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Florida basketball head coach Todd Golden won the national championship without needing his 7-foot-9 center on the floor. Golden ended a more than decade long title drought in Gainesville without turning to his big man. But was Billy Napier secretly recruiting Olivier Rioux for Gators football?
Rioux earned a chance to line up for the gridiron version of the Gators. The Associated Press reported Rioux indeed laced up the football cleats.
“Rioux donned an orange helmet and took snaps on special teams, with Florida assistant coaches hoping his massive wingspan might be a difference maker when it comes to blocking field goals and extra points,” Mark Long of the AP wrote.
But did the national title winning head coach take a liking to Rioux wearing a helmet and shoulder pads?
“I like the idea,” Golden said during a booster event Thursday. “I give them credit for trying it.”
How did Oliver Rioux fare for Florida football without Todd Golden?
Rioux instantly becomes a matchup nightmare with his record-breaking height as a teenager. The Guinness Book of World Records lists Rioux as the tallest teenager ever.
With that height, perhaps red zone target at tight end is in his future. Except Rioux earned a try on special teams. Florida looked to the towering figure to block kicks and punts.
“There was one issue: The 305-pound Rioux has an 11-inch vertical, so even with his extra-long reach, he was unable to block any kicks during the workout,” Long wrote.
To which Golden chimed in with: “They were a little disappointed.”
Unfortunately Napier misses out on getting a potential generational specialist talent. Rioux doesn't come with the hops to swat the other three-point attempts field goals. Or block punts. He'll now stick to blocking in basketball.
Florida rolled with a guard-heavy lineup to capture the school's third NCAA men's basketball championship. But the first crown under Golden. Rioux didn't even need to climb the ladder to cut down the net with the rest of his teammates. He cut parts of the net flat-footed after the Gators edged Houston.
Rioux redshirted to improve his conditioning. But he'll return to defend the Gators' title.
