UPDATE: Demar Dorsey no longer being recruited by Gators

Four-star safety recruit Demar Dorsey (Lauderdale Lakes, FL) has spurned the Florida Gators for the in-state rival Florida State Seminoles, according to three separate reports. Dorsey, who openly wavered with his commitment throughout the process, recently proclaimed that he was 90-95 percent solid to the Gators, the highest percentage he had given them over the last year.

He even went so far as to reaffirm his commitment to Florida and recruit other players for the Gators while participating in the Under Armour All-American Game three weeks ago.

“I’ve been to Florida several times on unofficial visits,” Dorsey told the Orlando Sentinel last week, “but I figured I’d take a couple of visits just to make sure Florida is where I want to go to school. [The Gators are] still on top, they’re still my No. 1. They aren’t going anywhere. I’d say right now they’re about 90-95 percent.” He visited the Michigan Wolverines two weeks ago, met with Gators co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Chuck Heater last Thursday, checked out the Seminoles last weeked and has plans to take a trip to see the USC Trojans this weekend.

Though reports state Dorsey has made this decision, a lot can change after he meets with new Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Dorsey was originally interested in the Tennessee Volunteers mostly because of the coaching staff, and the same coaches at a more prestigious program may be enough to send him out West for college. No matter what happens this weekend, coaches from all three schools will have an opportunity to speak with Dorsey before he signs his National Letter of Intent on National Signing Day.

Expect Florida to make an even stronger push to four-star athlete Jeremy Deering (Tampa, FL), who is said to be leaning toward Florida State but may be swayed into changing his mind if Dorsey does indeed sign there on Feb. 3.

Photo Credit: Rivals

Tags: All-American Game, Chuck Heater, Demar Dorsey, Florida State Seminoles, Jeremy Deering, Lane Kiffin, Michigan Wolverines, Monte Kiffin, National Signing Day, Under Armour, USC Trojans

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

Over the past two weeks, OGGOA asked you to participate in four polls. Ranging from how you thought Florida basketball would finish the season to what the biggest college football coaching news story was this offseason, your responses and votes came in record numbers. There were 1,940 combined votes (485 average – by far our highest ever) cast, and the results are in. Here is a quick review:
Continue Reading » Poll Reviews: NCAAs, Edwards, 5-stars, coaches

Tags: Brian Kelly, George Edwards, Lane Kiffin, Matt Elam, Mike Leach, NCAA Tournament, NIT, Pete Carroll, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Urban Meyer

1 » Four-star offensive guard recruit Eric Mack (St. Matthews, SC) was committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks for quite some time. Recently saying he felt uncomfortable with the school, Mack decommitted from head coach Steve Spurrier and chose today between the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators. Unfortunately for Florida fans, Mack has decided to attend Auburn in the fall. The Gators have anywhere between two and four scholarships to fill before their 2010 recruiting class is complete.

2 » Here is an interesting and quite comical story coming out of WBIR in Knoxville, TN. Drew McElroy, a local attorney and big Tennessee Volunteers fan, has filed paperwork with the city’s Public Properties and Facilities Naming Committee to rename Knoxville’s waste water treatment plant the “Lane Kiffin Sewage Center.” And why not? “It dawned on me–Lane Kiffin told us that he hoped the fans would understand,” McElroy said. “I thought, ‘Well, naming the wastewater plant for him would let him know, I think very clearly, we do understand.’” More on this from WBIR.

Extra Bit » A nice read from Sports Illustrated’s Andy Stapes on the position of college football head coach being the most dangerous job in sports. “Nearly every Division I head coach puts in more than 100-hour weeks during the season and heavy recruiting periods,” Staples writes. “If anything, it’s amazing more coaches haven’t suffered heart attacks or more serious ailments as a result of stress and brutal work schedules.”

