Former Florida Gators quarterback Shane Matthews has been quite vocal about his displeasure with his college team over the last few years, so much so in fact that it even earned him a spot (at least temporarily) in head coach Urban Meyer’s doghouse.

With Meyer now at Ohio State and head coach Will Muschamp at the helm in Gainesville, FL, Matthews told host Dan Hicken of Sports Radio 1010XL in Jacksonville that he sees a bright future ahead for his Gators.

“This coaching staff at Florida is the best we’ve ever had at that school – hands down from top-to-bottom – when you go from position-to-position and see where they’ve coached, what they’ve done,” he said. “I love the staff. It’s going to take time because we just don’t have the athletes that the other big boys in the conference do.”

Matthews, who took over as head coach of Nease High School in January, said his appreciation for the coaching staff begins at the top with Muschamp.

“I love him. I love him. I’ve known him for a long time,” he said. “I played for Nick Saban. His last year [2006] at Miami was my last year [in the NFL]. [Muschamp is] a combination of a little bit of [Steve] Spurrier and a lot of Nick Saban. I like the guy. He was dealt a bad deck of cards. I don’t think people realize how bad that situation is and was.”

Though Florida has brought in highly-ranked recruiting classes over the last few years, Matthews believes Meyer and company failed in their talent evaluations and relied on speed more than overall football talent toward the end of his tenure.

“We ain’t put anybody in the league the last couple of years, so that shows you how we were recruiting. They missed big-time,” he said. “We had a track team, which track teams don’t play on Sunday. You better run like a track player but be able to play football.”

Muschamp’s rocky first season as the man in charge of the Gators may be in the rearview mirror, but Matthews does not believe the coach is out of the woods yet. He said that Muschamp has plenty of tough decisions ahead of him starting with who he will name as Florida’s starting quarterback in September.

Read the rest of Matthews’s thoughts on the Gators…after the break!
Continue Reading » Matthews thrilled with Gators coaching staff

Tags: Brent Pease, Charlie Weis, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, John Brantley, Nick Saban, Shane Matthews, Steve Spurrier, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Will Muschamp

The story of the day coming out of New York Jets organized team activities was new quarterback Tim Tebow throwing consecutive interceptions during 7-on-7 drills

His miscues undoubtedly caught the eye of the media in attendance with many saying (in what could be described as either a joking, serious or joke-serious manner) that the quarterback competition in New York is already coming to an end.

But to paraphrase a tweet by Sports Illustrated’s Peter King: That’s as absurd as saying, during spring training, if a guy competing to play first base strikes out his first two times at bat that the competition is over.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” said Tebow of his two interceptions, according to the New York Daily News. “But it’s 7-on-7. Those plays…were the first time I ran them. So I’ll learn from it. Honestly, it won’t bother me again. When you make the bad play, you got to put it behind you and move on. I felt like I did.”

Though Tebow was in a brand new environment running an entirely new offense on Thursday, there was a familiar face in the crowd as former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer watched practice from the sidelines. Tebow said after the workout that Meyer and former Florida strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti flew into New Jersey on Wednesday and he had dinner with Meyer that night.

The Daily News also reports that Tebow spent time during practice as the personal punt protector on special teams; he saw action back there for the first time on Monday and is expected to be on special teams on occasion in order to provide a different look and give the opposition something to think about.

Tebow also got a bit of grief from his teammates upon entering the locker room following practice. According to multiple reports, players chanted “Lolo, Lolo,” in reference to fellow virgin and U.S. Olympian hurdler Lolo Jones, when he walked inside the facility. Jones, upon learning of this occurrence, first tweeted, “Hello by Lionel Richie is now on repeat on my ipod,” and followed that up with another tweet:

Ask Tebow if he wants a glass of milk. If he says yes, ask him if he prefers chocolate. if he says no, then no more Tebow date suggestions

— Lolo Jones (@lolojones) May 24, 2012

Tags: Mickey Marotti, New York Jets, NFL, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

Former Florida Gators running back Ran Carthon has been named the new director of pro director of personnel for the St. Louis Rams, the organization has announced.

Carthon, who led Florida in rushing with 595 yards and six touchdowns in 2003, finished his career with the Gators having played in 48 games (11 starts). He accounted for over 1,300 yards on 270 carries and scored 12 total touchdowns.

Since ending his NFL playing career following three years (2004-06) with Indianapolis Colts, Carthon has been working as a scout with the Atlanta Falcons (2008-11).

For him, the opportunity in Atlanta was a lifelong ambition come true.

“Scouting is something I’ve always been interested in,” he told OGGOA in March. “I used to sit home and record every draft from 1995 to 2003. I would sit by the TV and have my legal pad and kind of do my own little mocks with the magazines and all that.

“When I was in school, whatever team my dad [Maurice Carthon] was with and whatever coach came down, I would always get with them to watch film when they watched our guys for Pro Day. I would be on the field timing 40s myself, timing drills and doing all those things. It was something I always wanted to do.”

Scouting always came naturally to Carthon, who returned to Florida in 2008 to get his degree. After graduating he sent letters to every NFL team looking for an opportunity but got his big break when former Gators head coach Urban Meyer allowed him to participate in Pro Day and bump into some coaches and scouts.

“I wasn’t there working out, but I came and I met some of the scouts and got some cards and kind of kept in touch with guys throughout that process. I was able to get an interview with the Falcons and was able to land the job,” he said.

Carthon has been a popular figure in Atlanta’s front office and even created a Fatherhood Ticket Program that earned him recognition from the White House for responding to a call from President Barack Obama to help strengthen the bonds of fathers and families.

He now has a new challenge in St. Louis and should do quite well if he continues to possess the same passion and fortitude he has throughout his career.

Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, NFL, Ran Carthon, St. Louis Rams, Urban Meyer

1 » New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow was featured as part of yet another Saturday Night Live skit on Saturday as New York Giants QB Eli Manning hosted the long-running television program. In the skit, Taran Killam (dressed as Tebow) performs his signature “Tebowing” move as a celebration while EA Sports is taking motion capture footage for the latest Madden video game.

2 » Tebow and former Florida Gators head football coach Urban Meyer took part in the 2012 Chik-fil-A Leadercast last week. An event that was viewed by more than 125,000 people across the United States via simulcast, the Leadercast included a number of high-profile guests with Tebow and Meyer standing as two of the signature participants. Both men were interviewed by CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien, who got some interesting notes from the duo. “I just know that I really care about what I do. I’m very passionate about it, I love what I do, and I’m willing to put it all on the line. And I think when you’re willing to do those things…people can respect you for it,” said Tebow about being a leader. “What’s so frustrating for me is you have all these athletes, celebrities and entertainers that say, ‘I’m not a role model.’ Yes you are, you’re just not a very good one.” (Tebow apparently received a solid round of applause for that line.)

Meyer indicated that things were not always smooth when it came to his early relationship with Tebow but that his respect for the player’s intensity, integrity and leadership helped them get along just fine. “When I first met Tim, I didn’t like Tim,” Meyer said, according to The Christian Post. “I admired him, but I didn’t like him…Tim has a unique ability to force you to look inward, to evaluate yourself. Because everything you see Tim do, it’s hard to believe.” Tebow also discussed how he has been able to block out so many distractions and focus on football. “Don’t worry about what you can’t control,” he said. “There’s a lot of things we can’t control. We can’t control what people write about us, what they say about us, but we can control a few things: our attitude, our effort, our focus and how we go about treating our teammates.”

Extra BIT » Florida Gators assistant women’s basketball coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick will be moving on from the program as it was announced Monday that she will be the new head coach at North Carolina-Asheville. Kirkpatrick, who has served as a Florida assistant for six seasons, is a local product; UF notes that her family lives 40 minutes away from UNC-Asheville. “I’ve never coached a game without Brenda as my assistant,” Gators head coach Amanda Butler said in a school release. “She’s outstanding and is so ready for this opportunity. I’m so proud of her that it’s hard to linger on the negative of her leaving for too long. She’s not only fulfilling part of her dream of being a head coach, but she gets to do it in her own backyard. That’s super cool.”

Tags: Amanda Butler, Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, New York Jets, NFL, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, women's basketball

1 » Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, acting team leader with point guard Derrick Rose sidelined for the remainder of the season, looked very much like his young teammate during Game 2 on Tuesday when he performed a quick crossover and broke the ankles (figuratively) of Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young.

2 » Former Florida Gators quarterback Chris Leak, the new starter for the AFL’s Orlando Predators, has also decided to continue his career as an analyst and sports commentator by accepting a new gig. Leak will join Chris Childers as a co-host for College Sports Coast-to-Coast on SiriusXM’s College Sports Nation, the company announced via press release on Tuesday. The show airs weeknights from 7-10 p.m. and Leak will appear on the program multiple nights each week. “SiriusXM College Sports Nation offers college sports fans outstanding coverage of their favorite conferences, schools and players all year long and I’m excited to be a part of it,” Leak said in the release. “I still get amped up every spring, like I did when I was at UF, knowing a new college football season isn’t far off. I look forward to talking directly with the fans about the BCS, this year’s national title contenders and the teams and players that you’re going to want to keep an eye on from now through the upcoming season.”

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

Tags: AFL, Chicago Bulls, Chris Leak, Dan Mullen, Joakim Noah, Mike Pouncey, NBA, Orlando Predators, Playoffs, Urban Meyer

From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share – too much to fit into one of our truncated BITS segments. In these instances, or when stories fall through the cracks, we catch and wrap them all up with Gator Bites.

» Florida Gators baseball (33-12, 12-9 SEC) continued to falter over the weekend, dropping two of three games to the Arkansas Razorbacks (31-13, 11-10 SEC). Florida has now lost 10 of their last 20 games (including one each to North Florida and South Florida) while also struggling to put forth consistent performances at the plate and on the mound. For instance, the Gators scored just five runs in 27 innings over the weekend. Florida picked up a 3-2 victory on Friday before falling 5-1 on Saturday and 3-1 in 10 innings on Sunday. The Gators were supposed to get a reprieve with a nine-game homestand but instead went just 5-4 over that span of games. Florida will have three full days off before travelling to Kentucky for a three-game series on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. UF fell to No. 5 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Top 25 and No. 7 in the Baseball America rankings on Monday.

» Gators softball (43-8, 20-5 SEC), also ranked No. 2 heading into the weekend, dropped their final home series of the regular season to the Kentucky Wildcats (26-27, 12-13 SEC) over the weekend. Florida fell 2-0 in the series opener (their second-straight shutout and fourth of the season) before picking up a 5-0 win on Senior Day Saturday and dropping the rubber match 5-1 on Sunday. Freshman right-handed pitcher Lauren Haeger picked up a win on Saturday and a loss on Sunday to bring her to 13-4 on the season while sophomore RHP Hannah Rogers (25-4) added a loss Friday despite pitching quite well over the weekend. Senior center fielder Michelle Moultrie (2/4, HR, 2 RBI, R) began her Senior Day with a big-time solo homer in her first at bat on Saturday, giving her another nice memory for her career. UF will conclude the regular season with a three-game road series at Alabama over the weekend.

» Florida five-star 2013 point guard commit Kasey Hill (Clermont, FL) threw down a strong dunk over the weekend and followed it up with a Gator Chomp while staring straight into the camera. Think he’s ready for the big time?

