University of Florida men’s basketball head coach Billy Donovan will be honored with the John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching Award” in April 2010. This award recognizes successful coaches who exemplify Wooden’s high standards of integrity on the court. Winners are selected based on character, success, student-athlete graduation rate and coaching philosophy. Donovan will be one of only four active coaches who have both guided teams to multiple NCAA National Championship titles (20006, 2007) and received this honor. The others are the Duke Blue Devils’ Mike Krzyzweski (3), North Carolina Tar Heels’ Roy Williams (2) and Connecticut Huskies’ Jim Calhoun (2). Donovan is 310-126 (.711) in 13 seasons as coach of the Gators with 11 consecutive 20-win seasons, nine NCAA tournament appearances and three SEC Championships.

Two Florida Gators defenders have been nominated for the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award. Given annually to the nation’s top college football lineman, the trophy is awarded for not only on-field ability but also discipline resembling that of Vince Lombardi. Middle linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive end Carlos Dunlap were nominated this year in a group that is very defense-heavy. Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is considered the overwhelming favorite to win.

In this week’s Scripps Howard Heisman Trophy poll, senior quarterback Tim Tebow earned eight of the 10 first-place votes. The rest of the top five – Texas Longhorns QB Colt McCoy, Cincinnati Bearcats QB Tony Pike, Notre Dame Fighting Irish QB Jimmy Clausen and Houston Cougars QB Case Keenum – did not receive a single first-place vote. Scripps is simply a straw poll conducted to determine the sentiment among college football writers throughout the country.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Case Keenum, Cincinnati Bearcats, Colt McCoy, Connecticut Huskies, Duke Blue Devils, Houston Cougars, Jim Calhoun, Jimmy Clausen, John Wooden, Mike Krzyzweski, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers, North Carolina Tar Heels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Rotary Lombardi Award, Roy Williams, Texas Longhorns, Tim Tebow, Tony Pike

1 » Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino will face a No. 1-ranked team for the first time in his coaching career Saturday afternoon when he takes on the Florida Gators. Losing to Florida 38-7 at home last season, Petrino and the Hogs have plenty of motivation to come back and attempt to take it to the Gators. Running back Michael Smith, who went for 133 yards against UF last season, tweaked his hamstring against the Auburn Tigers last week and is day-to-day.

2 » ESPN’s NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper, Jr. has come out with his new Big Board, which lists his top 25 NFL prospects. Gators on the list include defensive end Carlos Dunlap at No. 7 (down one spot from last week) and middle linebacker Brandon Spikes at No. 19 (up one spot from last week).

3 » In a story that always seems to draw news, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin missed practice Wednesday. Harvin injured his shoulder last week against the St. Louis Rams but did not miss any game time.

4 » As if only scoring three points last Saturday night was not humiliating enough, the LSU Tigers have decided to be sore losers and ask Southeastern Conference officials to review Florida wide receiver Riley Cooper’s touchdown catch. Cooper grabbed the shirttail of cornerback Chris Hawkins and used it as leverage to get wide open in the end zone and catch a pass from quarterback Tim Tebow. The touchdown gave the Gators a 10-3 lead with 50 seconds left in the first half. “Yeah, we sent that in,” LSU head coach Les Miles said Tuesday. “I’m savoring the opportunity to call in there.”

Extra BIT » Cleveland Indians outfielder Matt LaPorta underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left hip and left big toe on Tuesday. It will take the former Gators first baseman 4-6 months to recover from the injuries, which may slow him down to start the 2010 season.

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Bobby Petrino, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Hawkins, Cleveland Indians, ESPN, Les Miles, LSU Tigers, Matt LaPorta, Mel Kiper, Michael Smith, Minnesota Vikings, MLB, NFL, Percy Harvin, Riley Cooper, St. Louis Rams, Tim Tebow

1 » Middle linebacker Brandon Spikes of No. 1 Florida Gators has been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week following his 11-tackle (4 solo), 2.5 sack performance against the then-No. 4 LSU Tigers. Spikes’ 2.5 sacks were a career best, and he also forced and recovered a fumble in the game.

2 » UF’s defense has intercepted a pass in 17 consecutive games dating back to the 2008 season, the longest streak in the nation.

3 » Four-star recruit and heavy Florida Gators lean Chaz Green visited the Tennessee Volunteers this weekend and came away impressed. Both of Green’s parents went to school in Knoxville, TN, and his visit to the school has put them solidly in his top four. Nevertheless, Green has UF as his leader and said he will “probably” take an official visit to Gainesville, FL, before he makes his final decision.

4 » After two weeks of what seemed to be a national hysteria over the concussion suffered by star quarterback Tim Tebow, his teammates are glad things have calmed down and are somewhat getting back to normal. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap said he’s “glad [the talk] is done,” while wide receiver David Nelson quipped, “The guy didn’t die. It’s a concussion, it happens.”

Tags: Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chaz Green, David Nelson, LSU Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Tebow

Each week following the conclusion of a Florida Gators game, ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive will grade the team position-by-position on how it performed in that match-up. This week, we look at how the Gators fared against the LSU Tigers in Death Valley.

QUARTERBACK: A
Tim Tebow was asked to tone it down and be a game manager, something that is not necessarily in his nature. Nevertheless, knowing the significance of the injury he came back from and the wishes of the coaching and medical staff, he did exactly that. An inexplicable interception late was Tebow’s only flaw on the night, and the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback made good throws when they were called.

RUNNING BACKS: A
No huge game-breaking runs from the Gators attack Saturday, but that is not something you can expect against the Tigers. Running back Jeff Demps was a madman, gaining 86 tough yards on 16 carries while Emmanuel Moody took some of the power rushing load off Tebow with six carries for 42 yards of his own. Moody showed up when he was needed the most, and that is what counts.

Continue Reading » Grading the No. 1 Florida Gators game at LSU

Tags: A.J. Jones, Aaron Hernandez, Brandon James, Brandon Spikes, Caleb Sturgis, Carlos Dunlap, Charlie Strong, Deonte Thompson, Emmanuel Moody, grading, Jeff Demps, Joe Haden, Jordan Jefferson, LSU Tigers, Riley Cooper, Ryan Stamper, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

1 » Tampa Tribune takes a look at the additional cost the Florida Gators incurred by sending two additional airplanes to Lexington for the Kentucky Wildcats game last week in order to separate ill players (including quarterback Tim Tebow and safety Major Wright) from the rest of the team. Only extra expense? Fuel.

2 » While Florida Gators fans worry about the impact Tebow’s injury may have on next Saturday’s game against the LSU Tigers, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald believes the game is not necessarily a must-win, and a loss in Tiger Stadium would not spell the end for Florida’s chances at another national championship trophy.

3 » As a student at the University of Florida, I once played basketball against Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers starting left tackle Max Starks. At 6’8” and almost 350 pounds, Starks (not surprisingly) thoroughly dominated me in the post like he now does to defensive linemen in the NFL. Monday night, Starks will take on all comers as he co-hosts WWE Monday Night Raw along with the rest of the Steelers’ offensive line and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (the main host).

4 » ESPN’s NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. has released his latest “Big Board,” in which he names his top 25 NFL prospects, including two Florida Gators. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap has held steady at No. 5 while middle linebacker Brandon Spikes has moved up three spots to No. 21.

Continue Reading » SIX BITS: LSU not a must-win? Starks gets RAW. Kiper’s Big Board. Volleyball to be tested.

Tags: Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Tim Tebow, volleyball