Gaturprincess....: October 2011

Tebow Gets A Chance

And. truly that's all I have wanted for him is to have is a chance. I don't know how he looked in practice but, I do know once the lights come on he gets it.

And, there is no one that is going to out work him.

To get a little spiritual....it is pretty cool that chance will come in the state of Florida where he will have plenty of supporters. Seems like a little devine intervention. Even Pouncey on the Dolphins will be routing for him.

I can watch NFL Network again. Thanks Tebow. I have always believed. You did wonderful things for us at Florida. We in Gatornation will be forever grateful.

But, now it's time to support you. And, I will be one of them with 15 on in the stands on that day!!!

Gators at Auburn

I am once again excited. It really takes awhile to get over the type of losses we have had the last couple of weeks. As you can tell I don't even go to my own blog let alone others.

But, it's another Saturday and I am again wearing my orange and blue sunglasses and thinking we can go into Jordan Hare and take a win.

Here are my keys for the game:

1. Our DL has to show up against what I think is a weaker OL of Auburn.

2. Put Rainey and Demps on the field at the same time. They have to decided which one to cover.

3. Play Gilleslie more. He showed me something against Alabama and LSU. He is a tough runner.

4. Jacoby has to manage the game. I thought he showed great poise against LSU. I look for more of that same pocket presence at Auburn.

There is so much more. But, it's CFB Saturday and I am already nervous as can me.

Go Gators!!!!

RIP Steve Jobs

For Those Viewing Blog Today.....

I don't have much to say today. Reality has set in. We are not at the same talent and physical level as Alabama. It pains me to say.

On a good note. I think we are on our way to being a very good football team.

I think it's best I put the college football game aside for the day.

My prayers go out to John Brantley and his family. He showed what he was made of last night. I was really pleased with his performance. Only one bad mistake.

Go Gators!!!

Former Dwyer Players Very Noticeable On Saturdays....

I have been wanting to do an update on Dwyer players in Division 1 Programs. As I have watched college football this year it is evident that a lot of them are making major contributions around the country.

I think it says a lot for a high school and it's program to continue to produce quality players for the next level.

Elam, Florida #22 Safety

They were swinging on Matt Elam pretty hard in the off season. But, it seems he is really worth all the hype. He has become a leader in this Quinn/Muschamp lead defense. He seems to always be around the ball. And, he brings it every play. I have seen some hard hits by this young man and I am completely impressed. WIth two interceptions in the last two games I think the future is bright for Elam.

Brissett, Florida #17 QB

Jacoby Brissett has played this season. He had a very good Fall Camp and Muschamp praised him quite often. But, in the end Driskell was name the #2 man and it looks like Brissett is headed for a red-shirt. Hopefully there is a battle for #1 next year. Personally I love his pocket presents. He has a live arm suited for a Weis run offense. I look forward to seeing more of him next year.

Maggitt, Tennessee #56 LB

Curt Maggitt seem to be a heavy lean during the Urban Meyer years. But, things changed after his departure and a visit to Tennessee changed his mind. Although he is not a Gator....and as he says, "Everybody can't be a Gator but, yet Gator bait," he is making some noise for sure in Vol country. Now, I know the Vols are not stacked with talent on defense but, for a young man like Curt to come in and earn himself a starting LB position in the SEC is quite impressive.

Bowers, Maryland #91 DE

Keith Bowers has made an impact immediately and seems to be getting a lot of playing time. I could not find any stats on Keith but it was reported by one his coaches that he has recorded his first sack at the next level and he is getting a lot of playing time. Keith was a leader at Dwyer and tenacious on defense. I am looking for the same thing from him at Maryland.

Robert Clark, Florida #81 WR

Robert Clark started the season off with a injured hamstring. But, he is back on the field for Florida and playing consistently on special teams. I thought last year he was really impressive to the Urban Meyer staff and saw the field at WR more. This year it seems to be hard for him to find his groove coming off of the injury. I am hoping he will gain the confidence of coaches in practice and see more than just special teams play in 2011.

Donald Russell, Georgia State #20 RB

Russell made a lot of noise at Kentucky and seem to be on his way there. But, for some reason his success on the field did not translate into more playing time. At Georgia State he doesn't seem to be having that problem. So far at GSU, Russell has rushed for 430 yards on 77 attempts and 4 touchdowns. And, Kentucky can't find a running game. See what you missed Joker....

O'Leary, FSU #35 TE

Nick O'Leary continues to be used more every game for the Seminoles. For awhile there I thought he would end up at Florida. But, despite his choice in schools I am very happy to see him continue to get more touches. He now has a combined 7 catches for 77 yards. He has good hands and is tough to bring down one on one. I also think he runs good routes but will get better as he gets more playing time.

Christian, Florida #32 TE/LB

Gerald Christian has been patient. And, he has voiced his desire to do whatever the team needed. Going into Spring he was going to play TE and then LB and then TE again....now it looks like he has definitely settled in at the TE position. Once AC Leonard went down with a torn meniscus he started to get a lot more reps in practice. And, he has gotten more targets his way in games. He capitalized on those in the KY game. He had a catch on a crucial 3rd down play and caught himself a 42 yard touchdown pass from Brantley on the first play after recovered fumble by the Gator defense. Weis and Muschamp have praised him and seem to indicate there will more to come from this tough TE.

Lewis, Northern Illinois #85 WR

Tommylee Lewis is known for his toughness and quickness. Their plan was to redshirt him but, he got the opportunity to start after a injury to a fellow teammate. He has shown the coaching staff he is capable. In his first game last Saturday he got involved in the offense and caught a 9 yard touchdown pass.

Hunter, Bowling Green #25 DB

Darrell Hunter as a FR has started to contribute. He got his first start last week and from what I read he was pretty impressive. He ended the games with 4 tackles. I am hoping for his sake that this is the beginning of something special in his career. He will get a chance to show more today against WVU.

Here is the full list from Dwyer Football that's playing at the next level. Very impressive indeed:

Donald Russell, Georgia State
Irvin Titre , Delaware
Kevin Hamlin, E. Kentucky
Roosevelt Maggitt, Iowa State
Jasper Grimes, E Michigan
Matt Elam, UF
Gerald Christian, UF
Robert Clark, UF
Jacoby Brissett, UF
Charles Dowdy, Jacksonville University
Craig Dowdy, Webber College
Daevonte Barnett, Wagner College
Shubert Bastien, Middle Tenn
Keith Bowers, Maryland
Leroy Kelson, Miss State
Chris Cameron, Miss State
Darrell Hunter, Bowling Green
Jimelle James, Alabama A&M
TommyLee Lewis, Northern Illinois
Curtis Maggitt, Tenn
Nicklaus O'Leary, FSU

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Update On Lacrosse From Gatorsports....3/20

The No. 10 Florida lacrosse team battled against a quick, aggressive Syracuse squad to defeat the No. 11 team in the country, 16-11, in front of 937 fans at Donald R. Dizney Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Gators were led by sophomore attacker Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.), who tied her career-high and her own school record with six goals while adding an assist for a season-high seven points. Florida also saw hat tricks from sophomore midfielders Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) and Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.).

Sophomore attacker Janine Hillier (Farmingdale, N.Y.) tied her career high in points with four (2 goals, 2 assists), adding two draw controls. Sophomore attacker Caroline Chesterman (South Nyack, N.Y.) scored and added an assist while sophomore midfielder Jamie Reeg (Atlantis, Fla.) scored her first goal of the season.

The Gators were a perfect 4-for-4 from free position and outshot the Orange, 27-20. Florida won the battle on the draw, 18-10, continuing the Gators’ streak of winning the game when out-drawing their opponent. Chesterman and Dashiell each had a team-high four draw controls, which is Chesterman’s career high.

“The draw is so important,” Florida head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “When you possess the ball, they can’t score. Those 18 draws were critical because we needed possession of the ball. Their attackers are such threats and if you give them an inch, the ball is going in the back of the net.”

Florida Football 2011 Commitments


Name	Pos	Ht/Wt	Stars	Rank
Mike Blakely	RB	5-9/194		6
Jacoby Brissett	QB	6-5/225		3
Clay Burton	DE	6-3/230		19
Kyle Christy	K	6-2/175		3
Jeff Driskel	QB	6-3/225		1
Jabari Gorman	DB	5-11/170		10
Chris Johnson	DB	5-10/186		37
Tommy Jordan	OL	6-5/280		57
Hunter Joyer	RB	6-0/245		1
A.C. Leonard	TE	6-2/232		5
Javares McRoy	WR	5-9/170		28
Louchiez Purifoy	DB	6-0/170		11
Marcus Roberson	DB	6-1/170		2
De'Ante Saunders	DB	6-0/180		27
Valdez Showers	DB	5-11/181		40
Graham Stewart	LB	6-1/216		16
Ja'Juan Story	WR	6-3/190		31
Trip Thurman	OL	6-6/302		13
Tevin Westbrook	DE	6-5/260		45

2010-11 Athletic Program

A banner season for the UF athletic program:

13 top-10 national finishes by 2010-11 teams is just one away from the highest in school history.

9 conference titles by the Gators in 2010-11, including 8 Southeastern Conference wins to match league season record

12 Gators picked up conference player of the year/athlete of the year awards, including 11 SEC honors.

5 Gators named Capital One Academic All-Americans.

82 percent Graduation Success Rate for UF, as reported last fall in 2010 NCAA Federal Graduation Rate Data. Of the top 10 programs in the 2010-11 Learfield Sports Director's Cup Standings, Florida is one of five to post a GSR of 82 percent or higher in 2010. All Gator teams are in good academic standing in latest Academic Progress Report released late in May.

$61million contributed since 1990 by the UAA to UF to fund academic endeavors.

More than 1.1 million fans attended 186 2010-11 home events. Five UF teams ranked among the nation's top 10 in attendance.

436 student-athletes participated in 4,880 hours of community service in 2010-11, partnering with 24 local schools, 11 civic organizations and 27 non-profit organizations.

Gator Headlines

Thirty years ago, the O'Connell Center hosted its first Florida Gators basketball game. Since then, the venue has been home to great games and big-time names. Today, Gatorbait.net staff writer Keith Niebuhr, who estimates he has been to 200-plus games at the O'Dome, presents his list (in alphabetical order) of the 30 best Gators during the arena's 30 years.

Matt Bonner, PF (2000-03): Now a longtime NBA player, Bonner was a strong all-around performer in Gainesville and one of the program's best-ever long-range shooters. In four seasons, he scored 1,570 points.

Corey Brewer, SF (2005-07): A complete player, Brewer not only could score but might have been the top defensive player in program history. A starter for two national championship squads, he was the Most Outstanding Player at the 2007 Final Four.

Craig Brown, SG (1991-94): In the early 1990s, Brown was Florida basketball. Among the most clutch shooters in Gator history, he scored 1,419 points. In a 1994 region final win over Boston College that sent Florida to the Final Four, Brown was the hero.

Nick Calathes, PG (2008-2009): Though he only played two seasons and never made the NCAA Tournament, Calathes scored 1,170 points. An all-around player, he also averaged 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds a game.

Livingston Chatman, SF (1988-91): To this day, there are those who swear Chatman might have been one of the five or so greatest Florida players ever had his career not been derailed by injuries. In his first season, he was a first-team Associated Press freshman All-American. On Florida's first SEC title squad, he scored 16 points a game.

Dan Cross, PG (1992-95): The season Cross had in 1994 was among the finest produced by a player wearing the orange and blue. While leading the Gators to their first Final Four, Cross was simply sensational, averaging 15.7 points and hitting clutch shot after clutch shot.

Dwayne Davis, PF (1988-91): No Gator in history shot as well as Davis from the field (64.1 percent). He also was an excellent rebounder as evidenced by his 31 career double-doubles.

Andrew DeClercq, C/PF (1992-95): Maybe the hardest-working Gator of the past 30 years, DeClercq didn't have a ton of raw skill but consistently out-hustled his opponents. He started a school-record 128 straight games, including every one during the 1994 Final Four season.

Vernon Delancy, SF (1981-84): The Miami native had one of the top freshman seasons in Florida history when he averaged 17.8 points a game. In a game against Alabama, Delancy scored 38 points. He also was an exceptional defender.

Teddy Dupay, PG/SG (1999-01): Dupay averaged double figures in two of his three seasons and was a key player on three NCAA Tournament teams, including one (2000) that reached the Final Four. Dupay was one of the program's best-ever 3-point shooters.

Taurean Green, PG (2005-07): One could make a case for Green being the best point guard in school history. A starter for back-to-back national championship teams, he was a steady performer who averaged 10.5 points for his career.

Udonis Haslem, PF (1999-02): Third on Florida's scoring list (1,781 points), Haslem was a terrific interior player who ranks in the top 10 at UF in 11 career categories. He was the first player in Gator history to play on four consecutive NCAA Tournament teams.

Dametri Hill, C (1993-96): One of the most beloved Gators of all time, the roundish-bodied Hill also had game. He scored 1,376 career points, played big on Florida's 1994 Final Four squad and averaged 17.6 points per game as a senior.

Al Horford, PF/C (2005-07): A starter in 100 games, Horford was a key cog during two national title runs. A consistent and reliable player, Horford was MVP of the 2007 SEC Tournament. That season, he nearly averaged a double-double.

Lee Humphrey, SG (2004-07): Humphrey very well might be the best long-range shooter the Gators have ever had. For his career, he made 288 3-pointers and hit 44 percent from 3-point range. In four Final Four games, he drained 18 3-pointers.

David Lee, C-PF (2002-05): Now a star in the NBA, Lee hit 58.1 percent of his field goals for the Gators and averaged double-figures in scoring three seasons. Lee was a first-round pick of the New York Knicks in 2005.

Clifford Lett, PG/SG (1986-89): For three seasons, Lett was no more than a role player. But as a senior, when it seemed as if a Gators season would fall apart, Lett was moved to point guard and delivered big time. He not only finished the season averaging 13.1 points and 4.3 assists, but very well might have been the MVP for what was Florida's first SEC champion.


UF Sports Information

Vernon Maxwell, SG (1985-88): Arguably the most gifted player ever at Florida, Maxwell technically (his final two seasons were erased from the record books because he was later ruled ineligible) scored 1,046 points. The truth is, he scored more points than any Gator --- by a lot. In four seasons, Maxwell finished with 2,450 points. As a junior, he averaged 21.7 points per game. He later played 13 NBA seasons.

Eugene McDowell, C (1982-85): The late McDowell, nicknamed "The Dunking Machine," was among the SEC's top big men during his era. He made 59.7 percent of his shots for his career and averaged 9.1 rebounds to go along with 1,565 points.

Mike Miller, SF (1999-00): With Miller as its top player, the Gators reached the Sweet 16 in 1999 and were the NCAA runnerup the following season. Miller, who could do a little bit of everything, made the most memorable shot in Gator history -- a running layup to beat the buzzer -- and Butler -- in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament.

Andrew Moten, PG/SG (1984-87): The Quincy native finished his stellar Gator career with 1,930 points. A two-time All-SEC pick, Moten was an undersized but dynamic guard who helped lead the Gators to their first NCAA Tournament.

Brett Nelson, PG/SG (2000-03): At the end of his career, Nelson went into a shocking free fall. But for three seasons, he was an exceptional player. A key member of the Gators' 2000 NCAA runnerup squad, Nelson made 274 career 3-pointers.

Joakim Noah, C (2005-07): During Noah's storied career, he was the emotional leader for two national championship squads. In 2006, he was the MOP of the Final Four. A year later, he was named second-team AP All-American.

Chandler Parsons, SF (2008-Present): Although he's still playing, Parsons has done enough to make this list. He already has well over 1,000 career points. Parsons doesn't have exceptional numbers in any one area, but is solid across the board.

Stacey Poole, SF (1989-93): Despite two torn Achilles' Tendons and a
torn knee ligament during his Gator career, Poole was a solid all-around player. As a senior, he was a first-team All-SEC selection after averaging 16.4 points per game.

Anthony Roberson, PG (2003-05): One of the top scoring guards in Florida history, Roberson scored 1,505 points in only three seasons, while averaging 15.8 points per game. He was a two-time first-time All-SEC pick who made 267 3-pointers.


UF Sports Information

Dwayne Schintzius, C (1987-90): A difference-maker from Day 1 in Gainesville, Schintzius was a starter on Florida's first NCAA tourney squad. He also was the top player on the Gators' first SEC title team in 1989. That season, he averaged 18 points and 9.7 boards a game.

Matt Walsh, SG (2003-05): A dynamic scorer, Walsh recorded 1,301 points in only three seasons and drained 192 3-pointers. Walsh was MVP of the 2005 SEC Tournament after scoring 26 points in the Gators' win against Kentucky in the final.

Kenyan Weaks, SG/SF (1997-2000): A standout long-range shooter, Weaks made 198 career 3-pointers, including 56 during the 2000 season, when Florida was the NCAA runnerup.

Ronnie Williams, PF (1981-84): Because Maxwell's final two seasons have been removed from the record books, Williams, a standout player in the paint, is Florida's all-time leader in points (2,090). Not only that, but he made 58.5 percent of his shots. He's the only Gator to lead the team in scoring four straight seasons.

Just Missed: Justin Hamilton, PG ( 2000-03); Walter Hodge, G (2006-09); Joe Lawrence, SF (1984-87); Ronnie Montgomery, PG (1985-88); Eddie Shannon, PG (1996-99); Greg Stolt, PF (1996-99); Alex Tyus, PF (2008-Present); Brent Wright, PF (1998-01).

Coach Reflects On SEC Beginning Of The Season Prediction by....Rivals.com..

Billy Donovan admits he had some doubts when Florida was picked to win the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division before the season.

The 14th-ranked Gators and their three seniors erased any questions about their potential and showed just how far they've come by beating No. 21 Vanderbilt 86-76 on Saturday night. The win clinched the third outright regular-season SEC championship for Florida and the first since the 2007 team of future NBA stars won the national championship.


Associated Press

Billy Donovan's Gators are SEC Champions

``I was cautiously optimistic because I didn't know if we could take some of the steps we've taken this year because we haven't shown that,'' Donovan said. ``And now we've got to be able to put this behind us and move on to the next thing.''

The next thing is the SEC tournament, where the Gators own a first-round bye.

Kenny Boynton scored 17 points, and seniors Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin each scored 13 points and made key plays down the stretch against Vanderbilt to help the Gators (24-6, 13-3) set a school record for conference wins.

``We don't have three players going in the lottery this year, so it was a totally different team,'' Donovan said. ``This has been really, really as rewarding as any team I've had to coach because of where they've come from, not only from November and December, but where Chandler and Alex and Vern have come from two or three years ago.''

He said those players were immature with no concept of how to become winners when they first got to Florida. In Donovan's 500th game with the Gators, their maturity took over with the game on the line.

Florida pulled away after a technical foul on Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings midway through the second half. That wiped out a potential tie for the Commodores (21-9, 9-7) and gave the Gators a six-point swing.

The loss knocked Vanderbilt out of position for a first-round bye in next week's SEC tournament. The Commodores must now hope that No. 20 Kentucky beats Tennessee on Sunday to help them remain the Eastern Division's No. 3 seed. Vanderbilt, which was led by John Jenkins' 22 points, is 1-11 in season finales under Stallings.

``They played better in every facet than we did, and that's disappointing,'' Stallings said. ``They've just gotten a lot better offensively since the first time we played them. They just sort of took turns and you've got to give them credit. They went at us and they went at us better than we went at them.''

The Commodores had wiped away a 14-point deficit behind a spirited 16-6 run and strong second-half play from Jenkins and Rod Odom, and seemed set to tie the game with 9:19 left. Jenkins appeared to make a layup and draw a blocking foul on Parsons. But a second referee simultaneously called charging on Jenkins and before the officials could confer, Stallings walked about 12 feet onto the court and put his hand on his hips, indicating to the official that his crewmate had called a blocking foul.

The official called a technical foul on Stallings, and Boynton made both shots. Instead of a 56-all tie had Jenkins made his foul shot, the Commodores were down 58-53. The Gators inbounded the ball and Tyus hit a layup to make it 60-53.

Boynton then hit a 3-pointer a minute later to make it 65-54 with 8:05 left and Vanderbilt never seriously threatened again.

``I thought that was a turning point certainly, and for the life of me I didn't think it was a very good call,'' Stallings said. ``I'll have to go back and look at the film to see if I was right or not.''

Parsons thought the referees got the call right and used the play as an example of how committed the players are to the team concept. There are no high draft picks on this team, just winners.

``That's just us making winning plays,'' Parsons said. ``Those are things you can't be taught. Just put your body in the play and making sacrifices for the team.''

It was a whiplash-like momentum shift for the Commodores, one of two in the game, both involving Parsons. They started the first half hot behind Festus Ezeli's nine points in the first 4:59.

The Commodores looked as though they might be pulling away when Brad Tinsley drove the lane and threw down a big dunk over the much taller Parsons to give Vanderbilt its biggest lead with 6:45 left in the first half. The sellout crowd leapt to its feet, but that only seemed to inspire the Gators.

Tinsley's dunk ended a 10-2 run that gave Vanderbilt a 25-18 lead, and Florida answered with a 16-2 spurt to wrest the lead from the Commodores and finished the half by outscoring Vanderbilt 20-12 on the way to a 38-30 lead. It was Vanderbilt's largest halftime deficit at home this season.

``I think that's why they're the league champion, because they understand how to deal with that,'' Stallings said. ``Big deal, a guy dunked. It counts as two points. They've seen that before. Some teams would let that affect them. Their team doesn't. It's why they've been good on the road. It's why they've won close games. They've got poise under pressure.''

The Gators shook off the play at the time, but Chandler expects to hear a lot about it when the party gets rolling in Gainesville.

``Please don't report on Tinsley's dunk,'' Parsons joked. ``I'll see enough of it on SportsCenter.''

Coach Donovan....from Gatorsports

Florida coach Billy Donovan isn't ready to fall in love with his team. At least not yet.

The Gators stormed to just their third outright Southeastern Conference championship Saturday, beating Vanderbilt 86-76 to win eight of their last nine league games.

But as a No. 1 seed heading into this week's SEC Tournament at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Florida will face a challenge that was an early season albatross — learning to deal with success.

“We can't embrace that,” Donovan said. “They need to understand that when you win the way these guys have won, it becomes more difficult. It doesn't become easier.”

Florida (24-6, 13-3 SEC), which moved up to No. 12 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll Monday, will play Friday at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of Thursday night's opening-round game between Tennessee and Arkansas. The Gators routed Arkansas at home by 32 points earlier this season, their largest margin of victory against an SEC opponent since beating South Carolina 84-50 in 2007.

Florida also swept two games from Tennessee this season, but neither win came easily. Florida let a four-point lead slip late in regulation before regrouping to win at Tennessee in overtime. At home, Florida rallied from a six-point halftime deficit against Tennessee, beating the Vols 61-60 on a driving layup from Erving Walker with 14.7 seconds left.

