1 » New York Jets signal caller Tim Tebow made headlines – again – this week when mentioning on 1050 ESPN Radio that he’s “not sure” if he will ever be a starting quarterback again in the NFL. Honest as always, Tebow was sure to mention that it was not something that concerned him because, in his mind, it was not something he could determine. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds my future,” he said. “That’s something that has always given me peace and comfort. That’s why I don’t have to worry about the future. I can just worry about today and worry about becoming better as a football player and a person.” Tebow spoke about a number of other topics on The Michael Kay Show (listen here) including how the way he will be utilized this season compares to what he did for the Florida Gators with QB Chris Leak.

2 » Speaking of Tebow, he received plenty of support and praise recently from a former teammate as safety Will Hill was interviewed by the Newark Star-Ledger for a story published on Saturday. Hill, who recently participated in a Pro Day in Martinsville, NJ hoping to catch on with a NFL or CFL team, spoke in depth on what drives Tebow, how hard he tries to motivate his teammates and why Hill believes he is a special player. “I had arguments with people, tons of arguments, about how well Timmy was supposed to do in the league,” he told the paper. “They criticized his throwing. Alright, what do you want? A winner, or do you want just a pretty quarterback? You’ve got pretty quarterbacks that can throw the ball and never win – like the guy that was there before Tim [in Denver]. But Tim know[s] how to win and that’s what the league needs: A person that knows how to win, and he knows how to win.”

3 » Life-long professional wrestling fans, former Gators offensive linemen Maurkice and Mike Pouncey will have a chance to live out their childhood dreams on Sunday night as they form a tag team to compete in WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami, FL. Mike Pouncey, the Miami Dolphins‘ starting center, even spoke at a recent WWE press conference promoting the event. Since he was already set to attend the show as a fan, Pouncey suggested bringing his brother in as the duo forms a tag team that will don orange and blue tights while fighting WWE Tag Team Champions Primo and Epico. April Fools!

In actuality, WWE Champion C.M. Punk did recently joke that the Pouceys could make a good tag team due to their size, strength and the fact that they’re twins. “Well, we have the Bella twins, and the Bellas look a lot better than the Pounceys,” he told ESPN.com. “But, you know what, I’m always for celebrity involvement. If they want to get in the ring, clearly they’re good athletes. I’d love to see a twin tag team. That would be something. That would be cool.” The brothers may be in attendance at the event due to it being held where the Dolphins play at Sun Life Stadium. One former UF football player that will certainly be there is Thaddeus Bullard, who will work a dark match as Titus O’Neil.

4 » Florida women’s and men’s tennis each swept the Auburn Tigers 7-0 on Friday. The No. 2 women (14-1, 7-0 SEC) took down Auburn (8-8, 3-4 SEC) on the road behind plenty of solid play. The Gators won 14 of 15 combined sets (singles and doubles) as well as a tiebreaker with every ranked player and pairing winning except the No. 1 duo of junior Allie Will and sophomore Sofie Oyen; they did not participate in the match as a doubles team. The No. 11 men (11-7, 4-3 SEC) were equally impressive, toppling the Tigers (14-6, 3-4 SEC) at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, FL by winning 15 of 16 combined sets. Both teams will face Alabama on Sunday as the women remain on the road and the men once again host another opponent.

Tags: Allie Will, Auburn Tigers, CFL, Chris Leak, Maurkice Pouncey, Miami Dolphins, Mike Pouncey, New York Jets, NFL, SEC, Sofie Oyen, Sun Life Stadium, tennis, Thaddeus Bullard, Tim Tebow, Titus O'Neil, Will Hill, WWE

1 » ESPN Insider’s Chad Ford ranked Florida Gators freshman guard Bradley Beal and sophomore center Patric Young as the No. 1 and No. 2 (respectively) NBA prospects in the West Region of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Ford noted shooting and athleticism as Beal’s positives but said his struggles from beyond the arc are an obvious negative. He also said that “NBA teams expect him to thrive” in a true NBA lineup and that he could move all the way up from top six to No. 2 overall behind Anthony Davis if he performs at a high level in the tournament. Ford added that “NBA scouts are convinced Young has the potential to be a dominant defensive big man” no matter what he does offensively in college or the NBA. For further details click here (subscription required).

UPDATE: Young reaffirmed Thursday that he plans to remain at UF for 2012-13.

2 » Still looking to add a big man to their 2012 recruiting class, Florida basketball missed out on another this week when four-star power forward Jakarr Sampson (Akron, OH) decided to play for St. John’s next season. Sampson, who was originally committed to SJU before being forced to spend a year in prep school to improve his grades, recommitted to St. John’s on Wednesday over UF, Kansas and Providence. Sampson recently said he was getting prepared to visit the Gators but will no longer make that trip. “They always had my heart,” Sampson told Rivals.com about his new team. “Even when I left my heart was still here. I got to know the coaches, the players and I couldn’t leave them like that because my heart is still with them.”

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Tags: Allie Will, Anthony Bennett, Bradley Beal, Brittany Dashiell, Caroline Chesterman, Duke Blue Devils, Gabi Wiegand, Jakarr Sampson, Janine Hillier, Joanna Mather, Kitty Cullen, lacrosse, Lauren Embree, Nora Barry, Patric Young, Sofie Oyen, Stony Brook Seawolves, tennis

1 » No. 1 Florida Gators baseball improved to 13-1 this season by defeating the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (6-5) Friday night in the first of a three-game weekend series. FGCU right-hander Ricky Knapp held Florida in check through five innings, giving the Eagles a 2-0 cushion thanks to a two-run homer by catcher Andrew Valencia in the top of the fourth inning. Junior RHP Hudson Randall (7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 K) got the start for the Gators and held on just long enough ensure he did not suffer a loss as junior C Mike Zunino knotted the game with a two-run bomb of his own in the bottom of the sixth. Zunino doubled up with another two-run homer in the eighth, knocking in all four of Florida’s runs on the evening and earning a win for junior left-handed pitcher Steven Rodriguez (3-0, 0.2 IP, K). Junior closer Austin Maddox grabbed his fourth save of the season, striking out three of four batters in the final frame.

2 » No. 2 Gators women’s tennis (9-1, 3-0 SEC) won the team’s 100th consecutive home match at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex on Friday night, defeateing the No. 22 Vanderbilt Commodores (10-5, 2-1 SEC) 6-1. Florida, which holds the longest active home winning streak for a NCAA Division I women’s sports program, has not fallen on their home court since 2004. The No. 13 pairing of junior Allie Will and sophomore Sofie Oyen and the No. 31 duo of junior Lauren Embree and senior Joanna Mather each won their matches to earn the doubles point for the Gators. Florida also won five of six singles matches with No. 1 Wil, No. 18 Mather, No. 23 Embree, No. 39 Oyen and junior Caroline Hitimana pulling out victories while No. 49 sophomore Alex Cercone fell in a match that lasted over two hours. No. 9 Gators men’s tennis (9-4, 2-1 SEC) also beat the Commodores (5-7, 0-3 SEC) 6-1 on the road in Nashville, TN.

3 » Florida sophomore center Patric Young said after Friday’s game against Alabama that he will return for his junior season in orange and blue, according to a conversation he had with Matt Watts, the sports editor of The Independent Florida Alligator. Young, however, told Watts that he was not sure what freshman guard Bradley Beal planned to do about his future. Beal is currently projected by many analysts as a potential top-10 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft even though his shooting numbers have been suspect for the Gators this season.

4 » No. 3 Gators softball (21-2, 2-1 SEC) dropped their second game of the season on Friday, falling 1-0 to the No. 9 Tennessee Lady Vols (15-3, 1-0 SEC) due to a defensive miscue in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sophomore RHP Hannah Rogers (11-1, 6.2 IP, 5 H, R, 2 BB, 4 K) was tagged for her first loss of the season as Tennessee’s Ellen Renfroe outdueled her, only allowing three hits and one walk while striking out 15 Florida batters. The Gators will look for revenge against the Lady Vols and hope to win the series with back-to-back victories on Saturday on Sunday.

