On Thursday night, the first of the "big two" high school all-star games took place in St. Petersburg, FL. For us as fans, it was a chance to see some of the recruits we’ve talked about for months or even years. For the Florida Gators' coaching staff, it may have been a welcome sigh of relief after watching the performances of three prospects in particular.

The Gators’ 2012 recruiting class is nothing to scoff at. Ranked among the nation’s best, the class is typical of what Florida brings in year after year in terms of talent, but until you see players in action, you never really know. On Thursday, impressive performances painted a slightly clearer picture on what is headed to the University of Florida.

Brian Poole was in a record-setting mood and in the second quarter his 93-yard interception return for a touchdown broke two marks set by past Gator recruits. It topped Andre Debose’s record for the longest touchdown (and would be tied by Alabama’s Amari Cooper on a fourth quarter punt return) and Will Hill’s for the longest interception return. A ball-hawking defensive back with Poole’s ability will be a more than welcome addition. He's still deep within the recruiting process, but remains committed to Florida.

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True road games have presented a problem for the Florida Gators this season. The first two resulted in losses, but to the teams currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in both polls. The third true road game? Another loss, this time to a Rutgers squad that previously had trouble scoring. While it was anticipated that the Gators would be able to outpace the Scarlet Knights, the expectation was never realized; Rutgers not only kept pace, but came roaring back each time Florida extended a lead.

With the 85-83 double-overtime loss, the No. 10 Gators fell to 10-3 with two games remaining before the start of the SEC schedule. Hoping to keep the momentum of a five-game win streak going, Florida was unable to take complete control when it did build numerous leads. While many factors contributed to the loss – turnovers, some "interesting" calls, Rutgers' inability to miss late, etc. – a past problem reared its ugly head. When games are tight, the Gators' shot selection becomes questionable at best.

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The Florida women's basketball team was at it again Wednesday night, this time disposing of Duquesne 62-49. With the victory, the Gators claimed the Holiday Classic title and pushed their record to an impressive 9-3 in the process. The win also ended a program-record eight-game win streak the Dukes (10-2) were riding.

Florida was led by junior forward Jennifer George who posted her fourth consecutive double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. She was named the tournament's Most Valuable Performer and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by senior forward Jordan Jones and sophomore guard Jaterra Bonds. Jones scored 18 and Bonds added a season-high 16.

Head coach Amanda Butler didn't believe her Gators played a flawless game, but also said that performances such as this one indicate great basketball is just around the corner:

"It wasn’t the prettiest of ball games. In a sense that you always look at things and wish you would have done things better, but then you look at a win like this against a team like Duquesne and see that your best basketball is right ahead of you."

Florida now moves ahead to Samford. The Gators host the Bulldogs on Wednesday, December 28 at 7:00 PM. The game can be heard live on GatorVision.

Led, as has become customary, by senior guard Jordan Jones, Florida defeated Charleston Southern 83-59 on Tuesday to advance to the finals of the Gator Holiday Classic. The Gators (8-3) were propelled to victory over the Buccaneers (6-4) by a 16-point run in the second half that shut the door on a Charleston Southern upset win.

Jones, who led all Gators with 20 points, was one of three Gators to score in double figures. Junior guard Jennifer George and sophomore guard Brittany Shine added 19 and 14, respectively, and George also added 10 rebounds, giving her three consecutive double-doubles. Perhaps the most positive note to come out of the win was Florida's ability to find the open shooter. The Gators had a season-high 22 assists on the 31 field goals they made.

Florida faces off against Duquesne (10-1) on Wednesday at 7:00 PM at the O'Connell Center in the Gator Holiday Classic final.

Florida fans were treated to a pleasant surprise on Wednesday when JUCO DT Damien Jacobs signed with the Gators. Jacobs was previously committed to Tennessee and was expected by most to become a Volunteer. That expectation changed in a matter of moments with the 6'4", 300-pounder deciding the University of Florida was the best place for him.

Jacobs had intended to attend Florida State after high school, but ended up instead at East Mississippi Community College. As a JUCO defensive tackle, he became one of the better lineman in the nation. A long-time Tennessee commit, Jacobs kept his door open throughout the process as evidenced by Florida's ability to sway his decision.

The four-star DT joins fellow defensive lineman Visesio Salt as Gators' JUCO commits. With depth being an issue across the board throughout the 2011 season, expect both to be worked into the rotation immediately upon receiving their Florida uniforms.

Jacobs' commitment pushes the Gators' 2012 recruiting class to 18 members.

Chomping At Bits ideally runs twice daily during the week and once daily on weekends, and comes stocked with the best Florida Gators links and news we can find. Got a link we should check out? Email us at AlligatorArmy@gmail.com, subject line CAB.

When just making the BCS National Championship Game is worth more than actually winning it: If Charlie Weis ever guides Kansas to the title game, he'll receive $200,000. Win it and he pockets an additional $100,000. Shouldn't those numbers be reversed? (Evan Dunlap, SB Nation Tampa Bay)

As for Weis's replacement, could Greg Davis be a candidate? The recent struggles at Texas practically mirror those at Florida, but there could be interest from both sides. (Jeffferson Powell, Florida Gator Examiner)

Goodbye Will Muschamp, hello Charlie Strong: We all love Strong; it's in our DNA. Former Gators Gerald Christian and Robert Clark may have similar feelings. The pair will visit Louisville this weekend. (Mike Rutherford, Card Chronicle)

Aaron Hernandez respects Tim Tebow: Well, I would hope so. The pair's teams face each other on Sunday. You know you'll be watching. (Ian R. Rapoport, Boston Herald)

Being ranked 317 out of 338 is never good: The men's basketball team does a things lot well; shooting free throws isn't one of them. (Mike Hodge, Gatorsports)

However; on December 28, 1968, free throws won the game for the Gators: 43 years go, Florida hit five free throws in the final minute to beat rival Georgia. I truly love the Internet. (St. Petersburg Times)

Matching socks? Hey, whatever works. (Phillip Heilman, Gator Country)

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Back-to-back California victories weren't in the cards for the Florida women's basketball team as the Gators fell to the Pacific Tigers 78-73 on Friday night. The loss drops Florida to 7-3 on the season. The Gators now break for fall exams before the Gator Holiday Classic on December 20-21.

Junior forward Jennifer George was the star again for the orange and blue. George led Florida in both scoring and rebounding with 14 of each. In doing so, she collected her fourth double-double of the season and second in a row. Sophomore guard Jaterra Bonds was second on the Gators with 13 points and senior center Azania Stewart collected 10 rebounds.

Neither team had great nights shooting from the floor with Pacific holding the edge - 40.6% to 37.5%. Where the Tigers really outpaced the Gators was behind the three-point line. Pacific hit 11 of 16 triples while Florida only managed to go 3-for-11.

Up next for Florida is the Gator Holiday Classic in Gainesville, FL. The Gators will face Charleston Southern on Tuesday, December 20 at 7:00 PM and either Duquesne or Miami on Wednesday, December 21 at the same time. Both games can heard online at GatorZone.

The Florida women's basketball team had little trouble against San Francisco Wednesday night in the Gators' first true road game of the season. Florida would win 91-68 after jumping out to an 18-point halftime lead. With the victory, the Gators moved to 7-2, rebounding nicely after a tough loss to No. 11 Rutgers last Friday.

Florida was led by junior forward Jennifer George who had a career-high 24 points. George added 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and the seventh of her career. She would lead the Gators in both categories (senior center Azania Stewart also had 11 rebounds) despite playing only 23 minutes in the win.

Pushing their lead to double digits at the midpoint of the first half, head coach Amanda Butler was able to use her entire bench throughout the game. In fact, all 10 Gators in uniform scored and none played less than 13 minutes.

