OGGOA had the opportunity to participate in Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer’s Southeastern Conference teleconference on Wednesday (we will be doing so every week). Below are some notes from Meyer’s media availability (full transcript later):

» Meyer answering OGGOA’s question about redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey’s importance to the offense: “It’s his year. He’s gonna perform. He’s ready for it. He’s up to almost 180 – 178 he told me yesterday. He’s stronger than he’s ever been. He’s now focused on a position that really his body is more trained to be. And he has to give us the home run shot, and he’s got the ability. There’s really not an offense who can function without a home run hitter. And he’s either one or two on our list of guys that can take it to the distance.”

» Asked about whether or not he was concerned about junior running back Jeff Demps returning kickoffs, Meyer said the team is being “very cautious” but “hopefully we don’t return many kicks.” He also noted that Demps getting injured is one of the team’s main concerns; he no longer participates in “non-essential running” drills during practice and the team is “very cautious” with him throughout the week. “He just goes 40 yards every time he touches it at warp speed.”

» Meyer refused to pick either redshirt sophomore Jeremy Brown or senior Moses Jenkins as the team’s No. 2 cornerback, saying the duo is both competing in practice and will split time.

» He went out of his way to give shout-outs to freshmen quarterback Trey Burton and safety Matt Elam, redshirt freshman linebacker Jelani Jenkins and sophomore LB Jon Bostic as four players who will soon become household names among Florida fans.

» Read the rest of what Meyer had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 9/1: Florida coach Meyer’s SEC teleconference

Tags: A.J. Jones, Chris Leak, Chris Rainey, Gator Nation, James Bates, Jeff Demps, Jelani Jenkins, Jeremy Brown, John Brantley, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Matt Elam, Matt Flynn, Moses Jenkins, Norm Carlson, Ryan Stamper, SEC, Steve Spurrier, Terron Sanders, Tim Tebow, Trey Burton, Tyler Murphy, Urban Meyer

1 » Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer reached out to redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley’s father recently to let him know that his son has really impressed him. “I said, ‘Enjoy the ride. Your son has grown up to be a man,’” Meyer explained. “I hope I get that same text some day from someone. That’s really cool. It’s the truth. What he’s done here in the last year has been exactly what we needed to have happen, and that is he’s grown up. He’s the leader of this team, and he’s Johnny Brantley. That’s good enough for us.” John Brantley III, a former Florida quarterback himself, was certainly proud.

2 » Saturday’s game against the Miami (OH) RedHawks is big for a number of Gators but perhaps no one is relishing the moment more than redshirt sophomore cornerback Jeremy Brown. “Words can’t explain. It’s a very special moment for me and my family because two years ago, I ran out the tunnel and couldn’t play. I wasn’t officially a Gator. To be able to contribute is a special moment,” Brown said. “A lot of times I feel like some people take football and the opportunity to be at a prestigious program like Florida – they take it for granted. They take practice for granted. Workouts, things you get every day – they take stuff like that for granted. When you’re on the verge of not playing football gain, you learn to appreciate things a lot more. You learn to appreciate the uniform. I was close to losing everything.”

3 » Two Florida women were honored with Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for their respective sports. Volleyball’s junior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy and soccer’s redshirt sophomore midfielder McKenzie Barney were each awarded Monday for their outstanding performances in their teams’ first week of 2010 action.

4 » Providing opportunities for kids to play organized sports, The C.I. Foundation (sponsored by Philadelphia Eagles tight end Cornelius Ingram) is attempting to raise money by giving way a fantastic seven-day, all-inclusive vacation (including airfare) to Sandals Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Their newest campaign, called “$10.00 for C.h.I.l.dren,” allows for fans and generous individuals to donate as little as $10 for the opportunity to win this fantastic trip. A winner will be announced on Sept. 15. For more information on how you can donate and enter, you can click right here.

Tags: C.I. Foundation, Cornelius Ingram, Jeremy Brown, John Brantley, John Brantley III, Kelly Murphy, McKenzie Barney, Miami RedHawks, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Player of the Week, SEC, soccer, Urban Meyer, volleyball

Game week practice for the Florida Gators‘ 2010 season opener is officially underway and, with their first game coming on Saturday at 12 p.m. against the Miami (OH) RedHawks, coaches and players hit the stage on Monday for their first regular season media availability. OGGOA has compiled some of the key details.

OPENING GAME INJURIES

Senior defensive tackle Terron Sanders (knee), left tackles redshirt sophomore Matt Patchan (wrist) and sophomore Xavier Nixon (knee) will all be out of action for the Gators’ home opener on Saturday. Sophomore tight end Jordan Reed, who is nursing a deep knee bruise, is questionable but not likely to play.

STARTING LINEBACKERS NAMED

Head coach Urban Meyer made it a point to single out redshirt senior linebacker A.J. Jones as the team’s only confirmed starter for Saturday. He did, however, say that two of senior Brandon Hicks, sophomore Jon Bostic and redshirt freshman Jelani Jenkins will fill in the other two spots in the starting unit with those chosen being the players whom play best during the next few days of practice. Whoever is the lone non-starter will still see plenty of time on the field.

