1 » Hiring George Edwards as the Florida Gators defensive coordinator may or may not determine current assistant defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chuck Heater‘s future with the team. Will Heater share the role with Edwards, take on other responsibilities with the team, have his job remain the same or even leave for another opportunity? Right now, Gator Nation does not know. What is apparent is that Heater openly campaigned for the defensive coordinator position prior to the 2010 Sugar Bowl. “I’m interested in having a leadership role, whatever it might be,” Heater said in December. He reportedly turned down an offer to join Doc Holliday‘s Marshall Thundering Herd staff as defensive coordinator – does that become a more attractive option for the 33-year coaching veteran?

2 » Losing four assistant coaches (and one graduate assistant) after the 2009 SEC Championship, head coach Urban Meyer has replaced all of them post-haste. Even so, his cornerbacks coach position apparently remains vacant and additional coaching turnover in Heater and/or assistant head coach and defense/defensive line coach Dan McCarney (whose name has popped up as a candidate for the recently available head job with the USF Bulls) may very well occur. Perhaps McCarney would even take Heater as his defensive coordinator? There is still a ways to go before this situation is settled.

3 » Florida women’s basketball (9-6, 2-0 SEC) turned in a thrilling 71-68 double-overtime victory against the Auburn Tigers (9-6, 0-2 SEC) Thursday evening in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Senior guard Steffi Sorensen began the second overtime without a point in the contest but drained three treys to lift her team to victory. The Gators led by 20 points in the first half but gave up the lead in the second half as the Tigers won the rebound (58-46) and turnover (22-15) battles. Sophomore center Azania Stewart led Florida with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

4 » Football has the Swamp Things, basketball has the Rowdy Reptiles, but baseball’s student section remains unnamed – until now. The baseball team is set to throw its first pitch of the 2010 season in just over a month’s time, and the University of Florida is looking to the student body for suggestions on what to name McKethan Stadium’s student section. The winning entry will receive a baseball autographed by head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, Nike Gators gear and the opportunity to throw out a first pitch before a game this season. Submissions are being accepted through Jan. 15 with the voting lasting from Jan. 19-22. An announcement will be made on Jan. 25. Only students are able to apply – visit GatorZone.com for more information.

Tags: Auburn Tigers, Azania Stewart, baseball, Chuck Heater, Dan McCarney, Doc Holliday, George Edwards, Kevin O’Sullivan, Marshall Thundering Herd, McKethan Stadium, O'Connell Center, Rowdy Reptiles, SEC Championshiop, Steffi Sorensen, Sugar Bowl, Swamp Things, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, women's basketball

1 » Florida Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong has yet to sign on the dotted line of a Louisville Cardinals head coaching contract, but the fan base is already getting riled up for his arrival by local papers touting his excellence. Monday night, the focus was on Strong’s personable relationship with the players he recruited and coached at Florida, including freshman linebacker Jon Bostic among others. “He coaches every player different out there because he knows how certain players will react,” Bostic said. “He does whatever it takes to get the job done.” Florida’s administration is still trying to keep Strong in Gainesville, FL.

2 » Using a 20-1 run to end the first half, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-4) took down the Florida women’s basketball team (3-5) 51-38 on Monday in the Women’s Jimmy V. Classic. Senior Steffi Sorensen scored 13 points to lead the Gators, though the team shot just 22 percent from the floor. Even though Florida outscored Rutgers by one in the second half, their 14-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome. The Gators next game is against the Old Dominion Monarchs (1-5) on the road Friday at 7 p.m.

Tags: Charlie Strong, Jon Bostic, Louisville Cardinals, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Steffi Sorensen, women's basketball, Women's Jimmy V. Classic

Florida Gators soccer, cross country and women’s basketball were all in action this weekend coming off a Friday that saw softball, soccer and volleyball compete just one hour apart from another.

Just two days after defeating the Illinois State Redbirds in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Championship at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, OH, the Florida soccer team (16-6-2, 8-1-2 SEC) fell in a heartbreaking 1-0 overtime loss to the Oregon State Beavers (14-7-1, 4-5 Pac 10). Having reached the round of 16 in 2006, 2007 and 2008, the Gators’ loss was the earliest exit for the team in four years. UF had multiple opportunities to score throughout the first 90 minutes, but a ball would not see the net until a turnover in the defensive third resulted in a through ball from Oregon State’s Rachael Axon to Melinda Ingalls for the goal. The Beavers’ first overtime win of the season ended the Gators season and hopes of a title.

The No. 3 women’s cross country team, on the other hand, found success this weekend, winning the NCAA South Region Championship on Saturday morning. Earning an automatic bid to the National Championship on Nov. 23, redshirt sophomore Rebecca Lowe led the way by winning the individual title while the Gators placed five runners in the top 17 and earned six All-South Region honors. Florida won their third regional title in program history, their first in over a decade (1998).

Men’s basketball was not the only Florida team to take their shot at the Stetson Hatters on the hardwood. The women faced them first on Saturday in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, earning an 85-63 win to open the season. Leading the way for the Gators were freshman forward Jennifer George and redshirt sophomore transfer guard Jordan Jones, who combined for 38 points in their first career games in the Orange and Blue. Florida shot 50 percent from the field, grabbed 14 steals and was 7-of-18 from beyond the arc. Jones also led the team in assists (5) and George helped out on the boards (5) while seniors F Sharielle Smith (9) and G Steffi Sorensen (6) led the way in rebounds. The Gators will face the No. 15/12 Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Gainesville, FL.

Tags: All-South Region, Becky Burleigh, cross country, Jennifer George, Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Jordan Jones, Melinda Ingalls, National Championship, NCAA South Region Championship, O'Connell Center, Oregon State Beavers, Rachel Axon, Rebecca Lowe, Sharielle Smith, soccer, Steffi Sorensen, women's basketball