Five-star 2011 athlete De’Ante “Pop” Saunders of DeLand High School has verbally committed to the Florida Gators, according to the Orlando Sentinel. One of the top players in the nation, Saunders received a written scholarship offer via fax at DeLand and immediately called defensive coordinator Charlie Strong to commit to the Gators.

Saunders, Central Florida’s leader in rushing yards with exactly 1,000, upon receiving the Gators’ offer, asked his high school coach Kevin Pettis to call the Gators back and tell them he was committed. – Orlando Sentinel

Saunders plays offense (wingback), defense (cornerback) and is a return specialist for undefeated DeLand, and his commitment a huge coup for the Gators this early into the recruiting process. “It was a place that I always wanted to go,” Saunders said. “Once I saw they had a full ride for me, I knew I that was what I wanted to do. I always liked Florida, even when I was little.”

“Florida likes him for both offense and defense,” Saunders’ coach Petts said. “They just like him as an athlete. He’s probably the most talented punt returner I’ve been around.”

Tags: Charlie Strong, De'Ante Saunders, DeLand, Kevin Pettis

1 » ESPN’s SEC blogger Chris Low sat down with Florida Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong to speak about his career and the 2009 UF defense. “I told Urban Meyer this summer that Charlie’s a better coordinator than he was three years ago,” South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier said in an interview. “Not only do they have outstanding athletes, but they’re very well-coached, disguise coverages very well and seem to know what the other team is doing all the time.” Great interview by Low; I highly recommended that you give it a once over.

2 » Expanding on Strong is the Gainesville Sun, who adds more from Spurrier and picked the brain of LSU Tigers head coach Les Miles as well. Spurrier continued, “Charlie, like all good coaches, if there is a better way to do something, he looks for it.” Miles agreed. “The way he attacks you,” Miles said, “he’s constantly stirring the pot looking to be better.” Strong’s defense faces their toughest test of the season Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks. If some Florida fans had their way when Meyer was hired, Strong wouldn’t even be the one coaching the unit. “I got killed [for retaining Strong] … e-mails, phone calls, letters. What are you doing?” Meyer said. “Florida’s defense wasn’t very good. But I did some research. Obviously, it was a great hire. I’m glad he’s part of our staff. I fight to keep him every year. He’s on top of his game right now.”

3 » Defensive end Carlos Dunlap could very well be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Yet you never would have thought that if you were following him throughout last season. Back then, he was just a player with great potential – a guy who had all of the talent and ability in the world but did not work hard enough for Meyer or Strong to make them think he could be a solid contributor to the Gators defense. Now? All of that has changed and something clicked in Dunlap that is fueling him to be the dominant force that was always inside him. “He is much, much improved right now from any time last year,” Florida defensive line coach Dan McCarney said. “He’s working harder. His attitude is better. His practice habits are better. I’m really proud of him.”

4 » The Gators coaching staff’s focus on Saturday’s game against the Razorbacks is not one dimensional. In addition to trying to beat the Arkansas on the gridiron, Florida wants to win over the recruits that will be in the stands. That list of recruits just got bigger as Gators coach McCarney contacted junior defensive tackle Brodrick Lee of Tarpon Springs High School and invited him to take an unofficial visit to Gainesville on Saturday. 6’2″ and 285 pounds, Lee draws double teams in high school and is very athletic. He has already drawn interest from the Auburn Tigers, but the Gators being involved is obviously a coup for the youngster.

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Brodrick Lee, Carlos Dunlap, Charlie Strong, Dan McCarney, Draft, Les Miles, LSU Tigers, NFL, South Carolina Gamecocks, Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer

Last Tuesday, OGGOA broke the news that prized Florida Gators recruit, five-star safety/athlete Matt Elam of Dwyer, had reaffirmed his commitment to the University of Florida. This revelation came following a two hour conversation he had with head coach Urban Meyer, who reassured Elam of his ability to earn playing time as a freshman and be an impactful member of the Florida secondary from the day he steps foot on campus, regardless of how many other players UF signs at his position. “I talked to my coach [Meyer] a little,” Elam said. “We talked about the safety situation and our relationship. I committed for a reason. I’m not going to back down. It’s all Florida.”

Prior to OGGOA‘s report, Elam had spoken publicly about being impressed by two visits he had taken recently to the West Virginia Mountaineers and Tennessee Volunteers. “At first I just wanted to take a look,” Elam said about his Tennessee visit. “But I saw things and talked to [defensive coordinator] Monte [Kiffin]. I saw how they used their safeties and they put them in a position to make plays. They do have a chance [to sign me].” Elam would later say that, while both visits opened his eyes as to what else was out there aside from Florida, he was simply doing his due diligence.

Apparently, Elam showing a shred of interest in the Vols has gotten head coach Lane Kiffin smelling blood in the water. Kiffin visited Dwyer today, “pressing [Elam] pretty hard” to change his mind and decommit from the Gators, according to a source close to the player. This source also told OGGOA that it believes Elam’s commitment to Florida and Meyer is firm, but relinquishes that “Kiffin is a hell of a salesman.”

Elam plans to graduate in the fall and enroll at UF in the spring in order to get a leg up on the 2010 season. From now until then, anything can happen. “This is just part of what [Elam] has to go through until February,” the source said.

…and while we are on the subject, I just came across an Orlando Sentinel article about Elam keeping the memory of his murdered siblings close to him. Very touching story and a must-read for anyone following Elam or Gators recruiting.

Tags: Lane Kiffin, Matt Elam, Monte Kiffin, Tennessee Volunteers, Urban Meyer, West Virginia Mountaineers

1 » Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow has been called plenty of things in his four years at the University of Florida. From being called “Superman” to having thousands of Chuck Norris-like facts written about him, much of the focus has been on Tebow’s dominating presence both in the huddle and in life. On Saturday, as friend of OGGOA Dan Shanoff points out, Tebow morphed into another version of himself – Trent Dilfer. That’s right. Dilfer – the former Baltimore Ravens quarterback who was considered the quintessential “game manager” when leading his team to a Super Bowl.

2 » Head coach Urban Meyer spoke about Tebow, the impressive Gators defense, recruiting in South Florida, the success of wide receivers Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy in the NFL and much more with Joe Rose on 560 WQAM. Click here to listen to the recorded interview.

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Louis Murphy, NFL, Percy Harvin, Super Bowl, Tim Tebow, Trent Dilfer, Urban Meyer

1 » CBSSports.com senior writer Dennis Dodd has been busy over the last few days writing about the No. 1 Florida Gators and No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide. On Sunday, Dodd explained that Florida senior quarterback Tim Tebow stood out even while he was not as featured in the game like normal. Right tackle Marcus Gilbert, whose knee was ultimately what concussed Tebow against the Kentucky Wildcats, provided the most interesting portion of the article. Gilbert never questioned if Tebow would play against the LSU Tigers. “You going to be ready to go?” Gilbert asked Tebow a day after his concussion. “Yup,” Tebow replied. “He told me he was going to go the next day,” Gilbert said. “I believed him. That’s Tebow, man. Nothing can bring Tebow down.”

2 » Dodd also looked at Alabama, saying they are the country’s true No. 1 team right now, citing things like urgency, revenge and motive. Unfortunately, none of those things will win you “Alabama is No. 1 because it is boring, balanced and, in the end, brilliant,” Dodd said. But no matter who is No. 1, history is not kind to the BCS front-runners when the first poll is released (Sunday). “The first BCS rankings are an early indicator of success, sure, but they can also be a curse,” he said. “Only once in the previous 11 years have the top two teams in the first set of rankings played in the BCS title game.”

3 » Onto this week, as the Gators are facing tough competition in the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hogs are dealing with some issues of their own – namely at wide receiver. Leading receiver Joe Adams suffered a mild stroke last week and is expected to remain out against Florida. But head coach Bobby Petrino is getting some talent back as Lucas Miller and London Crawford (who both broke their collarbone in August and September, respectively) are healed and returned to the team last week against the Auburn Tigers. Jarius Wright, the team’s leading yards-per-reception pass catcher, suffered a concussion last week in the first quarter, yet Arkansas expects him to play Saturday against the Gators. A maximum six days rest compared to Tebow’s 13 and nobody is up in arms about this?

4 » Clearwater Countryside junior offensive tackle Tyler Moore, one of the top offensive linemen in the country, has decided where he wants to play college football. Narrowing it down between the Gators and Nebraska Cornhuskers, many expected the Florida native to stay close to home. Instead, the 2011 recruit has picked the Cornhuskers over the Gators. “After watching [Nebraska] the last couple of years, I like where they’re going,” Moore said.

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Bobby Petrino, Clearwater Countryside, Jarius Wright, Joe Adams, Kentucky Wildcats, London Crawford, LSU Tigers, Lucas Miller, Marcus Gilbert, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tim Tebow, Tyler Moore

1 » Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow has always been a tough person and even tougher football player. He has scored a touchdown on a broken leg (for Nease in high school), played with a fractured hand, run over players with a hyper-extended knee and played through seasons with injuries to his back and shoulder. But coming back from a concussion is not about being tough. It is about the brain – both protecting it and using it to make sure you do not return too soon.

2 » The worst part for a head coach about having their phone number leaked is not just changing the number but making sure everyone has the new one. This includes staff, players, parents and, perhaps most importantly, recruits. One thing you can be sure of, however, is that Urban Meyer is a recruiting powerhouse all his own and took care of that situation swiftly. “Oh, we e-mailed the recruits and all that, so it’s OK,” Meyer said on Monday. “We’re doing alright. We got a plan.”

3 » As referenced Monday in his press conference, Meyer seeks to improve the Gators’ passing attack. Even though, as one OGGOA reader pointed out, Florida’s appears to be ahead of pace in that area compared to 2008, it is not where Meyer wants it to be. “I think we’re pretty close,” Meyer said. “I like where we’re at.” For Tebow though, stats are not everything. “We’re 5-0 and very happy with that,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if we score 13 points or 2 points, as long as we win the game.” It would still do the Gators good to improve in their aerial attack. “Hopefully we’ll keep progressing and getting that timing, getting that rhythm and getting that feel,” Tebow said.

4 » The event formerly but no longer officially referred to as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is doing even more to curb alcohol consumption. There will be fewer places to buy alcohol at the Jacksonville Landing and no longer will vendors be allowed to walk around the property selling shots. University of Florida President Bernie Machen has been adamant about making Florida-Georgia weekend safer, and the city of Jacksonville, FL, is willing to abide him in a new plan that was submitted on Friday.

Tags: Florida-Georgia, Jacksonville Landing, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

1 » Middle linebacker Brandon Spikes of No. 1 Florida Gators has been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week following his 11-tackle (4 solo), 2.5 sack performance against the then-No. 4 LSU Tigers. Spikes’ 2.5 sacks were a career best, and he also forced and recovered a fumble in the game.

2 » UF’s defense has intercepted a pass in 17 consecutive games dating back to the 2008 season, the longest streak in the nation.

3 » Four-star recruit and heavy Florida Gators lean Chaz Green visited the Tennessee Volunteers this weekend and came away impressed. Both of Green’s parents went to school in Knoxville, TN, and his visit to the school has put them solidly in his top four. Nevertheless, Green has UF as his leader and said he will “probably” take an official visit to Gainesville, FL, before he makes his final decision.

4 » After two weeks of what seemed to be a national hysteria over the concussion suffered by star quarterback Tim Tebow, his teammates are glad things have calmed down and are somewhat getting back to normal. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap said he’s “glad [the talk] is done,” while wide receiver David Nelson quipped, “The guy didn’t die. It’s a concussion, it happens.”

Tags: Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chaz Green, David Nelson, LSU Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Tebow

ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive broke the news Tuesday morning that five-star Florida Gators commitment safety/athlete Matt Elam was solid in his decision to enroll in the University of Florida in the spring even though he had told reporters publicly that he was wavering and considering taking other visits. “A source close to Elam told OGGOA early Wednesday that his commitment to the Gators is solid,” the story read, “regardless of what he is telling reporters.”

Apparently the Palm Beach Post has followed up on this story, speaking with Elam directly this afternoon.

“I talked to my coach [Urban Meyer] a little,” Elam said. “We talked about the safety situation and our relationship. I committed for a reason. I’m not going to back down. It’s all Florida.”

According to the Post, Elam is now signing every text message with “#22 UF BOUND.”

Photo Credit: Jim Rassol, Sun-Sentinel

Tags: Matt Elam, Urban Meyer