Tags: Auburn Tigers, Eric Mack, Lane Kiffin, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers, Urban Meyer

The Internet has been buzzing with rumors about how former Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin carried on during his time in Knoxville, TN. The following are all allegations being made against Kiffin by a variety of Web sites who claim to have solid leads and (in some cases) photo evidence to support their claims:

Read the many allegations and OGGOA’s questions after the jump!
Continue Reading » Kiffin’s confirmed car crash furthers allegations

Tags: David Reaves, Lane Kiffin, Mike Hamilton, Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Volunteers, University of Florida, University of Tennessee, USC Trojans

1 » The Florida Gators’ pairing of senior Antoine Benneteau and junior Alexandre Lacroix took home the doubles title at the SEC Indoor Championships with an 8-5 win over the Georgia Bulldogs’ pair of Nate Schnugg and Jamie Hunt. The duo of Benneteau and Lacroix is now 13-1 overall with four double titles to their credit since September. The No. 10-ranked pair will lead the No. 11 Gators men’s tennis team as dual match season gets underway.

2 » In a prediction he admitted had no source or foundation, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King has guessed that former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow will end up with the San Francisco 49ers as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. “The Niners gave a tepid endorsement to Alex Smith as their quarterback of 2010 after the season; and Mike Singletary didn’t draft him; and Singletary is going to fall in love with Tebow once he meets him after the season; and Tebow is the kind of winner that Singletary has preached he wants since he took the job from Mike Nolan in mid-2008,” King wrote. “After Singletary meets Tebow at the Scouting Combine, this is my prediction of his reaction: He’ll turn to GM Scot McCloughan and say, ‘That’s my guy. We’ve got to have him.’”

3 » Speaking of Tebow, OGGOA has been told by more than one source that the Super Bowl XLIV advertisement in which he is a spokesperson for Focus on the Family may eventually be pulled by CBS. This move would not be without precedent; networks airing major sporting events have yanked similar ads before, though it is safe to say that none featured a celebrity of Tebow’s stature.

4 » Though he came back from a trip to the Michigan Wolverines still committed to the Gators, four-star defensive back Demar Dorsey (Lauderdale Lakes, FL) has decided to add a surprising final visit to his docket. Previously scheduled to end his travels in Gainesville, FL, this weekend, Dorsey will now fly out to visit the USC Trojans on Jan. 29. Dorsey was always interested in USC and had previously planned to visit the Tennessee Volunteers when Lane Kiffin was head coach. “I consider myself committed to Florida, but things are still up in the air,” Dorsey told Gerard Martinez of USCFootball.com. “Signing day is Feb. 3, so…”

Tags: Alexandre Lacroix, Antoine Benneteau, Demar Dorsey, Focus on the Family, Georgia Bulldogs, Indoor Championships, Jamie Hunt, Lane Kiffin, Michigan Wolverines, Nate Schnugg, SEC, Super Bowl XLIV, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Tebow, USC Trojans

Already in the process of putting together the best recruiting class in the nation and potentially one of the best all-time, the Florida Gators received the 25th commitment for their 2010 class on Sunday. Four-star linebacker Michael Taylor (Atlanta, GA) has decommitted from the Tennessee Volunteers and instead decided to sport the Orange and Blue after officially visiting Gainesville, FL, last weekend.

Taylor, who was named the White team’s MVP after the 2010 Under Armour All-American Game, was rumored to have made this decision four days ago. “Yeah, he is going to the University of Florida,” said Tony Jacobs, Taylor’s teammate at Atlanta Westlake High, last week. He actually came to the conclusion to decommit from Tennessee last weekend before head coach Lane Kiffin announced his departure for the USC Trojans.

“Florida’s where I feel at home,” Taylor told Mark Wheeler of Rivals. “There’s never been a place where I’ve been and felt so at home. I was committed to Tennessee for five months and I never got that feeling from them. I have a special feeling from Florida. It’s a feeling that it is where I belong.”

Photo Credit: Rivals

Tags: Lane Kiffin, Michael Taylor, Tennessee Volunteers, Under Armour All-American Game, USC Trojans