Florida gets a league-high 16 players on SEC coaches' preseason poll

The preseason expectations aren't just confined to the college football magazines. Apparently the SEC coaches are expecting a lot from the Florida football team, too.

The Gators had a league-high 16 players selected to the 2009 All-SEC Coaches’ Football Team, the league office announced on Thursday.  LSU had 10 total selections and defending Western Division Champion Alabama and Georgia had nine each.

Florida had eight players chosen on the first team: QB Tim Tebow, OL Mike Pouncey, OL Maurkice Pouncey, LB Brandon Spikes, DL Carlos Dunlap, DB Joe Haden, punter Chas Henry and return specialist Brandon James.

Alabama had six players on the first team, and LSU had three. There were only three unanimous selections to this year’s All-SEC pre-season squad – LSU offensive lineman Ciron Black, Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones and Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players, thus a unanimous selection earns 11 of 12 first-team votes.

Mississippi and Tennessee had seven total members on the squads, while Kentucky had six, Vanderbilt five, South Carolina and Arkansas four each, Auburn three and Mississippi State two.

The Gators' second-team selections are: OL Carl Johnson, PK Jonathan Phillips, RB Jeff Demps and DB Ahmad Black. On third-team are: TE Aaron Hernandez, LB Ryan Stamper, DB Major Wright, DB Janoris Jenkins.

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE 
TE Richard Dickson, LSU; OL Ciron Black, LSU; OL Mike Johnson, Alabama; OL Mike Pouncey, Florida; OL John Jerry, Mississippi; C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida; WR Julio Jones, Alabama; WR A.J. Green, Georgia; QB Tim Tebow,Florida; RB Michael Smith, Arkansas; RB Charles Scott, LSU.

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL Terrence Cody, Alabama; DL Greg Hardy, Ole Miss; DL Carlos Dunlap, Florida; LB Rolando McClain, Alabama; LB Brandon Spikes, Florida; LB Rennie Curran, Georgia; LB Eric Norwood, South Carolina; DB Eric Berry Tennessee; DB Javier Arenas, Alabama; DB Trevard Lindley, Kentucky; DB Joe Haden, Florida.

The full list is here.
  

 

               

How much Tim Tebow is too much?

It appears the constant coverage of Tim Tebow is getting to be too much for some people. 

Then again, it seems others believe there's no such thing. 

There's no denying the senior quarterback is always in the spotlight, and has been since before his arrival at Florida in 2006. And the ESPN love-rest seems to be growing.

Check out this year's preseason magazines and Tebow is on the cover of Lindy's, Sporting News and Athlon Sports - at least the regional editions.

But as noted in this recent NCAA Footbal FanHouse blog, it seems some are tiring of the media's perceived love of Tebow. The writer takes issue with how a reporter allegedly fell all over Tebow Thursday at the ESPY Awards show, and suggests Tebow has become overexposed.

However, Dan Shanoff of Sporting News has a different opinion. He's launched an all-Tebow, all the time website called TIMTEBLOG: The Tim Tebow blog. Shanoff defines it as "obsessive coverage of Tim Tebow.''

With Florida's expected No. 1 preseason ranking in the coaches' poll, and the return of Tebow and the entire starting defense, if you're one of those who is getting sick of seeing and hearing about Tebow, you've got problems.

On the otherhand, if you can't get enough, you're in luck.

Love him or hate him, it appears he's not going away any time soon.

For Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, ESPY is an honor

Quarterback Tim Tebow and incoming freshman wide receiver Andre Debose each won an ESPY award Wednesday night at the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles.

Tebow was named Best Male College Athlete. Debose was recognized for the Under Armour All-America Moment.

Tebow edged out Sam Bradford (Oklahoma, football), Matt Gilroy (Boston University, hockey), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma, basketball) and Stephen Strasburg (San Diego State, baseball) to become the only two-time winner of the Best Male College Athlete award. He also won in 2008.

"It truly is an honor to even be invited to an event like the ESPYs and be able to be in the same room with many athletes that I have the utmost respect for," said Tebow. "And then to be named the Best Male College Athlete, which was decided by the fans, makes this night even more memorable. I want to thank my teammates and coaches, but a special thank you goes out to the entire Gator Nation, the best fans in the country."

Tebow, who led the Gators to their second national title last season in three years, is the second Florida football player to win an ESPY. Quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, who also won a national title, was chosen Best College Football Player in 1997.

Debose was nominated alongside incoming LSU freshman quarterback Russell Shepard for the Under Armour All-America Moment. The duo hooked up for a 92-yard touchdown pass in the Under Armour All-American Game. Other nominees in this category were Jake Bernhardt (lacrosse), Tara Glover (softball), David Renfroe (baseball), Hannah Werth (volleyball).

The awards show will air on ESPN on Sunday, July 19.

SEC sports to gain even more exposure through FOX Sports Net

Turns out the SEC didn't need its own network afterall.

 

As if the league wasn't going to get enough coverage with its new multi-year deals with ESPN and CBS, there's more.

 

On Wednesday, FOX Sports Net announced it has entered into an agreement with ESPN that expands its parternership with the SEC, that will include a minimum of 91 SEC athletic events, including seven live football games on FSN's three regioal networks - FOS Sports South, Sun Sports and FOS Sports Southwest.

 

The agreement will include televising 20 men's basketball games, 24 women's basketball games (16 regular season), 16 baseball games (10 regular season) and 24 events in the Olympic sports of softball, volleyball, soccer and gymnastics).

 

 

 

 

Florida Football Fan Day Is Aug. 16

The Florida football team will hold Verizon Wireless Football Fan Day on Sunday, Aug. 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

Admission is free. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m.

Fans will be able to meet and get autographs from Gator players and coaches. The University Athletic Association will supply the 2009 Gator team posters for player autographs. Outside items will not be allowed to  be brought in to the event due to NCAA compliance issues.

"Unfortunately, when players have signed various autograph items such as helmets and footballs, they have on occasion been sold to the general public," Senior Associate Athletics Director for Compliance Jamie McCloskey said. "This practice could put the eligibility of some of our student-athletes into question. We want to be proactive in this area and are asking our fans to cooperate with our policy of requesting an autograph on our team poster only. The poster should be for personal use only and not intended for sale."

Due to the high demand for many of the players' and coaches' autographs, the lines will be monitored and closed to ensure that fans are not waiting for autographs with no chance of reaching the signing table by the event's conclusion.

UF President Bernie Machen continues his fight for safety at Florida-Georgia game

Negotiations between Florida president Bernie Machen and City of Jacksonville officials continue as Machen pushes for more stringent efforts to help curtail drinking during the weekend of the annual Florida-Georgia game.

The game's contract with the city ends in 2010, and Machen told me recently he's eager to renew the contract, but only if the city agrees to address several issues he has concerns with. Many are based on the excessive drinking and what he perceives as a lack of crowd control at bars and restaurants at the Jacksonville Landing.

Machen has been a strong proponent of trying to curb drinking among college students since his arrival at UF. But changing the culture of an event once dubbed "The World's Largest Cocktail Party'' won't be easy.

In a recent letter to the City of Jacksonville, Machen requested that the city limit occupancy at the Landing, decrease the number of temporary alcohol vendors and refuse to sell shots at Landing establishments. Two UF students have died during the weekend festivities in the past few years, Machen reminded me, saying his overall concern is safety.

Meanwhile debate continues over whether the game should remain in Jacksonville on an annual basis once the contract expires. Many Georgia fans, and coach Mark Richt, would like to see the game either moved to a home-and-home series, or played in the Georgia Dome on a rotating basis, possibly every third year.

Many continue to weigh in on the issue. The AJC recently ran an item from Georgia fan Bill King who wonders if the game will remain prominent on the national stage if it's not played in Jacksonville?