Tags: Alex Cercone, Allie Will, Austin Maddox, baseball, Bradley Beal, Caroline Hitimana, Draft, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, Hannah Rogers, Joanna Mather, Lauren Embree, Linder Stadium, Mike Zunino, NBA, Patric Young, Ring Tennis Complex, Sofie Oyen, softball, Steven Rodriguez, Tennessee Lady Vols, tennis, Vanderbilt Commodores

1 » Florida Gators point guard Erving Walker was honored on Senior Day before Sunday’s game. Because the game aired on CBS and the broadcast began following the ceremony, most fans did not get to see Walker enter the court with his mother to a loud ovation from his fans. The entire clip, including the video highlight package of some of Walker’s best plays in orange and blue, can be viewed below courtesy of GatorVision.tv:

2 » No. 3 Florida softball improved to 19-1 on the season and extended their winning streak to nine games after winning six contests from Thursday-Sunday by a combined score of 53-1. UF defeated Eastern Michigan 2-1 in extra innings on Thursday before beginning the Lipton Invitational, which the team hosted in Gainesville, FL. The Gators again beat EMU on Friday (16-0) and followed that up with a thrashing of Gardner-Webb (9-0) in the evening. Florida beat GWU a second time on Saturday (14-0), adding a win against Tennessee State (8-0) later that afternoon and a victory over Campbell (4-0) on Sunday. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Hannah Rogers (10-0) earned two wins striking out 19 batters and giving up one earned run in 17.0 innings (she also made one relief appearance). Freshmen RHPs Alyssa Bache (3-0) and Lauren Haeger (6-1) each added two victories with neither giving up a single run and the latter mowing down 15 batters in 10.0 innings. The Gators’ offense was impressive all weekend long, but two players in particular stood out for their powerful performances. Senior center fielder Michelle Moultrie went 12/20 with four home runs, 10 RBIs, 11 runs and three stolen bases over the six games, and junior catcher Kelsey Horton matched her with four dingers of her own alog with 14 RBIs, six runs and three walks. UF will play five road games this week including two against Mississippi State and three at Tennessee.

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Tags: Alaina Johnson, Allie Will, Alyssa Bache, Andrew Butz, Ashanée Dickerson, Billy Federhofer, Bob Van Overbeek, Brittany Dashiell, Cincinnati Bengals, Erving Walker, Georgia Bulldogs, gymnastics, Hannah Rogers, Joanna Mather, Kelsey Horton, Kitty Cullen, lacrosse, Lauren Embree, Lauren Haeger, Lipton Invitational, Marissa King, Miami Dolphins, Michael Alford, Michelle Moultrie, Nassim Slilam, Nebraska Cornhuskers, NFL, Reggie Nelson, Senior Day, Sofie Oyen, softball, Spencer Newman, Syracuse Orange, Tennessee Titans, tennis, Tripper Carleton

1 » Though the date has been set for at least a few weeks now, the Florida Gators officially announced this week that the team will hold its Pro Day on March 13. Free and open to the public, Pro Day will feature a number of draft-eligible Gators working out for NFL scouts and coaches from around the league right on Florida Field in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida also announced that seven players who graduated in 2011 – quarterback John Brantley, defensive end William Green, defensive tackle Jaye Howard, defensive back Moses Jenkins, running back Chris Rainey and wide receiver Deonte Thompson – are scheduled to participate. Also in attendance to work out for scouts will be former Gators including DT Troy Epps, DT Lawrence Marsh, DB Dorian Munroe, DB Wondy Pierre-Louis and WR Justin Williams.

2 » EA Sports announced via their Facebook page that QB Tim Tebow is one of two Denver Broncos players representing his team in the online voting for cover athlete for the Madden NFL 13 video game. Voting begins March 7; after the field is cut down to 32 players, head-to-head votes will take place until the final cover athlete is picked. Tebow, who was on the cover of NCAA Football 11 two years ago, may actually want to avoid winning this contest due to the dreaded and much-publicized Madden curse.

3 » No. 15 Florida women’s tennis (6-1) swept the Florida State Seminoles (5-4) at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex for the team’s 99th consecutive home victory. The Gators, now 52-1 all-time against the Seminoles, beat their in-state rivals 7-0. The No. 13 pairing of junior Allie Will and sophomore Sofie Oyen won 8-2, leading the way for three doubles victories. No. 1 Will (6-1, 6-2), No. 39 Oyen (6-2, 6-1), No. 18 senior Joanna Mather (6-3, 6-1), No. 23 junior Lauren Embree (6-2, 6-2) and sophomore Olivia Janowicz (6-4, retired) all won their singles matches as well in the rout. Florida will compete in back-to-back road meets against Tennessee on Friday and Georgia on Sunday before returning to Gainesville, FL looking for their 100th straight win at home next Friday against Vanderbilt.

4 » Eight-seed Gators women’s basketball (18-11, 8-8 SEC) is set to begin action in the 2012 SEC Tournament by taking on the nine-seed Auburn Tigers (13-16, 5-11 SEC) on Thursday at 1 p.m. With the game airing live on FOX Sports Network, fans can watch as Florida tries to pull out a victory for the opportunity to square-off with one-seed Kentucky on Friday at 1 p.m.

Tags: Allie Will, Auburn Tigers, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Chris Rainey, Denver Broncos, Deonte Thompson, Dorian Munroe, EA Sports, Florida Field, Florida State Seminoles, Jaye Howard, Joanna Mather, John Brantley, Justin Williams, Lauren Embree, Lawrence Marsh, Linder Stadium, Madden NFL 13, Moses Jenkins, NFL, Olivia Janowicz, Pro Day, Ring Tennis Complex, SEC, SEC Tournament, Sofie Oyen, Tim Tebow, Troy Epps, William Green, women's basketball, women's tennis, Wondy Pierre-Louis

1 » After only giving up two points in their first five matches this season (both to No. 5 Baylor), No. 1 Florida Gators women’s tennis (5-1) was rocked Sunday by the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal (4-0) 5-2 at the Taube Tennis Center in Stanford, CA. Florida, which ended Stanford’s 184-match home winning streak while winning the 2011 NCAA Championship a year ago, had its own 26-match winning streak broken on Sunday. The Cardinal swept the Gators in doubles competition with No. 1 duo Mallory Burdette and Nicole Gibbs thrashing sophomore Alexandra Cercone and junior Allie Will 8-3. Stacey Tan and Ellen Tsay beat junior Lauren Embree and sophomore Sofie Oyen 8-3 as well. Will (3) got a form of redemption in singles action, beating Gibbs (5) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Burdette (1), looking for revenge of her own after being beaten for the title one year ago, got just that on Embree (25) by taking her down 6-1, 6-2 in straight sets. Oyen (34) was the only other ranked Florida player to win her match by defeating Ellen Tsay (31) as senior Joanna Mather (4) and Cercone (41) both fell in singles action. UF will play two more non-conference matches before heading into SEC competition.

2 » Suffering a similarly tough loss over the weekend, No. 4 Gators lacrosse (0-1) fell on the road against the No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0), fighting back from a 7-3 halftime deficit to lose 11-9. Florida took an early 2-0 lead on North Carolina, but the Tar Heels then outscored the Gators 7-1 to end the opening half. Pairs of consecutive goals by junior attackers Ashley Bruns and Kitty Cullen reduced UF’s deficit but even Florida winning the scoring battle 4-1 over the final 12:07 was not enough to put away North Carolina. Bruns and Cullen finished with three goals apiece, but junior goal keeper Mikey Meagher only notched two saves on the afternoon. Midfielder Kara Cannizzaro led UNC with four goals on six shots, and GK Lauren Maksym was stingy in the net, saving 10 goals while only allowing nine. After losing to the Tar Heels in the season opener last year, the Gators exploded on a 14-match winning streak.

3 » Florida will be holding its second Junior Day of the 2013 recruiting cycle on Saturday and is set to host a number of the country’s top prospects, many of whom are strongly considering playing for the Gators after their respective senior seasons. Among them are a trio of four-stars from Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, FL – linebacker James Hearns (No. 157) and wide receivers Reggie Davis (No. 118) and Taj Williams (No. 177). Hearns committed to Florida on Feb. 2, becoming the Gators’ fourth pledge of the cycle. Davis and Williams also have offers from UF but neither has committed yet; the former will be going on his second visit to Gainesville, FL this month while the latter has expressed on Twitter that he hopes to play for the orange and blue down the line. Other big-time recruits expected to be on campus Saturday are five-star offensive lineman No. 3 Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, FL) and four-stars LB commit No. 53 Daniel McMillian (Jacksonville, FL), defensive tackle commit No. 82 Caleb Brantley (Crescent City, FL), defensive back No. 39 Marcell Harris (Orlando, FL), WR No. 45 Stacy Coley (Oakland Park, FL), four-star running back No. 90 Ryan Green (St. Petersburg, FL), DB No. 94 Nick Washington (Jacksonville, FL), RB No. 111 Kelvin Taylor (Belle Glade, FL) and WR No. 234 Rodney Adams (St. Petersburg, FL)…just to name a few. UF believes it is in a great position to add a number of commits by the weekend’s end.

