Staff Writers

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Tebow turning down endorsements for football

Posted by Staff Writers on May 16th, 2010   1 Comment

Tim Tebow is showing the Denver Broncos that he will do anything to live up to his first round draft pick status. It has been reported that Tebow has turned down several seven-figure endorsement deals because they would have interfered with football.

EA Sports and Nike are two companies that have wooed Tebow’s services over the last few months, but it appears that he is focused on football and will only sign the endorsements that do not interfere with football. “I’m trying to work hard and not get my mind cluttered with all that,” Tebow told a reporter from the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “When it gets to the point when something needs to be presented to me, I see it. Right now, it’s all ball for me.”

While some of Tebow’s mechanics and physical short comings where questioned leading into the draft, it is very apparent that character and dedication were high on many teams list, including the Broncos. While many analysts questioned things about Tebow’s game, many including Mel Kiper said you wouldn’t want to bet against him and Tebow is starting to show people why.

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Three Gators Selected In First Round of NFL Draft

Posted by Staff Writers on April 23rd, 2010   No Comment

On Thursday night, at the NFL Draft in New York, the Florida Gators tied a 1989 school record with three University of Florida football players selected in the first round.

Just as expected, the first Gator to be drafted was cornerback Joe Haden. Haden was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the seventh overall pick in the draft. This makes him the highest a defensive back has ever been picked coming from UF.

Next up, at the 18th selection, was offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey. Pouncey got picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers who say they may start him out as a right guard instead of at the center position. No matter what position on the offensive line Maurkice ends up playing, he’ll be great. He’s a very flexible o-lineman and could play any position on the line if asked.

The biggest surprise in round one of the  NFL Draft was the selection of college football legend, Tim Tebow. The former Heisman Trophy winner got taken by the Denver Broncos withthe 25th overall pick. Nobody expected that at all, especially after all the sports analysts talked so badly about him and so-called “exposed” his mechanics. When interviewed at his private ceremony in Jacksonville, Tim said he was absolutely thrilled and will work as hard as he can to become a successful NFL quarterback. All it took was one team to believe in Tim Tebow and it was Coach Josh McDaniels and the Denver Broncos. Tebow got what he deserved – a chance in the NFL to prove critics wrong, and he surely did.

Starting at 6pm (EST), rounds two and three of the NFL Draft will take place and the Gators still have a few players in the draft. Linebacker Brandon Spikes, defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, tight end Aaron Hernandez, safety Major Wright, and wide receiver Riley Cooper could all be selected tonight.

Tim Tebow

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Brandon Knight chooses UK over Florida

Posted by Staff Writers on April 14th, 2010   No Comment

Top flight point guard Brandon Knight chose to become a Kentucky Wildcat today at 4 p.m. on ESPNU. This comes after a battle between UF and UK in recruiting over the last several months. Although UF was never out of his recruitment, recent signs had indicated that Florida was looking elsewhere and Knight was leaning towards Kentucky.

Last month Florida abruptly decided to stop recruiting the top guard out of Coral Springs and focus its recruiting efforts elsewhere. While Brandon remained adamant that Florida was not out of the running and that he understood their situation, the writing on the wall.

Knight is a fantastic talent that will continue to add to John Calipari’s long list of top flight recruits. Kentucky’s list of commitments also include Stacey Poole and Enes Kanter.

While Knight is a big blow to Billy Donovan’s recruiting efforts their are still many targets on the list. The most likely seems to be Brandon Young a 6’2 guard from Baltimore, Maryland. While Young is not as highly recruited he would be a nice addition to this UF team that will return lost of experience next year.

By: Calvin McDermid

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Still No Draft Decision From Tebow

Posted by Staff Writers on April 13th, 2010   No Comment

According to Rotoworld.com, which is a site that concentrates on fantasy sports news, former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has decided not to attend this year’s NFL draft in New York. As of right now, it’s just a rumor. It has not been confirmed by Tim’s agent or any members of the Tebow family.

Among the latest players to accept an NFL draft invitation are former Clemson running back C.J. Spiller and former Florida cornerback Joe Haden.

Tebow implied his possible decision a few weeks ago when he said that he might just spend some time with his family, possibly fishing with his father similar to what former Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Thomas did a few years ago. Nothing is official as of right now until confirmed by the Tebow himself, his agent or his family.

Other notable quarterbacks that have yet to accept NFL draft invitations are former Texas star Colt McCoy and Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen.

Tim Tebow

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UF Gymnastics Takes NCAA North Central Regional Title

Posted by Staff Writers on April 12th, 2010   No Comment

The No. 4 Gators had their best showing of the season as they claimed first place in the NCAA North Central Regional Championship. With a score of 197.675, fifth-highest in school history, Florida punched its ticket back to Gainesville for the NCAA Championships next week at the O’Connell Center.

After a somewhat slow start on the floor exercise in Salt Lake City, the Gators regrouped and posted a 49.50 on vault, a season high for the event. Florida then took first in the remaining two events, bars and beam, to secure their victory. The final three events also saw a number of Gators post individual collegiate or season-bests, including Ashanée Dickerson, Liz Green, Courtney Gladys, Elizabeth Mahlich and Marissa King.

On the balance beam, Dickerson took first place with a collegiate-best 9.95. She and teammate Maranda Smith tied for first on the floor exercise, both turning in a 9.90. Dickerson and Smith also shared first place on the uneven bars with fellow Gator Amanda Castillo. Dickerson took her seventh all-around title of the season with a 39.70, a collegiate-best and fifth-best in Gator history by a freshman.

The awards for Ashanée Dickerson continued as she was named the NCAA Southeast Region Gymnast of the Year, a Gator first. The post-meet ceremony again saw Gator coach Rhonda Faehn named NCAA Southeast Region Coach of the Year, her fourth such honor since coming to Florida in 2003.

Florida will now look forward to hosting the NCAA Championships in Gainesville from April 22-24. The No. 2 seed Gators will compete on Thursday, April 22 in Session II against SEC foes Alabama and Arkansas, along with Michigan, Missouri and Stanford. The top three teams from both sessions will then advance to the Super Six on Friday where the national team champion will be crowned.

By: Brandon Green

Courtesy of GatorZone.

Courtesy of GatorZone.

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Big Week for Florida Lacrosse

Posted by Staff Writers on April 9th, 2010   No Comment

Following a win against Oregon (5-7) and their first American Lacrosse Conference victory over No. 14 Penn State (7-4), this weeks Inside Lacrosse poll has the Gators at No. 20, its very first national ranking. Two freshmen, Ashley Bruns and Sam Farrell, also garnered Player of the Week recognition for their performances.

Bruns, Florida’s leading scorer, had three goals and three assists against Oregon and four goals and two assists against Penn State. She was named Nike/Inside Lacrosse Player of the Week as well as WomensLax.com, WomensLacrosse.com, and American Lacrosse Conference Rookie of the Week for her outstanding performance.

On the other side, Farrell was named the American Lacrosse Conference Defensive Player of the Week. She was tasked with marking two of the leading scorers on their respective teams, the Ducks’ Jana Drummond and the Nittany Lions’ Jen Steadman. Farrell held Drummond to just one goal and two shots and did not allow a single shot from Steadman.

After a week in the friendly confines of Dizney Stadium, No. 20 Florida now heads to New York to face Le Moyne (7-3) and Colgate (6-6) before returning to Gainesville to face No. 10 Vanderbilt (8-3) on April 18. If you haven’t yet, be sure to catch Florida Lacrosse in this, their final home match of the Gators’ inaugural season.

By: Brandon Green

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Courtesy of Gatorzone.

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Austin Rivers Decommits, Opens Up Recruitment

Posted by Staff Writers on April 9th, 2010   No Comment

Yes the rumor is true; the highly touted 6’4″ guard Austin Rivers, from Winter Park High School, has decided to decommit from Florida.

