ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive

FOUR Super Bowl XLVI BITS: Spikes, Hernandez, Warren, Cunningham and Trattou

Adam Silverstein — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:43:59 +0000

1 » On a lighter note than the story from Thursday about Super Bowl XLVI being a dream come true for New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes and his mother comes this story about Spikes’s preplanned attire for the occasion. As he did before the 2009 BCS National Championship, Spikes donned his all-pink suit as the team left New England and may very well rock it again on Sunday before the game. “Brought the lucky suit out again!” Spikes tweeted, adding that it is his lucky championship game suit. Below are a handful of pictures Spikes has taken over the weekend while in Indianapolis, IN including two with teammates and fellow former Gators tight end Aaron Hernandez and defensive tackle Gerard Warren.

2 » Spikes is not the only one taking in the special occasion. Hernandez told Katherine Smith, in a special for Florida’s website, that being able to play in the Super Bowl is something he will never forget. “I was with Spikes the other day and we were just sitting there in the car and we were like, ‘Wow, we are really playing in the Super Bowl.’ I know it will really hit me when we walk into the game and all those cameras will be flashing and we’ll notice this is the Super Bowl,” he said. “This is a dream come true. I never thought I would be in this position or have this experience, but I’ll definitely take it all in and hold this for the rest of my life.” With Rob Gronkowski seeing most of the touches at tight end this year for the Patriots, Hernandez’s role has been altered. Not only does he play a true tight end role, he also splits out as a wide receiver and takes handoffs in the backfield, too. With Gronkowski nursing a high-ankle sprain and undoubtedly limited heading into the contest, Hernandez may be counted on more than ever on Sunday. “You dream of stuff like this since you’re a little kid,” he continued. “You never really actually see yourself in this position because obviously it’s always a dream, but to be here seems surreal. I remember doing the media day in college. I was looking around then just thinking how crazy that was, and now I’m in the Super Bowl and thinking how crazy this is. It’s crazy.”

3 » Lost with Spikes and Hernandez in the spotlight is the path of Warren, an 11-year NFL veteran still searching for his first Super Bowl ring. After being selected with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, Warren was labeled a bit of a bust, something that saw him see time in two more stops at Denver and Oakland before finally arriving in New England in 2012. Since joining the Patriots, Warren has been the consummate team player. He’s done the dirty work in the trenches and even began this season off of the team’s roster when the coaching staff promised they would bring him back after veteran contracts were no longer guaranteed. They did. “Gerard has been very professional,” head coach Bill Belichick said of him on Tuesday. “He’s been with us for two years, and his career has had its own path. But I really feel like he’s settled into our team and our program. He’s one of the most respected guys on the team. He works hard. He’s tough. He wants to be on the field. Gerard’s not a big-ego guy. He just wants to do his job and help us, and I have a lot of respect for that. I really do.”

4 » Spikes, Hernandez and Warren may be the big names Florida fans recognize on Sunday but there are two other Gators also involved with the teams competing. Jermaine Cunningham, a linebacker with New England, is out for the season with a hamstring injury and listed on the team’s injured reserve. He did see the field this year but just sparingly. For the New York Giants, rookie defensive end Justin Trattou in on their roster though he has been inactive recently, last seeing action in Week 16. No matter which team wins, a former Florida player will be going home with a ring.

2/4: Florida vs. Vanderbilt post-game notes

Adam Silverstein — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:59:43 +0000

The No. 11/12 Florida Gators earned their 19th consecutive home victory Saturday by defeating the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores 73-65 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The second of three games in six days, Florida’s victory left head coach Billy Donovan with plenty to talk about heading into the next contest on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

FIGHTING THROUGH FOUL TROUBLE

Florida at one point in the first half had a game-high 10-point lead but improved offensive play combined with major foul trouble to the Gators’ frontcourt sent the team reeling. Sophomore center Patric Young, junior forward Erik Murphy and even freshman guard Bradley Beal each picked up two fouls and UF played the last third of the first half with an extremely small lineup.

“We got put in a tough situation … and we really got caught playing the last 6-7 minutes of the half with [Scottie] Wilbekin at the power forward spot. To be up three going into the half, I was really pleased,” Donovan explained.

