Athletes care about their uniform numbers and now that Florida Gators football team is days away from returning to the practice field in preparation for the 2012 season, it was time for the team’s newest members to choose theirs. Below is the full list of additions and changes, according to the University of Florida‘s latest roster:

TRANSFERS
» No. 4 – Damien Jacobs (Scooba, MS), JUCO transfer defensive tackle
» No. 76 – Max Garcia (Norcross, GA), redshirt* junior transfer offensive lineman

FRESHMEN
» No. 6 – Dante Fowler, Jr. (St. Petersburg, FL), five-star Buck linebacker
» No. 12 – Antonio Morrison (Bolingbrook, IL), four-star linebacker
» No. 13 – Latroy Pittman (Citra, FL), four-star wide receiver
» No. 16 – Austin Hardin (Atlanta, GA), three-star kicker
» No. 17 – Skyler Mornhinweg (Philadelphia, PA), three-star quarterback
» No. 18 – Kent Taylor (Land O’Lakes, FL), four-star tight end
» No. 20 – Marcus Maye (Melbourne, FL), four-star safety
» No. 24 – Brian Poole (Bradenton, FL), four-star defensive back
» No. 24 – Matt Jones (Seffner, FL), four-star running back
» No. 27 – Willie Bailey (Hallandale, FL), three-star defensive back
» No. 28 – Jeremi Powell (Largo, FL), four-star linebacker
» No. 29 – Rhaheim Ledbetter (Shelby, NC), three-star safety
» No. 70 – D.J. Humphries (Charlotte, NC), five-star offensive tackle
» No. 74 – Jessamen Dunker (Boynton Beach, FL), four-star offensive lineman
» No. 84 – Colin Thompson (Warminster, PA), four-star tight end
» No. 86 – Raphael Andrades (Tallahassee, FL), three-star wide receiver
» No. 90 – Jonathan Bullard (Shelby, NC), five-star defensive end
» No. 94 – Bryan Cox, Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, FL), three-star defensive lineman
» No. 95 – Alex McCalister (Clemmons, NC), three-star linebacker
» No. 96 – Jafar Mann (Stone Mountain, GA), three-star defensive lineman
» No. 98 – Quinteze Williams (Tyrone, GA), three-star defensive lineman

NUMBER CHANGES
» No. 1 – Jon Bostic, senior linebacker (formerly No. 52)
» No. 1 – Quinton Dunbar, redshirt sophomore wide receiver (formerly No. 84)
» No. 6 – Jeff Driskel, sophomore quarterback (formerly No. 16)
» No. 9 – Josh Evans, senior safety (formerly No. 24)
» No. 10 – Valdez Showers, redshirt freshman defensive back (formerly No. 20)
» No. 12 – Jacoby Brissett, sophomore quarterback (formerly No. 17)
» No. 20 – Omarius Hines, redshirt senior tight end (formerly No. 82)
» No. 32 – Chris Johnson, sophomore running back (formerly No. 33)
» No. 88 – Clay Burton, sophomore tight end (formerly No. 86)

» Sophomore Tevin Westbrook remains listed as No. 97 on the latest roster despite moving from defensive end to tight end.

* Garcia is ineligible for the 2012-13 season due to NCAA transfer rules; he can practice with Florida and will be allowed to play beginning in 2013-14.

Tags: Alex McCalister, Antonio Morrison, Austin Hardin, Brian Poole, Bryan Cox, Chris Johnson, Clay Burton, Colin Thompson, D.J. Humphries, Damien Jacobs, Dante Fowler, Jacoby Brissett, Jafar Mann, Jeff Driskel, Jeremi Powell, Jessamen Dunker, Jon Bostic, Jonathan Bullard, Josh Evans, Kent Taylor, Latroy Pittman, Marcus Maye, Matt Jones, Max Garcia, Omarius Hines, Quinteze Williams, Quinton Dunbar, Raphael Andrades, Rhaheim Ledbetter, Skyler Mornhinweg, Tevin Westbrook, Valdez Showers, Willie Bailey

Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp held a press conference after his coaching staff received 23 National Letters of Intent on National Signing Day.