The win was Butler's 85th at Florida and the 125th of her career. She is in her fifth year with the Gators and seventh overall as a head coach.

Next up for Florida, the Gators travel to the University of the Pacific to face the 3-3 Tigers on Friday night. The game can be heard live on GatorZone.

On Sunday, we were disappointed, but not necessarily surprised to learn that running back Mike Davis was no longer committed to the Gators. Davis’s story had become one with twists and turns over the past few weeks, all broadcast openly on Twitter. Here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve heard (I didn’t say "these are the facts" because as with much of recruiting, "facts" are built from hearsay and rumors):

• When Davis was originally recruited, he was told by Florida coaches that the Gators would only take two running backs. The story goes that he was told he and Matt Jones were the only backs Florida wanted. This is part of what led to his commitment to the Gators.
• Throughout the 2012 recruiting cycle, Florida also pursued Keith Marshall. Marshall was thought to be a longshot because Davis and Jones were already on board. Despite that, he has still been recruited heavily.
• Recently, Davis began to express concern over the recruitment of Marshall. There could be many reasons for this, but it seems to have to do with what Davis was originally told about the Gators being done at the position.
• Due to comments by Davis’s older brother – NFL running back James Davis – and his quick decision to visit Tennessee, it was believed he had been pushed over the edge and his decommitment would come soon.
• Davis announced he was no longer committed to the Gators on Sunday.

None of this is meant to disparage Davis or anyone involved in his recruitment. There are two sides to every story and this story definitely has two compelling poles. I'm simply giving a brief timeline of what led up to Sunday’s announcement. Regardless of why he chose to decommit, though, Davis is no longer a part of the Gators’ 2012 recruiting class. That could change, but at this exact moment it seems unlikely that it will.

Now what?

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The No. 17 Florida women's volleyball team overcame deficits against both Missouri and Northern Iowa in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament to beat the Tigers and Panthers on consecutive nights. With the wins, the Gators advance to the NCAA Regionals to be played in Gainesville on December 9-10. Florida will face Michigan at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Playing at Northern Iowa, Florida fell behind 0-1 to Missouri on Friday night as the Tigers took the first set, 25-23. The Gators would storm back,winning three in a row — 25-16, 25-20, 25-16 — to take the match, 3-1. Florida's seniors were the stars, as they have been for much for the season: Kristy Jaeckel had 19 kills and 14 digs, Kelly Murphy notched her 28th career triple-double: 10 kills, 12 digs, 28 assists. The future of the Gators' squad looked great as well. Freshmen Taylor Unroe and Holly Pole set career-highs, Unroe with 23 digs and Pole with 20.

Against host UNI on Saturday night, Florida fell behind 0-1 again. The Panthers took the first set 25-16, but the Gators would take the next three — 25-14, 25-14, 25-22 — to again win 3-1. Murphy fell just short of another triple-double, but finished the night with her 74th career double-double, notching 15 kills and 20 assists. Unroe continued her start to what will surely be a great career, leading all Gators with 16 digs.

Before Florida faces Michigan on Friday night, Illinois will play Ohio State in the first match of the Gainesville Regional at 5:00 p.m.; both matches can be viewed on ESPN3.com. The winners face off at 7:00 PM on Saturday in a match that will be featured on ESPNU.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Florida’s Director of Football Administration, Mark Pantoni, would be joining former Florida head coach Urban Meyer at Ohio State. Amid the rumors of various Gators assistants departing Gainesville, it might be easy to overlook the loss of an important part of Florida’s recruiting machine.

Because the "administration" side of things isn't well understood, it can be hard to figure out how much someone like Pantoni matters to a football program. Think of it this way: the head coach, coordinators, and assistant coaches don’t make up the entire operations of a football program, just the hubs; Pantoni is one of those extremely valuable bolts holding the machine together that, if it weren’t for the Internet, you may have never heard of.

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Florida has many rivals, from divisional foes Georgia and Tennessee to SEC West opponents Alabama and LSU to even a team based in the state of Ohio and a certain school the Gators rarely face, but though the Gators have seen rivalry intensity grow within recent years, none may compare to the rivalry with Florida State. And that carries over to the recruiting trail.

On Saturday, Florida will host FSU in a matchup between teams that are a combined 13-9. That "ugh" you just heard most assuredly came out of your own mouth, but was echoed throughout the Sunshine State. While Friday gives us LSU trying to maintain their perfect record against one-loss Arkansas and Saturday brings 10-1 Alabama attempting to stay in the national title picture against defending champion Auburn, the Gators and Noles play for much less. Instead of national title implications or undefeated seasons, Florida and FSU do battle for state pride and recruits. And recruits will be in attendance in droves ($). While some may favor one of the two programs at the moment, Saturday night has the potential to open some eyes in either direction.

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Over the course of 2007 and 2008, every program that mattered was looking at Foley, AL wide receiver Julio Jones. The 6'4" Jones had no visible weaknesses and was not only the top WR in the nation, but one of the best at any position. Although many believed Jones would end up at Alabama, he was one of the most tight-lipped recruits in recent memory. No one was surprised when he committed to the Crimson Tide, but he wasn't open with information throughout his recruitment either. Here's just a sample of some of what Jones actually did have to say:

About a trip to Oklahoma...

"The visit was alright."

After camping at FSU...

"They've got a great coaching staff and stuff."

Even his high school coach - Foley's Todd Watson - had a hard time getting much out of Jones at times. After visiting Alabama, Jones told Watson virtually nothing...

"He really didn't talk much about it."

Getting a good read on Jones was difficult from the beginning of his recruitment. We all had a feeling we knew where he'd play his college ball, but his elusiveness made it nearly impossible to be certain. Fast forward to 2011 and the nation's top athlete is playing the recruiting game in a similar fashion.

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Chomping At Bits runs twice daily during the week and once daily on weekends, and comes stocked with the best Florida Gators links and news we can find. Got a link we should check out? Email us at AlligatorArmy@gmail.com, subject line CAB.

Everyone is healthy; well, everyone expected to be so: John Brantley is expected to play against South Carolina, while Chris Rainey, Chaz Green, Jelani Jenkins, Lerentee McCray and Dan Wenger should all be rejoining practice this week - if they haven't already done so at this point. Remaining out, as always, is Jeremy Brown. Tommy Jordan has not played in 2011, but shoulder surgery on Monday means he definitely won't. (Rachel George, Swamp Things/Orlando Sentinel)

Connor Shaw, on the other hand, isn't healthy and might not play: The Gamecocks' quarterback suffered a concussion in the loss to Arkansas that could see him on the sidelines against the Gators. If that's the case - and we won't know until later in the week - Dylan Thompson would start for South Carolina. (Rudy Jones, GreenvilleOnline)

More on the pistol: Because sometimes enough isn't enough and we want more. (Scott Carter, GatorZone)

South Carolina doesn't have to beat Florida to keep their SEC East title hopes alive, but it would help: The Gamecocks can lose to the Gators and still be in the race, but in that case, winning the division would require two Georgia losses. Beat Florida and South Carolina stays in the hunt a little longer. Let's hope the Gators don't make it easy for the Gamecocks. (Mark Weiszer, Online Athens)

Houston Nutt's SEC run coming to an end: Nutt has been a head coach in the conference since 1998, but unless another school hires him before the 2012 season, that run has come to an end. Ole Miss will allow him to coach out the 2011 season, but that's it for Nutt, who was fired Sunday. (Year2, Team Speed Kills)

Can Missouri compete in the SEC East? What about Texas A&M in the West?: Questions are answered as Bill C. looks back over the last few seasons and inserts the Tigers and Aggies into their new divisions. (Bill Connelly, SB Nation)

The other football: The Florida women's soccer team hosts Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday in the NCAA First Round. (GatorZone)

After the jump, the video of the day honors (okay, so that's not the word for it) Houston Nutt with the majesty of Percy Harvin.

