With the Florida Gators 2010 spring practice now in full swing, there is plenty of newsworthy information around the program. Rather than publishing it all in long form, OGGOA thought it would be best to lay it out piece-by-piece. We continue this series with a look at team practice from Fri., April 2.

Absences/Injuries:
» After missing two consecutive days of practice due to “personal issues,” redshirt senior wide receiver Carl Moore was one of the first players on the field Friday and practiced in full. He worked mostly with the second team but did have some nice receptions.

»Junior running back Jeff Demps attended practice but did not participate. Earlier in the day, he ran a 2010 world record 10.11-second 100-meter dash at the Pepsi Florida Relays. He has already won the 60-meter indoor National Championship.

» Freshman WR Solomon Patton and redshirt freshman WR Stephen Alli both worked away from the team, appearing to be hobbled to injury. Patton had a boot on his left leg to protect his ankle. Both should be fine and were likely sitting out as a precaution.

» Fellow Freshman WR Robert Clark was fitted for a boot after injuring his foot in practice. He will have X-rays to determine the injury’s seriousness.

» Junior defensive end Lerentee McCray was not in pads Friday.

Check out more practice news, notes and interesting quotes…after the break!
Continue Reading » Gators spring practice news and notes – 04/02

Tags: Ahmad Black, Carl Moore, Chris Leak, Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Moody, Frankie Hammond, Janoris Jenkins, Jeff Demps, Jelani Jenkins, John Brantley, Jordan Reed, Lawrence Marsh, Leon Orr, Lerentee McCray, Matt Elam, National Championship, Pepsi Florida Relays, Scot Loeffler, Solomon Patton, Stephen Alli, Terron Sanders, Tim Tebow, Trey Burton, Urban Meyer, Will Hill

Below are the uniform numbers for early enrollees from the Florida Gators‘ No. 1-ranked 2010 recruiting class (as well as those for some walk-ons):

» S Matt Elam – 22
» CB Joshua Shaw – 29
» CB Jaylen Watkins – 14
» OL Ian Silberman – 77
» WR Solomon Patton – 83
» TE Gerald Christian – 32
» DT Leon Orr – 68
» S Jordan Haden – 39
» QB Trey Burton – 13
» WR/KR Robert Clark – 81
» NT Neiron Ball – 48

Walk-ons
» Brandon Sanders – 37
*Carver High School – Ocala, FL
» Gery Marseile – 53
*Booker T. Washington High School – Miami, FL
» Thaddeus Blue – 20
*Miami Carol City High School – Miami, FL
» Phillip Bellino – 86
*Santa Fe Community College, Pope John Paul II High School, Boca Raton, FL

Tags: Brandon Sanders, Gerald Christian, Gery Marseile, Ian Silberman, Jaylen Watkins, Jordan Haden, Joshua Shaw, Leon Orr, Matt Elam, Neiron Ball, Phillip Bellino, Robert Clark, Solomon Patton, Thaddeus Blue, Trey Burton

Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer spoke with members of the media after receiving all 28 letters of intent for his team’s unanimous No. 1-ranked 2010 recruiting class. The following is a transcript of the press conference, courtesy of the University of Florida’s University Athletic Association.
Continue Reading » Urban Meyer on Florida’s 2010 recruiting class

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Chris Dunkley, Darrin Kitchens, Dominique Easley, Friday Night Lights, Gerald Christian, Jordan Reed, Leon Orr, Lynden Trail, Mack Brown, Matt Elam, Michael McFarland, Michael Taylor, National Signing Day, Office of Student Life, Quinton Dunbar, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Solomon Patton, Steve Addazio, Tyler Murphy, Urban Meyer

Five-star defensive end Ronald Powell on ESPNU’s College Football Recruiting Insider:

Head coach Urban Meyer on ESPNU’s College Football Recruiting Insider:

On ranking his class: “I don’t rate it as a class yet, I think that’s down the road – three or four years. But there’s certain elements of this class: size and the defensive line. It’s one of the best I’ve ever seen with Ron Powell, Lynden Trail, Leon Orr, Dominique Easley and Sharrif Floyd. Not just great players, but great people. A good work ethic, good leadership qualities. There are certain areas that I like better than others, but I think our defensive front [is one of them]. That’s where college football is played and that’s where you start on defense.”

On who excites him the most: “We got a tailback named Mack Brown – probably the highest-rated tailback we’ve signed here at Florida, in our tenure here. It’s a guy that we needed, a guy that we had to have. He made a commitment. Nowadays, when you make a commitment, at least you know you’re in the top four. He made a commitment to Florida – didn’t take another trip. Really classy family. Hardworker. Has battled some injuries too, but we’re counting on him to be a big-time playmaker sooner than later for us.”

ESPN had 11 more questions for Meyer. Read them all after the jump!
Continue Reading » ESPN’s coverage of Gators’ 2010 recruiting class

Tags: Dominique Easley, Joshua Shaw, Leon Orr, Lynden Trail, Mack Brown, Mark Sanchez, Matt Elam, National Signing Day, NFL, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Tim Tebow, Trey Burton, Urban Meyer

1 » In a news item that OGGOA broke early Thursday evening via Twitter, Florida Gators four-star defensive tackle commitment Leon Orr (New Port Richey, FL) may be forced to leave Gainesville, FL, and return to Gulf High School for the spring semester. Orr is waiting to hear back from the NCAA Eligibility Center which informed him that some of his high school credits may not have transferred correctly. Should he have to return home to take a class, Orr would come back to Gainesville after graduation for the beginning of the summer session. This, however, remains to be seen, and OGGOA will keep you updated on Orr’s eligibility.

2 » The Florida volleyball team completed a terrific 25-6 run in 2009 and expected to come into the 2010 season with little turnover aside from graduating seniors libero Elyse Cusack and middle blocker Kristina Johnson. Instead, head coach Mary Wise learned this week that starter sophomore outside hitter Colleen Ward and junior setter Brynja Rodgers have decided to transfer. “[Ward] misses home and didn’t feel like she totally fitted in here,” Wise told The Gainesville Sun Thursday. “It was a total shock. We didn’t see it coming and neither did her teammates. With Brynja, the scholarship helped because she would have had to pay her way through her junior year at New Mexico State. She played very well for us, but it wasn’t a surprise that she was leaving.”

Tags: Brynja Rodgers, Colleen Ward, Elyse Cusack, Gulf, Kristina Johnson, Leon Orr, Mary Wise, NCAA Elegibility Center, volleyball

1 » If you were watching the basketball game Tuesday night between the Florida Gators and No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats, you may have seen this clip of head coach Urban Meyer and his wife Shelley smirking while checking their respective phones:

2 » The Tennessean points out that former Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin “decided it was included in his job description […] to annoy Urban Meyer.” Unfortunately, as the article puts it, “a good feud was just ruined.” Similarly, the Orlando Sentinel recounts Kiffin’s top 10 most memorable moments as coach of the Volunteers.

3 » The brand new 2010 ESPNU 150 and 2010 Rivals100 both list Gators five-star defensive end commitment Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA) as their respective No. 1 prospect in the country. Other top Florida recruits ranking high on both lists include five-star defensive tackle Dominique Easley (3/7) five-star safety Matt Elam (9/25), five-star defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (25/4), four-star cornerback Joshua Shaw (28/28), four-star tight end Gerald Christian (35/81), four-star wide receiver Chris Dunkley (37/77), four-star offensive tackle Ian Silberman (41/71), four-star CB Jaylen Watkins (50/47) and four-star DT Leon Orr (81/95). Others who made the ESPNU list but not Rivals’ include: S Jonathan Dowling (10/NR), S Demar Dorsey (12/NR), RB Mack Brown (34/NR), CB Cody Riggs (79/NR), WR Solomon Patton (106/NR). ESPNU ranks four Gators in its top 10.

4 » “If Florida is to be an NCAA tournament team again — if it’s to snap a two-year hiatus after consecutive NCAA titles — the Gators must start a roll Saturday against LSU,” writes ESPN senior college basketball writer Andy Katz. Read his entire blog entry on the Gators and their hopes to earn a spot in March Madness this season.

Tags: Chris Dunkley, Cody Riggs, Demar Dorsey, Dominique Easley, Gerald Christian, Ian Silberman, Jaylen Watkins, Jonathan Dowling, Joshua Shaw, Kentucky Wildcats, Lane Kiffin, Leon Orr, Mack Brown, Matt Elam, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Shelley Meyer, Solomon Patton, Tennessee Volunteers, Urban Meyer

The Florida Gators may have lost their prize commitment of the 2010 cycle in five-star safety Matt Elam (West Palm Beach, FL), but the Orange and Blue gained declarations from two of the top players in the country on Saturday during the 2010 Under Armour All-American Game. Four-star wide receiver Chris Dunkley (Pahokee, FL) and four-star defensive tackle Dominique Easley (Staten Island, NY) both put on Gators hats to the delight of Gator Nation.

Though Dunkley had long been considered a Florida lean and possible silent commitment, he had been toying with the idea of committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide and was slightly taken aback by the announcements from Gators head coach Urban Meyer this week. Instead, he said that he was a mama’s boy, wanted to stay in-state and loved the program. “I was real, real, real happy and revealed to make my decision to play for the University of Florida,” Dunkley said after the game. “There was a moment [I wavered],” Dunkley said. “I know [Meyer]‘s working to take care of himself. I’ve got to do what’s right for me.”

“I’ve built a relationship with almost everybody on the team,” Dunkley told ESPN. So it’s like me going, basically, back to a home away from home. All the teammates are like my brothers, so everything feels comfortable there. I have been waiting to get this off of my chest for a long time. I fit in perfect. [Freshman WR Andre] Debose and I both do. I have gotten to know him well and we talk all the time. I talk to John Brantley all the time, too. Like I said, it’s like I’ve been on the team for a while. I am going in to compete. All the coaches at Florida know that. All of the players know that.”