1 » Former Florida Gators center/guard Maurkice Pouncey is on the verge of signing his rookie contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers and has been making sure to keep in shape so he is fit and ready to participate in training camp beginning this weekend. However, allegations that Pouncey received $100,000 from a runner for an agent while at the University of Florida put him off schedule a bit recently, something his speed and conditioning coach Tom Shaw noticed. “He’s disappointed that this stuff has come up and thrown a wrench in. That’s the reason why he missed [workouts],” Shaw told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review last Wednesday. “He’s gotten to a point where he’s trying to make sure he still has his [good] name. He wants to be able to go back to the University of Florida and still be respected.” Nevertheless, Pouncey is ready to go; now he just has to sign his contract and put the rest behind him.

2 » Florida transfer guard Mike Rosario, who will be eligible to play for the team during the 2011-12 season after sitting out a year due to NCAA rules, spoke with SNY’s Adam Zagoria Wednesday about watching two of the nation’s top recruits – five-star Gators commit Brad Beal and five-star recruit Austin Rivers – play in the AAU U-17 Super Showdown on Tuesday. “I watched them go head-to-head,” he said. “It was a great matchup. Those guys [have] been playing well. I love Brad Beal’s game. He has a smooth game like Ray Allen. I love the fact that Austin Rivers can shoot the ball, put it on the floor. Both of those guys are capable of helping us win a conference championship. I hope they both come here so we can turn this program into a special program.” Rosario also noted that the biggest adjustment he has had to make since stepping on campus is dealing with the heat. “You walk out of the dorm room, it’s just a sauna,” he noted.

Extra BIT » The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Florida has offered a scholarship to 2012 guard/forward recruit Jarmal Reid. “That Florida offer really excited me,” Reid told the paper. “I like the whole atmosphere there. They have great fans and one of the best coaches around in Billy Donovan. I would love to be coached by him.”

Photo Credit: Rob Tringali

2 » Junior defensive end Justin Trattou is ready for his captainship, and he realizes part of that comes with showing the youngsters the ropes. “It’s always [hard to adjust] when you come in as a freshman, especially when you come in midway in January,” Trattou said, according to The Gainesville Sun. “It’s always going to be tough because no matter what you did in high school, it’s not going to be the same intensity as it is here, between all the strength coaches and all the guys who have been here for a couple years.” Trattou’s toughness is not to be questioned, especially considering he played with a torn left bicep last season. “The one I had is ripped off,” Trattou said per the Orlando Sentinel. “Now it’s basically just scarred over. The key was giving it time to get stronger. […] Any time you can fight through injuries, it always gets respect from guys.”

Two more BITS on RB Jeff Demps and LB coach D.J. Durkin…after the break!

3 » Recovered from his dislocated elbow, sophomore running back (and freshman sprinter) Jeff Demps has been tearing it up for the Gators track and field team this spring. Specializing in the 60-meter dash, for which Demps has recorded a nation’s-best time this season, many experts believe he has a bright future ahead off of the football field. The Miami Herald’s Joseph Goodman spoke with Loren Seagrave of Velocity Sports Performance, who agrees that Demps could be an excellent track and field star but thinks he should concentrate on football for the time being. “If you love playing football and you love running track, then keep on doing both as long as you can and see how the football plays out for you, because if football doesn’t work and you’ve been staying active and running track, then you can step right in as long as you don’t have a real bad injury,” Seagrave said.

4 » “I got to see firsthand, right from the start, talk about a guy coming in [to Bowling Green] and changing the whole culture and the way things are done at a place,” new Florida linebackers coach D.J. Durkin told the Sun about head coach Urban Meyer. “He’s got a plan to win, and it works.” Durkin, who joined the Gators’ staff after Charlie Strong left for a head coaching job with the Louisville Cardinals, continued to gush about his previous experiences with Meyer. “The biggest thing is the way Coach Meyer worked with players, the relationship he had with them,” Durkin said. “With all due respect, Stanford is a great program and Jim Harbaugh is a tremendous coach and a great guy. But the chance to come here and coach with the best players in the country, in the country’s best program for the best coach…it’s a deal you can’t pass up.”