GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators (5-6) have a chance to save their season and ruin a rival's Saturday night when they take on fifth-ranked Florida State (11-0) in the 2023 finale at Spurrier/Florida Field. The Seminoles are in the thick of the College Football Playoff hunt and will be looking to stay unbeaten. Brandon Spikes, meanwhile, will be looking to stay unbeaten against FSU. In the 10-year history of the honorary "Mr. Two Bits" tradition, no active UF football player or coach has ever been tabbed to do George Edmondson's famous pre-game cheer. Spikes is in his first season as a student assistant coach after returning to school to finish his degree. So since he's going to be in the house anyway, he might as well come out of locker room, make the walk through the tunnel he knows so well, run onto the field that he used to call home, only this time donning khakis and a yellow shirt when he sends the sell-out crowd into a pre-kickoff frenzy.
With NIL and players getting paid anyway, former players should be allowed to claim unused eligibility and come back if they want to, even if they signed contracts and played in the NFL. So it's absolutely long since past time to let players come back who did nothing except declare for the draft and go undrafted or get cut in camp without ever making an NFL roster. I know Spikes didn't have any eligibility left, but the point stands.
I'd like to see Ron Zook suit up as Mr. 2 Bits whenever we play FSU, just to remind everyone of Ron Zook Field.
This deserves more thumbs. No matter what happens in this series, we will forever own the naming rights to Ron Zook Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. Brings a smile every time.
