1 » ESPN college football analyst Joe Schad took some time out to compile a 2010 Top 100 College Football Stars list featuring names you need to know going into next season. Among his 100, Schad listed four Florida Gators: redshirt sophomore quarterback John Brantley (19), freshman wide receiver Andre Debose (54), sophomore cornerback Janoris Jenkins (77) and redshirt sophomore running back Chris Rainey (88). Brantley was his eighth of 29 QBs, Debose was his eighth of 15 WRs, Jenkins was seventh of 10 DBs and Rainey was 19th of 21 RBs.

2 » Also from ESPN, bracketology expert Joe Lunardi has released his latest edition, and Florida remains a part of the projection. Lunardi has the Gators even after a close home loss to the No. 13/19 Vanderbilt Commodores Tuesday. He lists Florida as a No. 11 seed squaring off against the No. 6-seed Baylor Bears in first-round action in Buffalo, NY.

3 » Competing in 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament first-round action Thursday, the No. 7-seed Gators women’s basketball team (14-16) fell 74-61 to the No. 10-seed Auburn Tigers (15-15). Senior guard Steffi Sorensen led the team with 14 points (12 in the first half), while senior forward Sharielle Smith contributed 11 points.

4 » Three members of Florida’s women’s track and field team were awarded end-of-season honors from the SEC Thursday. Head coach Mike Holloway was named Women’s Coach of the Year, senior jumper Shara Proctor won Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and sprinter Lanie Whittaker shared Women’s Freshman Runner of the Year. The ladies won the 2010 SEC Indoor Championship on Feb. 28.

Bubble Watch » Richmond (23-7), which beat the Gators 56-53 on Dec. 19, took down Dayton (19-10) 60-56. Dayton was on bubble and is now considered out of the running.

Tags: Andre Debose, Athlete of the Year, Auburn Tigers, bracketology, Chris Rainey, Coach of the Year, Freshman Runner of the Year, Janoris Jenkins, John Brantley, Lanie Whittaker, Mike Holloway, SEC Tournament, Shara Proctor, Sharielle Smith, Steffi Sorensen

1 » After a huge upset win over the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers last Tuesday, the Florida Gators looked to be squarely in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. A few days later, the Gators found themselves back on the bubble falling to the Georgia Bulldogs on the road. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach looks at what happened and what the team needs to do from this point forward.

2 » Four former Florida golfers were at the top of the leaderboard going into the final round of the PGA’s Waste Management Phoenix Open on Sunday. Mark Calcavecchia, Matt Every, Camilo Villegas and Chris Couch were all in the hunt for the tournament title, but each wound up falling short in the end. Couch finished T4 (-13), Villegas was T8 (-11) with Every and Calcavecchia shot a final-day 74 to fall to T43 (-7).

Four more BITS on Brantley, Brown, tennis and baseball…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: NCAA bubble, PGA, Brantley, Brown

Tags: Allie Will, baseball, Camilo Villegas, Central Florida Knights, Chris Couch, Duke Blue Devils, Freshman of the Week, Georgia Bulldogs, golf, Hudson Randal, John Brantley, Lauren Embree, Linder Stadium, Mack Brown, Mark Calcavecchia, Marrit Boonstra, Matt Every, Mike Pouncey, NCAA Tournament, PGA, Ring Tennis Complex, SEC, Tennessee Volunteers, tennis, Trey Burton

1 » With former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow changing his throwing motion, heading off to autograph signings, speaking at engagements and being filmed at all times for a documentary about his trip to the NFL, the question was bound to come up some time: Is he spreading himself too thin? “The circus that followed Tebow around at the Senior Bowl traveled with him to Tennessee as he prepares for pre-draft workouts,” DraftInsider.net is reporting. “It seems Tebow’s workouts have been interrupted daily for marketing meetings and appearances. One source told us Tebow has had to schedule his workouts around the plans of his marketing people.”

Five more BITS on Brandon Spikes, Major Wright, John Brantley, Kenny Boynton and Billy Donovan…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Tebow, Spikes, Wright, Boynton, Billy D

Tags: Billy Donovan, Brandon Spikes, Carl Moore, combine, Deonte Thompson, Draft, eye gouging, Frankie Hammond, John Brantley, Kenny Boynton, Major Wright, NFL, Omarius Hines, Tim Tebow

Watching former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow while on the sidelines for three years, John Brantley was chomping at the bit to get some playing time. Hearing head coach Urban Meyer say he would be worked into the offense in 2009 was exciting for Brantley; unfortunately, Meyer’s statement never came to fruition.

Now, with Tebow at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine preparing for a career in professional football, Brantley has finally taken his place as the Gators’ primary signal-caller. And while he may not be as boisterous as Tebow, the redshirt sophomore plans to lead Florida to glory just like his predecessor.

“I’m not like that,” Brantley told Rivals. “I’ve learned to be a little bit more vocal. Not all the jumping around stuff, just be behind the scenes more of a leader and be more vocal.”

Read what Brantley and his father have to say about football and cancer…
Continue Reading » Brantley ready to take on QB job, father’s cancer

Tags: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gatorade National Player of the Year, John Brantley, John Brantley III, Ocala Trinity, Scot Brantley, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

1 » The hottest topic of conversation right now is whether or not the Florida Gators and head coach Urban Meyer did enough to help quarterback Tim Tebow prepare for an NFL career. The two schools of thought are that (a) Meyer’s primary responsibility is winning college football games and that (b) Meyer got more out of Tebow than the player did out of his four years at the University of Florida.