WIDE RECEIVER ROTATION REVEALED

Junior wide receiver Denote Thompson and redshirt senior Carl Moore, as expected, are the team’s two primary starters with redshirt junior Chris Rainey taking over the slot receiver role. Meyer announced Monday that redshirt freshman Andre Debose would play the X position and back-up Thompson, while freshman standout Robert Clark – who really impressed during camp – will be the main reserve for Rainey.

FIRST DEPTH CHART RELEASED

OFFENSE
QB: John Brantley – Tyler Murphy / Trey Burton
RB: Jeff Demps / Emmanuel Moody – Mike Gillislee / Mack Brown
FB: T.J. Pridemore – Gerald Christian
WR1: Deonte Thompson – Andre Debose – Quinton Dunbar
WR2: Carl Moore – Justin Williams
WR-S: Chris Rainey – Robert Clark
TE: Omarius Hines – Trey Burton / Jordan Reed
LT: Marcus Gilbert – Kyle Koehne
LG: Carl Johnson – Jonotthan Harrison
C: Mike Pouncey – Sam Robey – Nick Alajajian
RG: James Wilson – Jon Halapio – David Young
RT: Maurice Hurt – Nick Alajajian

DEFENSE
DE: Justin Trattou – Lerentee McCray / Dominique Easley
DT: Omar Hunter – Lawrence Marsh / Brandon Antwine
DT: Jaye Howard – Sharrif Floyd
DE: Duke Lemmens – William Green / Ronald Powell
SLB: A.J. Jones – Neiron Ball
MLB: Jon Bostic / Jelani Jenkins – Michael Taylor
WLB: Brandon Hicks – Lorenzo Edwards
CB1: Janoris Jenkins – Josh Shaw / Jaylen Watkins
CB2: Moses Jenkins / Jeremy Brown – Cody Riggs
FS: Will Hill – Josh Evans
SS: Ahmad Black – Matt Elam

SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Caleb Sturgis – Chas Henry
P: Chas Henry – David Lerner – Caleb Sturgis
LS: John Fairbanks (FG), Christopher Guido (P)
H: Chas Henry
KR: Jeff Demps – Chris Rainey / Mike Gillislee
PR: Chris Rainey – Janoris Jenkins

QUOTES and VIDEOS (after the break…)
Continue Reading » Week 1: Florida Gators Monday media availability

Tags: A.J. Jones, Andre Debose, Brandon Hicks, Carl Johnson, Carl Moore, Chris Rainey, Denote Thompson, Duke Lemmens, Jaye Howard, Jelani Jenkins, John Brantley, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Justin Trattou, Marcus Gilbert, Matt Patchan, Miami RedHawks, Robert Clark, Ronald Powell, Terron Sanders, Urban Meyer, William Green, Xavier Nixon

Special thanks to OGGOA‘s two intrepid student correspondents Jordan Rothwell and Tiffany Bowers for their significant contributions to the below post.

Florida Gators football opened itself up Wednesday, allowing University of Florida students an opportunity to ask coaches, players and support staff a wide variety of both intriguing and silly questions at the inaugural Student Town Hall Meeting held at the Touchdown Terrace at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

With over 600 students in attendance, every seat in the house was filled and it was standing room (students were in front of the stadium as early as 4:30 p.m. waiting to get in when the gates opened at 7 p.m.).

On hand were head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti, director of player and community relations Terry Jackson, redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley, senior safety Ahmad Black and junior running back Jeff Demps.

Each student who attended received a 2008 National Championship DVD, Student Town Hall t-shirt and the opportunity to enjoy pizza and drinks as the event came to a close. Throughout the meeting, the team aired a number of highlight videos for the crowd including the recruiting video shown to some of the top high school players in the country when trying to get them to attend UF.

Read about everything that was said at the meeting…after the break!
Continue Reading » Florida’s inaugural Student Town Hall a success

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Andre Debose, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, Maurice Hurt, Mickey Marotti, Percy Harvin, Steve Addazio, Student Town Hall Meeting, Terry Jackson, Teryl Austin, Touchdown Terrace, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

1 » In a piece published Thursday by FOX Sports, reporter Thayer Evans dives further into Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer’s attempts to regain his health and control of his football team. Among other notes, Evans reports that Meyer now uses his “lunch hour” each day to run and life weights. “It’s the first time he’s regularly exercised in years, but he’s so committed that he rescheduled his weekly media sessions during this season to 11:15 a.m. instead of noon like previous seasons,” the article states. There is plenty more (some of which you likely already know) on Meyer’s delegation techniques and other changes he is making to take care of himself.

2 » CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish had an opportunity to sit in on a two-day coaching clinic run by Florida assistant basketball coach Larry Shyatt, which featured a number of high-profile coaches and assistants “talking about a variety of subjects, exchanging ideas, discussing, debating,” etc. “This clinic is different,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. “It’s just an exchange of ideas – coaches passing knowledge back and forth and trying to help each other, and I think that’s what’s great. This is what you get in it for, to coach and have fun and get better and help other guys get better.”