I'm a Jacksonville native, so I understand why those who've attended the game for decades don't want to see it changed. But I can also understand Richt and other Georgia fans who want change.

So I'm asking you . . . . should both schools renew the annual contract in Jacksonville after the 2010 season or is it time for a change? And can city officials really do anything to cut down on the drinking at the game?

Sporting News tabs Urban Meyer as nation's best football coach

While the debate continues over whether Florida coach Urban Meyer deserves a raise, at least one major sports publication has him ranked as the best in the business.

The Sporting News has ranked its top five coaches, and decided Meyer is No. 1.

I'm curious how your top five list would look. Let me know . . .

Renowned track coach Dick Booth to join Florida's staff

Renowned field-events coach Dick Booth, who has spent the past 27 years helping to build Arkansas into a national power, has been named assistant track and field coach at the University of Florida. 

Booth will be responsible for coaching the jumps and assisting with recruiting and other key phases of the program, UF head coach Mike Holloway said.

Booth spent 27 seasons as the men’s field-events coach at Arkansas and also has served as the head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. Every Arkansas school record-holder in the men’s field events was either coached or recruited by Booth.

“We are extremely excited to hire a coach of Dick’s caliber,” Holloway said. “We look forward to him joining our program and helping us continue towards our goal of becoming the best team in the country.”

During his four-year tenure as head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette from 1985-88, Booth was responsible for two individual national championships, five All-Americans and 19 school record-holders.

During his time at Arkansas, Booth was responsible for 45 individual national championships and 137 All-America honors. Additionally, he coached 11 Olympians.

The jumpers he’s worked with include: Mike Conley, Erick Walder, Robert Howard, Edrick Floreal, Brian Wellman, Jerome Romain, Ray Doakes, Matt Hemingway, Melvin Lister and Kenny Evans.

Jesuit ace Daniel Gibson commits to University of Florida

Jesuit left-hander Daniel Gibson, one of the area's top rising senior pitchers, has committed to the University of Florida.

Gibson was heavily recruited by a dozen Division I schools, but ulitimately chose the Gators over Notre Dame.

"I knew that both schools were great schools academically and athletically, so what it really came down to was location and the weather," Gibson said. "It's not too far away from home but the far enough. And when I thought about where I'd want to play, I enjoy pitching in this kind of weather."

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Gibson, a Times Hillsborough County first-team selection this spring, was 9-2 with a 2.08 ERA for the Tigers, who spents some of the second half of the season as the consensus No. 1 ranked team in the nation. He started the season 7-0, finished with 67 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings and held opponents to a .244 batting average.

Gibson said he visited UF on the way to pitching in the World Wood Bat Association Wood Bat Tournament in Marietta, Ga. -- he is pitching for the All-American Prospects this summer -- and also on the way home. The Gators attended all of his summer games, he said.

"A lot of places wanted him," Jesuit coach Richie Warren said. "His recruiting was similar to a lot of the other arms who have come out of here. He had just played his best in that tournament. He was throwing in the low-90s."

Gibson said UF was always at the top of his list, and his last visits to Gainesville only confirmed he wanted to be a Gator.

"I felt comfortable there," Gibson said. "They were at a couple of my games during the high school season. They came on kind of late, but when they did they game on strong. They showed me and my family that they were really interested."

Gibson will join fellow Hillsborough County standout pitchers Tommy Toledo (Alonso) and Alex Panteliodis (Alonso), as well as former Plant first baseman Preston Tucker -- a consensus freshman All-American -- with the Gators.

-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA

Urban Meyer emphatically denies talk of leaving Florida for Notre Dame

Having returned from a family vacation to learn of Paul Finebaum's column saying he will leave Florida at the end of the 2009 season for Notre Dame, Urban Meyer said he has no plans to ever coach at Notre Dame.

At a weekend golf tournament sponsored by Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley, Meyer responded to questions about the column, and said he's concerned how stories of this type will affect the Gators' recruiting efforts.