An OGGOA reader brought the following to my attention late Thursday afternoon. Apparently the University of Miami will be selling jerseys, hats and t-shirts to commemorate the new Nike Pro Combat uniforms that the Miami Hurricanes will be wearing in two weeks against the South Florida Bulls.

Seeing as the Florida Gators will be a part of the same marketing event, the above picture makes one wonder if the University of Florida will be allowing its fans to buy similar gear. While the Florida vs. Florida State Seminoles game is the same day as the Canes game, no official release has been provided by the University Athletic Association, pictures have not been disseminated and no further information has been made available aside from what OGGOA has uncovered over the last two weeks.

[UPDATE:] Nike has announced via one of their twitter accounts that pictures and information on Florida’s uinform will be released on Saturday, Nov. 21. OGGOA will post all of this information as soon as it is made available. Stay tuned.

One thing we do know is that Nike is selling each team’s specialty Vapor Trail gloves on its online store. At the very least, I would expect the Gators version to be up there for purchase. As always, OGGOA will have more on this as information is made available.

Tags: Florida State Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes, Nike Pro Combat, uniform, University Athletic Association, University of Miami

On Monday, OGGOA reported that the Florida Gators would be unveiling a special uniform for their final home game of the 2009 season against the Florida State Seminoles. Two sources close to OGGOA provided us with exclusive information regarding the Gators special uniforms, including a picture of the gloves that will be worn for the game. OGGOA has now also uncovered a picture of the uniform.

Last week, OGGOA received images of brand new Nike Pro Combat uniforms that FSU plans to wear on Nov. 21 against the Maryland Terrapins. These uniforms will be worn by the Seminoles, Gators and eight other teams to promote Nike’s new line.

Each team has its own tagline, too: Florida Gators – Finish the Mission; Florida State Seminoles – Fear the Spear; Virginia Tech Hokies – Good Guys Wear White; TCU Horned Frogs – Never Back Down; Ohio State Buckeyes – Earned; Oklahoma Sooners – Stake Our Claim; Texas Longhorns – It Only Takes Eleven; LSU Tigers – Cochon De Lait; Missouri Tigers – Beast Mode; Miami Hurricanes – The U Knows

Nike’s Pro Combat uniforms are said to be 37% lighter than current designs and utilize a four-way stretch twill that does not hold sweat or water. Additional features include Nike’s Dri-FIT technology, evaporation and cooling zones, more padding zones and improved ventilation and breathability. Players will also wear Nike Vapor Trail 2.0 gloves (see above) and Nike Zoom Air cleats that are light weight and feature better cushioning in the heel. Below you will find a more detailed picture of FSU’s uniform:

Tags: Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, Missouri Tigers, Nike Pro Combat, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Longhorns, uniforms, Virginia Tech Hokies

CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED STORY INCLUDING PICTURE OF FULL UNIFORM!

Rumors have been circling over the last few weeks that the Florida Gators would be unveiling a special uniform for one of their final two home games of the 2009 season. Two sources close to OGGOA have provided us with exclusive information regarding the Gators special uniforms, including a picture of the gloves that will be worn for the game.

Last week, OGGOA received images of brand new Nike Pro Combat uniforms that the Florida State Seminoles plan to wear on Nov. 21 against the Maryland Terrapins. These uniforms will be worn by the Seminoles, Gators and eight other teams to promote Nike’s new line. Each team has its own tagline, too:

Florida Gators – Finish the Mission; Florida State Seminoles – Fear the Spear; Virginia Tech Hokies – Good Guys Wear White; TCU Horned Frogs – Never Back Down; Ohio State Buckeyes – Earned; Oklahoma Sooners – Stake Our Claim; Texas Longhorns – It Only Takes Eleven; LSU Tigers – Cochon De Lait; Missouri Tigers – Beast Mode; Miami Hurricanes – The U Knows

While OGGOA has yet to come across pictures of Florida’s uniforms for the game, below you will find a picture of Florida State’s. Nike’s Pro Combat uniforms are said to be 37% lighter than current designs and utilize a four-way stretch twill that does not hold sweat or water. Additional features include Nike’s Dri-FIT technology, evaporation and cooling zones, more padding zones and improved ventilation and breathability. Players will also wear Nike Vapor Trail 2.0 gloves (see above) and Nike Zoom Air cleats that are light weight and feature better cushioning in the heel.

Tags: Florida State Seminoles, LSU Tigers, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, Missouri Tigers, Nike Pro Combat, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Longhorns, uniforms, Virginia Tech Hokies

Four-star cornerback John Fulton (Manning, SC) will be taking a trip to the University of Florida for an official visit this Saturday when the Florida Gators take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Fulton is currently favoring his hometown South Carolina Gamecocks and Alabama Crimson Tide. With Florida already having a plethora of cornerback commitments, he may just be doing his due diligence.

More football, basketball and volleyball recruiting news after the jump…
Continue Reading » Recruiting visits for Vandy, update on Knight

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Berkley Whaley, Brandon Knight, Connecticut Huskies, Ian Silberman, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Luc, John Fulton, Joshua Shaw, Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Michael McFarland, Ohio State Buckeyes, South Carolina Gamecocks, Trey Burton, University of Florida, Vanderbilt Commodores, volleyball

A new college football rivalry trophy named the “Okefenokee Oar” will be presented to the winner of the annual Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs game Saturday at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. According to Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald, the creation of the trophy was “a collaborative idea of the University of Florida and University of Georgia student governments.” Each season, the winner of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will take home the trophy for display before fighting over it the following year in Jacksonville, FL.

Fashioned from a 1,000 year old cypress tree harvested in the Okefenokee Swamp (which borders the two states), it will be introduced live on CBS by the Florida and Georgia student government presidents and awarded to the winning team after the game. Both universities hope to make the trophy as important as other college football rivalry trophies (like the Little Brown Jug for Michigan-Minnesota and Paul Bunyan’s Axe for Minn.-Wisconsin).

Florida currently holds two rivalry trophies. It possesses the Seminole War Canoe after defeating the Miami Hurricanes (2008) and has held the Governor’s Cup (in title alone) for defeating the Florida State Seminoles consecutively since 2004.

A picture of the Oar has been swiped by OGGOA provided courtesy of the Herald.

Tags: Georgia Bulldogs, Govenor's Cup, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Little Brown Jug, Miami Hurricanes, OKefenokee Oar, Paul Bunyan's Axe, Seminole War Canoe, World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

In a big day for Florida Gators tennis, the men’s doubles team of junior Alexandre Lacroix and redshirt senior Antoine Benneteau won the Wilson/ITA Southeast Regional Championship Monday, defeating the Florida State Seminoles team of Connor Smith and Vahid Mirzadeh 8-2 at the Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, GA.

Almost simultaneously, Florida freshman Allie Will won the singles title in the women’s Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Championships at the Bill More Tennis Center in Atlanta, GA. Will first had to defeat the Miami Hurricanes‘ Laura Vallverdu (ranked No. 2 in the tournament and No. 6 in the nation) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, before meeting FSU’s Noemie Scharle in the finals. Scharle was the event’s No. 4 seed and ranked No. 24 in the country, but still lost to Will 6-4, 6-0.

Both Lacroix/Benneteau and Will earned spots at the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. This event is considered to be the second leg of the collegiate Grand Slam and will be held on Nov. 5-8 at Yale University and the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in West Haven, CT, respectively.

Tags: Alexandre Lacroix, Allie Will, Antoine Benneteau, Connor Smith, Florida State Seminoles, ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, Laura Vallverdu, Miami Hurricanes, Noemie Scharle, tennis, Vahid Mirzadeh, Wilson/ITA Southeast Regional Championship

1 » Volleyball (16-3, 10-2 SEC) continues to roll through the SEC as the No. 10/11 Florida Gators swept the Ole Miss Rebels (8-14, 2-10 SEC) in straight sets (25-18, 25-13, 25-16) on Sunday in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy continues her stellar play and recorded a match-high 14 kills. Florida goes on the road to Tuscaloosa, AL, to square off against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m.

2 » The No. 12 Florida soccer team (13-4-2, 7-1-2 SEC) defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks (8-6-4, 2-6-2 SEC) Sunday afternoon on the road at Razorback Field by a 1-0 margin. The victory puts Florida in first place in the conference heading into its final match of the regular season Friday, Oct. 30 against No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks.

3 » The Gators women’s swimming and diving team won the 2009 SMU Classic in Dallas, TX, on Saturday, finishing in first-place with 353 points ahead of the Louisville Cardinals, Wisconsin Badgers, Southern Methodist Perunas, Florida State Seminoles and Rice Owls. The rest of the team that did not compete in that event were also victorious on the weekend, taking down both Arkansas and the Kansas Jayhawks in double-dual on the road in Fayetteville, AK.

Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Soccer rolls; Volleyball wins; Swimming dominates; Tennis in finals

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Alexandre Lacroix, Allie Will, Antoine Benneteau, Arkansas Razorbacks, Connor Smith, diving, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, Kansas Jayhawks, Kelly Murphy, Laura Vallverdu, Lauren McCreless, Louisville Cardinals, Miami Hurricanes, O'Connell Center, Ole Miss Rebels, Rice Owls, SEC, SMU Classic, soccer, South Carolina Gamecocks, Southern Methodist, swimming, tennis, University of Florida, Vahid Mirzadeh, volleyball, Wilson/ITA Southeast Regional Championship, Wisconsin Badgers, Yale University

1 » Prior to the season, one of the biggest stories was the Florida Gators potentially using cornerback Joe Haden at quarterback in a Wildcat-like formation. While UF’s ability and lack of fear to use the Wildcat with wide receiver Percy Harvin last season was well documented, I held (and hold) the opinion that Haden plays extensively enough on defense and special teams – that using him on offense as well would be overkill.

While talk about Haden’s role in the formation seems to have died down, usage of the Wildcat as a whole has not. Head coach Urban Meyer said Monday that tight end Aaron Hernandez, running back Jeff Demps and wide receiver Brandon James could all get direct snaps against No. 4 LSU Tigers. While an occasional direct snap may be called, I see this as more of a diversionary tactic to get LSU thinking about more than just “Tim Tebow or John Brantley” but rather “Tebow, Brantley or the Wildcat.”

2 » In an effort to gain prestige within the state of Florida, the USF Bulls have marketed themselves as one of the “Big 4″ along with the Florida Gators, Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles. This new billboard, located at I-275 near I-4 has, to his credit, drawn the ire of Bulls head coach Jim Leavitt. “I had nothing to do with (the billboard), I don’t know how it got up, and I don’t know who put it up,” Leavitt said Tuesday. “We have not won national championships, and we have not won conference championships. What gives us the right to sit there all of a sudden like we’ve won all these championships and done all this stuff?” Looks like the USF marketing department should have checked with Leavitt first.

Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Will Wildcat be used? USF uses UF in ad. Tigers ready for QB. Recruiting update.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Booker T. Washington, Brandon James, Chris Dunkley, Christian Green, Florida State Seminoles, Ivan McCartney, Jeff Demps, Jim Leavitt, Joe Haden, John Brantley, John Chavis, Les Miles, LSU Tigers, Lynden Trail, Miami Hurricanes, Percy Harvin, Quinton Dunbar, Solomon Patton, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, USF Bulls