few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning. 1. IF IT’S FEBRUARY, THAT MEANS MAT DRILLS HAVE BEGUN: For 58 returning scholarship players, 11 early enrolled freshmen and a few walkons, the next month is all about experiencing hell on earth and living to tell about it. The drills might seem sadistic, but they serve a purpose of teaching toughness and getting players to exert themselves beyond what they perceived as their physical and mental limits. It’s not unusual for the garbage cans that line the walls of the strength and conditioning complex to be filled with puke at the end of one of the 5 a.m. sessions. If Mickey Marotti is satisfied with the progress the team made when March 1 arrives, then that’s a pretty good sign the Gators are going to have a terrific season in the fall.
2. ONE MORE DAY: Faxes start pouring in at 7 a.m. Wednesday, which means the silly season comes to an end for 2010 with the Gators finishing with the top class in the country. While I doubt Florida will lose any commitments, I think it’s possible the Gators will get a surprise on signing day. I think Chaz Green, Darrin Kitchens and Adrian Coxson are definitely signing with Florida. The surprise? I think either James Louis or Ivan McCartney will choose UF. A month ago, writers and recruiting analysts alike were predicting the end of the world as we know it for the Gators. Looks like a few folks were wrong, doesn’t it?
3. JILTED AT THE ALTAR: Georgia lost committed linebackers B.J. Butler and Deon Rogers to Louisville last week and Monday night got the news that Lowndes County linebacker Telvin Smith, who got the class A treatment in Athens, has decided to stick with his commitment to the Seminoles, and defensive tackle Jeff Whitaker of Warner Robins spurned Georgia for Auburn. As if that isn’t bad enough, the Poodles figure to lose wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers to Tennessee and Frostproof do-everything athlete Nickell Robey to South Florida. Even though his dad (Hiram Green) says Georgia is very much in play, Tampa Catholic’s Christian Green will probably jilt the Poodles in favor of the Tallahassee Trade School as well. There is also a very good chance stud defensive tackle Mike Thornton will pick either Auburn or Penn State over the Poodles. Looks like the Suicide Prevention Center in Athens better add some extra staffers for Wednesday.
4. STILL ON THE BOARD: The five big names still uncommitted are Seantrel Henderson (6-8, 350 St. Paul MN Cretin Derham-Hall, #8 ESPNU 150); Demar Dorsey (6-1, 180, Lauderdale Lakes, FL Boyd Anderson #12 ESPNU 150); Owamagbe Odighizuwa (6-3, 235, Portland, OR David Douglas #17 ESPNU 150); Marcus Lattimore (6-0, 214, Duncan, SC Byrnes #19 ESPNU 150); and Markeith Ambles (6-2, 185, McDonough, GA Henry County #23 ESPNU 150). Henderson seems likely to announce for Ohio State but Miami seems very confident after the big guy paid a visit this past weekend. With Dorsey, who knows? The folks in Tallahassee are confident but so is Lane Kiffin. I’m going with Kiffin and Southern Cal on this one. Odighizuwa seems a lock for Nebraska. It’s a tossup for Lattimore but the folks in the Spartanburg area where he lives think he stays in-state. Ambles was once committed to Tennessee but he backed out of that commitment when Kiffin bolted for USC. USC seems the likely choice but don’t be surprised if he puts on a North Carolina hat on signing day.
5. FINISHING FAST: In the SEC, that’s Auburn, which could finish strong with defensive tackle Michael Thornton (6-1, 280, Stone Mountain, GA Stephenson), stud tailback Marcus Lattimore (6-0, 214, Duncan, SC Byrnes #19 ESPNU 150) and defensive end Corey Lemonier (6-4, 221, Hialeah, FL #94 ESPNU 100). The Tigers already have tailback Michael Dyer (5-9, 200, Little Rock, AR Little Rock Christian #5 ESPNU 150) so it’s unlikely they get Lattimore. Auburn’s best signee is former Gator quarterback Cameron Newton (6-6, 245, Atlanta, GA/Blinn, TX Junior College), who is a perfect fit for Gus Malzahn’s version of the spread offense. If Alabama loses wide receiver Keenan Hubbard (6-2, 190, Greensboro, NC Northern Guilford #33 ESPNU 150) to Clemson and Auburn manages to land Lattimore, Lemonier and Thornton, it’s entirely possible Gene Chizik will finish with a higher-ranked class than Nick Saban. Now that will turn some heads.
