Gators Miss On Ole Miss Duo to SEC Rivals

The Florida Gators were in the running for Ole Miss duo Andrew Fischer and Liam Doyle.

Former Ole Miss slugger Andrew Fischer was considering the Florida Gators. / Bruce Newman/Special to Clarion Ledger /

Despite the Florida Gators making a big push for Ole Miss transfers Andrew Fischer and Liam Doyle, they fell just short of SEC rival Tennessee Volunteers for their commitments. 

On Tuesday night, both Fischer and Doyle committed to the Volunteers after their visit to Knoxville concluded on Monday. Both are huge misses for the Gators as they would’ve helped fill some glaring holes on the depth chart going into the 2025 season. 

Fischer last year hit .285 and added 20 home runs, earning All-SEC Second Team honors as a designated hitter. Additionally, Fischer led the team in hits (59), RBI (57), triples (2), home runs and total bases (133).

This one hurts for the Gators because he would have slotted in seamlessly at third base and brought SEC-level experience to a team that is heavily remodeling their lineup. 

As for Doyle, he saw action last year in 16 games (11 starts) and amassed 55.0 innings on the mound.
Additionally, he struck out a team-high 84 batters to just 21 walks and posted a 5.73 ERA.

Albeit not a necessity, Florida would have loved to get Doyle to Gainesville. 

This is because the Gators are lacking lefties on their pitching staff for next year and he could have provided them a quality southpaw out of the pen or as a starter. 

Moving forward, the only guys listed on last year’s roster currently that aren’t in the transfer portal or declared for the 2024 MLB Draft and will be here next season are Pierce Coppola and Frank Menendez. 

So, they will need to figure out that problem before the 2025 campaign begins. 

While missing out on these two definitely hurts, the Gators transfer class for this summer is still very impressive. 

They currently hold commitments from Miami utility player Blake Cyr, former Jacksonville infielder Justin Nadeau, former Texas Tech infielder Landon Stripling, former Samford pitcher Michael Ross, former Clemson pitcher Billy Barlow and former Stetson outfielder Kyle Jones so far this offseason.

For now, it is unclear as to where the Gators will turn to after missing out on these guys.

Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan has already put together the impressive aforementioned transfer class and will definitely be looking for more ways to get better on paper before the 2025 season begins.