GAINESVILLE -- This is the final weekend of the 2009 recruiting cycle. Across the nation, schools are inviting prep football players to their campuses for one more sales pitch. But not here in Gainesville.
Florida coach Urban Meyer does things a little differently. UF hosts Junior Day today and focuses on the future rather than the present. There will not be any official visits today for players graduating in 2009. Instead, there are plenty of 2010 graduates buzzing through The Swamp. Think of it as Meyer's way of staying one step ahead of the competition. Is this a good idea? Debates rage on message boards whether or not its wise to forego the last weekend of the current recruiting cycle to focus on the next.
Visiting Gainesville this weekend is a player many consider to be the next Jeffery Demps or Chris Rainey. His name is Corvin Lamb [PICTURED] and he is a 5-10, 180-pound running back for Miami Northwestern. Lamb is somewhat of an enigma in the world of recruiting. He is already considered one of the nation's best running back recruits in 2010 but he wasn't a starter for the Bulls last season. This might be the reason Florida hasn't offered Lamb just yet. While Florida is shrewdly waiting to see what Lamb can do on the field of play before offering him a $40,000 scholarship, the Gators do know a little bit about him. Lamb ran the fastest time (4.3 seconds) at the Gators' Friday Night Lights recruiting showcase before the 2008 season.
Lamb seems to be favoring Florida. Lamb Sr. even told me that Corvin wants to bring a few of his teammates to Gainesville. It would be a major coup for the Gators to land just one player from Miami Northwestern, aka The West, aka Baby Canes Factory, aka Miami's junior varsity squad. Florida hasn't signed a scholarship player from Miami-Dade County since 2005.
If UF gets a commitment from Lamb, how will this affect UF's ability to recruit future players from Miami-Dade County?
The four players of the 2010 recruiting cycle who have already committed to Florida will also be on hand today in Gainesville. Among them is Demar Dorsey, a 6-1, 175-pound cornerback from Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson. Dorsey apparently has blazing speed and, like Lamb from Miami Northwestern, is expected to be one of the top recruits in the country next season. Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson is the home of current Florida cornerback Moses Jenkins
Florida's 2010 commitment list also includes Matt Elam of West Palm Beach Dwyer. Elam, a 6-0, 205-pound linebacker, is expected to be ranked as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com. Elam will be in Gainesville this weekend as will the rest of Florida's 2010 commitments: offensive lineman Ian Silberman (6-5, 257 pounds) of Fleming Island and dual-threat quarterback Trey Burton (6-3, 203 pounds) of Venice.
CLASS OF 2009
Here's a link to my story in today's paper on Florida's recruiting class. CLICK ME!
Writer Antonya English of the St. Petersburg Times centered her recruiting story around lineman Xavier Nixon of Fayetteville, N.C. Very nice. CLICK ME!
Pahokee receiver Nu'Keese Richardson is visiting Tennessee this weekend. CLICK ME! Three other players UF is recruiting -- tight end Orson Charles of Tampa Plant, receiver Marlon Brown of Memphis (Tn.) Harding Academy and offensive tackle Brandon Moore of Montgomery (Ala.) Carver -- are also visiting Tennessee this weekend.
Deerfield Beach quarterback Denard Robinson is not taking an official visit this weekend, according to his high school coach. Robinson will choose between UF, Michigan, Tennessee and Kansas State on Wednesday.
Sanford Seminole receiver Andre Debose is visiting Florida State. We assume he is visiting FSU as a recruiter for the Gators, since he is already committed to UF. Debose's target: Trent Richardson, the Pensacola Escambia running back who is committed to coach Nick Saban and Alabama. Apparently, UF is recruiting Richardson pretty hard.
Linebacker Jarvis Jones (6-3, 226 pounds) of Columbus (Ga.) Carver is visiting LSU this weekend. Jones is thought to be favoring UF. Defensive back Joshua Evans (6-2, 185 pounds) of Irvington (N.J.) High is visiting Pittsburgh. UF is in the hunt for Evans as well.
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Another recruiting spotlight today...
GAINESVILLE -- When Urban Meyer took over as head coach of the Florida Gators, he told fans that it was his goal to recruit the nation's best of the best. On and off the field, "the top one percent of one percent," Meyer said.
Naturally, the "top one percent of one percent" is hard to come by. There is a high school linebacker in Maryland who some believe has the potential to one day be mentioned among the nation's best of the best both on and off the field. His name is Jelani Jenkins and he attends Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney, Md. With a 3.9 GPA, natural leadership qualities and excellent athletic ability, Jenkins could be the nation's best all-around student-athlete of the 2009 football recruiting cycle. He is only 16 years old and is already 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds.
"He won't go to bed before he has his academics taken care of," said Good Counsel coach Bob Milloy. "He hasn't let all this attention go to his head, he hates being taken out of class for any reason. It's very unusual for a kid his age."
