By BRENT BEAIRD
www.jaxsportsnews.com
Urban Meyer's leave of absence will be short. Florida's football coach said he will be at spring practice from the first day - March 17 - and every day after that coaching the Gators after a few weeks away from the program. "I keep hearing about this time off," Meyer said. "The people I'm closest to are going to demand I take some time off but I tried that already. I tried it a day and a half and it doesn't work."
Meyer said he loves new defensive coordinator George Edwards and that he "blew us away" when Edwards visiting with Florida's coaching staff. Edwards, from the Miami Dolphins, takes over for Charlie Strong, who left for Louisville. New running backs coach Stan Drayton takes over for Kenny Carter, who left to be on Strong's staff at Louisville. Drayton disparaged Florida's offense after leaving for Tennessee a few years ago but Meyer said he and Drayton don't have any relationship issues. (Gainesville Sun)
VERBAL COMMITMENT: Wethersfield (Conn.) dual-threat quarterback Tyler Murphy (6-2, 190) the two-star rated quarterback, who was committed to Temple, has committed to Florida.
Murphy is the third prospect from the state of Connecticut to commit to Florida in the last four recruiting cycles - joining tight end Aaron Hernandez and quarterback Jordan Reed. Florida started to seriously pursue Wethersfield, Conn., dual-threat quarterback Tyler Murphy after the Gators couldn't sway Andrew Hendrix away from Notre Dame. Murphy has impressive film and quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler and Addazio have been in contact with people close to Murphy for months. Loeffler and Addazio even made a trip to Connecticut in recent weeks. (Gatorbait.net)
DEMAR DORSEY: Four-star athlete Demar Dorsey 6-foot-1, 175-pound defensive back has decommitted from Florida. Several reports say Florida has stopped recruiting him. He will be academically qualified - he recently scored an 18 on his ACT. Dorsey committed to the Gators in October of his junior year, but now lists UF, FSU, Southern Cal, Michigan, and Tennessee as his top teams. Last night, Dorsey told GBN that as far as he knew, the team he was publicly committed to, the Florida Gators, would not be visiting him this week.
He only had coaches coming in from FSU, USC and Michigan. I inquired today as to what the situation is between Florida and Dorsey and was told that UF is no longer recruiting him and that he can be taken off of the Gator commitment list.
RUMOR: Word on the street is that Kiffin and Orgeron are hammering away at Urban Meyer on the recruiting trail. Reportedly, recruits are being told that Urban Meyer already has a plan in place to succeed Lee Corso on ESPN’s College GameDay. Forget, for a moment, how Meyer feels; poor Corso, who battled back from a stroke and is one of the biggest supporters of college football, must feel like he was blindsided. (Gatorcountry.com)
GATOR RECRUIT POSSIBILITIES
The Gators are in a serious numbers crunch. They have only a few spots remaining and a lot of high-quality talent within their grasp. Florida would love to close with another offensive tackle, and it appears they are now in the driver's seat for Tampa tackle Chaz Green. They would love to land two more receivers, and it appears that the Gators are the team to beat for Adrian Coxson. Linebacker is another area they would love to address, and they are in the hunt with five-star prospect Christian Jones. The Gators are creeping closer and closer to Florida State in the battle for Jones.
MCCARTNEY: Ivan McCartney wide receiver, Miramar: It's still tough to determine where McCartney will end up because he never says much about his recruitment, but the thinking is West Virginia could win out here. The move would make sense since the four-star prospect has high school teammates in Morgantown and he could be an immediate contributor. McCartney is so talented he would be on the field early at Florida or Miami, too, but the Mountaineers seem to be leading the race right now. McCartney is choosing between West Virginia, Florida and Miami. Coach Randy Shannon took an in-home visit with McCartney on Monday and that the coach also met with the receiver at the school.
COXSON: (Gator Bait 75%) Adrian Coxson, wide receiver, Baltimore (Md.) City College High: Penn State is no longer in the picture and so Florida, Georgia and Notre Dame are the candidates and some people think Maryland might still have a shot. Are any of the remaining teams that high on Coxson though? One wonders because he's certainly not a game-changing receiver and Rivals.com has slowly moved him down in the rankings to No. 35 at his position. He has questionable hands and just hasn't wowed many people at national events. It is hard to say there is a hole in the No. 1 rated class in the nation, but the truth is Florida would love to add another receiver in the class of 2010.Coxson has made his decision, but will remain silent until signing day in order to surprise his mom with his pick.
