rejected by religion. But he sees Willow’s song as a discussion of the church, not as a critique. The song reveals what the church could be versus what it has been, he said.
“He’s exuding a lot of the characteristics of Christ … to be loving and to be accepting, and to be able to love himself and to be able to share that love with others,” Bruchert said.
He’s excited to see where Wilson’s talents will take him. A key focus of the “Willow” EP was to reveal who he is as a singer-songwriter — a raw look into his current psyche and sound. Bruchert shared plans for future music that will involve more “risky production.”
Wilson tries to bring clarity to muddled topics through his lyrics. His debut single, “Shin Splints,” especially connected with his photographer and manager, Lena Krone. The song’s title stuck out to her as a former athlete. But its message is what really blew her away.
“He made it this super amazing metaphor for life, where it was like, ‘I have a dream where I run and I feel fine, as opposed to being anxious all the time and worrying,’” Krone said.
For Wilson’s close friend, Macy Brown, a 22-year-old UF criminology and psychology senior, his lyricism sets him apart from other musicians. Brown was skeptical of Wilson’s music when she first learned about it, citing the often lackluster lyricism many college acts possess. She admitted she had her doubts when going to his first show in 2024, but was
quickly proven wrong. Now, she’s seen almost all of them.
“I was just blown away from that moment at his songwriting and his presence and the passion that you can see in his music,” Brown said.
But it isn’t just Brown who’s been deeply moved by Wilson’s music. Brown recounted her experience at the midnight launch party Wilson held for his debut EP with some friends.
“After the EP finished, everyone was talking about how they were holding back tears, and they were feeling really strong emotions about both the songs itself and the broader representation of the EP,” Brown said.
Whether it’s the death of a pet or a discussion of classic literature, Wilson connects with fans by drawing inspiration from all aspects of his life. He’s spreading his roots deep into Gainesville’s music scene, and as his email signature reads, “Like a Willow, I will stay.”
@ChrisRodri29386 crodriguez@alligator.org
El Caimán
LUNES, 3 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2025
www.alligator.org/section/spanish
Una visitante académica de UF enfrentó prisión por buscar la verdad
EVA SIOMARA SOSA PÉREZ HABLA SOBRE
SU EXILIO POLÍTICO Y RESIDENCIA EN UF
Por María José Cordero Castillo
Escritora contribuyente a El Caiman
Dentro de una pequeña habitación llena de libros y carpetas, Eva Siomara Sosa Pérez habla con una calma determinada —aunque su voz aún lleva el eco de una batalla inconclusa.
“Quiero regresar a Guatemala”, dijo con una sonrisa cansada.
Sosa es exfiscal anticorrupción y actual exiliada política. Fue acusada de obstrucción a la justicia y pasó un tiempo en prisión. Ahora forma parte de una residencia académica en la UF, donde estudia inglés.
El espacio le ha permitido concretar otra aspiración: escribir un libro, mientras reflexiona sobre la democracia y los derechos humanos
en Centroamérica.
Investigando la corrupción
Sosa desempeñó un papel clave en la investigación de casos de corrupción y narcotráfico dentro de la Comisión Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala (CICIG).
En 2015, a través de un expediente sobre narcotráfico, Sosa se topó con lo que luego sería la investigación “La Línea”. El caso alcanzó a las élites políticas y económicas más poderosas del país, marcando un punto de inflexión no solo en su carrera, sino en la historia reciente de Guatemala.
El caso involucró a las máximas autoridades del país: el expresidente Otto Pérez Molina y la exvicepresidenta Roxana Baldetti. Los informes de la comisión destaparon una red de fraude aduanero dentro del gobierno, en la que los implicados se habrían apropiado de al menos 3.5 millones de dólares. Tras semanas de protestas masivas frente al Palacio Nacional,
Mantente al día con El Caimán en Twitter. Envíanos un tweet @ElCaimanGNV.
