1 » Though Florida Gators center Mike Pouncey continues to believe he will be selected higher in the 2011 NFL Draft than his brother was one year earlier, another opportunity (once believed to be likely before being dismissed as the opposite) has arisen. According to the NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora, the Pittsburgh Steelers (who drafted Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey just last season) “will exhaust all realistic possible scenarios to trade up” for Pouncey. “Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has given an edict to his personnel department to explore all realistic trade options for Pouncey,” La Canfora writes, so the team is “prepared to acquire him should he ‘start to slip.’” Pittsburgh (with the No. 31 overall pick) would probably have to give up a good amount to trade up to where Pouncey will likely be drafted (No. 15-19).

2 » Dismissed from the Florida football team on Tuesday, Gators senior cornerback Janoris Jenkins has already begun pursuing another opportunity, according to Sports Illustrated’s NFL Draft analyst Tony Pauline. Rather than redshirt the 2011 season to potentially play for another top school next year or transfer to a junior college or lower division program this season, Jenkins is currently “looking for an agent” for the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft set for July. Players normally enter the Supplemental Draft due to athletic, disciplinary or eligibility reasons. Pauline writes that “calls have already been made[to agents] on [his] behalf.” Though Jenkins now has character concerns, he will undoubtedly find a NFL home before all is said and done.

Tags: Draft, Janoris Jenkins, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, Mike Tomlin, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pro Bowl, Supplemental Draft

1 » Contrary to his insistence that he would end up suiting up for Super Bowl XLV, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie center Maurkice Pouncey will not be participating in the NFL‘s championship game on Sunday. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin told ESPN‘s Adam Schefter on Friday that Pouncey has yet to practice this week and, therefore, would not be ready to play. The former Florida Gators star suffered a high ankle sprain (and possibly a broken bone, too) during the AFC Championship against the New York Jets, left the game early and has yet to step on the field since. He is one of two former Gators (left tackle Max Starks) who are on the Steelers; neither will play in the Super Bowl as Starks has missed the majority of the season with an injured neck.

2 » While Maurkice watches the Super Bowl from the sideline, his brother Mike Pouncey is preparing for the 2011 NFL Draft. AOL Fanhouse interviewed the brothers this week and notes that Mike is doing whatever he can to get drafted early (perhaps higher) than his twin brother. The most interesting piece from the article, however, is Mike saying he prefers to play tackle instead of center or guard in the NFL. “You never know where you are going to play until you get to camp, but I honestly hope I get the chance to play tackle at the next level because I feel I am athletic enough,” Mike said. “When Maurkice went in [at Pittsburgh], he started at right guard before they moved him to center. I am just looking forward to the opportunity.”

3 » Four-star junior college defensive tackle John Jenkins (Perkinston, MS) is set to announce his commitment on Saturday but has already decided where he wants to go, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “At this point I feel like I have decided; I’ve picked my school,” Jenkins told the paper Friday. “But I’m just gonna get in one last prayer tonight before I go to sleep before tomorrow. I’ll just pray that I’m making the right decision, which I believe I am, and just go with it after that.” Deciding between Florida, Georgia, Auburn and Miami, Jenkins is believed to have UF and UGA as his final two schools. The No. 6 JUCO recruit in the country according to Rivals, he took his last official visit to Gainesville, FL but was favoring Georgia before taking the trip.

4 » Former Gators head coach Urban Meyer is headed back to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish…for a few hours. A former Notre Dame wide receivers coach, Meyer will be the featured presenter for the 2011 Notre Dame Football Coaches Clinic, an annual event by the university.

5 » Former Florida quarterback/punter/wide receiver Ingle Martin, who had a four-year career as a back-up in the NFL after transferring to Furman, was named the head football coach for Christ Presbyterian Academy high school in Tennessee on Friday.

6 » On Feb. 1, OGGOA first reported that seven former Gators would be participating in the 2011 NFL Combine. The University of Florida made an official announcement today, so we are referring you back to our original post.

Tags: AFC, combine, Ingle Martin, John Jenkins, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Tomlin, New York Jets, NFL, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XLV, Urban Meyer

The Florida Gators make a selection of coaches and players available to the media each Tuesday, many of whom reflect about the previous game while simultaneously looking ahead to the upcoming contest. OGGOA has compiled some of the most important notes and quotes from the event this week.

BROWN READY TO STEP UP AS A STARTER

Redshirt sophomore cornerback Jeremy Brown, who has the second starting CB role all to himself after senior CB Moses Jenkins hyperextended his elbow last Saturday, is confident but realizes it is now up to him to keep his side of the secondary secure.

“It definitely puts a little pressure on me to step up because behind me and Janoris [Jenkins], we got three freshmen,” Brown said. “I know how that is. It’s a little tougher as a true freshman.” Brown is speaking about Josh Shaw, Cody Riggs and Jaylen Watkins, all of whom are his and Janoris Jenkins’ reserves for the foreseeable future. “I’m definitely stepping up and taking the leadership role in that secondary because those are some talented corners. I’m trying to help them mature as fast as I can,” he said, “because one of them is going to have to step up and play.”

TOMLIN WANTS BOTH POUNCEYS (NO KIDDING)

Senior center Mike Pouncey knows he had a terrible game. He knows he needs to improve his snapping. He knows his brother – Pittsburgh Steelers C Maurkice Pouncey – was watching. But what Mike found out in the last few days was that he was not the only guy in Pittsburgh paying attention. “[Maurkice] said the guys up there were joking on my snaps,” Mike said. “He told me [Steelers head coach Mike] Tomlin said, ‘Just tell him to keep playing like that, we’ll take him by the end of the first round.’”

However, Maurkice did end up offering some advice. “He told me when he first started at center two years ago, he did the same thing,” Mike said. “His wasn’t as bad but he had high snaps – snaps were everywhere. He said just get back to work, and that’s what I’m doing.”

HOLTZ KNOWS FLORIDA IS STILL TOUGH

South Florida Bulls head coach Skip Holtz, a close friend of Gators head coach Urban Meyer, is well-aware that UF’s performance on Saturday was more an aberration than the norm for one of the best programs in the country over the last few years.

“Everybody right now is saying Florida is broke after last week’s performance,” Holtz said. “They won by 22 points. Their quarterback was 17 of 25. Their two tailbacks averaged 12 yards a carry and nine yards a carry. Defensively, they didn’t give up a touchdown. They gave up 0.2 yards per rush. [Miami (OH)] had 22 rushes for four yards, not four rushes for 22. They did not give up a touchdown. And that’s a bad day.”

QUOTES

Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Steve Addazio on Pouncey’s struggles: “No one’s got more focus or attention on that than Mike Pouncey. Those things weren’t all Mike Pouncey. Let’s get that clear. I’m not the least bit concerned about Mike Pouncey. Not even a little.”

Pouncey on his own snap problems: “It’s something I wished I had worked on before but I’m glad it happened at game one, rather than up at Tennessee or this week.”

Sophomore linebacker Jon Bostic on playing well as a starter last week and the defense’s performance: “Mainly [the coaching staff was] concerned about me taking charge out there – making calls for the whole defense and telling everybody what to do. Most of the time I was out there worried about my assignment. [Defensive coordinator Teryl] Austin the last couple of weeks has been getting on me about that. [...] You really can’t be satisfied. They still got yards on us. We wanted to get a shutout. We know the field position was bad, but that’s what sudden change is for. We’ve got to go out and pick the offense up when the offense isn’t moving right.”

Tags: Cody Riggs, Janoris Jenkins, Jaylen Watkins, Jeremy Brown, Jon Bostic, Josh Shaw, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, Mike Tomlin, Moses Jenkins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Skip Holtz, South Florida Bulls, Steve Addazio, Teryl Austin, Urban Meyer

1 » In a piece published Thursday by FOX Sports, reporter Thayer Evans dives further into Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer’s attempts to regain his health and control of his football team. Among other notes, Evans reports that Meyer now uses his “lunch hour” each day to run and life weights. “It’s the first time he’s regularly exercised in years, but he’s so committed that he rescheduled his weekly media sessions during this season to 11:15 a.m. instead of noon like previous seasons,” the article states. There is plenty more (some of which you likely already know) on Meyer’s delegation techniques and other changes he is making to take care of himself.

2 » CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish had an opportunity to sit in on a two-day coaching clinic run by Florida assistant basketball coach Larry Shyatt, which featured a number of high-profile coaches and assistants “talking about a variety of subjects, exchanging ideas, discussing, debating,” etc. “This clinic is different,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. “It’s just an exchange of ideas – coaches passing knowledge back and forth and trying to help each other, and I think that’s what’s great. This is what you get in it for, to coach and have fun and get better and help other guys get better.”

Three more BITS on Pouncey, Loeffler and Demps…after the break.
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Meyer, Shyatt, Pouncey, Loeffler

Tags: Dan Mullen, Denver Broncos, Doak Walker Award, Jamal Williams, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, John Brantley III, Justin Hartwig, Larry Shyatt, Matt Painter, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pro Bowl, Scot Loeffler, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

One of two former Florida Gators selected in the 2010 NFL Draft yet to sign with their team, center/guard Maurkice Pouncey agreed to a five-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday.

Pouncey, the No. 18 overall pick in the draft and 2009 Rimington Trophy winner, will earn $17.96 million over the life of his deal including $10.35 million in guaranteed money.

He is expected to start at right guard for the Steelers in 2010 before being transitioned to center in the future.

Pouncey joins fellow former Gators offensive lineman, left tackle Max Starks, on the team and helped Pittsburgh continue a streak of not having a rookie holdout since quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.

“Football is important to him,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of Pouncey to the Associated Press. “This is a guy who’s committed to winning but doing what it takes to be a winner. He’s always been associated with winning, and we like those kind of guys and putting them into the mix.”

Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden, the draft’s No. 7 overall pick, is the only remaining Florida rookie yet to sign a professional contract.

OGGOA will update this story if further contract information is revealed.

Tags: Cleveland Browns, Draft, Joe Haden, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Tomlin, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rimington Trophy

1 » On Oct. 29, 2010, one day before the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs square-off in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, FL, four former student-athletes will be inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame. Representing the Gators are linebackers Wilber Marshall and Scot Brantley, while LB Knox Culpepper and quarterback Zeke Bratkowski will be honored as former Bulldogs.

2 » A quick blurb from friend of OGGOA, former Florida football player and host of “The Morning Drive” on ESPN Radio in Ocala/Gainesville, FL, Brady Ackerman via his Twitter account Monday evening: “I am hearing that [head coach] Urban [Meyer] has made [the] team accountable for everyone this offseason. In an effort to develop leadership – a mistake hurts everyone. Meyer is trying to develop leaders and accountability with his team this summer. That will be put to test with the arrest of Hammond. The rule is if one guys messes up – everyone pays. Hammond, who is now suspended, is causing the team a little ‘extra’ running this week. I think the message will get home with the team this week and expect the rest of the summer to be quiet from ‘nonsense.’”

Two more BITS on Joe Haden and Maurkice Pouncey…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Hall of fame, accountability, NFL

Tags: Brady Ackerman, Cleveland Browns, Eric Mangini, Georgia Bulldogs, Hall of Fame, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Joe Haden, Knox Culpepper, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Tomlin, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Scot Brantley, Urban Meyer, Wilber Marshall, World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Zeke Bratkowski

Round 1 – No. 18
Maurkice Pouncey, C
Pittsburgh Steelers

Height: 6’4″ – Weight: 304 lbs.
Age: 20 – Class: Junior

With his stock seemingly rising with each passing day, former Florida Gators center Maurkice Pouncey no longer had to worry about being selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. All he had to consider was which team would pick him to anchor their offensive line. As expected by most analysts, the Pittsburgh Steelers stepped up to the plate and chose Pouncey with the No. 18 overall selection.

Pouncey decided to skip his senior season at the University of Florida and the opportunity to play one more year with his brother Mike Pouncey to declare for the draft this year. It was a decision that was not easy to make for the big man, but it resulted in him setting a new standard as the first Gators center ever drafted in the first round.

“This is one of the biggest decisions I have ever made in my life,” Pouncey said after officially making his declaration on Jan. 11. “I would like to thank my family for standing behind me in the decision that I have made and my coaches for believing in me as a true freshman and helping me achieve everything that I have as a Gator. I would like to thank all the fans for cheering us on and getting us hyped up for the games. I am going to miss the Gator walks and the Gator Nation.”

Early reports have Pouncey beginning his Steelers career as a guard who will solely be molded into the team’s starting center. Head coach Mike Tomlin believes this will ease his professional learning curve while filling a gap that Pittsburgh has had since 2008.

WHAT POUNCEY SAID
Press Conference Audio
“I wanted this from day one. I’m so happy to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. I’m so happy they picked me. I just like the Steelers so much. All the fans and the city; that’s the team I met with at the combine and I fell in love with. They weren’t my favorite team growing up, but now since I’ve been to the combine and I’ve watched all the great years they’ve had – I about fell in love with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I can’t wait to get there. It’s unexplainable.”

WHAT THEY SAID
Press Conference Transcript
Press Conference Video
Press Conference Audio
Director of football operations Kevin Colbert: “[Pouncey is] just that good. It was evident early on [in the evaluation] process that this was someone who was going to be interesting to us where we were going to be picking.”

Head coach Mike Tomlin: “[Pouncey is] a young guy with a great deal of experience at playing high quality football in the SEC. He has the type of playing demeanor that we covet. He’s a finisher. He’s a physical football player. He likes to play the game, but not only as he’s playing the game. When you do your research on this young man, he likes the things that come with being a professional football player and being a football player period. He likes to work out, he likes to compete in the weight room, he likes to work on his craft, and those are things, of course, that we’re looking for.”

Head coach Urban Meyer: “I’m proud for Maurkice and his family. He has worked so hard to put himself in this position. He loves the game of football and he loves to compete. His passion for the game shows on and off the field and I know a number of NFL teams told us they loved his attitude and his skill set.”

THINGS TO READ
- Pouncey was their man all along
- Pouncey happy he landed with Steelers
- NFL Draft: Steelers pounce on Pouncey
- Steelers pounce on Florida lineman Pouncey
- Steelers made right move with Pouncey
- Breath of fresh air: Steelers talking football

OGGOA will continue updating this story.

Tags: Draft, Kevin Colbert, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, Mike Tomlin, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, 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