It has been a long ride through college for center/guard Dan Wenger, who spent five years with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before receiving a waiver to spend his sixth year of college playing football for the Florida Gators.

His sights now set on the NFL, Wenger sat down with me for a pair of interviews before and after he participated in the Battle or Florida showcase in Boca Raton, FL. We discussed his time playing for Florida, his thoughts about the Gators program and what he hopes to accomplish in the future.

Check out Part One of my interview with Dan Wenger.

ADAM SILVERSTEIN: Going into the bowl game there appeared to be two main motivations for the team: finishing the season above .500 and sticking it to Urban Meyer. Some guys were a bit vocal about this to the media but for the most part it was kind of it in the background. Which motivation do you think fueled the team more – avoiding the losing season or showing Meyer that Florida was still the better team?
DAN WENGER: “For me that whole Urban Meyer thing wasn’t an issue. I know guys that were upset about the situation and wanted to kind of prove their point – whether it be that they didn’t want Urban to leave or they had something against him for leaving. Whatever the case may be that was never an issue for me. It was one of those things that’s talked about in the locker room but it was a conversation I didn’t get involved in. I had no experience playing under him. He recruited me but at the same time I didn’t spend five years at Florida before Coach Muschamp came in. That was not even a thought in my head. As far as the whole losing season, I’ve been 6-6 going into a bowl game at Notre Dame – once we went to a bowl game and won and the other time we didn’t go to a bowl game. There’s something about going into a bowl game and winning and coming out at that 7-6 and ending with a winning season. That sparks the fire again and the drive and the energy to be better and work harder going into the offseason. When we were 6-6 at Notre Dame in 2009, we didn’t go to a bowl game. Staying stagnant at 6-6, knowing that we couldn’t do anything else about it was terrible. We felt deflated. It was only the second time I had a full winter break. It was something I wasn’t used to and I didn’t know what to do with myself with that time. I was used to watching film and getting ready to prepare and fight that fight one more time. To me, it’s very important and I think that was mostly my motivation going into that game against Ohio State. To come out on top and more than anything I wanted to do whatever I could to help the other guys be ready and prepare them for the game.”

AS: Well I know it wasn’t a motivation for you, but Meyer taking the Ohio State job before that bowl game had to be on the mind of a lot of the other players. Was it something they just brought up here and there or was it a topic that you heard plenty about and thought was a real motivator for the other players?
DW: “You could say there was all of that going on. It was on everyone’s mind. Guys wanted to see if he was going to be there or on the sideline. It was very evident that it was going on in the locker room, all of that talk. A lot of those guys just had a point to prove. That’s fine. Everyone is motivated by different things. Whatever gets you going and gets you ready to give your best effort in a game, by all means use it. It might not be what motivates me, but hell, if it motivates you then let’s go into this game together both highly motivated and play to the best of our abilities.”

Read the rest of Part Two – for FREE – on InsideTheGators.com.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

When he made the tough decision to leave the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of the 2010 season and transition back into college football as offensive coordinator of the Florida Gators, Charlie Weis was questioned by everyone as to the reasons why he ultimately decided to rejoin the collegiate ranks rather than continue working in the NFL.

At the time, Weis explained that it was a fantastic opportunity for his family. His son would be a student assistant with the Gators, his wife would be pleased with a 10.5-acre estate in Reddick, FL with plenty of horses, and his special needs daughter could get the assistance she needed with her condition.

During a media availability on Tuesday, Weis expressed that college football is also a better family environment than the NFL, something he appreciates as a family man.

“The one biggest difference between college football and pro football is college football is way more family friendly. Pro football is way more of a business. I’m not saying they’re not both a business, but that’s reality,” he said. “Our families are on the field after the game’s over. I’ve never, other than the Super Bowl, I’ve never seen families on the field in a pro game. You might have the head coach’s kids there but that’s about it. If you’re a family guy, which I obviously am, it’s kind of refreshing.”

There was another factor that drove him back to college – he enjoys the game.

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It’s never easy to move to a new school, but imagine being a senior in college spending his final season of eligibility in a different state with teammates he has never met.

