FOUR BITS: Cooper, Seferian-Jenkins, Strong

By Adam Silverstein
April 2, 2010

1 » Asked in a question and answer session about a “sleeper pro prospect coming out of Florida,” ESPN NFL analyst Adam Schefter was quick to name former Florida Gators wide receiver Riley Cooper. “Anyone who is 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and fast usually has a chance to do some good things at the NFL level,” Schefter said. “Some scouts timed him in the high 4.4s. So he has a size/speed combo that makes him an attractive prospect. Throw in his ability to play special teams and it would seem like Cooper would benefit some team next season.”

2 » As the Butler Bulldogs prepare for a 2010 NCAA Final Four game against the Michigan State Spartans, their fans are pumped and already swarming local bookstores (both online and in person) to purchase the official tournament t-shirt. “We are going through just thousands of shirts at this point, of the Final Four style,” Follett regional manager Richard Goodpaster said. In fact, Butler fans are buying shirts at such a rapid pace that they are expected to blow past the record number of shirts purchased by Gators fans during the team’s run in 2006.

Two more BITS on a top recruit favoring UF and Charlie Strong…after the break!

3 » After visiting the University of Florida over the weekend, top 2011 tight end recruit Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Gig Harbor, WA) has put the Gators at the top of his list. Speaking with Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel, Seferian-Jenkins explained that he has already visited 10 college campuses but none compares to UF. “We loved Gainesville. […] Florida…they’re No. 1. We had a great trip,” he said. “It’s pretty early, but what I have at Florida I don’t have anywhere else, so I really like them now.” One of the team’s best recruiters, tight end coach Brain White, is instrumental in recruiting Seferian-Jenkins having known him for a few years already. “[White has] always been in touch with me … recruiting me,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “I really liked the honest coaching staff, they’re good people, they have good players, the whole thing. They run a tight ship, they like to have fun, but at the same time they also like to follow the rules and get things done the right way.”

4 » Former Florida secondary coach Vance Bedford, who left the Gators with Louisville Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong to become his defensive coordinator, told the Orlando Sentinel’s Jeremy Fowler that Strong is already a local celebrity in his short time in town. “He’s a hit everywhere he goes here,” Bedford said. “He speaks in front of high school student bodies, churches, hospitals. High school coaches are going out of their way to help us. It’s a testament to Charlie and the seeds he’s planted here already.” School athletic director Tom Jurich is quite pleased that he was able to land Strong and is confident in his ability to turn the Cardinals around. “I think he is in the right place at the right time,” Jurich said. “There’s talent coupled with energy. My biggest fear for the guy is I’ve got to slow him down a little bit. I want him to sleep a little bit.”

Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

2 Comments

  1. npgator says:

    It seems only right that with the last name Jenkins he needs to be a Gator!

  2. Creech says:

    I can see Fowler’s headline tomorrow, “Carter says Strong is a real coach!”

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