1 » Florida Gators student-athletes get plenty of respect but not much is ever written about their parents who, in some cases, are truly amazing people in their own right. Sure, some are ex-football or basketball stars, but there are others like right tackle redshirt junior Marcus Gilbert’s father Jeff who is a Secret Service agent for President Barack Obama. One of these such parents is freshman left tackle Xavier Nixon’s mother Fotini, a United States soldier in training to acquire the rank of E-9. After learning her son was earning his first start in the Orange and Blue, Fotini cried. But it was Xavier who had reason to be emotional just a few weeks prior when he heard about the shootings at Fort Hood, where his mother is stationed as she trains in the Sergeant Major Academy. “Thank God she was safe,” he said.

2 » Redshirt sophomore Rebecca Lowe was named South Regional Female Athlete of the Year while head coach Todd Morgan was named South Regional Women’s Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association on Wednesday. Lowe, a standout for the No. 5 Gators, won the 2009 NCAA South Region Championship and 2009 Southeastern Conference individual title this season, leading the third-ranked Florida team to their third regional title in the program’s history. She was also named the 2009 SEC Cross Country Female Athlete of the Year last week. She will try to continue her hot streak as the Gators compete in the NCAA Championships on Monday, Nov. 23, in Terre Haute, IN.

News on Reggie Nelson, baseball, softball, swimming and diving after the jump…
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Nixon’s mom at Fort Hood, Lowe & Morgan honored, Nelson struggling, new commits

Tags: Alana Pezevic, Alicia Mathieu, All-Rookie Team, Barack Obama, baseball, cross country, diving, Elizabeth Beisel, Hannah Rogers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacob Tillotson, Julia Treible, Kaitlin Frehling, Marcus Gilbert, NCAA Championships, NFL, Rebecca Lowe, Reggie Nelson, SEC, softball, Stephen Lichtner, swimming, Todd Morgan, track & field, Trish Regan, Xavier Nixon

From time to time, OGGOA will come across tidbits and small news items we want to share with our readers. In those instances, we present a special post: Gator Bites. Enjoy.

- Florida Gators basketball has officially announced the commitments of four-star recruits power forward Patric Young (Jacksonville, FL) and small forward Casey Prather (Jackson, TN). This was merely a formality as both had committed previously but sent in their National Letters of Intent on Tuesday.

- Senior quarterback Tim Tebow has been named to the “Players to Watch” list for the 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year award.

- Junior tight end Aaron Hernandez was announced as one of eight semifinalists for the 2009 John Mackey Award. Hernandez is first on the team is receptions and second in receiving yards and average yards per game. He is first among Southeastern Conference TEs in receiving yards, average yards per game and receptions.

- The father of former Florida quarterback Rex Grossman denounced the Chicago Bears coaching staff Tuesday, saying that the offense is “a self-perpetuating problem that is not Jay Cutler’s fault.” Grossman was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft and started for Chicago in their most recent Super Bowl appearance.

- Four-star wide receiver recruit Kenny Stills (Carlsbad, CA) has made plans to visit the Gators in two weeks. Florida safeties coach Chuck Heater has an in with Stills as he coached his father while both were with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Casey Prather, Chicago Bears, Chuck Heater, John Mackey Award, Kenny Stills, NFL, Patric Young, Rex Grossman, SEC, Tim Tebow, Walter Camp Award

Four-star cornerback Joshua Shaw (Palmdale, CA), the No. 23 overall recruit in the nation, announced Tuesday that he has decided to attend the University of Florida and commit to play college football for the Florida Gators in 2010.

Shaw (6’1″, 195 lbs.), who also received scholarship offers from other top programs including the Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers and USC Trojans (among others), last visited Florida two weekends ago for the Vanderbilt Commodores game. Shaw’s visit that weekend was unofficial (meaning he paid his own way) and occurred less than two months after he took his official visit on Sept. 18. OGGOA said late last week that Gators fans had reason to feel optimistic about Shaw because, almost immediately after he returned home from Gainesville, he narrowed his list down to four and announced that he would be making his decision this week.

“[USC has] talked to me several times during the day and said they still plan to recruit me, but I’m solid with Florida,” Shaw said. “I’m a man of my word and this wasn’t a spur of the moment decision for me. I thought a lot about this and Florida is just the best fit for me. I love watching Florida play, they have so many athletes and play fast and aggressive. They play a lot of true freshman at Florida and [Joe] Haden and Janoris Jenkins were both freshman starters at corner. Both are probably going to be first-round draft picks too so that was a pretty big selling point.”