“Our energy was waning a little bit. It is tough when you go Thursday-to-Saturday like we’ve got to do. I thought we were teetering to start the second half. [...] I tried to just encourage those guys to keep battling and fighting, and I thought we did that. The thing that helped was trying to rotate guys in and out and keep them in for short bursts because I really thought [in] a lot of ways we were gassed.”

In addition to having Wilbekin at the four, Donovan also thrust redshirt junior G Mike Rosario into the three role. Both players did their best but no one had a bigger task than sophomore F Will Yeguete, who was tasked with controlling Vanderbilt C Festus Ezeli in the post while the big man was on the floor.

“It was a little confusing because Scottie was there playing the four. I was a little lost,” he admitted. “We had to just battle through because Pat and Erik had two fouls, so we just had to wait for the second half and do our best. We did a good job.”

BEAL GOT THE GLORY BUT YEGUETE DID THE DIRTY WORK

If two players were to be singled out for their respective performances on Saturday, Beal and Yeguete would undoubtedly get those honors. After struggling in the first half, Beal hit two big threes in the second half, took a ball coast-to-coast for an impressive lay-in and netted four free throws down the stretch to help Florida offensively.

“I was really proud of Brad,” Donovan said. “He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well … in the first half. He didn’t have a great first half and didn’t do a whole lot but then he knocked down a big three for us that gave us the lead. He had a great transition drive; he got fouled one time going to the rim. He made a lot of really good plays that really impacted the game. The last 10 minutes of the game he really made some big plays.”

Still trying to improve his offensive game, Yeguete factored in mostly on the defensive end. He was the main cog causing the Gators’ press to be successful and gave the team a major boost while on the court for 29 minutes.

“He was great. He was really good in the press, disruptive, steals, deflections. He really exerted a lot of energy. He was a difference maker in the press for us,” Donovan said. “The thing with him that he’s great at – and he’s probably the best guy since Brent Wright who was here up there – there’s a lot of decisions he has to make in the press of when to go trap, when not to go trap, understanding how the floor is starting to move and look. He’s got a really high IQ of understanding hat. When he’s in that mode there where he can kind of freelance around, he can cause some problems. He was really disruptive.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Donovan on deciding to start Young after five-straight games on the bench: “Patric is too critical to our team and too valuable that I just forced him right back into the starting lineup. And that was a great decision because he played three minutes in the first half with two fouls. [Smiling] I’m not so sure if that was a good decision or not. [...] It was nothing that he did or didn’t do.”

» Junior G Kenny Boynton on trying to end Kentucky’s home winning streak: “I’m very excited. We got the team to do it.”

Beal leads No. 11/12 Florida past No. 25 Vanderbilt

Adam Silverstein — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:32:47 +0000

An impressive all-around performance by freshman guard Bradley Beal – including 16 points on 50 percent shooting and seven rebounds in 30 minutes – led the No. 11/12 Florida Gators (19-4, 7-1 SEC) past the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores (16-7, 5-3 SEC) 73-65 Saturday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.

It was Florida’s seventh-straight victory and second in the last three days. UF has won 19 consecutive games in the O’Dome and four-in-a-row against Vanderbilt.

Though Beal was all over the court for the Gators, it was junior G Kenny Boynton who posted a team-high 18 points. Commodores’ forward Jeffery Taylor led all scorers with 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting (4-of-7 from downtown, 7-of-8 from the line).

Down 11-9 early in the contest, Florida exploded on a 10-0 run capped by five-straight points by Boynton to take an 19-11 lead with 9:33 left in the first half. Vanderbilt answered back with a 6-1 scoring stretch, but the Gators followed by notching seven points – a four-point play by Boynton and a trey from redshirt junior G Mike Rosario – to take a game-high 10-point lead on the Commodores with 5:36 remaining.

Florida, however, found themselves with three starters on the bench for the remainder of the half with Beal, sophomore center Patric Young and junior F Erik Murphy all sitting after each picked up two early fouls. Vanderbilt used this to their advantage, outscoring the Gators 11-5 down the stretch to reduce their deficit to three points at the break.

The Commodores started the second half equally as hot, scoring nine-straight points including eight by Taylor to take a 43-40 lead. Young picked up his third foul quickly and Florida started the half 1-for-10 from the field, giving Vanderbilt room to make their run.

