1 » Former Florida Gators center Maurkice Pouncey had a great rookie year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Earning the starting job from day one, Pouncey helped his team advance all the way to the Super Bowl, which he ended up missing due to injury. He had another unique opportunity this past Saturday as he and 12 of his Pittsburgh teammates worked as actors for the third installment of the new group of Batman films, The Dark Knight Rises. Pouncey and the rest of the Steelers were cast as football players and went through some motions on Heinz Field while surrounded by thousands of extras in the stands as fans. They are on the field against a Gotham team coached by Bill Cowher. “From what I’ve heard, it’s going to be like a pregame, warming-up type thing,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette before the filming. “I don’t know the whole concept. There’s a Gotham team, a football game. We’ll be wearing uniforms. It will be fun.”

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Tags: Chris Rainey, Doak Walker Award, Hornung Award, Jeff Demps, Maurkice Pouncey, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Percy Harvin, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl

The University of Florida officially announced Tuesday that Florida Gators senior running back Jeff Demps remains committed to football and will join his team during the first week in August to begin preparations for the 2011 season.

Though fans have wondered whether or not Demps would eventually give up football to concentrate solely on a career as a track & field sprinter, he made it clear Tuesday after meeting with head coach Will Muschamp that he only has one focus going forward when the fall semester begins.

“When I came to Florida I wanted to compete at a very high level in both sports and I’ve done that,” Demps said in a release from the school. “Football has been my first love but I also love running track. All of my coaches have been supportive and I’ve always been able to concentrate on whatever sport I’m competing in during that season.

“I concentrated on track this past spring and summer and I’m now ready to concentrate on football. I’m looking forward to getting back together with my football teammates and having a great senior season.”

Muschamp also commented on Demps’s decision and conveyed his excitement for having Florida’s leading rusher in 2010 returning to the sidelines as expected.

“As I stated last week in Birmingham, Jeff Demps will be joining our football program when our squad reports for camp on Aug. 5 and when we start practice on Aug. 6,” Muschamp added. “I met with him today and Jeff is looking forward to focusing on football for his upcoming senior season.”

Rumors about Demps possibly forgoing his final year of eligibility to go professional in track were fueled two weeks ago with various reports stating he had yet to make up his mind and was even considering a lucrative offer from Nike. However, his high school football coach told OGGOA on July 16 that no such move would take place.

“I spoke with Jeff [Friday] night and he has every intention to be a member of the football team this fall,” South Lake High School coach Walter Banks said. “Jeff also said the thought of leaving the University of Florida has not crossed his mind.”

Demps, who was one of eight Southeastern Conference rushers named to the 2011 Doak Walker Award watch list on July 15, is set to begin the season as Florida’s starting running back. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is excited about his potential.

“6.53 [seconds in the] 60-meters?,” Weis joked on March 16. “I might be able to figure out something to do with him.”

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Tags: Charlie Weis, Doak Walker Award, Jeff Demps, SEC, University of Florida, Will Muschamp

Though fans have wondered whether or not Florida Gators senior running back Jeff Demps would eventually give up football to concentrate solely on track & field for a while, there was never any indication that such a decision was actually being made. Then on Friday night, a tweet from a Jacksonville, FL sports director coupled with some internet rumors got the speculation going full steam.

However, according to Walker Banks, the head football coach at South lake High School where Demps played, arguably the fastest player in college football already has his mind made up, just like it has been for the last few years.

“I spoke with Jeff [Friday] night and he has every intention to be a member of the football team this fall,” Banks said. “Jeff also said the thought of leaving the University of Florida has not crossed his mind.”

Demps has not been with the team full-time for spring practice or summer workouts because he has been competing with the Gators and United States track & field teams. He is currently overseas in Italy with Team USA but will be returning soon and plans to get right back into football shape.

“I would be extremely shocked if Jeff was not a member of the football team next fall,” Banks added. “Jeff has made it extremely clear his first priority is playing football.”

Demps, who was one of eight Southeastern Conference rushers named to the 2011 Doak Walker Award watch list on Friday, is set to begin the season as Florida’s starting running back. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is excited about his potential.

“6.53 [seconds in the] 60-meters?,” Weis joked on March 16. “I might be able to figure out something to do with him.”

Thanks to InsideTheGators.com‘s Andrew Spivey for contributing to this post.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Tags: Charlie Weis, Doak Walker Award, Jeff Demps, SEC, University of Florida

1 » In a piece published Thursday by FOX Sports, reporter Thayer Evans dives further into Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer’s attempts to regain his health and control of his football team. Among other notes, Evans reports that Meyer now uses his “lunch hour” each day to run and life weights. “It’s the first time he’s regularly exercised in years, but he’s so committed that he rescheduled his weekly media sessions during this season to 11:15 a.m. instead of noon like previous seasons,” the article states. There is plenty more (some of which you likely already know) on Meyer’s delegation techniques and other changes he is making to take care of himself.

2 » CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish had an opportunity to sit in on a two-day coaching clinic run by Florida assistant basketball coach Larry Shyatt, which featured a number of high-profile coaches and assistants “talking about a variety of subjects, exchanging ideas, discussing, debating,” etc. “This clinic is different,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. “It’s just an exchange of ideas – coaches passing knowledge back and forth and trying to help each other, and I think that’s what’s great. This is what you get in it for, to coach and have fun and get better and help other guys get better.”

Three more BITS on Pouncey, Loeffler and Demps…after the break.
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Meyer, Shyatt, Pouncey, Loeffler

Tags: Dan Mullen, Denver Broncos, Doak Walker Award, Jamal Williams, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, John Brantley III, Justin Hartwig, Larry Shyatt, Matt Painter, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pro Bowl, Scot Loeffler, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer