1 » With so many people questioning Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow’s future in the NFL, one city and team that are seemingly fully behind him are Jacksonville, FL, and Tebow’s hometown Jaguars. In addition to revitalizing a franchise that is one of the least financially successful in the NFL, Tebow could add a much-needed character boost to a team that has been desperately trying to catch up with their division-rival Indianapolis Colts for years. The 17,000 fans who chose not to renew their season tickets this past offseason could easily come back if Tebow is drafted to his local team.

2 » Speaking of the Jaguars, former Gators free safety Reggie Nelson allowed not one but two touchdowns Thursday night to the Colts, immediately throwing him in head coach Jack Del Rio‘s doghouse. Nelson has regressed significantly over his last two seasons in Jacksonville, leading many to believe he will be benched this week. “[Nelson] didn’t play well,” Del Rio said. “You can’t stay in the lineup playing like that.”

3 » Gators four-star tight end commitment Gerald Christian, a star for Dwyer High School who is playing in the Class 4A Championship game on Saturday, has started since his freshman year and become an irreplaceable part of both the team’s offense and defense. “He was already a grown man as a sophomore, even as a freshman,” Dwyer defensive coordinator Bobby Sifrit said. “He’s a leader at practice, in school. He’s very smart and even keeled. You couldn’t have a better candidate to [call shots on defense].” Five-star Florida safety commit and Christian’s teammate, Matt Elam, agrees. “He’s a freak with all the stuff he knows,” Elam said.

4 » Gators basketball fans may notice that one of the reasons the team has improved so much in 2009 is a dedication o defense. “Nowhere is Florida’s newfound commitment to defense than from behind the 3-point line,” writes Michael DiRocco of The Florida Times Union. In some ways, the Gators are playing better on defense than even the 2006 and 2007 National Championship teams did at this point through their seasons.

Tags: Bobby Sifrit, Dwyer, Gerald Christian, Indianapolis Colts, Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars, Matt Elam, NFL, Reggie Nelson, Tim Tebow

For some high school football players, a college team losing its recruiting coordinator can change their mind on what school they wish to attend after graduation. Florida Gators fans know this well, especially considering the recent news about the departure of wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales has been met with some interesting reactions from recruits across the country. However, it seems like the West Virginia Mountaineers losing associate head coach and top recruiter Doc Holliday to the Marshall Thundering Herd may have done a lot to help the Gators land three-star DB/WR/KR Robert Clark (West Palm Beach, FL) from Dwyer High School. Clark, who committed to head coach Urban Meyer on Wednesday while the coach was visiting Dwyer’s practice, had previously been committed to the Mountaineers and was also considering the Tennessee Volunteers.

“[Holliday] was my recruiting coordinator,” Clark told the Palm Beach Post. “We were really close. It changed my decision a lot.” Also affecting Clark’s decision was his official visit to Gainesville, FL, last weekend and the commitment status of his teammates five-star safety Matt Elam and four-star tight end Gerald Christian. “[Meyer] asked me how much I love Florida,” Clark said. “I told him I’m going to end up committing. I love Florida. Gerald and Matt are there and I already know them.”

OGGOA reported Tuesday that Clark seemed to be all Orange and Blue when he donned a No. 4 Gators jersey in the team’s locker room this past weekend. He plans to enroll at the University of Florida in January for the spring semester, along with Elam and Christian, in order to get a leg up on 2010. Clark is expected to officially announce his commitment to Florida before the Class 4A championship game on Saturday.

Tags: Billy Gonzales, Doc Holliday, Dwyer, Gerald Christian, Marshall Thundering Herd, Matt Elam, Robert Clark, Tennessee Volunteers, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, West Virginia Mountaineers

Three-star cornerback recruit Robert Clark, who had been committed to the West Virginia Mountaineers since July, recently opened up his recruitment and named the Florida Gators the second of his final two schools. Teammates at Dwyer High School with Florida commits five-star safety Matt Elam and four-star tight end Gerald Christian, Clark had the press put on him to join the Gators’ 2010 recruiting class when he visited Gainesville, FL, with Elam and Christian last weekend. Christian has been a solid commit for a while, and Elam all but signed on the dotted line over the weekend by donning a blue No. 22 Florida jersey and declaring his recruitment over. OGGOA has now uncovered a similar picture of Clark presumably from last weekend, also in the Gators locker room wearing his high school No. 4 on a blue Florida jersey. Clark plans to enroll at the university of his choosing in January for the spring semester in order to get a leg up on next season. As OGGOA reported early Monday, he has decided to officially announce his commitment decision before the Class 4A championship game on Saturday.

