It should be no surprise to Florida Gators fans that if a player is committed or being sought after by the Orange and Blue, Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin is one step behind trying to swipe them away. The same goes for four star running back commitment Mack Brown (Lithonia, GA), who committed to the Gators back on July 24.

Brown, who contends that his “commitment [to Florida] is strong,” said the Vols, Alabama Crimson Tide and North Carolina Tar Heels are still pursuing him. In fact, Kiffin even made a theatrical entrance to one of his games in an attempt to impress. “I saw a red helicopter over my head and I was like, ‘who’s in that up there?’” Brown told Rivals. It was Kiffin, of course, angling for Brown to take a visit to Knoxville, TN. The only visit Brown has planned is one to Gainesville, FL, for the Gators game against the Florida State Seminoles. “I talk to Florida every two days at least,” he said. “They like my running style and they want me to come in at 215 (pounds) to be an every down runner.”

Continue Reading » Brown being pursued, Riggs stays silent

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Byrnes, Cody Riggs, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, Lane Kiffin, Mack Brown, North Carolina Tar Heels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, St. Thomas Aquinas, Tennessee Volunteers, Urban Meyer

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

The University of Florida women’s tennis doubles team of Lauren Embree and Allie Will made it to the finals of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. On Saturday at the Riviera Tennis Club, Embree and Will defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels team of Sophie Grabinski and Sanaz Marand, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

Sunday afternoon, the ladies took on the Tennessee Volunteers‘ tandem of Caitlin Whoriskey and Natalie Pluskota for the title of an event considered to be the first leg of the NCAA’s version of the Grand Slam. The awe-inspiring run by the Florida Gators doubles team came to a halt, however, as Embree and Will were beat in three sets by Whoriskey and Pluskota, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

In other Gators sports news… The No. 6/6 volleyball team lost a three-set match to LSU Tigers Sunday evening in Baton Rouge, LA. LSU had three players with double-digit kills and won in straight sets, 28-26, 25-20, 25-22. “LSU played very well tonight,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “They really hit on all cylinders and I thought that their seniors played especially well for them.”

Tags: Allie Will, Lauren Embree, LSU Tigers, Mary Wise, North Carolina Tar Heels, Tennessee Volunteers, tennis, volleyball