OGGOA STORY UPDATE » Assistant basketball coach Richard Pitino has interviewed for the Iona head coaching job, per FOX Sports.

1 » A week ago, OGGOA reported that the North Carolina Tar Heels and Florida Gators 2011 five-star guard commit Austin Rivers shared a mutual interest in each other. Now, Rivers’ consideration of UNC seems to have increased, and he is starting to lean away from Florida in favor of opening his recruitment back up. “It would be Duke, Florida and [North] Carolina,” Rivers told CarolinaBlue.com this week. “And just because I might open it back up doesn’t mean that Florida wouldn’t be one of my schools, because they would. I like Florida – a lot.” Should Rivers decommit in order to open up his recruitment, gaining his commitment back against the likes of the Blue Devils and Tar Heels would seemingly be tough for Gators head coach Billy Donovan.

2 » Tuesday, OGGOA mentioned three-star 2010 point guard recruit Chris Denson (Midland, GA) as a prospect Florida is going after to help fill out its incoming recruiting class. Denson spoke with GAVarsity.com Thursday and said that the Gators are one of the teams leading for his services. “I’d say the top of my list are Western Kentucky and Florida […] they’re closer to home and that’s a big part,” Denson said. The site does not list UF as having offered Denson a scholarship yet, instead pointing out that he has already received them from WKU, Buffalo and UNC-Greensboro. Perhaps an offer is all it would take to acquire the 6’2”, 180 lbs. PG.

Two more BITS on Deonte Thompson and Joe Haden…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Rivers, Denson, Thompson, Haden

Tags: Austin Rivers, Chris Denson, Cleveland Browns, Deonte Thompson, Draft, Duke Blue Devils, Joe Haden, NFL, North Carolina Tar Heels, Philadelphia Eagles, Sheldon Brown

1 » In the immediate aftermath of dropping four-star safety Demar Dorsey (Lauderdale Lakes, FL), the Florida Gators contacted three-star tight end commitment Michael McFarland (Tampa, FL) and informed him that they no longer need him to grayshirt for the 2010 season as an additional scholarship has opened up. Instead, assistant head coach and defense/defensive line coach Dan McCarney told McFarland that the Gators want him to enroll with the rest of his 2010 class. OGGOA believes McFarland will likely redshirt his first season.

2 » Freshman guard Kenny Boynton has the star power, sophomore point guard Erving Walker is hitting daggers from downtown, junior forward Chandler Parsons is nailing remarkable buzzer-beating game-winners and junior transfer center Vernon Macklin brings the size…so what exactly is junior F Alex Tyus’ role? Tyus is, simply put, the most consistent player on the team. He has scored double figures in 11 straight games with 15+ points in six of those contests all while being a terror in the paint and averaging almost eight rebounds per game. Through the ups and downs of the season, Tyus has been the constant either keeping the Gators in games or helping them pull off routs. He’s even been hitting three-pointers. “I feel like I’m understanding my role a little more,” Tyus told Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun. “I’m more comfortable.” If Tyus continues playing at this level, a triumvirate of himself, Boynton and Walker could very well propel Florida to its first March Madness birth in three seasons.

Four more BITS on Corey Brewer, Tim Tebow and more after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: McFarland, Tyus, Brewer, Tebow

Tags: Al Horford, Alex Tyus, Atlanta Hawks, baseball, Chandler Parsons, Chicago Bulls, Corey Brewer, Dan McCarney, Demar Dorsey, Donovan McNabb, Erving Walker, Focus on the Family, grayshirt, Joakim Noah, Kenny Boynton, March Madness, Michael McFarland, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Sarah Palin, Super Bowl XLIV, Tim Tebow, Vernon Macklin

1 » If his touchdown celebration against the Florida State Seminoles, winning of the 2009 John Mackey Award and outstanding performances throughout the season were not enough for you to believe that Florida Gators junior tight end Aaron Hernandez was planning to declare for the 2010 NFL Draft, perhaps this piece of news will. Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Hernandez has been telling teammates and coaches that he will be leaving school for the draft in April. Junior cornerback Joe Haden has already declared and as many as five other juniors could join them.

2 » We here at OGGOA were excited to report on Dec. 16 that former Florida associate head coach, safeties coach and recruiting coordinator Doc Holliday had accepted the head coaching gig with the Marshall Thundering Heard. Now responsible for building his own staff, he has reached out to his roots for some assistance. Holliday has hired Florida graduate assistant Zach Smith as his wide receivers coach. Smith, a five-year assistant with the Gators, worked mostly with the offense and special teams while also doing quality control work and recruiting evaluation. “Zach is an outstanding young football coach who has a tremendous background and a bright future,” Holliday said. “He has spent the last five years working closely with Urban Meyer and has been heavily involved with their special teams and their great success.” Congratulations to Smith on his first coaching job.

Extra Bit » The NFL has announced that Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver/kick returner Percy Harvin has been added to the NFC‘s Pro Bowl roster as a kickoff return specialist. Harvin was added because Philadelphia Eagles WR/KR DeSean Jackson earned selections at both positions. Jackson received the most votes at WR, opening up the KR slot for the second-leading vote getter. “I feel blessed to make it to the Pro Bowl,” Harvin said Monday. “It is a great honor and humbling to be recognized by the other players and coaches in the NFC. I also want to thank all the fans who voted for me. But the biggest thanks goes to my teammates. I can’t do much of anything without the ten other guys blocking, so really it’s like a special teams honor for all of us.”

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, DeSean Jackson, Doc Holliday, Draft, Florida State Seminoles, Joe Haden, Mackey Award, Marshall Thundering Heard, Minnesota Vikings, NFC, NFL, Percy Harvin, Philadelphia Eagles, Pro Bowl, Zach Smith