Round 6 – No. 169 (overall)
Josh Evans, S
Jacksonville Jaguars

Height: 6’1″ – Weight: 207 lbs.
Age: 21 – Class: Senior

Just moments after a pair of Florida Gators were selected at the end of the fifth round, safety Josh Evans received a phone call from the Jacksonville Jaguars as the team decided to make him the No. 169 overall selection – the first of the sixth round – in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Jacksonville had been after Evans for quite some time and even contacted both him and his agent on three separate occasions in the week leading up to the draft. Evans, who penned a Path to the Draft blog exclusively here on OGGOA, said he felt “a lot of love” from the Jaguars throughout the process.

“I just want to say it’s an honor and privilege to be in this situation and be a part of a great organization like the Jaguars,” Evans said. “I’m somebody who’s committed whether it’s special teams, defense, wherever I’m needed I’m coming out there to make the best of my opportunity, to go out there and be able to compete.”

Though Evans may have been overshadowed a bit by Matt Elam in the back of the Gators’ secondary, NFL teams took notice of his ability over the last few months. He showed out in a big way at the 2013 NFL Combine and earned some added attention with an impressive performance at Florida’s Pro Day.

Evans improved in each of his four years with the Gators and showed some promise as a junior after head coach Will Muschamp took over the team and began personally coaching the safeties. He played in all 13 games and made eight starts in 2011, ending the year with 51 tackles (fifth-most on the team), a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. He took an even bigger step in his development during his senior campaign as he started all 13 games and led Florida with 83 tackles (4.5 for loss), registering two sacks, three interceptions and three pass defenses.

“It helped me a lot,” Evans said of Muschamp’s tutelage. “Having those guys a part of my life my last two years at Florida really changed my career and it helped me for the next level as far as being able to anticipate certain calls and being in different situations at game time. Checking definitely on the back end with the safeties, pretty much being the quarterback of the defense.”

The eighth Gators player drafted by the Jaguars in franchise history, Evans is the first to be selected by Jacksonville since Derrick Harvey (No. 8, 2008) but the third defensive back that has been chosen by the Gators in the last eight years. Dee Webb (No. 236, 2006) and Reggie Nelson (No. 21, 2007) are no longer with the franchise. It is the first time Florida has had two safeties have been selected in the same draft.

The New England Patriots on Saturday traded former Gators running back Jeff Demps to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for RB Legarette Blount and a seventh-round draft selection. Demps, who informed the Patriots that he wished to run track and would likely miss at least training camp (if not a few games), was jettisoned by New England to the team that wanted him most as an undrafted free agent last offseason. The Buccaneers will likely give Demps an opportunity to contribute to the team though it is unknown how his track desires will affect his ability to make the squad.

Tags: Draft, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jeff Demps, Josh Evans, New England Patriots, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Will Muschamp

1 » The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday announced that former Florida Gators punter Chas Henry has received a one-year contract. Henry, signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles before the 2011 season, remained the team’s starter heading into 2012 but was replaced at the start of the season with Mat McBriar. He tried out with other teams throughout the year but was not able to find a new job when all was said and done. In Tampa Bay, Henry will start out as training camp competition for incumbent starter Michael Koenen, who is signed through 2016. Henry averaged 44.0 yards per punt during his time with the Eagles; Koenen averaged 45.3 yards per punt during the 2012 season and also handles the Bucs’ kickoff duties.

2 » Florida junior right-handed pitcher Karsten Whitson, expected to enter the 2013 season as the team’s No. 2 starter, will be sidelined indefinitely with shoulder fatigue, the school announced. Whitson, who has missed significant time with multiple injuries during his sophomore season with the Gators, is a power pitcher with a mid-90s fastball and devastating slider. He went 8-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 2011 but pitched just 33.1 innings in 2012 and went 4-0 with a 3.51 ERA. His shoulder has long been an issue, however, and Baseball America reported on Wednesday that he met with Dr. James Andrews for a consultation. As of press time, the results of that meeting are unknown. Whitson originally joined Florida rather than signing a $2.1 million offer from the San Diego Padres, which selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. “We knew there was a possibility he might not pitch the first two weekends,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We were kind of prepared for this, so it hasn’t really changed a whole lot in regards to this weekend.”

CLICK TO EXPAND and read two more BITS in this post.

Tags: Abby Wambach, baseball, Chas Henry, Draft, Karsten Whitson, Kevin O'Sullivan, Minnesota Vikings, MLB, NFL, Percy Harvin, Philadelphia Eagles, soccer, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, United States

UPDATE: Dan Quinn leaves Florida for Seattle Seahawks

Could the Florida Gators be in line for their sixth new coordinator in five seasons?

On Thursday, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley was hired as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Immediately thereafter, Florida defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s name popped up both as a potential replacement for Bradley in Seattle or as his hire for defensive coordinator in Jacksonville.

According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, “there is a ‘strong possibility’” that Quinn “will return to Seattle to replace Gus Bradley.” He also noted via Twitter that the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles are interested in Quinn.

One year ago, after a season in which he led the Gators to a top-10 defense in his first year at the helm, Quinn reportedly turned down an offer to coordinate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ defense after Greg Schiano was hired as head coach.

Continue Reading » “Strong possibility” Dan Quinn leaves for Seattle

Tags: Cleveland Browns, Dan Quinn, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1 » Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Ahmad Black, who put together a standout performance with two forced fumbles and an interception on Sunday, was cited for marijuana possession last week, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The paper, citing court records, notes that Black was “charged with possession of cannabis, less than 20 grams,” which is a first-degree misdemeanor offense. Though Black was not arrested, he will appear in court on Dec. 3 to face the charge and may be disciplined sooner by the NFL for a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy. As it is his first offense, a fine would be more likely than a suspension.

2 » Sunday was a rough one for Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin. Not only did he wind up with his lowest offensive output of the season, he seriously sprained his ankle during the game and got into a heated argument on the sideline with head coach Leslie Frazier. After getting injured and limping off the field, Harvin returned to the game and pressed on, a move that may have compounded the seriousness of the injury and is likely to keep him out of action next week. “It wasn’t to prove anything,” he said, according to NFL.com. “I think you guys know, if I’m able to get out there and go, I’m going to try to go. Maybe I did [push too hard]. Maybe I didn’t.” As far as his argument with Frazier goes, Harvin said he was “frustrated” with the production of the offense but refused to discuss it further. “He wants to win. He was frustrated, as we all were at the moment,” Frazier said, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

3 » Many in the NBA are tired of Los Angeles Clippers center Blake Griffin’s constant flopping during games, and Golden State Warriors C David Lee decided to express his frustration with those antics quite loudly. During a game on Monday, the two players were bumping in the post when Lee decided he had enough.

4 » Fresh off a pair of 2012 Southeastern Conference Championship victories, Florida Gators soccer (17-4-1) was given a No. 2 region seed when the brackets for the 2012 NCAA Tournament were announced on Monday. Florida will host the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (14-3-3) at 3 p.m. on Friday with the victor playing the winner of Miami-Central Florida one day later. The Gators defeated the Eagles 3-0 in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Tags: Ahmad Black, David Lee, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Vikings, NBA, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, NFL, Percy Harvin, SEC, SEC Championship, soccer, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Former Florida Gators running back Jeff Demps expects to sign with an NFL team on Thursday and join that team immediately, agent Daniel Rose of Gridiron Sports confirmed to OGGOA late Wednesday evening over the phone.

“Within the next 24 hours we’re going to wrap this up,” he said.

Demps, who decided on Jan. 12 to give up football in order to concentrate on his career as a sprinter, filed paperwork this week to become a NFL free agent. He is able to sign with any team he chooses after not being selected in the seven-round 2012 NFL Draft.

Rose, who spoke with all 32 teams about Demps, told OGGOA that a dozen teams are seriously interested in the player’s services though only a handful have made the final cut and will be involved in Thursday’s decision-making process.

Demps is technically considered an undrafted free agent under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement so the parameters of his rookie contract will be somewhat limited. He can sign for up to three years though the monetary terms of his deal are not necessarily as important as the opportunity a specific team might provide him, Rose said.

“Every team has a different idea of how to use him and basically every team has given us an idea of what they want to do with him,” he explained. “We’re going to look at what teams have, what they want to do with him and take all of that into consideration. We’ve really done our homework.

“Just because a team offers him the most money does not mean they will be the team that gets him. Obviously money is great – and we’ll definitely get a nice deal – but it’s not like a team can come in, offer ‘X’ and all of a sudden they’re the right fit.”

Demps reportedly has been planning to make this move after failing to initially qualify for the 2012 London Olympics in July. Demps wound up being selected as an injury replacement and won a silver medal as part of the first round team for the United States in the Men’s 4×100 Meter Relay, delaying his football plans by a few weeks.

Now that he is eligible to sign with a team, it makes sense that he would do so as soon as possible. NFL training camp began two weeks ago (playbooks were handed out months ago) and Demps will be behind no matter which team picks him up.

Though a dozen organizations have expressed high levels of interest in Demps according to his agent, two that have been specifically named by other media outlets over the last two days are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets.

Tampa is reportedly “seriously interested” in signing Demps and initially contacted him in July. New York, which is looking to add playmakers to its lacking roster, reached out to Demps and his agent more recently, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

Demps will have a lot thrown at him quickly no matter where he signs.

He will not only be weeks behind in learning the team’s playbook and familiarizing himself with its procedures but will also have to change his body again, adding muscle mass that he lost over the last six months for the purpose of become a more proficient sprinter.

Photo Credit: John Raoux/Associated Press

Tags: Jeff Demps, New York Jets, Olympics, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, track, USA

Former Florida Gators running back Jeff Demps, who decided on Jan. 12 to give up football in order to concentrate on his career as a sprinter, has “signed a standard representation agreement for football” and filed the necessary paperwork to play in the NFL according to NFL.com reporter Ian Rapoport.

Just days after winning a silver medal as part of the first round team for the United States the Men’s 4×100 Meter Relay in the 2012 London Olympics, Demps has decided to go back to the sport that he once called his first love.

Demps, who was invited but did not choose to attend the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine, was not selected in the 2012 NFL Draft even as a flier at the end of the third day. Due to these circumstances, he immediately becomes a free agent who can be signed by any team in the league that is interested in his services.

Though his size has always been an issue at 5’8” and 190 lbs., Demps’s straight-line speed is something that undoubtedly has teams drooling about his potential even if they decide he can only be used as a returner and occasional offensive player.

That is why his decision to give the NFL a shot is not much of a surprise, especially because he would always have enough time to change his mind again and get back into track shape a year or two before the 2016 Rio Olympics are set to begin.

As OGGOA wrote on Jan. 12:

When the Olympics are over, whether or not Demps brings home a medal, his playing experience with the Gators could always afford him an opportunity at one day playing in the NFL.

TAMPA BAY THE EARLY LEADER?

According to PewterReport.com, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are “seriously interested” in signing Demps and were in contact with him before he was named as an injury replacement for Team USA in the Olympics.

In fact, the Bucs came close to signing Demps this summer when he failed to qualify for the Olympics. [...] Instead of signing with the Bucs in July, Demps wanted to focus on racing in the Olympics and then concentrate on football in August.

The site also reports that Demps, if signed by Tampa Bay, would be used “as a slot receiver and a running back on offense and as a kick returner on special teams.”

Photo Credit: John Raoux/Associated Press

Tags: combine, Draft, Jeff Demps, NFL, Olympics, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1 » It was a busy weekend for New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow (at least as far as the media was concerned). With training camp beginning for the Jets, ESPN.com’s James Walker took a look at the many roles he could play with the team. That was before camp actually began and Tebow had a rough first day in which he threw some wobbly passes and was “heckled” by New York fans. It was later reported that the hecklers consisted of 3-5 total fans or less a quarter of a percent of those in attendance. Tebow also made headlines, believe it or not, for running shirtless in the rain (video below).

Linebacker Bart Scott, one of Tebow’s teammates, came out in support of the quarterback. “[It’s] his humility. How can you ever not accept somebody who has humility, works hard, who’s a great teammate? I knew Tebow well before he came here. He showed me the respect to seek me out and asked me how he could be a better pro. I mean, guys don’t do that,” Scott said, according to the New York Daily News. “You see the cameras that follow him. Half of you [media members] wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t here. But he takes it all in stride and it never affects his relationship with his teammates. We understand it comes with the territory and we’re able to deal with it. It’s New York.”

Tebow also sat down for an interview Monday with ESPN‘s Hannah Storm:

Click to expand and read BITS on Cooper, Nelson and Black.

Tags: Ahmad Black, Buffalo Bills, David Nelson, Draft, New York Jets, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Riley Cooper, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tim Tebow

1 » Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has been added to the Gator Boosters, Inc. board of directors, according to the University of Florida. Tebow, on the board for a one-year stint, joins some notable Gators including Alex Brown, Lomas Brown, and his own father Bob Tebow on the 60-member board presided over President Bill Heavener and soon President-Elect Rex Farrior III. As explained on their website, Gator Boosters is dedicated to “educate our student-athletes” through scholarship funding and “constantly building, or improving our athletic facilities for Gator student-athltes to be given the opportunity to compete in the finest facilities.”

2 » Former Florida guard Mike Miller spoke with ESPN Radio‘s Ric Bucher immediately following his fantastic performance in Game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals on Thursday. You can listen to the interview by clicking here.

3 » Former Gators running back Earnest Graham has spent his entire NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2004. But with just six weeks until training camp, Graham remains unsigned and told the News-Press that he is mentally prepared for retirement should a team not pick him up soon. “Right now, honestly, I’m going to focus on being a free agent, but I definitely understand that it is likely that I may have already played my last game,” he said. Unfortunately for Graham, he did not even get to complete the 2011 season as he tore his Achilles and only wound up seeing action in seven games. Though that is not the way he wants to go out, Graham said he has his health back and would be able to perform like he has been the last few years if given an opportunity. “I feel fine,” he said. “I’m running around well. If training camp started today, I’d be able to do it.” Graham has run for 2,047 yards and 15 touchdowns while also catching 129 passes for 904 yards and one additional score over his eight-year playing career. His standout season came in 2007 when he rushed for career-highs of 898 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught 49 passes for 324 yards as the starting tailback for Tampa Bay.

4 » Gators freshman G Bradley Beal appeared on ROME on CBS Sports Network on Thursday to discuss the upcoming 2012 NBA Draft and his decision to leave Florida.

Tags: Alex Brown, Bob Tebow, Bradley Beal, Draft, Earnest Graham, Gator Boosters, Lomas Brown, Miami Heat, Mike Miller, NBA, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tim Tebow