Tags: Dwyer, Gerald Christian, Matt Elam, Robert Clark, West Virginia Mountaineers

1 » Two former Florida Gators players had strong showings in the NFL on Sunday, and both are recent alumni from the defensive side of the ball. Second-year defensive end Derrick Harvey of the Jacksonville Jaguars recorded a sack in his second straight game even though his team fell to the Miami Dolphins while third-year linebacker Brandon Siler dominated the middle for the San Diego Chargers against the Dallas Cowboys. Siler recorded five tackles on the day (two for a loss) and one sack. He was also instrumental on a number of goal-line and fourth-down stands. Other Gators who contributed this weekend were LB Mike Peterson of the Atlanta Falcons (eight tackles), wide receiver Jabar Gaffney of the Denver Broncos (three receptions for 48 yards) and Andre “Bubba” Caldwell of the Cincinnati Bengals (four catches for 25 yards).

2 » Looking to nab a trifecta of players from Dwyer High School in West Palm Beach, FL, Florida set their sights on bringing three-star cornerback Robert Clark into the fold during his official visit this weekend. Clark, who said prior to his visit that he was leaning towards the Gators until the loss of recruiting coordinator Billy Gonzales had him open up the process again, met new wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni and came away impressed. “[Azzanni] was great,” Clark told Rivals. “I already knew him from camp because he worked the camp [in Gainesville]. He’s a great guy. He taught me a lot of things so it was good to meet him again. [The coaches] didn’t really talk about [Gonzales] much [this weekend]. It was kind of sad that he left but at the same time they had to move on and stuff and get a new coach. He’s pretty energetic. He likes to hop around a lot. He was hyped up.” Though he is not considered “solid,” Clark is currently committed to the West Virginia Mountaineers; even so, he has decided to make his decision official before the Class 4A championship game this Saturday.

UPDATE: “Florida['s visit] is the best visit I’ve been on by far. I’m not gonna lie,” Clark told The Gainesville Sun. “It’s hard because I’m kind of committed to West Virginia, right now, but I love Florida more than I love West Virginia.” Clark also told The Sun that the shorter distance and better weather are much more appealing to him.

Tags: Andre Caldwell, Atlanta Falcons, Billy Gonzales, Brandon Siler, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Derrick Harvey, Dwyer, Florida Gators, Jabar Gaffney, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Mike Peterson, NFL, Robert Clark, San Diego Chargers, West Virginia Mountaineers, Zach Azzanni

Five-star safety recruit Matt Elam has been a Florida Gators commitment for more than a year. Yet over that period of time, questions regarding the solidity of that promise have been many, not assisted by Elam’s repeated statements that he wanted to go on other recruiting trips and was considering a handful of other universities as he remained committed to the University of Florida. During Elam’s official visit to Gainesville, FL, this weekend, he donned a No. 22 blue Gators jersey in the Florida locker room and looks to be as committed as ever with a huge smile on his face. Elam has already filled out his admissions paperwork, but he must wait to submit it until he is officially graduated from Dwyer High School. He has planned to be on campus in January for spring practice in order to get a leg up on next season.

UPDATE: If that wasn’t enough, the picture above is now Elam’s facebook profile photo.

UPDATE II: On the WPTV late local news Sunday night, Elam and his brother Abram (Cleveland Browns safety) were interviewed. Elam did a Gator Chomp and reaffirmed his commitment to the Gators yet again. “I saw a lot of great things at all the places I’ve visited, but I made a commitment for a reason,” Elam said.

Tags: Abram Elam, Cleveland Browns, Dwyer, Matt Elam, University of Florida

1 » The Florida Gators‘ two commitments from Dwyer High School, five-star safety Matt Elam and four-star tight end Gerald Christian, got a visit from recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales on Tuesday, who also took time to meet with their teammate and three-star cornerback Robert Clark. [OGGOA Exclusive:] It is expected that Meyer will pay a visit to Dwyer in the coming days and offer Clark a scholarship (if he has not been offered one already), especially after learning that both Lane and Monte Kiffin of the Tennessee Volunteers attended Dwyer practice on Tuesday pushing hard for Clark in hopes that he could sway Elam.

2 » Over the last few days, Florida has lost out on two of the top 2010 recruits in the country to the Florida State Seminoles. First, it was four-star linebacker Jeff Luc (Port St. Lucie, FL) who liked the transition from Bobby Bowden to head coach Jimbo Fisher. According to reports Wednesday morning, five-star cornerback Lamarcus Joyner (Fort Lauderdale, FL) has also committed to FSU. Joyner, considered the No. 1 overall CB recruit in the country, and Luc were both highly regarded prospects by Gators, though neither were strong leans to Florida.

3 » Four-star wide receiver Kenny Stills (Carlsbad, CA) has narrowed his list to two schools: the Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners. Stills, who will announce on Dec. 18, said the Miami Hurricanes still have a shot but not a great one. The Gators have already pulled one recruit from California for 2010, four-star CB Joshua Shaw (Palmdale, CA), and many believe that head coach Urban Meyer is looking for the trifecta with Stills and five-star defensive end Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA).

4 » Florida is the early leader for Sterling Bailey (Gainesville, GA), a 2011 defensive end who is expected to be rated a four-star prior to his senior year of high school. “I could say [the Gators are out in front],” Bailey told JC Shurburtt of ESPN. “It was a surprising offer at first because they were not sending me much in the mail. My coach called me up and told me that Florida had offered. At first, I didn’t believe him. Then, I called and got on the phone with Urban Meyer. He told me that they were glad to offer me a scholarship and that when they saw me on film, it was a no-brainer.”

Tags: Billy Gonzales, Bobby Bowden, Dwyer, Florida State Seminoles, Gerald Christian, Jeff Luc, Jimbo Fisher, Joshua Shaw, Kenny Stills, Lamarcus Joyner, Lane Kiffin, Matt Elam, Miami Hurricanes, Monte Kiffin, Oklahoma Sooners, Robert Clark, Ronald Powell, Sterling Bailey, Tennessee Volunteers, Urban Meyer

High school sports reporter Jason Lieser over at the Palm Beach Post was able to pull a plethora of information from five-star Florida Gators safety commitment Matt Elam on Tuesday night at the 2009 Lou Groza Award banquet regarding his status with the school and future in college football. (He won the award for the second consecutive season.) Elam, who committed to the Gators in October 2008, has wavered the last two months about whether or not he would actually attend Florida when he enrolls early after this semester. It is a widely held belief that Elam is doing this simply for the buzz and attention as his high school career comes to a close, though some Gators fans are legitimately concerned that he could bolt for another program before officially signing.

Scheduled for an official visit to Gainesville, FL, this weekend, Elam has already signed his enrollment forms for Florida. They will be processed after he graduates from Dwyer High School in December (a semester early) so he can begin participating in spring practices in January…as long as he does not change his mind. “I’m committed to Florida,” Elam told the Post. “I’m still doing some thinking. I’ll do my official visit this weekend and I’ll make my decision after.”

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin met with Elam at his school in October (OGGOA Exclusive) and returned for a second visit Tuesday. “I could go to Tennessee, but, no, I’m committed to Florida,” Elam said at the banquet.

Also visiting him on Tuesday was new Florida State Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher. If any team could pry Elam away from the Gators at this point, he says it would be Seminoles. Gaining the commitment of four-star linebacker Jeff Luc (Port St. Lucie, FL) last week, FSU has peaked Elam’s interest. “That got my attention,” he said.

Tags: Dwyer, Florida State Seminoles, Jeff Luc, Lane Kiffin, Lou Groza Award, Matt Elam, Tennessee Volunteers

BREAKING NEWS: Five-star shooting guard Bradley Beal (St. Louis, MO) has committed to Billy Donovan and Florida Gators basketball, according to two sources.

Four-star wide receiver Ivan McCartney (Miramar, FL) is believed by many to be the Florida Gators’ top receiving target for 2010. Leaving Gainesville, FL, over the weekend, McCartney may very well have the Gators at the top of his list (though he will not say for certain). “It was crazy,” McCartney told Rivals of his weekend. “It’s overwhelming. There’s nothing much more I can say. I loved everything – coaches, players, atmosphere, campus, education, everything is just great.” The No. 4 WR in the nation, No. 4 recruit in Florida and No. 35 prospect overall, McCartney met with head coach Urban Meyer and position coach Billy Gonzales. “They were saying they really want me. That I’m their No. 1 receiver prospect and with my work ethic I can come in and play right away and even start. It’s all up to me.”

Recruiting news on Gerald Christian and Matt Elam, a 2011 commitment, a list of visitors and much more after the jump…
Continue Reading » Big recruiting update after Florida-Florida State

Tags: A.C. Leonard, Al Groh, Billy Donovan, Billy Gonzales, Bradley Beal, De'Ante Saunders, Dwyer, Gerald Christian, Ivan McCartney, Johnathon Hankins, Matt Elam, Urban Meyer, Virginia Cavaliers