1 » Wide receiver recruit Latroy Pittman (Citra, FL) became the Florida Gators first commitment for the 2012 recruiting cycle on Aug. 17. When head coach Urban Meyer stepped down in December, Pittman paused for a second even though it has been “my dream to play there since I was three,” as he said himself last year. With new head coach Will Muschamp and WR coach Aubrey Hill now in the fold, Pittman told The Gainesville Sun that he remains as committed as ever after visiting campus over the weekend. “I feel so at home when I’m up there,” he said, according to the paper. “It’s like a feeling you get when you just know something feels right, that no other place can give you that factor.”

2 » With three-star offensive lineman Chase Hounshell (Kirkland, OH) switching his commitment to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Monday evening, Florida is left with only two commits at that position for 2011. One of those two players, three-star Tommy Jordan (Ridgefield, CT), was supposed to be an early enrollee set to begin classes at the University of Florida last week. Instead Jordan decided not to join UF in the spring and said he would be back in the summer. Shutting off communications, Jordan was rumored to be wavering in his commitment by assumption due to his decision to go silent. In a conversation with Ridgefield Patch, Jordan explains he remains committed to the Gators and simply wanted a break from the stress of school and recruiting. “I am going to take the semester off and go back in the late spring,” Jordan said at one of his high school’s basketball games. “I have been working my butt off to graduate early and now all this stuff is happening. It just seemed like I needed a break.” He also spoke about Muschamp and new offensive line coach Frank Verducci. “I am really excited about that staff they are putting together there,” he said. “I just thought it was better to come back here while all this was going on and they figure out how it is all going to work. But I still plan on going there and am really excited about the future.”

3 » The fourth former Florida player to earn this honor, goalkeeper Katie Fraine will play in Women’s Professional Soccer in 2011 after being selected in the league’s draft held last Friday. Only one of two goalkeepers selected in the draft, Fraine joins former Gators Heather Mitts, Abby Wambach and Stacy Bishop in the league. She will be teammates with Wambach on the Washington Freedom. Fraine left the Gators as the school’s career leader in solo shutouts (27) who played a big role in helping Florida win the 2010 Southeastern Conference Championship.

4 » No. 1 Gators gymnastics (2-0, 1-0 SEC) is off to a fast start this season with back-to-back victories over the then-No. 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-1) and No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats (2-1, 0-1 SEC). Florida took down Nebraska 196.925-194.950 in front of over 5,000 fans at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Jan. 8 and followed up that performance with a 196.775-192.90 win against Kentucky on Jan. 14. The Gators took home five events against the Cornhuskers with sophomore Ashanée Dickerson winning four of them. Dickerson won two more against the Wildcats; freshman Alaina Johnson and sophomore Marissa King each captured two of their own.

Tags: Abby Wambach, Alaina Johnson, Ashanée Dickerson, Aubrey Hill, Chase Hounshell, gymnastics, Heather Mitts, Katie Fraine, Kentucky Wildcats, Latroy Pittman, Marissa King, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, O’Connell Center, SEC, SEC Championship, soccer, Stacy Bishop, Tommy Jordan, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, Washington Freedom, Will Muschamp, WPS

1 » Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow has not yet decided if he will participate in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 30 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, AL. After the 2010 Sugar Bowl, Tebow plans to sit down with head coach Urban Meyer and several of his trusted NFL people before making a decision. “I don’t know [if I will play]. I haven’t talked to anybody about it,” Tebow said. “If the people I talk to that are wise think that I should play in it, I’ll go play in it. If they don’t, I won’t. I don’t know. I’ll do whatever I need to do [to impress] – throw out here a million times, I don’t care.” Tebow can decide to play in the Senior Bowl up until just days before the game.

2 » Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been voted The Associated Press College Football Player of the Year. The first defensive player to be awarded the honor, Suh received 26 of 59 votes. Stanford Cardinal running back Toby Gerhart came in second (20 votes) while Tebow, who received the award in 2007, placed fifth with a single vote.

Extra Bit » University of Florida graduate student John O’Hearn created this four-by-six-foot mural of Tebow with 46,000 BBs. It is currently on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Orlando, FL. Head on over and check it out!

Tags: Draft, Florida Gators, Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers, NFL, Stanford Cardinal, Sugar Bowl, Tim Tebow, Toby Gerhart, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

1 » The 2009 Heisman Trophy will be awarded Saturday at 8 p.m. live on ESPN from the Nokia Theater in Times Square. Finalists for the trophy include Stanford Cardinal running back Toby Gerhart, Alabama Crimson Tide RB Mark Ingram, Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow, the winner in 2007 and third-place finisher in 2008, is expected to finish fifth in the voting. OGGOA will not be covering the Heisman ceremony live on Saturday, though we will post a message about the winner on twitter soon after the ceremony.

