Spurrier Speaks Up

Although we have dished Urban Meyer for being a liar and for declaring Florida was a "broken program", we still enjoy hearing from Steve Spurrier. Not just a Gator coach who gave us a national title, Steve Spurrier played his heart out for the Gators, winning a Heisman Trophy in the process. We all remember the pounding he gave Georgia in 1995, then his reply after the game stating " "We knew coming in nobody had scored 50 against them here, so that's what we wanted to do. This may be the only time in our lifetime that Florida plays here, so we wanted to make it memorable for the Gators."

Times haven't changed much and Spurrier is still disrespecting those Dawgs. His thoughts on the game against Georgia moving from the second to the sixth week of the season:

"I don't know. I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended."

How about Nick Saban's success at Alabama?

"He's got a nice little gig going, a little bit like (John) Calipari. He tells guys, 'Hey, three years from now, you're going to be a first-round pick and go.' If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me, he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they've always won there at Alabama."

And who does Spurrier think is the best coach in the SEC?

"I think it's Saban. He's considered the best. Les Miles is considered one of the best, when you look at number of wins. I believe you're as good as your record. You are whatever your record is. Don't give me any excuses or that you can't win at this place."

Remove Meyer From Our Circle of Trust

Apparently, he’s not just Urban Liar; he’s Urban Hypocrite, too.  He created and fostered a toxic  locker room at UF and then shamefully set fire to it on his way out the door. After reading the results of a three-month investigation conducted by Matt Hayes of The Sporting News even Florida fans will have to admit that the coach who won them two national titles is as two-faced as they come.

Here’s all you need to know:  The Sporting News story starts with Meyer, the new coach at Ohio State, relentlessly pursuing Maryland prep All-American wide receiver  Stefon Diggs, who’d narrowed his choices to Ohio State, Florida and Maryland. According to The Sporting News story, multiple sources  said Meyer “told the Diggs family that he wouldn’t let his son go to Florida because of significant character issues in the locker room.”

And then Hayes correctly points out the hypocrisy: “Character issues that we now know were fueled by a culture Meyer created. Character issues that gutted what was four years earlier the most powerful program in college football.”

Read more from the Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi

Gator Orange & Blue Game

I don't have to remind Gator fans that the last time the Gators played at home they were beaten soundly by Florida State in the regular-season finale. Following the game, Muschamp said his first Florida team was soft, later calling the admission one of the most difficult statements of his career. So how are the Gators looking after their spring game?

The good news was that Muschamp was smiling after the game. The Gators made obvious improvement in some key areas this spring. The offense looked sharp as both quarterbacks had a positive showing and seem to be continually improving.

The bad news was there were some injuries, notably Ronald Powell who tore his ACL.  Powell , a starting buck linebacker is a key player for our defense and had been named by Coach Muschamp as Player of the Spring. It looks like he will be out 4-6 months!

From Champs to Chomps- How Urban Meyer Broke Florida Football

 It was Meyer who declared the Florida program “broken” at the end of his last regular season game in Gainesville in November of 2010. But why was it broken?

Matt Hayes of the Sporting News blasts Urban Meyer for the ultimate harm he did to our program. According to the article there was an inner circle of players that had free reign while others were treated with total disregard.


“Over the last two years he was there,” one former player said, “the players had taken complete control of the team.” Only now, through interviews with multiple sources during a three-month Sporting News investigation, do we see just how damaged the infrastructure really was and how much repair work second-year coach Will Muschamp has had to undertake in replacing Meyer—who has moved on to Ohio State less than a year after resigning from Florida for health reasons.

Meyer denies allegations that he cast Florida and its players in a dark light when he spoke to the Diggs family, and said, “I love Florida; I’ll always be a Gator. My motives were pure as gold when I left. We left Florida because I was dealing with health issues that I’ve since learned how to control.”

Read more: at the sporting news

Shout out to UF

Measured by the sheer number of academic programs, colleges and research centers, the University of Florida is the largest university in Florida.  It is one of three flagship universities of the State University System of Florida, and, at close to 50,000 students, has the second highest enrollment of Florida universities.  UF has the sixth largest student population of single campus universities in the United States.  Florida is a land-grant, space-grant, and sea-grant university.  The sea-grant status means funding and focus are given in scientific research, education, training, and extension projects geared toward the conservation and practical use of U.S. coasts and marine areas.  Space-grant universities maintain programs geared towards aeronautics and aerospace research and facilitation.  The space-grant program is administered by N.A.S.A.  Land-grant universities were first established in the 1860s for the purposes of dealing with the industrial revolution through the fields of engineering, agriculture, and science.  
 

The University of Florida is considered the most academically prestigious university for its relatively high placement on many publication lists attempting to quantify academic achievement.  The University of Florida is one of the largest research universities in the nation, contributes nearly $6 billion annually to Florida's economy, and is responsible for nearly 75,000 jobs.  UF is currently ranked 47th overall among national universities in the 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings.  

It has the largest budget of all Florida universities and has roughly twice as much of an endowment as the Florida State University, which has the second-largest endowment of any university in Florida.  Kiplinger’s magazine ranked UF second in a list of best value public universities in January of 2010, based upon costs, costs after financial aid, and average debt per student after school.  In 2010, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Florida as the 15th best public university in the United States.

The University of Florida is divided into 16 colleges and more than 100 research, service and education centers, bureaus and institutes, offering over 100 undergraduate majors and 200 graduate degrees. UF also offers professional degrees in law, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine

Spring Quarterback

It may only be Easter, but we are already looking forward to the Gator Football season.  One big question on everyone's mind is the quarterback position. Driskel and Brissett entered spring camp in a battle to replace John Brantley, the Gators’ starter the past two seasons. “Right now, honestly looking at going through the spring, I don’t know that we will name a starter after spring,’’ Muschamp said. “That to me is becoming more and more evident every day, that both guys [are players] that we can win with, bottom line."

" The game has slowed down for them,"  Muschamp said. “Both guys are competing at a high level, both have done outstanding things throughout spring. I'm very pleased with their progress as much as anything, just managing our football team and taking a command of the offense.” He added that due to “not much separation” between the two, the competition will likely remain open when fall camp starts in August".

Asked if an outstanding spring game from one of the two could prompt him to name a starter, Muschamp doesn’t see that happening. “In the long run of winning the job, it certainly does [matter],’’ Muschamp said. “But it’s not going to be D-day. Right now it’s too close to call as far as the competition is concerned to take one day over the others. “Would it be important? Certainly.” Third-stringer Tyler Murphy continues to work behind Brissett and Driskel, and when fall camp starts, incoming freshman Skyler Mornhinweg will provide depth at the position.

Gator Basketball

Ode wants to give a big shout out to Coach Donovan and the Florida Men's Basketball team. Although we were disappointed when they lost to Louisville in the final eight, we are proud to have made the final eight in the first place.  

Coach Billy Donovan fought emotions when asked to assess his team’s season;“Because of them being great kids, it was great to see them mature and grow because you don’t get to this point in time unless you have some substance,” Donovan said. “This is life. When you pour your heart and soul into something and don’t get the results you want, you find out how important it is and you find out reasons why you do things, and can you come back with the same level of passion and enthusiasm and excitement to get better.” 

The hurt from this loss will subside in time, leaving a promising group of UF underclassmen, assuming the roster returns intact.

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Urban Meyer: Behind the resignation

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Austin Hardin

This is the last entry for the 2012 Recruiting Rundown. Tomorrow begins the "SEC Team Breakdown" series where I analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each of the SEC teams and my predictions on where they will finish the 2011 season.


Austin Hardin

Kicker
Marist High School, Ga.
5’-11”, 200 pounds
40-yard dash: N/A
Vertical Leap: N/A


Position Ranking
ESPN: #2
Rivals: #10
Scout: N/R

The Skinny
Austin Hardin has kicked long-range field goals including a 59-yard game winner with three seconds to go last year. His kickoffs consistently stay airborne for longer than four seconds. He made 13 of 20 field goals last year. The seven he missed were either longer than 50 yards or blocked. He made all of his extra points and kicked every kickoff out of the end zone except when the team tried an onside kick. At Florida’s camp, Hardin averaged 75 yards per kickoff with a 4.1 hang time. Hardin could immediately be installed as the kickoff specialist, which could help keep oft-injured kicker Caleb Sturgis on the field.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Lorenzo Phillips

Lorenzo Phillips

Outside Linebacker
Patterson High School, Patterson, La.
6’-1”, 200 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.74
Vertical Leap: 30 inches



Position Ranking
ESPN: #10
Scout: #18
Rivals: #15

The Skinny
Lorenzo Phillips is projected to contribute early, especially on special teams. He has exceptional quickness and agility to go with good size and speed. He is an explosive tackler who can also read and recognize plays and blocking schemes. He has the strength to handle blockers and the speed and recognition to beat them to the point of attack. In time, Phillips could become a dominant SEC linebacker for the Gators.
He had 23 tackles for loss last year.

