Eleven high school football players announced their college commitments during the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX, an all-star game that DirecTV offers annually. Four-star tight end Gerald Christian (West Palm Beach, FL) and four-star defensive back Jaylen Watkins (Cape Coral, FL) were the only Florida Gators commitments participating at the start of the game, but the team has acquired three additional big-names over the course of the afternoon.

Defensive end Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA) []
Height: 6’4″ – Weight: 225 lbs.
Considered a heavy Florida lean for months (on Dec. 18 he said the Gators were “most definitely at the top” of his list), Powell had second thoughts about his commitment after head coach Urban Meyer resigned and then decided to take a leave of absence instead. Meyer eased Powell’s reservations after a phone conversation. Powell also indicated that he wished to play college ball away from home with the USC Trojans his only other option. “Coach Meyer is a hell-of-a coach,” he said last month. “The college is in a college town. The players, the players definitely make you feel at home. I mean just all around, it’s a great school, a great place to be.”
More on Ronald Powell from OGGOA.
Finalists: Florida, USC
COMMITTED TO: Florida Gators

Safety Matt Elam (West Palm Beach, FL) []
Height: 6’0″ – Weight: 205 lbs.
A Florida commitment for over a year, Elam played games throughout the recruiting cycle. He reaffirmed his commitment to Meyer and the Gators after his official visit in December; however, Meyer’s about-face caused Elam to question his decision, leading him to decommit from Florida and make a commitment to the Florida State Seminoles. Elam finally spoke to Meyer earlier this week to work everything out. He then decommitted from FSU and listed Florida as his leader, stating that he could not leave Coach Meyer while putting his faith in him.
More on Matt Elam from OGGOA.
Finalists: Florida, Georgia, Florida State
COMMITTED TO: Florida Gators

Defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (Philadelphia, PA) []
Height: 6’3″ – Weight: 310 lbs.
Once believed to be a sure-thing for Ohio State Buckeyes’s 2010 recruiting class, Floyd was also seriously considering Florida. He promised to “shock the world” with his announcement Saturday and was thrilled with the Gators’ decision to hire George Edwards as their new defensive coordinator. Reports from San Antonio had Floyd leaning toward joining the contingent of Florida commitments on Saturday, and his budding friendship with Powell and desire to play around top-tier talent only further that sentiment. “Florida overall, I genuinely care about Coach Meyer and we talk on a daily basis,” Floyd said. “I just like Florida and what the program has to offer.”
More on Sharrif Floyd from OGGOA.
Finalists: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina
COMMITTED TO: Florida Gators

In addition to the players profiled above who committed to the Gators on Saturday, the following recruits (who have chosen not to announce their respective decisions during the game) are also being targeted by UF: five-star offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson (St. Paul, MN), five-star DE Jackson Jeffcoat (Plano, TX), five-star DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (Portland, OR), four-star wide receiver Christian Green (Tampa, FL) and four-star WR Ivan McCartney (Miramar, FL).

Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow has made two important career decisions over the last few days, both of which will impact his future in the NFL in one way or another. Tebow has agreed to let agent Jimmy Sexton of Athletic Resource Management represent him as he works out and tries to earn his first professional contract through the 2010 NFL Draft.

Sexton represents a number of notable executives and coaches in both professional and collegiate ranks including but not limited to Bill Parcells, Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, Tommy Tuberville and Jimbo Fisher. His roster of football players is less impressive but includes notables DeAngelo Williams, Jason Witten and Michael Oher along with quarterbacks Phillip Rivers, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brodie Croyle.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported Saturday that Tebow has also decided to participate in the Under Armour Senior Bowl on Jan. 30 in Mobile, AL. Tebow will play quarterback for the South team, which will be coached by the Miami Dolphins staff. NFL talent evaluators and executives have recently come around to the realization that Tebow will likely be a first round pick, citing his career performance in the 2010 Sugar Bowl as a catalyst for the change in opinion.

Top senior quarterbacks, for the most part, choose not to participate in the Senior Bowl or throw at the NFL Combine. Tebow, who has never been one to back away from a challenge, is obviously being advised that he still has some work to do in order to prove his doubters wrong and raise his draft stock.