The Gators would not relent, battling to keep the game close before putting together an impressive 12-0 run including a pair of dagger treys from Beal to take a 58-49 lead. The Commodores fought back, keeping their deficit in the low single digits the rest of the way.

Up just four and trying to close out the contest, Florida took a seven-point lead with 1:03 to go thanks to a dagger three by Boynton, but Taylor answered immediately giving Vanderbilt yet another glimmer of hope. The Gators would hold on for the victory though, hitting all 14 of their second half free throws including four in the final 39 seconds.

Florida was nearly perfect from the line, netting a season-best 16-of-17 attempts. The Gators only shot 38.3 percent from the field but nailed 45.8 percent of their attempts from downtown. UF outrebounded VU 39-34 (14-10 offensively) and forced the Commodores to commit 17 turnovers thanks to a strong press in the second half.

Vanderbilt outscored Florida 26-16 in the paint, but the Gators used 18 points off the bench – 10 of them from Rosario on 4-of-8 shooting – to pull out the win.

Senior point guard Erving Walker joined the backcourt trio as the fourth Florida player with double-digit points, posting 11 on a paltry 3-of-11 shooting performance. His game-high five assists thrust him past Eddie Shannon (493) into No. 2 on UF’s all-time list, giving Walker 495 dimes for his career.

He also passed Ronnie Williams (3,898) for No. 4 on the Gators’ career minutes list (3,906) and tied Tony Miller (1,212) for eighth in field goal attempts with 11 on Saturday.

Sophomore F Will Yeguete, playing major minutes with Young and Murphy on the bench in foul trouble, grabbed team-highs of eight boards and three steals. He was pesky on defense throughout the game and the main cog in UF’s successful press.

Taylor added a game-high four steals to his total for Vanderbilt and was supported by G John Jenkins (15 points), C Festus Ezeli (11 pointss) and F Lance Goulbourne (game-high 11 rebounds).

Florida will look to continue their hot streak when they travel to face No. 1 Kentucky on Tuesday evening. The game will air live at 7 p.m. on ESPN and marks the third time this season the Gators will face a top-three ranked opponent.

2/3: Donovan talks recruiting, prep for Vanderbilt

Adam Silverstein — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:59:07 +0000

Set to play their second of three games in six days, No. 11/12 Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan met with the media Friday to discuss a number of topics including the Vanderbilt Commodores, basketball recruiting and senior point guard Erving Walker‘s improved play in his final season.

GATORS KEEPING TABS ON THE UPPERCLASSMEN

When it comes to Vanderbilt, guard John Jenkins has been a thorn in Florida’s side each of the last three years. Leading the Commodores in minutes (33.2), points (19.9) and free throw shooting (85.7 percent), Jenkins is the consummate shooter and someone Donovan will obviously have the Gators’ defense focused on.

“He’s a great player. The three best guys I’ve seen shoot the ball – and I won’t say Lee Humphrey because I’ve coached him – that we’ve gone against in this league have been Rotnei Clark, Chris Lofton and Jenkins,” he said. “He is one of the best shooters that I’ve seen in this league. A guy that can really knock shots down. Guys that can do it under pressure with a lot of defense on them and people challenge shots are really phenomenal.”

However, Jenkins is not the only player Florida will have to deal with. Forward Jeffrey Taylor is also playing lights out, averaging 17.4 points and 5.8 boards while shooting 53.1 percent from the field and a team-high 46.3 percent from three. And 6’11” center Festus Ezeli, though he’s missed 10 games, is also dangerous in the frontcourt.

“He’s an incredible space eater. He’s a great shot blocker. He has great presence. Where he was as a freshman to where he is now, he’s really made some incredible growth in terms of his offensive game,” Donovan said of Ezeli. “He has developed offensively. He has learned how to seal and post up and create angles.”

WALKER ECLIPSES 1,600 POINTS AT FLORIDA

Climbing his way up a number of all-time lists at Florida, Walker passed 1,200 career points Thursday and is just 15 points away from moving into No. 5 on the school’s scoring list. He is also three assists away from the No. 2 spot in that category, four three-pointers away from No. 3 on the list, 24 minutes away from No. 4 in court time and six trey attempts shy of No. 1 all-time at UF.

