Late Monday night, three-star 2014 prospect Taven Bryan (Casper, WY) officially announced his commitment to play football for the Florida Gators next season.

“I have committed to play for the Florida Gators. Go Gators!!!!!” he wrote on his Facebook page, also adding a picture of the team’s logo as his cover photo.

A 6-foot-5, 250-pound offensive tackle, Bryan is being recruited by Florida to play defensive end, according to InsidetheGators.com’s Blake Alderman.

He has slowly been picking up major offers from programs across the country, but a visit to Gainesville, FL, over the weekend for the Gators’ first football camp of the summer – coupled with a scholarship offer from head coach Will Muschamp – left Bryan knowing exactly where he wanted to attend college.

According to Rivals.com, he will be the first prospect from the state of Wyoming to sign with an automatic qualifying conference since at least 2002.

Bryan, who also competes in track & field (discus, shot put) at Natrona County High School, chose Florida over offers from California, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming, among others.

With two members of the Gators’ coaching staff – offensive coordinator Brent Pease and special teams coordinator Jeff Choate – having spent much of their careers playing and coaching in Idaho and Montana, Florida being involved with Bryan’s recruitment is not a surprising development.

He is the Gators’ 10th pledge of the 2014 cycle and the team’s second defensive lineman, joining four-star defensive tackle Anthony Moten (Fort Lauderdale, FL).

Photo Credit: Taven Bryan’s Facebook page

Tags: Anthony Moten, Brent Pease, Jeff Choate, Taven Bryan, Will Muschamp

In his third year at the helm of the Florida Gators, head coach Will Muschamp was forced to hire three new position coaches and find a new defensive coordinator as adjustments were made to the coaching staff following the 2012 season.

According to information released by Florida on Wednesday, offensive coordinator Brent Pease received a $100,000 hike in his annual salary as well as a one-year contract extension. Pease also earns annual retention bonuses of $100,000.

New special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach Jeff Choate will be paid $290,000 in his first year on the job ($100,000 higher than the contract he signed to be defensive coordinator at UTEP). Additionally, offensive line coach Tim Davis and tight ends coach Derek Lewis each received $25,000 salary bumps.

The figures for defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, wide receivers coach Joker Phillips and defensive line coach Brad Lawing were previously released on March 1.

A look at the coaching staff’s 2013 salaries compared with their counterparts in 2012:

2013 Coach	2013 Salary	2012 Coach	2012 Salary
Will Muschamp Head Coach	$2.75M (5 years)*	Will Muschamp Head Coach	$2.75M (5 years)
Brent Pease Offensive Coordinator / QB	$590K (3 years)^	Brent Pease Offensive Coordinator / QB	$490K (3 years)
D.J. Durkin Defensive Coordinator / ILB	$490K (2 years)~	Dan Quinn Defensive Coordinator / DL	$510K (2 years)
Jeff Choate Special Teams Coordinator / OLB	$290K (1 year)	D.J. Durkin Special Teams Coordinator / LB	$340K (2 years)
Brad Lawing Assistant Head Coach / DL	$390K (3 years)	Bryant Young Assistant Defensive Line	$230K (1 year left)
Brian White Running Backs	$290K (1 year)	Brian White Running Backs	$290K (1 year)
Tim Davis Offensive Line	$300K (1 year)	Tim Davis Offensive Line	$275K (1 year)
Joker Phillips Wide Receivers / Recruiting	$265K (2 years)	Aubrey Hill Wide Receivers / Recruiting	$230K (1 year)
Travaris Robinson Defensive Backs	$230K (1 year)	Travaris Robinson Defensive Backs	$230K (1 year)
Derek Lewis Tight Ends	$215K (1 year)	Derek Lewis Tight Ends	$190K (1 year)
Jeff Dillman Strength & Conditioning	$215K (1 year)`	Jeff DIllman Strength & Conditioning	$215K (2 years)

* Muschamp received a one-year contract extension through the 2017 season.
^ Pease received a one-year contract extension through the 2015 season.
~ Durkin received a $150,000 raise as he moved from special teams to defensive coordinator and agreed to a new two-year contract.
` Dillman is in the second year of a two-year contract signed in 2012.
- Florida generally signs most of its assistant coaches to one-year renewable contracts (Choate, White, Davis, Robinson, Lewis).
- The Gators are spending $275,000 more in salary than the program did in 2012.

Universal contract notes and bonuses:
- All coaches receive a $10,000 bonus from Florida’s contract with Nike
- All coaches receive use of a car and other tangible incentives
- BCS National Championship Game appearance – up to 30 percent increase
- Other BCS bowl game appearance – 20 percent increase
- SEC Championship Game appearance – 10 percent increase
- Non-BCS bowl game – 10 percent increase
- Bowl game with less than $2 million payout – one month’s salary increase

The Orlando Sentinel and multiple other media outlets obtained the salary information referenced above directly from the University of Florida.

Tags: Brad Lawing, Brent Pease, D.J. Durkin, Derek Lewis, Jeff Choate, Joker Phillips, Tim Davis, Will Muschamp

The Southeastern Conference on Wednesday held a post-spring practice teleconference so the league’s coaches could wrap things up heading into the summer. Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp participated in the call as usual and provided an update on his team as the spring semester comes to an end.

TWO-WAY PLAYER STARTING OUT ON DEFENSE

Though junior Loucheiz Purifoy spent the first seven days of Florida’s spring practice playing wide receiver for the offense – which Muschamp said was an opportunity for him to get acclimated with the system, schemes and plays – he will begin fall practice at his more natural position of cornerback while the Gators coaching staff evaluates how its pass catchers have developed over the summer.

“The way I’ve got it planned, for the first 12 days, he is strictly on defense,” Muschamp explained Wednesday. “I want to see how these young wideouts continue to develop, how the guys continue to develop through the summer, where they are. Through those first 12 practices, you’re not going to find that out if we play him on offense, so I want to play him strictly on defense the first 12 days.”

After evaluating Florida’s other receivers through two weeks of practice, Muschamp will then make a decision about how much offense Purifoy will play in 2013.

“He’s going to play offense for us. How much will depend on those first 12-14 practices of where we develop at the position and how much he’s going to need to help us,” Muschamp said. “He’s an electric guy. He’s got no fear on the field. He’s got really good ball skills. He’s got vertical speed down the field. He can do some things for us, and I’m really pleased with his first seven days at the receiver position. Now he’s got a base learning, concepts-wise, of where we are offensively. So that helps.”

NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP FOR OFFENSE

The Gators may have finished 11-2 last season, but Florida’s offense still had a ways to go in its development. With junior quarterback Jeff Driskel entering his second season both as a starter and in offensive coordinator Brent Pease’s system, Muschamp believes the Gators are trending upward in that phase of the game.

“We won 11 games with a guy that didn’t have a whole lot of experience last year. I think you can kind of throw those things out the window at times. No question his experience will help with his development at the position. It’s year two of the scheme and the system, terminology. And I think we’re going to play better around him – that’s the bottom line,” he said.

While some may question if Driskel is able to take the next step in his development, Muschamp cautioned (as he usually does) that too much criticism is often directed at the signal caller when most problems usually stem from the offense as a whole.

Continue Reading » 4/24: Muschamp on Purifoy, Driskel, SEC, playoffs

Tags: Brent Pease, Jeff Driskel, Loucheiz Purifoy, Will Muschamp

The vacancy created on the Florida Gators coaching staff when defensive line coach Bryant Young resigned one week ago has already be filled. The school officially announced on Wednesday that UTEP Miners defensive coordinator Jeff Choate has been added as the new special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach.

“We are excited to have Jeff Choate join our staff,” said Florida head coach Will Muschamp in a school release. “He is a high-energy coach, an outstanding recruiter and evaluator, and has a reputation as one of the top special-teams coaches in the nation. He has coached on both sides of the ball and was most recently a defensive coordinator. He sees the big picture and will be a great addition to our staff. We are very much on the same page philosophically.”

Choate, who accepted the position at UTEP just over three months ago on Jan. 8, after the program hired Sean Kugler to be its head coach, was the linebackers coach at Washington State under Mike Leach during the 2012 season.

He spent the previous six years primarily as special teams coordinator for the Boise State Broncos. During his tenure at Boise State, Choate also coached running backs (2006-08), linebackers (2009) and nickel backs (2010-11). He was a member of the same coaching staff as current Gators offensive coordinator Brent Pease, who also worked with the Broncos from 2006-11.

Muschamp has been looking to fill his squad’s special teams coordinator job ever since he promoted D.J. Durkin to defensive coordinator following the 2012 season. He originally stated that special teams, in absence of its own coach, would be taught collectively by his staff. However, following Young’s resignation, Muschamp conceded that he would prefer to bring on a special teams coach.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to join the Gator staff and have the chance to compete at the highest level,” Choate said. “I’ve gotten to know Coach Muschamp over the past couple of years and have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a coach and a person. I’m looking forward to continuing the great special-teams tradition that has been established here and can’t wait to get to work. I would also like to thank everyone at UTEP, and most importantly Coach Kugler, for the support and opportunity they gave me. I wish him and the program nothing but the best of luck.”

Continue Reading » Florida hires Jeff Choate as special teams coach

Tags: Boise State Broncos, Brent Pease, Jeff Choate, UTEP Miners, Will Muschamp

If Saturday’s 2013 Orange & Blue Debut was any indication, the Florida Gators still have a long way to go to get their passing game on track for the start of the season.

Florida head coach Will Muschamp had plenty on his plate this spring as began to fill in holes created by the departure of 13 starters, but he and offensive coordinator Brent Pease have also been focused on ensuring that the Gators improve a passing offense that was ranked 114th in the nation a year ago.

During the 2012 campaign, Pease’s first year at Florida, the team averaged just 146.31 yards per game through the air. UF was only one of two programs in the country to average fewer than 150 passing yards and boast a winning record (Navy).

How poor was the Gators’ passing attack? Florida ranked 111th in total passing yards (1,902) and 110th in yards per reception (10.39). The Gators were also just one of two teams in the nation to rank in the bottom seven for passing offense and not boast a top-six rushing offense (Temple) to off-set the lack of yardage.

In other words, there is plenty of room for improvement.

Continue Reading » Room for improvement in Florida’s passing game

Tags: Andre Debose, Brent Pease, Demarcus Robinson, Jeff Driskel, Latroy Pittman, Loucheiz Purifoy, Matt Jones, Quinton Dunbar, Raphael Andrades, Will Muschamp

Now in the third week of 2013 spring football practice, Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Tuesday to discuss some of the latest developments surrounding the team and provide updates on specific players.

ORANGE & BLUE DEBUT SPRING GAME PRACTICE FORMAT

Instead of a full scrimmage like the Gators normally run for the Orange & Blue Debut, this year’s event will be more like an open practice that also includes limited scrimmage snaps. Florida will mix approximately 40 scrimmage snaps between individual and team position drills. The format change is being made because the Gators currently only have six healthy offensive linemen and Muschamp feels it would be unfair to ask them to participate in 60-100 snaps over the course of a single afternoon.

“It’s not fair to go into a spring game situation and ask these guys to take 60-70 snaps in a row,” he explained. “That’s not healthy. That’s not good, it’s not good for our team.”

Muschamp also detailed what the team will be doing during the practice/scrimmage (in order): (1) Field goal/point after touchdown drills, (2) punting and individual drills, (3) one-on-one work with the secondary and receivers going head-to-head while the quarterbacks throw the ball, (4) one-on-one work with block reaction for the offensive line, (5) linebackers and running backs picking up blitz protection and coverage responsibilities, (6) two series of scrimmage with the ball on the 35-yard line, a total of 8-12 plays, (7) red zone one-on-one, (8) offensive and defensive line two-on-ones, (9) two series of scrimmage with the ball at the 35 yard line, a total of 8-12 plays, (10) two full cover punts and a punt/punt block drill, (11), two series of scrimmage from midfield, (12) two full cover kickoffs and a kickoff/kickoff return drill, (13) two series of scrimmage from midfield, (14) red zone 7-on-7s with the ball at the 18-yard line, (15) additional drills including pass rushing, (16) backed up punt drill, (17) one-minute scrimmage drill.

“It’s about getting good-on-good work. It’s about getting your best players going against your best players. … You get better when you’re going good-on-good,” Muschamp said. “This is good work. It’s good special teams work. This is a normal scrimmage-type situation for us as far as our football team is concerned. It’s good-on-good and that’s all I’m concerned with.”

Additionally, Muschamp announced that the coaching staff will be wearing microphones so fans in attendance can get a better idea of what is going on throughout the event. Coaches will be explaining each session before it begins and Brady Ackerman will be on the field to ask the coaches questions.

Due to the new format, Florida and the sponsors of the Orange & Blue Debut have made it completely free to the public. Anyone who pre-purchased a ticket for the event will have it refunded in full (special passes are still needed for the premium areas).

