1 » The Gainesville Sun is reporting that 2010 power forward recruit Will Yeguete of Florida Air Academy will visit the Florida Gators this weekend. Yeguete – who is choosing between Florida, Indiana and Georgia Tech – would not the first to make the transition from FAA to UF; guard Walter Hodge did it just a few years ago.

2 » Day one of the 2010 Masters has come and gone, and two former Gators are already struggling. Both Brian Gay and Camilo Villegas finished their first round at 2-over par. Gay birdied four holes (2, 3, 7, 13), bogeyed four (6, 10, 12, 14) and double-bogeyed one (16) to finish with a score of 40 on the back nine. Villegas bogeyed three holes (3, 11, 13) and only earned one birdie (15), shooting a 37 out and in.

Two more BITS on Duke Lemmens and Charlie Strong…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Yeguete, Masters, Lemmens, Strong

Tags: Big East, Brian Gay, Camilo Villegas, Charlie Strong, Dan McCarney, Duke Lemmens, Florida Air Academy, golf, Greg Scruggs, Louisville Cardinals, PGA, Walter Hodge, Will Yeguete

1 » Asked in a question and answer session about a “sleeper pro prospect coming out of Florida,” ESPN NFL analyst Adam Schefter was quick to name former Florida Gators wide receiver Riley Cooper. “Anyone who is 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and fast usually has a chance to do some good things at the NFL level,” Schefter said. “Some scouts timed him in the high 4.4s. So he has a size/speed combo that makes him an attractive prospect. Throw in his ability to play special teams and it would seem like Cooper would benefit some team next season.”

2 » As the Butler Bulldogs prepare for a 2010 NCAA Final Four game against the Michigan State Spartans, their fans are pumped and already swarming local bookstores (both online and in person) to purchase the official tournament t-shirt. “We are going through just thousands of shirts at this point, of the Final Four style,” Follett regional manager Richard Goodpaster said. In fact, Butler fans are buying shirts at such a rapid pace that they are expected to blow past the record number of shirts purchased by Gators fans during the team’s run in 2006.

Two more BITS on a top recruit favoring UF and Charlie Strong…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Cooper, Seferian-Jenkins, Strong

Tags: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Brain White, Butler Bulldogs, Charlie Strong, Draft, Louisville Cardinals, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, NFL, Riley Cooper, University of Florida, Vance Bedford

1 » Whether you call it sacrifice or making the right decision, former Florida Gators center Maurkice Pouncey’s decision to enter the 2010 NFL Draft had an impact on his brother. Now alone on the line for the first time without Maurkice, junior guard Mike Pouncey looks to move to his sibling’s old position next season – and it is for the best. “I think what really was impressive about [Maurkice] was when he was making his decision to come out, he wanted his brother to be able to play center,” Pouncey’s trainer Tom Shaw told FanHouse. “It was a big sacrifice because they’ve played everything together their whole life. That was one of their plans, he could come out and that will give Mike a chance to move up in the draft. It’s the ultimate sacrifice — he loves his brother and wants to spent time with him.”

2 » Junior defensive end Justin Trattou is ready for his captainship, and he realizes part of that comes with showing the youngsters the ropes. “It’s always [hard to adjust] when you come in as a freshman, especially when you come in midway in January,” Trattou said, according to The Gainesville Sun. “It’s always going to be tough because no matter what you did in high school, it’s not going to be the same intensity as it is here, between all the strength coaches and all the guys who have been here for a couple years.” Trattou’s toughness is not to be questioned, especially considering he played with a torn left bicep last season. “The one I had is ripped off,” Trattou said per the Orlando Sentinel. “Now it’s basically just scarred over. The key was giving it time to get stronger. […] Any time you can fight through injuries, it always gets respect from guys.”

Two more BITS on RB Jeff Demps and LB coach D.J. Durkin…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Pouncey, Trattou, Demps, Durkin

Tags: Bowling Green Falcons, Charlie Strong, D.J. Durkin, Draft, field, Jeff Demps, Justin Trattou, Loren Seagrave, Louisville Cardinals, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Tom Shaw, track, Urban Meyer, Velocity Sports Performance

1 » At the start of the 2009-10 Florida Gators basketball season, the team was led by the triumvirate of sophomore point guard Erving Walker, freshman guard Kenny Boynton and junior forward Alex Tyus. As the season has worn on, junior F Chandler Parsons and redshirt junior transfer center Vernon Macklin have taken over and led the Gators to victory through their efforts in the frontcourt. Speaking with the big man, Florida Today determined that Parsons has had a big hand in Macklin’s emergence. “[Parsons’] pause button is kind of broken on his remote control, so we’ve got to use my room,” said Macklin about going over game tape. “So we hit pause and rewind a lot. We watch a lot of break down plays, how a team boxes out or what guy doesn’t box out, we watch a lot of things like that. […] We watch a lot and we talk about a lot of plays like during practice and during walk-thrus. We talk about a lot of things together, we’re close friends off the court so we talk a lot about basketball.”

2 » Brand new Gators defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is still finding his way around Gainesville, FL, but he wanted to set one thing straight as some compare his temperament to that of the guy he is replacing, Louisville Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong. “He has been a great defensive coordinator,” Austin. “But I’ve got to find my own way. I think the big thing is you come in and be you. I can’t be anybody different. If I tried, it would show. The coaches would know, the players would know. I’m just me. Everywhere I’ve been, that seems to have worked well for me. I’m going to continue to do that — be me. A lot of things we’ll probably kind of mesh with what was done here before. We’re not going to overhaul it. Charlie had a great defense in place, a great scheme. To change just to change is not always good.”

Tags: Alex Tyus, Chandler Parsons, Charlie Strong, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Louisville Cardinals, Teryl Austin, Vernon Macklin

The University of Florida has raided the NFL for a defensive coordinator for the second time since Charlie Strong left to become head coach of the Louisville Cardinals in January. After hiring George Edwards from the Miami Dolphins only to lose him to the Buffalo Bills 27 days later, the Florida Gators have agreed to name Arizona Cardinals defensive backs coach Teryl Austin as their new defensive coordinator.

Coaching since 1991, Austin has experience on both the collegiate and professional levels. Tutored by names like Joe Paterno, Dick MacPherson, Lloyd Carr and Mike Holmgren after playing four years of college football at Pittsburgh from 1984-87, the 44-year-old has yet to hold a defensive coordinator position at either level. Both of his stops in the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks and the Cardinals, reached the Super Bowl while he was leading their respective secondaries.

Though he has not previously worked with head coach Urban Meyer, Austin has connections to interim head coach and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio and quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler. During Addazio’s tenure as offensive line and tight ends coach with the Syracuse Orange from 1995-98, Austin was on the staff as a defensive assistant (1996-98). Loeffler knows him through his time with the Michigan Wolverines, where the former worked as a graduate assistant (1998-99) and QB coach (2002-07) while the latter served as a defensive assistant (1999-2002).

“I am pleased to have Teryl join our staff,” Meyer said in a UF release. “Coach Addazio did a great job coordinating our efforts with Chuck Heater and Dan McCarney to hire Teryl. It was important that we had some familiarity with Teryl as both Coach Addazio and Coach Loeffler had worked with him before. He also comes highly recommended from my close friend Bill Davis, the defensive coordinator of the Cardinals. It was also important that we hire a coach who is a great teacher, a great mentor and has the ability to be a great recruiter. Coach Austin has all of those qualities and beyond that is a good family man.”

“I’m excited to join the Gator coaching staff,” said Austin in the release. “I’ve watched from afar what this program is about – winning championships with dynamic players and doing things the right way. Now, I’m honored to be a part of the program and a part of The Gator Nation. I look forward to getting to work with an outstanding group of players and a great coaching staff.”

Co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Chuck Heater, a 33-year coaching veteran and one of Florida’s strongest recruiters, is expected to retain his new title and position. Heater has worked with Meyer on-and-off since 1986 when he coached the secondary for the Ohio State Buckeyes while Meyer was a graduate assistant. Since joining the Gators, Heater has coached cornerbacks and safeties, served as recruiting coordinator from 2005-07 and assistant defensive coordinator from 2008-09.

Florida Gators (Projected) 2010 Coaching Staff …after the jump!
Continue Reading » Teryl Austin hired as Gators’ defensive boss

Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Charlie Strong, Chuck Heater, George Edwards, Michigan Wolverines, NFL, Scot Loeffler, Steve Addazio, Syracuse Orange, Teryl Austin, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

The Florida Gators originally took a month to replace former defensive coordinator Charlie Strong with former Miami Dolphins inside linebackers coach George Edwards. Now forced to replace Edwards after he defected for the same position with the Buffalo Bills, head coach Urban Meyer (on a leave of absence) and interim head coach Steve Addazio are faced with another staff position to fill.

OGGOA broke down some of the leading candidates to fill the defensive coordinator role on Friday and even updated the story Tuesday after learning that Clemson Tigers co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Charlie Harbison was being interviewed for the job. Just a day later, the National Football Post has forced us to add another name to the Gators’ list: Arizona Cardinals defensive backs coach Teryl Austin, who is expected to interview for the position on Wednesday.

UPDATE: The Orlando Sentinel‘s Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday evening that Austin and members of the Gators staff did indeed meet on Wednesday with the team coming away impressed. Fowler says “there seems to be a strong possibility” that Austin will join Florida as its next defensive coordinator.

The Gators will likely name a new defensive boss before the end of the week. For more about Austin, be sure to visit and read through the link below.

UPDATED: Replacing Edwards as defensive coordinator

Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Charlie Harbison, Charlie Strong, Clemson Tigers, George Edwards, Louisville Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, NFL, Steve Addazio, Teryl Austin, Urban Meyer

After Charlie Strong was hired as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals, the Florida Gators took a month to replace him with former Miami Dolphins inside linebackers coach George Edwards. Now forced to replace Edwards after he defected for the same position with the Buffalo Bills, head coach Urban Meyer (on a leave of absence) and interim head coach Steve Addazio are faced with another staff position to fill.

OGGOA broke down some of the leading candidates to fill the defensive coordinator role on Friday, but we have recently been forced to update the story after Clemson Tigers co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Charlie Harbison has been named as a strong possibility by numerous sources.

Expect the Gators to name a new defensive boss before the end of the week.

READ: Replacing Edwards as defensive coordinator

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Charlie Harbison, Charlie Strong, Clemson Tigers, George Edwards, Louisville Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Steve Addazio, Urban Meyer

After Charlie Strong was officially hired as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals, the Florida Gators took a month to replace him with former Miami Dolphins inside linebackers coach George Edwards. Now, after less than a month on the job, Edwards has left to be defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills leaving head coach Urban Meyer and, more specifically, interim head coach Steve Addazio with another staff position to fill. Assistant head coach, defense/defensive line coach Dan McCarney and assistant defensive coordinator/safeties coach Chuck Heater are currently the Gators’ leading replacement candidates, though the team may hire someone from the outside.

Check out some potential candidates to replace Edwards after the jump!
Continue Reading » Replacing Edwards as defensive coordinator

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Charlie Harbison, Charlie Strong, Chuck Heater, Dan McCarney, Everett Withers, George Edwards, Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, North Carolina Tar Heels, Ole Miss Rebels, Steve Addazio, Steve Brown, Tyrone Nix, Urban Meyer