Doing that this year with the Florida Gators is redshirt senior transfer Dan Wenger, who stepped onto the practice fields this spring as the most experienced offensive lineman on the team after spending four years under offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and offensive line coach Frank Verducci with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Suffering a concussion during spring practice two seasons ago, Wenger was unable to recover and took a redshirt. Notre Dame would not clear him to play in 2011 and provided him with an out so he could seek an opportunity elsewhere.

“It was extremely tough,” Wenger said of being injured and not welcomed back to the team. “It’s one of those things where I’ve been working for this since I was a freshman in high school. Whenever that was, I’m too old to remember. It was heartbreaking. It was devastating to get that news. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I was in between training for a pro day and looking for another place to play, and then when this opportunity got brought up, it was a no-brainer to come down here and give it one last go.”

As it turns out, Wenger could not have made a better choice.

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ESPN reporter and former Florida Gators dazzler Erin Andrews filled in for Kelly Ripa as co-host of Live with Regis & Kelly Wednesday morning in an appearance met with rave reviews by fans of the television program.

Andrews, who has extended her brand recently by appearing on Dancing with the Stars and Good Morning America while also doing endorsements for Reebok’s ZigTech brand and helping raise awareness for prostate cancer and the implementation of anti-stalking laws, spent all morning with notorious Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan Regis Philbin on the nationally syndicated program.

Below are two videos of her appearance courtesy of Timothy Burke. The first is the beginning of the show, and the second is a five-minute clip of Andrews playing with a bunch of puppies. You can view them after the break.

Photo Credit: Patrick Fraser/Vanity Fair

Granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after sustaining two concussions in 2010, Notre Dame Fighting Irish center Dan Wenger was not cleared to play in 2011 by team doctors and granted an unconditional release release by head coach Brian Kelly.

Wenger set his sights on joining the Florida Gators and had been spotted on campus recently attending classes. On Friday, he announced via his Facebook page that doctors have cleared him to play, meaning he will be able to compete with the team in 2011.

“Its official, next year you can find me in the SWAMP!!!” he wrote.

One of the reasons Wenger decided to transfer to play for the Gators was to be reunited with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and offensive line coach Frank Verducci, the two men who originally recruited him to the Irish.

In order to be immediately eligible and avoid sitting out a transfer season, Wenger has likely found a graduate degree program offered at Florida that was not available at Notre Dame. He is a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Coral Springs, FL) and started 13 games at center for the Irish in 2008.

Wenger will compete with redshirt sophomore Jonotthan Harrison and redshirt junior Sam Robey at center and along the offensive line this summer.

Photo Credit: ChicagoNow/Unknown

1 » Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has a wide variety of interests these days, but up until this point no one has dared question his work ethic or dedication to football. Then comes running back LenDale White, who asked Tebow publicly last week to join the voluntary workouts being put on by veteran safety Brian Dawkins in Denver. Tebow has previously worked out with teammates (especially his wide receivers) both in Denver and Jacksonville, FL but was finishing up a round of appearances including at his own charity golf tournament and for Jockey in New York, NY.

Thursday he returned to Denver and was one of 13 players to show up at the workout – the only quarterback on his team to do so. According to The Denver Post‘s Lindsay Jones, Tebow got there an hour early to throw passes and stayed for the duration. “This part is more important to show that we’re all together. I know a lot of us have been throwing and catching and doing what we need to do other places, but I think this is big, just to show that we’re together,” he said. “You can come together a few times to show, ‘Hey, we’ve got each other’s backs.’”

2 » Six members of No. 3 Florida Gators softball were honored Thursday with selections to the 2011 Louisville Slugger/National Coaches Fastpitch Association All-Southeast Region Teams. Senior outfielder Kelsey Bruder, senior first baseman Megan Bush, freshman pitcher Hannah Rogers and sophomore utility player Brittany Schutte were voted onto the First Team, while junior OF Michelle Moultrie and senior second baseman Aja Paculba earned Second Team honors. Florida begins 2011 NCAA Tournament action by hosting the Gainesville Regional beginning Friday at 6 p.m. against Benthune-Cookman.

3 » Playing his first significant minutes for the Miami Heat since making an early recovery from a Lisfranc injury of his foot, power forward Udonis Haslem was a major spark off the bench on Wednesday. Haslem entered the game, started 4-for-4 from the field and finished with 13 points and five rebounds (three offensive) on 50 percent shooting. He was also a huge help in the post for Miami, which lacks strength and dominance down low, by limiting the offensive rebounds that the Chicago Bulls were able to grab. Game three of the Eastern Conference Finals is set for Sunday at 8:30 p.m.

4 » Gators offensive coordinator Charlie Weis may be getting paid handsomely by Florida ($765,000 in salary this year), but he is also still receiving checks from his last college job with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. According to a report from the Chicago Tribune printed on Friday, Weis has been paid $7.3 million by Notre Dame since he was terminated in 2009 including a $6.6 million lump sum upon being fired. He will continue receiving payments from the school through Dec. 2015 (when his 10-year contract extension was supposed to end).

Granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after sustaining two concussions during fall practice in 2010, Notre Dame Fighting Irish center Dan Wenger has decided he would rather spend his final season in college elsewhere. According to the South Bend Tribune, Wenger requested and received an unconditional release from head coach Brian Kelly and has his sights set on joining the Florida Gators.

Should a transfer to Florida be accepted by the university, Wenger would reunite with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and offensive line coach Frank Verducci, the two men who originally recruited him to the Irish.

Kelly accepted Wenger’s transfer because ND doctors would not clear him to play. “The young man still wants to play, and I’m not going to stand in the way,” he told the Tribune.

In order to be immediately eligible and avoid sitting out a transfer season, Wenger would have to find a graduate degree program offered at UF but not currently available at Notre Dame. He is a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Coral Springs, FL) and started 13 games at center for the Irish in 2008.

Redshirt junior Sam Robey is currently listed as the Gators’ starting center. Should Wenger transfer, he would most likely be a reserve if he is able to be cleared medically.

OGGOA will update this story when more information is made available.

Photo Credit: ChicagoNow/Unknown

LEAVING THE NFL FOR THE GATORS

For Weis and Quinn, each had different reasons for trading in a comfortable job in the NFL for a new opportunity with Florida. Weis’s main concern was his family. His daughter Hannah is a special needs child, and his family being spread across the country in three different locations was not desirable. Instead, Weis and his son Charlie Jr. (who will be a student assistant on the team seeing as he aspires to be a football coach) will be in Gainesville, FL while his wife and daughter primarily reside in South Bend, IN when the weather is warm before traveling down south for the winter.

“It was a fairly easy decision but almost all of it was directly related to family issues,” Weis explained. “When Will called and I thought about how I could best take care of my family, the fact that my son could end up going to school here, my wife’s a horse person so I’m buying a house in the Ocala area – so I got serious brownie points on that end right there, too. The fact that I could take care of my wife and my daughter and my son and kind of mesh everything together, really it’s as simple of an answer as that one.”

Quinn’s decision was more about familiarity and the desire to work with an old friend again. “When the opportunity came to come work with [Muschamp], it really was an easy [decision] for me. I thought the guy had all the right stuff about him as a coach, so when I had the opportunity to come to a place like this, it really was easy for me,” he said. “I had a great experience in the NFL – loved it and made some terrific connections – but it was just a new challenge for me and something I was looking forward to doing. […] Will and I see football a lot in the same way. That connection is what brought me here. We do see things along the same line.”

Read everything Weis and Quinn had to say…after the break!

WEIS’s TRANSITION HAS BEEN PAINLESS

As head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Weis was successful but saw his tenure end with struggles. He went back to the NFL, where many critics felt he belonged, and saw immediate success back in a role he has grown accustomed to – offensive coordinator. This new opportunity allows him the best of both worlds – the ability to help young men grow while only worrying about putting points up on the scoreboard.

