1 » Rumors are running rampant throughout the Florida Gators program Wednesday that five-star freshmen defensive end Ronald Powell and defensive tackle Dominique Easley have skipped either one or multiple practices recently due to anger over how they have been treated by veterans on the team – assumingly the starting offensive line. Further rumors emerged that the duo cleaned out their respective lockers and may even be considering transferring. Though the former information (missing practice) appears to be the most concrete, the latter seems to be a bit of a reach at this point.

The latest reports – from the Miami Herald and The Gainesville Sun, respectively – have Powell’s and Easley’s high school coaches unaware that there is anything wrong. Powell’s coach, Pete Duffy, told the Sun that his former player is “happy and very excited” at Florida; he had not heard about him missing practice. Easley’s coach, Pete Gambardella, told the Herald that Easley neither seemed upset, disgruntled nor angry when speaking to his former player Wednesday morning.

UPDATE: Powell and Easley are both practicing with the team.

2 » In a press release Wednesday, ESPN announced that College GameDay will return to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL, for the Gators’ game against the Kentucky Wildcats on Feb. 5. The show’s first time visiting the basketball team since 2008 will also include former Florida dazzler and network reporter Erin Andrews, who told OGGOA that she will be in attendance as well, likely for her duties of hosting the first hour of GameDay at 10 a.m. on ESPNU.

Extra BIT » Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (ribs) and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin (migraines) each returned to practice with their respective team on Wednesday after missing a number of days due to injury. Tebow had missed two practice and the Broncos’ last preseason game; Harvin had been sidelined after collapsing during practice on Aug. 19.

Tags: College GameDay, dazzlers, Denver Broncos, Dominique Easley, Erin Andrews, ESPN, Kentucky Wildcats, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, O'Connell Center, Percy Harvin, Pete Duffy, Pete Gambardella, Ronald Powell, Tim Tebow

1 » Headlining the Florida Gators’ 2010 recruiting class is five-star defensive end Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA). But if you asked family, teachers and coaches about Powell a few years ago, the last thing they would tell you is that he was capable of reaching such heights. A “lost and angry” young man who was “downright mean, a mess who didn’t seem to love much of anything,” Powell had a tough go of it through his parents divorce but turned his life around with the help of older teammates and Rancho Verde High School head coach Pete Duffy. Matt Winkeljohn, in a special to ESPN covers Powell’s turnaround from troubled youth to unanimously ranked No. 1 prospect.

2 » The Southeastern Conference announced Tuesday that Florida gymnast Ashanée Dickerson has been named the SEC Freshman Gymnast of the Week for the third consecutive time. Dickerson has compiled seven event titles so far in 2010, most on the team and tops by a Gators freshman since 1986. She is tied for third in the nation in the all-around event for season average 939.381) and holds No. 4 rankings in the vault (9.887) and floor (9.894).

Tags: Ashanée Dickerson, gymnastics, Pete Duffy, Rancho Verde, Ronald Powell, SEC

Five-star defensive end recruit Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA) is reportedly ready to make his commitment official. If he is feeling the same as he did on Dec. 18, then the Florida Gators remain “most definitely at the top” of his list, and all reports coming out of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl practice sessions this week indicate that Powell will be wearing Orange and Blue next season.

Visited by Gators head coach Urban Meyer in California three weeks ago, Powell raved about the meeting. “It hasn’t been anything negative from them for one, anything at all,” Powell told Rivals at the time. “Coach Meyer is a hell-of-a coach. The college is in a college town. The players, the players definitely make you feel at home. I mean just all around, it’s a great school, a great place to be.”

Read the remainder of this story after the jump…
Continue Reading » Is Ronald Powell headed east to Florida?

Tags: All-American, Army, Pete Carroll, Pete Duffy, Rancho Verde, Ronald Powell, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, USC Trojans

ESPN college football recruiting reporter Greg Biggins has done a bang-up job over the last two days covering the reactions of west coast recruits to the two announcements made by Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer about his future with the team. Biggins has reported new information on four-star cornerback commitment Joshua Shaw (Palmdale, CA) and five-star defensive end recruit Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, CA) that that should interest Gators fans.

Shaw, who committed to Florida in November, reaffirmed his commitment to the Gators once again. “Man, I’m a Gator,” Shaw said. “My phone has been blowing up with calls from everyone but nothing has changed for me. I’m 100 percent committed to Florida and still play to enroll early there.”

He will participate in the Under Armour game in Orlando, FL, and plans to stay in-state so he can travel up to Gainesville and enroll early for spring classes. and football practice “When I committed to Florida, Coach Meyer was a big part of it but not the only reason. I love the school, the players, the city and everything else about it.”

The same cannot be said for Powell, one of the top recruits in the country who has been considered a heavy Florida lean for the last few months. Powell’s Rancho Verde High School coach, Pete Duffy, told Biggins that Powell is “pretty freaked out right now. He has been set on Florida for so long and now with the news over the weekend, he’s ready to re-open his recruitment. He loved Florida for a lot of reasons but playing for Coach Meyer was probably at the top of the list.” Duffy said Powell will consider the USC Trojans and Miami Hurricanes, both of whom are in his “top three.”

However, Duffy added that he spoke with tight ends coach Brain White “who I’ve known forever, and he assured me that Coach Meyer will be there, and I believe him. Ronald is thinking this could be about trying to save the recruiting class so he’s really [having] some second thoughts. He wants to sit down and talk with Coach Meyer man-to-man and see what’s up, and I think that’s a good idea.”

Shaw and Powell originally planned to attend the same school, enroll early and room together as freshmen. Gators fans hope those plans have not changed.

Photo Credit: Rivals.

Tags: Brain White, Joshua Shaw, Miami Hurricanes, Pete Duffy, Rancho Verde, Ronald Powell, Under Armour, Urban Meyer, USC Trojans