Donovan said he didn't mind how the bracket turned out. Had Tennessee beaten Kentucky on Sunday, Florida would have faced the winner of Georgia and Arkansas in

“This time of the year, it doesn't make a difference,” Donovan said. “You are going to play teams in this league, there is going to be familiarity. I think the (SEC) East has been very, very good. Arkansas has had some wins against some Eastern teams. They beat Tennessee at home. They've beaten Vanderbilt, they beat Kentucky. I think every game right now adds somewhat of a new life, a new challenge for everybody because the regular season is over with. So, basically everyone is starting fresh going into Atlanta.”

Donovan first uttered the phrase “don't fall in love” following Florida's 75-43 win over Arkansas. The Gators have won nine of 11 since, but needed overtime to beat Georgia and Vanderbilt during that stretch.

“I love coaching these guys,” Donovan said. “They are great, but the ebbs and flows of big wins, tough losses, play great, we still have not conquered that. We've gotten better. We made some steps. We're not quite where we need to be.”

The consistency is starting to come after some early disappointments. In January, Florida followed its first win at Tennessee since 2005 with a home loss to South Carolina. In December, the Gators followed a big win against Kansas State with a home loss to Jacksonville.

“One of the things we need to overcome is, handling of success, getting a big win, understanding why we won and what we need to do to prepare for the next game,” Donovan said. “When I made that comment it was more about their ups and downs, because when they are up and down like that and you fall in love, you're going to get your heart broken.”

The Gators also will need to guard against complacency. Since the SEC Tournament started in 1978-79, only nine SEC regular-season champions have won the SEC Tournament. Kentucky has done it seven times, with Alabama (1986-87) and Florida (2006-07) doing it once.

“I wish we could play tomorrow and not take a rest,” Florida senior Alex Tyus said following the Vanderbilt game. “We have a little bit of a break but I feel like we'll keep it going. We just need to look at the film, see where we need to get better and continue to improve.”

Florida will be heading into the tournament with a bye for the first time since 2007. It's also the first time since 2007 Florida will be heading into the SEC Tournament knowing an NCAA Tournament bid is secure. Currently a No. 3 seed in most NCAA Tournament bracket projections, Florida could improve its seeding with a deep run in Atlanta.

“In a lot of ways they are in uncharted territory,” Donovan said. “It's the first time they are walking into the SEC Tournament with a bye. It's the first time these guys have ever won a conference championship. We're going in the first time for three years knowing that we are going to the NCAA Tournament.

“If these guys come across that they feel like they have it all figured out, they don't. And believe me, I remind them that they don't.”

In select company

Donovan coached his 500th game at Florida against Vanderbilt. The 86-76 win over the Commodores improved Donovan's record at UF to 355-145, a .710 winning percentage.

Among SEC coaches, it's the second-highest winning percentage at the 500-game mark. Only Kentucky's Adolph Rupp (.842) had a better winning percentage through his first 500 games. LSU's Dale Brown had the third-highest winning percentage (.626), followed by LSU's Harry Rabenhorst (.594) and C.M. Newton (.590), who coached his first 500 games at Alabama and Vanderbilt.

Number of Heismans By School

2005 trophy. In total, players from 37 different schools have won a Heisman Trophy.

School	Trophies held
Notre Dame	7
Ohio State	7
USC	6
Oklahoma	5
Army	3
Auburn	3
Florida	3
Michigan	3
Nebraska	3
Florida State	2
Georgia	2
Miami	2
Navy	2
Texas	2
Wisconsin	2
Yale	2
Alabama	1
BYU	1
Boston College	1
Colorado	1
Chicago	1
Houston	1
Iowa	1
LSU	1
Minnesota	1
Oklahoma State	1
Oregon State	1
Penn State	1
Pittsburgh	1
Princeton	1
South Carolina	1
SMU	1
Stanford	1
Syracuse	1
Texas A&M	1
TCU	1
UCLA	1

About Me

I am a Gator fan. Considered by many to be the most passionate Gator around. Ask those in my circle and they will say, "I need therapy," when my Reptiles lose.

Coach says, "I am a fare weather fan." I say, "I expect a win everytime out." Nothing else is acceptable.

I want better than last year. My Gators ruined ESPN watching for me. Five losses in one season was hard to stomach. Or as one Gator fan said, "we had a good dose of humility."

A new era ahead though. And, my Fall Season happiness is now in the hands of Muschamp, Weis, and Quinn. Go Gators!!

Now, for other stuff....

I am a Heat fan and I am enjoying this year. Go Lebron and D. Wade!!

I stopped being a Celtic's fan once Austin Rivers decommitted from Florida. Yep, I know....but, it is what it is.

I love Coach Ham and want him to succeed but, I can't stand the Seminoles. Unfortunately, his success is tied to the Seminoles success.

I can't stand the SEC when we are playing them but,, when it comes bowl time and BCS games I cheer for the conference.

I honor the following....John Thompson Sr, Bill Walsh, and John Daly all for various reasons. I love Dan Marino, Tim Tebow, and Mike Tomlin for various reasons too.

I wish Mike Vick well...and I pray for him continuously. He has done what we all of us have done and that is, make poor decisions. Fortunately, ours were not so publicized.

I would rather watch a college game than a movie, and/or go shopping. Of course that makes me different from most girls....but, oh well. I actually like that distinction.

Update On Softball From Gatorsports...3/6

Florida’s softball team used 28 total runs and six home runs, including a grand slam, on the second day of the Lipton Invitational Saturday to escalate to 18-0 on the season with a chance to tie the program record today with the most wins to kick off a season (19). After topping Valparaiso and Syracuse in Friday’s action, the No.2/3 Gators first topped North Dakota State, 18-0, in five innings, then Pacific, 10-2, in six, with freshman Kasey Fagan highlighting the day with a grand slam against the Bison.

Florida’s five-inning shutout against North Dakota State marked the 10th time the Gators have blanked an opponent this season and the sixth time the Orange and Blue have shortened a game to five innings by run rule.

In the first all-time meeting between the Bison and Gators, UF came away victorious in a game that resulted in a program-high 18 walks drawn. The team is now also tied for fourth in the record books for runs scored in a game. Seniors Aja Paculba and Megan Bush both went 2-for-3 with two runs apiece, one homer for Paculba. Bush later dropped a solo bomb against Pacific in UF’s second game of the day.

Senior Stephanie Brombacher secured her 10th win of the season, her fifth shutout, allowing just two hits, one walk and five Ks in five innings of work.

The first inning saw five consecutive Gators draw walks, resulting in three runs from junior Michelle Moultrie, sophomore Brittany Schutte and Paculba.

Florida capitalized on three walks and three errors to add six runs in the second, highlighted by a two-run shot over the scoreboard by sophomore Kelsey Horton. Moultrie and Schutte added their second runs of the game, while Bush, Fagan and senior Kelsey Bruder also crossed home plate to give the Gators the 9-0 advantage.

Update On Gator Baseball...as of 3/20

From Gatorsports....

Florida's top-ranked baseball team defeated No. 8 Louisiana State 7-3 Sunday to sweep the weekend series.

It's the second straight season the Gators have swept the season series from the Tigers. The Gators did it last year in Gainesville. It's also the first time UF has swept the Tigers in Baton Rouge.

Florida has played in front of record crowds this week. On Tuesday, the Gators beat Florida State 5-4 in 10 innings before a McKethan Stadium record of 5,930.

The weekend series at LSU's Alex Box Stadium set marks for total attendance (28, 215) and the number of tickets sold (34,562).

The Gators (18-2, 3-0 SEC) won Friday's game 5-4, Saturday's 1-0 and had 15 hits Sunday.

Update on Womens' Gymnastic from Gatorsports....