“As far as the transition goes, it has been a very smooth transition. I really didn’t know Coach Muschamp other than through conversations with Mack [Brown], who I know very well and I’m a big fan of. [Mack is] a big fan of Will’s,” Weis said. “He’s the boss and wanted a guy to turn the offense over to, so it was a very good compliment to what he was looking for.”

Though Muschamp is younger than him, Weis insists he has no problems working for someone perhaps less experienced than himself. “It’s been really enjoyable for me personally,” he said. “The fact that he’ll have somebody like me, who has gone through that experience, to kind of lean on – it’s a very comfortable situation for me. I didn’t come here to take his job; I just want to run the offense.”

In fact, Weis took it a step further and wanted to deflect any future insinuations that his offense would be what helps the Gators be successful. “First of all, this is Will Muschamp’s team. This is not Charlie Weis’s offense,” he quipped. “This is the University of Florida. This is not Charlie Weis’s offense. It is going to be a collective group effort.”

And while he may not agree with Muschamp on everything, Weis knows the proper way to address disagreements or philosophy issues that may arise. “The good thing is knowing how to disagree with a head coach. There’s a way of handling that. You never do it in front of the other coaches. There’s a proper way of doing it,” he said. “Everyone needs to know what your role is; Coach Muschamp is the head coach. It might be through personal experiences that I’ve had where I’ll wait until the meeting is over and say, ‘You might want to rethink this one.’ There’s a right way. You have to make sure you have a very strong conviction. But it’s not what you say; it’s when you say it.”

BRANTLEY IS “A GOOD FIT”

Muschamp addressed questions about the future of redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley. Weis did the same about 20 minutes later, noting that he is first on the depth chart for a reason and that he already holds him in high regard without seeing him actually practice with the team.

“First of all, he’s a good fit. From the quarterback standpoint, you have to be a good fit,” Weis said of Brantley. “Fortunately for him, with what he does the best athletically, it fits with what I like to do. Now that doesn’t guarantee him a spot, but it gives him an upper hand with the experience he has now fitting into an offense that fits what he does. It gives him a pretty good chance.”

What exactly makes Brantley “a good fit?”

“He’s not super-athletic, but then Tommy Brady wasn’t super-athletic,” he continued. “I’m not comparing John Brantley to Tommy Brady, but I’m saying just because somebody says you’re not super-athletic doesn’t mean you can’t be a front-line quarterback. There’s certain systems that are more quarterback-friendly to the guy who doesn’t run a sub-4.5. He’s not sub-4.5; that I can promise you.”

Weis also joked about Brantley’s decision to play for Florida in the first place, considering the team was running Meyer’s spread offense at the time of his commitment. “I had familiarity with John back from when he was in high school. He’s got strong family ties, which led him here to Florida. I’ve questioned a couple times to him, in taking my Jersey swipes, [sarcastically] ‘Yeah, you came here to run a spread. That made a lot of sense. That was a great decision on your part.’”

THE “OTHER GUYS:” MURPHY, DRISKEL, BRISSETT

Upon taking the Gators job, Weis immediately knew that Florida had a need for depth at quarterback. With only redshirt freshman Tyler Murphy in the fold behind Brantley, he was pleased to have five-star Jeff Driskel in the recruiting class but still wanted more.

“If you look at the depth chart, you realize what looked like a heavy position quarterback-wise was actually light,” he explained. “We had already moved a couple of guys through mutual conversations that I had with them and Will had with them. Jordan [Reed] was already a tight end. Trey [Burton] was already a move tight end/fullback/halfback/put-him-wherever-you-want-to. While everyone else had him zoned in at safety, I said, ‘Safety?!’ Those two guys, because they were already gone, if you look at the depth chart, the quarterback position was already light.”

That is why he went after four-star QB Jacoby Brissett with plenty of passion and energy. “Not that you’re ever trying to bring in two guys in the same year as such high-caliber as Jacoby and Jeff, but how can you pass on two guys that are that good? They’re both really good players,” Weis said. “Yes, I got actively involved enough when we lost a playoff game on Sunday, I was taking the compliance test on Thursday, and I was at [Brissett’s] school on Friday morning. I went there as many times as I could. I’m glad he’s coming on board.”