Pérez Molina renunció. En 2022 fue condenado a 16 años de prisión por asociación ilícita y fraude aduanero.
“Todo lo que hice lo hice convencido de que era lo correcto”, dijo Sosa.
En noviembre de 2023, el
Opinions
Advice — Should I text my ex? Read more on pg. 8.
expresidente pagó poco más de 38 mil dólares de fianza para convertir su condena en libertad condicional. Para Sosa, ese caso fue solo el inicio de una serie de investigaciones que revelarían otros grandes escándalos de corrupción. Un
ejemplo emblemático fue el caso Odebrecht en 2018, que vinculó más de 17.9 millones de dólares en sobornos a cambio de contratos de obras públicas.
Tras la disolución de la CICIG en 2019, Sosa fue reasignada a unidades menores dentro del Ministerio Público. Pero continuó recibiendo amenazas y ataques por su trabajo, describiendo luego esa etapa como sentirse “perseguida” y “acosada”. En febrero de 2022, un tribunal guatemalteco emitió una orden de captura en su contra por obstrucción de la justicia. Fue detenida y llevada a la Prisión Mariscal Zavala, en Ciudad de Guatemala.
El denunciante fue Ricardo Méndez Ruiz, hijo de un excomandante militar acusado de crímenes de guerra.
Lea el resto en línea en alligtor.org/section/spanish.
@marprofundo___ mcastillo@alligator.org
Síganos para actualizaciones
Para obtener actualizaciones de El Caimán, síganos en línea en www.alligator.org/section/spanish.
Jordan Klucharich // Alligator Staff
Eva Siomara Sosa stands on the Plaza of the Americas in front of the Latin American studies display Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025.
College Friend: Should I text my ex after four months with no contact?
Ever since I broke up with my boyfriend of nearly a year last summer, relatively amicably, we’ve had zero contact. We live in different cities, neither of us are active on social media, and we have no mutual friends. As a result, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on in his life. He might have moved to Mars, for all I know.
Although I’m not interested in rekindling a romance, I can’t help but be curious about what he’s up to from a platonic perspective. I assumed he’d eventually reach out and check in, but as the months have gone by, I’ve begun to accept that might not happen. Should I check up on him via text? Or should I accept that we simply aren’t part of each others’ lives anymore and leave contact lines severed?
Signed, Curious Ex
We all know breakups are messy. They often go against our instinct to hold onto comfort. What might seem simple actually hides a web of complex emotions, the leftovers of intense connections. Time allows us to grow from then to now. Whenever I offer relationship advice, I always preface it by saying, “I am not, nor was I, in your relationship,” which prevents me from fully understanding the situation. Trust me, my opinion is usually clear and sharp, but I never wish to impose upon something beyond my range of knowledge. So, with that out of the way, I’ll tell you what I think.
We never stop caring for those who have colored our lives, and the memories we share don’t disappear with their absence. So, it’s completely normal to wish to learn how your ex-boyfriend is faring in this new stage of his life. You can accept that you no longer have the same role you used to have in his life, while also reaching out to sat-
Are you an orchid murderer?
If so, you’re not alone. I’ve inadvertently killed my fair share of these tropical plants over the years.
When I brought my first orchid home from Publix, wrapped in plastic and bursting with blooms, I had no idea how many crimes I would commit against this plant species until the casualties started racking up.
From following the infamously unclear watering instructions to knocking my orchid off the windowsill, I’ve unintentionally killed many orchids on my quest to discover the secret to keeping them alive.
As a beginner starting out, it seemed to me like some Sisyphean feat to keep an orchid plant from dying. The second I overwatered my orchid, underwatered my orchid or simply looked at my orchid the wrong way, I had another to add to my growing list of orchid victims.
In a desperate attempt to remedy my orchid affliction, I visited the Kanapaha Botanical Gar-
isfy your curiosity. The key to this is making sure that by reaching out, you are not opening a door. Would that text kick up the dust that is still settling?