1 » REMINDER: Florida Gators basketball begins 2010 Southeastern Conference play Saturday at noon on ESPN2 against the Vanderbilt Commodores on the road in Nashville, TN. Just an hour later at 1 p.m., the U.S. Army All-American Bowl will air live on NBC. OGGOA will have live coverage of both games.

2 » Former Florida running backs coach Kenny Carter said that, though his move to the Louisville Cardinals appears to be a lateral one, it will help advance his career. “Florida has been great to me,” Carter told the Orlando Sentinel. “I learned so much from Urban [Meyer]. I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s a dream job for 95 percent of coaches. But there are a lot of factors that go into a coaching move while most people think it has something to do with the team they are leaving. I want to be a head coach one day, and in order to be a head coach, there are things involved in that process. Helping a program from the ground up and working for Charlie [Strong] really intrigued me.” Carter will also help organize special teams with Louisville.

3 » In its first meet of the 2010 season, No. 4 Gators gymnastics fell to the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners 195.275 to 196.250. Florida won the vault but lost on bars, beam and floor while competing on the road in Norman, OK.

4 » Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong officially announced Friday that former Gators cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford has been hired as his defensive coordinator.

5 » Conflicting reports emerged that three-star running back recruit Shontrelle Johnson (Deland, FL) received a scholarship offer from Florida earlier this week, but in the end none of them truly matter. Johnson, who claims he received an offer from the Gators to play defensive back, has reaffirmed his commitment to the Iowa State Cyclones. “They want me to play DB,” Johnson told Chris Hays of the Sentinel. “I’m a running back. I run the ball. That’s what I do.”

6 » Four-stars athlete/safety recruit Dietrich Riley (La Canada, CA) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback commitment Andrew Hendrix (Cincinnati, OH) will be visiting Gainesville, FL, this weekend according to Rivals.

1 » Surprising news out of Washington Friday afternoon had the Seattle Seahawks firing head coach Jim Mora after only one year on the job. Chris Mortensen of ESPN has followed up that report with a more startling one: USC Trojans head coach Pete Carroll is the team’s target and a deal is “expected to happen.” Carroll’s Trojans recently experienced their worst season under his leadership since his first, when the team went 6-6 in 2001. Carroll would like bring some staff if he is hired by the Seahawks.

Florida Gators impact: Florida was competing with USC predominantly for five-star defensive end Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA). Powell was already expected to commit to the Gators, but Carroll leaving the program (should it happen) would make Powell’s decision even easier. Other five-star recruits who could take an extra look at Florida if this move occurs include: OT Senatrel Henderson (St. Paul, MN), DE Jackson Jeffcoat (Plano, TX) and DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (Portland OR), etc.

2 » Tennessee Volunteers head basketball coach Bruce Pearl has dismissed senior forward Tyler Smith from the team, just one week after he and three teammates (guard Cameron Tatum, center Brian Williams and point guard Melvin Goins) were arrested on misdemeanor gun and drug charges. The remaining three players remain indefinitely suspended, and the No. 16/15 Volunteers will be without them on Sunday when they take on the No. 1/1 Kansas Jayhawks.

The University of Florida has officially announced the hiring of Miami Dolphins linebackers coach George Edwards as the Florida Gators new defensive coordinator. According to the UF release, Edwards will also work specifically with the inside linebackers while former assistant defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chuck Heater will coach the entire secondary and serve in title as “co-defensive coordinator.”

Edwards, an 18-year coaching veteran, started his career with the Gators as an assistant under Steve Spurrier in 1991. He would then fill a similar role with Appalachian State (1992-95) and Duke (1996) before being hired by Georgia as a defensive line coach in 1997. Edwards moved to the NFL to coach the defensive line for the Dallas Cowboys (1998-2001) but was snatched up by the Washington Redskins and then-head coach Spurrier as an assistant defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2002.

The Redskins promoted him to defensive coordinator in 2003, but he only lasted until the end of Spurrier’s tenure. Hired by the Cleveland Browns to coach linebackers in 2004, Edwards was stolen away in 2005 by then-Dolphins head coach Nick Saban in a lateral move. He has been retained by Miami through two head coaching changes to Cam Cameron and Tony Sparano, who moved him to inside linebackers coach in 2008.

