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

Five-star Florida Gators safety commitment Matt Elam called himself only “85 percent committed” to the team on Tuesday, one day after telling a reporter from Rivals that the Gators had nothing to worry about in regard to his commitment.

“Though I made a verbal commitment to Florida last year to take the pressure off me, my brother [Cleveland Browns safety Abram Elam] thought it would be a good idea to take some visits anyway, just in case,” Elam said in a blog entry on his brother’s Web site. “So the recruitment is still going on, and I’m getting attention from a lot of different schools. Other schools I’m looking at are Tennessee, West Virginia and Georgia.”

While this blog entry comes straight for Elam, I am taking his comments with a grain of salt at this point. Especially considering just a day or two ago, Elam told Rivals that “[Florida] don’t have any reason to worry. I’m going to Florida.” Elam has reaffirmed his commitment on numerous occasions, including again today on his facebook page (“I AM GOING TO UF! I love to have p[eo]pl[e] thinking!”), that backing away from the Gators at this point is simply not likely. Couple that with his family’s relationship with head coach Urban Meyer, and Elam is all for the Gators as far as I am concerned. The “85 percent” statement may rub some (including the Florida coaching staff) the wrong way, but let’s be honest: Who is really 100 percent sure about anything as an 18-year-old high school student?

Photo Credit: Jim Rassol, Sun-Sentinel

Tags: Abram Elam, Cleveland Browns, Matt Elam, Urban Meyer

Search “Matt Elam“ on OGGOA and you will come up with a number of stories about the five-star safety questioning his commitment to the Florida Gators and then re-affirming it soon after. Making his fourth unofficial visit to Gainesville, FL, this season on Saturday, Elam once again declared his desire to wear Orange & Blue in the spring.

“[Florida] don’t have any reason to worry. I’m going to Florida,” Elam told Rivals. “I can’t wait to get this over with. Florida is going to be my last visit. I’m going to take my official visit for either the Florida State game or when they come back from the SEC Championship game.”

Vanderbilt Commodores weekend was the second straight Gators home game Elam attended. Although he has taken visits to the Tennessee Volunteers, Georgia Bulldogs and Florida State Seminoles (which has irked some Florida coaches), the Florida coaching staff keeps reiterating their desire to have him in the fold come January. “They tell me basically the same thing all the time – how much they want me.”

Tags: Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, Matt Elam, Tennessee Volunteers, Vanderbilt Commodores

Rather than write you a long, worthless introduction, just go ahead and make the jump for a ton of recruiting news on the following recruits: Matt Elam, Jeff Luc, Chaz Green, Christian Green, Chris Dunkley, Kardon Boone, James Louis, Cody Riggs, Lamarcus Joyner, Sharrif Floyd and Ronald Powell.

Continue Reading » Status updates for UF’s top recruiting prospects

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Chaz Green, Chris Dunkley, Christian Green, Cody Riggs, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, James Louis, Jeff Luc, Kardon Boone, Lamarcus Joyner, Lane Kiffin, Matt Elam, North Carolina Tar Heels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, South Carolina Gamecocks, Texas Tech Red Raiders, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, USC Trojans

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

- Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer said Thursday that senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes is “50-50″ (questionable) for Saturday vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs. Meyer also said junior defensive lineman Justin Trattou is officially out.

- Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen is campaigning for a record attendance at Scott Field on Saturday. He also told reporters that he spoke with Florida senior quarterback Tim Tebow by text message Thursday afternoon.

- According to Rivals, quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler “spent almost an entire day last week” scouting four-star dual-threat QB recruit Devin Gardner – a Michigan Wolverines commitment.

- Five-star offensive lineman recruit Seantrel Henderson, the No. 1 prospect in the nation, has delayed his visit to the University of Florida until December because of scheduling difficulties. Florida is one of six top programs vying for his services. (Rivals)

- Freshman wide receiver T.J. Lawrence is expected to miss a few weeks after having his meniscus scoped Thursday. “[Lawrence] is getting close,” Meyer said. “He had a couple good weeks.”

