1 » In addition to earning a commitment from four-star 2012 running back Matt Jones (Seffner, FL) on Monday, the Florida Gators also found out that long-snapper/tight end Kyle Crofoot has decided to accept an offer to be a preferred walk-on for 2011, according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Chris Hays. The brother of Florida redshirt freshman walk-on kicker/holder John Crofoot, Kyle will enroll in the summer with hopes of eventually earning a scholarship.

2 » The subject of rumors throughout the season, Gators freshman defensive tackle Dominique Easley recently spoke with his hometown newspaper, the Staten Island Advance, about his tumultuous season and newfound happiness at Florida. “I thought about leaving,” he told the paper, citing the demanding nature of head coach Urban Meyer and the stage of The Swamp as tough obstacles to overcome. “I was just uncomfortable with a lot of things. I was wondering if I was at the right place for me. […] It wasn’t what I was used to. [Gainesville, FL] is a lot different than Staten Island.” With an improved mindset and new coaching staff behind him, Easley is hopeful to turn things around at the University of Florida. “They let me know what they expected, and said they’d give me an opportunity to show them what I can do,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to hear, and I feel a lot more comfortable about the way things are going.”

3 » Florida basketball is in the middle of putting together what looks to be an exciting season, but plenty of discussion continues to surround five-star guard Brad Beal (St. Louis, MO), who will join the program at the end of the year. Featured along with his Chaminade High School teammates on ESPNU Saturday, Beal exploded for 40 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals as he propelled his team to a 76-58 victory. “That was something, really something,” the opposition’s head coach, Randy Reed, said of Beal’s showing. “He has a smooth, old-school spirit. One of the best I’ve ever seen in St. Louis. […] His basketball IQ is so much higher than these high school player. His IQ is like a junior in college. He’s so smooth I don’t think he even sweats on the court. I don’t think we’ll see another kid like him around here for a while.” [VIDEO]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Bryan Burwell described Beal’s performance this way:

Randy Reed kept running different defenders at Beal, tall ones and short ones, quick ones and burly ones, and Beal lit each and every one of them up. Slashing drives down the lane. Muscling spin moves in the paint. Three-pointers and mid-range pullups that kept making sweet, sweet string music from every conceivable angle. […]

Watching him play basketball against other high school kids with less sparkling hoop résumés like this is almost unfair. He is that good. He is that smooth. He is that completely aware of how to play the game the right way, even with the dazzling athletic flourishes he put on display on national [TV].

4 » Starting her senior season with a bang, Gators pitcher Stephanie Brombacher was named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week after posting a 3-0 record including her second perfect game in as many seasons. Read more about Brombacher’s trio of stellar performances over the weekend right here.

Tags: Brad Beal, Dominique Easley, John Crofoot, Kyle Crofoot, Matt Jones, Pitcher of the Week, SEC, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, The Swamp, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

Less than 10 days after 2011 National Signing Day concluded, Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp has made his first splash for the 2012 cycle, earning a verbal commitment from four-star running back Matt Jones (Seffner, FL) over the weekend.

Jones, a member of the Rivals250 who is considered by many to be the best rusher in the state of Florida, was thrilled to hear about the Gators’ pro-style offense when he sat down with Muschamp and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis during Florida’s Junior Day. Though he gave them his verbal pledge over the weekend, he wanted to make his decision public in order to avoid dealing with the stresses that come with recruiting.

He plans to make a “solid commitment” (the words of his high school head coach) to UF on Wednesday at 7 p.m., according to The Tampa Tribune.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Muschamp and Weis told Jones he was their No. 1 target at his position and that he is unlike any other back currently on the roster. At approximately 6’2″ and 210 lbs., Jones rushed for 1,447 yards and accounted for 29 total touchdowns as a junior at Armwood High School.

“When I was at Florida [on] Saturday, I knew that is what I wanted. I love the staff and coach Muschamp is great. I knew I was going to do it but I did not tell them until later in the day,” Jones told Scout.com. “I felt great up there and the Gator Nation better be ready. When I told coach Muschamp, he was real jacked up and I made his day. He told me they needed a guy like me and great players want to play with other great players. I just want to go up there and compete. I plan on rocking the entire Gator Nation.”

Jones joins four-stars defensive tackle Omari Phillips (Venice, FL) and wide receiver LaTroy Pittman (Citra, FL) as the Gators’ third 2012 commitment.

Photo Credit: Chris Zuppa/St. Petersburg Times

Tags: Charlie Weis, Junior Day, Latroy Pittman, Matt Jones, Omari Phillips, Will Muschamp

- The No. 1 Florida Gators extended their winning streak to 18 games, dating back to 2008. This is good for the longest in school history, the longest in the nation and most consecutive wins for an SEC team since the Auburn Tigers had 20 from 1993-94.

- The Gators are 8-0 for the first time since the 1996 team started 10-0 and finished 12-1 with UF’s first football National Championship.

- Senior quarterback Tim Tebow broke the SEC record for rushing touchdowns (49) previously held by former Georgia Bulldogs‘ RB Herschel Walker (1980-82) with his 23-yard run in the second quarter. Tebow followed it up with a five-yard run in the third quarter to end the game with 51 career rushing touchdowns.

- Also gaining 85 yards on the ground against Georgia, Tebow broke another SEC record – career rushing yards by a quarterback. Previously held by Arkansas Razorbacks QB Matt Jones (2001-04) at 2,535, the record has been surpassed by Tebow who now has 2,588 on his career and looks to improve the number over the course of the next few weeks.

- Since Urban Meyer became the head coach in 2005, the Gators are now 14-1 against tradition rivals (Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Tennessee), including a 4-1 record against the Bulldogs.

- Special teams continue to stop opponents from returning punts as Chas Henry and his unit did not allow any punt return yardage for the eighth straight game. The Gators have recorded zero punt-return yardage this season.

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Chas Henry, Georgia Bulldogs, Herschel Walker, Matt Jones, SEC

No. 1 Florida Gators (8-0, 6-0 SEC) senior quarterback Tim Tebow totaled four touchdowns on the day and broke two Southeastern Conference all-time records as his team went on to rout the Georgia Bulldogs (4-4, 3-3 SEC) 41-17 in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on Saturday. Florida has won 17 of the last 20 against Georgia and took their second consecutive game in the series by at least 24 points.

Tying Bulldogs running back Herschel Walker‘s SEC record of 49 rushing touchdowns last week, Tebow broke it Saturday with 1:32 left in the first half on a beautiful 23-yard TD run. He would add a four-yard TD rush in the third quarter to finish the day with an SEC-record 51 rushing scores. Tebow is now two touchdowns behind RB Kevin Faulk formerly of the LSU Tigers who has the most touchdowns rushing and receiving (53). Additionally, Tebow broke former Arkansas Razorbacks QB Matt Jones‘ all-time SEC record of rushing yards for a quarterback.

On top of to Tebow’s two rushing scores, he completed two more through the air to wide receiver Riley Cooper, who finished with a team-leading four receptions and 78 yards. Cooper had a spectacular catch for his second touchdown, a one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone. Tebow lead the team in rushing with 18 carries for 85 yards, and no running back received more than seven carries (Emmanuel Moody).

Defensively, the Gators were just as dominant. Redshirt junior linebacker A.J. Jones grabbed a pair of interceptions and has now picked off three balls in two weeks. One was an athletic move where he tipped the ball and then dove to come up with the turnover. Senior LB Brandon Spikes added a pick-six in the fourth quarter, and redshirt junior LB Ryan Stamper also grabbed one with 11:54 to go in the game. Florida’s secondary held Georgia star sophomore wide receiver A.J. Green to three catches for 50 yards, though it did allow two TDs.

The special teams unit was also special Saturday, with sophomore kicker Caleb Sturgis hitting two field goals including a career-long 56-yard shot and punter Chas Henry totaling three kicks for 145 yards – two inside the five and once again no return yards given up by the coverage unit.

On the injury front, Spikes appeared to hurt himself early in the game but returned while RB Chris Rainey left in the second half with what seemed to be a serious left shoulder injury. Redshirt senior safety Dorian Munroe, who missed the 2008 season with a torn ACL and had not yet played in 2009, made his debut on special teams and looked good.

The Gators continue to own the nation’s longest winning streak at 18 games. Florida will return home to Gainesville, FL, and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium next weekend to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-6, 0-5 SEC). The game will air on ESPN/2 at 8:15 p.m.

Tags: A.J. Green, A.J. Jones, Arkansas Razorbacks, Brandon Spikes, Caleb Sturgis, Chas Henry, Chris Rainey, Dorian Munroe, Emmanuel Moody, Georgia Bulldogs, Herschel Walker, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Matt Jones, Riley Cooper, Ryan Stamper, SEC, Tim Tebow, Vanderbilt Commodores, World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

- The No. 1 Florida Gators extended their winning streak to 17 games, dating back to 2008. This is good for the longest in school history, the longest in the nation and most consecutive wins for an SEC team since the Auburn Tigers had 20 from 1993-94.

- The Gators improved to 3-0 against teams from the SEC West during the regular season for the first time since 1998.

- Florida has won nine straight conference road games since 2007.

- The Gators are 7-0 for the first time since the 1996 team started 10-0 and finished 12-1 with UF’s first football National Championship.

- With running back Chris Rainey‘s punt block, the Gators improved to 20-1 under head coach Urban Meyer when blocking a kick and 14-0 when blocking a punt.

- Senior quarterback Tim Tebow tied the SEC record for rushing touchdowns (49) currently held by former Georgia Bulldogs‘ RB Herschel Walker with his 26-yard run in the second quarter. The [touchdown] run also tied his career long.

- Tebow has amassed 2,503 career rushing yards,moving him within 33 yards of breaking ex-Arkansas Razorbacks QB Matt Jones‘ SEC record of 2,535 yards.

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Chris Rainey, Georgia Bulldogs, Herschel Walker, Matt Jones, SEC, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer