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Florida will wrap up its spring football session with its spring game on Thursday night inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Coach Billy Napier is in his second year at the helm, and Thursday night’s showcase will give outsiders a chance to for a first glimpse of the 2023 Gators. 

Napier’s first order of business will be determining who takes the snaps after NFL hopeful Anthony Richardson chose to forgo his remaining eligibility. Graham Mertz and Jack Miller III are in a heated battle to take control of the top spot on the depth chart, and that will surely be the focal point on Thursday night. It goes beyond that, though. The Gators’ defense struggled to get negative plays last year, and that has to change if they’re going to contend for the SEC East title.

Let’s break down the top storylines to keep an eye on Thursday night in Gainesville.

How to watch 2023 Florida spring game live

Date: Thursday, April 13 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — Gainesville, Florida
Live stream: SEC Network+ 

2023 Florida spring game storylines

1. The tale of transfer QBs: Mertz was supposed to be the best quarterback at Wisconsin since Russell Wilson, but that never materialized. He tossed 26 interceptions in 33 games with the Badgers and averaged 7.0 yards per attempt during his four seasons in Madison. He arrives in Gainesville hoping for greener pastures in a more dynamic offense. Miller started the Las Vegas Bowl vs. Oregon State after Richardson opted out and went 13 of 22 for 180 yards in the 30-3 loss. Miller was the 10th-ranked pro style quarterback in the Class of 2020, but only attempted 14 passes in six games with Ohio State. He’s been enjoying his battle with the more experienced Mertz.

“I embrace competition,” he said. “I…

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The Georgia Bulldogs and defensive backs coach Fran Brown have extended a scholarship to athlete Jamarrion Gordon. Gordon is a member of the class of 2026.

Gordon is currently unranked due to his young age. The 2026 athlete projects as defensive back or wide receiver at the next level.

Jamarrion Gordon plays high school football for Jackson High School in Jackson, Alabama. Jackson is a small town in southern Alabama.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound athlete visited Georgia on April 8. The Jackson standout has taken recent visited to FSU and Ole Miss. Gordon holds scholarship offers from Arkansas, Tennessee, and Penn State.

Kirby Smart and Georgia football are off to an excellent start with both the class of 2024 and 2025. The class of 2026 is a year away from really picking up steam.

The 2026 athlete announced his scholarship offer from the Georgia Bulldogs via Twitter:

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Georgia, Clemson target Hevin Brown-Shuler sets commitment date

Georgia players to watch in UGA spring game

UGA football in top group for OL Makai Saina

Pro Football Focus ranks CFB head coaches entering 2023 season

Story originally appeared on UGA Wire

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The Big Ten has hired former television and Major League Baseball executive Tony Petitti to serve as its next commissioner, the conference announced on Wednesday. Petitti replaces former commissioner Kevin Warren, who took over as president of the Chicago Bears in January after negotiating a seven-year media rights deal for the Big Ten valued at approximately $1.2 billion annually. Petitti will begin his tenure as Big Ten commissioner on April 15. 

Petitti has developed a storied career in the sports industry through the years. He took over as chief operating officer of Major League Baseball after Rob Manfred was elevated to commissioner of the league in 2015. Prior to that, Petitti served as president and chief executive officer of MLB Network, overseeing the launch the network and running day-to-day operations during its infancy. 

He held the role until 2020 when he left to join Activision Blizzard in the roie of president of sports and entertainment. His primary focus at Activision Blizzard was oversight of the companies esports, consumer products and film and television ventures. 

“At this important and transformational time in collegiate athletics, it is truly my great honor to be chosen by the council of presidents and chancellors as the commissioner of the Big Ten Conference,” Petitti said. “I am energized to work alongside the best athletics directors, coaches, conference staff and board in the country as — together — we continue to elevate the academic and athletic experiences and resources for our 14, soon-to-be 16, world-class universities with nearly 10,000 incredible student-athletes.

Petitti was a titan at CBS Sports beginning in 1997 when he was hired away from ABC to serve as senior vice president of business affairs and…

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The quarterback battle at Auburn is one of the most anticipated not only in Auburn fans’ eyes but to college football fans across the country.

After hearing less than soothing reports during spring practice, the weather at Saturday’s A-Day game did not do the quarterbacks any favors, as all three contenders combined to throw just 12 passes in the cold, dreary atmosphere at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

In limited action, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze says that he saw some positives out of Robby Ashford, T.J. Finley, and Holden Geriner, but he also pointed out aspects of their game that he hopes to see improve.

“I think you saw today that (Ashford) got the capability of making some plays. I thought he threw a really good seam ball in those conditions. I thought Holden (Geriner) threw some good balls. He missed a couple of reads on some RPOs I think. T.J. (Finley) did too. It’s kind of been that way all spring. Some real positives one day and some inconsistencies the next day. We’ve still got some time to help them improve, hopefully.”

After watching the A-Day game on Saturday, radio show host and SEC Network personality Paul Finebaum shared his thoughts on the Birmingham radio show, McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.

He did not have much faith in Auburn’s quarterbacks before the game, and he remains true to his thoughts after watching the game.

“It didn’t change much, and the conclusion is still the same: I think Auburn needs a quarterback,” Finebaum said. “I talked to Hugh Freeze on Friday before the game and you could tell he was saying the right things, but deep down, he knows quarterbacks and he knows he doesn’t have a quarterback on his roster that’s capable of getting Auburn out of the morass that it’s currently in and to the next level. So I think he’ll be pretty active in the portal.”

The…

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