With just over three weeks to go until the 2010-11 season commences, seven Florida Gators players have been honored with nominations to preseason award watch lists.

Maxwell Award (Outstanding collegiate football player)
Redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley
Junior running back Jeff Demps
» Previous winner(s): Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007, 2008)

Chuck Bednarik Award (Outstanding collegiate defender)
Senior safety Ahmad Black
» Previous winner(s): None

Rimington Trophy (Outstanding offensive center)
Senior center Mike Pouncey
» Previous winner(s): Maurkice Pouncey (2009)

Jim Thorpe Award (Outstanding defensive back)
Junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins
Junior safety Will Hill
» Previous winner(s): Lawrence Wright (1996)

Ray Guy Award (Outstanding collegiate punter)
Must display team leadership, self-discipline and positive impact on team’s success
Senior punter Chas Henry
» Previous winner(s): None

Tags: Ahmad Black, Chas Henry, Chuck Bednarik Award, Danny Wuerffel, Janoris Jenkins, Jeff Demps, Jim Thorpe Award, John Brantley, Lawrence Wright, Maurkice Pouncey, Maxwell Award, Mike Pouncey, Ray Guy Award, Rimington Trophy, Tim Tebow, Will Hill

Two Florida Gators juniors came home from The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards in Orlando, FL, Thursday evening with awards; unfortunately, four other players were not as lucky. Center Maurkice Pouncey was awarded the 2009 Rimington Trophy (best collegiate center) and tight end Aaron Hernandez was honored with the 2009 John Mackey Award (best collegiate tight end). Each was the first Gators player in history to take home his respective award.

Senior quarterback Tim Tebow, who was up for the 2009 Davey O’Brien Award (best collegiate quarterback) and 2009 Maxwell Award (best all-around player), was defeated for both by Texas Longhorns QB Colt McCoy. Tebow took home the O’Brien Award in 2007 and is a two-time winner of the Maxwell Award (2007, 2008). Senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes lost the 2009 Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player) to Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh; junior cornerback Joe Haden was defeated by Tennessee Volunteers safety Eric Berry for the 2009 Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back); and Georgia Bulldogs punter Drew Butler won the 2009 Ray Guy Award (best collegiate punter) over junior Chas Henry. 2009 Heisman Trophy ceremony is on Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Chas Henry, Chuck Bednarik Award, Colt McCoy, Davey O'Brien Award, Drew Butler, Eric Berry, Georgia Bulldogs, Heisman Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award, Joe Haden, John Mackey Award, Maurkice Pouncey, Maxwell Award, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ray Guy Award, Rimington Trophy, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Longhorns, Tim Tebow

1 » Numerous Florida Gators football players have been named finalists for national college football awards set to be announced during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards show on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Senior quarterback Tim Tebow – Maxwell Award (Best All-Around Player), Davey O’Brien Award (Best Quarterback); senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes – Chuck Bednarik Award (Best Defensive Player); junior cornerback Joe Haden – Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back); junior punter Chas Henry – Ray Guy Award (Best Punter); junior tight end Aaron Hernandez – John Mackey Award (Best Tight End).

2 » Edward Aschoff over at the Gainesville Sun has compiled a comprehensive list of high school football players expected to visit Gainesville, FL, for the Florida vs. Florida State Seminoles game on Saturday. Among them are 12 current commitments (Elam, Christian, Brown, Burton, Watkins, Patton, Orr, Silberman, Ball, Trail, Haden, Van) as well as 5-star, 4-star and 3-star recruits. OGGOA reported via twitter that five-star safety commit Matt Elam rescheduled his official visit for Dec. 12, but he may also visit unofficially this weekend.

3 » No. 5 women’s cross country finished in seventh-place at the 2009 NCAA Championships on Monday afternoon. The highest finish in program history, the Gators were the only Southeastern Conference team competing in the event. The top-10 finish was the first in program history, according to the Sports Information Department. “We’ve had a tremendous year, cross country coach Todd Morgan said. “We won the SEC and the South Regional Championships and today, we finished top 10 in the country for the first time. We’re definitely leaving here feeling like we didn’t run totally on cylinders, which is a great thing because we still finished so well.”

4 » On Sunday, senior Florida libero Elyse Cusack moved into second place on the SEC’s all-time career digs list. Her great weekend was capped off with an SEC Defensive Player of the Week honor announced by the conference on Monday. This is Cusack’s 12th time winning the award, her third this season. Since the SEC started handing out this award for volleyball in 2003, the Gators have won it 22 times – more than any other program.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Chas Henry, Chuck Bednarik Award, cross country, Davey O'Brien Award, Elyse Cusack, Jim Thorpe Award, Joe Haden, John Mackey Award, Matt Elam, Maxwell Award, NCAA Championship, Ray Guy Award, SEC, Tim Tebow, Todd Morgan, volleyball

Maxwell Football Club President Ron Jaworski announced on Wednesday that Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer, senior quarterback Tim Tebow and senior linebacker Brandon Spikes are all finalists, respectively, for the George Munger Award for College Coach of the Year, Maxwell Award for Collegiate Player of the Year and Chuck Bednarik Award for Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year.

Tebow is a two-time Maxwell Award winner (2007, 2008) who was the first sophomore ever selected to receive the honor. He is also only the second two-time winner in the award’s history along with Notre Dame Fighting Irish halfback John Lattner.

Tags: Brandon Spikes, Chuck Bednarik Award, George Munger Award, John Lattner, Maxwell Award, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ron Jaworski, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer