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#Gators: Lots of good buzz on Christian Jones, a top LB prospect (clicky)

Snippet from our Recruiting Thoughts of the Day:

2. There is a lot of good buzz on Christian Jones over the past few days, and Gators fans suddenly have reason to feel confident it seems. Remember, there are still 11 days until National Signing Day, and anything can and usually will happen with any prospect with the kind of ties Jones has to a program such as Florida State. However, if Florida can, in fact, land one of the top linebacker prospects in the country and steal him right from under the noses of in-state rival Florida State to boot, it would be a huge grab for Urban Meyer and his staff. Credit should go to George Edwards as well, as he got UF squarely back in the mix after a great unofficial visit by Christian Jones and his father, Willie, Sr. to Gainesville last weekend.

Word on the street: #Kiffin telling recruits #Gators #Meyer is replacing Lee Corso on ESPN! (clicky)

Here's a snippet from our Recruiting Coordinator, Justin Wells',"Recruiting Thoughts of the Day" as posted on GatorCountry.com:

1. ANIMAL HOUSE: 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. While it’s a cute story those two concocted, me thinks Laney should worry more about what TMZ uncovers regarding his sordid social life in Knoxville during his short stay on Rocky Top. And Coach O(gre), well. ... He should just try to make English his first language. After all, that Geico “So easy a Caveman can do it” marketing campaign has got to run out at some point, right?

Florida #Gators mock #draft tidbits from Franz Beard (clicky)

INTERESTING MOCK DRAFT: I tend to follow the mock NFL Drafts, not so much because the draft holds my undivided attention but every year I like to see who was most accurate with his forecast. CBS Sports came up with a coupe of mock drafts yesterday that I thought were interesting. Chad Reuter had four Gators in the first round --- Joe Haden at #5 to Kansas City; Carlos Dunlap at #10 to Denver; Tim Tebow at #11 to Jacksonville and Brandon Spikes #22 to New England. His CBS colleague, Rob Rang, had Haden (#7 to Cleveland); Dunlap (#8 to Oakland) and Spikes (#24 to Philadelphia) but no Tebow. I’m eager to see what Tebow does at the Senior Bowl workouts next week. I think there is a very good chance he elevates his stock into the first round, and not just to Jacksonville, which certainly needs him to boost sagging tickets sales. From everything I’ve heard, Tebow’s Sugar Bowl performance opened a lot of eyes and former detractors are now thinking he might just be able to play quarterback in the NFL.

Why #Gators Tim #Tebow has incredible magnetism... (clicky)

Two of many thoughts of the day from Franz Beard on our Insider BullGator Den forum:

1. THE INCREDIBLE MAGNETISM OF TIM TEBOW: From a standpoint of what is accomplished, the pre-game workouts are the best part of the Senior Bowl, but this year the game has captured the fancy of the folks in Mobile due to the presence of Tim Tebow. Here we are 11 days until the all-star game is played and it’s already a sellout. The Senior Bowl folks admit it’s all because of Tebow. It’s not just the on the field accomplishments or the championships or the Heisman that he won, either. It’s Tim Tebow’s personality. We’re going to look back on this era at Florida some day and realize that we were watching a legitimate folk hero in the making. I can’t think of a 22-year-old in this country or maybe anywhere in the world with more charm, charisma and appeal.

2. THE INCREDIBLE MAGNETISM OF TIM TEBOW, PART II: How powerful is Tebow’s personality and message of hope? He will be appearing in a pro-life Super Bowl commercial along with his mom, Pam Tebow. If you are unfamiliar with the story, doctor after doctor urged Pam Tebow to abort, believing she would never survive the pregnancy, much less the delivery. She refused, survived pregnancy and delivery and 22 years later, Tim Tebow is living proof of a small miracle that took place because Bob and Pam Tebow trusted God for the outcome and not the doctors. I haven’t seen a preview of the commercial, but I’m sure it will carry a powerful anti-abortion message. Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, you have to admire Tim Tebow for standing up for something he believes in. My grandmother used to say if you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything. One thing we can depend on with Tim Tebow is that he is willing to take a stance about something he believes in strongly. That is to be admired.

Read more: http://www.gatorcountry.com/football/article/thoughts_of_the_day_january_18_20101/8198#ixzz0d5jVD3Tg

Some tidbits from our #Gators thoughts of the day... (clicky)

Here's a few tidbits from Franz Beard's Thoughts of the Day:

HONOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Today is Martin Luther King Day, a day we honor the memory of the great civil rights pioneer who changed this world for the better. On this day, I always remember the courage of the athletes who broke the color barrier in the SEC in the 1960s. Perry Wallace (Vanderbilt basketball) was the league’s first African-American athlete in 1966. When Vandy played Ole Miss in Oxford and Alabama in Tuscaloosa, there were threats of lynchings, castration and bombings if he played. I can’t imagine the amount of courage it took for him to play. If he was scared, he never once showed it. The first African-American football player in the league was Lester McClain at Tennessee in the fall of 1968. These two guys and the others that followed like Leonard George and Willie Jackson Sr. at Florida opened the door for others to follow and the world --- especially the SEC sports world --- is a better place for it.

