Sports

Florida guard Noah Locke (10) shoots against Virginia Tech in the second half of a first round game in the NCAA men's college basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday in Indianapolis. (MICHAEL CONROY/Associated Press)

Florida guard Noah Locke (10) shoots against Virginia Tech in the second half of a first round game in the NCAA men's college basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday in Indianapolis. (MICHAEL CONROY/Associated Press)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Short-handed Florida outlasts Virginia Tech in NCAA opener

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friday, March 19, 2021
INDIANAPOLIS — Florida overcame playing short-handed most of the season after preseason SEC player of the year Keyontae Johnson was lost because of a scary medical episode.
Free agency feels a lot like recruiting to new Jaguars coach Urban Meyer. Watching film. Wooing players. Finding the right fits. Given Meyer’s penchant for landing five-star prospects at Florida and Ohio State, Jacksonville could be a popular landing spot for some of the NFL’s top free agents next week. It certainly should help that the Jaguars have more salary cap space (nearly $73 million). (AP FILE PHOTO)

Free agency feels a lot like recruiting to new Jaguars coach Urban Meyer. Watching film. Wooing players. Finding the right fits. Given Meyer’s penchant for landing five-star prospects at Florida and Ohio State, Jacksonville could be a popular landing spot for some of the NFL’s top free agents next week. It certainly should help that the Jaguars have more salary cap space (nearly $73 million). (AP FILE PHOTO)

NFL: Meyer laments limitations for wooing free agents

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friday, March 19, 2021
Urban Meyer never got a chance to recruit any free agents to Jacksonville, and he’s not happy about it. Because of NFL rules, Meyer had to agree to sign players without meeting them in person — a process he found troubling and far different from how things work in college.
Columbia coach Brian Allen looks on during a game last season. (BRENT KUYKENDALL/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia coach Brian Allen looks on during a game last season. (BRENT KUYKENDALL/Lake City Reporter)

PREP FOOTBALL: Brian Allen resigns as teacher but still Columbia's head coach

JORDAN KROEGER
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Brian Allen is stepping down as a physical education teacher at Columbia High School, but he will remain as the school’s football coach. Today is Allen’s last day at Columbia, where he taught two weightlifting blocks in the morning from the first bell at 8:56 a.m. to 12:12 p.m.
Branford’s Madyson Sikes bunts against Lafayette on Thursday night. (BRIAN LEWIS/Special to the Reporter)

Branford’s Madyson Sikes bunts against Lafayette on Thursday night. (BRIAN LEWIS/Special to the Reporter)

PREP SOFTBALL: Hornets sting Buccaneers late for district win

MIKE JONES
Thursday, March 18, 2021
MAYO — Branford went into Thursday’s district game with Lafayette with plenty of confidence at the plate. But the heavy-hitting Buccaneers couldn’t find a way to get the clutch hits against their rival. They stranded 10 runners in a 5-4 road loss to LHS.
Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton directs his team during the first half of a game against North Carolina in the semifinal round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on March 12 in Greensboro, N.C. (GERRY BROOME/Associated Press)

Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton directs his team during the first half of a game against North Carolina in the semifinal round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on March 12 in Greensboro, N.C. (GERRY BROOME/Associated Press)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Florida State focused on this year, not what might have been

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Leonard Hamilton isn't one to dwell on what might have been. That's why he's telling his Florida State team to concentrate on the present when it comes to preparing for the NCAA Tournament. The Seminoles were in line for a No.
Florida head coach Mike White talks with an official in the first half of a game against Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Tournament March 12 in Nashville, Tenn. (MARK HUMPHREY/Associated Press)

Florida head coach Mike White talks with an official in the first half of a game against Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Tournament March 12 in Nashville, Tenn. (MARK HUMPHREY/Associated Press)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Florida, others overcome obstacles to get to NCAAs

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Keytontae Johnson, the Southeastern Conference preseason player of the year, collapsed on the court during a Dec. 12 game against West Virginia. As a result, Florida postponed its next four contests and Johnson was released from a hospital 10 days later.

NFL: Jags trade oft-injured Oliver to Ravens for pick

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Josh Oliver never got much of a chance to show what he could do in Jacksonville. He'll get a fresh start in Baltimore. The Jaguars traded the oft-injured tight end to the Ravens on Wednesday for a conditional draft pick in 2022, according to person familiar with negotiations.