1 » Now that his brother has set a course for greener pastures in the NFL, Florida Gators junior guard/center Mike Pouncey will play without him next to him for the first time in years. Rather than feel a sense of longing, Pouncey sees this as an opportunity to take on a leadership role. “I’ve got to lead this team,” he told The Gainesville Sun. “I’ve got the most starts on the team – just gotta go out there and prove everybody day-by-day that we’re going to be a good team this year. […] It’s going to be weird [not having Maurkice there], but I’ve been with these guys on the offensive line for three or four years. I feel ike they’re all my brothers, so they’ll be there for me.”

2 » Though acquiring a tougher schedule was somewhat of a mandate by the Southeastern Conference, the Gators’ willingness to do so may very well be what separates their 2009-10 campaign from that of the last two seasons. “I don’t know if there’s any exact science, but certainly we’re really, really loaded up on our schedule competitively,” head coach Billy Donovan told The Sun. “What kind of dividends that pays for us remains to be seen.” While the opponents may have been tougher, Donovan believes his team is better than it has been since the Oh-Fours departed. ‘Probably a couple of years ago, we weren’t even in position to beat a Michigan State or a Florida State or go on the road and win some of the games that we’ve won,” he said. “This team has certainly played a much, much more difficult schedule and probably as difficult a schedule as we’ve played in quite some time.”

Two more BITS on recruit Brandon Knight and the Horfords…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Pouncey, schedule, Knight, Horford

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Billy Donovan, Brandon Knight, Jon Horford, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Oh-Fours, SEC

1 » Buffalo Bills head coach and former Florida Gators quarterback Chan Gailey, who incidentally hired defensive coordinator George Edwards away from his alma mater, spoke about QB Tim Tebow while at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, IN. “Habits are not changed over a short amount of time; habits are changed over long periods of time and many reps,” Gailedy told the Palm Beach Post. “If you’re going to change somebody, it will take time to do that. If he thinks it’s a weakness, and he thinks he needs to work on it, and he thinks he needs to change, that should help him be a stronger player down the line. If he didn’t think it was a wekness and he’s doing it for somebody else, then it’ll make him a weaker player.” Interesting perspective.

VIDEO » Tebow interviewed by Steve Mariucci and Mike Mayock of NFL Network Thurs.

Find out about Knight, UF lacrosse and trouble for Moreno after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Tebow, Knight, lacrosse, Moreno

Tags: Amanda O’Leary, Brandon Knight, Buffalo Bills, Chan Gailey, combine, Denver Broncos, George Edwards, Georgia Bulldogs, Jeremy Foley, Knowshon Moreno, lacrosse, NFL, Tim Tebow, University of Georgia

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

Four-star cornerback John Fulton (Manning, SC) will be taking a trip to the University of Florida for an official visit this Saturday when the Florida Gators take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Fulton is currently favoring his hometown South Carolina Gamecocks and Alabama Crimson Tide. With Florida already having a plethora of cornerback commitments, he may just be doing his due diligence.

More football, basketball and volleyball recruiting news after the jump…
Continue Reading » Recruiting visits for Vandy, update on Knight

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Berkley Whaley, Brandon Knight, Connecticut Huskies, Ian Silberman, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Luc, John Fulton, Joshua Shaw, Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Michael McFarland, Ohio State Buckeyes, South Carolina Gamecocks, Trey Burton, University of Florida, Vanderbilt Commodores, volleyball