Though he made it a point to bring in Brissett, Weis praised both Murphy and Driskel, giving the latter compliments that will warm the hearts of Florida fans.

“I really like Tyler Murphy. Just [be]cause people don’t know who he is doesn’t mean he’s not good,” Weis said. “[Driskel is] a classic drop-back quarterback. He’s a classic drop-back quarterback. You couldn’t be any more tailor-made. The one thing he has over John is he’s much more athletic. The one big disadvantage he has from John is he has no experience. But he’s a classic drop-back quarterback.”

When it all comes down to it though, neither Murphy nor Driskel nor Brissett are guaranteed to be the No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback to Brantley because none has played “a down of meaningful football” yet with the Gators.

DEFENSIVE SCHEME ALREADY SET

With Muschamp and Quinn now in charge of the defense, Florida will be running a 4-3 set with what Quinn called plenty of “3-4 principles.” This flexibility is something both coaches knew would be implemented from the get-go.

“There was one conversation that kind of hit me back when I was at the Miami Dolphins,” Quinn recalled. “We had just hired Mike Mularkey as the offensive coordinator, and I can distinctly remember Nick [Saban] asking him, ‘What do you think is harder to prepare for – 4-3 or 3-4?’ Out of Mike’s mouth, he said, ‘Both.’ That conversation resonated; if you have the opportunity to do both, I really thought it could create some problems with match-ups for an offense. We’ll be a 4-3 team that has some 3-4 principles.”

POWELL’s POSITION COULD LEAD TO BRIGHT FUTURE

Sophomore defensive end Ronald Powell, who filled in at linebacker in 2010, may not have made the impact as a freshman that many fans hoped for, but the talent is there and Quinn believes he has quite a future ahead of him at the “buck” position – as a hybrid between the two. Though he was mostly giving examples of other players who were in a similar position, Quinn put Powell among some big-time company.

“It’s really a unique position. It’s a guy who can stand up, he’ll drop into coverage, he’ll rush, he’ll cover a tight end,” he said. “In the past you’ll know guys that I’ve coached – Jason Taylor in Miami, Calvin Pace at the Jets, Chris Clemons this past year at Seattle – and in Will’s time it was Brian Orakpo and Sergio Kindle. That position is a real unique guy. It’s a fun position to play; you’re kind of a hybrid defensive end where you can rush and drop into zone and play on receivers. It’s really unique. You’re looking for a guy who’s got speed, length and has got the ability to play into space with receivers as well.”

QUOTES

Weis on senior running back Jeff Demps: [Laughing] “6.53 [seconds in the] 60-meters? I might be able to figure out something to do with him.”

Weis on his appreciation for the Florida program: “I’ve admired Urban [Meyer] and this program from afar for getting beat on the recruiting trails a whole bunch of times. Seriously, when you get beat on the recruiting trails a whole bunch of times – which I did – and he ends up winning two national championships and I get fired, I think that maybe I came to the right place. No one ever said I was stupid.”

Weis on how he will teach a complicated pro-style offense to college players: “The 20-hour work week vs. the unlimited-hour work week – college vs. the pros – that is the biggest difference. There’s only so much you can expose the players to in 20 hours. In the NFL…you’re with them 12 hours a day. There’s no classes. There’s only one class and it’s football. I’ve grown up in a system that’s very expansive. It’s all predicated on personnel and formations. Wherever you go, you find out what you have as far as personnel and you try to get the guys that can make plays the ball as many times as you can do it. And you try to do it with a little trickery and deceit so the defense just can’t zone in on you. It all depends on what you have. Whatever you have, that’s what you do. That’s yet to be determined. I can tell you this – we have a bunch of guys that can run. I’ve seen that in the time I’ve been here.”

Weis on how many tweaks he will have to make to his offense: “One of the biggest mistakes coaches make when implementing a system is to try to do more than your players can actually handle. Spring is the time to challenge them mentally and physically to find out what you’re dealing with. Then that gives you the time…before you get to August where you can really zone in on what you think your team will do the best. We have a lot of time to make that determination. This is the time of year that is exciting for the coaching staff because we finally get an opportunity to go ahead and make those judgments.”

Weis on if he shows off a Super Bowl ring while recruiting: “I actually keep one in my pocket. I really do that. When I first got the job at Notre Dame, I used to wear it but got chastised so many times by the media, by every coach about ‘wearing his gaudy rings.’ So I stopped doing it. I used to have the same stupid line. I’d say, ‘Honey, if I could just get them to look at my hand instead of my face, I’d have a legitimate chance in recruiting.’ I have it in my pocket right now. I always keep the biggest one because it makes the biggest impact – Super Bowl XXIX, Philadelphia Eagles, my boy Andy Reid. It cost him a dinner for four.”

Weis on his son wanting to be a football coach: “I’ve done all I could to discourage him from that. When you’re a coach, you’re away from your family so much. They don’t get the proportionate amount of time; it’s a disproportionate relationship between the love of your family and love of football and who wins out because, time-wise, football wins out. […] The only life the kid has known is pro football or the son of the head coach at Notre Dame.”

Weis on if Muschamp is right about the offensive line being thin: “I have a lot of confidence in Frank Verducci, who is the offensive line coach here who worked with me at Notre Dame. We’re been in this position before where we have to create position flexibility within the offensive line. That means we might have to have some people cross train. It just forces you to take a little bit more of the pro mentality where you create some position flexibility so you have good guys playing against good guys at all times.” [Weis added that, rather than be 10-deep, Florida may be eight-deep with those players having extreme flexibility.]

Weis on how to address Tom Brady: ”Actually he prefers his friends call him Tommy. There’s a little insight for you.”

Weis on the F positions on the depth chart: “I’ll make that very easy for you. There’s different personnel groups that every team in football uses. The numbers 21 — the two numbers are referring to how many backs and how many tight ends are on the field. When you see ‘21,’ that means there’s two backs on the field and one tight end. That means there’s two wide receivers.

“If you saw the number ‘12,’ that means there’s one back, two tight ends and two wide receivers. If you see the number ‘11,’ that means there’s one back, one tight end and three wide receivers. In all those cases, there’s somebody that starts in those personnel groups. In other words, when you have three wide receivers on the field, you see Deonte [Thompson] down there as the F. When you see 21 out there, you see Trey [Burton] down there as the F. When you have different personnel groups, there are different guys that are starters within those groups.

“Everyone wants to just give you those bogus depth charts that you get all the time. We actually tried to give you a real one. Sorry. Instead of giving you some bogus depth chart that doesn’t really tell you anything and just lines up with two wide receivers, we figured we’d give you, ‘Hey, here’s what we’re thinking.’ Now the players are the ones that are trying to determine how they change the depth chart. Within the personnel groupings, it also shows them if they want three wide receivers on the field, they can’t just compete against the wide receivers, they also have to compete against the second tight end and they got to compete against the second running back. It builds more competition on your team.”

Quinn on his main goal for the defense: “I’d like to see relentless effort. That is where good defense starts.”

Quinn on the secret to rushing the quarterback: “You’ll hear us use the word, both Will and I, ‘affecting the quarterback.’ [That] is the biggest thing for me. Part of it is scheme, and the other thing is just the players and the relentless attitude and the effort to keep finishing on the quarterback.”

Quinn on if Florida will rush with the front four or bring extra players on blitzes: ”We’re somewhere in the middle. There will be a balance of that.”

Quinn on hiring Bryant Young as defensive line coach: “He left a real impression on me of what a professional is. When he stepped out onto the grass as a player, there was a real pride about the way he went about his business. Through the years, that’s always rubbed off on me. I remained close with him when we left. When he decided to get into coaching, I said ‘If I have the chance, I’m going to try and hire you one day.’ When Will asked if I knew somebody, I said, ‘As a matter of fact, I do.’ Certainly somebody that I really hold in high regard.”

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.

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.