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Okay, it's crazy early to be talking about this, but foxsports.com has admittedly "way-too-early" bowl projections online. Their pick for the BCS title game? A two-loss Florida vs. top-ranked Ohio State in Miami Gardens. Oh, and by the way, the Gators kick off three months from today.
Holly Tankersley's home run in the top of the eighth inning lifted the Louisiana-Lafayette softball team to a 3-2 victory over top-ranked Florida in the Women's College World Series Thursday in Oklahoma City.
It's that time of year when everybody's offering up rankings, and The Sporting News' Matt Hayes has posted his top five players at each position in each major conference, with a handful of Gators earning spots in his SEC honors.
TIm Tebow, to no surprise, is his pick as the SEC's top quarterback, but he's not the only Gator leading his position: receiver Percy Harvin, tight end Cornelius Ingram and linebacker Brandon Spikes are also tabbed as the SEC's best at what they do.
Here's what's strange: that's it for the Gators. Four players at No. 1, but nobody else ranking in the top five at their position. It's an odd disparity, but then again, Hayes is ranking as many total offensive linemen (5) as he his total punters, so it's safe to say there would be more Florida representation if the top fives were distributed a little more logically.
Who's the most egregious snub here? I'm thinking in December there will be a Gators player who ranks among the top at his position that's not spoken for here. Offer up your best guess, and you can come back and brag after the season ...
Greg Auman, Times staff writer
Freshman Rebecca Lowe was named the SEC Freshman Runner of the Year on Tuesday, becoming just the second Gator to receive the honor. Tiandra Ponteen picked up the same honor in 2004.
Lowe won both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter events at the SEC Championships, only the ninth athlete in conference history, and only the second Gator, to win both races in the same year. Lowe joins 1992 U.S. Olympian Shelly Steely as the other Gator to win both races in a single SEC Outdoor Championship (1985). She also became just the fifth athlete in school history to win more than one conference title in the same year, and the first since 2003.
Four UF women were named to the All-SEC first team: Evelien Dekkers (javelin), Natalie Knight (200 meters), Lowe (10,000 and 5,000 meters) and Shara Proctor (triple jump).
The Gator Track and Field program will compete in the NCAA East Regional in Tallahassee, beginning May 30.
The Florida baseball team is the No. 2 seed in the 2008 NCAA Baseball Tournament Tallahassee Regional, which begins play at Dick Howser Stadium on Friday.
"We are very excited for the start of Regional play," first-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "Going to Tallahassee should be a good opportunity for our fans to come and support us. It will be a challenging field and we are looking forward to facing a talented Tulane team on Friday."
Florida (34-22), which is making its 24th regional appearance and its first since 2005, will play third-seeded Tulane (37-20-1) at 1 p.m. Top-seeded Florida State (48-10) will play fourth-seeded Bucknell (29-22-1) at 7 p.m.
UF is 64-49 (.566) all-time in NCAA Tournament action and has reached
the College World Series five times: 1988, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2005.
In case you're wondering, Florida is 1-2 vs. FSU this season.
Center Marreese Speights has decided to decline an offer to participate in this week's Orlando predraft camp, opting to focus on the individual workouts he has scheduled with several teams in early June.
"Marreese is going to take this week to prepare for the individual workouts and get his body healthy, in shape and ready to go into the individual workouts as soon as camp is concluded,'' said Matt Ramker, his advisor and former AAU coach.
Speights (left in photo) declared for the draft on April 8, but has not signed with an agent. Since then, he has been wroking out in preparation for his NBA team workouts. Under NBA rules, which went into effect this season, teams cannot conduct individual workouts until after the predraft camp.
Florida coach Billy Donovan said last week the rule hampers players like Speights, who has been projected anywhere from a Top 10 pick to a late first or early second round pick.
"You've got a point where we finished playing our season over six weeks ago, and there's just no new information,'' Donovan said. "That's the unfortunate part for a lot of these kids.''
Ramker said Speights, who remains academically eligible to return to Florida, and Donovan are expected to meet in mid-June to make a final decision on whether Speights will return to school. The deadline is June 16.
Speights, who averaged 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds, currently weighs 240 pounds and has about seven percent body fat, Ramker said.
In his individual workouts, Speights hopes to dispel his image as a player who lacks endurance.
"I think the biggest thing Marreese is going to need to to show teams as he works out is a level of endurance and stamina,'' Ramker said. "That's something that has been a negative on him. A lot of it was because he didn't have himself in shape during the season and it cost him playing time.
"Pushing him beyond the brink of exhaustion has been a focal point of preparation,'' Ramker added. "The majority of teams that have seen him play know he's a talented and skillful offensive player. They want to see if he can sustain through a 1 or 1 1/2 hour workout. These workouts are not rah, rah, we're clapping for you, we're happy for you. They are trying to make you quit. They want to see what they are working with.''
[Brian Cassella, Times files]
With its 4-2 win over Cal Friday afternoon, the softball team moved one step closer to its goal of going to its first College World Series.
No. 1 Florida (66-3) managed to pull out the win, despite stranding 10 runners on base. UF pitcher Stacey Nelson gave up nine hits, but also had 10 strikeouts in the game. Cal (43-26) was hampered by three costly errors.
"We played well enough to win,'' coach Tim Walton said. "At this time of the season, that's really all that matters.''
Florida will play Cal at noon on Saturday for the right to advance to the CWS. If the Gators lose the first game, they will play again 30 minutes later for the Super regional championship.
Former Florida safety Jerimy Finch plans to transfer to Indiana, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Finch (left) asked for, and received permission, to transfer last month due to academic and personal problems.
According to the story, Finch plans to seek a hardship in an effort to not have to sit out one year, as per NCAA rules.
[Brian Cassella, Times files]
Florida coach Urban Meyer spoke in front of a packed crowd at at Tampa Gator Gathering Thursday night, and said junior receiver Percy Harvin's rehab is ahead of schedule.
Harvin underwent surgery on his heel last month and missed most of spring practice and the Orange and Blue game.
“It’s real positive right now,'' Meyer said. “I talked to coach Mickey (Marotti, strength and conditioning coach). He’s almost 200 pounds, he’s 199. He’s been in the SwimEx, his attitude is terrific. He didn’t go home for break, he stayed and rehabbed. He’s doing very well. He’s running in the Swimex. He’s ahead of schedule.’’
Meyer said if Harvin can stay healthy this season, he expects him to have a phenomenal year.
Florida's new $28-million football facility is set to open in July. Here's a story that ran today about Meyer's feelings on why he hopes the new building will be a huge recruiting tool.
Former UF forward Jonathan Mitchell has decided to transfer to Rutgers, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-7 former Mr. Basketball in New York State, chose Rutgers over Seton Hall and Marshall, according to the report.
“In the end it just came down to where he felt the most comfortable,” Herb Mitchell, Jonathan’s uncle, told the Daily News. “With the coach, the players and the style of play. This was the right fit.”
Mitchell must sit out one season per NCAA transfer rules.
It's that time of year when people start pontificating on all sorts of things related to college football - because there aren't any games to watch.
ESPN's Mark Schlabach takes a look at the coaches who've had the most influence in the BCS era and Urban Meyer is among them.
Just wondering how many of you agree?
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3406062
Former Georgetown center/forward Vernon Macklin's transfer is complete and he's currently attending classes on the Florida campus, coach Billy Donovan said Tuesday.
The 6-foot-9 Macklin began classes Monday in a whirlwind weekend.
"He's here right now,'' Donovan said. "It's been really a quick turnaround for him. He had a final exam on Friday, and then we started summer school on Monday. And Georgetown was very cooperative and they got his grades to us very, very quickly so he's here, he's enrolled.''
Macklin averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in nearly 13 minutes at Georgetown as Hibbert's backup.
"My only view of Vernon is what I watched on him on film at Georgetown and remembering him when he was in high school,'' Donovan said. "He certainly provides a lot of athleticism to our front court and provides a lot of experience. He's a guy that's played in a program that's been to the Final Four and played in a program that's been ranked in the Top 10 all year.''
Although Macklin must sit out one season, Donovan said he's hoping his prior experience will be helpful for the young Gators.
Probably the thing I've talked to him most about is taking the experiences he's had at Georgetown to help some of these young guys in our program,'' he said. "But he's got to get adjusted, too, to being here and fitting in with his teammates. He's a really nice kid. I think he realizes he was probably a young man coming out of high school with this huge, huge reputation. Then coming there playing alongside Jeff Green and Hibbert, those two guys are really, really good players. It was a situation where he wasn't geting a chance to play as much, but a lot of that had to do with he was around good players. So I think he's goign to try to utilize this year to really try to get better and improve and maybe live up to some of his own individual expectations of what he believes he can become as a player.''
Second baseman Josh Adams, outfielder Matt den Dekker and pitcher Patrick Keating were all named to the first team All-SEC team, chosen by the league coaches and announced Tuesday.
In all, four Gators picked up postseason honors.
Outfielder Avery Barnes was named to the league's second team.
Adams was also recognized on the All-Freshman team, and den Dekker made the SEC's All-Defensive team.
Georgia junior shortstop Gordon Beckham is the SEC Player of the Year.
Florida (34-20) will open play in the SEC tournament against Vanderbilt (37-18) on Wednesday at 2 p.m., at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala.
Senior Brandon McArthur has been named to the 2008 SEC Baseball Community Service Team, announced by the SEC on Monday. The league sponors community service teams for all 20 SEC-sponsored sports, and highlights and athlete from each school who gives back to the community in service.
McArthur, a native of Seffner, is a representative on Florida's Student-Athlete Committee (SAC) and is a frequent speaker at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ meetings. He often visits the pediatric care unit at Shands Hospital and participates in wheel-chair basketball with Special Olympians.
He has been a speaker at “Youth Quake,” an organization that provides alternative Christian entertainment that confronts issues relevant to today’s teenagers and has given speeches at Gainesville middle schools about the importance of doing well in school. He's also a member of the Big Brothers' organization.
The Gators’ starting first baseman, McArthur has overcome numerous injuries, including a life-threating head injury after he was attacked his freshman year. This year, he decided to finish out his senior season, despite suffering a ruptured ACL earlier in the year. He is currently hitting .339 with 40 RBI, 10 doubles, four triples and a pair of home runs. He helped lead UF to a third-place finish in the league with a
team-high .362 and tied for second on the squad with 23 RBI.
Last Thursday, McArthur snapped a 6-6 tie against No. 13 Vanderbilt with a two-run homer in the eighth inning that provided the winning margin and sent the Orange and Blue on its way to a three-game sweep of the Commodores.
From the "you must be kidding" category, here's something odd.
Allegedly a memorabilia company has purchased the game shoes former quarterback Chris Leak wore in the 2007 national championship game and is selling them for $10,000.
That would buy you a few tanks of gas.
If you've got some extra cash and you're interested in buying the shoes, you can find them on e-bay.
Meanwhile, here are a few details: http://sportscracklepop.com/2008/05/14/c....
GAINESVILLE – Florida defensive lineman Matt Patchan has had the bullet removed from his shoulder following a shooting Friday night, and has resumed some workouts on the Florida campus.
Doctors at Shands at Gainesville removed the bullet on Monday. Although Patchan was originally scheduled to need about three weeks for a full recovery, Florida coach Urban Meyer said Patchan may be back in two weeks. Meyer said he saw Patchan late Wednesday morning and he’s fine.
“He’s lifting (weights) already,’’ Meyer said Wednesday. “It took about eight minutes, the surgery. The doctors said he’s good to go, maybe two weeks, maybe two. I talked to him and he lifted Tuesday and Wednesday.’’
The former Armwood All-American and current Florida defensive lineman was shot in the upper left shoulder by an unknown man Friday night at Sadie Park in Brandon, along with former Armwood teammate Wesley Skiffington.
According to Hillsborough county sheriff’s accounts, Patchan and Skiffington were at the park about 9:58 Friday night when a man pulled a handgun from his waistband and started shooting toward the crowd, hitting the two.
Former Gator and current Atlanta Hawks star Al Horford was the only unanimous selection to the NBA's 2007-08 T-Mobile All-Rookie team, announced Tuesday.
Horford received 58 points, followed by NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant, who received 57.
Former Gator Joakim Noah was first among the also received votes list with 17 points and Corey Brewer picked up three points.
For the rest of the team, check out this link.
Former Gators Al Horford and Taurean Green are back in Gainesville for a portion of the summer. The two are attending Summer “A” classes, making good on their promise to return and earn their degrees after leaving at the end of their junior season.
Horford is coming off a phenomenal NBA season, which included a berth in the NBA playoffs with the Atlanta Hawks and NBA rookie of the year runner-up. Horford played in 81 games and started in 77, including seven playoff games. He averaged 10.1 points and 9.7 rebounds during the regular season, 12.6 and 10.4 respectively in the playoffs.
Green was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers, but finished the season with the Denver Nuggets. He played in 17 games this season.
-- ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
Linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive end Jermaine Cunningham have been named to the 2008 Watch List for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
The award is given to the best defensive player in college football.
The Football Writers Association of America All-America Committee selects the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner from the association's 11-man All-America defensive team in November. The watch list was developed by the FWAA All-America committee with the help of the schools and conferences.
Former Armwood All-American lineman and current Florida Gator defensive lineman Matt Patchan, was shot in the shoulder Friday night while a bystander at Sadie Park in Brandon.
According to Hillsborough County Sheriff's records, Patchan and a group of people were standing around in a group talking when an unknown black man pulled a handgun and started shooting toward the crowd.
Patchan was shot in the left shoulder, while former Armwood kicker Wesley Skiffington was shot in the right foot. The suspect fled in an unknown car.
Florida coach Urban Meyer issued a statement Monday morning, confirming that Patchan was shot, and that his injuries are not life-threatening.
"Matt Patchan was a gunshot victim Friday night at a Tampa-area park," Meyer said in the statement. "He was a bystander and shot in the left shoulder and is expected to fully recover in three weeks."
Reached by phone Monday morning, Patchan declined to comment.
"I've gotta go, I can't talk about it,'' Patchan said.
Armwood coach Sean Callahan said Monday morning he had talked with Patchan, adding that "he's fine.''
""I don't know what he was doing there or why they were there," Callahan said. "I don't know all the details. I just know he went to the Brandon hospital. They left (the bullet) in. It's not serious. It's in the soft tissue."
The 6-foot-7, 265-pound Patchan enrolled early at Florida in January after graduating from Armwood last December. Recruited as an offensive lineman, he was moved to the defensive line during spring practice. He is expected to be a major contributor this fall.
-- ANTONYA ENGLISH, IZZY GOULD and KEITH NIEBUHR
I know, I know. It's early and so much could change between now and September, but here it is anyway.
The Gators are a top-five pick in the latest espn.com preseason poll. Many more are yet to come.
If you don't find it completely ridiculous, feel free to take a look.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3388100
The No. 1-ranked softball team was rewarded for its stellar play this season with the No. 1 overall seed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
With the top seed, the Gators will host a regional with Georgia Tech, Central Florida and USF, beginning Friday.
The Gators (62-2) will open the first round against Georgia Tech (31-29) at 7:30 p.m. UCF (46-18) will play USF (44-18) at 5 p.m. The winners will play each other on Saturday, while the losers will meet in an elimination game. The winner of the region will play the winner of the Fresno State region which includes No. 16 seeded Fresno State, Sacramento State, California and San Diego State.
This is the first top 10 seed for the Gators. It is the ninth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Gators in the 12-year history of the program, the sixth consecutive.
Florida is one of eight SEC teams to make the tournament, the most of any conference in the nation.
Four SEC teams are top 16 seeded teams, including No. 3 Alabama, No. 9 LSU, No. 13 Tennessee and No. 15 Georgia. Also in the field of 64 are Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia and Mississippi State.
Florida took a three-shot lead into Saturday's final round of the NCAA East Regional, then shot a final-round 10-over 298 to edge three-time defending NCAA champion Duke for the Gators' first NCAA Regional title in school history.
Fourth-ranked Florida finished 19-over 883, while top-seeded Duke closed at 20-over 884. Georgia finished third at 25-over 889.
“This team continues to show a lot of heart,” UF coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. “I am so proud of what they have done to pull this off. Our team shows that it never quits and just keeps fighting.”
The top eight teams qualified for the NCAA Championships, which will be played May 20-23 in Albuquerque, N.M. Joining Florida, Duke and Georgia will be Auburn (894), Virginia (898), South Carolina (899), Wake Forest (899) and Furman (900), which edged NCAA host New Mexico by one stroke to earn the final NCAA Championship bid.
The Gators' No. 1 softball team continued its phenomenal run this season with a 4-1 win over No. 3 Alabama (51-6) to earn its first SEC tournament championship in school history Saturday afternoon.
The Gators (62-2) will now await news of their NCAA Tournament seeding and regional location. The selection show will be held Sunday on ESPNU at 10 p.m.
"I am very proud of the tournament championship for our program and our players,'' coach Tim Walton said. "Our team has shown a lot of character and determination all season.''
Junior pitcher Stacey Nelson was tournament MVP. First baseman Ali Gardner, outfielder Mary Ratliff and Francesca Enea also were named to the All-Tournament team.
St. Petersburg Catholic OL Jon Halapio committed to Florida, said the school's athletic director, John Gerdes. Halapio had offers from USF, UCF, FIU, Troy, UCF and Colorado State.
Safety Jamar Hornsby is facing felony charges of larceny of a credit card and fraudulent use of a credit card after court records say he used the credit card of Ashley Slonina, the UF student who was killed in a motorcycle accident last October while riding with UF football player MIchael Guilford. Guilford also died in the accident.
Florida coach Urban Meyer will make his annual Gator Gathering appearance in Tampa on Thursday, May 22.
Sponsored by the Tampa Gator Club, the event will be held from 6 -8:30 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, 2900 Bayport Drive.
There will be a one-hour autograph session for the first 250 guests to arrive. Autographs are limited to one item per person. No photographs will be allowed with Meyer behind the table. The event will also include food, raffle prizes and Gator gear for sale.
Admission is $30 for pre-registered annual University of Florida Alumni Association/Tampa Gator Club members, $40 for pre-registered non-members, $15 for children 10 and under, and $45 per person at the door (if available).
The individual pre-registration deadline is May 19. All proceeds benefit the Tampa Gator Club’s scholarships or activity fund.
For more information, go to the Tampa Gator Club website at www.TampaGatorClub.com or call the Club hotline at 813-226-8660.
Fifteeen members of the Florida football team are two months into a mentoring program with Gainesville at-risk youth, which coach Urban Meyer hopes will help change the lives of both his players and the Gainesville middle school children.
More than 45 percent of the Florida football players earned a 3.0 grade point average or better in the 2008 spring semester, according to UF athletic officials.
Overall, 58 players posted above a 3.0 GPA, including 32 scholarship players, and the team posted an overall GPA of 2.86. The numbers were higher than UF's record-setting numbers from the fall when the team GPA was 2.81.
The number of players above a 3.0 GPA and the cumulative team average are the highest for the football team since records have been kept, UAA officials said.
“I’m proud of the continued improvement of our football team in the classroom, UF coach Urban Meyer said in a statement. “There are some tremendous success stories our student-athletes have to tell and it is a tribute to their academic commitment.”
The football team also posted a 72 percent graduation success rate, according to data released by the NCAA last fall, and the NCAA announced this week the team’s Academic Progress Rate was 962, which
ranks in the 80-90th percentile among all college football programs.
Here is a look at the Gators' GPA under Meyer:
Spring 2005 2.58
Fall 2005 2.65
Spring 2006 2.70
Fall 2006 2.72
Spring 2007 2.77
Fall 2007 2.81
Spring 2008 2.86
The women's golf team ended Thursday's first round of the NCAA East Regional in second place behind Duke.
The Blue Devils finished the day as the leader with a 285, followed by the Gators (290) and South Carolina (291).
Sometimes, one run is all you need.
The No. 1-ranked Gator softball team, which has been an offensive juggernaut this season, advanced to the SEC semifinals with a 1-0 win over Ole Miss Thursday afternoon.
With a 1-1 count and two outs in the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Francesca Enea hit a home run to give the Gators the victory.
Florida (60-2) will play No. 4 seed Tennessee (47-13) Friday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals.
The women's golf team will open today in the NCAA East Regional in Athens, Ga., on a quest for their first regional title and hoping to qualify for the NCAA championships in Albbuquerque May 20-23.
In case you missed it, here's a story about 16-year-old Hannah Yun who has quickly become a star on the Gators' team.
Junior pitcher Stacey Nelson on Wednesday was named one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball National Player of the Year.
The Los Alamitos, Calif., native is the first pitcher in Florida history to be a finalist for the national award.
Also on Wednesday, Nelson was named SEC Pitcher of the Year and coach Tim Walton was named SEC Coach of the Year. Nelson, Ali Gardiner and Kim Waleszonia were all named to the All-SEC first team. Freshman second baseman Aja Paculba was the only Gator named to the All-SEC second team. Stephanie Brombacher, Megan Bush and Tiffany DeFelice were each named to the first-team All-Freshman team.
Nelson leads the Gators with a 38-2 record and a 0.81 ERA, and currently has the most wins of any pitcher in the nation. This season she has set career records for wins, saves, shut outs and strikeouts. Both of Nelson’s losses this season have been by only one run, with only one earned run. She has given up only 30 earned runs on the season and has given up more than two runs only five times this year.
The finalists will be cut to three on May 21, then the three finalists will travel to Oklahoma City for the announcement of the winner of the on May 27.
The other national finalists are:
Katie Burkhart (Arizona State); Tonya Callahan (Tennessee); Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State); Megan Gibson (Texas A&M); Charlotte Morgan (Alabama); Angel Shamblin (Houston); Jordan Taylor (Michigan);
Angela Tincher (Virginia Tech) and Tammy Williams (Northwestern).
GAINESVILLE - Only one Florida athletic program failed to scored more than the required 925 on the NCAA Academic Progess Rate data, but the Gators are not subject to any sanctions.
The report is based on data from the academic years 2003-2007.
The men's basketball team had a score of 919, one below the 920 average, but is not subject to penalties due to squad size adjustment.
The Gator volleyball team had a perfect APR score of 1000, while the football team's 962 placed it within the 80th-90th percentile rank within the sport, compared to all other Division I institutions.
Several other SEC did receive minor sanctions in various sports. Tennesseee had a scholarship reduction of 1.17 in baseball, one scholarship in men's basketball and 0.02 in men's swimming. South Carolina had a reduction of one scholarship in men's basketball; Arkansas 0.92 in baseball and LSU's baseball team will receive a 0.34 reduction in baseball.
Here is a look at the Gators by sport and multiyear APR numbers.
MEN'S
Baseball (967); basketball (919); cross country (966); football (962); golf (964); swimming (959); tennis (971); indoor track (939); outdoor track (945).
WOMEN'S
Basketball (975); cross country (992); golf (993); gymnastics (988); soccer (961); softball (981); swimming (971); tennis (992); indoor track (977); outdoor track (977); volleyball (1000).
GAINESVILLE - There's a new No. 1 team in Gainesville.
The softball team, which is heading into this week's SEC tournament with a phenomenal 59-2 record (27-1 SEC), gained the No. 1 position in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll, which was released Tuesday afternoon.
It is the first No. 1 ranking for the Gators in school history.
The Gators, who clinched their first SEC regular season title last weekend, are followed by Arizona State and Alabama.
The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by NCAA Division I head coaches representing each of the 30 Division I conferences.
No. 1 Florida will play No. 8 Ole Miss Thursday in the opening round of the SEC tounament in Baton Rouge.
Sophomore safety Jerimy Finch is planning to transfer from Florida.
Finch has asked for, and received, permission to transfer, Florida officials confirmed Monday afternoon.
Finch was ranked as the No. 1 safety in the nation by Rivals.com coming out of high school in Indianapolis. As a senior, he helped lead Warren Central to its fourth-consecutive Class 5A state title, the first high school football team to accomplish that feat in the state of Indiana. He recorded a team-high 11 tackles, returned an interception 42 yards and had a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown in the state title game his junior year. He earned Class 5A all-state honors in both his senior and junior years.
Finch was considered a recruiting coup when coach Urban Meyer landed him over Michigan last season. He garnered much praise in fall practice when he was converted to linebacker. He played in the first three games as a freshman, but a broken right leg in the Tennessee game abruptly ended his season, and apparently, his Florida career.
Whether you can't get enough of Florida football or you just need something to carry you over during the offseason, Sun Sports will debut its Gators spring football special tonight at 8 p.m.
"Under The Lights: Gator Spring Football'' will offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the Gators used the spring to prepare for next season, according to Sun Sports representatives. The proram features interviews with coaches, players and their families.
The new members of the coaching staff, Dan McCarney, Vance Bedford and Kenny Carter, will be introduced to fans in this special, with the coaches giving insight on their coaching philosophies at their respective positions.
If you miss it tonight, the show will air again on the following dates: May 7 at 10:30 p.m.; May 10 at 5 p.m. and May 14 at 10:30 p.m.
GAINESVILLE – Vernon Macklin, the backup center to Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert the past two seasons, has decided to transfer to Florida.
Macklin spent two days on campus this past week and made his final decision on Friday. Clemson was reportedly among the top of the list of several schools he was considering.
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound sophomore is a former teammate of Gators’ center Marreese Speights at Hargrave Military Academy. He averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds, but because he was behind Hibbert, he played just 12.8 minutes per game. A former McDonald’s All-American, he is expected to be in Gainesville in time for summer classes. If the Gators lose Speights to the NBA, Macklin won’t be able to step in and offer some experience at the position because by NCAA rules he must sit out the 2008-09 season.
Coming out of high school, Macklin was ranked No. 17 by scout.com and No. 37 in the nation by Rivals.com.
Jeff Demps, a heralded Gator football recruit as a running back/receiver, has just captured the 100-meter championship at the Class 3A state finals in Winter Park. After clocking a time of 10.43 seconds in the prelims, Demps finished the finals in 10.40. A year ago, Demps won the championship in 10.37. Earlier this year, he recorded a 10.17 at Florida Relays. Demps is widely considered the country's fastest football recruit in the Class of 2008.
--KEITH NIEBUHR
Former Gator safety Kyle Jackson is participating in a Bucs Rookie Mini-Camp today.
Jackson, a native of Neptune Beach, is among 54 players at the camp/tryouts.
As a Gator, Jackson played in 49 games and compiled 81 tackles in his career along with four interceptions and one tackle for a loss.
Last season as a senior, he played in all 13 games, starting in the first four against Western Kentucky, Troy, Ole Miss and Tennessee. He later lost his starting job and struggled with inconsistency, before finishing the year with 12 total tackles and a pass breakup. He earned his final two starts in back-to-back games against Georgia and Vanderbilt, where he had a career-high eight tackles against the Bulldogs.
His breakout spring game has Gators' running back Chris Rainey getting a lot of national pub these days.
Today, he's merited mention by Cory McCartney of SI.com.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/cory_mccartney/05/01/winners.losers/?eref=sircrc
Linebacker Wilber Marshall, one of the best defensive players in the Gators' storied history, was one of the 13 Division I-A players who will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Marshall (1980-83) was a two-time consensus all-America and finished his career with 343 tackles, including 23 sacks and 58 tackles for a loss, both school records. He was a member of the first UF senior class to play in four bowl games.
The former first-round draft pick of Chicago and three-time NFL All-Bowl selection will join fellow Gator players in the Hall, end Dale Van Sickel (1927-29), quarterback Steve Spurrier (1964-66), defensive end Jack Youngblood (1968-70), and running back Emmitt Smith (1987-90) as well as coaches Charlie Bachman, Ray Graves and Doug Dickey.
The class, which also included Florida State nose guard Ron Simmons, will be inducted on Dec. 9 in New York and then enshrined in the summer of 2009 in South Bend, Ind. Here's the full list:
Players
Troy Aikman, quarterback, UCLA (1987-88)
Billy Cannon, running back, LSU (1957-59)
Jim Dombrowski, offensive tackle, Virginia (1982-85)
Pat Fitzgerald, linebacker, Northwestern (1994-96)
Wilber Marshall, linebacker, Flordia (1980-83)
Rueben Mayes, running back, Washington State (1982-85)
Randall McDaniel, offensive guard, Arizona State (1984-87)
Don McPherson, quarterback, Syracuse (1984-87)
Jay Novacek, tight end, Wyoming (1982-84)
Dave Parks, receiver, Texas Tech (1961-63)
Ron Simmons, nose guard, Florida State (1977-80)
Thurman Thomas, running back, Oklahoma State (1984-87)
Arnold Tucker, quarterback, Army (1944-46)
Coaches
John Cooper
Lou Holtz
The National Football Foundation will announce its 2008 College Football Hall of Fame inductees today at noon, and former Gator Wilber Marshall is among the 75 nominees.
Thirteen players and two coaches will be selected today.
 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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