Ivy League DPOY Slackman transfers to Gators

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2 years ago

December 18, 2023

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Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 08:31 PM ET
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- ESPN staff writer
- Joined ESPN in 2011
- Graduated from Central Michigan

Florida added one of the top defensive players in the transfer portal Sunday, with Penn defensive tackle Joey Slackman announcing his intention to play for the Gators.

Slackman was the 2023 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year after posting 50 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. He has one year of eligibility remaining and felt as though Florida was the right fit for his final season.

“They did the best job of building that relationship with me and explaining to me how I would fit into their defense and how I can help them not just win on the field with my football play, but as a leader,” Slackman told ESPN. “I can come in, even though it’s only a year, and really help change the program for the better and set them in the right direction over this next year.”

Slackman said he believes in what coach Billy Napier is trying to do and that he will have an opportunity to play on college football’s biggest stage. The Florida staff has been looking for help on the defensive side, and Slackman has the ability to come in and be disruptive right away.

“When I called Coach Napier to let them know that I committed, that was something that he reiterated, what he told us when we were there on the visit,” Slackman said. “He just said, ‘Look, we need guys that can come in and lead, not just play.’ They went through a very diligent process in the portal with recruiting and expressed to me that I was the guy that, aside from the play on the field, had leadership qualities that were intangible, and I agreed with that.”

He has had success the past few years at Penn, but Slackman is ready for the challenge of the SEC. He said playing for Florida will help him accomplish his goal of making it to the NFL.

“It was the place where I felt like every aspect of myself as a player and a person could be developed,” Slackman said. “Getting to the draft next year is a goal of mine — obviously winning comes first — and Florida is a place where I feel like can get everything out of a place and give everything that I have to a place in a year.

“I feel like they’re going to help me get to where I want to be, and I’m going to help them and us get to the promised land, where we want to be, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to get started with them.”

Sports

USC QB pulls off fake punt wearing No. 80 jersey

Published

6 hours ago

November 8, 2025

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USC QB pulls off fake punt wearing No. 80 jersey

ESPN News Services

Nov 7, 2025, 10:47 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — No. 20 USC pulled off a remarkable fake punt against Northwestern in Friday night’s 38-17 win by sending out third-string quarterback Sam Huard in the same uniform number as the Trojans’ punter.

Wearing a No. 80 jersey, Huard came on the field with the punt team in the second quarter and completed a 10-yard pass to Tanook Hines. The first down extended the Trojans’ second drive, which ended with a TD run by Jayden Maiava.

This bit of trickery was quite legal, apparently: Huard wore No. 7 earlier this season for the Trojans, but he is listed as No. 80 on the USC roster for this week after Lincoln Riley’s team quietly made the change.

USC punter Sam Johnson also wears No. 80. College football teams frequently feature two players wearing the same number.

Huard, who is a couple of inches shorter than the 6-foot-3 Johnson, grinned widely as he high-fived teammates on the way off the field. He is a former five-star recruit who began his college career at Washington.

Bowling Green pulled off a similar stunt in last season’s 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

Third-string Falcons quarterback Baron May switched his uniform number before the game from 8 to 18 — very similar to punter John Henderson‘s No. 19 jersey.

Late in the first quarter, May came on the field instead of Henderson and threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Johnson Jr. — although Arkansas State overcame it for a 38-31 victory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sports

Missouri’s Norfleet (shoulder) ruled out vs. A&M

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8 hours ago

November 8, 2025

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Missouri's Norfleet (shoulder) ruled out vs. A&M

Eli LedermanNov 7, 2025, 04:50 PM ET
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No. 22 Missouri will be without star tight end Brett Norfleet (shoulder) when the Tigers host undefeated No. 3 Texas A&M on Saturday in Columbia.

Norfleet, a junior from O’Fallon, Missouri, has started in each of the Tigers’ eight games this fall and enters Week 11 leading all SEC tight ends with five touchdown receptions. His 26 catches on the season rank third-most among Missouri pass catchers, trailing only wide receivers Kevin Coleman Jr. and Marquis Johnson.

Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz told reporters that Norflett sustained a separated shoulder in Missouri’s 17-10 loss at Vanderbilt on Oct. 25. Drinkwitz later described Norfleet as “day-to-day” during the Tigers’ bye in Week 10, and the veteran tight end was listed as questionable in Missouri’s student-athlete availability report Thursday night.

Norfleet’s absence comes with Drinkwitz and the two-loss Tigers essentially facing a playoff elimination game against the Aggies on Saturday. Missouri will also be without starting quarterback Beau Pribula in Week 11 after the Penn State transfer dislocated his ankle at Vanderbilt. Freshman Matt Zollers, ESPN’s No. 6 pocket passer in the 2025 class, is set to make his first career start Saturday, facing Texas A&M coach Mike Elko and an Aggies defense that ranks 18th nationally in defensive pressures (137), per ESPN Research.

“For our team, it’s really about us focusing on helping Matt execute at the highest level possible,” Drinkwitz said this week. “We’re excited about Matt’s opportunity and what he’s earned. He has done a really good job in practice of leadership, stepping up, embracing the moment, embracing the opportunity.”

Missouri (6-2) kicks off against Texas A&M at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.