Jenkins will turn 17 years old at the end of March. According to Milloy, Jenkins was never held back "because he was always the brightest kid in the class."
Jenkins will choose between Penn State and Florida on Wednesday, National Signing Day. When Meyer said "top one percent of one percent," he was speaking about players like Jenkins. A commitment from this student-athlete could lay the groundwork for life after Tebow and linebacker Brandon Spikes.
Just my opinion, but Jenkins should be considered the most important recruit for the Gators since Tebow.
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GAINESVILLE -- Florida coach Urban Meyer is recruiting Deerfield Beach star athlete Denard Robinson as a quarterback, according to former Deerfield Beach coach Art Taylor.
Robinson [PICTURED], the Bucks' starting quarterback for three seasons, received an in-home visit from Meyer on Wednesday. Known as 'Shoelace' by his friends and coaches, Robinson is a gifted athlete who could also play receiver or defensive back in college. He wants to play quarterback at the next level, according to Taylor.
"Shoelace runs a 4.3, has a canon for an arm and is very smart," Taylor said. "He can play quarterback anywhere in college."
As a three-year starter for Deerfield Beach, Robinson was at his best against some of the toughest competition in the nation. Led by Robinson, Deerfield Beach defeated both Miami Northwestern (preseason) and Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in 2007.
Robinson is also being recruited by Kansas State, Michigan, Central Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. Robinson's high school teammate, Adrian Witty, a cornerback, is also a top prep prospect and is being recruited by Kansas State, Central Florida and Michigan.
Florida is not recruiting Witty, which could hurt the Gators' chances of landing Robinson next Wednesday on National Signing Day. According to Taylor, the two high school friends would like to remain teammates in college.
"They would like to have an opportunity to play in college together," Taylor said. "They're going to have that opportunity."
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GAINESVILLE -- Florida guard Nick Calathes' triple-double came with 4:39 left in the game on Wednesday during the Gators' 83-57 win against rival Georgia. Calathes had 20 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
It was Calathes' first triple-double against and SEC opponent and his first triple-double since last season against Creighton in the NIT.
Teammate Chandler Parsons scored 12 points, giving him double figures in scoring for the fourth consecutive game. Forward Alex Tyus had 18 points against Georgia's fat and out-of-shape front line. Yeah, that's right. I called them fat. Bunch of a Fatty McFattys.
--Florida guard Nick Calathes is three assists away from a triple-double. As it stands, Calathes has 15 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. UF leads Georgia 62-39 with 11:59 left.
Halftime here in the O'Dome. UF leads 42-30 over the Georgia Bulldogs. Florida's Walter Hodge swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give UF its 12-point lead. Florida has now made seven buzzer-beaters this season.
Now for something completely different...the halftime show here at the O'Dome featured an act by "The Amazing Christopher." Christopher, we're assuming that's his name, offered a most creative tribute to The Village People. Pictured, The Amazing Christopher is in the middle of a man-sandwich. (They're actually puppets.) Sorry for the mental and visual image. Who booked this show?
UF 30, UGA 21
The Gators have gradually increased their lead over the Bulldogs in the first half and now lead 30-21 with 3:03 left in the first period. Georgia cut UF's lead to one point before the Gators went on an 8-0 run.
UF 19, UGA 11
What started as a sloppy game for both teams has quickly turned into an eight-point Florida lead with 9:17 left in the game.
Florida led 12-11 before a 7-0 run, which featured a Nick Calathes 3-pointer sandwiched by dunks from Chandler Parsons.
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GAINESVILLE -- Florida quarterback Tim Tebow said on Thursday that he plans to work extensively with new UF quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler this offseason to improve his mechanics as a quarterback to better prepare himself for the 2010 NFL Draft.
"I feel we have a great quarterback coach in here who really knows a lot about the next level and knows a lot about quarterback play, so I'm going to spend practically every second with him, trying to work on different things and try to prepare myself for the next level but even more importantly, prepare my team to be successful this next year," Tebow said.
Tebow recently received the Manning Award, given to the nation's top quarterback. It is the only individual postseason award for quarterbacks which takes into account the bowl season. Tebow led the Gators to a 24-14 win against Oklahoma in the BCS national championship game.
Tebow is still recuperating from surgery on his right shoulder. The procedure was performed days after the national championship game to remove bone spurs in his non-throwing shoulder.
"I haven't really had an opportunity to work on anything after the game because of my surgery," Tebow said. "I haven't had an opportunity to get out there and throw. Right now I'm just trying to get back healthy."
Tebow plans to be fully healed by spring practice. This offseason he said he wil focus his efforts on improving his throwing mechanics: "footwork, balance, keeping everything real tight and just working on all those things," he said.
