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James Wilson, one of the nation's top offensive line recruits, said late Friday night he has decided to seek his release and transfer to another school.
Wilson was injured and had knee surgery in 2007, his true freshman season.
He signed with UF after originally commtting to Southern Cal out of Jacksonville Nease. Wake Forest could be among the schools he's considering.
Kentucky freshman Patrick Patterson has suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle and will miss the reaminder of the season.
Patterson, the league's top scorer (16.4 ppg), underwent an MRI Friday morning and the injury was discovered. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, according to a statement released by the school.
After struggling the first two months of the season, Kentucky managed to rebound and currently is in second place in the SEC East behind Tennessee.
Patterson was the Wildcats' most dominant player in the post, and his loss is a huge blow to Kentucky's late-season push to make it into the NCAA tournament.
Florida will get its first big test this season when the Gators travel to Coral Gables this weekend for a three-game series against No. 8 Miami.
The series kicks off today at 7 p.m.
Although this is a heated, highly-competitive rivalry, Florida had seven straight wins over the Hurricanes between Feb. 19, 2005-Feb. 18, 2007 - the longest in a series which dates back to 1940. Florida went 2-1 in the series in Gainesville in 2005 and 2007 and won all three meetings in its most recent visit to Mark Light Field in 2006.
UM leads the series 118-92-1, including 73-34 in Coral Gables.
Tampa freshman Tommy Toledo (1-0, 3.60), will start Sunday's finale at 1 p.m. against Hurricanes' rookie Chris Hernandez (1-0, 0.00). Toledo is coming off a five-inning stint last Sunday in which he won his collegiate debut.
Vance Bedford's wife has never been to Gainesville, and has only visited the state of Florida on a few bowl trips.
So Bedford, Florida's new cornerbacks coach, woke up in Gainesville Thursday morning, he discovered a great recruiting tactic to use on his wife.
Talk about the weather.
"I said "Honey, it's 40 degrees and everybody here thinks it's cold,'' Bedford said Thursday afternoon. "If you've ever been to Arbor this time of year,'' you would know that's a great recruiting move right there.''
Bedford, new defensive line coach Dan McCarney and running backs coach Kenny Carter met with the media Thursday afternoon to discuss everything from coaching philophy to recruiting.
Bedford, who arrived in Gainesville Wednesday night, hasn't had time to spend much time with the players, but said he's watched film cut-ups and believes the Gators have a lot of talent to work with. What he's looking for most? Tougjhness, he said.
Carter dismissed the "perception'' that the Gators don't have a running game because they lack talent at that position, saying he expects heavy competition for the starting job, including Emmanuel Moody, Mon Williams and Kestahn Moore. He also said the idea of taking away Tim Tebow as a running threat is absurd, but he instead wants to make the running backs a strong complement to Tebow's running style of play.
"We're going to do our part to make sure that when 3rd and 1 comes around or 3rd and 2 comes around, don't have to run just counter, we can do some other things and take that load off of him,'' Carter said.
As for USF coach Dan McCarney, he reiterated he enjoyed his year with the Bulls, but when the opportunity came to join the Gators, it was a no-brainer. Asked what drew him away?
"Urban Meyer, first,'' McCarney said. "Then the University of Florida. I'm not new to this. I've been around the block a few times, you can tell that by looking at this face. I know a great opportunity when I see it. I didn't just come in on a load of wood.''
That's almost as classic as when Ron Zook used to say, "I'm no Willie off the pickle boat.''
Like thousands of others in the mesmerized legion at the recent Van Halen concert in Tampa, I came away astounded -- albeit for an entirely different reason.
It wasn't David Lee Roth's middle-age-defying leg kicks, Eddie Van Halen's nimble mastery of the fretboard, nor the on-stage chumminess the pair displayed after years of animosity.
What floored me was what I encountered beforehand -- at a restaurant across the street from the St. Petersburg Times Forum.
There, shuffling patrons to booths and issuing directives to hostesses, was ex-Gator and Tampa Jesuit High lineman Pat Browning -- with a shaved head and closely-cropped waistline.
Roughly a decade after a series of knee surgeries and off-field trouble ended his career, Browning, whom I covered in college and high school, has lost approximately 175 pounds from his 6-foot-4 frame.
Today, he weighs a svelte 205.
"The hard part about losing weight, the part that so many people struggle with, is weight loss must be a complete life change," Browning said in an e-mail several days later. "I know I will never be overweight again and that's a great feeling. It is a simple concept, burn more calories a day than you put into your body!"
Browning, whose enigmatic playing career ended when his scholarship wasn't renewed after the 1998 season, was a shade over 300 pounds in his prime, but had ballooned to nearly 380 by '99.
He said he an on-campus encounter with ex-Gators lineman Kenyatta Walker changed his life. When Walker began mocking his weight in front of several others, Browning said he went home, looked in the mirror and barely recognized the image staring back at him.
"I never got to thank Kenyatta," Browning said, "but he truly changed my life!"
Fresh off his fifth knee surgery at the time, Browning joined a local fitness center and began swimming an hour a day. Within nine months, he had dropped 100 pounds.
Eventually, he got his knee back in shape with the help of a trainer and started running three to five miles a day. By the time he graduated, moved back to Tampa (in 2002) and began dating his wife, Sarah, he was down to 245.