HENDERSON: (Gator Bait 5%) Seantrel Henderson, offensive lineman, Saint Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall: The thinking on Henderson is that Ohio State will probably land him but Southern Cal might be the surprise pick now that coach Lane Kiffin has taken over. Henderson, the former No. 1 player by Rivals.com, is scheduled to visit Miami this weekend. That would be a tremendous coup if coach Randy Shannon could convince him to play for the Hurricanes but sources say it's probably unlikely. Florida is also a stretch at this point as well. This is shaping up to be Ohio State or Southern Cal.
GREEN: (Gator Bait 75%) Chaz Green, offensive lineman, Tampa Catholic: No doubt Florida has made up lots of ground for Green and is probably considered the frontrunner although Green hasn't publicly said that yet. A trip to Southern Cal this weekend is crucial. Apparently, Green hit it off with Kiffin and staff at Tennessee so it could continue now that he's in Los Angeles. When we talked to Green, he seemed pleased with coach Urban Meyer's health status and he has a solid relationship with offensive line coach and coordinator Steve Addazio. At this point, the Gators seem like the team to beat but watch USC. Florida went from leading, to following, to very likely back to leading, but the UF staff will still have to wait out a weekend visit out west. It was conceivable that Lane Kiffin and staff could land him while in Knoxville. It's a bit of a stretch to give them the edge being so far out west
JONES: (45% Gatorbait) Christian Jones, outside linebacker, Winter Park Lake Howell: There is no question Florida has made a late run at the five-star prospect but sources still say Jones is pegged for Florida State, where his father played. That's no surprise because the Seminoles have long been considered a favorite. The Gators have pursued him and early enrollee Trey Burton, a close friend, has tried to convince Jones that Florida is a good fit but we're still hearing that Florida State will win out for him. Less than a month ago, Florida was completely out of the running to land Jones. The smart money is still on Florida State, but these last two weeks have made this a race much closer than anyone could have expected. (Gatorbait.net)
LSU: RECRUITING: LSU and Les Miles would love to close with two more wide receivers. Kadron Boone is scheduled to make an official visit this weekend, and the Tigers are hoping five-star wideout Markeith Ambles will make his last official visit to Baton Rouge. There is also the possibility that Ambles could visit Auburn. No one will know until he shows up on one of those campuses this weekend. Right now it appears that USC is the team to beat for him, while Boone could end up at Georgia or Louisville. Another need area LSU wants to address is on the defensive line. LSU will play host to five-star defensive end J.R. Ferguson this weekend as well as Texas A&M commitment Brandon Jackson. (ESPN.com)
JAMES WRIGHT: Belle Chasse, La. wide receiver James Wright has been one of the more secretive high profile prospects in the bayou state for the 2010 recruiting year, but Sunday morning he gave Miles his commitment before the end of his official visit. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Wright finished his senior season with 39 receptions for 732 yards and 10 touchdowns. He chose LSU over scholarship offers from Texas Tech, Alabama and Tennessee. He is being recruited by LSU running backs coach Frank Wilson. (Tigerbait.com)
SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks have a chance to close really well, but it won't be easy. They have been in a tussle with Auburn for the nation's top running back, Marcus Lattimore. Steve Spurrier and his staff will get the last crack at this five-star talent with the final in-home visit on Saturday. They are also fighting Clemson for in-state linebacker Justin Parker. The Gamecocks beat out USF for Bradenton, Fla., star receiver Ace Sanders on Thursday. Also, don't be surprised if the Gamecocks turn Vandy commitment Sharrod Golightly. This Georgia safety will visit Columbia this weekend. Also visiting South Carolina will be defensive tackle Todd Chandler from Miami. He is leaning to Louisville at this time. (ESPN.com)
Ace Sanders (5-9, 165), a four-star receiver from Bradenton Manatee, has committed to South Carolina
After rejecting overtures from several schools since the end of the regular season, including Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee and Louisiana Tech, defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson will receive a new four-year contract with a hefty increase in pay to $700,000.
Weslye Saunders had his suspension rescinded and has been reinstated to the team. (Gamecockcentral.com/TheState.com)
GEORGIA: RECRUITING- Georgia hopes to close well at two positions of need - wide receiver and cornerback. The Dawgs' top targets at wideout are Adrian Coxson, Christian Green, Kadron Boone and Jordan Akins. Coxson is likely headed to Florida, while Green is likely a Seminole. What will Boone do? Hard to say. Looks like UGA could pull Akins. The cornerback position is completely up in the air right now. The Dawgs hope to bring Nickell Robey back into the fold and will visit with him later Thursday. If the Bulldogs do lose Robey, there could be a new name or two on the board that emerges at this position. (ESPN.com)
Just confirmed with a coach at Stephenson, Rivals250 defensive tackle Mike Thornton is not making any trips this weekend and is done with his officials. The tentative plan is for him to make his announcement on Signing Day at 9 A.M. at his school, and he will choose between Georgia, Kentucky, and Penn State.