On his return for his senior season, Tebow said, "There were a lot of things going into it, but when it came down to it, I just wanted to be loyal to Coach [Urban] Meyer and the University of Florida. I just love being here. It has been a joy for me. I just wanted to finish what I started. I'm enjoying it and I'll have a lot of time to do other things once this is done."
ARCHIE MANNING ON TEBOW
Former college and professional quarterback Archie Manning said on Thursday that Tebow is "one of the best football players I've ever seen. Of course, Tim has developed every year. I've seen him play a lot since his freshman year. He has developed so much as a player, as a quarterback and, of course, as a passer. I'm sure he'll admit, there's been greater passers, there's been greater runners but when you talk about just overall football player and the ability to lead his team and will his team to wins, I just don't think I've seen anyone do it any better."
Manning, father current NFL quarterbacks Payton and Eli Manning, said that that Tebow's image a pocket passer might suffer "a little bit" because of Florida's offensive system. Given time to work as a pro-style quarterback, Manning said he has no doubt "that [Tebow] will be able to make those adjustments and be an outstanding player in pro football."
Archie Manning of Tebow's decision to return for his senior season: "I think it's a great decision. I think Tim will find this out next year, there are so many special things about being a senior. Tim is just establishing such a legacy there at Florida. People would understand if he left, but I assure you that when people think a little bit more in the long run they'll remember the loyalty he has shown the Gator Nation. It's a tough decision but one I think he'll appreciate many, many years from now."
A few other notes: Tebow said he is taking a full class load this semester and is on track to graduate early. Tebow said his platform off the field as the senior quarterback at the University of Florida was one of the reasons for his return. "We have some different charity things lined up that I'm trying to get together — different things in the community and in other places I'm working on. I think my platform is great here and I think my opportunity to help others and help kids and those who are not as fortunate. I think there's something about being a Gator."
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What's up peoples? This is your guest Gator Clause author, Mike "Mike" McCall, filling in again for Joe, who is still pizza-wedging his way down the mountains of California.
First off, good news today (sort of) for Florida as quarterback Tim Tebow underwent successful surgery on his non-throwing shoulder to remove a bone spur and inflammation. Tebow hurt the shoulder last season and aggravated the injury early this year, which makes sense, because if you watched him closely, Tebow didn't look the same.
I've watched Tebow play in almost every game since his junior year of high school (don't worry, I went to school there, I'm not a stalker), and I've never seen him run the way he did this season. He used way more spin moves than I've ever seen him use before, opting out of his usual, punishing style. Granted, he still ran over his share of defenders, and the dude finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting and led the Gators to a national title, so who cares about a few extra spins, right?
Now that Tebow has decided to play his senior season, Florida will be favorites to win the 2009 title, but with linebacker Brandon Spikes and receiver Percy Harvin yet to choose between college and the NFL, is he the most important of the three?
Here's my rank of the Gators' talented juniors, in order of who I would take if I could only have one back:
1. Percy Harvin: I know, I know. He's not Tebow, but hear me out. All three are incredible football players, so I'm splitting hairs here anyway, but I think the Gators offense would be better with Harvin and without Tebow than the other way around. UF will still have Jeffery Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody to carry the ball next year, and all three proved to be effective throughout the season. But without Harvin against Alabama, most of the option plays and runs that worked all year started to fail. When Percy is on the field, he makes everyone else better because defenses have to commit at least one player to follow him around, and if he leaves, it makes life harder on everyone else, including Tebow. Besides, receivers David Nelson, Riley Cooper and Deonte Thompson are much better as second, third or fourth options than they are as the go-to guy. Call me crazy, but I think John Brantley could be an efficient passer, especially with a loaded rushing attack and solid defense, meaning he'd never have to carry the team.
2. Tim Tebow: I know Tebow is the heart and soul of the team, and if he left, Harvin and Spikes would probably bail too, but for the purposes of this exercise, examining each player independently, I rank him second. Since I believe in John Brantley, I think the most important thing Tebow brings with him is his emotional leadership, not his arm or legs. Players say they're even afraid to cuss in front of him, and that dynamic will be especially important next season. The Gators will go into the year expecting another championship, and Tebow is the guy who keeps everyone from getting complacent. Part of the reason the 2007 UF team sucked was because it expected everything on a silver platter, and Tebow won't let that happen again.
3. Brandon Spikes: He's my favorite person and player on this team, by far, but Spikes has some pretty good replacements behind him in case he leaves (although I think he'll stay). Ryan Stamper, Brandon Hicks and Dustin Doe would make a solid, experienced starting lineup, and I think Hicks will be the next great UF backer. A.J. Jones provides depth, and if John Jones, Lorenzo Edwards, Lerentee McCray and Brendan Beal pan out as expected, the Gators should have plenty of LBs flying around.
I know Tebow is the man and all, but if I have first pick from the Gators' roster, I want Harvin. But I think we can all agree that, if Harvin and Spikes both decide to stay, we'll be watching one of the best college football teams ever next fall.
--M"M"M--
Hey Gator Clausers, this is Mike "Mike" McCall,
and I'll be filling in for Joe (pictured) while he's out in 
California snowboarding on a belated honeymoon. Guy spends a week on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, and now he's in Lake Tahoe. Tough, right?
Anyway, big news from Florida's national championship celebration on Sunday, as quarterback Tim Tebow announced he's coming back for his senior season.
(Here's the story in today's Miami Herald: LINK)
As it stands, the Gators are probably a lock for preseason No. 1, even if linebacker Brandon Spikes and receiver Percy Harvin, the other two juniors considering a jump to the NFL, skip town. They'll have at least 10 starters back on defense, including what might be the nation's best secondary next season, and the d-line has nowhere to go but up with Dan McCarney running the show.
On offense, it won't be easy to absorb the losses of receiver Louis Murphy, running back Kestahn Moore and half of the offensive line, but Jeffery Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody should combine for a pretty solid rushing attack, and Tebow probably won't have much trouble making David Nelson, Riley Cooper, Deonte Thompson, Carl Moore and Aaron Hernandez a dangerous unit.
Things are looking good for UF to have the best team in the country again, and here's the thing -- they're going to get Spikes back too. Here's why:
Clue 1 - Spikes (left) didn't attend Sunday's ceremony because he's spending time with family. He doesn't get to see his mom often because she lives in North Carolina, so he's enjoying it while he can. If he planned to jump to the NFL later this week (the deadline is Thursday), don't you think he'd want to enjoy the championship festivities before he bails? No, he's chillin' with mom before he has to get back to class.
Clue 2 - Linebacker Ryan Stamper said Spikes told him after the Oklahoma game, and repeatedly throughout the season, that he's coming back. Now, these stories aren't always true (Carlos Dunlap claimed Tebow told him he'd return last week, but Tim said that was false), but there's another reason to believe Spikes is coming back.
Clue 3 - Just like the rest of Gator Nation, Spikes loves him some Tebow. The first time they met was outside then-Alabama coach Mike Shula's office on a recruiting trip, and Spikes immediately told Tebow he would sign wherever the big lefty did. He followed up on that, and after saying this season that Tebow's NFL decision would be a heavy influence, expect him to follow suit again.
If you're wondering, here are some of the reasons why Spikes is considering the NFL: LINK
With Spikes back, that would mean the ENTIRE defensive two-deep will remain in tact, plus safety Dorian Munroe will return from injury. Harvin would be the tougher guy to replace, as there's simply no one even capable of playing his position, but once Tebow and Spikes are in, maybe they can guilt trip Harvin into staying.
And Harvin might not even need that much convincing. He said in a TV interview after the celebration that he's leaning toward coming back. I still find that hard to believe, although Harvin has surprised me plenty of times this season by being more of a team player than I thought, like when he asked coach Urban Meyer before the season if he could help out in the secondary.
THE NEXT HARVIN?
If Harvin does leave, Meyer may have found the next-best thing. Andre Debose, one of the nation's top high school receiver prospects, is committed to play for UF.
Debose has a knack for running with the ball, and he was in Gainesville on Saturday, where he was serenaded by Gators fans during the basketball team's win against Mississippi.
Check out Debose's highlight reel. Not bad.
BLACK TALKS SOME SMACK
If you missed the celebration on TV, here's the best part (besides Tebow's announcement, of course). They did this slightly awkward, forced thing where Mike and Maurkice Pouncey interview teammates, and it was kinda lame until safety Ahmad Black dropped this gem.
Maurkice asked him about his huge interception against the Sooners, when he pulled the ball away from OU's Juaquin Iglesias, and Black's response was pretty brief: "I think Iglesias might have to go get in the weight room a little more."
HEVESY GONE, ADDAZIO NEXT?
It looks like Dan Mullen is going to raid the fridge on his way out of UF to Mississippi State. He has tight ends coach John Hevesy on board to go with him, and he might pull a few recruits too.
Greg Reid, a defensive back from Valdosta, decomitted from UF and is looking around again, and the Bulldogs are on his radar, although people who supposedly know stuff about recruiting say he should still be headed to Gainesville.
More importantly, newly-appointed offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, Mullen's replacement, is a leading candidate for Boston College's open head coaching position, which they inexplicably haven't filled yet with demigod offensive coordinator Steve Logan.
Anyway, Addazio missed the ceremony because he's in the hospital with a knee infection, and Meyer said he should be fine, and that "He's a great coach. [B.C.] should request permission to talk with him."
FUN WITH MEYER
If you find Urban Meyer's personality a little...interesting, as I do, then you might enjoy this, which must have taken entirely too long to put together: LINK
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