Defensive tackle Jaye Howard signed a four-year deal (terms currently undisclosed) with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, according to Pro Football Talk. Howard agreeing to terms means both Florida Gators draft picks are under contract with their respective teams heading into the 2012 season.

The No. 114 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Howard surprised many by being the first former Florida player selected. He was the 12th player at his position chosen in the draft and the first Gators defensive tackle picked since 2007 (Marcus Thomas). Howard has the size (6’3″ 301 lbs.) and upside to one day be a NFL starter but must first prove he can be consistent in a reserve role.

He was the ninth former UF player to be drafted by the Seahawks in franchise history and the first to join the team through the draft since 2000 (wide receiver Darrell Jackson). Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn assisted Seattle in their evaluation of Howard; his endorsement was a key to the Seahawks brining Howard in.

Former Florida running back Chris Rainey, the No. 159 overall pick in the draft, inked a four-year, $2.28 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Tags: Chris Rainey, Dan Quinn, Draft, Jaye Howard, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks

Round 4 – No. 114
Jaye Howard, DT
Seattle Seahawks

Height: 6’3″ – Weight: 301 lbs.
Age: 23 – Class: Senior

Though he improved his value from a year ago, Florida Gators defensive tackle Jaye Howard was unable to crack the first two days of the 2012 NFL Draft. He was selected Saturday with 114th overall pick in the fourth round by the Seattle Seahawks.

The 12th player at his position chosen in the draft, Howard is the first defensive tackle to be drafted out of Florida since 2007 when Marcus Thomas was picked by Denver with the No. 121 overall pick in the fourth round.

Howard has the size (6’3” 301 lbs.) and potential to one day be a NFL starter, but he will begin his tenure with Seattle fighting for playing time in a reserve role. Scouts and analysts believe he needs to improve his overall production to go along with his increased levels of consistency and work ethic in his final season with the Gators.

He is the ninth former Gators player to be drafted by the Seahawks in franchise history and is the first to join the team through the draft since wide receiver Darrell Jackson was picked with the 80th overall pick in 2000.

Seattle’s website notes that “the Seahawks envision him supplying some pass rush from the three-technique tackle spot” and adds that former defensive line coach Dan Quinn – now Florida’s defensive coordinator – “helped the team in its evaluation of Howard.”

“[Playing for Quinn] helped me a lot,” Howard said after being selected. “He got my technique right. He stayed on me this year. I appreciate him coming in and just getting me to where I needed to be. So it helps me a lot going into [the Seahawks system]. I’m sort of familiar with it. So it helps.”

He actually learned that he was drafted while charging his iPhone in an Apple Store. Howard received a call from a number with a 425 area code, one he recognized from speaking to Quinn on the phone a year ago. “I knew right then where I was going,” he told The Seattle Times.

UF has had at least one player selected in every NFL Draft dating back to 1951.

Tags: Dan Quinn, Draft, Jaye Howard, NFL, Seattle Seahawks

1 » The No. 12/14 Florida Gators pulled off a 61-52 win Tuesday night against the Alabama Crimson Tide mostly due to an explosive start to the second half in which Florida scored 16-straight points. Though the Gators were without two primary reserves in the game, the Crimson Tide had two starters indefinitely suspended, a move that head coach Anthony Grant felt he had to make. As Grant and Florida head coach Billy Donovan communicated both before and after the game, suspending players is a hard decision for a coach to make but usually a smart run because the long-term health if the team is much more important than shot-term gains. The Associated Press’ Jim Litke gave Grant kudos for his decision in this column on Wednesday.

For the price of a ticket Tuesday night in Tuscaloosa, you could see something rare in college sports anymore: a coach putting his foot down. [...] Grant is doing exactly what the NCAA high-handedly promotes as its core mission – holding himself and his players accountable – but the selection committee isn’t about to cut him any slack for doing the right thing. Every loss still counts as a loss, never mind that it occurred because the coach volunteered to tie one hand behind his back. Grant gets that, too. He won’t change a thing because of it.

2 » Former Florida safety Marquand Manuel, an eight-year NFL who spent last year as an intern with the Gators, has been hired as the Seattle Seahawks’ new assistant special teams coach. A two-year starter for Seattle, Manuel also played in the Super Bowl with the Seahawks and is obviously hoping to begin his climb up the coaching ladder with this move.

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

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Aneika Henry, Anthony Grant, Atlanta Dream, Billy Donovan, DeLisha Milton-Jones, Fehoko Fanaika, Los Angeles Sparks, Marquand Manuel, Max Garcia, NFL, Seattle Seahawks, WNBA

1 » Florida Gators defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who has mostly been out on the road recruiting since the Seattle Seahawks were eliminated from the NFL Playoffs, has been assigned the Jacksonville, FL area as his primary recruiting grounds, according to The Florida Times-Union. The Times-Union’s Hays Carlyon reports that Quinn visited a number of area high schools on Friday and notes that Florida could be interested in two Yulee High School players over the next two seasons – tight end/linebacker Kelvin Rainey in 2012 and running back Derrick Henry in 2013.

2 » When former Gators safety Ahmad Black presented the game ball from the 2011 Outback Bowl to Ian Lockwood, it was obvious the two (and then-head coach Urban Meyer) had formed a special bond. In Mobile, AL for the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl, Black spoke with the Pensacola News Journal about his friendship with Lockwood and how the two became so close so quickly. “He opened the door to the Florida football program,” said Lockwood’s high school football coach Chad Lashley. “That has meant the world to Ian. It just shows the unbelievable character of Ahmad and his concern for other people. With him getting that interception, it was just the perfect ending.” You can read more thoughts from Black and Lashley by clicking here.

3 » Taking the Louisville Cardinals to a 7-6 record and earning Big East Co-Coach of the Year honors in 2010, head coach Charlie Strong appears to be in line for a new contract with a substantial raise, according to The Louisville Courier-Journal, which spoke with athletic director Tom Jurich. “We want to do [give him a raise], but this staff has been busy and they’re doing a great job, so when signing day is over and we get some time, we’re definitely going to address that,” Jurich said. “It’s been great that he’s been able to keep his staff together to this point, and I can tell you those guys are really getting after it and they’re having a great time. They’re on a rocket ship right now, and it’s fun to watch.” Louisville doing what it can to keep Strong now may prevent him leaving until a significantly better job is available a few years down the road. He currently earns $1.6 million per season.

4 » Redshirt junior guard Mike Rosario is biding his time helping Florida improve during practice while he waits out a NCAA-mandated transfer season. An article written for CNN profiling Rosario’s hall of fame high school head coach Bob Hurley, Sr. notes that the player once the star of one of Hurley’s teams and describes him as a “hot-tempered kid who used basketball as a refuge from the life in a housing project.” Rosario recounted his time playing for Hurley. “He started disciplining me like I was one of his sons,” he said. “It was to the point where I was like, ‘Wow, I had never been pushed like this in my life.’ I learned how to be a man and not a boy.”

Tags: Ahmad Black, Big East, Bob Hurley, Charlie Strong, Coach of the Year, Dan Quinn, Derrick Henry, Ian Lockwood, Kelvin Rainey, Louisville Cardinals, Mike Rosario, NCAA, NFL, Playoffs, Seattle Seahawks, Senior Bowl, Tom Jurich, Under Armour, Urban Meyer

1 » Former Florida Gators defensive coordinator Teryl Austin may have a new job…thanks in part to a fellow former Florida defensive coordinator having moved on. With Greg Mattison leaving the Baltimore Ravens to take the same job with the Michigan Wolverines, Baltimore decided to promote secondary coach Chuck Pagano to his old position. That left an opening on the team for Austin, who according to the National Football Post, has already interviewed to be the Ravens’ secondary coach and is “considered the leading candidate to land the job.” Before joining the Gators, Austin was the secondary coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 2003-06 and Arizona Cardinals from 2007-09; he participated in one Super Bowl with each team.

2 » Last April, OGGOA posted this picture of Cleveland Browns rookie cornerback Joe Haden showing off a unique “Gator Boy” chain at the 2010 Orange & Blue Debut. The Fab Empire found this picture of Haden sporting the ice while out on the town last week, so we figured it was worth sharing here once again.

Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Chuck Pagano, Cleveland Browns, Greg Mattison, Joe Haden, Michigan Wolverines, NFL, Orange & Blue Debut, Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl, Teryl Austin

1 » Florida Gators four-star running back Mike Blakely (Bradenton, FL), an early enrollee already on campus at the University of Florida, is scheduled to have shoulder surgery this week that will keep him out of spring practice but hopefully allow him to be available in the summer. It is not known how Blakely injured his shoulder except that it occurred before he enrolled in January.

2 » Three-star offensive lineman commitment Chase Hounshell (Kirkland, OH), originally scheduled to join some of his future teammates as an early enrollee this month, instead decided to return to high school and take his time making his final decision. Hounshell announced Sunday that he received an in-home visit from Gators head coach Will Muschamp and offensive line coach/running game coordinator Frank Verducci, men he described as “first class” and “just great people.” He will be visiting Florida this upcoming weekend in what appears to be a reaffirmation trip.

3 » The Gators coaching staff, barring a packed suitcase and plane ticket to Gainesville, FL, is now complete. New defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the defensive line coach of the Seattle Seahawks until they lost to the Chicago Bears in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday, has now fulfilled his commitment to his team and should be ready to hit the ground running any day now. A Scout.com report from Friday noted that Quinn’s assistant DL coach at Florida, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Bryant Young, was already hard at work recruiting. He was in the home of five-star DT Tim Jernigan (Lake City, FL), convincing him to take a trip and give UF some serious consideration.

4 » Though former Gators safety Will Hill decided to leave school early and declare for the 2011 NFL Draft, his classmate and teammate in the secondary, junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins, chose to stick around for his senior season. Hill was shocked by this occurrence, especially considering Jenkins was expected to be a first-round selection, and told the Orlando Sentinel his thoughts on the subject. “He was talking about leaving,” Hill said. “I haven’t heard or spoke to him for two months. Last time I spoke to him, he said he was leaving. That he’s coming back is kind of a surprise.”

5 » After meeting with four-star quarterback recruit Jacoby Brissett (West Palm Beach, FL) at his high school on Friday, new Florida offensive coordinator and QB coach Charlie Weis invited him to take an unofficial visit to campus over the weekend. Brissett obliged, watched most of the game with Weis and met up with some of his former Dwyer High School teammates including freshman S Matt Elam. Brissett, also a high school basketball player who could be in a unique position to play both sports at UF, reportedly came away from the visit impressed though he still has plenty of thinking to do. Muschamp extended a scholarship offer to Brissett after Weis left on Friday, something he had not been given under former head coach Urban Meyer.

6 » The Gators’ two basketball programs have had a pretty rough go of it this week. In addition to the men falling 72-69 at home to South Carolina, the women lost a pair of gut-wrenching games on Thursday and Sunday. Routed 83-40 at home by the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers on Jan. 13, Florida blew a 16-point lead with 14:17 remaining in the game to fall 70-64 to the Georgia Bulldogs on the road in Athens, GA on Jan. 16. After getting out to a good start this season, the women have lost three of their last four games including a 73-56 throttling by Auburn on Jan. 6.

Tags: Bryant Young, Charlie Weis, Chase Hounshell, Chicago Bears, Dan Quinn, Draft, Dwyer, Frank Verducci, Georgia Bulldogs, Jacoby Brissett, Janoris Jenkins, Matt Elam, Mike Blakely, NFL, Playoffs, Pro Bowl, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Jernigan, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, Will Hill, Will Muschamp, women's basketball

Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp had one final position to fill on his initial coaching staff after hiring Seattle Seahawks defensive line coach Dan Quinn as his defensive coordinator on Jan. 3. He made that decision Friday by bringing in 14-year NFL veteran and former San Francisco 49ers four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Bryant Young as Quinn’s assistant defensive line coach.

“Bryant is a great addition to our coaching staff,” Muschamp said. “We want to be a program built on toughness – both physically and mentally, and there are not too many people tougher than Bryant. He was a leader, blue-collar player and a winner. He will demand his players to have the same attributes.”

The No. 7 overall pick in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, Young compiled 620 tackles and 89.5 sacks while playing professionally from 1994-2007. Named to the Pro Bowl in 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2002, he was a member of the 49ers’ Super Bowl XXIX championship team, was honored as a part of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team, and won the 1994 NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and 1999 Comeback Player of the Year awards.

He is also a former teammate of Florida football’s director of player and community relations Terry Jackson, a running back with San Francisco from 1999-2005.

Quinn was Young’s defensive line coach at the 49ers from 2003-04. He is still coaching the Seahawks as they participate in the second round of the NFL Playoffs and will join the Gators when his team’s season ends.

Since retiring, Young worked as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in January 2009 under then-head coach now Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and was hired by San Jose State to coach the team’s defensive line in 2010. When

The University of Florida confirmed Young’s hiring on Saturday.

*McCarney was also assistant head coach; Heater held the role of co-defensive coordinator. Muschamp has not named an assistant (or associate) head coach as of press time.

Photo Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Tags: All-Decade Team, Bryant Young, Charlie Weis, Comeback Player of the Year, Dan Quinn, Draft, NFC, NFL, Playoffs, Pro Bowl, Rookie of the Year, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl XXIX, Terry Jackson, University of Florida, Will Muschamp

New Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp claimed during his introductory press conference that he wanted to run a pro-style offense and defense. He has completely set that in motion by officially hiring Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach and defensive line coach Dan Quinn as his defensive coordinator.

Quinn, who has coached in the NFL since 2001 including stints with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, began his career at William & Mary in 1994. He moved on to Virginia Military Institute (1995) and then Hofstra (1996-2000) before deciding to go to the NFL. Quinn served as Hofstra’s defensive coordinator in 2000.

He will remain with his current team through the NFL Playoffs.

When Muschamp was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Dolphins under head coach Nick Saban in 2005, Quinn served as his defensive line coach. That year Miami ranked 15th in total defense (19.8 points and 317.4 yards per game) but was second in quarterback sacks (49).

“Dan and I worked on the Miami Dolphins’ staff together and he is one of the best I’ve been around in terms of teaching fundamentals,” Muschamp said on Monday. “He understands how defenses will need to be multiple and how to put players in a position to be successful. The Seattle organization has been great in coordinating the hiring of Dan to our staff and we wish them the best of luck in the playoffs.”

Muschamp is expected to be heavily involved in Florida’s defense. It is currently unknown whether Quinn will coach the defensive line himself.

“He’s a high-energy guy, and he brings that to the field for practice. And we can feed off that, because he’s ready to go everyday. He’s very involved. He’s just relentless,” Seattle’s seven-year veteran defensive tackle Craig Terrill said of Quinn in 2009.

The Gators still have one open position on the coaching staff (responsibilities to be determined) to reach the NCAA limit of nine assistants.

*McCarney was also assistant head coach; Heater held the role of co-defensive coordinator. Muschamp has not named an assistant (or associate) head coach as of press time.

Photo Credit: Otto Greule, Jr./Getty Images

Tags: Dan Quinn, Miami Dolphins, NFL, Nick Saban, Seattle Seahawks, Will Muschamp