Opening statement:

“I’m real pleased with how recruiting went. Any time you get to this day, it’s a combination of a lot of hard work and effort by our staff. I think our staff did an outstanding job. You got to improve your program where you know you need to improve your program. Of the 23 players that joined our program today, 14 are line of scrimmage players – mid-skill and big-skill guys. We saw very easily in our season this year we struggled on both lines of scrimmage consistently being able to run the ball and stop the run. I certainly feel like we’ve addressed our most pressing need on both lines of scrimmage. We’ll develop playmakers and depth on both lines of scrimmage.

“I’m really excited about the guys we’ve got in that group and also eight skill guys, which includes a quarterback. We’d like to sign a quarterback every year. I think that’s important. A kicker, Austin Hardin, a guy that came in and did an outstanding job for us. We’re real pleased about him.

“We’ll know about this class in two or three years. I’ll tell you the same thing I did last year: Football is a developmental game, and you got to develop he players. I’m really excited about Jeff Dillman and Jesse Ackerman and our strength staff, our coaching staff – the job that they do in getting our players in here and doing a nice job with them. We’ll know a lot more about this class in two or three years. At the end of the day, this is a developmental game. We’ll be able to address that. It’s not about winning in February. It’s about winning in the fall and developing your football team and addressing your needs, and I think we’ve done that.”

» On Florida recruiting so well in the state of North Carolina: “D.J. Durkin, first of all, is our area recruiter for that area. He does a really nice job of recruiting, period. It was a full team effort. [...] We honed in on the guys we want and the guys we feel like can come and make a difference in our program, and we go after those guys.”

» On three/four-star defensive end Alex McCalister: “Alex McCalister is a guy that came to our camp, he broad jumped over 10 feet, close to a 40” vertical leap. A guy that is 6’6” and 220 lbs., his best football is ahead of him. That’s a very, very explosive athlete and a guy that hasn’t played a whole lot of football.”

» On flipping five-star DE Dante Fowler: “You recruit through this process and sometimes when you get there on signing day, you’re leaving it up to the young man and his family to make a decision. I think Dante had a good fit here at Florida as far as his position was concerned, his opportunity was concerned. We’re excited to add another good pass rusher to our program.”

Continue Reading » Will Muschamp on Florida’s 2012 recruiting class

Tags: Alex McCalister, Austin Hardin, Brent Pease, Brian Poole, Brian White, Bryan Cox, Bryant Young, Colin Thompson, D.J. Durkin, D.J. Humphries, Dan Quinn, Dante Fowler, Jafar Mann, Jeff Dillman, Jeremi Powell, Jessamen Dunker, Jesse Ackerman, Jonathan Bullard, Kent Taylor, Latroy Pittman, Marcus Maye, Matt Jones, National Signing Day, Quinteze Williams, Raphael Andrades, Skyler Mornhinweg, Will Muschamp

Courtesy of the University of Florida‘s University Athletic Association:

EARLY ENROLLEES

Willie Bailey • Safety
6-1 • 167
Hallandale, FL • Hallandale H.S.

Enrolled at UF in January of 2012… PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Three-star recruit…Attended Hallandale High School…Rated the No. 24 cornerback in the country by ESPN…Selected as the No. 77 high school player in the state of Florida by Rivals.com…Selected to the AP Class 5A All-State Second Team as a defensive back…Talented defensive back with good size…Led Hallandale to a 6-4 record as a senior…Chose Florida over Miami, North Carolina and USF…Coached by Dameon Jones.

Jessamen Dunker • Offensive Line
6-4 • 320
Boynton Beach, FL • Boynton Beach Community H.S.

Enrolled at UF in January 2012… PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Consensus four-star recruit…Selected as the No. 46 recruit in the ESPN 150…Ranked the No. 4 offensive guard in the country by ESPN…Listed as the No. 20 recruit in the state of Florida by Rivals.com…Named a PARADE High School All-American and 2011 Under Armour All-American…Named to the Press-Register’s 120 List…Selected to play in the 2011 FACA All-State Game…Selected to the AP Class 5A All-State First Team…Transferred to Boynton Beach High School as a junior after moving to Florida from Georgia…Did not play football until his junior year of high school…Began playing football as a high school junior…Chose Florida over Auburn, LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina, Baylor, Florida State and Notre Dame…Coached by Rick Swain.

D.J. Humphries • Offensive Line
6-6 • 271
Charlotte, NC • Mallard Creek H.S.

Enrolled at UF in January 2012… PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A consensus five-star and top-20 recruit…Rated as the No. 2 prospect by Rivals.com, the No. 7 prospect by ESPN and the No. 11 prospect by Scout.com…The No. 1 recruit out of the state of North Carolina according to Rivals.com…Named a first-team high school All-American by USA Today, ESPN, Rivals.com, MaxPreps and Sports Illustrated…Has started since his freshman season and hasn’t allowed a sack since his freshman season…Led Mallard Creek to a 13-1 record and berth in the NCHSAA Class 4AA State Semifinals…Mallard Creek finished No. 47 in the nation in the final POWERADE FAB 50 rankings…An AP All-State first team selection…Selected to participate in the 2012 U.S. Army All-America Bowl…Coached by Michael Palmieri…Father, D.J., played football at Presbyterian College and in the Arena Football League.

Continue Reading » Florida Gators 2012 National Signing Day bios

Tags: Alex McCalister, Antonio Morrison, Austin Hardin, Brian Poole, Bryan Cox, Colin Thompson, D.J. Humphries, Damien Jacobs, Dante Fowler, Dante Phillips, Jafar Mann, Jeremi Powell, Jessamen Dunker, Jonathan Bullard, Kent Taylor, Latroy Pittman, Marcus Maye, Matt Jones, National Signing Day, Quinteze Williams, Raphael Andrades, Rhaheim Ledbetter, Skyler Mornhinweg, Willie Bailey

1 » Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan confirmed to UF’s Chris Harry on Thursday that sophomore center Patric Young will indeed be playing Saturday against LSU though he does not know if he will be in the starting lineup for the game. Harry also caught up with Young, who said his ankle tendinitis hurt so much that “when it was hurting the worst, I really couldn’t jump off two feet.” He knows that he can impact his team even if not on the court. “You can be a vocal and encouraging presence for your teammates,” he said. Florida’s trainer Dave Werner, asked by Harry about Young’s injury, said that it is going to be “a discomfort that he’s going to need to play through [so he] might as well get used to it.”

2 » UF’s Scott Carter dropped a tidbit about a football player Friday, noting that Gators freshman fullback Hunter Joyer will compete in his first collegiate track and field meet on Sunday. Joyer will participate in the shot put at the Gator Invite in Gainesville, FL. He is one of three Florida football players who will do double duty with the track and field squad this year as senior running back/junior sprinter Jeff Demps and redshirt junior wide receiver/senior jumper Frankie Hammond, Jr. will also participate.

Click to expand and read two more BITS in this post.

Tags: Bill Belichick, Billy Donovan, Brandon Spikes, Draft, field, Frankie Hammond, Gator Invite, Hunter Joyer, Jeff Demps, NCAA, New England Patriots, NFL, Patric Young, Quinteze Williams, track

1 » The Late Show with David Letterman, one of if not the most popular late-night talk show in the United States, has aired a famous Top 10 list every evening since its inception. On Tuesday night, that list was based on little-known facts about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. Thanks to Twitter follower Erica S. for the heads-up.

2 » Six Florida Gators 2012 commitments have already enrolled early and begun their college careers this spring. As of press time, three-star defensive back Willie Bailey (Hallandale, FL), four-star guard Jessamen Dunker (Boynton Beach, FL), five-star tackle D.J. Humphries (Charlotte, NC), four-star JUCO defensive tackle Damien Jacobs (Scooba, MS), four-star linebacker Antonio Morrison (Bolingbrook, IL) and four-star wide receiver Latroy Pittman have joined the team and will participate in spring practice. However, three-star defensive end Quinteze Williams (Tyrone, GA) – who was expected to enroll early with his teammates – has not yet had his transcript approved by the NCAA Clearninghouse, according to ESPN.com. Williams and the school hope to have the situation “resolved by the end of the week” but worst-case scenario he can just enroll with the rest of the signees in the summer.