“George is a tremendous teacher of the game of football,” said Florida head coach Urban Meyer. “He has proven himself at the highest level in the National Football League, but his roots started at the college level at Florida and in the SEC. He is a great addition to our staff and will be a great coach and mentor to our players.”

Prominent names Edwards has coached throughout career in college and the pros include Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud (Georgia); Dexter Coakley (Dallas); LaVar Arrington, Jesse Armstead and Jeremiah Trotter (Washington); and Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas and Joey Porter (Miami). Former Gators now Dolphins LB Channing Crowder has referred to Edwards as “the best assistant coach in the NFL, period,” adding that “Coach Edwards is one of the best assistants in the NFL. He has had a huge impact on me and I looked up to him like a father.”

Edwards also made a statement about his new position. “I’m thrilled to be joining the UF coaching staff,” he said. “I started my career at the college level at Florida and I enjoy teaching and molding young men. I am looking forward to working with a great group of people at Florida and a great group of players.”

Heater, a 33-year coaching veteran and one of Florida’s strongest recruiters, has worked Meyer on-and-off since 1986 when he coached the secondary for the Ohio State Buckeyes while Meyer was a graduate assistant. From 1991-92, the duo was with the Colorado State Rams as defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach and wide receivers coach, respectively. After Meyer was hired to lead the Utah Utes, he brought Heater along in 2004 as his cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator. Since joining the Gators, Heater has coached cornerbacks and safeties, served as recruiting coordinator from 2005-07 and assistant defensive coordinator from 2008-09.

Previous stops for Heater included Colorado, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Toledo and Northern Arizona, and he has also been associated with six National Coaches of the Year in his playing and coaching career including Meyer, Barry Alvarez, Earle Bruce, Lou Holtz, Bill McCartney and Bo Schembechler.

Florida Gators (Projected) 2010 Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Urban Meyer

Interim Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line: Steve Addazio
Quarterbacks: Scot Loeffler
Wide Receivers: Zach Azzanni
Running Backs: Stan Drayton
Tight Ends: Brian White

Defensive Coordinator, Inside Linebackers: George Edwards
Co-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Backs: Chuck Heater
Associate Head Coach, Defense/Defensive Line: Dan McCarney
Outside Linebackers: D.J. Durkin

Special Teams: Urban Meyer D.J. Durkin
Recruiting Coordinator: Billy Gonzales (LSU) TBD
Director of Player and Community Relations: Terry Jackson

1 » Hiring George Edwards as the Florida Gators defensive coordinator may or may not determine current assistant defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chuck Heater‘s future with the team. Will Heater share the role with Edwards, take on other responsibilities with the team, have his job remain the same or even leave for another opportunity? Right now, Gator Nation does not know. What is apparent is that Heater openly campaigned for the defensive coordinator position prior to the 2010 Sugar Bowl. “I’m interested in having a leadership role, whatever it might be,” Heater said in December. He reportedly turned down an offer to join Doc Holliday‘s Marshall Thundering Herd staff as defensive coordinator – does that become a more attractive option for the 33-year coaching veteran?

2 » Losing four assistant coaches (and one graduate assistant) after the 2009 SEC Championship, head coach Urban Meyer has replaced all of them post-haste. Even so, his cornerbacks coach position apparently remains vacant and additional coaching turnover in Heater and/or assistant head coach and defense/defensive line coach Dan McCarney (whose name has popped up as a candidate for the recently available head job with the USF Bulls) may very well occur. Perhaps McCarney would even take Heater as his defensive coordinator? There is still a ways to go before this situation is settled.

3 » Florida women’s basketball (9-6, 2-0 SEC) turned in a thrilling 71-68 double-overtime victory against the Auburn Tigers (9-6, 0-2 SEC) Thursday evening in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Senior guard Steffi Sorensen began the second overtime without a point in the contest but drained three treys to lift her team to victory. The Gators led by 20 points in the first half but gave up the lead in the second half as the Tigers won the rebound (58-46) and turnover (22-15) battles. Sophomore center Azania Stewart led Florida with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

4 » Football has the Swamp Things, basketball has the Rowdy Reptiles, but baseball’s student section remains unnamed – until now. The baseball team is set to throw its first pitch of the 2010 season in just over a month’s time, and the University of Florida is looking to the student body for suggestions on what to name McKethan Stadium’s student section. The winning entry will receive a baseball autographed by head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, Nike Gators gear and the opportunity to throw out a first pitch before a game this season. Submissions are being accepted through Jan. 15 with the voting lasting from Jan. 19-22. An announcement will be made on Jan. 25. Only students are able to apply – visit GatorZone.com for more information.

