OGGOA had the opportunity to participate in Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer’s Southeastern Conference teleconference on Wednesday (we will be doing so every week). Below are some notes from the event:

» Meyer added to what offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said Tuesday regarding the status of redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey, noting that is currently not a part of the team. “He’s not with the team,” Meyer said. “I think it’s just further evaluation as we go. The immediacy of it is: he’s not with the team.” As far as the minimum amount of time Rainey will be out of action? “I can’t do that. I don’t know,” he said.

» Rather than start redshirt freshman WR Andre Debose or freshman WR Robert Clark in Rainey’s slot position, Meyer said the Gators will instead go with sophomore WR Omarius Hines, who had been playing a hybrid WR/tight end position during the first two weeks of the season. Redshirt freshman TE Jordan Reed will also be moving to Hines’ previously occupied hybrid role. “We haven’t had a lot of production in the first two games from [Rainey],” Meyer said. “The good news is that Omarius Hines is a very talented guy that we’re moving in. And also Jordan Reed will be going to Omarius’ spot so we got some guys who will still make plays.”

» Meyer also noted that sophomore left tackle Xavier Nixon will return to the starting lineup after being held out of the first game with a knee injury and sparingly playing blocking TE against South Florida. With redshirt senior left guard Carl Johnson back in his role last week, Florida’s offensive line is back to normal for the first time all season. More on that below.

QUOTES FROM MEYER (After the break…)
Continue Reading » 9/15: Florida coach Meyer’s SEC teleconference

Tags: Cameron Newton, Carl Johnson, Chris Rainey, Derek Dooley, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, Jordan Reed, Matt Patchan, Maurkice Pouncey, Omarius Hines, Steve Addazio, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Tebow, Xavier Nixon

Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer and seniors center Mike Pouncey, safety Ahmad Black and defensive end Justin Trattou represented the University of Florida on Wednesday by appearing at a number of press conferences at the 2010 Southeastern Conference Media Days from Hoover, AL.

HAMMOND’s SCHOLARSHIP REVOKED

Though most of the pre-event hoopla surrounded allegations that former Gators center Maurkice Pouncey accepted $100,000 from a runner for an unnamed agent, the biggest piece of news Meyer divulged was that (former?) Florida wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr. has had his football scholarship pulled after being arrested for driving under the influence and underage possession of alcohol in June.

“Frankie Hammond, Jr. is off of scholarship at Florida. If he tries to come back and play, which I understand he will, he will have to pay his own way and earn a spot like every other person who would like to be a member of Florida football – on his own,” Meyer said. “There will be playing time taken away from him, and he will be on probation like other players who have made mistakes. If he does something again, it will be probable dismissal. As of now, he is not on the football team. He is working out and training away from the team, and he’s off of scholarship. And we’ll see how he shows up and if he goes. If he goes, then we’ll make the adjustment as we move on.”

Last Friday, Hammond was sentenced to a year of probation and 50 hours of community service as part of a plea deal with the prosecution of his case. He was suspended from team activities by the coaching staff and university just one day after being arrested.

REACTIONS TO POUNCEY ALLEGATIONS

Before the Gators had the chance to be asked about the rumors surrounding Pouncey, the player denied that he was paid by an agent through a two sentence statement that was released early Wednesday. “I did not accept $100,000, it is an absolutely ridiculous claim,” he said. “I have completely cooperated with the investigation and answered any and all questions put to me.”

Nevertheless, Meyer and Florida’s players were asked about the alleged incident.

“Anytime [there is] an accusation about a recruiting rule or a phone call or I simply hear it, I go right to our compliance and they go through the right channels. And then I’ll go to the source,” Meyer said. “When the [Maurkice] Pouncey anonymous note or whatever came through, it went right to our compliance, I went to Maurkice and he said it didn’t happen. I certainly didn’t investigate – we have people that do that. I have not been this concerned. I don’t like our pictures going across the ticker and everything else. If something happened, then he should be punished severely. If it didn’t happen, then that’s nonsense. I heard his denial today, and we stand by Maurkice Pouncey.”

“First, I’ll start by saying I talked to my brother and it’s not true,” his brother Mike told the press. “He pretty much cleared that up in the statement today. I feel bad about it because it ruined somebody’s name that don’t really know who me and my brother are.
Those that know who we are know we’re not those kind of people. We pride ourselves on having a great clean name. It’s just hard right now. [...] We’ve been totally cooperative with any questions that they have to ask us. We’re just ready for it to be done with. [...] My mom and my dad, they took it real personal because, you know, we come from a great family. We pride ourselves on being great people, having a family-type organization as far as our family goes. You know, they took it pretty tough.”

AND THE REST…

With the two juiciest tidbits out of the way, the rest of the media availabilities focused on the latest news surrounding agents tampering with student-athletes and, you know, the upcoming football season. Some choice quotes have been provided…after the break:
Continue Reading » 2010 SEC Media Days: Hammond’s scholarship pulled, Pouncey reactions and other Gators notes

Tags: Ahmad Black, Alabama Crimson Tide, Andre Debose, Chris Rainey, Chuck Heater, Derek Dooley, Frankie Hammond, John Brantley, Justin Trattou, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, NCAA, NFL, Nick Saban, Percy Harvin, Roger Goodell, SEC, SEC Media Days, Steve Addazio, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Tebow, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

The first day of the 2010 Southeastern Conference Spring Meetings came and went with Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer and his health update as the headline story. While Meyer’s esophageal spasms dominated the front pages, there were plenty of other interesting things said by the SEC’s head football coaches.

Read what else Meyer and some of the other coaches had to say after the break!
Continue Reading » Wrapping up day one of 2010 SEC Spring Meetings

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Danny Wuerffel, Derek Dooley, Doug Johnson, Georgia Bulldogs, John Brantley, Lane Kiffin, Mark Richt, Nick Saban, SEC, SEC Championship, South Carolina Gamecocks, Spring Meetings, Stephen Garcia, Steve Spurrier, Tennessee Volunteers, Urban Meyer

Numerous sources are reporting that the University of Tennessee has hired Louisiana Tech Bulldogs‘ Derek Dooley as the Tennessee Volunteers‘ new head football coach. Dooley has led Louisiana Tech since 2007, finishing two of his three seasons with losing records (5-7, 8-5, 4-8) and only bringing the Bulldogs to one postseason appearance – the 2008 Independence Bowl.

To celebrate the occasion (actually, the timing is just a coincidence), OGGOA has uncovered a video of the alleged armed robbery attempted by freshmen safety Janzen Jackson and former players wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson and cornerback Mike Edwards on Nov. 12, 2009, outside a Pilot gas station in Knoxville, TN. Richardson and Edwards have since been dismissed from the team while Jackson, the most talented of the three players, remains a member of the team.

Video courtesy of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Tags: Derek Dooley, Janzen Jackson, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Mike Edwards, Nu'Keese Richardson, Tennessee Volunteers