1 » Along with his mechanics and future as an NFL quarterback, former Florida Gators star Tim Tebow and his decision-making have come into question over recent weeks in regard to his Focus on the Family advertisement which will run during Super Bowl XLIV. Sally Jenkins, a sports columnist with the Washington Post, believes the problem is not with the message of Tebow’s ad but rather those criticizing it. Jenkins, who Is pro-choice, writes: “As statements at Super Bowls go, I prefer the idea of Tebow’s pro-life ad to, say, Jim McMahon dropping his pants. […] We’re always harping on athletes to be more responsible and engaged in the issues of their day, and less concerned with just cashing checks. It therefore seems more than a little hypocritical to insist on it only if it means criticizing sneaker companies, and to stifle them when they take a stance that might make us uncomfortable.”

2 » Four-star wide receiver recruit Ivan McCartney (Miramar, FL) has yet to declare where he intends to play college football in 2010. For a while, he has been down to the Gators, Miami Hurricanes and West Virginia Mountaineers. Though four-star defensive end commit Lynden Trail (Miami, FL) has tried to convince him to join Florida’s class, McCartney is believed to be heading elsewhere. However, he did give this sterling quote about his experience with the Gators to the Miami Herald: “There’s something about Florida I don’t feel for the other schools, a very strong, loving feeling. The atmosphere is wild. The campus is outrageous. They have swagger, too. And it’s an awesome place, no matter who is coaching there.”

Extra Bit » Good stuff from The Gainesville Sun on Florida senior swimmers and two-time Olympians Omar Pinzon and Shaune Fraser, who are looking to leave a mark.

Tags: Focus on the Family, Ivan McCartney, Lynden Trail, Miami Hurricanes, NFL, Omar Pinzon, Shaune Fraser, Super Bowl XLIV, Tim Tebow, West Virginia Mountaineers

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

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Charlie Strong, Chaz Green, Christian Jones, Da'Rick Rogers, Darrin Kitchens, Demar Dorsey, Dietrich Riley, Ivan McCartney, Jeremy Deering, Jordan Hicks, Kardon Boone, Markeith Ambles, Matt Elam, Morgan Moses, Seantrel Henderson, Telvin Smith, Urban Meyer

Eleven high school football players announced their college commitments during the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX, an all-star game that DirecTV offers annually. Four-star tight end Gerald Christian (West Palm Beach, FL) and four-star defensive back Jaylen Watkins (Cape Coral, FL) were the only Florida Gators commitments participating at the start of the game, but the team has acquired three additional big-names over the course of the afternoon.

Defensive end Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA) []
Height: 6’4″ – Weight: 225 lbs.
Considered a heavy Florida lean for months (on Dec. 18 he said the Gators were “most definitely at the top” of his list), Powell had second thoughts about his commitment after head coach Urban Meyer resigned and then decided to take a leave of absence instead. Meyer eased Powell’s reservations after a phone conversation. Powell also indicated that he wished to play college ball away from home with the USC Trojans his only other option. “Coach Meyer is a hell-of-a coach,” he said last month. “The college is in a college town. The players, the players definitely make you feel at home. I mean just all around, it’s a great school, a great place to be.”
More on Ronald Powell from OGGOA.
Finalists: Florida, USC
COMMITTED TO: Florida Gators

Safety Matt Elam (West Palm Beach, FL) []
Height: 6’0″ – Weight: 205 lbs.
A Florida commitment for over a year, Elam played games throughout the recruiting cycle. He reaffirmed his commitment to Meyer and the Gators after his official visit in December; however, Meyer’s about-face caused Elam to question his decision, leading him to decommit from Florida and make a commitment to the Florida State Seminoles. Elam finally spoke to Meyer earlier this week to work everything out. He then decommitted from FSU and listed Florida as his leader, stating that he could not leave Coach Meyer while putting his faith in him.
More on Matt Elam from OGGOA.
Finalists: Florida, Georgia, Florida State
COMMITTED TO: Florida Gators

Defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (Philadelphia, PA) []
Height: 6’3″ – Weight: 310 lbs.
Once believed to be a sure-thing for Ohio State Buckeyes’s 2010 recruiting class, Floyd was also seriously considering Florida. He promised to “shock the world” with his announcement Saturday and was thrilled with the Gators’ decision to hire George Edwards as their new defensive coordinator. Reports from San Antonio had Floyd leaning toward joining the contingent of Florida commitments on Saturday, and his budding friendship with Powell and desire to play around top-tier talent only further that sentiment. “Florida overall, I genuinely care about Coach Meyer and we talk on a daily basis,” Floyd said. “I just like Florida and what the program has to offer.”
More on Sharrif Floyd from OGGOA.
Finalists: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina
COMMITTED TO: Florida Gators

In addition to the players profiled above who committed to the Gators on Saturday, the following recruits (who have chosen not to announce their respective decisions during the game) are also being targeted by UF: five-star offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson (St. Paul, MN), five-star DE Jackson Jeffcoat (Plano, TX), five-star DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (Portland, OR), four-star wide receiver Christian Green (Tampa, FL) and four-star WR Ivan McCartney (Miramar, FL).

Tags: Alamodome, All-American, Army, Christian Green, Florida State Seminoles, George Edwards, Gerald Christian, Ivan McCartney, Jackson Jeffcoat, Jaylen Watkins, Matt Elam, Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Pete Carroll, Ronald Powell, Seantrel Henderson, Sharrif Floyd, Urban Meyer, USC Trojans

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

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.

Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Will Wildcat be used? USF uses UF in ad. Tigers ready for QB. Recruiting update.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Booker T. Washington, Brandon James, Chris Dunkley, Christian Green, Florida State Seminoles, Ivan McCartney, Jeff Demps, Jim Leavitt, Joe Haden, John Brantley, John Chavis, Les Miles, LSU Tigers, Lynden Trail, Miami Hurricanes, Percy Harvin, Quinton Dunbar, Solomon Patton, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, USF Bulls

1 » With the status of Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow still uncertain for next Saturday, back-up John Brantley is prepared to start, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. Having the support of his teammates, Brantley is confident he will be ready to go against the LSU Tigers should Florida’s starter not be healthy enough to go. “You don’t know what’s going to happen yet,” Brantley said. “I’m just going to prepare like I do every week. I’ll prepare like I am going to play no matter what, with Tim there or not.”

2 » Ranked as the 11th best wide receiver in the state of Florida by Rivals, 4-star recruit Ivan McCartney of Miramar has narrowed his list down to five, including the Gators, Miami Hurricanes, West Virginia Mountaineers and Oregon Ducks. He is scheduled to take his official Florida visit on Thanksgiving weekend when the Gators play the Florida State Seminoles and make his decision after that. McCartney is considered a heavy Gators lean at this time, though he has yet to name a front-runner for his services.

3 » The Jacksonville Business Journal believes (rightly so) that it is money, not tradition, keeping the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs game in the Jacksonville. The schools are able to make more money playing at a neutral site because the city, not the teams, covers expenses of playing the game, and each team splits the profits rather than earning revenue every other year. “You’d leave more than $1.2 million on the table over that two-year period if you went to a home-and-home series,” Gators executive associate athletic director Greg McGarity said.

4 » No. 7 Florida Gators soccer (8-3-1, 2-0-1 SEC) opened conference play with a 1-1 double overtime tie at the Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-2-1, 0-2-1 SEC) Friday evening. Tying the game in the 85th minute, Florida secured its first non-winning result in 23-regular season SEC matches.

Tags: Ivan McCartney, John Brantley, soccer, Tim Tebow