Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer spoke with members of the media after receiving all 28 letters of intent for his team’s unanimous No. 1-ranked 2010 recruiting class. The following is a transcript of the press conference, courtesy of the University of Florida’s University Athletic Association.
Continue Reading » Urban Meyer on Florida’s 2010 recruiting class
As ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive first reported at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, four-star offensive tackle Chaz Green (Tampa, FL) has chosen to play for the Florida Gators.
Green, whose parents both went to the University of Tennessee and was thought to be heading there before head coach Lane Kiffin resigned, was considering joining Kiffin’s USC Trojans and even took an official visit to Pasadena, CA last weekend. He instead decided to remain close to home and play in a family environment.
His commitment marked the third for the Gators Wednesday, coming after three-star linebacker Darrin Kitchens (Homestead, FL) and four-star wide receiver Adrian Coxson (Baltimore, MD) made their declarations earlier. Florida retained all of its prior verbal commitments and will finish with 28 recruits and the nation’s unanimously ranked No. 1 recruiting class.
OGGOA will update this story after the conclusion of National Signing Day.
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.
With 23 of the Florida Gators 25 verbal commitments either already enrolled at the University of Florida or having sent in their letters of intent (LOIs) by 10 a.m., the Orange and Blue looks was rolling toward a unanimous No. 1-ranking for its 2010 recruiting class. Three-star linebacker Darrin Kitchens (Homestead, FL) helped put the Gators over the top by becoming the team’s 26th commitment.
Kitchens, 6’3″ 215 lbs., led Miami-Dade County with 19 sacks last season. and was strongly considering the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Syracuse Orange. He would be the first of three new commitments that Florida would earn Wednesday.
OGGOA will update this story after the conclusion of National Signing Day.
1 » One rumor that was circulating throughout the World Wide Web when Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer initially announced he would step down from his job was that the two-time BCS National Championship-winning coach would be heading to the NFL to replace head coach Wade Phillips of the Dallas Cowboys. The Orlando Sentinel‘s Jeremy Fowler caught up with four-star running back commit Mack Brown (Lithonia, GA), who said that fallacy was perpetrated by rival recruiters. “They would say, he’s tricking ya’ll — he’s going to the NFL to coach the Dallas Cowboys,” Brown said. “I was like ‘What?’ There’s no way. I wasn’t too worried about it anyway, but coach Meyer told me he’s a Gator. He’s coming back.”
2 » Three-star linebacker recruit Darrin Kitchens (Homestead, FL), who is currently uncommitted but deciding between the Gators and Texas Tech Red Raiders on Wednesday morning, has “survived the struggles in Homestead and still achieved [his] dreams,” his head coach Bobby McCray, Sr. (father of the New Orleans Saints defensive end and former Florida player) told The Miami Herald. Kitchens has used his strong work ethic and immense passion to propel him to a 3.0 grade point average and a Miami-Dade County-high 19 sacks his senior season.
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
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).
Taurean Green (@TaureanJGreen):
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The Silver Lining is an exclusive column written by Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com for Yahoo! Sports and Rivals.com affiliate InsideTheGators.com. OGGOA readers can receive a special discount on a subscription to InsideTheGators, which can be accessed by clicking the image above!