Continue Reading » Gator Bites for Monday, April 30

Tags: Angelina Ballatore, Arkansas Razorbacks, baseball, Bradley Beal, Chicago Bulls, Chris Rainey, Cleveland Cavaliers, Draft, Gator Chomp, Hannah Rogers, Janoris Jenkins, Joakim Noah, Kasey Hill, Kentucky Wildcats, Lauren Haeger, Michelle Moultrie, NBA, NFL, Ohio State Buckeyes, Olympics, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ron Ballatore, SEC, softball, St. Louis Rams, swimming, Tim Tebow, Top 25, Urban Meyer

Making his first of 10 stops on his state-wide (plus Atlanta, GA) tour of Gator Clubs, Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp arrived at the Gator Gathering in Gainesville, FL on Thursday to much fanfare and excitement. He spent the evening giving a speech and answering questions about the team, meeting fans and signing autographs. Though OGGOA was not on-site (but will be for one in May), there were some newsworthy notes and tidbits from the event.

» Asked to discuss rumors of potential transfers, Muschamp said he did not anticipate a lot of defections but admitted “there may be one or two.” He will continue conducting exit interviews (something he picked up from Nick Saban and not Mack Brown) with players on Friday and Monday before concluding the session for the spring.

» Anyone concerned that junior defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd would be forced to remain on the outside most of the time this season can relax as Muschamp said specifically on Thursday that he knows Floyd “is by far a more disruptive player inside than when he’s playing on the edge.” He said that Floyd will play defensive end in some sets, of course, as will junior DT Dominique Easley once he returns this summer from his anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Continue Reading » Muschamp gathers Gators fans in Gainesville

Tags: Dominique Easley, Neiron Ball, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Urban Meyer, Will Muschamp

1 » Former Florida Gators wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, currently employed by the Washington Redskins but in danger of being cut before the season, told ESPN’s Josina Anderson on Wednesday that head coach Mike Shanahan specifically told him not to report to camp and to see if his agent can find another team for him prior to the draft. “I talked to Mike Shanahan myself. He is the one that told me I don’t have to come up there until two weeks from now when they start installing the offense. So that is why I’m not at voluntary workouts,” he said. “I am working out in Florida now though. Shanahan told me that I can take this time and let my agent see if he can find a better situation for me. So they are pretty much telling me that myself or Santana Moss are going to have to go. I want people to know that I told Shanahan myself that I want to be a Redskin, but if I can’t then of course there are options I would like.”

2 » In the latest Rivals150 for the 2013 basketball recruiting class released on Monday, Florida gained a five-star commitment and top-10 overall prospect. Point guard Kasey Hill (Clermont, FL), listed as a four-star recruit and the No. 27 player overall a few weeks ago, has added another star to his designation and moved up 19 spots to No. 8 overall. Teammates with UF commitment and 2012 four-star shooting guard Michael Frazier (Clermont, FL) at both Montverde Academy and on the Florida Rams AAU team, Hill has been turning a lot of heads recently with his play.

3 » Speaking of basketball recruiting, the Gators are still waiting to hear a decision from five-star 2012 power forward Anthony Bennett (Henderson, NV), who is still meeting with coaches and taking visits before making a decision in early May. In the meantime, head coach Billy Donovan has been in hot pursuit of center Bradley Hayes (Jacksonville, FL). Unrated and raw, Hayes’s size (6’11”, 250 lbs.) and potential has intrigued Florida’s coach. The Gators have yet to offer him a scholarship as the team wants to hear a final decision before doing so, but it has been widely reported that Hayes likely favors staying in-state and playing for UF. He told SNY’s Adam Zagoria on Wednesday that Florida is in his final four along with Connecticut, Georgetown and Texas A&M. “I like their coach,” he said of the Gators. “I like coach straight up. He wants the best, and I want to be the best.” Donovan is set to watch Hayes play in Pittsburgh, PA over the weekend.

Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Gaffney, Hill, Hayes, Spurrier, Meyer

Tags: Chris Leak, Heather Mitts, Jabar Gaffney, Kasey Hill, Michael Frazier, New York Jets, NFL, Olympics, Ryan Lochte, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Washington Redskins