ANOTHER BIG RECRUITING WEEKEND FOR THE GATORS: As Justin Wells reported a couple of days ago, Michael Taylor committed to the Florida Gators at his high school in Atlanta on Friday but he let it be known to the whole world that he’s now a Gator on Suday. Taylor was committed to Tennessee and was having second thoughts about playing in Knoxville even before Lane Kiffin said adios. When Kiffin left town, Taylor de-committed the Vols and a week later, he’s a Gator. He’s a tall, fast outside linebacker with serious athletic skills. Although he won’t make a decision until he visits Southern Cal next weekend, all expectations are that Tampa Catholic offensive tackle Chaz Green will be a Gator, too. That visit was lights out according to recruits who were on campus this weekend. That leaves two available slots and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them is filled by Christian Green, the quarterback/athlete from Tampa Catholic. I think the Gators give him the chance he would really like to play quarterback and after a year if he doesn’t feel he’s making progress, move him to wide receiver.

THREE GAMES THAT COULD MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE: The Gators go to Arkansas Thursday night and then come home to face South Carolina on Saturday and Georgia the following Wednesday. This is a critical three-game stretch for Billy Donovan’s team, which is 12-5 and 1-2 in the SEC East. These are three winnable games and if the Gators come out of them 4-2 in the league, a .500 record in their final 10 SEC games will likely get them into the NCAA Tournament. That would be a remarkable accomplishment considering Florida’s depth issues but it’s very, very do-able.

Update on ATH Christian Green's visit to UF this weekend (click for more)

From the Insider Recruiting forum on GatorCountry.com:

From Laura: Just got off the phone with Christian Green who says he had a wonderful official visit to UF this past weekend. His player host was Gerald Christian and he says he had a great time meeting lots of freshman EEs and hearing about how much fun they are having already. Green enjoyed chatting with coaches and "experiencing campus life." He says he is looking for a coach who can be like a father to him and who can teach him a lot off the field as well as on the field. He wants to find a school where he can "play right away." He has already taken an official visit to Georgia and he still has an official visit to FSU on the 29th of January. After his official to FSU, he says he'll announce his decision and, "as of right now, all three schools are about even."

ATTN Recruitniks: Early list of recruits coming in for #Gators last big official visit weekend before NSD:

- The early list shaping up for the last big official visit weekend before National Signing Day...

RB Mack Brown (Lithonia, GA/King), WR Quinton Dunbar (Miami, FL/Booker T. Washington), WR Christian Green (Tampa, FL/Tampa Catholic), OL Chaz Green (Tampa, FL/Tampa Catholic), OL Matt James (Tampa, FL/Tampa Catholic), DE Lynden Trail (Miami, FL/Booker T. Washington), and LB Darrin Kitchens (Homestead, FL/Homestead). Keep your eyes peeled on this group, too...I hear there could be a *blockbuster* addition or two to the list.

ATTN Recruitniks: Early list of recruits coming in for #Gators last big official visit weekend before NSD:

- The early list shaping up for the last big official visit weekend before National Signing Day...

RB Mack Brown (Lithonia, GA/King), WR Quinton Dunbar (Miami, FL/Booker T. Washington), WR Christian Green (Tampa, FL/Tampa Catholic), OL Chaz Green (Tampa, FL/Tampa Catholic), OL Matt James (Tampa, FL/Tampa Catholic), DE Lynden Trail (Miami, FL/Booker T. Washington), and LB Darrin Kitchens (Homestead, FL/Homestead). Keep your eyes peeled on this group, too...I hear there could be a *blockbuster* addition or two to the list.

Thoughts of the Day: How the combined power of Urban Meyer and UF made for a rapid turnaround of UF's fortunes...

A shared tidbit from Franz Beard's Thoughts of the Day for January 11, 2010:

3. THE COMBINED POWER OF URBAN AND UF: This two-week turnaround that has taken Florida from train wreck to the hottest thing in college football --- even hotter than a national championship at Alabama --- has everything to do with the dynamic personality of Urban Meyer and the strength of the University of Florida in everything from academics to an athletic program that from top to bottom is the best in the country headed by the best athletic director in the country to a football program whose foundation is rock solid. I don’t know if there is another school in the country that could have rebounded from so much negativity in such a short length of time. I certainly don’t think there is another football program in the country that could have gone from ice cold to sizzling hot in such a short period. Those things happen when you have folks like Meyer, UF President Bernie Machen, and Foley in place. And, there is no way to give enough credit to assistant coaches Steve Addazio, Chuck Heater, Dan McCarney, Brian White, Scot Loeffler and Zach Azzanni for the job they did in getting the Gators ready to beat Cincinnati in the bowl game while constantly assuring recruits that everything was going to be okay.

Read more: http://www.gatorcountry.com/football/article/thoughts_of_the_day_january_11_2...