Five-star linebacker Christian Jones (Winter Park, FL) turned away the Florida Gators and decided to commit to the Florida State Seminoles Wednesday afternoon.

A two-generation legacy, Jones’ father and brother both played for head coach Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles. In fact, some believe that Bowdenmet with Jones this past weekend in an attempt to convince him to join FSU’s 2010 recruiting class.

It began apparent that the Gators would lose out on Jones after three-star LB Darrin Kitchens (Homestead, FL) committed earlier in the day.

OGGOA will update this story after the conclusion of National Signing Day.

Tags: Bobby Bowden, Christian Jones, Darrin Kitchens, Florida State Seminoles, National Signing Day

With National Signing Day approaching on Feb. 3, five-star linebacker recruit Jordan Hicks (West Chester, OH) decided to end the speculation and announce his college commitment a few days early in front of friends and family. Hicks took the Florida Gators, Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns down to the wire as his three finalists but ultimately declared that he would play college football in Austin, TX, beginning next season.

Unanimously considered the top LB in the nation, Hicks is ranked No. 4 overall on the ESPNU 150 and No. 16 on the Rivals100. The Gators will now focus on gaining a commitment from five-star LB Christian Jones (Winter Park, FL).

Photo Credit: Will Gallagher/Inside Texas

Tags: Christian Jones, Jordan Hicks, National Signing Day, Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns

National Signing Day is approaching on Feb. 3, and the Florida Gators are looking to add to their consensus No. 1-ranked 2010 recruiting class. Seeing as high school football players across the country will begin making declarations as early as Friday afternoon, OGGOA has put together a comprehensive preview of the recruits the Gators are still attempting to gain commitments from. The top 10 players who Florida is after are listed below along with a short prediction at the end.

OT Seantrel Henderson (St. Paul, MN)
Rivals: No. 2 – ESPNU: No. 8
Also considering: Ohio State, Southern California, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Miami (FL)

His high school is a pipeline to Notre Dame, his last visit is to Miami, he’s been (reportedly) favoring Ohio State for quite some time, he’s from Minnesota and USC has been in his ear lately making a big push. Florida is considered a long-shot to land Henderson, one of the top overall recruits in the country and the consensus No. 1 offensive lineman.

Learn about the other nine recruits who you should keep an eye on after the jump!
Continue Reading » Ten recruits to watch on National Signing Day

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Charlie Strong, Chaz Green, Christian Jones, Da'Rick Rogers, Darrin Kitchens, Demar Dorsey, Dietrich Riley, Ivan McCartney, Jeremy Deering, Jordan Hicks, Kardon Boone, Markeith Ambles, Matt Elam, Morgan Moses, Seantrel Henderson, Telvin Smith, Urban Meyer

1 » As a prelude to announcing his very early top 25 for 2010, The Gainesville Sun‘s Pat Dooley dropped some knowledge on how Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer is holding up since his decision to take a leave of absence rather than resign. Most of this is known already, but a succinct wrap-up from a beat writer close to Meyer is always nice.

Meyer told me he has gained 10 pounds after losing so much weight because food had lost its appeal during the stressful 2009 season. He has never been one to sleep past 7 a.m. but he’s sleeping in now. He is excited about his new coaching staff and his new recruits and especially being at Florida. His leave of absence will start after National Signing Day and he’s looking forward to spending time with his family.

2 » With just over two weeks until National Signing Day (Feb. 3), the Gators are set to host their biggest of the three remaining recruiting weekends on campus from Jan. 15-17. Here is a list of attendees. Commitments: five-star defensive tackle Dominique Easley (Staten Island, NY), four-star running back Mack Brown (Lithonia, GA), four-star defensive end Lynden Trail (Miami, FL), four-star wide receiver Quinton Dunbar (Miami, FL), three-star linebacker Gideon Ajagbe (Coconut Grove, FL). Recruits: five-star LB Christian Jones (Winter Park, FL) [unofficial], four-star WR Christian Green (Tampa, FL), four-star offensive lineman Chaz Green (Tampa, FL), three-star LB Darrin Kitchens (Homestead, FL), three-star safety Jeremy Deering (Tampa, FL).

Tags: Chaz Green, Christian Green, Christian Jones, Darrin Kitchens, Dominique Easley, Gideon Ajagbe, Jeremy Deering, Lynden Trail, Mack Brown, National Signing Day, Quinton Dunbar, Urban Meyer