Scott Stricklin takes over at Florida and more Big Blue Links

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

▪ As Florida’s new athletics director, Scott Stricklin ready to keep pushing program forward, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Stricklin is a former associate athletics director at UK under Mitch Barnhart.

▪ Stricklin is the right fit for the Gators, writes Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun.

▪ Five reasons why Nick Saban is college football’s best coach, is my column.

▪ Kentucky running back Mikel Horton is transferring, reports Jennifer Smith of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

▪ Naquez Pringle has a message for kids, reports Smith.

▪ Can Kentucky leave Alabama with its pride intact? asks Mark Story of the Herald-Leader.

▪ A pair of true freshmen are solidifying Alabama’s backfield, reports Greg Ostendorf of ESPN.

▪ John Calipari could add two high-profile point guards to his 2017 recruiting class, Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader reports.

▪ Jimbo Fisher’s silence indicates LSU in play for Florida State coach, says David Whitley of the Orlando Sentinel.

▪ LSU rolling dice on a big-name coach, says Dan Wolken of USA Today.

▪ Bobby Petrino’s pledge to say at Louisville seems sincere, writes Tim Sullivan of the Courier-Journal.

▪ Former Missouri coach Gary Pinkel is enjoying the autumn of his life, writes Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star.

▪ Georgia’s season not over after just one loss, writes Guerry Clegg of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. After a 45-14 loss to Ole Miss last weekend, Georgia plays Tennessee this Saturday.

▪ Georgia’s recruiting has been better than its performance, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

▪ Tennessee is no stranger to Kirby Smart, reports David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

▪ Nick Chubb is looking questionable for Tennessee game, reports Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

▪ Georgia is anxious to jump-start its running game, reports Jordan Hill of the Macon Telegraph.

▪ Vanderbilt’s offense is in rare, good company for a change, reports Adam Sparks of the Tennessean.

▪ Florida’s defense remains confident despite loss at Tennessee, reports Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun.

▪ Missouri ready for a heavy does of Leonard Fournette, reports Blake Toppmeyer of the Columbia Daily Tribune.

▪ Texas A&M better prepared for strong finish, reports Robert Cessna of Bryan/College Station Eagle.

▪ Bye week allows Mississippi State to recover, evaluate, reports Michael Bonner of the Clarion-Ledger.

▪ Memphis is still humming under Mike Norvell, reports Antonio Morales of the Clarion-Ledger.

▪ Arkansas high school football star dies in car crash, reports Brandon Howard of Arkansas Online.

▪ South Carolina’s Under Armour deal one of most lucrative in the nation, reports David Cloninger of The State.