6. ALSO FINISHING FAST: Jumbo Fisher has a chance to come up big Wednesday if he lands Dorsey, Christian Jones (6-4, 230, Casselberry, FL Lake Howell #27 ESPNU 150), Christian Green (6-1, 190, Tampa, FL Catholic #53 ESPNU 150) and Corey Lemonier (6-4,221, Hialeah, FL #94 ESPNU 150). Getting all four would be a coup for the Seminoles. The bet here is that three out of the four wind up in Tallahassee. Jones and Green look to be Seminole locks ... Tennessee’s class fell apart when Lane Kiffin went to Southern Cal, but the Vols have a chance to finish fast if they can land Ambles (6-2, 185, McDonough, GA Henry County #23 ESPNU 150), Da’Rick Rogers (6-2, 205, Calhoun, GA #30 ESPNU 150), defensive tackle James Stone (6-5, 300, Nashville, TN Maplewood #100 ESPNU 150) and Damien Robinson (6-8, 320, Olive Branch, MS #104 ESPNU 150). If Derek Dooley lands those kids, he’s pulled off a minor miracle.
7. BASEBALL HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME: That’s what Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan must be saying these days. The Gators are ranked #7 nationally in the preseason polls and with hitters like Preston Tucker and Matt den Dekker, the offense should be better than last year. What will definitely be better than last year is the pitching. Last year, the Gators made the Super Regionals with just enough pitching to get by. This year, O’Sullivan has a staff that is deep enough and talented enough to take the Gators all the way to Omaha. It’s going to be a fun year at the Mac.
8. AT $3 MILLION A POP: If you were hoping to buy a 30-second Super Bowl ad, you’re a little late. CBS announced Monday that all the 30-second ads have been sold, some at a mere $3 million a pop. If you’re disappointed and wondering what you’re going to do with all that cash, there are still a few pre-game show ads available. The 2009 game brought in approximately $213 million in ad revenues for NBC even though there were unsold 30-second slots and only 69 ads sold altogether. This year CBS figures to easily surpass that total. Makes me wonder how much money would be changing hands if there were a couple of higher profile teams than the Colts and Saints.
9. KISS AND MAKE UP: Supposedly, the rift between John Wall and John Calipari lasted only a day or so. After Kentucky’s win over Vanderbilt Saturday, a game in which Wall shot poorly (4-12) and turned the ball over often (7 times), Wall lashed out a bit at Calipari, saying, “He’s [Calipari] probably going to say I played bad today too so I don’t know. I just try not to listen to him and go out and play basketball and try and help my team win.” Monday, Wall said everything is cool and Cal was acting like nothing happened. Back in his high school and AAU days, Wall had a habit of doing his own thing and ignoring coaches, so while Wall and Cal probably kissed and made up, Wall was probably telling the truth that he just doesn’t listen.
10. RANDOM THOUGHTS: Reserve forward Jordan DeMercy announced he is leaving the basketball team at the Tallahassee Trade School just a day after scoring six points in ten minutes off the bench in the Seminoles’ win over Boston College Saturday ...
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Scott McCarron, who is accused of calling Phil Mickelson a cheater for using a wedge with square grooves that the PGA says is legal, was called out. His response is rather interesting. McCarron said, “I responded, ‘It’s cheating and I am appalled Phil has put it in play. I never called Phil Mickelson a cheater.”
Have a great Tuesday.
Franz
Source: http://www.gatorcountry.com/interim/article/thoughts_of_the_day_february_2_2010/
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