2012 Recruiting Rundown:

Brian Poole

Cornerback
Southeast High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.
5’ – 10”, 192 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.51 seconds
Vertical Leap: 29.5 inches

Position Ranking
ESPN: #9
Scout: #2
Rivals: #8

The Skinny
Brian Poole is a solidly built corner prospect. His strength is playing underneath and to the boundary while providing run support. He is very good at jumping routes. His speed is not great, but he plays fast because of his football instincts and nose for the football. The word is he has a great motor and coaches like his intangibles.
His speed is a little slow for a corner and he doesn’t have the kind of size you would like in a safety. He can be effective with over the top help or would be good as a nickel back.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Colin Thompson

Colin Thompson

Tight End
Archbishop Wood High School, Pa.
6’- 4”, 255 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.79


Position Ranking
ESPN: #1
Scout: #3
Rivals: #6

The Skinny
Thompson comes in as a natural tight end that can both block and catch passes. Thompson has experience blocking and has shown the ability to get a good push and make it into the second level to pick up other blocks. He has excellent size with some room to add more weight. His film shows he has good hands (one of the clips is of him making a one handed grab in traffic) and possesses the ability to catch the ball with his hands away from his body. His skills will fit nicely with what Charlie Weis likes to do in his offenses. Thompson was the Gators 10th commitment in the 2012 class.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Willie Bailey

Willie Bailey
Cornerback
Hallandale High School, Fla
6’-2”, 175 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.62 seconds
Vertical Leap: 33.6 inches


Position Ranking
ESPN: #23
Rivals: #41
Scout: #34

The Skinny
Willie Bailey, who played safety in high school, is tall and speedy. To play safety, he will need to add weight. To play corner, he will need to work on his technique, specifically turning his hips as he covers receivers one on one. His film shows good closing speed and the ability to close on plays in front of him.
Bailey needs to show improvement turning and running with receivers at the next level to be effective as a corner. His film shows that he likes to leave his feet so he can deliver a big hit, which will get him into trouble at the next level.
Decommitted from Miami to commit to Florida in April. In 2010 he blocked four kicks and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Quinteze Williams

Quinteze Williams

Defensive Tackle
Sandy Creek High School, Sandy Creek, Ga.
6’-4”, 295 pounds
40-yard dash: 5.3 seconds
Vertical Leap: 29.3 inches



Position Ranking
ESPN: #21
Rivals: #23
Scout.com: #29

The Skinny
Quinteze Williams has all the physical tools to become a dominant defense lineman for the Gators. He has good height and strength and would be able to defend the run and pass earning time as an every down defensive lineman. He has displayed good lateral movement in the trenches.
He needs improvement in his tackling. He has a tendency to fail to wrap up and finish and he will need to fix that at the next level.
His high school won the AAA state championship. He is the third player from Georgia that Muschamp has recruited.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Jafar Mann

Jafar Mann
Defensive Tackle
Stephenson High School, Stephenson, Ga.
6’-3”, 275 pounds
40-yard dash: 5.3 seconds
Vertical Leap: 21 inches

Position Ranking
ESPN: #27
Rivals: #34
Scout.com: #27

The Skinny
Jafar Mann touts himself as a run-stopper. He has good technique coming out of his stance and has the ability to get low and stand up offensive lineman, which translates to good penetration and disruption along the line.
The downside is he can be inconsistent at times staying low and with his height it can be a problem. He lacks the explosive quickness needed to be a real disruptive force. Look for him to play more in obvious running situations like early in the set of downs and on goal-line stands.
Mann’s teammate, Mike Davis, has also committed to the Gators.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Jessamen Dunker

Jessamen Dunker
Offensive tackle
Boynton Beach High School, Boynton Beach, Fla.
6’-6”, 315 pounds
Position Rankings
ESPN: #2
Rivals: #11
Scout.com: #7

The Skinny
Dunker is exceptionally quick off the ball for a big man, which means he will be able to block in space and will be good at pulling and trapping. He is very athletic and plays with good balance. He displays an excellent motor. He has all of the tools to be an exceptional player at the collegiate level.

He will need to work on his technique, as most big and athletic high school players find out. He will need to shore up his hand and footwork while pass blocking. He will also need to get lower when firing out of the box.

There is not a lot of information on Dunker out there right now. I couldn't find any combine reports nor could I find a video of his work on the field. Here is a video of Dunker talking about his UF committment:

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Mike Davis

Mike Davis
Stephenson High School, Stephenson, Ga.
Running Back
5’-10”, 190 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.73 seconds
Vertical Leap: 37.5”

Position Rankings
ESPN: #18
Rivals: #10
Scout.com: #23

The Skinny
Mike Davis is built solidly and has great balance. He is adept at running in traffic because he has great quickness, vision and cutting ability when running through holes. He breaks high tackles and with his low center of gravity can bounce off low tackles. He has good hands out of the backfield
Davis lacks breakaway speed and may only be a adequate pass blocker. Though his quickness will get him outside he won’t run away from a lot of people at the collegiate level.

Below is a tape of Davis junior season highlights.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Jeremi Powell

Jeremi Powell

Pinellas Park Senior High School, Pinellas Park, Fla.
Outside Linebacker
6’-2”, 200 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.41
Vertical Leap: 35”

Position Rankings
ESPN: 23
Rivals: 19
Scout.com: 29

The Skinny
The upside on Jeremi Powell is his athletic abilities. He is fast enough to run track and competes at a state level in high jump and triple jump. He played running back and linebacker in high school. As a linebacker he is known for punishing hits. His tapes show a knack for taking proper angles to the football and plays downhill. He can play up or in the three-point stance.
The only real downside is his weight, which should not be a problem once Mickey Mariotti gets a hold of him.
Powell should contribute immediately on special teams and be a good fit in the Buck position or at the other OLB spot, especially rushing the passer. He had 15 sacks and two defensive touchdowns his junior year.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Matt Jones

Matt Jones
Armwood High School, Seffner, Fla.
Running Back
6’-3”, 210 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.72
Vertical Leap: 24 inches

The Skinny
Matt Jones, the third player to verbally commit to the 2012 Gator recruiting class, has the frame and ability to be an every down back the Gators have been missing of late. Jones has the size of a linebacker but good speed and running back instincts. He can break tackles on first contact and has the power to move the pile. He has good hands catching passes out of the backfield and he has the size and strength to be a good pass blocker, both things that will be of value in the Charlie Weis pro style offense.
He will need to do a better job of pumping his knees higher if he wants to improve his yards after contact. He doesn’t have the blazing speed of a Demps or Rainey the gators are used to, but then his other traits might fit the new offense a little better. The word is he fell in love with the coaches and the new offense.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Omari Phillips

Omari Phillips
Venice High School (Venice, Fla.)
Offensive Tackle
6’-5”, 270 pounds
40-yard dash: 5.6
Vertical leap: 28.5

Position Rankings
ESPN: #16
Rivals: #18 (listed as Dante Phillips)
Scout.com: #35

The Skinny:
Omari Phillips is the second player to commit to the 2012 Gator recruiting class. The upside to Phillips is his size, motor and footwork. He has good size and room to add more weight to his frame, which means he could top out around 310 or so. He is very active and has a good motor, which translates well to the offensive line. He is a good run blocker and has a knack to keeping his feet moving when driving people off the ball. His footwork should help him in the pass blocking schemes once he improves his technique.
The downside is he loses technique at times, overextending and losing balance because his feet stop moving. He also tends to lose technique when facing speedier rushers. He will need to clean up those technique flaws in the SEC.
Look for him to work in at right tackle, his skill set is not at the level to beat Xavier Nixon for the left tackle spot just yet.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Latroy Pittman

Over the next two weeks, we at Ode will be documenting the 2012 Gator football recruiting class beginning with the first recruit signed, Latroy Pittman. Following that, we will talk about which of the top players being recruited have Florida high on their list.
Here we go, enjoy!

Latroy Pittman
Wide receiver
North Marion High School (Citra, Fla)
6'0", 195 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds
Vertical jump: 30.5 inches


Position Rankings
ESPN: #15
Rivals: #37
Scout: #47

The Skinny
The upside on Pittman is his size, strength and quickness. His tapes show the ability to overpower DBs, catch the ball in traffic and make plays on the ball while it is in the air. He uses his hands well to go get the ball. He has played safety and returned kicks so he is not afraid to mix it up. As a sophomore, Pittman had 35 catches for 612 yards and seven touchdowns. He also plays safety and returns kicks.
The knock on Pittman is he doesn’t have great speed and has a tendency to run imprecise routes, rounding them off and using his muscle to get position. He will have to clean that up in the SEC as the competition will be able to shut that down.
Look for Pittman to be more of a possession receiver with abilities similar to Carl Moore or Omarius Hines.

Jenkins lands at North Alabama

Former Gator cornerback Janoris Jenkins has signed with Division II North Alabama. Former Auburn coach Terry Bowden is the coach at North Alabama.

No. 1 High School kicker commits to Florida

The Gators received a verbal committment Wednesday from the No. 1 rated kicker in the nation. Austin Hardin had offers from Georgia and Tennessee. Hardin will immediatelt be installed as the kickoff specialist. At the gator camp on Wednesday he averaged 75 yards per kickoff with a 4.1 hang time. He made every PAT his senior season and kicked a 59-yarder with three seconds to play to win one game.

Recruiting update

The Gators are working on three top recruits that can bring some excitement to the 2012 class and make it a potential No. 1 class.

1. The Gators had Alabama native Beniquez Brown (ATH) in for a visit and he came in very impressed with what he saw.
Here is Brown's 2010 highlights:



2. The Gators got an up-close glimpse of Alton "Pig" Howard (ATH) at a recent camp and they liked what they saw. He has great speed, moves, hands and an instinct for going after the ball while its in the air.
Here is a video of Howard's highlights:



3. The Gators have set their sites on the No. 11 Rivals rated player, Dante Fowler, an LB/DE prospect, who is currently committed to the Seminoles. Fowler was impressed with what he saw and is coming back for more visits.
Here is his highlight reel: