University of Florida teams have 22 contests on the schedule this week, including the baseball season opener on Friday night at Condron Ballpark, and the No. 3-ranked men’s basketball home game Saturday night at the O’Dome.
Still, on Tuesday afternoon, Stricklin made sure to stop by Florida’s Vū Technologies studio inside the UF football team’s indoor practice facility to record an important reminder for Gator Nation.
The 7th Annual Gator Nation Giving Day is Feb. 20, and with the landscape of college athletics continuing to evolve in unforeseen ways only a few years ago, the University Athletic Association is taking a more proactive involvement in the annual fundraiser to support UF and the UAA’s mission.
“Resources have never been more important,” Stricklin said. “The Gators have always been blessed to have tremendous resources, but other schools have resources too. We are in a competitive environment and everything we can do to work together to give our athletes the best advantage possible, we want to lean into that. Utilizing Gator Nation Giving Day at a time when Gators come together and, specifically spend a day supporting a university they love, seemed like a natural.”
The UAA and Gator Boosters are highlighting two major funds for those interested in supporting UF student-athletes on and off the field (click here to donate):
- Make a tax-deductible gift to Florida Victorious that provides NIL (name, image & likeness) opportunities for players who in return provide labor and exposure to local charities that enhance our community.
- Make a tax-deductible gift to Gator Boosters to support the additional athletic scholarships schools are expected to have the opportunity to offer beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.
“In the past we have done a lot of facility projects and we’ll have facility projects in the future,” Stricklin said. “But in the new House settlement, it looks like there is going to be additional scholarship opportunities for our athletes. We want to be able to fund those to the fullest possible extent.
“A lot of people like helping with scholarships, and NIL has become such an important part of our world and some people really enjoy supporting the NIL space.”
Stricklin has Feb. 20 marked on his calendar and you can too.