Although you do not want to rekindle the romance, in the digital age, we are taught to interpret anything as everything. You might text a seemingly harmless “How are you?”, but depending on how he is dealing with the aftermath, he could read that differently. These are just things to think about. Speculation will not predict all the outcomes.
Consider how this conversation might impact you. Speaking from personal experience, I do a darn good job at convincing myself I’m over something. Most of the time, I am not, and I just end up going back to reread the old chapters of my life. If this is the case for you, I would avoid reaching out, at least for now.
You don’t have to slam the door shut on him. I proposed these questions as they allow for some
dens on Oct. 25, where the Gainesville Orchid Society hosted its annual orchid show. There, I learned how to grow award-winning blooms and hopefully left with a better understanding of how to to finally keep my orchids alive.
After speaking with vendors, hobbyists and other specialists in the field, I’ve come to believe the biggest obstacle for beginners isn’t just the plant’s finicky nature — it’s the business model of planned obsolescence that has been instilled in the orchid industry, especially in big chains and grocery stores.
Planned obsolescence — the practice of designing products with a limited lifespan to encourage repeat purchases — is, in my view, the greatest threat to the sustainability and accessibility of orchid growing today. Planned obsolescence is everywhere, from the poorquality substrates orchids are packaged in, to misleading care instructions, to pots with inadequate ventilation, to the forced blooming of unhealthy plants in grocery stores. Many orchids sold commercially are, quite literally,
designed to die.
productive self-reflection. Yet, to contradict myself — and for that I apologize — I believe we should think less. Whenever I talk to my mom about relationship issues, she shuts down my musings and tells me our generation thinks too much. My knee-jerk reaction is to scoff. What does she know? But I have grown to understand her point. We are never going to experience life and build real connections with our peers and communities if we are constantly policing ourselves. By texting him to check up, you are validating what you meant to each other. It always feels fantastic to be in someone’s thoughts, to feel remembered. If the relationship ended with minimal to no fallout and you want to text him, follow your instincts. Find a compromise between your brain and heart. If all else fails, write a pros and cons list. They are a simple yet effective way to map outcomes.
I cannot tell you what the best course of action would be. You are the one who has to make that choice.
Much like fast fashion, these orchids are treated as disposable, sold and tossed away like cut flowers despite their potential to live 15 to 20 years in healthy conditions.
Industry insiders echo this sentiment, with many vendors and hobbyists at the orchid show joking “to become an expert at keeping orchids alive, you have to kill a few first,” and others admitting they’ve lost count of how many they’ve killed throughout the years. While orchids are notoriously temperamental, the real challenge lies in navigating an industry that often sets growers up to fail from the start.
To cultivate a community that challenges this culture of disposability in favor of lifelong hobbies, it’s important now more than ever to lean into the available local resources. Organizations like the Gainesville Orchid Society promote education on sustainable orchid growing practices and emphasize the importance of purchasing high-quality materials that lend to long-term growth — as opposed to fleeting,
Like I said before, I was not in the relationship. I do not understand your dynamic. So, take a moment and think about what you really want to know and sleep on it. If, in the morning, the itch lingers, scratch it.
Send questions to opinions@ alligator.org. Please include your name, age — and if you are a student — your major and year, even if you wish to remain anonymous. We can keep identifying information private. Questions may be edited for clarity in publication.
Alejandra Agustin is a 21-year-old UF English and anthropology senior.
short-term beauty.
In this way, orchid societies combat planned obsolescence by cultivating orchids for longevity with proper care, quality materials and personalized guidance, which empowers buyers to nurture thriving plants instead of replacing dying ones.
The annual orchid show is a call to rethink how we grow orchids. By embracing community, choosing sustainable practices and supporting local growers, we can shift the orchid industry away from a cycle of disposable consumerism to one of lasting legacy.
Elliana Boyarshinov is a 19-year-old UF finance and economics sophomore.
Alejandra Agustin opinions@alligator.org
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Family involvement is very vital in Early Childhood Education. This is one of the many ways that can help close the literacy gap between home and school.
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Children learning doesn’t just start at school for children to achieve it’s crucial that we focus on what happens outside of school as well.
Research shows that family involvement in their child’s learning is the strongest predictor of academic success. The British Journal of Educational Psychology showed that students were four times more likely to become strong readers and improve in reading if they had strong family involvement.
To truly partner/involve families, schools need to actively listen to families and prioritize meaningful engagement. When schools, teachers, and families come together to form a team, children flourish. How are ways we can get families involved? Use these ideas to engage families as partners in teaching and learning.
● Volunteer: Offer a variety of volunteer roles: classroom help, chaperoning field trips, assisting with school events, and administrative tasks help.
● Offer workshops: Provide workshops on relevant topics like: Make it Take it, child development, Reading with your child, and host family-friendly events like cooking or art nights.
● Communicate regularly: Send home weekly progress reports about the child’s week, use school-home communication apps, and have regular phone calls or meetings.
● Encourage reading: Promote reading together as a family to build literacy skills and a love for learning.
● Provide resources: Provide the name of books for parents to check out from library for children. Help parents set up a home learning environment for children.
Written by: Regina Hill 9-3-1-20
1. ASTRONOMY: When was Pluto reclassified as a dwarf planet?
2. ACRONYM: What phrase does the acronym URL stand for?
3. GEOGRAPHY: Where are the Dodecanese Islands?
4. MUSIC: Which country music star threw the javelin in college?
5. TELEVISION: Which character on the series "Bridgerton" admits to being Lady Whistledown, the pseudonym of a gossip writer?
6. MATH: How many degrees are in a circle?
7. MOVIES: What was the name of actor Henry Fonda's last movie?
8. ANATOMY: In human beings, what is the condition called polythelia?
9. FOOD & DRINK: Which celebrity chef had a specialty food store called "The Barefoot Contessa"?
Trivia Test Sports Quiz
2. What Los Angeles Rams quarterback threw for an NFL record 554 yards in a 51-14 win over the New York Yanks in 1951?
3. By what nickname did the NHL franchise in Utah become known by beginning with the 2025-26 season?
4. Before accepting the head football coach job at Notre Dame, Lou Holtz compiled a 10-12 record as head coach of what college football team from 1984-85?
5. What Chicago Cubs player hit the famous "Homer in the Gloamin'" home run just before dark at Wrigley Field to push the Cubs into first place over the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 1938?
6. What milestone did Eva Shain achieve at the Muhammad Ali vs. Earnie Shavers boxing match at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1977?
7. What happened to the Minnesota Twins' Kirby Puckett on what would be his final Major League Baseball career plate appearance in 1995?
The Beach Boys (Mike Love).
2. Norm Van Brocklin.
The Mammoth.
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Gabby Hartnett.
Garth Brooks.
Penelope Featherington.
"On Golden Pond."
Having an extra nipple.
Ina Garten.
1. Kevin Love, a member of the 2016 NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, has an uncle who was a founding member of what rock 'n' roll band?
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2025
www.alligator.org/section/sports
FOOTBALL
Eugene Wilson III steps up as primary playmaker in Florida offense
THE REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE LED UF IN CATCHES AND RECEIVING YARDS NOV. 1
By Max Bernstein Sports Writer
It's been a tumultuous two-year stretch for Eugene Wilson III.
The Florida redshirt sophomore wide receiver burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2023, pacing the Gators in receiving touchdowns (6) while racking up 538 yards through the air.
But after suffering a hip injury in 2024, his season was cut short after only playing four games, grabbing 19 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown.
Following a slow start to 2025, Wilson exploded for a season-best performance against the then-No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs. He caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.
“He's a baller,” sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway said. “I already knew this. So it's always great to get the ball in his hands and let him do his thing. He had a great night. Proud of him.”
