Cole Bishop 'most excited' to face Florida

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•07/22/23
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Utah has won back-to-back Pac-12 championships and will be looking for a three-peat this year. But players have their eyes on another game first: Florida.

Florida knocked off Utah last season in a 29-26 thriller in the Swamp in Gainesville, Fla. This time around the Utes will host the Gators for a Thursday night game on Aug. 31.

“The game I’m most excited for is Florida because the aspect that the defense didn’t have a great game last year,” safety Cole Bishop said. “We had a lot of missed tackles. We’re looking to go and play better this year and be able to do our thing, come out with a win.”

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson proved especially difficult to get a handle on for Utah last year. He made a handful of clutch plays on key downs to help secure the win.

But Richardson is gone now, off to the NFL Draft as a top-five pick.

That should level the playing field a little after Richardson willed Florida to a win and the defense sealed it with a late interception in the end zone by veteran Amari Burney. Utah’s best are ready for the rematch

“I’m looking forward to it,” star quarterback Cameron Rising said. “Can’t wait to play on that Thursday. Going to be a great game. Looking forward to getting that ball in play, getting revenge.”

Florida’s O-line depth takes a hit

Florida’s offensive line depth took a hit this week when news emerged that Kiyaunta Goodwin is no longer with the program, departing due to a medical situation in his family.

Goodwin was preparing for his first season with Florida after transferring from Kentucky. With the Wildcats, he played mostly on special teams as a freshman in 2022 before entering the transfer portal and ultimately ending up in Gainesville. He plans on applying for an NCAA hardship waiver so he can be closer to his mother.

Goodwin played high school football at Charlestown (IN) High School, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 55 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. After entering the portal, Goodwin became the No. 27-ranked offensive tackle transfer this cycle, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

Goodwin was one of 14 transfers coming in for Florida this year, including quarterback Graham Mertz, who’s competing to be the Gators’ starting quarterback.