While visiting UF, Shaw’s family reportedly met with head coach Urban Meyer for an extended period of time to discuss a potential future in the Orange and Blue. Some rumors suggested that Shaw wanted to know about the status of junior cornerback Joe Haden while others stated he already gave Meyer a silent commitment but wanted to wait and officially announce it in his hometown. Neither seems to matter now as he plans to enroll at UF this spring to get a jump on next season.

On an interesting note, Shaw and five-star defensive end recruit Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA) have said they wish to attend the same school and room together as freshman. Powell is still deciding between the Gators and his hometown Trojans. Reeling in Shaw was big for Florida, which has struggled in the past to gain commitments from the West Coast. That looks like it has changed as, according to Shaw, he will not be the only one from the state of California signing for 2010. “I’ll say this, there’s definitely more to come for the 2010 class,” Shaw told Rivals.

Photo Credit: Rivals

Tags: Joe Haden, Joshua Shaw, Ronald Powell, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

1 » Florida Gators basketball received an official visit from five-star point guard recruit Brandon Knight (Fort Lauderdale, FL) on Sunday. He and four-star forward commitment Patric Young (Jacksonville, FL) watched the Gators defeat the Stetson Hatters 74-46. A source close to Knight told the Orlando Sentinel that “Florida made a good impression” on him during the visit. “This is my first time seeing the campus,” Knight told the Gainesville Sun. “I’m really impressed with the facilities and what they can do to help me improve as a player.” Gators fans tried to make an impression on him, too, chanting “Bran-don Knight” often during timeouts. Also in attendance was Orlando Magic point guard Jason Williams, who often travels to visit head coach Billy Donovan and watch the Gators play.

2 » One of the top wide receiver recruits in the nation, Chris Dunkley (Pahokee, FL) is taking his sweet time in making a decision. There is nothing wrong with that, especially when you are getting offers from all over the country including almost all of the top programs. Nevertheless, Dunkley reaffirmed to Gator Country that the Gators remain in the lead, even after he visited the Alabama Crimson Tide two weeks ago. Dunkley has plenty of time, but there is no doubt that Florida coaches are growing anxious to lock-up a four-star WR who could very well earn his fifth before all is said and done this season.

In other recruiting news: Men’s golfer Payne Denman (Riverwatch, TN) signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Gators beginning in 2010. “We think Payne will be a terrific asset to our program,” head coach Buddy Alexander said. “He has a great looking swing and has had an enormous amount of success. He fits the mold of what we are looking for to a tee.” Nice pun, coach. Denman is ranked 12th in the 2010 recruiting class and has won back-to-back high school state titles.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Billy Gonzales, Brandon Knight, Chris Dunkley, golf, Jason Williams, NBA, Orlando Magic, Patric Young, Payne Denman

1 » Leading the Florida Gators to back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2006 and 2007, forward/center Al Horford has made great strides in his short time in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks. Molding his game after that of his father, Tito Horford, Al has the talent and ability to be a “double-double guy in this league for a long, long time,” according to Hawks head coach Mike Woodson. Averaging a double-double through the first eight games of the 2009 season, Horford is also doing his part to help the game of basketball grow abroad.

2 » On Monday, OGGOA reported that five-star defensive end recruit Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA) is still deciding between the Gators and USC Trojans. ESPN’s Greg Biggins said that Florida has been a “heavy leader for some time now for Powell and that remains the case,” going on to say “it will be a pretty big surprise if the talented lineman ends up anywhere other than Gainesville next fall.” Now, Biggins reports Powell may commit to the Gators or Trojans without even making his official visits. “I could commit tomorrow or next month, just whenever it feels right,” Powell said. “I’ve been to Florida three times already and have been to USC a ton of times as well. I’ll probably end up taking the visits, but I don’t know if I really need to.”

Extra BIT » ESPN’s SEC blogger Chris Low posted a solid in-depth interview on Friday with Gators star junior cornerback Joe Haden. Among the topics covered are whether or not Haden misses playing offense, how long it took him to adapt to cornerback and if he and the team are keeping track of the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.

Tags: Al Horford, Joe Haden, Mike Woodson, NBA, Ronald Powell, Tito Horford, USC Trojans

1 » Florida Gators head basketball coach Billy Donovan is doing his best to keep the pressure off five-star freshman guard Kenny Boynton. “He’s one guy on the team and I hope that our other players want to step up and provide more for him,” Donovan said. “But we are not going into this putting a lot of emphasis on him to make us productive. He’s going to be a good player here, but I think that the expectation that he’s going to be this total impact player is unfair to him.” Boynton has already been impressive in Florida’s two exhibition games and will certainly play a large role when the Gators open the 2009-10 season on Sunday.