Despite the Gators losing 24-20, Wilson more than doubled his season total in yards — he had 118 prior to the game. And he also caught nine or more passes for the first time since he did the same against Georgia two seasons ago.
Florida reloaded its wide receiver room, adding dynamic freshmen Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson, as well as transfer J. Michael Sturdivant. With plenty of mouths to feed, Eugene was lost in the shuffle for the first seven games of the season, grabbing only 18 passes.
“With a couple playmakers down, we had Aidan down, VB down and Dallas was down here in the middle of the game,” interim head coach Billy Gonzales said. “He stepped up.”
Gonzales, UF’s former wide receivers coach, praised Eugene during Florida’s Oct. 29 media availability, saying it would be a priority to get the ball into his hands, and he was “going to have a really good game.”
Gonzales also said Eugene had one of his best weeks of practice despite a shake-up with Florida’s coaching staff. Russ Callaway and Ryan O’Hara took over as offensive coordinator and play-caller, respectively, after former head coach Billy Napier’s firing.
“We talked this week over — earlier this week, up in Gainesville, just about the way he worked over the last couple weeks,” Gonzales said. “He's going to be rewarded based on how hard you work.”
It was immediately clear Eugene would be Lagway’s primary target during the game. He was targeted on two of UF’s three passes on its opening drive.
Then, just over halfway into the first quarter, Lagway found a wide-open Eugene deep downfield for a 40-yard touchdown that evened the game at 7-7.
Eugene’s target domination continued throughout the loss. He was the intended receiver on 11 of Lagway’s 24 passing attempts.
SEPTEMBER 2025 PROOF
However, the Gators’ wide receiver room has been diminished by injuries over the recent weeks. Both Brown and sophomore wide receiver Aidan Mizell were sidelined, and Dallas exited the contest midway through the second quarter.
That opened up the doors for Eugene to have his best game of 2025 and one of the best games of his collegiate career. He fell just short of his career high of 141 yards, which came against Samford Sept. 7, 2024.
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Despite his standout performance, the rest of Florida’s pass attack failed to kick into gear. Most notably, Sturdivant was at the center of a controversial incomplete pass late in the fourth quarter, which was followed up by a failed fourth down conversion that effectively sealed the Bulldogs’ victory.
“We got to continue to work and get better,” Lagway said. “It's us against the world. It's all about us. We got to keep the team together.”
Wilson will look to continue his momentum as Florida (3-5, 2-3 SEC) faces Kentucky (3-5, 1-5 SEC) at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.
@maxbernstein23 mbernstein@alligator.org
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Florida wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) celebrates after catching a pass during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Jacksonville.
What to know about Florida basketball’s debut against Arizona
THE GATORS WILL TIP OFF NOV. 3 WITH A VERY DIFFERENT ROSTER THAN LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
By Ava DiCecca Alligator Staff Writer
The wait is over. Florida men’s basketball will tip off its season Nov. 3 and begin its quest for back-toback national titles against the No. 13 Arizona Wildcats.
The Gators will look far different than the team that earned the title in April, but the program returned crucial pieces of its frontcourt and has a backcourt built up of strong transfers and rising parts of last year’s team.
“It’s a new team,” said head coach Todd Golden Oct. 30. “But Monday night’s a new challenge. I’ve never been under the lights with those guys yet, so we’ll see what that looks like.”
Gators basketball returns Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, who will start in Florida’s frontcourt. The program added Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee and Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland as its starting guards.
The starting five will look different without Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin, who led the Gators in points during their title run. However, Florida’s new backcourt tandem has adjusted well and feels optimistic heading into the team’s season opener.
“We’re confident together,”
2025, in San Antonio, Texas.
Fland said. “You’ve always got room to get more comfortable, but we’re better now.”
The Gators’ debut matchup won’t be any walk in the park. Under head coach Tommy Lloyd, Arizona boasted an elite group that surged to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke in 2024.
