The nation's top-ranked outside linebacker prospect for the 2012 recruiting cycle, Noor Davis, has decided that he knows where he wants to go to school. Davis, from Oxford, Fla./The Villages Charter School, intends to make his decision known at a local country club early Friday afternoon. This is a bit of a surprise, considering Davis was expected to wait until after the Under Armour All-American Game to announce his intentions. You may recall that Davis was featured in our recent 2012 recruiting preview, and here's what we said about him then:

Noor Davis is both extremely athletic, and represents a position of great need for Florida. After missing on all of the elite LB prospects in the 2011 cycle, it's very important that Florida pulls in some top talent at the position in 2012. Davis would be a great way to begin doing that. Davis is rangy, and does well rushing the passer, and dropping into coverage. He could certainly add more weight on his 6'4" frame, while still maintaining his exceptional athleticism. Davis is not your average elite football prospect, sporting a 4.3 GPA. Davis is looking at schools just as much for their academics as their football programs.

Continue reading this post »

With 9 commitments already on board for 2012, it's time to look at who else could eventually be falling for the Gators. I'm going to focus on the elite prospects here. While every coach in the country loves to spit out that line about "not looking at stars", we fans just can't help it. This article from our SB Nation brethren over at Black Heart Gold Pants, would also seem to back up our love affair with the 5 star athlete, who is more than twice as likely as a four star to make it to the league, and almost five times more likely than a 3 star. So without further ado, let's look at the elite prospects that Florida has a chance with in the current recruiting cycle.

Continue reading this post »

(Photo via Scout's Bob Redman.)

Tight end Colin Thompson has announced that he will attend the University of Florida. This is another huge pickup for coach Will Muschamp and staff: Thompson will be an excellent piece for Charlie Weis' offense.

Here's what we wrote about Thompson earlier this week:

Thompson who stands at 6-foot-4, 255-pounds, looks like the perfect TE for Charlie Weis. He prides himself on his ability to block, but is also very good in the passing game. Thompson is currently listed as the 3rd best TE in the nation on Scout.com, and 4th best on 24/7 sports. A TE like Thompson, would be a departure from the Aaron Hernandez type TEs, that we've seen Florida go after recently. Thompson is not a WR, who can block a little, he's a big bodied guy, who would certainly help in the running game.

Read more about Colin at Scout, 24/7 Sports, and ESPN.

And, of course, Colin, welcome to the Gator Nation.

Will Muschamp has already gotten off to a very good start this year on the recruiting trail, and he could continue that Thursday, when TE Colin Thompson makes his decision on where he will be playing football in college.

Continue reading this post »

Cardsfan25 answers the question "Why do you root for the Gators?" It involves a hat. Will all of our stories involve hats? Tell him (and me!) what you think in the comments.

I moved to New York when I was four, and college football is simply not that big of a deal up there. I wouldn't call myself a fan at that time, but I was aware of who the good teams were. My Dad and the overwhelming majority of my family all hail from Tennessee. This being the case, they root for the Vols. I have family members with UT degrees on their walls, as embarrassed as I am to admit that. At about the age of 13 (1993), I began to follow college football more closely, and at 15 I moved to Orlando, to live with my UT fan Dad. As any good son would, I dutifully rooted for the Vols,and became increasingly interested in college football -- and increasingly agitated by the visored one, and his Gators.

Continue reading this post »

Here is a link to a recent Andy Staples article about conference realignment. In brief, he splits it up in 4 super conferences, with 16 teams in each. Those 64 teams would essentially break away from the NCAA to form their own organization...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/02/16/conference-realignment/index.html

While this a pretty dumb idea, I find it amusing that even in the fictional world, the ACC still sucks.  Just thought it was funny