With the 2011 NFL preseason officially underway, a number of Florida Gators participated in Week 2 action, some of whom had an impact on their team’s performance. OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what these Gators accomplished during the second exhibition week of the 2011 campaign.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TE AARON HERNANDEZ, New England Patriots: Three receptions for 42 yards, touchdown (long: 16)

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Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Alex Brown, Andra Davis, Andre Caldwell, Brandon Hicks, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chad Jackson, Chas Henry, Cooper Carlisle, David Nelson, Derrick Harvey, Duke Lemmens, Earnest Graham, Gerard Warren, Jabar Gaffney, Jarvis Moss, Jason Watkins, Jeremy Mincey, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, Justin Trattou, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Marcus Gilbert, Marcus Thomas, Maurice Hurt, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Percy Harvin, Phil Trautwein, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Rex Grossman, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow

1 » For the third time in his post-high school career, former Florida Gators defensive end/linebacker Chris Martin is putting on a different uniform. According to the Palm Beach Post, Martin joined the Navarro College Bulldogs over the summer and is set to play defensive end for the team this fall. The former five-star recruit, who first enrolled at California before transferring to Florida and choosing to leave the team following his redshirt season in June, will likely look to go the Cam Newton-route and spend a year at Navarro before moving on to a more prominent program.

2 » The word “fan” is derived from the longer term “fanatic,” and perhaps no individual can stake a greater claim to that title than Don Crews, who was profiled by Florida Today in a piece over the weekend. Set to attend his 500th Florida game on Sept. 3 when UF takes on Florida Atlantic, Crews lives 171 miles away from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium but has managed to attend nearly every game since 1963.

3 » Much has been said about Cleveland Browns second-year cornerback Joe Haden truly embracing the city of Cleveland, OH ever since he was selected by the Browns with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. A recent story by The Cleveland Plain Dealer dives into the topic even deeper. “What else would I be doing — sitting at home by myself?” Haden joked when asked why he does so much for his fans. “It’s all about giving back, and at the same time, it’s so much fun. [...] It’s really easy to do, honestly. Even if I didn’t play football, I’d be doing all this stuff. I’m just trying to have a good time and make sure everyone knows I care about this city and appreciate the fans.”

4 » Congratulations are in store for Florida sophomore gymnast Mackenzie Caquatto, who finished in fourth place at the 2011 Visa Championships in the senior all-around competition and second place in the uneven bars on Saturday. Due to her placement in the all-around portion of the event, Caquatto earned a spot on the U.S. Senior National Team for the fourth-straight time.

Tags: Chris Martin, Cleveland Browns, Draft, gymnastics, Joe Haden, MacKenzie Caquatto, Navarro College Bulldogs, NFL, USA

With the 2011 NFL preseason officially underway, a number of Florida Gators participated in Week 1 action, some of whom had an impact on their team’s performance. OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what these Gators accomplished during the first exhibition week of the 2011 campaign.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
QB REX GROSSMAN, Washington Redskins: 19/26 for 207 yards and a touchdown (QB Rating: 109.0)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES
FS MAJOR WRIGHT, Chicago Bears: Team-high five solo tackles
QB TIM TEBOW, Denver Broncos: 6/7 for 91 yards (QB Rating: 118.8), two rushes for 15 yards (long: 13)
TE AARON HERNANDEZ, New England Patriots: Six rec. for 68 yards (long: 20)

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Tags: A.J. Jones, Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Alex Brown, Andra Davis, Andre Caldwell, Brandon Hicks, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chad Jackson, Chas Henry, Cooper Carlisle, David Nelson, Derrick Harvey, Duke Lemmens, Earnest Graham, Jabar Gaffney, Jarvis Moss, Jason Watkins, Jeremy Mincey, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, Justin Trattou, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Marcus Gilbert, Marcus Thomas, Maurice Hurt, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Percy Harvin, Phil Trautwein, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Rex Grossman, Riley Cooper, Terron Sanders, Tim Tebow

Updated at 9 p.m.