Chants of “S-E-C! S-E-C! S-E-C!” rained down from half of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, as the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide completed its dismantling of the No. 2 Texas Longhorns 37-21 Thursday night in the 2010 BCS National Championship. Winning its first title since 1992, Alabama’s defense led the way – first knocking Texas quarterback Colt McCoy out of the game and then finishing with a fumble recovery and interception to ice the game in the fourth quarter.

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban became only the second coach (next to the Florida Gators’ Urban Meyer) to win two BCS titles, and the first to accomplish the feat at two separate schools (LSU Tigers). Alabama’s victory propelled the Southeastern Conference to its fourth-straight BCS National Championship, its sixth overall and fifth in seven seasons. The Crimson Tide also became the third different SEC team to win it during the last four seasons.

The SEC is 6-0 in BCS title games (Florida 2-1, LSU 2-0, Alabama 1-0, Tennessee 1-1) and has won as many (6) as every other conference combined. Four SEC teams finish the 2009 season ranked in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ Top 25 polls (Alabama 1/1, Florida 3/3, LSU 17/17, Ole Miss 20/21).

It is being widely reported that the Florida Gators have hired Miami Dolphins linebackers coach George Edwards as their newest defensive coordinator. It is currently unknown if he will share duties with assistant defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chuck Heater or if he will take on all of the responsibilities himself.

Edwards, an 18-year coaching veteran, started his career with the Gators as an assistant under Steve Spurrier in 1991. He would then fill a similar role with Appalachian State (1992-95) and Duke (1996) before being hired by Georgia as a defensive line coach in 1997. Edwards moved to the NFL to coach the defensive line for the Dallas Cowboys (1998-2001) but was snatched up by the Washington Redskins and then-head coach Spurrier as an assistant defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2002.

The Redskins promoted him to defensive coordinator in 2003, but he only lasted until the end of Spurrier’s tenure. Hired by the Cleveland Browns to coach linebackers in 2004, Edwards was stolen away in 2005 by then-Dolphins head coach Nick Saban in a lateral move. He has been retained by Miami through two head coaching changes to Cam Cameron and Tony Sparano, who moved him to inside linebackers coach in 2008.

The Miami Herald reports that Edwards “has been on coach Urban Meyer’s list of coaching candidates in the past so it makes sense for him to be on the Gators radar.” In 2003, then-Gators head coach Ron Zook offered Edwards the defensive coordinator position that would eventually go to Charlie Strong.

Prominent names Edwards has coached throughout his career include Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud (Georgia); Dexter Coakley (Dallas); LaVar Arrington, Jesse Armstead and Jeremiah Trotter (Washington); and Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas and Joey Porter (Miami). Former Florida now Dolphins LB Channing Crowder has referred to Edwards as “the best assistant coach in the NFL, period.”

Florida Gators (Projected) 2010 Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Urban Meyer

Interim Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line: Steve Addazio
Quarterbacks: Scot Loeffler
Wide Receivers: Billy Gonzales (LSU) Zach Azzanni
Running Backs: Kenny Carter (Louisville) Stan Drayton
Tight Ends: Brian White

Defensive Coordinator: Charlie Strong (Louisville) George Edwards Chuck Heater?
Assistant Defensive Coordinator, Safeties: Chuck Heater
Associate Head Coach, Defense/Defensive Line: Dan McCarney
Linebackers: Charlie Strong (Louisville) D.J. Durkin
Cornerbacks: Vance Bedford (Louisville) TBD

Special Teams: Urban Meyer D.J. Durkin
Recruiting Coordinator: Billy Gonzales (LSU) TBD
Director of Player and Community Relations: Terry Jackson