Click to expand and read four more BITS (including a video) in this post.

Tags: Alvin Gentry, Antonio Morrison, Brandon Spikes, D.J. Humphries, Damien Jacobs, Denver Broncos, Jessamen Dunker, Joshua Shaw, Latroy Pittman, NFL, Phoenix Suns, Quinteze Williams, Tim Tebow, Willie Bailey

For the second time in four days the Florida Gators have received a commitment from a four-star JUCO defensive tackle, earning a pledge from Damien Jacobs (Scooba, MS) out of East Mississippi Community College on Wednesday.

“I just joined the Florida Gator Family!” he announced on Facebook.

A soft verbal commitment to Tennessee before changing his mind on junior college national signing day, Jacobs had recently taken visits to Florida, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. He is considered the No. 10 JUCO player in the nation by Rivals.com and was previously a Florida State commitment as a three-star player in 2010.

Jacobs is graduating this semester and will join the Gators in January.

Florida also gained a pledge Sunday from Visesio Salt (Walnut, CA), a 6’3” 340-pound nose tackle who may also see some time on the Gators’ offensive line depending how he performs in practice once he arrives in Gainesville, FL.

Rivals.com ranks Salt as the No. 9 JUCO player in the country, and Florida expects him to join the team in May after he graduates from Mount San Antonio College.

Jacobs is the 18th player to commit to the Gators for 2012 and the fifth defensive lineman. He joins Salt, four-star Dante Phillips (Venice, FL) and three-stars Quinteze Williams (Tyrone, GA) and Jafar Mann (Stone Mountain, GA).

Florida announced Jacobs’s commitment Wednesday afternoon:

Jacobs, a defensive tackle from East Mississippi Community College, was a part of the team that won the 2011 NJCAA Football Championship Game over Arizona Western College. Listed at 6’4” and 310 pounds, he totaled 47 tackles, 8 tackles-for-loss, 4 QB hurries, 2 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries this season for the Lions.

The following video contains a song with explicit lyrics.

Tags: Damien Jacobs, Dante Phillips, Jafar Mann, JUCO, Quinteze Williams, Visesio Salt

Looking to add depth along the defensive line, the Florida Gators gained a verbal commitment Sunday from four-star JUCO defensive tackle Visesio Salt (Walnut, CA).

Nicknamed “Junior,” Salt confirmed his commitment to ESPN.com, which notes that he will be utilized as a nose tackle in part due to his 6’3” 340-pound frame. He can also play offensive guard and could be moved to that side of the ball depending how he performs in practice once he arrives in Gainesville, FL.

He is listed as the No. 9 JUCO player in the country, according to Rivals.com, and is expected to join Florida in May after graduating from Mount San Antonio College.

Salt is the 17th player to commit to the Gators for 2012 and the fourth defensive lineman. He joins four-star DT Dante Phillips (Venice, FL), three-star defensive end Quinteze Williams (Tyrone, GA) and three-star DT Jafar Mann (Stone Mountain, GA).

Tags: Dante Phillips, Jafar Mann, JUCO, Quinteze Williams, Visesio Salt

Defensive end recruit Quinteze Williams (Tyrone, GA) committed to the Florida Gators on Wednesday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I felt like it was time,” he told Rivals. “I wanted to get my commitment in before any other defensive ends of my caliber dropped in and took that spot.”

Williams, at 6’4” 255 lbs., can play either defensive end or defensive tackle, though he and his father maintain that he is being recruited the play the former position.

Visiting Florida during Junior Day in February, Williams was thrilled at what the school and city had to offer. With so many options to choose from, it was believed that he would not make a verbal commitment until later in the process, but the Gators’ coaching staff may have swayed him with their extensive experience.

He chose Florida over offers from Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee, among other schools. Though Williams had not previously named a leader, it was thought that UGA – the in-state school – had the best chance to gain his services.

Tags: Junior Day, Quinteze Williams