The No. 1 Florida gymnastics team took a 197.00-196.75 win over No. 5 Utah on Friday evening in front of a NCAA record crowd of 15,558 at the Huntsman Center.

Florida (12-1) led the meet from the opening event, but its biggest lead of 0.250 was at the midway point. Heading into the final rotation, that lead was narrowed to just 0.150. The Gators needed to hit on balance beam to finish their regular season with a win.

The Gators sealed the win with a six-for-six beam set. If the Gators were thinking about last week's problems on beam at Arkansas which led to UF's only loss of the season, they didn't show it, as the Gators performed confidently on their final event.

“We were under pressure again (on the final rotation), so it was good that we were able to fight through it and come out with the win,” said freshman Alaina Johnson, who took second in the all-around at 39.425.

Florida sophomore Ashanée Dickerson shared first on balance beam at 9.875 with Utah's Cortni Beers and Fumina Kobayashi. The Gators also received 9.85s from Elizabeth Mahlich, Marissa King and Mackenzie Caquatto as Florida finished the meet with a beam total of 49.25.

Update On Track and Field From Gatorsports....

TRACK AND FIELD: At Blacksburg, Va., and South Bend, Ind., senior Florida sprinter Terrell Wilks automatically-qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 60-meter dash and the women’s 4x400-meter relay team ran the seventh-fastest time in school history Saturday to highlight the Gators’ performances in a pair of last-chance meets – the Virginia Tech Qualifier in Blacksburg, Va., and the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind.

Wilks, who ran three rounds of the men’s 60-meter dash on Saturday in Blacksburg, tied his personal-best time, clocking an NCAA automatic-qualifying 6.59 in the finals, which ranks as the second-fastest time in school history in the men’s 60m. Wilks joins sophomore sprinter Jeff Demps as the team’s two NCAA participants in the men’s 60m.

The women’s 4x400-meter relay team all but locked up a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships, logging the seventh-fastest time in school history at 3:34.61 to place second overall in the field at the Alex Wilson Invitational. The quartet consisted for Ebony Eutsey), Lanie Whittaker, Danielle Williams and Ugonna Ndu.

Eutsey, a freshman sprinter, tied her personal-best time, placing second in the women’s 400-meter dash at the Alex Wilson Invitational, clocking a 53.56.

Rivals Re-Rankings

2002 Top 10
Player	Pos	High School	Ht/Wt	College
1. Vince Young	QB	Houston (Texas) Madison	6-5/195	Texas
2002 rank: Five stars, No. 1 overall, No. 1 dual-threat quarterback
2. Troy Smith	QB	Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville	6-1/200	Ohio State
2002 rank: Four stars, No. 12 dual-threat quarterback
3. Mike Williams	WR	Tampa (Fla.) Plant	6-5/200	USC
2002 rank: Four stars, No. 23 wide receiver
4. A.J. Hawk	LB	Centerville (Ohio) High	6-2/230	Ohio State
2002 rank: Three stars, No. 30 outside linebacker
5. Haloti Ngata	DT	Salt Lake City (Utah) Highlands	6-5/310	Oregon
2002 rank: Five stars, No. 2 overall, No. 1 defensive tackle
6. Marcus McNeill	OT	Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove	6-8/315	Auburn
2002 rank: Four stars, No. 10 offensive tackle
7. Justin Blaylock	OG	Plano (Texas) East	6-4/325	Texas
2002 rank: Five stars, No. 15 overall, No. 1 offensive guard
8. Demeco Ryans	LB	Bessemer (Ala.) Jess Lanier	6-2/212	Alabama
2002 rank: Three stars, No. 39 inside linebacker
9. Devin Hester	CB/ATH	Riviera Beach (Fla.) Suncoast	5-11/180	Miami
2002 rank: Five stars, No. 28 overall, No. 2 cornerback
10. Rodrique Wright	DT	Alief (Texas) Hastings	6-5/330	Texas
2002 rank: Five stars, No. 13 overall, No. 2 defensive tackle
2003 Top 10
Player	Pos	High School	Ht/Wt	College
1. Reggie Bush	RB	San Diego (Calif.) Helix	6-0/180	USC
2003 rank: Five stars, No. 2 overall, No. 1 running back
2. Jake Long	OT	Lapeer (Mich.) East	6-7/295	Michigan
2003 rank: Three stars, No. 21 offensive tackle
3. Patrick Willis	LB	Hollow Rock (Tenn.) Bruceton Central	6-2/220	Ole Miss
2003 rank: Three stars, No. 60 inside linebacker
4. Joe Thomas	OT	Brookfield (Wis.) Westosha Central	6-7/270	Wisconsin
2003 rank: Four stars, No. 18 offensive tackle
5. Matt Ryan	QB	Philadelphia (Pa.) William Penn	6-5/200	Boston College
2003 rank: Three stars, No. 25 pro-style quarterback
6. Chris Leak	QB	Charlotte (N.C.) Independence	6-1/205	Florida
2003 rank: Four stars, No. 26 overall, No. 2 pro-style quarterback
7. LaMarr Woodley	LB	Saginaw (Mich.) High	6-3/245	Michigan
2003 rank: Five stars, No. 14 overall, No. 3 inside linebacker
8. Paul Posluszny	LB	Hopewell (Pa.) High	6-3/210	Penn State
2003 rank: Three stars, No. 19 outside linebacker
9. Reggie Nelson	S	Palm Bay (Fla.) High	6-0/175	Florida
2003 rank: Four stars, No. 61 overall, No. 4 safety
10. Sedrick Ellis	DT	Chino (Calif.) High	6-3/260	USC
2003 rank: Four stars, No. 68 overall, No. 5 defensive tackle
2004 Top 10
Player	Pos	High School	Ht/Wt	College
1. Adrian Peterson	RB	Palestine (Texas) High	6-2/210	Oklahoma
2004 rank: Five stars, No. 1 overall, No. 1 running back
2. Calvin Johnson	WR	Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek	6-4/210	Georgia Tech
2004 rank: Four stars, No. 37 overall, No. 6 wide receiver
3. Glenn Dorsey	DT	Gonzales (La.) East Ascension	6-2/293	LSU
2004 rank: Four stars, No. 47 overall, No. 5 defensive tackle
4. Ted Ginn Jr.	CB	Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville	6-0/170	Ohio State
2004 rank: Five stars, No. 2 overall, No. 1 cornerback
5. Dwayne Jarrett	WR	New Brunswick (N.J.) High	6-5/205	USC
2004 rank: Four stars, No. 44 overall, No. 2 wide receiver
6. Mike Hart	RB	Syracuse (N.Y.) Onondaga Central	5-10/175	Michigan
2004 rank: Three stars, No. 6 all-purpose back
7. Marshawn Lynch	RB	Oakland (Calif.) Technical	5-11/195	Cal
2004 rank: Four stars, No. 28 overall, No. 2 running back
8. Jordan Shipley	WR	Burnet (Texas) High	6-0/180	Texas
2004 rank: Four stars, No. 18 wide receiver
9. Pat White	ATH	Mobile (Ala.) Daphne	6-1/180	West Virginia
2004 rank: Three stars, No. 55 athlete
10. Brian Orakpo	DE	Houston (Texas) Lamar	6-4/220	Texas
2004 rank: Four stars, No. 12 weakside defensive end
2005 Top 10
Player	Pos	High School	Ht/Wt	College
1. Ndamukong Suh	DT	Portland (Ore.) Grant	6-4/278	Nebraska
2005 rank: Four stars, No. 51 overall, No. 6 defensive tackle
2. Colt McCoy	QB	Tuscola (Texas) Jim Ned	6-1/180	Texas
2005 rank: Three stars, No. 15 pro-style quarterback
3. Darren McFadden	RB	Little Rock (Ark.) Oak Grove	6-1/198	Arkansas
2005 rank: Five stars, No. 23 overall, No. 2 athlete
4. Rey Maualuga	LB	Eureka (Calif.) High	6-3/253	USC
2005 rank: Five stars, No. 5 overall, No. 1 inside linebacker
5. James Laurinaitis	LB	Plymouth (Minn.) Wayzata	6-2/230	Ohio State
2005 rank: Three stars, No. 28 inside linebacker
6. Michael Oher	OT	Memphis (Tenn.) Briarcrest Christian	6-5/330	Ole Miss
2005 rank: Four stars, No. 48 overall, No. 7 offensive tackle
7. Malcolm Jenkins	CB	Piscataway (N.J.) High	6-1/214	Ohio State
2005 rank: Three stars, No. 61 cornerback
8. Rashard Mendenhall	RB	Skokie (Ill.) Niles West	6-0/190	Illinois
2005 rank: Four stars, No. 90 overall, No. 9 running back
9. DeSean Jackson	WR	Long Beach (Calif.) Poly	5-11/170	Cal
2005 rank: Five stars, No. 18 overall, No. 3 wide receiver
10. Brian Cushing	LB	Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic	6-4/216	USC
2005 rank: Four stars, No. 53 overall, No. 5 outside linebacker
2006 Top 10
Player	Pos	High School	Ht/Wt	College
1. Tim Tebow	QB	Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.) Nease	6-3/217	Florida
2006 rank: Five stars, No. 22 overall, No. 1 dual-threat quarterback
2. Michael Crabtree	ATH	Dallas (Texas) Carter	6-1/190	Texas Tech
2006 rank: Four stars, No. 16 athlete
3. Taylor Mays	ATH	Seattle (Wash.) O'Dea	6-3/218	USC
2006 rank: Five stars, No. 16 overall, No. 2 athlete
4. Gerald McCoy	DT	Oklahoma City (Okla.) Southeast	6-4/305	Oklahoma
2006 rank: Five stars, No. 4 overall, No. 1 defensive tackle
5. Sam Bradford	QB	Oklahoma City (Okla.) Putnam City North	6-4/200	Oklahoma
2006 rank: Three stars, No. 12 pro-style quarterback
6. Andre Smith	OG	Birmingham (Ala.) Huffman	6-4/325	Alabama
2006 rank: Five stars, No. 2 overall, No. 1 offensive guard
7. Andy Dalton	QB	Katy (Texas) High	6-2/180	TCU
2006 rank: Three stars, No. 23 pro-style quarterback
8. Jeremy Maclin	WR	St. Louis (Mo.) Kirkwood	6-0/187	Missouri
2006 rank: Four stars, No. 24 wide receiver
9. Russell Okung	OT	Houston (Texas) George Bush	6-5/250	Oklahoma State
2006 rank: Three stars, No. 33 offensive tackle
10. C.J. Spiller	RB	Lake Butler (Fla.) Union County	5-10/190	Clemson
2006 rank: Five stars, No. 8 overall, No. 1 all-purpose back
2007 Top 10
Player	Pos	High School	Ht/Wt	College
1. Cameron Newton	QB	Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake	6-4/232	Florida/Auburn
2007 rank: Five stars, No. 28 overall, No. 2 dual-threat quarterback
2. Von Miller	DE	DeSoto (Texas) High	6-3/210	Texas A&M
2007 rank: Four stars, No. 15 weakside defensive end
3. Eric Berry	CB	Fairburn (Ga.) Creekside	5-11/194	Tennessee
2007 rank: Five stars, No. 3 overall, No. 1 cornerback
4. Rolando McClain	LB	Decatur (Ala.) High	6-4/240	Alabama
2007 rank: Four stars, No. 35 overall, No. 2 inside linebacker
5. Golden Tate	ATH	Hendersonville (Tenn.) JPII	5-11/175	Notre Dame
2007 rank: Four stars, No. 7 athlete
6. Prince Amukamara	ATH	Glendale (Ariz.) Apollo	6-1/180	Nebraska
2007 rank: Three stars, No. 57 athlete
7. Joe Haden	ATH	Ft. Washington (Md.) Friendly	5-11/189	Florida
2007 rank: Four stars, No. 59 overall, No. 3 athlete
8. Kellen Moore	QB	Prosser (Wash.) High	6-0/176	Boise State
2007 rank: Three stars, No. 31 pro-style quarterback
9. Dez Bryant	WR	Lufkin (Texas) High	6-1/195	Oklahoma State
2007 rank: Four stars, No. 54 overall, No. 9 wide receiver
10. Ryan Mallett	QB	Texarkana (Texas) Texas	6-6/235	Michigan/Arkansas
2007 rank: Five stars, No. 4 overall, No. 2 pro-style quarterback
2008 Top 10
Player	Pos	High School	Ht/Wt	College
1. Andrew Luck	QB	Houston (Texas) Stratford	6-4/215	Stanford
2008 rank: Four stars, No. 68 overall, No. 4 pro-style quarterback
2. Mark Ingram	ATH	Flint (Mich.) Southwestern Acad.	5-10/195	Alabama
2008 rank: Four stars, No. 189 overall, No. 17 ATH
3. Patrick Johnson	CB	Pompano Beach (Fla.) Blanche Ely	6-1/193	LSU
2008 rank: Five stars, No. 5 overall, No. 1 cornerback
4. Julio Jones	WR	Foley (Ala.) High	6-4-215	Alabama
2008 rank: Five stars, No. 4 overall, No. 1 wide receiver
5. DaQuan Bowers	DE	Bamberg (S.C.) Ehrhardt	6-4/267	Clemson
2008 rank: Five stars, No. 2 overall, No. 1 strongside defensive end
6. A.J. Green	WR	Summerville (S.C.) High	6-4/184	Georgia
2008 rank: Five stars, No. 9 overall, No. 2 wide receiver
7. Justin Blackmon	WR	Ardmore (Okla.) Plainview	6-2/190	Oklahoma State
2008 rank: Three stars, No. 91 wide receiver
8. Blaine Gabbert	QB	Ballwin (Mo.) Parkway West	6-5/226	Missouri
2008 rank: Five stars, No. 14 overall, No. 1 pro-style quarterback
9. LaMichael James	RB	Texarkana (Texas) Liberty-Eylau	5-9/180	Oregon
2008 rank: Four stars, No. 12 all-purpose back
10. Michael Floyd	WR	St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall	6-3/195	Notre Dame
2008 rank: Five stars, No. 27 overall, No. 6 wide receiver

NCAA Football Coaches And Their Salaries As of 3/26/2011

College football coaches’ pay

School	Coach	Conference	University compensation	Non-university compensation	Total	Maximum bonus

Air Force	Troy Calhoun	MWC	$725,000	$18,500	$743,500	$580,000

Akron	Rob Ianello	MAC	$375,000	NA	$375,000	$155,000

Alabama	Nick Saban	SEC	$5,166,666	$830,683	$5,997,349	$700,000

Alabama-Birmingham	Neil Callaway	CUSA	$378,000	$3,800	$381,800	$305,000

Arizona	Mike Stoops	Pac-10	$1,100,000	$285,838	$1,385,838	$650,000

Arizona State	Dennis Erickson	Pac-10	$1,500,000	$3,000	$1,503,000	$1,800,000

Arkansas	Bobby Petrino	SEC	$2,700,000	$13,000	$2,713,000	$475,000

Arkansas State	Steve Roberts	Sun Belt	$140,000	$83,078	$223,078	$0

Army	Rich Ellerson	Independent	$400,000	$0	$400,000	$550,000

Auburn	Gene Chizik	SEC	$2,100,000	$3,500	$2,103,500	$1,500,000

Ball State (4)	Stan Parrish	MAC	$350,000	$0	$350,000	$250,000

Baylor (3)	Art Briles	Big 12	$878,315	NA	$878,315	NA

Boise State	Chris Petersen	WAC	$1,489,053	$5,000	$1,494,053	$145,000

Boston College	Frank Spaziani	ACC	NA	NA	NA	NA

Bowling Green	Dave Clawson	MAC	$205,000	$1,000	$206,000	$98,000

Brigham Young	Bronco Mendenhall	MWC	NA	NA	NA	NA

Buffalo	Jeff Quinn	MAC	$338,000	NA	$338,000	$317,500

California	Jeff Tedford	Pac-10	$2,300,000	$5,000	$2,305,000	$265,000

Central Florida	George O'Leary	CUSA	$1,325,754	$0	$1,325,754	$600,000

Central Michigan	Dan Enos	MAC	$350,000	NA	$350,000	$125,500

Cincinnati	Butch Jones	Big East	$1,100,000	$1,500	$1,101,500	$320,000

Clemson	Dabo Swinney	ACC	$1,750,000	$18,500	$1,768,500	$694,792

Colorado (4)	Dan Hawkins	Big 12	$1,383,903	$8,000	$1,391,903	$985,444

Colorado State (2)	Steve Fairchild	MWC	$700,000	NA	$700,000	$435,000

Connecticut (2)	Paul Pasqualoni	Big East	$1,550,000	NA	$1,550,000	$114,583

Duke (3)	David Cutcliffe	ACC	$1,581,903	NA	$1,581,903	NA

East Carolina	Ruffin McNeill	CUSA	$792,241	$2,000	$794,241	$350,000

Eastern Michigan	Ron English	MAC	$315,000	$1,000	$316,000	$90,000

Florida	Will Muschamp	SEC	$3,010,000	$0	$3,010,000	$575,000

Florida Atlantic	Howard Schnellenberger	Sun Belt	$400,405	$7,500	$407,905	$115,000

Florida International	Mario Cristobal	Sun Belt	$437,382	$0	$437,382	$50,000

Florida State	Jimbo Fisher	ACC	$1,800,000	$4,000	$1,804,000	$675,000

Fresno State	Pat Hill	WAC	$952,499	$46,810	$999,309	$697,167

Georgia	Mark Richt	SEC	$2,811,340	$126,400	$2,937,740	$600,000

Georgia Tech	Paul Johnson	ACC	$2,300,000	$0	$2,300,000	$1,125,000

Hawaii	Greg McMackin	WAC	$1,100,004	$13,000	$1,113,004	$160,000

Houston	Kevin Sumlin	CUSA	$1,000,000	$0	$1,000,000	$500,000

Idaho	Robb Akey	WAC	$355,797	$7,390	$363,187	$158,262

Illinois	Ron Zook	Big Ten	$1,505,000	$3,500	$1,508,500	$52,650

Indiana (2, 4)	Bill Lynch	Big Ten	$650,000	NA	$650,000	$450,000

Iowa	Kirk Ferentz	Big Ten	$3,775,000	$6,000	$3,781,000	$1,750,000

Iowa State	Paul Rhoads	Big 12	$1,050,000	$1,145	$1,051,145	$1,550,000

Kansas	Turner Gill	Big 12	$2,100,000	$1,200	$2,101,200	$419,158

Kansas State	Bill Snyder	Big 12	$1,875,000	$0	$1,875,000	$455,000

Kent State (4)	Doug Martin	MAC	$190,000	$0	$190,000	$91,500

Kentucky	Joker Phillips	SEC	$1,700,000	$6,600	$1,706,600	$1,105,000

Louisiana Tech	Sonny Dykes	WAC	$450,000	NA	$450,000	$310,000

Louisiana-Lafayette (4)	Rickey Bustle	Sun Belt	$225,000	$1,000	$226,000	$47,500

Louisiana-Monroe	Todd Berry	Sun Belt	$215,000	NA	$215,000	$62,500

Louisville	Charlie Strong	Big East	$1,600,000	$0	$1,600,000	$633,333

LSU	Les Miles	SEC	$3,751,000	$154,000	$3,905,000	$400,000

Marshall	Doc Holliday	CUSA	$600,000	$17,750	$617,750	$80,000

Maryland	Randy Edsall	ACC	$2,036,306	$7,000	$2,043,306	$737,232

Memphis	Larry Porter	CUSA	$750,000	$0	$750,000	$190,000

Miami (Fla.) (4)	Al Golden	ACC	NA	NA	NA	NA

Miami (Ohio)	Mike Haywood	MAC	$300,000	$0	$300,000	$296,496

Michigan	Brady Hoke	Big Ten	$2,515,180	$10,100	$2,525,280	$300,000

Michigan State	Mark Dantonio	Big Ten	$1,796,700	$0	$1,796,700	$660,000

Middle Tennessee	Rick Stockstill	Sun Belt	$488,955	$2,625	$491,580	$111,000

Minnesota (2, 4)	Tim Brewster	Big Ten	$808,000	NA	$808,000	$1,050,000

Mississippi	Houston Nutt	SEC	$2,500,000	$9,000	$2,509,000	NA

Mississippi State	Dan Mullen	SEC	$1,200,000	$8,295	$1,208,295	NA

Missouri	Gary Pinkel	Big 12	$2,550,000	$0	$2,550,000	$850,000

Navy (3)	Ken Niumatalolo	Independent	$926,434	NA	$926,434	NA

Nebraska (2)	Bo Pelini	Big 12	$2,100,000	NA	$2,100,000	$550,000

Nevada	Chris Ault	WAC	$443,093	$0	$443,093	$30,000

Nevada-Las Vegas	Bobby Hauck	MWC	$500,000	$2,500	$502,500	$140,000

New Mexico	Mike Locksley	MWC	$750,000	$0	$750,000	$265,000

New Mexico State	DeWayne Walker	WAC	$375,000	$0	$375,000	$185,000

North Carolina (2)	Butch Davis	ACC	$1,752,000	NA	$1,752,000	$105,000

North Carolina State	Tom O'Brien	ACC	$632,950	$887,500	$1,520,450	$750,000

North Texas (4)	Todd Dodge	Sun Belt	$289,161	$0	$289,161	$101,000

Northern Illinois	Jerry Kill	MAC	$346,812	$1,000	$347,812	$205,000

Northwestern	Pat Fitzgerald	Big Ten	NA	NA	NA	NA

Notre Dame	Brian Kelly	Independent	NA	NA	NA	NA

Ohio	Frank Solich	MAC	$458,300	$2,500	$460,800	$288,325

Ohio State	Jim Tressel	Big Ten	$3,512,000	$376,389	$3,888,389	$450,000

Oklahoma	Bob Stoops	Big 12	$4,275,000	$100,000	$4,375,000	$819,500

Oklahoma State (2)	Mike Gundy	Big 12	$1,925,000	NA	$1,925,000	$500,000

Oregon (2)	Chip Kelly	Pac-10	$2,400,000	NA	$2,400,000	$885,000

Oregon State (2)	Mike Riley	Pac-10	$1,110,000	NA	$1,110,000	$360,000

Penn State (1, 2, 3)	Joe Paterno	Big Ten	$1,109,977	NA	$1,109,977	NA

Pittsburgh (1, 2, 3, 4)	Todd Graham	Big East	$1,010,873	NA	$1,010,873	NA

Purdue (2)	Danny Hope	Big Ten	$900,000	NA	$900,000	$637,250

Rice (3)	David Bailiff	CUSA	$487,340	NA	$487,340	NA

Rutgers	Greg Schiano	Big East	$1,895,000	$105,932	$2,000,932	$630,000

San Diego State	Brady Hoke	MWC	$675,000	$0	$675,000	$700,000

San Jose State	Mike MacIntyre	WAC	$401,820	$2,000	$403,820	$300,835

South Carolina	Steve Spurrier	SEC	$2,000,000	$32,500	$2,032,500	$1,000,000

South Florida	Skip Holtz	Big East	$1,700,000	NA	$1,700,000	$350,000

Southern California	Lane Kiffin	Pac-10	NA	NA	NA	NA

Southern Methodist (3)	June Jones	CUSA	$2,142,056	NA	$2,142,056	NA

Southern Mississippi	Larry Fedora	CUSA	$685,000	$19,500	$704,500	$165,000

Stanford	David Shaw	Pac-10	NA	NA	NA	NA

Syracuse	Doug Marrone	Big East	NA	NA	NA	NA

Temple (1, 2)	Steve Addazio	MAC	$513,867	NA	$513,867	NA

Tennessee	Derek Dooley	SEC	$2,118,391	$3,000	$2,121,391	$475,000

Texas	Mack Brown	Big 12	$5,100,000	$61,500	$5,161,500	$850,000

Texas A&M	Mike Sherman	Big 12	$1,800,000	$1,000	$1,801,000	$350,000

Texas Christian (3)	Gary Patterson	MWC	$1,642,089	NA	$1,642,089	NA

Texas Tech	Tommy Tuberville	Big 12	$1,500,000	$9,000	$1,509,000	$1,025,000

Texas-El Paso	Mike Price	CUSA	$383,346	$11,500	$394,846	$320,853

Toledo	Tim Beckman	MAC	$370,000	$0	$370,000	$256,000

Troy	Larry Blakeney	Sun Belt	$355,000	$1,000	$356,000	$75,000

Tulane	Bob Toledo	CUSA	NA	NA	NA	NA

Tulsa (3)	Todd Graham	CUSA	$804,253	NA	$804,253	NA

UCLA	Rick Neuheisel	Pac-10	$1,250,000	$26,000	$1,276,000	$500,000

Utah (2)	Kyle Whittingham	MWC	$1,175,000	NA	$1,175,000	$485,000

Utah State	Gary Andersen	WAC	$352,400	$2,000	$354,400	$45,000

Vanderbilt (4)	Robbie Caldwell	SEC	NA	NA	NA	NA

Virginia	Mike London	ACC	$1,780,000	NA	$1,780,000	$715,000

Virginia Tech	Frank Beamer	ACC	$2,043,000	$85,000	$2,128,000	$407,500

Wake Forest (3)	Jim Grobe	ACC	$2,939,475	NA	$2,939,475	NA

Washington	Steve Sarkisian	Pac-10	$1,850,004	$0	$1,850,004	$1,500,000

Washington State	Paul Wulff	Pac-10	$600,000	$650	$600,650	$220,000

West Virginia	Bill Stewart	Big East	$903,000	$30,000	$933,000	$590,000

Western Kentucky	Willie Taggart	Sun Belt	$225,000	NA	$225,000	$144,750

Western Michigan	Bill Cubit	MAC	$375,000	$2,000	$377,000	$251,500

Wisconsin	Bret Bielema	Big Ten	$1,700,000	$81,759	$1,781,759	$350,000

Wyoming (2)	Dave Christensen	MWC	$861,000	NA	$861,000	$260,000

The State Of Our Football Program

Rivals takes a look at each position it seems. I am posting it temporarily.

It is my number one concern by my Gators. And, that is what is going to happen at the QB position. I know we have the talent. And, I know we have the coaches....let's see what happens.

Florida opens up Spring Practice in about two weeks, which means its time to take a look at each of the position battles on the roster. Today, we take a look at the most important and interesting position battle -- quarterback.


Getty Images

John Brantley is the odds on favorite to be UF's starting quarterback

THE QUARTERBACKS

The Starter: Senior John Brantley projects as the starter heading into camp after a disappointing junior campaign, but he'll have to hold off highly touted true freshman Jeff Driskel, the top rated quarterback in his class. It should be Brantley's job to lose, though head coach Will Muschamp said all the jobs on his team are open right now when asked about a potential quarterback controversy.

The Challengers: The two players who challenged Brantley for snaps last season -- Trey Burton and Jordan Reed -- could both be moving to other positions for good and don't have the passing pedigree to operate Charlie Weis' offense. Driskel will have a chance to come in and impress the coaching staff right away to earn a leg up on Brantley as well as fellow freshman Jacoby Brissett, who won't be on campus until the fall.

Major Spring Storyline: Can Brantley restore his confidence, hold off Driskel and win over teammates and fans? He'll be the only quarterback on the three-deep who has thrown a pass at the college level when the season opens up in the fall, but it's hard to make a case that he should be the starter based on last year's results. Brantley has a lot of hearts and mind to win back this spring, starting in his own locker-room.

Coming out of Spring: How fast will Driskel develop? Even if Brantley emerges from Spring Practice with a tenuous hold on the starting job, will Driskel develop fast enough to force a switch in the middle of the season? It's impossible to say how ready or polished Driskel is without seeing him ever play a game in The Swamp, but assuming Brantley doesn't make a huge leap in his game within an offense that better suits him, Driskel will have a chance to progress at his own pace and eventually replace Brantley.

1970	Jim Plunkett*	Stanford	Quarterback	2,229
1971	Pat Sullivan	Auburn	Quarterback	1,597
1972	Johnny Rodgers	Nebraska	Running Back	1,310
1973	John Cappelletti	Penn State	Running Back	1,057
1974	Archie Griffin	Ohio State	Running Back	1,920
1975	Archie Griffin	Ohio State	Running Back	1,800
1976	Tony Dorsett^	Pittsburgh	Running Back	2,357
1977	Earl Campbell*^	Texas	Running Back	1,547
1978	Billy Sims*	Oklahoma	Running Back	827
1979	Charles White	USC	Running Back	1,695
1980	George Rogers*	South Carolina	Running Back	1,128
1981	Marcus Allen^	USC	Running Back	1,797
1982	Herschel Walker	Georgia	Running Back	1,926
1983	Mike Rozier	Nebraska	Running Back	1,801
1984	Doug Flutie	Boston College	Quarterback	2,240
1985	Bo Jackson*	Auburn	Running Back	1,509
1986	Vinny Testaverde*	Miami	Quarterback	2,213
1987	Tim Brown	Notre Dame	Wide Receiver	1,442
1988	Barry Sanders^	Oklahoma State	Running Back	1,878
1989	Andre Ware	Houston	Quarterback	1,073
1990	Ty Detmer	BYU	Quarterback	1,482
1991	Desmond Howard	Michigan	Wide Receiver	2,077
1992	Gino Torretta	Miami	Quarterback	1,400
1993	Charlie Ward	Florida State	Quarterback	1,743
1994	Rashaan Salaam	Colorado	Running Back	1,743
1995	Eddie George	Ohio State	Running Back	1,460
1996	Danny Wuerffel	Florida	Quarterback	1,363
1997	Charles Woodson	Michigan	Cornerback/Punt Returner	1,815
1998	Ricky Williams	Texas	Running Back	2,355
1999	Ron Dayne	Wisconsin	Running Back	2,042
2000	Chris Weinke	Florida State	Quarterback	1,628
2001	Eric Crouch	Nebraska	Quarterback	770
2002	Carson Palmer*	USC	Quarterback	1,328
2003	Jason White	Oklahoma	Quarterback	1,481
2004	Matt Leinart	USC	Quarterback	1,325
2005	Reggie Bush (vacated)	USC	Running Back	2,541
2006	Troy Smith	Ohio State	Quarterback	2,540
2007	Tim Tebow	Florida	Quarterback	1,957
2008	Sam Bradford*	Oklahoma	Quarterback	1,726
2009	Mark Ingram, Jr.	Alabama	Running Back	1,304
2010	Cam Newton	Auburn	Quarterback	2,263

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