Schedule of Events:
9:00 a.m. – Gator Locker Room Yard Sale (outside Gate 9)
10:00 a.m. – Verizon Fan Fest in North End Zone Lawn
10:30 a.m. – Gator Walk
11:30 a.m. – Gates Open to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
11:30 a.m. – Warm-ups begin on the field
12:30 p.m. – Alumni Flag Football Game
1:00 p.m. – Orange & Blue Debut

Continue Reading » 4/2: Muschamp on spring game, injuries, updates

Tags: Andre Debose, Austin Hardin, Brad Phillips, Brent Pease, Clay Burton, Cody Riggs, Damien Jacobs, Darious Cummings, Darrin Kitchens, Demarcus Robinson, Dominique Easley, Francisco Velez, Gideon Ajagbe, Hunter Joyer, Jabari Gorman, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Jeremy Brown, Joker Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, Kelvin Taylor, Kent Taylor, Latroy Pittman, Leon Orr, Loucheiz Purifoy, Mack Brown, Marcus Maye, Mark Herndon, Matt Jones, Orange & Blue Debut, Quinton Dunbar, Rhaheim Ledbetter, Trip Thurman, Will Muschamp

The competition to start at quarterback for the Florida Gators is over and done with at this point but the tug-of-war between redshirt junior Tyler Murphy and redshirt freshman Skyler Mornhinweg to backup junior Jeff Driskel has just begun.

While Driskel gets the vast majority of snaps during each practice, Murphy and Mornhinweg are splitting the remainder with each attempting to stand out from the other. For Murphy, who has been waiting in the wings for four years now, being able to actually play football with the first- and second-stringers has been a welcome change.

“I’m definitely getting more reps. I can’t put a number in my head right now, but I’m definitely getting more,” he said on Tuesday. “It definitely helps. You try to take a lot of mental reps and mentally you know where to go with the ball and what’s going on. But then when you get out there, you have to put the physical step on top of the mental step. Sometimes your body doesn’t work as fast as your mind does. When you get that kind of practice, it really helps you get better and progress.”

Fans looking out for Murphy’s best interest have wondered for years why he has remained with the Gators and not transferred to another school that would play him right away. He explained Tuesday that while transferring was certainly a consideration at one point, remaining in Gainesville, FL is what his heart told him was right.

Read the rest of not one but two more Florida football stories…
Continue Reading » Gators quarterbacks, kickers trying to stand out

Tags: Austin Hardin, Brad Phillips, Brent Pease, Jeff Driskel, Skyler Mornhinweg, Tyler Murphy, Will Muschamp

In each of the last two offseasons, the Florida Gators battled through deficiencies on the offensive line during spring practice. In 2011 and 2012, low scholarship numbers limited what Florida was able to do on the practice fields. The Gators remain handcuffed in 2013 but for now for a different reason – a rash of injuries that has prevented head coach Will Muschamp from running practice the way he wants day in and day out.

“What really hurt us is on the offensive line. Right now we got six healthy guys,” Muschamp said Tuesday after announcing that redshirt sophomore Trip Thurman (shoulder) will likely be out an extended period of time.

“Our numbers are good as far as scholarships – we got 11 guys on scholarship right now for spring which is about normal of what you want with the incoming guys coming in to get your numbers to 15-17 in that range – but we’ve been hit.”

Thurman (assuming he is out for the rest of spring) joins redshirt junior Chaz Green (ankle) and redshirt junior Ian Silberman (shoulder) as players sidelined until at least the summer. Additionally, redshirt senior right guard Jon Halapio (knee) is extremely limited and redshirt freshman Jessamen Dunker remains suspended indefinitely at the very least until his legal cases are settled.

That leaves six scholarship offensive lineman for Muschamp, offensive coordinator Brent Pease and offensive line coach Tim Davis to work with: sophomore left tackle D.J. Humphries, redshirt junior left guard Max Garcia (also dealing with a back issue), redshirt sophomore right tackle Tyler Moore, redshirt senior center Jonotthan Harrison, redshirt senior Kyle Koehne and redshirt freshman Quinteze Williams, who is playing offensive line for the first time after shifting over from the defensive line.

In other words, not much at all.

Continue Reading » Banged up offensive line limiting Gators in spring

Tags: Brent Pease, Chaz Green, D.J. Humphries, Ian Silberman, Jessamen Dunker, Jon Halapio, Jonotthan Harrison, Kyle Koehne, Max Garcia, Quinteze Williams, Tim Davis, Trip Thurman, Tyler Moore, Will Muschamp