- The Gators coaching staff are big fans of four-star safety recruit Tony Jefferson, who wishes to visit Gainesville, FL, for the Florida State Seminoles game in November. However, Florida is reluctant and most likely will not have Jefferson visit because they want to satiate five-star S commit Matt Elam. (Rivals)

Tags: Brandon Spikes, Devin Gardner, Florida State Seminoles, Justin Trattou, Matt Elam, Michigan Wolverines, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Scot Loeffler, Seantrel Henderson, T.J. Lawrence, Tim Tebow, Tony Jefferson, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

Last Tuesday, OGGOA broke the news that prized Florida Gators recruit, five-star safety/athlete Matt Elam of Dwyer, had reaffirmed his commitment to the University of Florida. This revelation came following a two hour conversation he had with head coach Urban Meyer, who reassured Elam of his ability to earn playing time as a freshman and be an impactful member of the Florida secondary from the day he steps foot on campus, regardless of how many other players UF signs at his position. “I talked to my coach [Meyer] a little,” Elam said. “We talked about the safety situation and our relationship. I committed for a reason. I’m not going to back down. It’s all Florida.”

Prior to OGGOA‘s report, Elam had spoken publicly about being impressed by two visits he had taken recently to the West Virginia Mountaineers and Tennessee Volunteers. “At first I just wanted to take a look,” Elam said about his Tennessee visit. “But I saw things and talked to [defensive coordinator] Monte [Kiffin]. I saw how they used their safeties and they put them in a position to make plays. They do have a chance [to sign me].” Elam would later say that, while both visits opened his eyes as to what else was out there aside from Florida, he was simply doing his due diligence.

Apparently, Elam showing a shred of interest in the Vols has gotten head coach Lane Kiffin smelling blood in the water. Kiffin visited Dwyer today, “pressing [Elam] pretty hard” to change his mind and decommit from the Gators, according to a source close to the player. This source also told OGGOA that it believes Elam’s commitment to Florida and Meyer is firm, but relinquishes that “Kiffin is a hell of a salesman.”

Elam plans to graduate in the fall and enroll at UF in the spring in order to get a leg up on the 2010 season. From now until then, anything can happen. “This is just part of what [Elam] has to go through until February,” the source said.

…and while we are on the subject, I just came across an Orlando Sentinel article about Elam keeping the memory of his murdered siblings close to him. Very touching story and a must-read for anyone following Elam or Gators recruiting.

Tags: Lane Kiffin, Matt Elam, Monte Kiffin, Tennessee Volunteers, Urban Meyer, West Virginia Mountaineers

ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive broke the news Tuesday morning that five-star Florida Gators commitment safety/athlete Matt Elam was solid in his decision to enroll in the University of Florida in the spring even though he had told reporters publicly that he was wavering and considering taking other visits. “A source close to Elam told OGGOA early Wednesday that his commitment to the Gators is solid,” the story read, “regardless of what he is telling reporters.”

Apparently the Palm Beach Post has followed up on this story, speaking with Elam directly this afternoon.

“I talked to my coach [Urban Meyer] a little,” Elam said. “We talked about the safety situation and our relationship. I committed for a reason. I’m not going to back down. It’s all Florida.”

According to the Post, Elam is now signing every text message with “#22 UF BOUND.”

Photo Credit: Jim Rassol, Sun-Sentinel

Tags: Matt Elam, Urban Meyer

Much has been made over the last week about prized Florida Gators commitment, five-star safety/athlete Matt Elam of Dwyer, wavering on his desire to attend the University of Florida this spring. A source close to Elam told OGGOA early Wednesday that his commitment to the Gators is solid, regardless of what he is telling reporters. Elam is simply doing his due diligence and taking his official visits before signing at the deadline to enroll early in the spring.

Nevertheless, Elam’s comments over the past week have ruffled the feathers of some Florida coaches and players, who have taken it upon themselves to indirectly answer some of the questions that were brought up. Chief among those is the contention that increased positional depth in the secondary will inhibit young players from getting playing time as freshmen.

[Read Florida's responses after the jump...]

Continue Reading » Gators five-star commit Matt Elam is solid

Tags: Chuck Heater, Janoris Jenkins, Joe Haden, Matt Elam, Will Hill