At this point, Browning said he was subsisting on little more than two cans of tuna a day. Sarah put him on a low-carb, high-fiber, high-protein diet (lots of fruits and vegetables), and he immediately dropped another 20 pounds.
"It's hard to see pictures of myself back in those football playing days," said Browning, one of only four Gator true freshmen to play on UF's 1995 SEC title team. "So many things in my life have changed for the better since losing all the weight."
In a few months, Browning will give up his restaurant manager's job, and move to North Dakota with Sarah, who will be a professor at North Dakota State. Browning said he plans to teach social studies and coach prep football.
"I plan on bringing my knowledge of healthy eating to young people," he said. "I feel like our youth in America, much like myself in my younger years, have a severe lack of information about lifelong healthy eating habits."
JOEY KNIGHT, Times staff writer
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is one of 11 finalists for the AAU James Sullivan Award, presented to the nation's top amateur athlete.
Tebow threw for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns last season, on his way to becoming the first sophomore in NCAA history to win the Heisman Trophy. He was also awarded the Davey O'Brien and Maxwell awards.
He is the only player in NCAA history to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns in a season. His 55 touchdowns were the most in a season in school history. Tebow also set the school single-season record for total offense with 3,970 yards as the Gators (9-4) finished No. 16 in the USA TODAY Coaches' Poll.
Tebow carries a 3.77 grade- point average as a major in family, youth and community sciences, and was an ESPN first-team Academic All-American.
Fans can vote on the Sullivan Award, with fan votes counting as one-third of the final tally. Voting can be done at sports.usatoday.com or on mobile phones.Voting ends March 10 and the winner will be announced April 1.
Swimmer Tracy Caulkins is the only other Gator to ever win the Sullivan Award in 1978.
Last night's 77-64 road win over Georiga may have gone a long way in bolstering Florida's NCAA championship resume, but the Gators still have work to do, at least one expert said Thursday.
Joe Lunardi, the ESPN Bracketologist, said the Gators need to win at least one of their remaining regular season home games if they want to feel more comfortable heading into Selection Sunday. Florida (21-7, 8-5 SEC) will host Mississippi State at 4 p.m. Saturday, then host Tennessee next Wednesday. Florida closes out the regular season at Kentucky.
"They've got to get at least one of them,'' Lunardi said. "They can't lose two home games . . . and then go to Kentucky, which is going to be just as desperate, if not more.''
Lunardi said winning two home games would be much better for the Gators. If they split the final home games, they may have a lot of work to do in the SEC Tournament, Lunardi said, working under the assumption that a win at Rupp Arena will be very tough for the Gators to pull off.
For now, Lunardi said, the Gators aren't in dire straits, but they aren't a lock for the tournament by far. Florida is being helped by the faltering of some other teams down the stretch.
"I think winning the road game (at Georgia Wednesday night) was a great start,'' he said. "The other great advantage I think Florida has at this moment is the bubble is really soft. Typically at this time of year more teams are playing their way out than in but if you look at the bubble listings - last four in and last four out over the last week or two - nobody's winning any games. Or so it seems. At least three out of four are losing, it seems to me right now. So if Florida can just win the games they are supposed to win and not get a bad loss early in the SEC Tournament I think they'll find themselves in the bracket.''
Florida's week-long bye ends tonight at Georgia, in a game the Gators desperately need to win.
Florida hasn't played since last Wednesday, and coach Billy Donovan said he's unsure just how much the team accomplished with the break. Donovan said taking a week-long break in February presents different challenges than one in November or December after a team has been working with an established routine for four nearly four months.
"We pretty much get into a set routine where we play Wednesday-Saturday or Tuesday-Saturday and you’re going to have two games during the course of the week,'' Donovan said. "So in reality, you look at this week off and say "gee they had a lot of time', when we really didn’t have a lot of time.''
Following last Wednesday's win over South Carolina, Florida took an NCAA-mandatory day off Thursday because they had practiced on Sunday of last week following the Vanderbilt loss. They practiced on Friday and Saturday, then took this past Sunday off to get back on their regular practice rotation.
"So in reality, we had two days and one day was really spent dealing with some mental things and the second was spent playing and practicing,'' Donovan said. "But the combination and balance between keeping them mentally fresh and excited and enjoying coming into the gym, that was important to us. I think sometimes I’ve seen teams that don’t really enjoy this time of year. So I don’t know what we got accomplished. I felt like we did do some things, but how much improved or helped our team was with the week off, I don’t know.''
The Gator players know they are in a precarious situation, with games against league-leading Mississippi State and Tennessee on the horizon.
"We feel like we’re in a must-win situation,'' freshman forward Alex Tyus said. "This is a game we feel like we definitely need to win. All the games (remaining) we feel like we need to win. But we’re mostly concentrating on the game ahead of us.''
Urban Meyer must have really liked the way the Michigan secondary played in its win over the Gators in the Capital One Bowl.
He went out and hired the coach.
Former Michigan secondary coach Vance Bedford was hired Tuesday as the Gators' new secondary coach. Bedford has 15 years of collegiate experience, and although he comes to UF after just one year with Michigan, he previously was the Wolverines' coach in the same capacity from 1995-98. He also spent six years coaching in the National Football League.
A native of Beaumont, Texas, Bedford was a four-year letterman and starter at cornerback for the University of Texas (1977-79, 1981).Bedford was selected in the fifth round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He played one season with the Cardinals (1982) and a year with the USFL's Oklahoma Outlaws (1984) before embarking on a coaching career.
Bedford is the final hire for three vacancies Meyer had this offseason.
Here is the breakdown of the coaching responsibilities of the staff:
Steve Addazio - Assistant Head Coach, Offense/Offensive Line
Vance Bedford - Cornerbacks
Kenny Carter - Running Backs
Billy Gonzales - Recruiting Coordinator/Wide Receivers
Chuck Heater - Assistant Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
John Hevesy - Tight Ends/Assistant Offensive Line
Dan McCarney - Assistant Head Coach, Defense/Defensive Line
Dan Mullen - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Charlie Strong – Defensive Coordinator, Associate Head
Coach/Linebackers
It’s most likely not a combination you could see using for an extended period of time, at this point but it’s possible you’ll see more of freshman Alex Tyus and sophomore Marreesse Speights on the floor at the same time.
Billy Donovan has been experimenting with two big-man combination with a bit of success. At 6 has been foot-8, Tyus offers some much-needed height and physical play along with Speights inside the paint.
“I think that it's something that can be good for our team,’’ Donovan said. “I don't know how many minutes we can do it. There are a lot of dilemmas when you talk about trying to do that because you're dealing a freshman in Alex that's having to move into a different position and there's a lot of different responsibilities when you talk about inbounding the ball, things that we do offensively. There's probably an adjustment period if you're going to try to do it some. Certainly he provides a little bit more athleticism for us but besides the physical part of it there's also a mental side of it too, where it can be challenging for a young guy playing multiple positions. I think Alex has gotten better at it, he's improved, it's something we looked at and we want to try to continue to develop and work on. Not only for this year's team but also for Alex and our team's growth in the future.’’
For Tyus, just getting on the floor is enough incentive to learn to play multiple roles for the Gators, even if he's not totally comfortable.
“Just playing and getting experience is what I’m most happy about, playing in my first year,’’ Tyus said. But it’s different because I’m playing against guys that are bigger than me, playing against them all the time. I guess you could say playing out of position isn’t that bad for right now.’’
The Kevin O'Sullivan era officially begins this evening when the Gators kick off the season with a three-game series against Sienna.
During Wednesday night's basketball game, Seffner native and former Arwood standout Brandon McArthur addressed the O'Connell Center crowd asking for their support this season.
"We were picked to finish 5th in the SEC East,'' McArthur said. "Nobody believes in us. But that's because they haven't seen all the hard work we've been putting in since August.''
It's most likely because of the way the Gators' season went last year. Florida was 29-30, its first season with a losing record since 1990. It was also only the second season since 1976 (21-27) that the Gators finished with a sub .500 record.
If history is any indication, the Gators could bounce back nicely under O'Sullivan. The last two Florida teams which had losing records turned things around the following year. Jay Bergman’s 1977 team went 39-18 overall and captured its fi rst Eastern Division title since 1969 with a 14-9 SEC mark, and UF made its fi rst trip to NCAA Regionals since 1962. Joe Arnold engineered an even more noteworthy turnaround in 1991, when he directed the Gators to a school-record 51 victories, the program’s most recent SEC Tourney crown and a berth at the NCAA College World Series.
Including McArthur, the Gators have eight area players on the team. McArthur will take over first base from All-American Matt LaPorta. McArthur played just one game last seaon after tearning the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in his right elbow on opening night; he later underwent season-ending surgery.
Here are the other area players on the Gator roster:
Brett Bentley, Jr./C; Jesuit
Michael Branham, Jr./RHP, Jesuit
Billy Bullock, So./RHP, Riverview
Riley Cooper, R-Fr./OF, Clearwater Central Catholic
Chris Freshcorn, F./INF, Alonso
Stephen Locke, Jr./LHP, King
Tommy Toledo, Fr./RHP, Alonso
So you think Sandwichgate was bad? Or Tony Joiner's attempted hijacking of his girlfriend's car from the impound lot? Or Brandon James buying pot? It probably could be worse.
Take a look at this Associated Press story about the murder trial involving Alabama receiver Julio Jones, the nation's No. 1 receiver prospect who signed with Alabama. He was once on the Gators' wish list.
AP - Two weeks after he announced his decision to play football at Alabama on national television, star wide receiver Julio Jones found himself in a new position - that of a key prosecution witness in a capital murder trial.
Wearing a gray hoodie emblazoned with an Oklahoma Sooners' logo, Jones testified Tuesday that he witnessed the gunshot murder of a longtime acquaintance who was identified as a drug dealer. The slaying occurred in Baldwin County not far from Foley High School, where Jones became one of the nation's top football recruits.
Jones, 19, said he and his best friend, 18-year-old Lugene Gibbs, watched from across a street as Labarron McDonald, 27, fatally shot Gibbs' uncle, Marlin Lashane Phipps, 33. Jones and Gibbs both said they heard three quick shots from a handgun. McDonald then yanked on Phipps' dreadlocks, pointed the barrel closer to his head and fired once more, they said.
At the end of Jones' testimony, prosecutor Michael Pylant asked the player whether he identified McDonald as the gunman because of pressure from his friend's family or from police. "No, sir," Jones said. "Because I seen him." On cross-examination, defense lawyer Pascal Bruijn asked Jones whether Gibbs was his best friend. "Is that why he's standing in the door, keeping the cameras from taking your picture?" Bruijn asked Jones.