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Tags: Alex Cercone, Allie Will, Ashley Bruns, Caleb Brantley, Dan McCarney, Daniel McMillian, Freshman of the Week, James Hearns, Joanna Mather, Junior Day, Kelvin Taylor, Kitty Cullen, lacrosse, Laremy Tunsil, Lauren Embree, Mallory Burdette, Marcell Harris, Mikey Meagher, Nick Washington, North Carolina Tar Heels, North Texas Mean Green, Reggie Davis, Rodney Adams, Ryan Green, Sami Fagan, SEC, Sofie Oyen, South Carolina Gamecocks, Stacey Tan, Stacy Coley, Stanford Cardinal, Taj Williams, Taube Tennis Center, tennis, Tim Davis, Top 25, Will Muschamp

1 » Former Florida Gators forward/center David Lee posted the second triple-double of his career Tuesday night, scoring 25 points (on 9-of-19 shooting) with 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Golden State Warriors in a heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma City. Lee’s triple-double and Monta Ellis’s career-high 48 points were simply not enough to propel the Warriors to victory. In 21 games this year with Golden State, Lee is already playing better than he did a year ago, averaging 18.7 points (+2.2) and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 50.8 percent from the field.

2 » No. 1 Florida women’s tennis (4-0) swept the South Florida Bulls (3-2) 7-0 on Tuesday, winning their 98th consecutive home match at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, FL. Junior Allie Will (No. 3), senior Joanna Mather (No. 4) and sophomores Sofie Oyen (No. 34) and Alex Cercone (No. 41) each won their singles matches in straight sets while junior Lauren Embree (No. 25) took three sets to win her singles tilt. The No. 10-ranked team of Oyne/Will and No. 15 duo of Embree/Mather each won their doubles matches handily. The Gators will travel to California over the weekend for back-to-back contests on Friday and Sunday against Pepperdine and Stanford. Florida topped Stanford 4-3 for the 2011 NCAA Championship on May 24.

Check our two more BITS (including a video)…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Lee, women’s tennis, Rivals, Lochte

Tags: Alex Cercone, Allie Will, Caleb Brantley, Daniel McMillian, David Lee, Golden State Warriors, Joanna Mather, Lauren Embree, Linder Stadium, NBA, Ring Tennis Complex, Sofie Oyen, South Florida Bulls, tennis

1 » With Jacksonville Dolphins head coach Kerwin Bell a hot name amongst fans to fill the offensive coordinator role with the Florida Gators, The Florida Times-Union reports that he is mulling an offer from the team but not to serve in that capacity. According to the paper, “multiple sources familiar with Florida’s interest” in Bell says the former Gators quarterback is being offered the quarterback coach role with the team. OGGOA was told weeks ago by a person close to Bell that he would only leave Jacksonville if Florida offered a role more substantial than position coach (such as passing game coordinator or co-offensive coordinator at a minimum) because the move would otherwise come with a great reduction in responsibilities and no increase in pay. If he was hired for one of the other positions, Bell would still have fewer responsibilities but could offset that with a return to Gainesville, FL and a higher salary.

2 » The ITA on Tuesday released its preseason national rankings and the defending national champion Gators can be found all over the organization’s lists. Florida as a team comes in at No. 1 to start the season while Stanford, the squad UF defeated for the title, will begin 2012 in the No. 2 spot. The Gators also have five singles competitors in the top 41 nationally: junior Allie Will (No. 3), senior Joanna Mather (No. 4), junior Lauren Embree (No. 25), sophomore Sofie OyenAlex Cercone (No. 41). Stanford’s Mallory Burdette, who Embree defeated in the final match of the national title event, is listed as the preseason No. 1 player in the country. Burdette, along with Nicole Gibbs, also holds recognition as the No. 1 doubles team. Two Florida pairings, however, are ranked in the top 15: Oyen/Will (No. 10) and Embree/Mather (No. 15). The men’s team is ranked No. 8 preseason with three singles competitors and three doubles pairs also listed.

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Tags: Allie Will, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Denver Broncos, ITA, Jacksonville Dolphins, Joanna Mather, Kerwin Bell, Lauren Embree, Mallory Burdette, Marcus Gilbert, Maurkice Pouncey, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sofie Oyen, tennis, Tim Tebow, University of Florida