Contrary to rumor, Frostproof athlete Nickell Robey said he is still likely to sign with Georgia.
For Christian Green the time is almost here. Green, a dynamic wide receiver prospect from Tampa Catholic, is down to two schools.
According to the Athens Banner-Herald, former Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez has been hired by Stanford to be the Cardinal defensive backs coach. Martinez was originally hired by Georgia head coach Mark Richt to coach his secondary back in 2001 before taking over the entire defense in 2005.
TELVIN SMITH: Valdosta (GA) Lowndes linebacker Telvin Smith committed to Florida State nearly six months ago, but that didn't slow down the recruiting process. Over the past two weekends, the four-star defender travelled to two of his potential schools - Florida State and Georgia. As for his commitment status, the speedy linebacker maintains that nothing has changed. In the classroom, Smith said he is taking some extra classes and intends to retake a standardized test in February in order to earn the necessary qualifying marks. Having an interior lineman who can take up multiple blockers and also get to the backfield is likely at the top of Coach Grantham's wish list.
JEFFREY WHITAKER: Warner Robins defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker could be the best fit in the scheme in the entire country. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior is amongst the strongest players out there, and shows impressive agility for a player his size. Auburn has had all year to work on the Rivals100 prospect, but Grantham and Coach Garner will look to show the Army All-American what Georgia can offer him on and off the field. He will announce his decision on Monday.
Veteran Georgia assistant Rodney Garner will remain on the Bulldogs' defensive staff under new coordinator Todd Grantham and will coach nose tackles and defensive ends. Garner has been with the Bulldogs for 12 seasons. (UGASports.com)
TENNESSEE: One of the most intriguing teams to follow over the next six days is Tennessee. The Vols are still on big-name prospects like wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers, linebacker Christian Jones and cornerback Nickell Robey. The Vols are hoping to get into the mix with any and all of them. Then, they are also on some prospects that are new names to many - like offensive linemen Dalvin Glass and Seth Reedy and linebackers John Propst and Raiques Crump. Tennessee could close with a big name or two, but there will also be a handful of lesser-known players that fill need areas on the line of scrimmage and at linebacker. Two very good Georgia running backs to keep an eye on are Rajaan Bennett and Rajion Neal. The Vols could pull one, and Neal is the more likely one to watch here. He was previously committed to Mississippi State. (ESPN.com)
Rajion Neal (5-foot-11, 210 pounds), from Sandy Creek HS in Tyrone, Ga. is the No. 9 tailback in the nation in the revised rivals.com rankings, and a significant pick up for Dooley this close to signing day. Rivals.com rates Neal as a four-star prospect, the No. 9 tailback in the nation and the No. 151 overall player in the Class of 2010.
Linebacker has been a glaring need for Tennessee in the 2010 class, and new head coach Derek Dooley took a step towards addressing that need this weekend by picking up a commitment from junior college linebacker Glen Stanley. One of nine official visitors on the weekend, Stanley found a good fit in Knoxville, and jumped at the opportunity to get on board.
Stanley (6-foot-2, 245 pounds) is originally from Ocala, Fla. and picks Tennessee over offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Central Florida, Utah and Missouri among others.
Some other names on UT’s rumored defensive coordinator board continue to be: Alabama linebackers coach Sal Sunseri, TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas (a former Volunteer assistant under Johnny Majors), New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Travis Jones and current UT linebackers coach Lance Thompson. Last week, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker coach Joe Barry admitted that new Tennessee coach Derek Dooley had contacted him about the Vols’ defensive coordinator position.
It looks like Tennessee is down another assistant coach. Willie Mack Garza, who coached the Vols' secondary last season under Lane Kiffin, packed up his office and left town sometime in the last 24 hours and apparently didn't notify anybody on the current staff that he was leaving.