2 » Tebow sat down with a number of reporters and beat writers on Friday in New York, allowing them to informally ask questions regarding a number of topics including his Heimsan ballot. Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald broke down Tebow’s thoughts on who should be the 2009 winner and came to the conclusion that he voted for Suh. (This would be the correct vote, in OGGOA‘s opinion.)

3 » Losing former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen to the Mississippi State Bulldogs and then former defensive coordinator Charlie Strong to the Louisville Cardinals in back-to-back seasons, Gators head coach Urban Meyer‘s greatest test my be perfecting his coaching turnover, writes Gene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union. Couple that with the loss of a large group of seniors and several big-name juniors, and Florida’s transition to 2010 will have to be seamless in order to keep them at the top.

4 » Speaking of Strong, the new Cardinals coach spent his first two nights in Louisville sleeping at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium as he got acquainted with the program and university. “It’s kind of a whirlwind,” Strong said. “There are a lot of things to be done. The best thing is just catch your breath and take your time and make sure I do the right things.” He even gained a commitment from quarterback recruit DeMarcus Smith, “arguably the state’s best junior” according to The Courier-Journal. Strong will leave the program at the end of the week and return to Gainesville, FL, to coach the Gators’ defense for the 2010 Sugar Bowl against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Charlie Strong, Cincinnati Bearcats, Colt McCoy, Dan Mullen, Heisman Trophy, Mark Ingram, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Nokia Theater, Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, SEC, Stanford Cardinal, Sugar Bowl, Texas Longhorns, Tim Tebow, Toby Gerhart, Urban Meyer

Two Florida Gators juniors came home from The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards in Orlando, FL, Thursday evening with awards; unfortunately, four other players were not as lucky. Center Maurkice Pouncey was awarded the 2009 Rimington Trophy (best collegiate center) and tight end Aaron Hernandez was honored with the 2009 John Mackey Award (best collegiate tight end). Each was the first Gators player in history to take home his respective award.

Senior quarterback Tim Tebow, who was up for the 2009 Davey O’Brien Award (best collegiate quarterback) and 2009 Maxwell Award (best all-around player), was defeated for both by Texas Longhorns QB Colt McCoy. Tebow took home the O’Brien Award in 2007 and is a two-time winner of the Maxwell Award (2007, 2008). Senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes lost the 2009 Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player) to Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh; junior cornerback Joe Haden was defeated by Tennessee Volunteers safety Eric Berry for the 2009 Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back); and Georgia Bulldogs punter Drew Butler won the 2009 Ray Guy Award (best collegiate punter) over junior Chas Henry. 2009 Heisman Trophy ceremony is on Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Chas Henry, Chuck Bednarik Award, Colt McCoy, Davey O'Brien Award, Drew Butler, Eric Berry, Georgia Bulldogs, Heisman Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award, Joe Haden, John Mackey Award, Maurkice Pouncey, Maxwell Award, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ray Guy Award, Rimington Trophy, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Longhorns, Tim Tebow

Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow was named as one of five finalists for the 2009 Heisman Trophy on Monday. Only the second player in history to be a finalist for the award three times (Herschel Walker, 1980-82), Tebow will compete against running backs Mark Ingram (Alabama Crimson Tide) and Toby Gerhart (Stanford Cardinal), defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska Cornhuskers) and QB Colt McCoy (Texas Longhorns). Tebow won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and finished third in 2008 but is not projected to be in the top three this season.

“Having the chance to go back to New York means a lot to me,” Tebow said. “It is a special honor but it wouldn’t be possible for me to have this opportunity without my teammates and coaches.”

The 2009 winner will be announced at the Nokia Theatre in New York, NY, on Saturday, Dec. 12. Prior to the Heisman ceremony, Tebow will be up for the Maxwell Award (best college football player) and Davey O’Brien Award (best college quarterback), both of which will be presented on Thursday night. Tebow has won back-to-back Maxwell Awards (one of only two players to do so) and took home the Davey O’Brien Award in 2007. He has already won the Academic All-America of the Year for the second consecutive season, the first student-athlete ever to do so.

Tags: Academic All-America of the Year, Alabama Crimson Tide, Colt McCoy, Davey O'Brien Award, Heisman Trophy, Mark Ingram, Maxwell Award, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Nokia Theatre, Stanford Cardinal, Texas Longhorns, Tim Tebow, Toby Gerhart

University of Florida men’s basketball head coach Billy Donovan will be honored with the John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching Award” in April 2010. This award recognizes successful coaches who exemplify Wooden’s high standards of integrity on the court. Winners are selected based on character, success, student-athlete graduation rate and coaching philosophy. Donovan will be one of only four active coaches who have both guided teams to multiple NCAA National Championship titles (20006, 2007) and received this honor. The others are the Duke Blue Devils’ Mike Krzyzweski (3), North Carolina Tar Heels’ Roy Williams (2) and Connecticut Huskies’ Jim Calhoun (2). Donovan is 310-126 (.711) in 13 seasons as coach of the Gators with 11 consecutive 20-win seasons, nine NCAA tournament appearances and three SEC Championships.

Two Florida Gators defenders have been nominated for the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award. Given annually to the nation’s top college football lineman, the trophy is awarded for not only on-field ability but also discipline resembling that of Vince Lombardi. Middle linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive end Carlos Dunlap were nominated this year in a group that is very defense-heavy. Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is considered the overwhelming favorite to win.

In this week’s Scripps Howard Heisman Trophy poll, senior quarterback Tim Tebow earned eight of the 10 first-place votes. The rest of the top five – Texas Longhorns QB Colt McCoy, Cincinnati Bearcats QB Tony Pike, Notre Dame Fighting Irish QB Jimmy Clausen and Houston Cougars QB Case Keenum – did not receive a single first-place vote. Scripps is simply a straw poll conducted to determine the sentiment among college football writers throughout the country.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Case Keenum, Cincinnati Bearcats, Colt McCoy, Connecticut Huskies, Duke Blue Devils, Houston Cougars, Jim Calhoun, Jimmy Clausen, John Wooden, Mike Krzyzweski, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska Cornhuskers, North Carolina Tar Heels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Rotary Lombardi Award, Roy Williams, Texas Longhorns, Tim Tebow, Tony Pike

1 » CBSSports.com senior writer Dennis Dodd has been busy over the last few days writing about the No. 1 Florida Gators and No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide. On Sunday, Dodd explained that Florida senior quarterback Tim Tebow stood out even while he was not as featured in the game like normal. Right tackle Marcus Gilbert, whose knee was ultimately what concussed Tebow against the Kentucky Wildcats, provided the most interesting portion of the article. Gilbert never questioned if Tebow would play against the LSU Tigers. “You going to be ready to go?” Gilbert asked Tebow a day after his concussion. “Yup,” Tebow replied. “He told me he was going to go the next day,” Gilbert said. “I believed him. That’s Tebow, man. Nothing can bring Tebow down.”

2 » Dodd also looked at Alabama, saying they are the country’s true No. 1 team right now, citing things like urgency, revenge and motive. Unfortunately, none of those things will win you “Alabama is No. 1 because it is boring, balanced and, in the end, brilliant,” Dodd said. But no matter who is No. 1, history is not kind to the BCS front-runners when the first poll is released (Sunday). “The first BCS rankings are an early indicator of success, sure, but they can also be a curse,” he said. “Only once in the previous 11 years have the top two teams in the first set of rankings played in the BCS title game.”

3 » Onto this week, as the Gators are facing tough competition in the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hogs are dealing with some issues of their own – namely at wide receiver. Leading receiver Joe Adams suffered a mild stroke last week and is expected to remain out against Florida. But head coach Bobby Petrino is getting some talent back as Lucas Miller and London Crawford (who both broke their collarbone in August and September, respectively) are healed and returned to the team last week against the Auburn Tigers. Jarius Wright, the team’s leading yards-per-reception pass catcher, suffered a concussion last week in the first quarter, yet Arkansas expects him to play Saturday against the Gators. A maximum six days rest compared to Tebow’s 13 and nobody is up in arms about this?

4 » Clearwater Countryside junior offensive tackle Tyler Moore, one of the top offensive linemen in the country, has decided where he wants to play college football. Narrowing it down between the Gators and Nebraska Cornhuskers, many expected the Florida native to stay close to home. Instead, the 2011 recruit has picked the Cornhuskers over the Gators. “After watching [Nebraska] the last couple of years, I like where they’re going,” Moore said.

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Bobby Petrino, Clearwater Countryside, Jarius Wright, Joe Adams, Kentucky Wildcats, London Crawford, LSU Tigers, Lucas Miller, Marcus Gilbert, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tim Tebow, Tyler Moore