FOUR BITS: Fowler, Muschamp, Gordon, Mincey

1 » Former Florida Gators defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., who decided to forego his final year of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2015 NFL Draft, took out an advertisement in The Gainesville Sun on Friday, thanking Gators fans for his time with the program. Fowler is expected to be an early first-round selection in the draft and has been projected as high as No. 3 overall. In case you’re having trouble with the copy, it reads as follows: “Thank you Gator Nation for all the support and love the past three years. We’ve got the best fans in the land. I’ll forever bleed Orange & Blue.”

2 » New Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp – and defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson, for that matter – had shown no love for Florida on the recruiting trail to this point as the duo has not paused in going after players they were recruiting to join the Gators when they were both members of the program. But Muschamp did show his soft side for Florida on Thursday. According to 247Sports.com‘s Luke Stampini, Muschamp praised the Gators to three-star DE G.G. Robinson (Lilburn, GA) after learning Robinson was not interested in playing for the Tigers. “He talked good about Florida the whole time. He told me to have fun and said, ‘It’s nice.’ He said I’d like the weather,” Robinson said. “He also said Jim McElwain is probably about to turn the program around. I expected him to say something bad about them, but he didn’t.” Robinson is visiting UF this weekend, the last of the 2015 recruiting cycle.

3 » Former Gators discus thrower Jacqueline Gordon passed away earlier this month at the age of 58. Gordon, who held a Virginia state record in discus that existed for more than three decades and was later inducted into the Virginia High School Hall of Fame, was once named the Lady Gator Athlete of the Year while at Florida. She was also a two-time All-American in discus and once held the Gators’ program record in the discipline at 157 feet, six inches. OnlyGators.com sends our deepest condolences to the Gordon family.

4 » Dallas Cowboys DE Jeremy Mincey broke out late in the season and did so with a nagging injury. Two weeks ago, after the Cowboys were eliminated from the postseason, Mincey had surgery to remove more than a dozen sizable bone chips from his arm. He is expected to return to his starting role with Dallas next season, as he has a franchise-friendly contract with one year and $1.5 million left on his two-year deal (plus a $250,000 signing bonus).

Extra BIT » The Gators on Thursday hired Kevin Barbay as their new associate director of player personnel for the football program. Barbay, a former wide receivers coach at Lamar who held the director job on his own for McElwain at Colorado State, will work under Drew Hughes at Florida.