FOUR BITS: Caps, Pounceys, Donovan, Macklin

1 » Florida Gators football will have new captains for the 2010 season, and they are seniors defensive end Justin Trattou and guard/center Mike Pouncey. Two of only eight true seniors on the team, Trattou and Pouncey may have some company before all is said and done. Their value will likely be unmatched both from a leadership and playing standpoint in 2010, so it is nice to see them receive early recognition.

2 » Mike may be concentrating on the Gators but his brother, center Maurkice Pouncey, is currently in Indianapolis, IN, for the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine. A first-team All-American, first-team All-SEC and Rimington Trophy (top center in the nation) winner, Pouncey is projected as a first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft in April. “I’m going to do everything,” Pouncey said of workouts at the combine. “I’ll do it now and have pro day to fall back.” Surprisingly, he never thought about playing center until Florida needed one two years ago. “I wanted to do whatever the [Gators] needed, and the team needed a center,” he told The Ledger. “It has worked out for the best.”

Check out two BITS on Florida Gators basketball after the break!

3 » Gene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union takes an interesting look at the expectation levels of football and basketball at Florida. Though head basketball coach Billy Donovan’s team has struggled the last few years, Frenette points out that he has not received the criticism someone like head football coach Urban Meyer would if his team suffered a similar fate. “It just shows basketball’s place within the Gators empire,” he writes. “You can fall from greatness to just OK for a couple of years, and nobody questions it or lights the coach’s hair on fire. Yet Urban Meyer would need an asbestos suit if the football team went 8-4 and 7-5 over the next two seasons.”

4 » One player helping Donovan stay out of the fire is his very own acquisition, redshirt junior transfer center Vernon Macklin. Though he had a rough start to his Gators career, Macklin has truly become a presence inside the paint for Florida. In his last six games, Macklin has hit a then-career-high 20 points (2/6 vs. Mississippi State), two double-doubles (2/13 vs. Xavier, 2/23 vs. Tennessee) and established a new career-high with 22 points (2/20 vs. Ole Miss) all while shooting 66 percent from the field. “Coach just told me to be mentally and physically ready to play,” Macklin told The Gainesville Sun after Tuesday’s game. “It just feels good to be able to get a win in the conference.”