With NFL training camp finally underway after an extended lockout cancelled organized team activities and mini camps, more than three dozen former Florida Gators are working out and trying to earn their keep this year. Below is a comprehensive look at each player in the league as well as those still looking for work.

Continue Reading » Florida Gators report to NFL training camps

Tags: A.J. Jones, Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Alex Brown, Andra Davis, Andre Caldwell, Billy Latsko, Brandon Hicks, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chanel Brown, Channing Crowder, Chas Henry, Cooper Carlisle, Cornelius Ingram, David Nelson, Derrick Harvey, DeShawn Wynn, Duke Lemmens, Earnest Graham, Emmanuel Moody, Fred Taylor, Gerard Warren, Jabar Gaffney, Jarvis Moss, Jason Watkins, Jeremy Mincey, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, Justin Trattou, Keiwan Ratliff, Lito Sheppard, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Marcus Gilbert, Marcus Thomas, Maurice Hurt, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Percy Harvin, Phil Trautwein, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Rex Grossman, Riley Cooper, Terron Sanders, Tim Tebow

Celebrating a decade of presenting high school recruiting rankings, Rivals.com released a special feature on Tuesday detailing the 10 best recruiting classes since 2002. The Florida Gators, under former head coach Urban Meyer, earned two spots on the list including the No. 1 overall ranking.

Florida’s 2006 recruiting class, which featured five-stars quarterback Tim Tebow, wide receiver Percy Harvin and linebacker Brandon Spikes, came away as the clear leader even after being ranked as the second-best class that year.

“What makes this group stand out above the rest was the number of prospects who panned out: 16 members of the class were starters at one time,” writes Rivals. “Beyond Tebow and Harvin, there were guys such as LBs Brandon Spikes, Dustin Doe and A.J. Jones, DE Jermaine Cunningham, T/G Marcus Gilbert, DTs Lawrence Marsh and Terron Sanders and WR Riley Cooper. The group helped Florida win two national championships, and Tebow won the 2007 Heisman as a sophomore and was a finalist as a junior and senior.”

Two of those players (Tebow and Harvin) wound up being first-round picks in the NFL Draft; three more (Spikes, Cunningham and Gilbert) were selected in the second-round and one other (Cooper) was a fifth-round pick. Other prominent names in the 2006 class include kick returner Brandon James and offensive lineman Carl Johnson.

The Gators’ 2007 recruiting class, ranked No. 1 the year it was signed, closes out the list at No. 10. One of the reasons it is lower on the list is the fact that three of its most prominent members – five-stars quarterback Cameron Newton and defensive tackle Torrey Davis as well as four-star DT John Brown – had off-the-field issues that did not allow them to conclude their careers in Gainesville, FL.

However, Florida’s 2007 signings also included a trio of first-round picks (cornerback Joe Haden and centers Maurkice and Mike Pouncey), safeties Ahmad Black and Major Wright, DE Carlos Dunlap, tight end Aaron Hernandez and punter Chas Henry. Players remaining on the Gators include redshirt seniors QB John Brantley, DT Jaye Howard, running back Chris Rainey and WR Deonte Thompson.

Check out Rivals at 10: Ten best recruiting classes for the rest of the rankings.

Tags: A.J. Jones, Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, BCS, BCS National Championship, Brandon James, Brandon Spikes, Cameron Newton, Carl Johnson, Carlos Dunlap, Chas Henry, Chris Rainey, Deonte Thompson, Heisman Trophy, Jaye Howard, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, John Brantley, John Brown, Lawrence Marsh, Major Wright, Marcus Gilbert, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, Percy Harvin, Riley Cooper, Terron Sanders, Tim Tebow, Torrey Davis, Urban Meyer

Most of the stories one hears about athletes and their usage of social media are negative in nature. The headlines are usually outlandish things they have said, inappropriate pictures that have been taken and fights they have started with others.