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Back by popular demand. With another commitment comes another breakdown.

Name: Kent Taylor
Position: Tight End
Height: 6’5"
Weight: 220
High School: Land O’ Lakes (Land O’ Lakes, FL)
Status: Verbally committed to Florida

The Gators will take three tight ends as part of the 2012 recruiting class. How many times have we heard that in recent weeks? It didn’t necessarily surprise us, but it also didn’t make complete sense. After all, why would a school with a junior, sophomore and freshman on the roster and one tight end already committed talk about taking two more at the position? One more seemed probable; two more possible, but unlikely. Oh what can change in only a few days.

On Thursday, the public found out what the Gators’ coaching staff had known for nearly a month: Land O’ Lakes tight end Kent Taylor was committed to Florida. Two days prior, we learned that the sophomore on the roster – Gerald Christian – would continue his career elsewhere. Suddenly, three tight ends sounded more likely. For now though, we focus on number two. Taylor is the nation’s best at the position according to Rivals and Scout, and fourth according to ESPNU. To say his addition to the class is a good thing is as understated as saying that three consecutive losses is a slight annoyance.

On to the breakdown…

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A Recruiting Moment takes a look back in time to a moment in recruiting news where both Florida and their opponent of the week – Georgia this time around – were major players.

Dexter Daniels is one of those former Gators that can be easily forgotten because of the time period in which he suited up for Florida. From 1992 until 1995, Daniels was a key member of some great teams that were filled with stars. When Daniels left Florida, he had been an All-SEC First-Team selection and been on the roster for three SEC Championships. Unfortunately, being one year short of the school’s first national title and having a brief NFL career can make a player like Daniels difficult to place for some fans. Hopefully, stories like this will keep his legacy alive.

"They all say a Georgia boy needs to go to Georgia. Well that’s not true. Not really. Not for me."

That was what Daniels had to say on February 4, 1992 when he announced his intentions to leave his home state and head south to Florida. The star linebacker and USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year from Valdosta was said to have always had the Gators at the top of his list, but the Bulldogs would make a hard push late for his services. Daniels believed Florida was the place for him, but Georgia wouldn’t give up and almost made him rethink his decision. In the end, he would become a Gator and experience much of the same success in college as he did in high school.

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What would recruiting be without a healthy, always active rumor mill? To answer my own question, it wouldn’t be much more than fans waiting around quietly for the decisions made by teenagers. Quietly, in that there would be no talk and speculation, there would be no premature excitement or disappointment, and there would be no "inside sources" or "trusted hints." No, recruiting wouldn’t be very much fun at all from a fan perspective. To some, that’s probably a very good thing; to others, it sounds like a boring world they might wish to walk away from. Count me among that second group.

I live approximately six miles from the place the nation’s top tight end does most of his footballing. It’s the closest high school to my home, but that doesn’t give me any added insight into the recruitment of Kent Taylor. The rumors I’ve heard are many of the same you have.

I’ve heard for a while now that the Gators could take three tight ends as part of the 2012 recruiting class. I’ve heard rumors of a true freshman at the position currently on the roster not being as happy with his choice to attend Florida as he once was. I’ve heard of the possibility – and now reality – of a different tight end announcing his intention to transfer. And I’ve heard of the increasing possibility that Taylor will join Colin Thompson and commit to the Gators. Mostly rumors, but some already coming to life.

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A Recruiting Moment takes a look back in time to a moment in recruiting news where both Florida and their opponent of the week – Auburn this time around – were major players.

Earlier this week, Gator Nation was presented with the news that linebacker Dee Finley would transfer from Florida. Finley had seen minimal time of the field in 2011 and obviously believed he didn’t fit into the Gators plans as he would like. In the end, he decided it was best to part ways with the Gators and begin thinking about where he would continue his college career. We remember all the way back to 2007 when he decided where he would begin it.