James Cregg, who coached the Tennessee offensive line last season, left earlier this week to take a job on the USC staff. The Vols are now without a defensive coordinator, secondary coach, offensive line coach and running backs coach. (Volquest.com)
ALABAMA: Work for a statue of University of Alabama coach Nick Saban commemorating the Crimson Tide's fifth national championship coach has already begun, and the manufacturer is working toward a completion goal of April 17, the date of the annual A-Day spring game, The Tuscaloosa News has learned. The University of Alabama will hold its annual A-Day Game to conclude spring football practice on Saturday, April 17, at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Last season's A-Day Game was televised nationally by ESPN with a Bryant-Denny Crowd of 84,050 looking on. (Al.com)
The Crimson Tide look to close strong for the third consecutive year. Offensive line is the big priority here, with prospects like James Stone and Arie Kouandjio in Alabama's sights. The Tide could close with one or both of these guys. Bama will have to fend off Tennessee for Stone and Cal and USC for Kouandjio. Can the Tide pull a shocker and flip five-star Auburn commit Shon Coleman? Nick Saban closed the deal on Brandon Ivory and would love to add another defensive lineman, and one to watch here is Calvin Smith. Junior college cornerback Dequan Menzie will likely pick between Alabama and Ole Miss. Numbers are tight in Tuscaloosa, so this should be an interesting finish for the national champions. (ESPN.com)
Memphis-East three-star defensive tackle Brandon Ivory (6-3, 330) gave the Tide the good news Sunday, and on Thursday morning he made the announcement official.
RECRUITING: Olive Branch five-star offensive tackle Shon Coleman took a mid-week official visit Wednesday-Friday. Saban is expected to visit early tomorrow in Olive Branch and Coleman will travel later in the day to Tuscaloosa. Coleman is considered the best player in the Mississippi.
KENNAN ALLEN: Kennan Allen a five-star safety from Greensboro, N. C. and an Alabama verbal. His trip to Cal is on this weekend. As things stand now Keenan is still committed to Alabama, his brother is looking for a place to play and they would like to play together. Playing together at this point is not a must. That is the options the family is currently discussing. Obviously some tough decisions have to be made and this wasn't anticipated with Zach being happy at Buffalo until his head coach left to take the Kansas job. (BOL.com)
ARKANSAS: Hog recruiting targets: BYRAN JONES: One big target left for the Razorbacks is Junction City defensive tackle Byran Jones, 6-3, 300, 5.0. Jones visited Arkansas this past weekend and was at Auburn the previous weekend.
BRANDON DENMARK: Tallahassee (Fla.) Rickards athlete Brandon Denmark, 6-4, 214, 4.42, can play any number of positions such as safety, outside linebacker, defensive end or wide receiver.
BRANDON JACKSON: Shreveport (La.) Evangel defensive tackle Brandon Jackson, 6-4, 282, 4.84, is a soft commit to Texas A&M. Jackson has also visited Arkansas, Alabama and will be at LSU this weekend..
JONATHAN MCKNIGHT: River Ridge (La.) John Curtis cornerback Jonathan McKnight, 6-0, 175, 4.5, visited the Razorbacks this past weekend. He's also looking at Alabama, Arizona and maybe some others. Rivals.com rates McKnight, who is the younger brother of former USC running back Joe McKnight a 3-star, No. 77 athlete in the nation and No. 25 player in Louisiana. It's uncertain if Arkansas has a spot for McKnight in this class since scholarships are very precious at this time with so many talented prospects still available and very few spots for them.
SHON COLEMAN: Robinson's teammate at Olive Branch is offensive tackle Shon Coleman, 6-7, 285, 5.0, and he has visited Arkansas as well as Auburn and is slated to be at Miami this weekend. Rivals.com rates Coleman the No. 1 player in Mississippi, a 5-star recruit, No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 22 player in the nation. It will be a huge surprise if Coleman ends up anywhere other than Auburn. (Hawgsports.com)
OLE MISS: Offensive coordinator Kent Austin has taken the head coaching job at Cornell. Possible replacements are Gunter Brewer at Oklahoma State, Mike Markuson OL coach at Ole Miss, David Lee the QB coach at Miami Dolphins, Hugh Freeze the San Jose State OC, Brian Harsin the OC at Boise State, and former Alabama assistant Dave Radar and former Miami assistant Patrick Nix. (Rebelsports.com)
AUBURN: Certainly one of the big surprises this recruiting season has been Auburn. The Tigers have a top-five class with a chance to move up over the next few days. However, it's not going to be easy. The Tigers are right there with running back Marcus Lattimore, and they will fight South Carolina for his signature. Auburn is taking one last shot at Lattimore with an in-home visit this week. The Tigers are after two defensive tackles; they are trying to hold off Georgia for Jeffrey Whitaker and beat Arkansas for Bryan Jones. Defensive end Corey Lemonier will choose on Signing Day between Auburn, FSU and Miami. The Tigers are also holding out hope that five-star receiver Markeith Ambles visits them rather than LSU this weekend. Of course, Auburn is trying to hold off all suitors for five-star offensive line commit Shon Coleman. (ESPN.com)