“It’s pretty amazing what he’s done at his size, a guy that came off the bench as a freshman and then moved into the starting position as a sophomore. In terms of his assists, three-point shooting, the scoring, it’s amazing a guy his size has been able to score at the level he’s been able to score at,” Donovan said.

“Any time you are able to score over 1,000 points in a career, that’s always a pretty good career offensively. I think he’ll go down as one of the better guards to play here just based on statistics and someone being here for four years.”

Walker has been concentrating on something other than scoring this season – taking care of the ball. His season-long assist/turnover ratio is 2.46, and he is first in the SEC in assists averaging 5.1 per game.

“He tries to do everything I ask him to do. We’ve talked about trying to lead the league in assists, and he’s right up there,” Donovan said. “He’s keeping his turnovers down. He’s starting to see and understand where his shots are coming from, when he needs to shoot and when he needs to pass. He’s getting better at it.”

A “GENTLEMEN’S AGREEMENT” IN RECRUITING?

Donovan was asked if there is a “gentlemen’s agreement” in college basketball when it comes to recruiting. In other words that a coach will not actively recruit a player committed to another school. A common practice in college football, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was accused of doing so by Wisconsin this week. He admitted as such and stated it was an aggressive action but not illegal and that many other schools do it as well. Below are Donovan’s thoughts:

“Yeah. I’ve always been amazed at football. There used to be a basketball coach – I’m not going to say his name – years ago he’s no longer coaching, when I first got in the business and a guy would commit, he would say, ‘Great now it’s down to two – me and you.’ I would say in basketball there is no question a gentlemen’s whatever. I will not recruit anybody who is committed. Never ever ever. That’s kind of a thing that goes on in basketball. And I have the right to recruit, but I think it’s kind of an unwritten or an unspoken law in basketball that once a guy is committed, that’s it.

“I have not done this but I know coaches will do this. If a guy is committed to a school and there is another school trying to change or break that commitment, the school he’s committed to will call up the coach and say, ‘What are you doing? This guy has made a decision. He’s already coming to our school.’ [...] I’ve always been amazed in football that a guy is verbally committed somewhere and he’s taking official visits to other places. That makes no sense to me. He shouldn’t commit anywhere if he’s not really sure. It just seems that’s what goes on.

“Al Horford is a perfect example. Al Horford committed to Michigan. I had a person very close to Al in the recruitment who said that he felt like he made a mistake and he would like to come to Florida. I said, ‘I’m not going to recruit him. The only way that I would recruit him is if he calls up the coach at Michigan and tells him that he has decided to open up his recruitment. But I’m not going to talk to you about Florida, and I’m not going to talk to you about anything. It’s got to be his decision.’ Al obviously did that. I’m not going to pick up the phone and talk to a kid that’s already committed somewhere and tell him why he shouldn’t go there and that he’s making a mistake there.

“There’s kids that decommit all the time. Austin Rivers decommited last year and he decided to open up his recruitment. [...] I don’t know if other schools were tampering with Austin or not or talking to him. It’s one of those things where I just don’t do that. I would say that most of college basketball coaches don’t do that once a guy is committed. That’s like an across the board consensus.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» On if he “ripped into the team” following their victory on Thursday: “I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older that sometimes you’re better off watching the film. I would say most of the time my assessment just sitting there is accurate but there are times where you look at something and you think something was the problem and it’s not.”

» On the quick turnaround: “There’s no question the stretch that we have coming up is going to be very demanding, very tough playing against a lot of good teams. [...] What you have to do is put all of your focus and energy into what is in front of you right now. They’ll eventually all play themselves out.”

2/2: Florida vs. South Carolina post-game notes

Adam Silverstein — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:59:11 +0000

The No. 11/12 Florida Gators earned their 18th consecutive home victory Thursday by defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 74-66 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The first of three games in six days, Florida’s victory left head coach Billy Donovan with plenty to talk about heading into the next contest on Saturday at 1 p.m.

IMPROVING ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASS

The Gators’ offensive rebounding since the Southeastern Conference slate began has left much to be desired. Donovan was particularly bothered with the fact that junior guard Kenny Boynton (four) had more offensive boards than both freshman G Bradley Beal (two) and junior forward Erik Murphy (two) heading into Saturday’s game.

“Brad and Erik have got to get better at making that concerted effort, every time a shot is taken, at going to the glass,” he explained. Beal grabbed five offensive rebounds Thursday, and Murphy added two more, putting a smile on Donovan’s face.

“What won the game for us tonight is that we really did a good job getting to the offensive glass … and the fact that we got to the free throw line 32 times,” he said.

Florida shot poorly from the charity stripe in the first half but hit seven of their last eight attempts to finish 71.9 percent (23-of-32). The Gators’ free throw shooting has improved immensely since the beginning of the season, so much so that Donovan even feels comfortable giving one player a hard time when he starts off inconsistent in that area.

“I told Brad Beal, ‘I’m going to change your number to No. 12 for 1-for-2.’ He goes to the free throw line and is 1-for-2 the entire time,” Donovan joked.

VIDEO: CHARGE DRILL IN PRACTICE

The following video, courtesy of UF, shows Donovan’s charge drill during practice. This should help provide fans with some idea why players like redshirt junior G Mike Rosario have improved in this facet of the game throughout the season.

Watch the video and read post-game quotes…after the break!

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Donovan on Florida losing its 17-point advantage in the game: “It deflated our team in a lot of ways. I didn’t think from a maturity standpoint we handled that very well. [...] We didn’t get affected by it because South Carolina wasn’t making shots. The same shots that we knocked down the first 12-14 minutes of the game were the same shots we could not buy. Our focus went from playing defense and rebounding defensively to making shots.”

» Beal on his highlight dunk late in the second half: “I just wanted to finish at the rim strong. [Damontre] Harris was blocking shots all night, so I just wanted to go up strong and make a play.”

» Donovan on UF’s next two opponents being tough ones: “Clearly [we’re] playing right now coming up what many consider the two best teams in the league in Vanderbilt and Kentucky, and you’re having to do it after a Thursday game with a one-day prep where they’ve obviously had some time to get ready to play the game [last] playing on Tuesday.”

» Boynton on playing three games in six days: “We’re ready. We’re not a young team overall. All the sophomores, they’ve been through this process. We don’t have any excuses. We just got to take every game on at a time.”

FOUR BITS: Tebow, Hicks, women’s b-ball, Lerner

Adam Silverstein — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:16:23 +0000

1 » Early Friday morning, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow sat down with Hannah Storm for another interview, this one mostly about the 2011 season. Though the below video is only a clip of the interview, it will be aired in full on ESPN‘s SportsCenter on Friday. If/when the network makes it available online, OGGOA will update this thread with a video of the complete interview.

2 » Former Florida Gators linebacker Brandon Hicks has agreed to a futures contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2012 season. His former Florida teammate and current Pittsburgh tackle Marcus Gilbert confirmed the signing to OGGOA on Friday via Twitter. An undrafted free agent in 2011, Hicks was signed by the Buffalo Bills in the lockout-shortened offseason but was waived during final cuts and did not make his way onto a NFL roster. He is the second former Gators star to sign a futures contract since the end of the regular season as tight end Cornelius Ingram, who spent time on Denver’s practice squad toward the end of the year, agreed to remain with the Broncos.

3 » Florida women’s basketball (14-8, 4-5 SEC) picked up a big win on Thursday, defeating the LSU Tigers (14-8, 4-5 SEC) 73-64 on the road at the Maravich Assembly Center. It was the Gators’ first victory in Baton Rouge, LA since 1996 and marked a pleasant end to a three-game road stand in which Florida fell just barely to No. 6 Kentucky (57-52) and Arkansas (73-72 in overtime). Senior center Azania Stewart led the way for the Gators with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, and both redshirt senior forward Ndidi Madu and senior guard Lanita Bartley also added 12 points in the winning effort. Florida will look to capitalize on their positive momentum with consecutive home games against Ole Miss and Auburn next week.

4 » Gators senior punter David Lerner has been nominated for the 2012 Rare Disease Champion Award presented by Uplifting Athletes to “a leader in college football, individual or organization, who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community.” Lerner, who learned in the offseason that he had Chron’s disease, was knocked back by the illness but able to overcome it and wound up starting for Florida at the beginning of the season. Also in contention for the honor are Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead, N.C. State’s Wayne Crawford and UCLA’s Luke Gane, all of whom you can read about by clicking here.

TWO BITS: Tim Tebow on ESPN, NBC this week

Adam Silverstein — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:48:00 +0000

1 » Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has been making the rounds in Indianapolis, IN this week and sat down Thursday for a pair of interviews with ESPN and NBC. His interview with Skip Bayless appeared on ESPN2‘s First Take Friday morning and the entire thing can be viewed in the three videos below. He discusses the Super Bowl, some of the highlights of the 2011 season, his religion making him polarizing and whether or not Denver’s brass is giving him the proper support.

Watch the rest of the interview videos after the break!

2 » Tebow’s NBC Sports interview was aired Thursday during the special NBC SportsTalk Live at the Super Bowl. He discussed a number of topics about his first season getting extensive playing time in the NFL, which you can watch in these two clips.

No. 11 Florida holds on to best South Carolina

Adam Silverstein — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:34:20 +0000

Looking to begin a stretch of three games in six days on a high note, the No. 11/12 Florida Gators (18-4, 6-1 SEC) used a game-high 24 points by junior guard Kenny Boynton and a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds from freshman G Bradley Beal to top the South Carolina Gamecocks (9-12, 1-6 SEC) 74-66 on Thursday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.

Boynton and Beal were two of three Gators to score in double figures Friday as senior point guard Erving Walker chipped in 14 points with seven assists, four boards, two steals and just three turnovers in the winning effort.

As has been tradition recently, Florida got off to their usual hot start and used a 14-2 run as well as a 12-1 rebounding advantage to take a 17-point lead with 9:55 left in the first half. South Carolina responded with a quick 6-0 scoring stretch to cut their deficit to 11, but UF regained their half-high lead with five minutes left until the break.

The Gamecocks, however, were the aggressors at the end of the half, outscoring the Gators 9-1 over the final 3:54 as UF fell silent from the field. Florida still headed into the locker rooms with a nine-point lead as well as a 23-11 advantage on the glass.

After giving up a basket to start the second half, the Gators used a 6-0 run including consecutive jumpers by Walker to leap back ahead 12 points. Trading baskets the rest of the way, the Gamecocks got within six with 4:08 to play, but a highlight dunk by Beal appeared to push the momentum back in UF’s favor.

That would not wind up being the case for Florida, which gave up back-to-back three-pointers to South Carolina G Bruce Ellington and forward Anthony Gill, decreasing their advantage to five points with 2:51 remaining in the contest.

The Gators began consistently hitting their free throws late in the contest, but Gamecocks G Brenton Williams hit a transition three from the corner to put USC down five again with 50.1 seconds left.

It would be too little too late for South Carolina, which sent Florida to the line four times in the last minute and saw the Gators hit seven-of-eight free throws to close out the team’s 12th consecutive victory in the O’Dome.

The Gators have now won six-straight games since falling to Tennessee in their SEC opener with victories of eight points or more in all but one contest.

Florida registered 12 assists on 22 baskets but struggled with their ball control, turning it over 13 times. However, the Gators scored 21 points off 15 Gamecocks’ turnovers and outrebounded their opponent 42-30 (20-10 offensively).

Coming off the bench for the fifth consecutive contest, sophomore center Patric Young scored just five points and had four turnovers but grabbed five boards (four offensive) in 25 minutes. Beal’s 11 rebounds were a game-high, and sophomore F Will Yeguete added eight grabs off the glass.

Junior F Erik Murphy had his worst shooting performance of the season, going 2-of-10 from the field (0-for-4 from downtown), but did notch six rebounds.

With eight attempts from three, Boynton (656) moved into fourth place on Florida’s all-time list, passing Lee Humphrey. Similarly, Walker and his 11 field goal attempts moved him past Brett Nelson (1,197) and up to ninth all-time at UF (1,201).

The Gators look to keep their streaks going when they host Vanderbilt on Saturday in their second of three games over six days. Tip off is set for 1 p.m. live on CBS.

LB Hearns makes it four 2013 commits for Florida

Adam Silverstein — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:47:34 +0000

The Florida Gators doubled up on 2013 linebackers Thursday, receiving a commitment from James Hearns (Tallahassee, FL) just over an hour after it was announced that Daniel McMillian (Jacksonville, FL) pledged to join the Gators.

Another player who took part in Florida’s Junior Day last weekend, Hearns is the second Lincoln High School player to commit to the Gators in as many days. His teammate and three-star wide receiver Raphael Andrades (Tallahassee, FL) was a surprise addition to Florida’s 2012 signing class on Wednesday.