Last season, the Wildcats were led by senior guard Caleb Love, senior forward Carter Bryant — who
was drafted No. 14 overall to the San Antonio Spurs — and center Tobe Awaka, who logged 7.8 rebounds a game. Awaka will return as a senior this season alongside senior guard Jaden Bradley, who tallied 12.1 points per game in 2024.
Arizona also added the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports. The Wildcats secured forward Koa Peat, who was ranked the No. 8 recruit in the coun-
try.
Peat is expected to be one of the best freshmen in the country and played for the FIBA U-19 team during the summer, averaging 12 points, seven rebounds and one assist per game. He even faced Gators 7-foot9 center Olivier Rioux, who played for Canada’s U-19 team, during the tournament.
The Gilbert, Arizona, native is joined by five-star guard Brayden Burries and three-star guard Bryce James, NBA star LeBron James’ son.
“I think Koa is going to be a little bit of what determines how good they are,” Golden said. “They definitely do have one of the best frontcourts. … My hope is that our veteran leadership and the veteran experience in the frontcourt will be a plus for us on Monday night.”
One of Florida’s biggest changes is Haugh emerging as the Gators’ starting forward. He’ll play alongside Condon and Chinyelu in Florida’s starting frontcourt.
Condon is expected to be one of the premier forwards in college basketball after he decided to return to college. He was named a preseason AP All-American and listed on the coaches’ preseason All-SEC First Team.
“We had great guards last year, but this is the year to really prove ourselves,” Condon said of the frontcourt. “The ball is going to go into us a lot more, so we’ve got that responsibility.”
Haugh and Fland were named to the coaches’ preseason All-SEC teams alongside Condon.
Fland already has experience at the SEC level and will look to make a similar impact at Florida. Without Fland in the Gators’ exhibition match, Lee proved he will be a crucial piece to UF’s success this season. He recorded 17 points and eight assists in Florida’s preseason exhibition match against Illinois.
“Offensively, he’s fantastic,” Golden said. “He’s been playing really, really well. I thought he was fabulous on Saturday against Illinois, and I’m excited to see what he does on Monday night.”
After guard Denzel Aberdeen decided to transfer to Kentucky, junior Urban Klavžar and sophomore Isaiah Brown are two of Florida’s main returners on the bench. Isaiah is joined by his brother, AJ Brown, a redshirt junior transfer from Ohio, with whom he’ll be competing with for a spot in Golden’s nine-player rotation.
Senior center Micah Handlogten will return after forgoing his redshirt last season and is expected to be a significant piece of the rotation. Florida’s two incoming freshmen guards, CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd, are also likely contributors to UF’s efforts.
Going into Monday, the Gators are ranked No. 3 in the country and hope to maintain the high expectations for their season.
“It’s a privilege,” Fland said. “We know people are going to come for our necks. We just have to be ready to go.”
@avadicecca24 adicecca@alligator.org
If not Lane Kiffin, could Eli Drinkwitz be Florida’s next coach?
DRINKWITZ HAS A 44-26 RECORD AT MISSOURI
By Max Bernstein Sports Writer
In what is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable coaching carousels in college football history, Florida remains one of the premier jobs on the table.
After firing Billy Napier on Oct. 19, the Florida Gators and UF’s athletic director, Scott Stricklin, have begun a nationwide search to find the team’s next head ball coach.
“My sense is we will have a wide variety of candidates,” Stricklin said Oct. 20. “We want people who can win championships at the University of Florida. That’s going to be our goal.”
With plenty of candidates, a few names have shot to the top of the betting leaderboards, with the primary talking point being Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.
However, if Ole Miss makes a College Football Playoff appearance, Kiffin might opt to stay in Oxford at the program he has grown over the past half-decade. This would also throw a wrench into Florida’s plans to hire a head coach before the transfer portal opens Jan. 2. Those factors led to Missouri’s head coach, Eliah “Eli” Drinkwitz, emerging as a favorite for the job.