Pylant objected, and Jones did not have to answer.
During opening statements, Bruijn said McDonald was in Milton, Fla., when the shooting happened on May 12. Bruijn called Phipps a "violent, gang-banging drug dealer" who "made enemies and beat up on people."
Gibbs, also a Foley High athletic standout, and Jones both denied smoking or drinking the day of the killing, but Gibbs said his uncle was a drug dealer.
Jones was a Parade and USA Today All-American, and ESPN carried the announcement of his college decision. Named Alabama's Mr. Football by sports writers, he had 194 career catches for 3,287 yards and 42 touchdowns. He also had three rushing touchdowns and scored twice on kick and fumble returns.
Okay, forget what I said about Riley Cooper yesterday.
I was wrong.
Apparently Cooper is going to take his fragile foot and bad ankles over to the Florida baseball team.
The school announced this afternoon that Cooper has been added to the Gator baseball roster. Cooper will be on the active roster when the Gators open the season Friday night against Sienna.
A 15th-round selection of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, Cooper was rated as the No. 161 prospect in the nation and No. 22 in the state of Florida according to Baseball America.
The 6-foot-3, 215 pound sophomore receiver played in 10 games with the Gator football team last season, including two starts. He had 182 receving yard on eight catches (22.8 per reception) to lead the Gators in yards per catch.
But Cooper has been hampered by injuries both seasons, which is why his joining the baseball team is somewhat surprising. Florida has not said what Cooper's status will be with the football team when spring practice begins March 19.
Riley Cooper took batting practice with the baseball team on Tuesday, but most likely won't be joining the Gator squad, at least any time soon.
Cooper, a former two-sport standout at Clearwater Central Catholic, was the No. 161 prospect in the nation for the 2006 draft, and No. 22 in the state of Florida, according to Baseball America.
Although he reportedly looked solid in batting practice, there are no plans at this time for Cooper to join the team.
First-year UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan was open to the option of evaluating Cooper and giving him a chance, but with the season-opener set for Friday, Cooper's history of injuries (foot, ankle, and most recently a broken finger at the end of the past football season), and spring football practice less than a month away, it's not really a viable option for either the team or Cooper at this time.
Backup quarterback John Brantley is expected to miss the next 3-5 weeks with a shoulder injury.
The freshman from Ocala injured his non-throwing shoulder during drills last week.
hurt his non-throwing shoulder about a week ago in mat drills. The time table at that time was 4-6 weeks.
Brantley could return to action before the end of spring practice, if all goes well.
Florida opens spring practice on March 19.
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The sandwich shop case against former football player Jon Demps was settled on Monday.
Demps was arrested in early December after he and defensive end Jermaine Cunningham were accused of assaulting a Gainesville Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwich Shop employee by throwing cups and a sandwich at him. Former LSU track standout and Olympic hopeful Xavier Carter was also arrested and charged with resisting arrest without violence. Demps and Cunningham were charged with misdemeanor battery.
At the request of the alleged victim, Demps agreed to donate $100 to a local charity. The victim asked the State Attorney's office that no further action be taken.
Carter settled the case against him earlier this year by also making a donation to a charity. Charges against Cunningham were eventually dropped.
Expect Florida to face an improved Vanderbilt team when the Gators travel to Nashville on Saturday for a 3 p.m. game against the Commodores.
According to Vandy coach Kevin Stallings, the Commodores are better than the team that came to Gainesville and got trounced last month.
Vandy has won four of its last five games and is on a four-game winning streak since losing to the Gators 86-64 on Jan. 27. They enter Saturday's game after dismantling Kentucky 83-52 on national television Tuesday night.
"We’re playing a little better and had a good performance on Tuesday night,'' Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. "I think that defensively we’ve gotten a ltitle better over the last few weeks, and we seem to be taking better care of the basketball, and those were the things that were plaguing us early on. Hopefully we’ll continue to improve in those areas and we can continue to become a better basketball team. It’s a long season and you have your ups and your downs. You have to do your best to stay as even keeled as possible. And hopefully our guys understand you can’t get too up with a big win or too down with a big loss.''
Florida coach Billy Donovan said he expected the Commodores gradually improve, particularly since because of the brutal schedule they've played. Vandy played six of its first nine SEC games on the road.
:Certainly Vanderbilt is playing great basketball right now,'' Donovan said. "You’ve got to give them a lot of credit with the way their schedule played early, and they are going to make that up on the back end. All year long they have played terrific at home. It’s a tough game for us against one of the better teams in the league who’s really playing well right now.''
Florida (19-6, 6-4) is coming off a loss to LSU at home, and struggling, having lost three of its last four games.
Vanderbilt is 15-0 this season at Memorial Gymnasium, and has won 28 of its last 29 games at home. Don't think for one moment they aren't looking for payback for the way the Gators embarassed them in Gainesville.
"We look forward to antoher chance with Florida because obviously the first time they handled us in very easy fashion and very thoroughly,'' Stallings said. "So hopefully we can play better this time.''
If you've been watching the Florida basketball team, I mean REALLY watching them, then Wednesday night's collpase against LSU probably didn't come as much of a surprise.
Forget all the harping about poor defense coach Billy Donovan has been doing, everybody else has seen it, too. Heck, even some of you have posted on this site about how bad the defense has been in some games.
Now that they've lost three of the last four games by a total of 53 points, the question is: how do the Gators fix it? And can they do it quickly?
Donovan said he has no idea. It's not like he can go out and play for them.
When asked what's his best defensive unit, Donovan quipped it's himself, assistant coaches Larry Shyatt and Rob Lanier, team trainer Duke Werner and strength coach Matt Herring. Actually, I'm not sure how much of a joke that was.
One of his problems, Donovan said, is that of his nine scholarship players, "We have one team that's better outscoring people and we have one team that's better (defensively), that is maybe offensively challenged.''
If you talk to the players, they are saying all the right things, even if it's not showing up on the court.
"We've got to want it,'' freshman Nick Calathes said. "It's got to be about heart.''
Actually, talent would help, too, Donovan said.
"I do think defense is a talent,'' he said. "But we can make up with that with intelligence, toughness and heart. . . I'm not saying we can be a lock-down defensive team, but they can do better.
Make no mistake, Donovan isn't putting all the blame on the players. The coaching staff is seemingly stumped by this one.
"I've got to take some level of responsibilty because whatever I'm doing, it's not registering,'' he said."We try to as a coach, talk about the things that are preventing you from becoming the best you can come. We beat Georgia by 10 and people were surprised how I talked about our defense. . . Our best defenders are Dan Werner, Jonathan Mitchell and Walter Hodge. I would start with those three guys first, then I would say some of the other guys need to get better.''
And while Donovan refuses to talk about the NCAA Tournament or any postseason, it's an issue for Florida. Conventional wisdom says an 8-8 league team that is the defending national champion (okay, even if name only), gets in. But getting to 8-8 isn't a given for this team. They've shown that home-court isn't necessarily an advantage. And they still have South Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi State at home and Georgia and Kentucky on the road. Donovan may not be thinking beyond Saturday's game at Vandy, his comments don't bode well.
"I don't think we're doing a good enough job at this level of competition to put ourselves in a position to win,'' he said.
Firing its coach hasn't improved the Gators' image among the league coaches.
Florida is picked to finish fifth in the SEC in the preseason poll released by conference office Thursday.
Vanderbilt, the defending regular-season champion, is picked the win the conference again this season.
Under first-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, Florida returns four position starters and nine pitchers from last season's squad which was third in the East with a 15-15 league mark. UF tied for sixth overall and went 1-2 at the SEC Tournament to finish 29-30 overall.
Here is the breakdown of the preseason poll:
SEC East
1. Vanderbilt. 2. South Carolina. 3. Kentucky. 4. Georgia. 5. Florida. 6. Tennessee
SEC West
1. Mississippi. 2. Mississippi State. 3. Arkansas. 4. Auburn. 5. LSU. 6. Alabama.
The Gators are down to one coaching staff vacancy.
Florida is expected to announce Thursday the hiring of former Vanderbilt running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Kenny Carter.
Carter will replace Stan Draytton, the Gators' former running backs coach who left the staff last month to join the Tennessee coaching staff.
Carter is a graduate of The Citadel, who has spent the past four seasons with the Commodores. He is the second coach in less than a week to be hired by Urban Meyer. Former USF coach Dan McCarney was hired last week to replace Greg Mattison, who left to join the Baltimore Ravens staff.
Carter, who served as an assistant at Furman under Vandy coach Bobby Johnson, has also worked on coaching staffs at the University of Pittsburgh, LSU, The Citadel and Penn State prior to joining Vanderbilt.
When he was heading into his senior year of high school and trying to decide where he wanted to attend college, Florida forward Chandler Parsons considered attending LSU.
The biggest reason? LSU coach John Brady.
So Parsons is among the many, including Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and Florida coach Billy Donovan, who expressed disappointment over Brady's firing last week - two years after he got the Tigers to the Final Four.
"I love coach Brady,'' Parsons said. "He’s a wild dude, he’s a fun guy, he’s a great recruiuter. He got his team to the Final Four two years ago. They are missing Tasmin Mitchell so they are having a tough year right now, but it’s just unfortunate.''
Parsons said Brady's firing reminded players of just how fragile the coaching profession can be.
"It’s a business,'' he said. "It’s a job and it’s tough. He’s having a down year, but I’m sure he’s not doing anything different, I’m sure he’s not trying to lose or trying to have a rebuilding year.''
Donovan said after Saturday's win over Georgia that he found it hard to believe LSU would fire Brady simply over wins and losses, considering the Tigers have been hit hard by injuries. He said although Brady "rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,'' he always liked him and the two had "a very good relationship.''
Florida will host LSU tonight at 8, and the UF coaching staff has been trying to warn the Gator players not to take the struggling and potentially emotionally battered Tigers lightly.
"I have great respect for John Brady as a coach and the relationship that we developed,'' Donovan said Monday. "I hope he is happy and doing okay. Coach (Butch) Pierre has taken over, and he has been with John for a long period of time. In terms of knowing the system and coaching, he knows what to do. There is no question he will bring a lot of enthusiasm and excitement to their team. Beside the emotional
things that they’re dealing with, I think they are an extremely talented team. . . They’re long. They’re athletic.They’re a hard team to guard. They present a lot of problems in a lot of different areas. I think where they are at right now; their league record is not really any indication of where they are at.''\
Freshman guard Jai Lucas is a friend of LSU's Anthony Randolph. And although he hasn't had a chance to speak with Randolph about the situation, Lucas said the Gators are expecting to face an angry team tonight.
"There's no advantage, if anything you have to be more focused because they're playing pissed off and when somebody's playing pissed off you never know what's going to happen,'' Lucas said. "You have to be on edge the whole time.''
The worst kept secret in Gainesville is finally resolved.
Florida co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has finally decided to take the job as defensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens.
On Friday, Mattison was prepared to take the job, but suddenly had a change of heart and started wavering between the Gators and the Ravens. But over the weekend, he decided taking the new job was best.
Mattison spent three seasons with the Gators, but his relationship with coach Urban Meyer dates back to their days as assistants at Notre Dame.
Mattison will be replaced by former South Florida coach Dan McCarney, who was hired by Meyer on Friday.
After a week dedicated to nothing but trying to break out of a miserable shooting slump, freshman guard Chandler Parsons had his best effort since the SEC season began, scoring a team-high 18 points in the Gators' 77-67 victory over Georgia Saturday afternoon in the O'Connell Center.
After going 1-for-9 in the last five games, Parsons spent the week working on his shot, sometimes staying in the gym until 2 a.m.
"These last couple games it's been real aggravating not making a shot,'' he said. "I figured out ways to contribute to the team when my shot's not falling but it's always a good thing when it's falling. My shot hasn't been falling lately, but I've been coming in late and early and getting in extra work. I actually came in this morning with coach (Lewis) Preston and I got some shots up. Went 70 for 100, so I felt good coming in to the game tonight.''
Florida (19-5, 6-3 SEC) rebounded after losing its last two games to Arkansas and Tennessee by 19 and 22 points respectively.
“No matter who you are, you get tired of losing and the way we lost made it even worse,’’ said freshman guard Jai Lucas, who had 13 points. “We really just did whatever it took to win. And being at home helped us a lot.''
Sophomore forward Dan Werner had a career-high seven steals, which also tied an O'Connell Center record.
“We needed this one, especially after the last two games,’’ Werner said. “We’re not going to be the biggest or the most athletic team, so we have to play good defense. Guys have got to make a decision whether we want to guard or not. That's the only way we can win is to guard. I think we're starting to figure it out. We have a long way to go but slowly but surely we're starting to figure out we have to guard if we want to win.’’
The University of Florida has officially announced what was reported here four hours ago, that USF assistant head coach and defensive line coach Dan McCarney has joined Urban Meyer's staff in the same capacity.
"Dan is a great addition to our coaching staff," Meyer said in a statement. "His experience as a head coach will be invaluable. He has a proven record as a recruiter and a development of talent and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a coach and a person."
McCarney spent one season with the Bulls, reuniting with coach Jim Leavitt after 12 seasons as head coach at Iowa State. In Gainesville, he will replace Greg Mattison, who had been co-defensive coordinator for three seasons and has accepted a job as defensive line coach of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.
"I'm thrilled about joining the Gator Nation," McCarney said in a statement. "I have the utmost respect for Coach Meyer and the Florida football program. It is a dream come true for me and my wife, and we are looking forward to the opportunity."
While money isn't likely the motivating factor in the move, McCarney should make significantly more at Florida than he did at USF. He made $140,000 in 2007 as USF's second-highest-paid assistant; that same salary would have been the second-lowest among Florida's assistants. Mattison and co-defensive coordinator Charlie Strong each made $290,000 last year.
-- GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
Michigan secondary coach Vance Buford is being considered for the Gators' secondary position, vacated by Doc Holliday.
Buford just completed one season with the Wolverines, but he also spent 1995-98 as Michigan's secondary coach.
He spent two seasons (2005-06) as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, and also was a member of the Chicago Bears staff.
Buford is reportedly mulling over offers from both UF and the NFL.
Florida co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is apparently having second thoughts about leaving the Gators to join the ranks of the NFL. Mattison has not yet accepted the Ravens job to be a defensive line coach because the Gators are trying to convince him to stay.
A former Notre Dame assistant, Mattison has spent three seasons as the Gators' co-defensive coordinator with Charlie Strong.
If Mattison decides to stay, that is not expected to affect the hiring of USF's Dan McCarney, who is expected to be announced as the newest member of the defensive staff this afternoon.
The University of Florida is expected to announce today that USF defensive line coach Dan McCarney is accepting a position on Urban Meyer's coaching staff.
McCarney, who coached one season with the Bulls after being head coach at Iowa State, is expected to carry the title of assistant head coach and defensive line coach, as he did with the Bulls.
He has interviewed this offseason for head coaching jobs at Northern Illinois and South Alabama, but is expected to choose the Gators instead.
McCarney will replace Greg Mattison, who is leaving the Gators after three seasons to take a job with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. McCarney shined in his one season with the Bulls, helping sophomore defensive end George Selvie become a consensus All-American who led the nation in tackles for loss.
-- GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
(Getty Images. Click to enlarge.)
Florida coach Billy Donovan said he's preparing his team as if Georgia guard Billy Humphrey will play, although it's unlikely the Gators will see Humphrey when they host Georgia Saturday afternoon.
Humphrey, the team's second-leading scorer, was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol early Thursday. It was his second arrest in the last four months.
Humphrey was arrested a few hours after the Bulldogs lost 67-59 to No. 23 Vanderbilt for their fourth straight defeat. The 20-year-old junior posted a $1,000 bond and was released less than two hours after entering jail, police said.
In November, Humphrey was jailed on a felony weapons charge when police discovered a knife in his dorm room. He was suspended for one game but reinstated after accepting pretrial diversion. That required him to serve 80 hours of community service and stay out of trouble for 18 months.
Georgia coach Dennis Felton declined to comment on the situation during Thursday morning's SEC teleconference, saying he would release a statement after he had more details.
Meanwhile, Donovan said Florida's preparations for the Bulldogs won't change.
"I don’t know what kind of impact that has on them,'' Donovan said. "He’s certainly a good player and you feel bad for any young kid that has a situation like that where you have to learn sometimes from your mistakes, and I don't know any of the details. But we’ll prepare our team like he’s going to play.''
At least six SEC schools finished among the Top 25 in the final analysis of each of the three major recruiting services, with Nick Saban's Alabama team finishing the best among the league's teams.
Okay, let's face it, the rankings are subjective. But really, the only people who completely dismiss them are those who didn't fare well. Even Urban Meyer admitted he can't help but check the rankings during recruiting season.
The SEC had six teams finish in the Top 25 with Scout.com and ESPN.com, while seven finished among the Rivals.com list.
Here is a breakdown:
Rivals.com
1. Alabama; 3. Florida; 6. Georgia; 11. LSU; 20. Auburn; 22. South Carolina; 24. Mississippi
Scout.com
1. Alabama; 4. Georgia; 6. LSU; 12. Florida; 19. Auburn.
ESPN.com
3. Alabama; 4. Florida; 5. Georgia; LSU 11; Arkansas 18, Auburn 19.
So much for that No. 1 recruiting ranking.
With the loss of two key former oral commitments, Florida dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in the Rivals.com national rankings behind Notre Dame and Alabama. The Gators fell to No. 12 on the Scout.com list.
Early Wednesday, Lakeland offensive lineman Ricky Barnum changed his mind and decided to sign with Michigan. And Melbourne Palm Bay defensive back Ramon Buchanon is expected to announce withing the next 30 minutes that he's going to Miami. Both were 4-star commitments according to Rivals.com.
Meyer said although he glances at the rankings, he's not all that concerned with them overall and that he's happy with the class the Gators put together.
"We closed really well,'' he said. "Not that I'm into rankings but every time I visited a site like Rivals.com and see where we were ranked I was concerned myself. We were not ranked very high (in early January) and then seven recruits later and you are. I think at one point we were No. 1. I saw that some teams are signing like 35 players and we have 22. I am not concerned about rankings, but a part of me likes to check. When you start adding people like Omar Hunter and T.J. Lawrence, who came in late, it became a good day for us.''
Here's a list of Florida's 2008 recruiting class:
POSITION NAME HOMETOWN/SCHOOL
CB Adrian Bushell DeSoto, Texas
RB Jeffrey Demps Groveland
DB Dee Finley Auburn, AL
LB William Green Hoover, AL
WR Frankie Hammond, Jr. Hallandale
S Will Hill Jersey City, NJ
WR Omarius Hines Corsicana, Texas
DT Omar Hunter Buford, Ga.
DB Janoris Jenkins Pahokee
DT Byran Jones Jacksonville
WR T.J. Lawrence Lakeland Kathleen
LB Lerentee McCray Dunnellon
LB T.J. Pridemore Buford, Ga.
OL Sam Robey Louisville, KY.
OL David Young Edwardsville, Ill.
Already enrolled
LB Brendan Beal Bethlehem, Pa.
DB Jeremy Brown Orlando
DT Troy Epps Coffeyville (Kansas) CC
WR Carl Moore Sierra, Calif.
DE Earl Okine Gainesville
OL Matt Patchan Seffner
K Caleb Sturgis St. Augustine
Four members of the Gators' coveted 2008 recruiting class have sent in their signed letters of intent:
CB Janoris Jenkins, Pahokee High
CB Jeremy Brown, Boone High School
K Caleb Sturgis, St. Augustine High
DE Earl Okine, Gainesville High
Although the Gators have 21 oral commitments heading into today's signing day, several big-name players are set to make announcements today, with Florida still in the mix.
Among those is Ramon Buchanan, the 5-star Melbourne Palm Bay athlete who committed to Miami, then decommitted and gave his word to the Gators. But Buchanan took a visit to Miami this past weekend and is now torn. He will choose between the Gators and Miami today at 1 p.m.
Here is a list of other top names to watch:
Lakeland Kathleen WR T.J. Lawrence is still considering UF, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Michigan. He'll announce at 12:30 p.m.
WR Julio Jones of Foley, Ala.. The nation's No. 1 receiver will choose between UF, Alabama, Florida State and Oklahoma at 12:30 p.m.
CB T.J. Bryant of Tallahassee Lincoln is considering UF, Alabama, LSU and Southern Cal.
Miami Booker T. Washington CB Brandon Harris is considering Florida, Miami and Ohio State.
RB Milton Knox of Lake Balboa (Calif) Birmingham is still considering UCLA, Notre Dame and Florida and will announce at 7 p.m.
