The song and chant returning did not come as much of a surprise. The Florida band had been seen practicing the song ahead of the season-opener, and new Florida president Stuart Bell hinted in June that the chant could be making a return.

“I know there’s a lot around the Gator Bait [cheer],” Bell said in June, via the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s meaningful to the Gator family. I hope we’re able to have some really great conversations around that.”

Florida announced in 2020, back when Kent Fuchs was the university’s president, that the “Gator Bait” chant would no longer be led by the band at sporting events. The cheer and song had been popular at Florida events for decades, and is often accompanied by the Gator Chomp gesture. 

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Black babies were used as “alligator bait” in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and this became a popular artistic trope during the time. 

“While I know of no evidence of racism associated with our ‘Gator Bait’ cheer at UF sporting events, there is horrific historic racist imagery associated with the phrase,” Fuchs wrote in 2020. He also pointed to the murder of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis that year when announcing the change, which was part of a larger national conversation about race.

Bell took over officially as Florida’s president in July. 

The Gators rolled to a 45-point win over FAU on Saturday in what was the first game under new head coach Jon Sumrall. Running back Jadan Baugh racked up 160 yards and three touchdowns in the win, and quarterback Aaron Philo threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. 

The Gators will host Campbell next on Saturday.