Rather than write you a long, worthless introduction, just go ahead and make the jump for a ton of recruiting news on the following recruits: Matt Elam, Jeff Luc, Chaz Green, Christian Green, Chris Dunkley, Kardon Boone, James Louis, Cody Riggs, Lamarcus Joyner, Sharrif Floyd and Ronald Powell.
Continue Reading » Status updates for UF’s top recruiting prospects
In a big day for Florida Gators tennis, the men’s doubles team of junior Alexandre Lacroix and redshirt senior Antoine Benneteau won the Wilson/ITA Southeast Regional Championship Monday, defeating the Florida State Seminoles team of Connor Smith and Vahid Mirzadeh 8-2 at the Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, GA.
Almost simultaneously, Florida freshman Allie Will won the singles title in the women’s Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Championships at the Bill More Tennis Center in Atlanta, GA. Will first had to defeat the Miami Hurricanes‘ Laura Vallverdu (ranked No. 2 in the tournament and No. 6 in the nation) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, before meeting FSU’s Noemie Scharle in the finals. Scharle was the event’s No. 4 seed and ranked No. 24 in the country, but still lost to Will 6-4, 6-0.
Both Lacroix/Benneteau and Will earned spots at the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. This event is considered to be the second leg of the collegiate Grand Slam and will be held on Nov. 5-8 at Yale University and the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in West Haven, CT, respectively.
1 » Volleyball (16-3, 10-2 SEC) continues to roll through the SEC as the No. 10/11 Florida Gators swept the Ole Miss Rebels (8-14, 2-10 SEC) in straight sets (25-18, 25-13, 25-16) on Sunday in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy continues her stellar play and recorded a match-high 14 kills. Florida goes on the road to Tuscaloosa, AL, to square off against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m.
2 » The No. 12 Florida soccer team (13-4-2, 7-1-2 SEC) defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks (8-6-4, 2-6-2 SEC) Sunday afternoon on the road at Razorback Field by a 1-0 margin. The victory puts Florida in first place in the conference heading into its final match of the regular season Friday, Oct. 30 against No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks.
3 » The Gators women’s swimming and diving team won the 2009 SMU Classic in Dallas, TX, on Saturday, finishing in first-place with 353 points ahead of the Louisville Cardinals, Wisconsin Badgers, Southern Methodist Perunas, Florida State Seminoles and Rice Owls. The rest of the team that did not compete in that event were also victorious on the weekend, taking down both Arkansas and the Kansas Jayhawks in double-dual on the road in Fayetteville, AK.
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Soccer rolls; Volleyball wins; Swimming dominates; Tennis in finals
From time to time, OGGOA will come across tidbits and small news items we want to share with our readers. In those instances, we will be present a special post: Gator Bites. Enjoy.
- Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer said Thursday that senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes is “50-50″ (questionable) for Saturday vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs. Meyer also said junior defensive lineman Justin Trattou is officially out.
- Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen is campaigning for a record attendance at Scott Field on Saturday. He also told reporters that he spoke with Florida senior quarterback Tim Tebow by text message Thursday afternoon.
- According to Rivals, quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler “spent almost an entire day last week” scouting four-star dual-threat QB recruit Devin Gardner – a Michigan Wolverines commitment.
- Five-star offensive lineman recruit Seantrel Henderson, the No. 1 prospect in the nation, has delayed his visit to the University of Florida until December because of scheduling difficulties. Florida is one of six top programs vying for his services. (Rivals)
- Freshman wide receiver T.J. Lawrence is expected to miss a few weeks after having his meniscus scoped Thursday. “[Lawrence] is getting close,” Meyer said. “He had a couple good weeks.”
- The Gators coaching staff are big fans of four-star safety recruit Tony Jefferson, who wishes to visit Gainesville, FL, for the Florida State Seminoles game in November. However, Florida is reluctant and most likely will not have Jefferson visit because they want to satiate five-star S commit Matt Elam. (Rivals)
It should be no surprise to Florida Gators fans that if a player is committed or being sought after by the Orange and Blue, Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin is one step behind trying to swipe them away. The same goes for four star running back commitment Mack Brown (Lithonia, GA), who committed to the Gators back on July 24.
Brown, who contends that his “commitment [to Florida] is strong,” said the Vols, Alabama Crimson Tide and North Carolina Tar Heels are still pursuing him. In fact, Kiffin even made a theatrical entrance to one of his games in an attempt to impress. “I saw a red helicopter over my head and I was like, ‘who’s in that up there?’” Brown told Rivals. It was Kiffin, of course, angling for Brown to take a visit to Knoxville, TN. The only visit Brown has planned is one to Gainesville, FL, for the Gators game against the Florida State Seminoles. “I talk to Florida every two days at least,” he said. “They like my running style and they want me to come in at 215 (pounds) to be an every down runner.”
Continue Reading » Brown being pursued, Riggs stays silent
Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder is rarely at a loss for words. When New York Jets (and former Florida State Seminoles) running back Leon Washington‘s name was brought up Wednesday, you can be sure Crowder had plenty to say about him.
“We do not like each other,” Crowder, who played with the Florida Gators from 2003-05, said. “With Florida State, I hated him. I hate him now. If I see him out, I’m not going to talk to him. I’m not going to slap him, but I’m not going to be pleasant. Every time he sees me, he starts cussing. I see him and I start cussing. It’s going to be like that the whole game.”
Forget Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens or Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco – I have long held the belief that Crowder is the absolute best interview in the NFL.
1 » Prior to the season, one of the biggest stories was the Florida Gators potentially using cornerback Joe Haden at quarterback in a Wildcat-like formation. While UF’s ability and lack of fear to use the Wildcat with wide receiver Percy Harvin last season was well documented, I held (and hold) the opinion that Haden plays extensively enough on defense and special teams – that using him on offense as well would be overkill.
While talk about Haden’s role in the formation seems to have died down, usage of the Wildcat as a whole has not. Head coach Urban Meyer said Monday that tight end Aaron Hernandez, running back Jeff Demps and wide receiver Brandon James could all get direct snaps against No. 4 LSU Tigers. While an occasional direct snap may be called, I see this as more of a diversionary tactic to get LSU thinking about more than just “Tim Tebow or John Brantley” but rather “Tebow, Brantley or the Wildcat.”
2 » In an effort to gain prestige within the state of Florida, the USF Bulls have marketed themselves as one of the “Big 4″ along with the Florida Gators, Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles. This new billboard, located at I-275 near I-4 has, to his credit, drawn the ire of Bulls head coach Jim Leavitt. “I had nothing to do with (the billboard), I don’t know how it got up, and I don’t know who put it up,” Leavitt said Tuesday. “We have not won national championships, and we have not won conference championships. What gives us the right to sit there all of a sudden like we’ve won all these championships and done all this stuff?” Looks like the USF marketing department should have checked with Leavitt first.
Taurean Green (@TaureanJGreen):
"Yes yes....my #GatorBoys in the Elite 8. All u jive time turkeys that thought Marquette was gonna win can sit down and go to sleep!"
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!