GAINESVILLE - After reviewing information gathered during an in-house investigation, the NCAA has not found any violations at the University of Florida in the recruitment of junior college transfer receiver Carl Moore and gymnast Maranda Smith.
Florida athletic officials met with NCAA representatives Tuesday to review an in-house inquiry that began last month after potential minor allegations about telephone calls during the recruitment of Moore were brought to the university's attention.
"Allegations about impermissible telephone calls by the football staff have been reviewed by the NCAA and University, and at this time, the information does not indicate any violations of NCAA rules occurred,'' said Steve McClain, UF's assistant athletics director for sports information.
Among the issues under review was whether Meyer committed an NCAA violation by telephoning Smith, Moore's girlfriend, during his recruitment, whether the Gator coaching staff contacted Moore in excess of the time allowed by the NCAA, and whether Meyer violated rules when he allowed quarterback Tim Tebow to talk to Moore following the Dec. 7 Heisman ceremony.
With intense interest in national signing day, the University of Florida has set up several ways fans can find information on Wednesday.
The general public may obtain the updated list of Florida signees to a National Letter of Intent after 2 p.m. by calling 1 800 344 2867 (toll-free) in the state of Florida or (352) 375-4683 outside the state.
The caller must wait for the telephone's automated system to answer. When answered, callers with a touch tone phone should press six (6) to get the Signing Day Hotline. Callers with a rotary phone can only access the Signing Day Hot¬line during normal working day hours (8 a.m.- 5 p.m.) and must wait for a switchboard operator to answer and then ask for the Signing Day Hotline.
Fans can also watch live, streaming video of coach Urban Meyer's press conference at 2 p.m. on GatorVision Online. To watch, fans must be a subscriber to GatorVision Online and can click on the link on www.gatorzone.com to sign up. GatorVision Online will also have on-demand video highlights of early Florida enrollees.
You can also check this website for updated information as it becomes available on Wednesday.
When Billy Donovan looks across the floor this afternoon and sees Arkansas coach John Pelphrey, he won't necessarily be filled with pride about the former Florida assistant.
More likely, it'll be pure happiness.
Florida will play at Arkansas today at 3, marking the first regular-season meeting between Donovan and Pelphrey. Pelphrey played three seasons at Kentucky with Donovan as an assistant coach to Rick Pitino, then was an assistant to Donovan for eight seasons at Marshall and Florida.
The Gators will have their hands full taking on the Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena, and playing Pelphrey just adds to the challenge, Donovan said.
"I never think it's easy playing someone you're so closed to,'' he said. "Being at Kentucky with John as an assistant, and then having John come with me at Marshall and here at Florida and him being such a big part of everything that's happened and what we've been able to build here, it's always tough competing against someone like that. . . . . He's one of the closest people to me in my life. In what we do for our jobs, I don't think that John will ever be able to do as good a job as the type of person he is. That's the thing I probably admire and respect the most about him, is the type of person he is and the relationship he and I have.''
Pelphrey, who named his daughter after Donovan, is in his first season with the Razorbacks. Earlier this week, he called Donovan "the most influential male in my life outside of my father.''
"As a coach, he basically raised me,'' Pelphrey said Thursday during the SEC teleconference. "I had no idea what I was doing when it came to recruiting. I spent a year with coach (Eddie) Sutton at Oklahoma State. I'll never forget my first day at Marshall. I was at my desk with a phone and a legal pad and I'm like, OK, what do I do now. I basically spent the next three days in his office trying to figure out what I needed to do recruiting wise and all those types of things. He's always been somebody there for me, incredibly giving, teaching. He's just an important guy to me.'
Florida has won 13 of its last 15 games and is coming off a week-long bye. Both teams are coming off impressive wins: Arkansas won by 20 over SEC West leader Mississippi State Wednesday night and the Gators dismantled then-No. 13 Vanderbilt.
Pelphrey is one of three former Donovan assistants who are now head coaches, including Anthony Grant at VCU and Donnie Jones at Marshall. It's something that makes Donovan happy, yet a little nostalgic.
"I think one thing it makes me do is it makes me feel like I'm getting older,'' he said. "There's guys on these guys staffs that were players that are now working for these guys. I'm happy for those guys because they're good guys and they deserve it and they worked hard and I think they have great respect for the game. I think they have great respect for kids. And with that being said I think anytime you can help somebody take the next step in their life, it's great to able to be a part of that. John is where he's at because of the job he has done as an assistant and as a head coach. The same thing can be said for Anthony Grant and Donnie Jones. All those guys were extremely loyal and worked very hard and were very close to me and such a part of trying to help build Florida. When you look at it, you look at these guys every single day and when they get the opportunity, it's an incredible thing to be able to sit back and look at that.''
Reports out of Colorado say former Colorado State veteran coach Sonny Lubick could be joining the Florida coaching staff.
The Rocky Mountain News, citing unnamed sources, said in a story published today that UF coach Urban Meyer and Lubick have spoken about the possibility of Lubick joining the staff.
The story says Lubick, 70, is being considered for an office position that would involve breaking down film and helping out with recruiting. Meyer is a former assistant coach under Lubick.
For more on the story:
rockymountainnews.com
 If you bleed orange and blue, this blog is for you. The Gator Report is written by Florida beatwriter Antonya English and the staff of the St. Petersburg Times. We invite your comments and participation.E-mail Antonya English: english@tampabay.com |
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