Rivers is the son of Boston Celtics head coach, Doc Rivers. He is one of the top guards in the class of 2011 and is currently considering schools other than the University of Florida. Word is that he’s leaning towards Duke now. Also in the running is North Carolina.

According to Florda Today’s college sports writer David Jones, Rivers responded, “I still really like them, but I needed to go ahead and reopen things right now,” when asked about his decommitment.

Austin is a huge scoring threat to any team. He has a heck of a quick first step and specializes at scoring off of pull up jumpers. He also has such a high basketball IQ which makes him an extremely dangerous passer. The only weakness I can say Rivers has is on the defensive end, where he does need improvement.

As Austin Rivers enters his senior year, it is more than likely schools other than Duke, Florida, and North Carolina will show heavy interest.
Stats (2009-2010 Season)

Stat Name                     Season Stats
Points Per Game                23.9
Assists Per Game                1.7
Blocks Per Game                 0.5
Rebounds Per Game           4.3
Steals Per Game                 1.9
Blocked Shots                    14.0

Austin Rivers

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2010 Gators Spring Game Roster

Posted by Staff Writers on April 7th, 2010   No Comment

Quarterbacks:
12 John Brantley                   6-3  218 Redshirt Junior
13 Trey Burton                       6-2  219 Freshman

Running Backs:
2 Jeffery Demps                     5-8  184 Junior
21 Emmanuel Moody         5-11 212 Redshirt Senior
23 Mike Gillislee                   5-11 191 Sophomore
86 Phillip Bellino                  5-11 209 Freshman

Fullbacks:
42 Steven Wilks                     6-1 235 Redshirt Junior
45 T.J. Pridemore                6-1 247 Redshirt Sophomore

Wide Receivers:
3 Chris Rainey                      5-9 176 Redshirt Junior
4 Andre Debose                 5-11 183 Redshirt Freshman
6 Deonte Thompson        5-11 203 Redshirt Junior
7 Justin Williams                 6-0 205 Redshirt Senior
9 Carl Moore                          6-3 222 Redshirt Senior
18 T.J. Lawrence                   6-1 193 Redshirt Sophomore
81 Robert Clark                      5-8 172 Freshman
82 Omarius Hines                  6-0 219 Redshirt Sophomore
83 Solomon Patton               5-8 171 Freshman
85 Frankie Hammond, Jr  5-11 178 Redshirt Sophomore
87 Josh Postell                        6-5 210 Redshirt Sophomore
89 Stephen Alli                        6-5 214 Redshirt Freshman

Tight Ends:
11 Jordan Reed                      6-3 240 Redshirt Freshman
32 Gerald Christian               6-3 240 Freshman
80 Desmond Parks                6-4 238 Redshirt Freshman

Centers:
50 Sam Robey                        6-4 293 Redshirt Sophomore
55 Mike Pouncey                   6-4 310 Senior
64 Kyle Koehne                      6-5 300 Redshirt Freshman

Guards/Tackles:
57 Carl Johnson                     6-5 360 Redshirt Senior
58 Nick Alajajian                    6-4 295 Redshirt Freshman
60 William Steinmann          6-5 272 Junior
61 Gary Beemer                     5-11 265 Redshirt Senior
63 Cole Gilliam                        6-4 311 Redshirt Freshman
66 James Wilson                     6-3 315 Redshirt Junior
67 Jon Halapio                        6-3 305 Redshirt Freshman
70 Shawn Schmieder            6-4 272 Redshirt Senior
71 Matt Patchan                      6-6 273 Junior
72 Jonothan Harrison          6-3 305 Redshirt Freshman
73 Xavier Nixon                      6-5 300 Sophomore
74 Maurice Hurt                      6-3 320 Redshirt Senior
76 Marcus Gilbert                   6-5 322 Redshirt Senior
77 Ian Silberman                    6-4 271 Freshman
78 David Young                       6-4 304 Redshirt Sophomore

Defensive Ends:
34 Lerentee McCray              6-2 240 Junior
44 Duke Lemmens                  6-3 253 Senior
57 Samuel Johnson               6-1 266 Redshirt Sophomore
91 Earl Okine                            6-6 280 Redshirt Sophomore
93 Kedric Johnson                 6-4 230 Redshirt Freshman
94 Justin Trattou                    6-3 252 Senior
96 William Green                     6-3 250 Junior

Defensive Tackles:
6 Jaye Howard                         6-3 295 Redshirt Junior
47 Brandon Antwine             6-0 297 Redshirt Senior
48 Neiron Ball                           6-2 214 Freshman
53 Gerry Marseile                    6-2 222 Freshman
65 Glen Watson                         6-2 299 Redshirt Sophomore
68 Leon Orr                                6-4 324 Freshman
90 Lawrence Marsh                6-5 288 Redshirt Senior
92 Terron Sanders                    6-1 312 Redshirt Senior
99 Omar Hunter                       6-0 307 Redshirt Sophomore

Linebackers:
13 Dee Finley                             6-2 208 Sophomore
16 A.J. Jones                              6-1 226 Redshirt Senior
26 Lorenzo Edwards               6-1 246 Senior
32 Scott Peek                             6-1 216 Redshirt Sophomore
40 Brandon Hicks                    6-2 228 Senior
43 Jelani Jenkins                     6-0 220 Redshirt Freshman
46 Michael Ross                      5-11 222 Redshirt Sophomore
48 Jonathan James                5-11 214 Redshirt Freshman
52 Jon Bostic                              6-1 236 Sophomore
54 Brendan Beal                        6-3 246 Redshirt Sophomore

Cornerbacks:
1 Janoris Jenkins                   5-11 186 Junior
14 Jaylen Watkins                  5-11 180 Freshman
23 Corey Henderson              6-0 170 Redshirt Sophomore
27 Adrian Bushell                    5-9 183 Redshirt Sophomore
28 Jeremy Brown                  5-10 182 Redshirt Sophomore
29 Joshua Shaw                        6-0 189 Freshman
31 Brian Biada                            5-8 168 Redshirt Freshman
34 Tim Clark                               5-9 193 Redshirt Freshman
36 Moses Jenkins                     6-2 188 Senior
37 Brandon Sanders                5-9 188 Freshman
42 Miguel Carodine               5-10 210 Redshirt Senior
44 Ean McQuay                          5-9 179 Redshirt Junior

Safeties:
10 Will Hill                                   6-1 204 Junior
22 Matt Elam                           5-10 204 Freshman
24 Josh Evans                            6-1 191 Sophomore
35 Ahmad Black                        5-9 189 Senior
39 Jordan Haden                    5-11 198 Freshman

Kickers/Punters:
17 Chas Henry – P                     6-3 222 Senior
19 Caleb Sturgis – K                5-10 192 Junior
40 David Lerner – P                5-11 209 Redshirt Sophomore
86 Eric Strack – K                    5-10 167 Redshirt Freshman
98 Zachary Brust – K                6-1 168 Junior

Long Snappers:
47 John Crofoot                      5-11 147 Redshirt Freshman
50 Cody Hampton                  5-11 215 Redshirt Sophomore
58 Christopher Guido             6-2 223 Redshirt Freshman

Kick/Punt Returners:
3 Chris Rainey – KR/PR
29 Janoris Jenkins – PR
81 Robert Clark – KR

2010 Coaches:
Head Coach – Urban Meyer
Assistants:
Steve Addazio – Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
Stan Drayton – Running Backs Coach
D.J. Durkin – Linebackers Coach/ Special Teams Coordinator
Zach Azzanni – Wide Receivers Coach
Chuck Heater – Assistant Defensive Coordinator/ Safeties
Scott Loefler – Quarterbacks Coach
Dan McCarney – Assistant Head Coach /Defensive Line
Brian White – Tight Ends Coach
Teryl Austin – Defensive Coordinator

John Brantley

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