Florida on Friday appointed another coach with a color in his last name when it selected former San Francisco head coach Todd Golden to replace former coach Mike White. Golden left after leading the Dons to the NCAA Tournament with a 24–10 record, but fell in overtime during the opening round at Murray State, 92–87. As with White’s surprise announcement of leaving Georgia, the news had a lot of great reactions on Twitter.
Overall, the discovered responses were mixed. Some Florida fans were disappointed athletic director Scott Stricklin went with another up-and-coming mid-head coach on a more established name, while others were ready to give him a chance.
In its last three seasons, San Francisco compiled a meh 57–36 record this season, leading the program to its first March Madness berth since 1998. However, Don consistently played in the West Coast Conference with the likes of NCAA fixtures Gonzaga and St. Mary’s. Alligator’s Caleb Wiegandt got a solid nugget That 13 of his 36 defeats went to WCC powerhouse Bulldogs and Gayle.
Prior to San Francisco, he spent time as an assistant from 2014-2016 under coach Bruce Pearl.
Now here are the best Twitter reactions to Golden’s hire that Gators Wire got.
@gettersMBK As a new coach Todd Golden has accepted the Florida job from San Francisco. He is a young rising star in coaching. @espnbob And I’ve done many of his games over the years @WCChoops tournament and that was very impressive.
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) 18 March 2022
Todd Golden is young, confident and checks all the boxes that AD is looking for. Made a program in a hard place to do it. analytically knowledgeable. Hired everywhere.
Is it a gamble on a plum job like Florida? Yes. But he has a chance to become one of the biggest stars of the game.
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) 18 March 2022
At first I didn’t know who Golden was when the news broke on Friday. However, after doing my homework, I agree with Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney. This is a high-risk, high-reward fare.
This isn’t Billy D’s bad fare IMO ️🥱 https://t.co/9pxwGhDQKr
— Misha (@PrettyGirlMisha) 18 March 2022
I hope he isn’t serious about this because Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan had a 0% chance of getting back to Florida.
I must say, the Gators definitely have a type when it comes to men’s basketball coaches https://t.co/bd3s4V6lrQ
— Thumb War Veteran (@ThumbWarVeteran) 18 March 2022
Yes, they do. Relatively speaking, Donovan, White, and Golden basically all looked alike when they were hired.
I get Ewan McPherson-like vibes stronger than new #getters Coach Todd Golden.
Wonder how many buzzer-beaters he’ll be good at in his rookie season in Florida. pic.twitter.com/W1DViPeOcS
— Thomas Goldkamp (@ThomasGoldkamp) 18 March 2022
Speaking of looks alike, former kicker Ewan McPherson and Golden can actually be related.
Frustrated Florida fans in this fare just show how little attention is worth #wcc it happens. Golden could be the coach and his teams would be great in Florida. https://t.co/0oT8JZ1ax8
— Nick Mather (@MatherNic) 18 March 2022
Gators fans can certainly be spoiled, but Stricklin should have at least tried to woo a more established name after Florida didn’t pay any of White’s buyouts. Watching West Coast Conference games is also difficult because it is a smaller conference and is on the other side of the country.
2023 Final Four Bound! lets go! https://t.co/NEaZnTzYin
— David Brown (@Dave19Brown83) 18 March 2022
Ugh, it’s going to take a while to rebuild Florida and make it back into the Final Four, given that most of the Gators roster is senior and graduate transfers.
This friend is 15 years old https://t.co/FfXh6rMNeO
— Justin W (@jkcrusher) March 19, 2022
I agree that he looks closer in his 20s than in his 30s. He is 36 years old at present.
follow us @ getterswire Like our page on Twitter Facebook To follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinion.
Tell us your thoughts, comment on this story below. join the conversation today,