Three more BITS on Pouncey, Loeffler and Demps…after the break.
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Meyer, Shyatt, Pouncey, Loeffler

Tags: Dan Mullen, Denver Broncos, Doak Walker Award, Jamal Williams, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, John Brantley III, Justin Hartwig, Larry Shyatt, Matt Painter, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pro Bowl, Scot Loeffler, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

During an ESPN conference call yesterday, former Florida Gators quarterback now network analyst Jesse Palmer spoke at length about the upcoming college football season. OGGOA had an opportunity to participate in the discussion and got Palmer to talk a bit about the 2010 version of the team. Read it all…after the break:
Continue Reading » ESPN’s Jesse Palmer on the 2010 Florida Gators

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, All-American, Andre Debose, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Charlie Strong, Chris Leak, Chris Rainey, Deonte Thompson, Desmond Howard, Jelani Jenkins, John Brantley, Justin Trattou, Maukrice Pouncey, Neyland Stadium, NFL, Riley Cooper, SEC, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Will Hill

When most college football fans think about the Florida Gators 1996 season, two names in particular come to mind: head coach Steve Spurrier and starting quarterback Danny Wuerffel. Winner of seven individual awards in 1996 including the Heisman Trophy (and another Davey O’Brien Award in 1995), Wuerffel led the Gators to their first National Championship in his final effort after a four-year career in which he threw for an astounding 10,875 yards and 114 touchdowns.

A first-team All-America selection in 1995 and 1996, many of Wuerffel’s numbers remain the best in Southeastern Conference history and the second-best in national history. In 1995, his efficiency of 178.4 set a single-season collegiate record, and in his Heisman year of 1996, his 3,625 yards (SEC record), 39 TDs (led nation, SEC record) and efficiency rating of 170.6 made him the first QB to ever post a rating of 170 or more in back-to-back years. Wuerffel led the Gators in passing in each of his four seasons (1993-96) and still holds Florida records for most career passing touchdowns and most passing touchdowns in a season (in which he also holds second place). In fact, one out of every 9.74 passes Wuerffel threw in his career would be scored for a touchdown.

Enshrined in the team’s Ring of Honor in 2006 and set to be immortalized in a statue outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 2010, Wuerffel is now the executive director of Desire Street Ministries, which works to revitalize impoverished neighborhoods through spiritual and community development.

OGGOA spoke to Wuerffel on Tuesday and, even though our interview was feared lost by a technical difficulty, it was recovered at the end of the day. How lucky are we?

ADAM SILVERSTEIN: Coming out of Fort Walton Beach, was attending the University of Florida an easy choice for you – something you always knew you wanted to do?
DANNY WUERFFEL: “Actually, we were living close to Florida State and my sister was attending Florida State. By default, I was more of a Seminole fan in high school. I took three visits – one to Alabama, one to Florida State and one to Florida. At the end of the day, the two things that drew me to Florida were, firstly, the quality of the education with so many different directions – I wasn’t centered or decided on a major and Florida just had so many highly respected colleges and majors to choose from – I was really impressed with the school, and then secondly, the opportunity to play for coach [Steve] Spurrier – too much to pass up.”

AS: When deciding on Florida, did you know your high school coach wanted to eventually go back to the Gators, or did that happen afterward?
DW: “Coach [Jimmy Ray Stephens] – he played at Florida and had coached at Florida and he was always hoping to get back there – I think that was one of his goals. It was a year or so after I got signed, a year or so after that, coach Spurrier gave him the opportunity to come.”

AS: You played four years at Florida – which is not something a lot of quarterbacks really get the chance to do – but obviously broke out in your final two seasons in 1995 and 1996. Was there a particular switch that turned on for you, was it a measure of the talent around you – what was the difference?
DW: “Practically what happened – both my freshman and sophomore year I was splitting time with Terry Dean – so in terms of snaps and reps, [I] didn’t get as much. For both the 1995 and 1996 team[s], there were some really, really dynamic players and folks that came along and we had two really good teams those two years. And it just happened those were the two years I was in the driver’s seat. When you’re in the right place at the right time with the right coaches and the right players, a lot of cool things can happen, and those were definitely some good years.”

Read the rest of our exclusive interview with Danny Wuerffell…after the break!
Continue Reading » QB Danny Wuerffel: “The opportunity to play for coach Spurrier – too much to pass up.”

Tags: All-American, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Campbell Trophy, Chicago Bears, Desire Street Ministries, Draddy Trophy, Florida State Seminoles, Heisman Trophy, Houston Texans, Hurricane Katrina, James Bates, Jarvis Moss, Jimmy Ray Stephens, John Brantley, Kerwin Bell, Lawrence Wright, Mike Ditka, MVP, National Championship, New Orleans Saints, NFL, NFL Europe, Ring of Honor, SEC, SEC Championship, Shane Matthews, Steve Spurrier, Terry Dean, The Promise, Tim Tebow, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, Washington Redskins, World Bowl