2 » OGGOA makes it a point to not direct you to many of Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi’s columns. Why? Well, our mothers always told us that if you do not have something nice to say, don’t say anything. That being said, when he decides to write a column proclaiming loudly that South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier is “still a greater Gator” than head coach Urban Meyer, we feel like it is something you should check out and decide for yourself.

3 » On Wednesday, Spurrier told the media that injured defensive end Cliff Matthews, who had previously been ruled out with a shoulder injury, could return to face Florida on Saturday. Matthews ran around at practice on Monday and has been cleared by doctors, yet coaches are still calling him a game-time decision. “Even if he does play, [defensive coordinator Ellis] Johnson said there will be small, specialized packages for him. In other words, don’t expect a fully healthy, ready-to-go Matthews,” The Post and Courier reported Friday.

Three more BITS on Henry and a bunch of new UF commitments after the jump…
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Donovan on Boynton. Spurrier > Meyer? Johnson to play? Henry honored. More commits.

Tags: Alaina Johnson, Andre Butz, baseball, Billy Donovan, Brittney Noble, Chas Henry, Cliff Matthews, Ellis Johnson, gymnastics, Jonathon Crawford, Kenny Boynton, Kytra Hunter, Liz Green, MacKenzie Caquatto, Marisa King, Ray Guy Award, Rhonda Faehn, South Carolina Gamecocks, Steve Spurrier, tennis, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

1 » Following big signings by the Florida Gators baseball, volleyball and women’s basketball teams, softball head coach Tim Walton announced Thursday that two highly coveted high school players have signed national letters of intent to play for the Orange and Blue starting in 2010. Utility player Kasey Fagan (Dunnellon, FL) and shortstop Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, CA) are both extremely talented women who will bring a lot to the program. For more on their accomplishments, check out this article on GatorZone.

2 » Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong is garnering heavy interest from the Memphis Tigers for their head coaching vacancy, according to reports. OGGOA believes Strong should not take the job if offered, simply because we feel he deserves and can receive the head job at another big-time program rather than a second-tier school (football-wise). Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley shares similar thoughts while Miami Herald beat writer Joseph Goodman thinks Memphis would be a good fit. “I just have to work and continue to do this job right now,” Strong said when asked about the rumors. “My whole focus is making sure our defense goes out and plays well.”

3 » In recruiting news… Four-star small forward Stacey Poole, Jr., the son of former Gators standout Stacy Poole (who ranks as the team’s No. 4 all-time scorer), has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats and head coach John Calipari. Poole is one of the best forwards in the country and the first signee for Kentucky’s 2010 recruiting class.

Three more BITS about Spurrier, big plays and special teams after the jump…
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Softball signees; Strong as head coach; Poole, Jr.; Spurrier; big plays; special teams

Tags: Charlie Strong, Cheyenne Coyle, John Calipari, Kasey Fagan, Kentucky Wildcats, Memphis Tigers, softball, South Carolina Gamecocks, Stacey Poole, Steve Addazio, Steve Spurrier, Tim Walton, Urban Meyer

Four-star cornerback Joshua Shaw (Palmdale, CA) has announced that he will officially commit to a university of his choosing Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. (PST). One of the best at his position in the country, Shaw has received scholarship offers from many top programs including the Florida Gators, LSU Tigers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes, USC Trojans and Washington Huskies. He has visited (either officially or unofficially) all of these schools (and more) and just got back from Gainesville, FL, after visiting for the Vanderbilt Commodores game this past weekend.

“I was going to wait until Christmas and then go public at the [Under Armor] Game, but I just want to get it over with,” Shaw said. “I’ve done a lot of traveling, and I’m pretty tired with the process now so I want to end it. I have some great options, and I really enjoyed the whole process. I don’t want to narrow it down to two or three or anything, I’m just going to pick one school. Of course I have a school in mind right now, but I’m going to take the next week to let everything sink in and then I’ll be ready.”

Nothing can be predicted at the moment, but Gators fans have good reason to feel confident. Shaw traveled across the country to see Florida on an unofficial visit (meaning he paid his own way) less than two months after taking his official visit on Sept. 18. That he is ready to make a decision so soon after returning could be indicative that Shaw’s weekend visit helped him make up his mind. There had previously been speculation that the Gators had already passed the Buckeyes as the leader for his services.

OGGOA will have an update on Shaw’s status as soon as he makes the announcement.

Tags: Joshua Shaw, Palmdale