Yes, 2007. It seems unbelievable, but Finley – then a safety – committed way back on June 17, 2007. Back then, Tim Tebow wasn’t a Heisman Trophy recipient, the Gators football program had only two national titles, and Will Muschamp was preparing for his second season as Auburn’s defensive coordinator. In a "how the world turns" moment of sorts, Finley had the following to say during his recruitment about the man that years later would briefly be his head coach:

"Coach Muschamp said he really likes my size and how physical I am against the run," said Finley. "He said he really likes how I play in the secondary."

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Earlier today, it was announced that Stephen Garcia’s college career had come to an end and not for the reason we expected, even though we could have seen this one coming from a mile away. After watching Connor Shaw take full command of the starting quarterback role in a big win over Kentucky, we expected to see Garcia spend most of the remainder of the season watching from the sidelines. Instead, Garcia was removed from the South Carolina football team for violating [WHATEVER YOU CAN THINK OF THIS TIME] for the [FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT NONZERO NUMBER GOES HERE] time. Steve Spurrier both loves and hates his quarterbacks and has since he became a head coach. This is a case in which one side greatly outweighed the other and the Ol’ Ball Coach found his final breaking point.

During his senior season in 2006 – although it seems much longer ago – the top-ranked quarterback out of Jefferson High School in Tampa, FL became known and recruited throughout the nation. That same high school had recently given Florida Andre Caldwell and before that his brother Reche. The Gators wanted Garcia and so did yours truly. Having lived in Tampa for so long, I feel a connection to the players coming out of the area. Florida doesn’t always have the best of luck recruiting the city (I’m looking at you Plant) but still has had its fair share of athletes that were willing to head the 100 miles or so north. For my part, the desire level given to Garcia may have been higher because he was from the area, but he was a great high school quarterback as well.

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A Recruiting Moment takes a look back in time to a moment in recruiting news where both Florida and its opponent of the week – LSU this time around – were major players.

We never like to see elite recruits leave the state of Florida. The area has more talent than it knows what to do with, but we’d all like that talent to stay where it was developed. Recruits do leave, though, and we are forced to move on. With so much ability in the state, the mourning process is fairly quick, but it also isn’t every day a recruit leaves ... only to later call your team cowards.

Patrick Johnson was one of those elite recruits. If you don’t recognize the name, that’s because he changed it to Patrick Peterson after he arrived at LSU. These days, you’ll find Peterson in an Arizona Cardinals jersey. Back then, he was the nation’s best high school cornerback and one of the top-ranked players overall. Although every major school across the country had interest in Peterson, the corner, being from Pompano Beach, only had eyes for Miami.

Peterson would commit to the Hurricanes before his senior year at Blanche Ely High School, but it wouldn’t last. He looked at a number of schools and eventually narrowed his choices to Florida, FSU and LSU. Although it seemed like a three-horse race, most believed it would either be the Gators or the Tigers that would land the coveted corner. With LSU taking the rumored lead, whispers were heard that Florida didn’t want him because the coaching staff detected an attitude problem.

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A Recruiting Moment takes a look back in time to a moment in recruiting news where both the Florida Gators and their opponent of the week – Alabama this time around – were major players.

It seemed hard to believe star high school quarterback Tim Tebow would end up anywhere other than the University of Florida. He grew up in an orange and blue family as the son of Bull Gators and played his high school ball only a few hours away from Gainesville. Many believed he was destined to become the next great Gator quarterback. But among the other schools that wanted Tebow to suit up for them, one in particular fought until the very end. That school was Alabama.

Mike Shula had begun a turnaround in Tuscaloosa. His first season with the Crimson Tide in 2003 was a rough one: 'Bama finished 4-9. But Shula would grab two more wins the following season to finish 6-6, and took the Tide to 10-2 in 2005 (for now, we’ll ignore the fact that those 10 wins were later vacated). With what seemed to be a bright future ahead for Alabama, Shula set his sights on Nease High School product Tim Tebow, one of the nation's finest quarterbacks. Tebow would be a battle for Shula, though, as Urban Meyer and Florida also saw a great future for the highly-touted prospect.