At 6’3” and 230 lbs., Hearns was one of two Lincoln players – the other being WR Reggie Davis (Tallahassee, FL) – to visit the Gators last weekend. Both took a number of tours and met with the coaching staff, which told Hearns they were fond of his athleticism but wanted to look over his film early in the week after he missed most of the 2011 season due to a knee injury.

“He always liked Florida. He always liked 3-4 teams like Florida and Alabama,” former UF receiver and Lincoln’s offensive coordinator Jacquez Green told OGGOA. “When I took him down to Junior Day Saturday, he got a chance to really see [Will] Muschamp, and he sat with Coach [D.J.] Durkin at the game and got a chance to talk to him.

“It was the one-on-ones, the attention he got and the fact that Florida is down and [he and Andrades] feel they can help get Florida back up to where it used to be.”

Like McMillian who also committed Thursday, Hearns has an impressive offer list with Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Tennessee as some of the standout schools.

Read the rest of this story and watch a highlight tape of Hearns after the break.

“They told me they really liked my highlight tape,” Hearns told InsidetheGators.com after the visit. “They really liked my size and not just that but how physical I play and the passion I play with when I’m on the field. We just talked about thing like that.

“At our school our coaches give us the true understanding of what a commitment is. When you commit to something, there’s no going back on your word. This is done so right now I can focus on my team and me. I want to help make the team the best it can be and make myself the best player I can be.

He will likely be looked at as a Sam or Will linebacker for the Gators, which are putting a premium on the position after only signing three linebackers in the past two cycles.

“Hearns is big, he’s physical, he’s a great linebacker to play in a 3-4 scheme,” Green explained. “He started as a true freshman, which is hard to do at Lincoln. He played outside linebacker his first two years. Last year he played inside linebacker, but he’s played and can play all four positions. We run the 3-4 basically like Florida on defense.”

Though Hearns is not yet rated by either Rivals or ESPNU, he is expected to receive a four-star grade when the first official rankings are revealed. He is Florida’s fourth 2013 commitment joining ESPNU-ranked four-star McMillian, five-star defensive tackle Caleb Brantley (Crescent City, FL) and four-star running back Adam Lane (Winter Haven, FL). McMillian, Brantley and Lane are ESPNU 150 watch list players.

Hearns’s commitment was first reported by Gator Country’s Andrew Spivey.

LB McMillian becomes Gators’ third 2013 commit

Adam Silverstein — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:13:02 +0000

Less than 24 hours after hauling in 17 new recruits on 2012 National Signing Day, the Florida Gators have added a third player to their 2013 recruiting class by securing a verbal commitment Thursday afternoon from linebacker Daniel McMillian (Jacksonville, FL), according to InsidetheGators.com‘s Bryan Holt.

McMillian is listed on ESPNU’s recently released “top 100 prospects of 2013” and is considered by the recruiting service to be a four-star player. He was originally planning on announcing his commitment during the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Game but wanted to make his plans official now instead.

Florida did not host 2012 recruits on the final weekend before the dark period but instead brought a number of extremely talented juniors to campus.

McMillian was one of those juniors and has reportedly decided to make his call for the Gators despite carrying a number of other impressive offers from schools like Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State and South Carolina.

Read the rest of this story and watch a highlight tape of Hearns after the break.

At 6’3” and 220 lbs., his size, strength and speed will make him a great addition to Florida’s linebacking corps. McMillian, who had 12 sacks and nine forced fumbles as a junior, played Mike linebacker in 2011 for First Coast High School, but he could also play Will, Sam or Buck linebacker for the Gators.

“I play inside now, but I plan on, when I get to college, playing outside [linebacker], a hybrid,” he told TideSports.com in January.

“I describe myself as a playmaker. I’ll bring the hits and stuff, but I’m more of a playmaker. If you need a play made, I’m the one for it. I’m good at using my hands and my agility, and I have speed and quickness for a linebacker.”

McMillian joins ESPNU-ranked four-star running back Adam Lane (Winter Haven, FL) and five-star defensive tackle Caleb Brantley (Crescent City, FL) as Florida’s three current 2013 commitments. All three are ESPNU 150 watch list players.