Drinkwitz arrived in Columbia, Missouri, in late 2019 to take the reins of a program that had suffered through a turbulent decade.
The Tigers moved to the Southeastern Conference in 2012. While they initially had some success under head coach Gary Pinkel, they floundered following his retirement.
The program was also hit with NCAA sanctions in 2019 following an investigation, leading to recruiting violations
and NCAA probation just as Drinkwitz took the job as head coach.
Despite this, Drinkwitz had a solid but unspectacular first three years at the helm for the Tigers. He led Missouri to a 17-19 record from 2020-22 while earning bowl eligibility all three years.
However, the tides shifted in 2023, when Drinkwitz led the Tigers to their best season in a decade.
After being projected to finish second-to-last in the SEC East, Missouri exploded to a 11-2 record, capping off its season with its first-ever New Year’s Six Bowl victory in the 2023 Cotton Bowl against Ohio State.
Missouri once again won double-digit games in 2024 under Drinkwitz, finishing 10-3. The Tigers currently sit at a 6-2 record thus far in the 2025 season, including a 2-2 conference record.
However, Kiffin has been more successful at a comparable Ole Miss program. Taking over a team that had gone 15-21 in three years under Matt Luke, Kiffin led the Rebels to a 5-5 record in 2020, followed by a 10-3 record in 2021.
After a solid season in 2022 with an 8-5 record, Ole Miss has put together back-to-back double-digit-win seasons and are well on track to make it three consecutive years. The Rebels are 8-1 and rank No. 7 in the nation.
Drinkwitz’s struggles, however, have been against the college football elites. In his coaching career, he is 7-16 against top 25 teams, including a 1-9 record against top 10 teams. That includes losses to then-No. 8 Alabama and No. 10 Vanderbilt this season.
Kiffin, however, has been solid against top 10 teams during his Ole Miss tenure, holding a 5-7 record. His record against top 25 teams is 10-10 with the Rebels.
Both coaches have also been effective recruiters. Drinkwitz’s 2025 recruiting class ranked No. 18 in the On3/Rivals National Rank, good for ninth in the SEC. He has also brought in the top 36 classes each season during his tenure.
His predecessor, Barry Odom, peaked at No. 36 in 2019, which was his only class ranked above the top 40. Meanwhile, Kiffin has had consistent top 30 classes during his tenure, peaking at No. 17 in 2021. His 2025 class came in at No. 19 in the On3/Rivals National Rank.
Both have also embraced the changing tides of college football and the transfer portal. Drinkwitz has brought in back-to-back top-15 portal classes, according to 247Sports. His 2025 portal class ranked No. 7 in the nation and thirdbest in the SEC.
However, Kiffin has ingrained himself in the modern college football climate, calling himself the “Portal King.” His 2024 portal class was No. 1 in the nation, with his 2025 class coming in at No. 4.
The SEC coaches have achieved major success in a top conference despite a lack of resources at their disposal. The Athletic ranked Missouri as the 13th most valuable SEC program as it rakes in approximately $48 million yearly in football revenue. Ole Miss was ranked 11th in value with $73.8 million yearly. In comparison, Florida ranked seventh in the SEC with $98.5 million in yearly football revenue. Florida’s schedule is consistently filled with top 25 opponents, and Drinkwitz’s struggles against these top teams could be the deciding factor in whether he receives the job and why Kiffin would likely be the preferred choice.
Missouri also extended Drinkwitz over the offseason. He is under contract through 2029 on a deal worth $46.5 million. Florida would have to pay Missouri around $28.8 million to acquire the head coach.
Meanwhile, Kiffin’s contract runs through 2031. UF would have to pay Ole Miss about $36.6 million to buyout that agreement.
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
Florida forward Thomas Haugh (10) celebrates after winning the NCAA men’s basketball national championship Monday, April 7,