Tebow made it clear that he planned to enroll early wherever he would end up. Due to that, his recruitment would be cut short and schools had to do their best to convince him before his December 13, 2005 announcement that they were the best fit.

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Recruiting does slow down during the college football season. There’s no denying that. Plenty of prospects make official and unofficial visits to the schools near the top of their lists, but most commitments come before or after the regular season. However, it’s not a dead period at all. In fact, it’s far from it. There are plenty of verbal commitments to be had, and the occasional early enrollee to sway. Once the season starts, everything speeds up. Coaches know this and so do recruits. The news may not be as fast and furious as it will be in January and February, but it will still come. Need an example? Look no further than the Gators’ 2012 class – four-star (according to Rivals) defensive tackle Dante Phillips committed to Florida on October 25, 2010. Nearly 11 months later and Phillips is still part of the Gators’ class.

October 2010 was a hot month for Florida when it came to recruiting. Not only did Phillips commit, but so did four members of the 2011 class, including one that had an inside track to a starting position before going down with an injury. That would of course be tight end A.C. Leonard. One of the nation’s better TE prospects, Leonard was rumored to have wavered on his choice throughout the process, but in the end stuck with his commitment and became a Gator. One week after Leonard gave his verbal, Clay Burton committed to Florida. In a much-less-than-six-degrees-of-separation tale, Burton was moved from the defensive line to tight end to provide depth after Leonard’s injury. The day after Burton committed, Mike Blakely joined the bunch…moving right along. And earlier in the month, Chris Johnson came aboard. Even October 2009 was good to the 2011 class. De’Ante Saunders – who is seeing plenty of time as a member of the Gators secondary – committed on October 20, 2009.

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We did this a month ago and we’re at it again. The hope is to provide this to you once a month right up to signing day (aka Christmas for those of us who are TOO into recruiting).

Nothing has changed in terms of commitments since the last positional breakdown. The same 17 prospects have committed to Florida. You may think that’s a bad thing since the Gators haven’t added, but in recruiting sometimes you have to think of it this way: they haven’t subtracted either. This is a good class that could shape up to be a great one for Will Muschamp in his first full recruiting cycle with Florida. The bulk is in place with a few final pieces to fit in here and there.

With that, positional breakdown commence:

Quarterback – Commitments: None – Jeff Driskel has the lead for the 2012 starting position at the moment. There’s time for someone else to take it from him, but whoever takes the lead will have three or four years of eligibility left. Due to that, the Gators aren’t looking for a quarterback in this class, but should they be? Stay with me for just a moment. Let’s say Driskel or Jacoby Brissett earns the job outright. What happens if one transfers or decides to go toward another sport full-time? Then you have a starter, a backup, and nothing else. Now let me clarify by saying this isn’t something that worries me, but I’m also not against looking at a QB or two during every cycle. Even if Florida doesn’t, this will be one of the top target positions in 2013.

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On Saturday, the no. 9 Florida volleyball team swept UNC to become the Active Ankle SEC/ACC Challenge Champions. The Gators continued their dominance early in the 2011 season beating Tar Heels 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-14). Florida finished the challenge 2-0 in matches and 6-0 in sets.

Florida's dominant performance throughout the challenge was reflected by the All-Tournament team. Four Gators made the seven-woman squad. Senior hitter Stephanie Ferrell led the way and was named tournament MVP. Ferrell had 13 kills against UNC to bring her two-match total to 20. Joining her were senior hitter Kristy Jaeckel, senior setter Kelly Murphy, and freshman libero Taylor Unroe.

The Gators look ready to handle the rigors of a tough season ahead. This team is full of talent and can turn close sets into blowouts in a matter of moments. Whenever sets seem to get tight, Florida turns up their play and goes on a run to take control. Follow the Gators closely in 2011, they won't disappoint.

