Don’t take my post too seriously. I heard it from the same voices that whisper to our sports media who relentlessly post inaccurate nonsense with no actual sources.
It was just a joke, but I love Ziegler. Phenomenal defender who developed a solid offensive game at 5’9” (and without elite athleticism). Was never a dirty player or unnecessary talker on the court. Never had a high ceiling, and clearly not the prototype for Golden, but his trajectory is what you hope for in this day and age of college hoops.
Haha I'm not too excited about it, just genuinely curious because I've heard this "application for a waiver" thing a few times now with guys who have played 4 years and haven't had reason for a medical redshirt. JP Pegues from Auburn is the same story. Why would they get a waiver?
Pegues only played in 15 games. I haven't heard anything about an injury, but if he is injured, he might qualify for a medical. He is over the 30% threshold though.
That's probably 99% of the kids in the portal right now. And is part of the new reality of college athletics. So unless were going to relegate ourselves to like 1% of the market trying to cling to a model that no longer exists, I really hope we at least ask what his current price is. Kid is head and shoulders the best player in the portal right now. Lots of transfers used to mean a kid was overrated. Now it just means someone wanted to test their value in the open market. Its not the mark of a bad kid like it used to be. Furthermore, he's a senior so its not like were gonna have to get into a bidding war to hold on to him next year. We need a hired gun to replace a lost senior for one year. That's it.
I would rather take our lumps with the players and our very highly rated freshmen already in the fold than pay $2M+ to a mercenary who doesn't care whether or not it says FLORIDA on his chest. 4 teams in 4 seasons is a pattern and it's not what Golden wants
Only kid Golden has taken with more than one transfer is his own, Rishwain. Just not sure you can talk about “attitude, work ethic, and wants to be a Gator” or “we’ve never gotten into a bidding war,” then turn around and spend massively on a kid just because he is the best available in the portal. I mean, we literally won a national title two weeks ago using the former, but we lose Aberdeen and now our model is outdated?
Guys that say they "want to be Gators" is saying exactly the same thing as "I will fill my role to make the team better". Zel did that for three seasons. Hats off to him. Very much appreciated by me. I am sure that Zel loves being a Gator but he has to look out for his career and dreams. He is not going to be a two guard in the NBA even though he has all the skills for being an excellent two guard in the college game. He can hit the corner three, he can slash to the rim, he can shoot the whatever you want to call the "tear drop", "floater" or "pull up" J against defenses that sag to the rim. But if his role is to spell our lead PG next year he is not showcasing his game in a way that enhances his NBA pro prospects. Then the question is if his NBA dream is realistic. He certainly will have a pro career.
Houston and Auburn were heavy on lower cost players/transfers. Same with UConn in 2023 and Kansas in 2022. I wonder if this year is just a bubble because of the impending settlement.
He allegedly is looking for over 4 mil a year. I doubt we are going in on that when we just lost Aberdeen for a lot less.
This shows how much a cap is needed. This disparity will not lead to good things. Duke came very close to buying a championship like Ohio state in football. March Madness 2025: Duke and Kentucky Lead the Bracket in Spending