However, services like Twitter and Facebook can also be used for other things. Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden sponsored a little league team because a fan asked him to. He has also taken groups of fans out to lunch and happy hour simply because he can. Other former Gators have raised money for charity (Buffalo Bills wide receiver David Nelson), given away free stuff to fans (Atlanta Hawks power forward Al Horford) and even had open discussions about Florida’s Ring of Honor qualifications (New Orleans Saints defensive end Alex Brown).

So when Florida Gators redshirt freshman defensive end Lynden Trail started tweeting pictures of himself planking on various surfaces and objects late Monday evening, Gator Nation undoubtedly noticed – and laughed.

“Planking,” for those of you uninitiated to the recently popular practice, is defined by Wikipedia as “an activity […] consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. The hands must touch the sides of the body, and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the Internet is an integral part of the game.”

Trail, who himself was subject of what turned out to be false claims about his persona due to picture uncovered on the Internet during his recruitment, has been an active tweeter for quite some time. He took his game to another level on Monday with the planking pictures you can view by expanding the post.

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Tags: Al Horford, Alex Brown, Atlanta Hawks, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, David Nelson, Gator Nation, Joe Haden, Lynden Trail, New Orleans Saints, planking

1 » The Florida Gators were all over ESPN on Wednesday with Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden, Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and senior C Mike Pouncey making appearances. Below are videos of the interviews conducted with Haden and the Pounceys on First Take by Jay Crawford and Dana Jacobson:

2 » The Gators-on-ESPN theme will continue Thursday with head coach Will Muschamp being put through the “car wash” ringer in Bristol, CT. His Thursday schedule, according to the University of Florida is as follows:

10:20 a.m – SportsCenter (LIVE, ESPN)
11:05 a.m. – First Take (LIVE, ESPN2)
11:45 a.m. – The Herd (LIVE, ESPN Radio)
1:00 p.m. – ESPN U College Football podcast with Ivan Maisel
3:30 p.m. – College Football Live – (taped, ESPN2)
4:00 p.m. – SportsNation (taped, ESPN2)
4:10 p.m. – SportsCenter (LIVE)
1-4 p.m. – Scott Van Pet Radio Show (taped, ESPN Radio)

3 » Though former Florida assistant basketball coach Richard Pitino will indeed be leaving the Gators for a job under his father with the Louisville Cardinals (if a deal can be worked out), he will not be named the head coach-in-waiting, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal’s C.L. Brown. “That’s not the way I operate,” athletic director Tom Jurich said. “I would never put that kidn of pressure on him, and I don’t think Rick [Pitino] would want that kind of pressure on him.” The older Pitino said his son rejoining his staff is” far from official” though it is in the works.

4 » Former Florida basketball assistant Lewis Preston will be named head coach at Kennesaw State Owls, according to FOX Sports. Preston has been an assistant with the Penn State Nittany Lions since 2008.

Tags: Cleveland Browns, Joe Haden, Kennesaw State Owls, Lewis Preston, Louisville Cardinals, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, Penn State Nittany Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, Richard Pitino, Rick Pitino, University of Florida, Will Muschamp

1 » It wasn’t an April Fools joke when Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden agreed to sponsor a baseball team on April 1. The rookie responded to a Twitter request from the manager of a youth team who asked him if he would be interested in fronting the money after the team’s sponsor dropped out. Haden responded immediately and, $325 later, Haden’s Nation in the Plain Local Baseball and Softball Association was born. “The boys seem pretty excited,” team manager Mike Clapper told the Canton Repository. “Joe said he hopes to come down to a couple of games.” Now Haden has something else to keep him busy during the lockout.

2 » With wide receivers Chris Dunkley and Javares McRoy deciding to transfer away from the Florida Gators, the football team has been left with 10 available scholarships under the NCAA maximum of 85, according to numbers crunched by InsideTheGators.com. Because 10 seniors on scholarship will be moving on after the 2011 season, Florida will have at least 20 scholarships (likely more) to hand out to recruits for 2012. Nine verbal commitments have already been made for 2012, leaving approximately a dozen (give or take a few) spots left to be filled.

Tags: Chris Dunkley, Cleveland Browns, Javares McRoy, Joe Haden, NCAA