Although the SEC/ACC Challenge is over, Florida continues its schedule against another ACC opponent. Instate rival FSU comes to Gainesville on Tuesday. The match will be streamed online on GatorVision at 7:00.

On Friday, August 19, the Gators' soccer team kicked off the Florida athletic season with a 2-0 win over instate rival Miami. Since then, the Gators have added two more wins and been joined on the sports' schedule by the volleyball squad. Both teams were in action on Friday and both came away with victories.

The soccer team moved to 3-0 on the season in dramatic fashion. During a span of 14:13 in the first half, Florida and Texas A&M scored two goals each to head into halftime tied 2-2. The Gators struck first in the 25th minute with a goal from Erika Tymrak. It would take the Aggies less than six minutes to tie it up and another six to take a 2-1 lead. Florida continued their own attacking press though and in the 39th minute got the equalizer from Taylor Travis.

It would be quiet for a while after that as neither team was able to add to the total for 51 minutes of game time. That all changed in one quick moment. In the 90th minute with only 15 seconds remaining in regulation, junior midfielder McKenzie Barney became the hero. Barney's first goal of the season would be the game winner as the Gators beat the Aggies 3-2.

No. 8 Florida was able to fight back and grab their third win of the season over no. 18 Texas A&M. The Gators face another ranked opponent on Sunday - no. 15 UCLA.

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We follow recruiting specifically because of situations like this. (Wait, that didn’t come out right.)

We love the recruiting world because at any moment one program can come crashing down, allowing others to shovel through the wreckage and add to their already impressive hauls. (No, that’s not it either.)

Recruiting brings us a joy we can’t equal because every so often a school has a jailed booster that feels so slighted he blows every whistle he can find in order to show his former "friends" that he means business, if this really is all a business. (Okay, I give up. I’m just not getting it right.)

We all know how we got to this point. Miami booster Nevin Shapiro told all and Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports wrote one of the better sports investigative pieces you’ll read. There’s more than a handful of items we either have discussed or could discuss: the death penalty, the NCAA, improper benefits, payments to players, Miami’s new image, Miami’s old image, Miami’s seemingly forever image, the two Florida players named – Andre Debose and Matt Patchan, the Florida coach named – Aubrey Hill, and the list goes on and on. Somewhere in there is recruiting and that’s how we came to this piece.

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The summer has been good to the Gators. Since June 21 (the first official day of the season according to people that know more than I do about solstices and other fancy words), Florida has added five commits to its 2012 recruiting class. Among those was the most recent commitment in the form of five-star offensive tackle D.J. Humphries. Commitments may slow down as we approach the start to the season, but there will still be plenty of news – both good and bad – for the Gators between now and signing day.

To give you an idea of what Florida has and what the Gators may be looking for, here’s a position-by-position breakdown:

Quarterbacks – Commitments: None – With two high-profile true freshmen – Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett – in the mix to go along with a redshirt freshman – Tyler Murphy, don’t expect the Gators to sign a passer this time around. 2013 is a different story though. Quarterback will be a target position in the next recruiting cycle and some have already begun to visit Gainesville ($).

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Name: D.J. Humphries
Position: T
Height: 6’5"
Weight: 265
High School: Mallard Creek (Charlotte, NC)
Status: Verbally committed to Florida

On Friday, Florida received big news in more ways than one when D.J. Humphries announced his intentions to become a Gator. The 6’5", 265-pound tackle from Mallard Creek (Charlotte, NC) committed to Florida over Tennessee and Auburn, giving the Gators one of the nation’s best prospects at any position. Rivals lists Humphries as the top offensive tackle and the No. 3 player overall. Scout has him a little farther down both lists as the No. 5 tackle and no. 17 recruit overall. And finally, ESPN believes Humphries is the country’s best tackle and No. 7 overall prospect. Just know this: Humphries is very good and widely believed to be. There’s no arguing that.

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