Check out five more BITS on Florida football players…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Tebow and Meyer, Brantley, Stamper

Tags: combine, Draft, John Brantley, NFL, Ryan Stamper, Sam Wyche, Tim Tebow, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

1 » With four-star safety commitment Demar Dorsey (Lauderdale Lakes, FL) visiting the USC Trojans on Jan. 29, the Florida Gators are likely considering options to replace him should he bolt for the West Coast. Their top option is believed to be four-star athlete recruit Jeremy Deering (Tampa, FL), who paid a visit to Gainesville, FL, recently. However, JC Shurburtt of ESPN reports that Deering is leaning toward the Florida State Seminoles, calling them “the likely team to beat” while saying that the Gators “do not appear to be an option because they are quickly filling up.” Perhaps FSU is indeed the leader…unless a spot suddenly opens up at Florida on National Signing Day.

2 » While most outlets (including OGGOA, Sports Illustrated, etc.) wrapped up their “All-Decade” lists and articles in December 2009, ESPN has spent the last week printing theirs about college football. Mark Schlabach concluded the series with his predictions for the next decade, most of which are positive for Gators fans. Among his 20 predictions, Schlabach believes the Southeastern Conference will win at least four more BCS National Championships; head coach Urban Meyer will win at least one more at Florida; another Gators quarterback, John Brantley, will lead the Gators to the SEC East title in 2010; and Brantley will win the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 2011.

Extra Bit » Five-star Florida defensive end commit Ronald Powell, the consensus No. 1-rated player in the country, told Justin Wells of Gator Country that his loyalty to the Gators is unchanged after being pursued heavily by Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron. “There isn’t anybody that going to change my mind,” Powell told Wells. “I’m a Florida Gator, and I’m going to be a Florida Gator. [Kiffin and Orgeron] came to my school and tried to talk to me there, and I told them, ‘I’m a Florida Gator,’ and that’s it. They’ve tried to call, but I’m done.”

Tags: BCS, Demar Dorsey, Ed Orgeron, Florida State Seminoles, Heisman Trophy, Jeremy Deering, John Brantley, Lane Kiffin, National Championship, National Signing Day, Ronald Powell, SEC, Urban Meyer, USC Trojans

1 » Known as “The Future” and “The Next Tom Brady” by redshirt junior guard Carl Johnson and many of his Florida Gators teammates, redshirt sophomore quarterback John Brantley’s time is now. “He’s going to be really good,” Johnson said when asked about Brantley by the Orlando Sentinel. With everyone focusing on who is departing Gainesville, FL, perhaps it is time to focus on the bright future ahead for some younger Gators. Though he will likely never match what senior QB Tim Tebow has done, Brantley doesn’t have to in order to be successful in Orange and Blue. “I’m not really trying to match [Tebow’s legacy],” Brantley said. “I just want to come out and not miss a beat when my number’s called and hopefully win championships as a starter if I get that opportunity. I don’t have to go in there thinking I have to do everything and make every play.”

2 » Brand new Florida wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni has removed his name from the candidate list for the Central Michigan Chippewas head coach job. “I will be staying in Florida and coaching with the Gators next year,” Azzanni told the Morning Sun. Azzanni did not tell the paper if he was contacted for an interview or offered the position, “but there was a possibility for him to go to Cincinnati with Butch Jones following Urban Meyer’s retirement talk last week,” according to the paper. “We’re always staying busy,” Azzanni said. “There is never a day off in college football. [Winning the Sugar Bowl] felt good. There are so many talented players on the team and everyone really welcomed me in. It was a great experience.”

3 » Now that five-star safety Matt Elam has decommitted from the Gators and joined the Florida State Seminoles, Florida is putting the full court press on four-star defensive back recruit Dietrich Riley (La Canada, CA). Participating in the Under Armour All-America game, Riley heard from plenty of UF commitments that he was wanted in the Orange and Blue next year. “Coach Meyer is still recruiting me hard and they told me I’m their safety to get now after Elam,” Riley told Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel. “They’ve been recruiting me since October and they’ve been telling me to sit tight and be patient and we’ll let you know which guys to go the NFL.” Meyer’s recent announcements have not swayed Riley from including the Gators in his top three. “I understand that he has to take care of his health first […] that’s primary, his family and his health. He’s doing what’s best for the program,” he said. “I talked with him and he said he plans on returing to the school and he’s going to be a Florida Gator no matter what. He’s not going to go to any other school, so I’m happy about that.”

4 » Speaking of Tebow, he should retire and never play football again. Well, that’s the opinion of at least one man – CBSSports.com national columnist Gregg Doyel. Yup, Doyel believes Tebow will never reach a higher point in his career than he already has, is destined to fail in the NFL and should not even try to make it on the next level. Chomping: I guess I should have quit writing when I got my first article published by a major newspaper or when I won my first writing award, based on Doyel’s logic. At least there is one college football writer who refuses to bet against Tebow.

Tags: All-America, Butch Jones, Carl Johnson, Central Michigan Chippewas, Dietrich Riley, Florida State Seminoles, John Brantley, Matt Elam, Tim Tebow, Under Armour, Urban Meyer, Zach Azzanni