Will Hill, one year later, signs with NFL team

Will Hill has finally signed on with an NFL team. Hill left Florida as a junior last year with the hopes of being drafted by an NFL team. However, he was forced to sign with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League after going undrafted. Hill signed on Monday as a free agent with the New York Giants.

Georgia HS receiver commits to Gators

Columbus Carver's Marqui Hawkins, a 6-foot-2, 194-pound wide receiver prospect from Georgia, committed Monday to the Florida Gators. It is the Gators' 16th commitment to the 2013 recruting class.
Hawkins has been clocked at 4.53 seconds in the 40.

Two former Gators sign with Ravens

Two former Gators, quarterback John Brantley and receiver Deonte Thompson signed Friday with the Baltimore Ravens. Brantley hopes to secure a spot as the No. 3 quarterback and Thompson is vying for a spot on special teams.

Gators have plenty to smile about

I know the last two years have been down years as we have gone 15-13 and finished both seasons unranked. However, did you know Florida has the longest current stretch of winning seasons (24) and the longest current stretch of non-losing (.500 or better) seasons (32). So despite the lackluster years, we have managed to keep the streak alive, which is more than any other major program has been able to do over the past three decades.
This season will be better than the last two and I think Florida will challenge for the SEC East title. Their defense, which ranked eighth nationally in total defense (299.5 yards per game) and second nationally in third down defense, holding opponents to 48 first downs in 176 attempts last year. We return 10 starters on that defense and 14 of our 15 top tacklers.
Offensively, we will have a more experienced and deeper offensive line and our quarterback situation will be in better hands as both sophomores have been battle tested and have shown this spring that they have a much better handle on running the offense.
Additionally, the Gators had a top 5 recruiting year and some of the recruits will help immediately with depth and increase the competition for starting jobs, making us better overall.
Yes, Gator fans, there will be plenty more to smile about in the coming year.

UF Linebacker Graham Stewart to Transfer

For Florida Gator Graham Stewart one season in Gainesville was enough, he has announced his intention to transfer from the program. In high school Stewart led Xavier to a 13-0 record and a state championship. Widely recruited he chose Florida over Boston College, UConn, Iowa, Syracuse and Temple. He was a a four-star member of UF’s 2011 recruiting class, playing in 12 games this past season, mostly on special teams. Stewart also blocked a punt during the season finale game against OSU in the Gator Bowl.

Graham Stewart, who is from Connecticut has sited personal reasons for the transfer request. He is hoping for a NCAA waiver that will allow him to play next season for the University of Connecticut. Stating the need to be closer to his family Stewart has asked for a hardship waiver. Stewart is quoted as stating" “I appreciate my time in Gainesville and have nothing but good things to say about Coach Muschamp and the staff at Florida, but some things are more important.  I really need to be closer to home.”

Eligibility rules to change in 2016

In 2016, freshmen will have to meet new, more rigorous academic standards in order to play sports. They will be required to take and pass 16 core classes with at least a 2.3 GPA, up from 2.0. This is a good thing for schools, as students will have to take high school academics more seriously in order to play at the next level. For more on this story see ESPN's SEC Blog.

Howard, Rainey drafted

Seattle Seahawks selected Gator DT Jaye Howard in the fourth round Saturday and the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Gator RB Chris Rainey in the fifth round on Saturday.

Jenkins taken in the second round

Congratulations to former Gator cornerback Janoris Jenkins taken in the second round by the St. Louis Rams. He was the 39th pick overall.

No current Gators were selected in the first three rounds. In fact, it is likely the Gators will only have two Gators get drafted - DT Jaye Howard and RB Chris Rainey.

Janoris Jenkins Speaks Out

Janoris Jenkins has awesome talent as an athlete, but multiples decisions in his private life have caused speculations and may hurt his pick in the draft. Jenkins attended Pahokee High School, where he was recognized as a first-team Class 2B all-state selection and a Parade magazine All-American as a senior in 2008. Rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Jenkins was listed as the sixth-best cornerback prospect in the nation when the Gators picked him up.

Now with the draft right around the corner, many teams seem to be veering away from picking Jenkins in the first round. Jenkins, the father of  four children from three different mothers, is quick to point out that is a good father and his fatherhood never got in the way of his abilities to play college football for the Gators.

What did get in his way however were bar fights and arrests for marijuana use. On June 1, 2009, Jenkins was arrested near a bar by Gainesville Police for fighting and resisting arrest after punching a man in the head around 2 AM. Police were forced to use a taser on Jenkins after fighting escalated. When asked why the fight started, Jenkins told police it was because he thought someone was going to steal the gold chain around his neck. On April 23, 2011, Jenkins was cited by a Gainesville police officer and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession. He was cited for the same violation in January 2011, and paid a $316 fine. He was arrested in May 2009 during a downtown Gainesville fight that resulted in probation and community service. On April 26, 2011, he was dismissed by the Florida Gators football team, due to his second drug related arrest in 3 months. He played his senior year at North Alabama.

Lets face it many college students delve into smoking a little pot. The biggest problem with the marijuana use, is that Jenkins got caught not once, but twice, including after new Florida coach Will Muschamp came in and made clear that he wasn’t going to tolerate the off-field arrests that previous coach Urban Meyer had tolerated. But are these mistakes enough to hurt Jenkins in the draft?

Jenkins speed and agility make him a natural cover corner. As a Gator he became just the second true freshman in school history to start at cornerback on opening day raking in four tackles against Hawaii, and finished his freshman year just as strong with five tackles in the BCS National Championship Game against Oklahoma. His sophomore year Jenkins started all 13 games he appeared in and totaled 38 tackles on the season, including 33 solo hits. His Junior season Janoris Jenkins was named First-Team All-SEC pick by the AP and Second-Team All-SEC selection by the coaches’. A starter on the kickoff and punt coverage teams, his 67-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. Miami University is the fourth-longest in the SEC in 2010. Thirty-two of his 44 tackles were solo and he had one sack and six tackles for loss that season. Despite an 'average' build at 5-10, 193 pounds, he's willing in run support and has shown great toughness playing through pain. As such, he's a first round caliber prospect.

A true Gator, despite playing his senior year for a Bowden, we wish Janoris Jenkins good luck in the draft and hope the negative experiences are part of past! As Jenkins is quoted as saying "Whoever gets me is going to get a blessing, I’m a great guy.”

Gators pick up O-line transfer

The Gators picked up a key piece in their recruiting puzzle when Maryland offensive lineman Max Garcia officially transferred to Florida. The 6-4, 290-lb tackle played in all 12 games last year for the Terapins and is expected to contribute immediately after sitting out this fall due to NCAA transfer rules.

Playoff Possibilities

Everyone who reads Ode to the Gators knows that we endorse a 16-team playoff tournament in Division I college football (if you didn't it is listed at the top of our blog!). Now news is circulating about the BCS looking into designing a potential four-team playoff model. What has everyone shaking their heads is an option entitled "Four Teams Plus," in which the Rose Bowl would continue hosting the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions whether or not they qualified for a playoff.

The whole thing seems to be at its earliest stages since not even the Rose Bowl people knew anything about the option. While a four team playoff model is not what we are looking for, it is perhaps a first baby step in an effort to reconcile the playoff dilemma in college football.

To find out more read Stewart Mandel's article

Can the Gators Pass?

Before Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators were known and feared for their awesome passing game. Passing was such a priority with Steve Spurrier that even Emmit Smith feared he wouldn't get enough touches. We threw quick, often and for long yards, often taking the opposition out of the game by halftime.

Every year Meyer had Tim Tebow throw a little less, a problem that has caused many to question if Tebow has an arm now  that he is in the NFL. So we want to know if Muschamp and our new Offensive Coordinator Brent Pease will bring the long ball back to the swamp. Which quarterback wins out as starter, may influence how much we throw the ball. During the spring Orange and Blue game Brissett (9-16-0, 233 yards, 2 TDs) showed off his arm, completing five passes longer than 20 yards. And Driskel (12-14-0, 147 yards, 0 TDs) showed accuracy and the ability to extend plays with his legs.

Could Fulmer Return to SEC

Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer denied on Wednesday that he had been contacted by Arkansas about the school's coaching vacancy. "I have not been contacted by Arkansas," Fulmer said. "But I think Arkansas is a great place."

Fulmer, 61, indicated the opening at Arkansas does intrigue him. "When I left Tennessee, I was asked if I would coach again, and I said I would consider it if it was at a place where I could compete for a championship."

So what do you predict Gator fans, will we see Phillip Fulmer as the new head coach for Arkansas?  I personally think it would be a good fit for both coach and team. The Razorbacks are in quite a pickle, losing their coach at this time of year and it will be difficult to find anyone with more experience than Fulmer. Plus since Tennessee fired Fulmer they haven't done any better, which leads us to believe it may have been a Tennessee problem and not a coaching problem. At 61 Fulmer will be hard pressed to get a better opportunity at a head coaching job, and by coaching in the SEC, he is already familiar with the teams and coaches. I guess time will tell if the rumors are right!

Steve Addazio Theme Song

We all remember when Gator Coach Steve Addazio was questioned on his play calling. Many gator fans were concerned he was coaching not to lose, instead of playing to win. Steve gave us an emphatic response in his interview. Play not to lose? I don't even know what that means. I play to win! So in honor of Addazio, we found a video that could be his (and the Temple Owls) theme song.

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.