The Florida Gators will host their second Pro Scout Day for football players who have decided to enter the 2010 NFL Draft on Wed., April 7 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Though more than 15 players – including quarterback Tim Tebow, linebacker Brandon Spikes, cornerback Joe Haden, defensive end Carlos Dunlap, center Maurkice Pouncey and tight end Aaron Hernandez – participated in the first Pro Day on March 17, only a handful will be present to work out for NFL team representatives this time.

Among those who will make themselves available for evaluation, according to CBS Sports, are defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, cornerback Wondy Pierre-Louis, kick returner Brandon James and linebacker Ryan Stamper.

Cunningham was unable to participate the first time around due to an injured shoulder, but teams are interested in taking a look at him in order to determine whether he would fit best as a 4-3 DE or perhaps even an outside linebacker in the 3-4.

The Swamp will once again be open and fans can enter through Gate 2. However, unless the University of Florida states otherwise, do not expect concession stands (or perhaps even restrooms) to be open or any other special things to be done on-site.

1 » Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow is in South Florida speaking at an event for the Boy Scouts of America Thursday. Greg Stoda of the Palm Beach Post caught up with him to ask his opinion of redshirt junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson’s recent comments. “I don’t think Deonte meant anything by that,” Tebow said. “He was just stating facts. [John] Brantley is a guy who throws on timing. You know when the ball is coming and when it’s not.”

For details on Joe Haden and the Cleveland Browns, the Carolina Panthers’ interest in Tebow and Cameron Newton claiming his innocence…keep reading…
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Tebow on Deonte; Haden; Newton

1 » Avoiding a scare Wednesday, No. 2/5 Florida Gators baseball (17-3) came back from an 8-0 deficit in the second inning to score 13 unanswered runs and defeat the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (12-7) 13-8. Now on a six-game winning streak, the Gators are continuing to crush the ball from behind the plate. Senior outfielder Matt den Dekker (2-3, four RBI) tagged a three-run shot with two outs in the fourth inning, and sophomore junior second baseman Josh Adams (2-5) joined him with a two-run homer in the same inning. Freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana was 3-5 with three runs and two RBI, and Florida’s bullpen ended the game with seven shutout innings.

2 » Continuing to impress in their inaugural season, Gators lacrosse (6-3, 0-1 ALC) took down the Cornell Big Red (2-5, 1-1 IVY) 10-5 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium Wednesday night. Florida used a 5-1 second-half to expand on its 5-4 halftime lead. Freshman attacker Ashley Bruns, the women’s lacrosse Rookie of the Week, once again led the team with three goals.

With the Florida Gators 2010 spring practice now in full swing, there is plenty of newsworthy information around the program. Rather than publishing it all in long form, OGGOA thought it would be best to lay it out piece-by-piece. We continue this series with a look at spring practice from Wed., March 24.

Absences/Injuries:
» Redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley missed practice with a high fever and what is believed to be strep throat. Brantley is also having some issues with his knee, which the team believes is just bruised.

» Redshirt sophomore wide receiver T.J. Lawrence was sent to Shands Hospital before practice to undergo tests, according to UF. It is neither known what those tests are for nor if something specific landed him in the hospital.

» Again? Redshirt senior running back Emmanuel Moody left the field on crutches after injuring his ankle during practice. He had minor surgery on the ankle last January and has had injury issues throughout his career.

» Florida announced that sophomore safety Josh Evans (knee) and redshirt freshman offensive lineman Kyle Koehne (elbow) are out for the remainder of spring practice. Other players (especially some of the linemen) are sitting out mostly due to precaution or other interests (Jeff Demps – track and field).

Practice happenings:
» Redshirt freshman linebacker Jelani Jenkins got some work in with the first team on Wednesday. He took advantage of struggling frosh QB Trey Burton by picking off one of his passes. Jenkins is competing for a starting job but will likely be relegated to the second-team on the outside.

» Redshirt freshman WR Stephen Alli continues to impress with his size and hands. He could very well be one of the breakout stars of the spring. Also showing grit was sophomore WR Frankie Hammond, Jr., who made a great catch but landed awkwardly on his back, earning a gasp from the crowd. He’s OK.

Other notes:
» Former Gators LB Brandon Spikes, defensive end Carlos Dunlap, LB Ryan Stamper, CB Wondy Pierre-Louis and S Dorian Munroe all attended practice.

» Players and coaches are off-limits to the media right now and for the foreseeable future. However, that will not last and the silence will end sooner than later.

The top story coming out of Florida Gators spring practice Wednesday was not redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley being absent due to a fever and sore throat or even redshirt senior running back Emmanuel Moody leaving the field on crutches with an ankle injury. Instead, it was head coach Urban Meyer verbally attacking beat writer Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel.

Monday, Fowler wrote an article quoting redshirt junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson who made an eyebrow-raising comments about former QB Tim Tebow. “You never know with Tim,” Thompson said. “He can bolt. You think he’s running but he’ll come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready. With Brantley, everything’s with rhythm, with time. You know what I mean, a real quarterback.”

Fowler was doing his job here – the player said it, he quoted him word-for-word. Some might question whether doing so in the manner he did was sensationalistic, but if he didn’t report the quote, it is likely someone else would have. However, Meyer did not see it that way and, after practice Wednesday, he made that quite clear to Fowler in what is (right now) the biggest story of the spring.

Watch and read what Meyer and Fowler had to say to each other after the break!
Continue Reading » Urban Meyer goes off on reporter after practice

Early Wednesday, OGGOA posted the following news item regarding former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow being mocked for his desire to pray before taking the Wonderlic exam at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine.

» Pro Football Talk reports that Tebow, minutes before taking the Wonderlic exam at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, requested that his testing group bow their heads in prayer. In response, one player told him to “Shut the f—k up,” and others responded to that outburst by laughing. As PFT points out, this “illustrates the type of challenges that could be faced by the team that drafts Tebow.”

Mike Florio, the head honcho at PFT and author of the post, received a call from Tebow who flatly denied the story. “Not one single word of it is true,” Tebow said. “One of the number one things for me is being someone of character and when I say something people can take it to the bank. That story is absolutely not true.”

Tebow offered up names of other players who took the exam at the same time as him, in case Florio wanted to investigate it further to disprove his rebuttal. Florio, as of press time, has not contacted any of Tebow’s suggested players but instead spoke to his initial source who stood behind his initial claim.

“We’ll keep digging on this one,” Florio states. “We’re confident that our source didn’t make it up, but we were impressed by Tebow’s willingness to reach out and explain his position. Though I’m usually even more skeptical when someone tells me multiple times in a seven-minute conversation that he always tells the truth, when Tebow said it I believed it.”

Fact is, when it comes to credibility, Tebow has it and Florio does not.

With the Florida Gators’ first Junior Day of the 2011 session in the books and recruiting for the next term already underway, OGGOA recruiting contributor Zach Abolverdi takes a look at what will be the top five needs for the team next offseason.

Check out the Gators’ top five positions of need for 2011 after the jump!
Continue Reading » Florida football’s five positions of need for 2010

One of the best – if not the best – tight ends in the history of Florida Gators football, Aaron Hernandez’s decision to enter the 2010 NFL Draft appears to have been the right one. Unfortunately for his school, the move has left a hole at the position on the team’s offensive line.

Three freshmen – four-star Gerald Christian and redshirts Desmond Parks and converted quarterback Jordan Reed – are up for the job and working each day during spring practice to catch the staff’s collective eye. Unfortunately for Parks, an injured wrist that requires surgery is keeping him out for the time being, leaving Christian and Reed to compete for the spot.

Though Reed is certainly athletic and could end up making a quick Cornelius Ingram-like transformation, Christian is the favorite to land the job due to his combination of size (6’3” 240 lbs.), strength (21 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press) and speed (4.65-second 40-yard dash). Simply put: he has the pedigree.

“It’s exciting,” Christian told The Gainesville Sun of having a chance to play early. “One of my goals coming here was to play early. I’m hoping I can come in and win a spot. I want to come out and work as hard as I can and do whatever I can to help the team. I’m going to come out here and compete and try to get my spot. I’m not lying down for anybody.”

However, nothing is set in stone and the team appears to be pleased with the early progress of all three players. Do not expect a decision to be made anytime soon.

Photo Credit: Allen Eyestone/Palm Beach Post