Round 4 – No. 113
Aaron Hernandez, TE
New England Patriots

Height: 6’2″ – Weight: 245 lbs.
Age: 20 – Class: Junior

Almost a full day and dozens of picks after he expected to be drafted, former Florida Gators tight end Aaron Hernandez was grabbed by the New England Patriots with the No. 113 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

The eighth Gators player selected in the draft and the third taken by the Patriots alone, Hernandez (the team’s leading receiver in 2009) is believed to have slipped due to concerns both about his blocking and (more importantly) his character.

Hernandez won the John Mackey Award (nation’s top tight end) in 2009, leading all at his position in receptions (68) and receiving yards (850). He was nearly a unanimous first-team All-American, earning recognition from the Associated Press and Sporting News while also garnering unanimous first-team All-SEC honors.

Hernandez joins defensive end Jermaine Cunningham and linebacker Brandon Spikes as former Florida student-athletes drafted by New England this weekend. He is also the second tight end selected by the Patriots, following Iowa’s Rob Gronkowski who was taken back in the second round.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, All-American, All-SEC, Brandon Spikes, Draft, Jermaine Cunningham, John Mackey Award, New England Patriots, NFL, Rob Gronkowski

Two Florida Gators juniors came home from The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards in Orlando, FL, Thursday evening with awards; unfortunately, four other players were not as lucky. Center Maurkice Pouncey was awarded the 2009 Rimington Trophy (best collegiate center) and tight end Aaron Hernandez was honored with the 2009 John Mackey Award (best collegiate tight end). Each was the first Gators player in history to take home his respective award.

Senior quarterback Tim Tebow, who was up for the 2009 Davey O’Brien Award (best collegiate quarterback) and 2009 Maxwell Award (best all-around player), was defeated for both by Texas Longhorns QB Colt McCoy. Tebow took home the O’Brien Award in 2007 and is a two-time winner of the Maxwell Award (2007, 2008). Senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes lost the 2009 Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player) to Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh; junior cornerback Joe Haden was defeated by Tennessee Volunteers safety Eric Berry for the 2009 Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back); and Georgia Bulldogs punter Drew Butler won the 2009 Ray Guy Award (best collegiate punter) over junior Chas Henry. 2009 Heisman Trophy ceremony is on Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Chas Henry, Chuck Bednarik Award, Colt McCoy, Davey O'Brien Award, Drew Butler, Eric Berry, Georgia Bulldogs, Heisman Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award, Joe Haden, John Mackey Award, Maurkice Pouncey, Maxwell Award, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ray Guy Award, Rimington Trophy, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Longhorns, Tim Tebow

1 » Numerous Florida Gators football players have been named finalists for national college football awards set to be announced during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards show on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Senior quarterback Tim Tebow – Maxwell Award (Best All-Around Player), Davey O’Brien Award (Best Quarterback); senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes – Chuck Bednarik Award (Best Defensive Player); junior cornerback Joe Haden – Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back); junior punter Chas Henry – Ray Guy Award (Best Punter); junior tight end Aaron Hernandez – John Mackey Award (Best Tight End).

2 » Edward Aschoff over at the Gainesville Sun has compiled a comprehensive list of high school football players expected to visit Gainesville, FL, for the Florida vs. Florida State Seminoles game on Saturday. Among them are 12 current commitments (Elam, Christian, Brown, Burton, Watkins, Patton, Orr, Silberman, Ball, Trail, Haden, Van) as well as 5-star, 4-star and 3-star recruits. OGGOA reported via twitter that five-star safety commit Matt Elam rescheduled his official visit for Dec. 12, but he may also visit unofficially this weekend.

3 » No. 5 women’s cross country finished in seventh-place at the 2009 NCAA Championships on Monday afternoon. The highest finish in program history, the Gators were the only Southeastern Conference team competing in the event. The top-10 finish was the first in program history, according to the Sports Information Department. “We’ve had a tremendous year, cross country coach Todd Morgan said. “We won the SEC and the South Regional Championships and today, we finished top 10 in the country for the first time. We’re definitely leaving here feeling like we didn’t run totally on cylinders, which is a great thing because we still finished so well.”

4 » On Sunday, senior Florida libero Elyse Cusack moved into second place on the SEC’s all-time career digs list. Her great weekend was capped off with an SEC Defensive Player of the Week honor announced by the conference on Monday. This is Cusack’s 12th time winning the award, her third this season. Since the SEC started handing out this award for volleyball in 2003, the Gators have won it 22 times – more than any other program.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Chas Henry, Chuck Bednarik Award, cross country, Davey O'Brien Award, Elyse Cusack, Jim Thorpe Award, Joe Haden, John Mackey Award, Matt Elam, Maxwell Award, NCAA Championship, Ray Guy Award, SEC, Tim Tebow, Todd Morgan, volleyball

From time to time, OGGOA will come across tidbits and small news items we want to share with our readers. In those instances, we present a special post: Gator Bites. Enjoy.

- Florida Gators basketball has officially announced the commitments of four-star recruits power forward Patric Young (Jacksonville, FL) and small forward Casey Prather (Jackson, TN). This was merely a formality as both had committed previously but sent in their National Letters of Intent on Tuesday.

- Senior quarterback Tim Tebow has been named to the “Players to Watch” list for the 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year award.

- Junior tight end Aaron Hernandez was announced as one of eight semifinalists for the 2009 John Mackey Award. Hernandez is first on the team is receptions and second in receiving yards and average yards per game. He is first among Southeastern Conference TEs in receiving yards, average yards per game and receptions.

- The father of former Florida quarterback Rex Grossman denounced the Chicago Bears coaching staff Tuesday, saying that the offense is “a self-perpetuating problem that is not Jay Cutler’s fault.” Grossman was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft and started for Chicago in their most recent Super Bowl appearance.

- Four-star wide receiver recruit Kenny Stills (Carlsbad, CA) has made plans to visit the Gators in two weeks. Florida safeties coach Chuck Heater has an in with Stills as he coached his father while both were with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Casey Prather, Chicago Bears, Chuck Heater, John Mackey Award, Kenny Stills, NFL, Patric Young, Rex Grossman, SEC, Tim Tebow, Walter Camp Award

Florida Gators junior tight end Aaron Hernandez has been announced as a semifinalist for the 2009 John Mackey Award, which honors the best collegiate tight end in the nation each season. Hernandez was previously on the Mackey Award preseason watch list and solidified his spot with a career-best outing against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.

Hernandez grabbed career-highs in receptions (seven) and yards (92) while standing out as the most consistent performer on Florida’s offense throughout the game. He currently leads all SEC tight ends in receiving yards (360), average yards per game (60) and receptions (28) while standing second in average yards per catch (12.9). Hernandez leads the Gators in both receptions and receiving yards and will have a good shot at this award should he continue his stellar play.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Arkansas Razorbacks, John Mackey Award, SEC