Florida and Kansas kicked off the 2024 season with a lot totally different expectations after contrasting finishes to 2023. Nevertheless, their campaigns have adopted related trajectories, because the Gators and Jayhawks have emerged as two of essentially the most impactful 6-5 and 5-6 groups the sport has seen.
Each groups shook up the Faculty Soccer Playoff race in Week 13, however extra importantly to every respective program, they continued spectacular midseason turnarounds.
In Florida’s case, a 24-17 win over No. 9-ranked Ole Miss was this system’s most noteworthy victory because the peak of the City Meyer period.
Critically. In keeping with Florida athletic communications, the Gators final beat High 25 opponents in consecutive weeks after they capped off the 2008 season’s Bowl Championship Collection title with a run of three straight wins over Florida State, Alabama within the SEC Championship, and Oklahoma within the title recreation.
The shadow of the Meyer period has loomed massive over Gainesville all through present Gators coach Billy Napier’s tenure. The timing of Netflix’s launch of the documentary Swamp Kings, which celebrated Florida’s two nationwide championships underneath Meyer whereas downplaying a number of the extra unsavory parts surrounding this system on the time, couldn’t have been worse.
Swamp Kings dropped simply because the 2023 Gators had been beginning a dismal 5-7 season—Florida’s third straight sub-.500 end and second in as a few years underneath Napier. Publish-Meyer predecessors had been on quick leashes, getting dismissed two years after a Sugar Bowl look (Will Muschamp), lower than a full season faraway from consecutive SEC Championship Sport appearances (Jim McElwain), and a yr after one other SEC title recreation run (Dan Mullen).
Expectations might have prompt the identical for Napier. Heck, one of many many interchangeable ESPN exhibits even theorized about Napier’s job safety earlier than his second season had even kicked off.
Opening this marketing campaign at 3-3, with losses by 24 factors to Miami and 13 factors to Texas A&M—each at residence—precedent prompt Napier wouldn’t have made it to Halloween. Florida had each motive to punt on 2024, however by persevering with to soldier on, the Gators have reached this level.
“Management may be very arduous, and I feel these guys have stepped up in a significant method,” Napier stated following Saturday’s win. “That first month of the yr was a problem in each aspect. Younger folks, at that time, have gotten to resolve who they need to be and what they’re about.”
Florida is discovering its identification on the defensive facet of the ball, holding each LSU and Ole Miss to fewer than 20 factors within the final two weeks. Saturday’s win additionally indicators a potential method ahead for the Gators to proceed constructing on this sturdy end.
Bryce Thornton, a sophomore, was dynamic in opposition to Ole Miss with two interceptions. Caleb Banks and Tyreak Sapp, each juniors, made 2.5 and 1.5 sacks, respectively.
Whereas earlier Florida coaches noticed early success however diminishing returns, this period of Gators soccer is displaying encouraging development. Constructing a program is usually a lengthy, irritating course of, however Florida is starting to supply outcomes.
Few packages perceive the arduous strategy of constructing like Kansas. Between the Pepper Rodgers-coached Orange Bowl workforce of 1968 and Lance Leipold’s debut in 2021, nearly as many Jayhawks groups gained one recreation or fewer in a season (eight) as certified for bowl video games (9).
Leipold hasn’t labored underneath the identical type of shadows in Lawrence as these looming over Napier in Gainesville. So when the career-long overachieving coach’s 2023 Jayhawks went 9-4 and completed ranked within the High 25, it was a stunning achievement.
When Kansas regressed to 1-5 halfway by means of 2024, with no FBS wins to its credit score, the final vibe among the many fan base was one among enterprise as typical. Just a few Jayhawks supporters photographed at a 35-31 loss at Arizona State on Oct. 5—the fifth of 5 straight losses—wore paper baggage over their heads, one with a reference to the 1998 movie The Waterboy scrawled on it studying, “We suck once more.”
Now, after profitable three straight—all in opposition to groups ranked within the prime 20 and harboring Playoff aspirations—Iowa State, BYU, and Colorado—Kansas most definitely doesn’t suck. The Jayhawks often is the most significant workforce in altering the complexion of the Playoff race because the committee started revealing weekly rankings.
“I’m so pleased with this group and our teaching employees as a result of so many individuals had written this workforce off,” Leipold stated following Saturday’s 37-21 victory over Colorado. “Everybody was annoyed, pointing to issues that ought to’ve been modified or completed in another way. However this group caught collectively, stayed dedicated to the method, and did every thing we requested of them.”
Buffs vast receiver Travis Hunter entered Week 13 broadly thought-about the favourite to win the Heisman Trophy—and to his credit score, he caught for 125 yards and two touchdowns, probably strengthening his case.
However whereas Hunter was celebrating his success with Heisman poses, Devin Neal was celebrating a win.
Neal rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns, caught for 80 yards and a fourth rating, and as a hometown product, he put a stamp on the type of efficiency that can stay within the pantheon of Jayhawks working backs, alongside The Kansas Comet Gale Sayers.
“I stated it earlier than, that a whole lot of guys would have given up on this,” Neal stated in his postgame interview with Fox Sports activities. “But it surely’s particular. And also you see the gang that confirmed up in the present day; we constructed this. We take a whole lot of delight in that.”
From winless in 2020 and 1-5 only a few weeks in the past, Kansas is now one Week 14 victory over Baylor away from advancing to its third straight bowl recreation—an unprecedented feat in Jayhawks historical past.
That Kansas has by no means been to a few straight bowls underscores simply how totally different that program is in comparison with Florida. However in 2024, there will not be two extra related groups with extra stunning imprints left on the school soccer panorama.