Florida Gators thread

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Gators' practice full of subplots

By LOUIS ANASTASIS
Alligator Staff Writer

To say UF coach Urban Meyer is giddy about fall practice would be putting it lightly.

"I can't tell you how much I can't wait to get into that hotel with those players and spend time with them," he said. "Some people dislike training camp. I'm a head football coach that loves training camp because I live with them. That's the greatest time of the year."

The Gators commence fall practice Sunday as the 2006 off-season winds down. Beginning Sunday, players will reside in a local Holiday Inn for the duration of fall practice.

Some storylines for fans and observers to keep in mind during practice:

FRESHMAN SPOTLIGHT: Freshmen will comprise 26 of the Gators' 85 allotted scholarships. Among those expected to contribute are Percy Harvin (wide receiver), Brandon Spikes (linebacker), Carl Johnson and Maurice Hurt (offensive linemen) along with Wondy Pierre-Louis, Jacques Rickerson and Markihe Anderson (cornerbacks).

UP FOR GRABS: While Meyer has already named former safety Reggie Nelson a starter at cornerback, there is no telling how this position will shape up as the season nears. Reggie Lewis, Nick Brooks and the freshman triumvirate will all battle for playing time. Then there's Ryan Smith, the Utah cornerback who could transfer at any time.

THE MON WILLIAMS SHOW: Everybody has assumed the starting tailback will be DeShawn Wynn, Kestahn Moore or Markus Manson. But a certain prolific runner from Texas by the name of Mon Williams has something to say about that. The 6-foot-2 back has 4.4-second 40-yard dash speed.

CALDWELL AND MCDONALD RETURN: Wide receiver Andre Caldwell and defensive tackle Ray McDonald will be full-speed as soon as that practice horn blows.

HARVIN'S NEED FOR SPEED: Percy Harvin will show everyone whether he is worth the hype - and perhaps a starting job behind Dallas Baker and Caldwell.

HARRIS WATCH: Starting defensive tackle Steven Harris still has not rejoined the team, according to Meyer's last public word. The Gators are deep on the line, but losing Harris would be a huge blow.

TIM TEBOW: Need we say more?

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Meyer feels the need for speed

The Gators coach has been encouraging his players to train with the UF track and field team.

Dave Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted August 3 2006

GAINESVILLE -- The meeting took place 18 months ago, and the message delighted Florida track and field Coach Mike Holloway.

Urban Meyer, the new guy in charge in the football office, had tracked down Holloway to share a goal. Achieving it, Meyer hinted, would help bring both men championships.

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"He said he wanted his team to be the fastest in the country," Holloway recalled this spring. "And he wanted more of his guys to come run for me."

So started a partnership that has stretched deep into its second year and bolstered Florida's football and track programs. The coaches communicate often, mostly during recruiting season.

"Mike Holloway has been great to work with," Meyer said. "He's a real team guy. He comes to recruiting breakfasts and helps us as much as he can."

The fruits of the relationship will come this winter when freshmen Percy Harvin and Wondy Pierre-Louis compete in major indoor and outdoor meets.

Pierre-Louis won the Florida Class 4A long- and triple-jump championships in 2005. The same spring, Harvin won four individual gold medals and a relay gold in the Virginia state championships, the first such feat in 69 years.

Neither participated in track and field state meets this year, but Holloway said both are slated to come back to the sport this school year. Harvin can't wait.

"I love running track," he said in May. "It's just me out there, running as fast as I can."

Harvin and Pierre-Louis will be the first Gators football players to run track since 2004 when Dee Webb sprinted after his freshman football season. In recent years, the most famous dual-sport star at Florida was John Capel, a wide receiver and NCAA champion sprinter who eventually won a world track title and pursued an NFL career.

Capel's crossover came when Steve Spurrier coached the football team and Holloway was the track team's associate head coach. Like Meyer, Spurrier encouraged his athletes to play both sports, Holloway said. But the football-track relationship was less open under former coach Ron Zook.

"It wasn't that Coach Zook dissuaded it, but he didn't really seek it out," Holloway said. "Coach Spurrier was open to it. And Coach Meyer, man, he really wants to see it happen."

Meyer speaks with envy about his previous coaching stops, where several players ran track in the offseason. But a look around his state and league show that the practice seems popular almost everywhere else.

Michael Ray Garvin, a member of Florida State's 4 x 100 relay team that helped the Seminoles win a team national title in June, is a defensive back for Bobby Bowden.

Xavier Carter, whom Meyer feared as a return man when the Gators and LSU met a year ago, recently left the Tigers to turn pro in track and field and signed a six-year endorsement deal with Nike.

And Miami's successful track programs have been anchored by sprinters Santana Moss, Andre Johnson and Devin Hester, all football players. 'Canes Sinorice Moss and Kelly Jennings participated in both sports a year ago.

For 18 months, Meyer and Holloway have worked toward creating a similar situation at UF. Meyer hopes to see some early returns soon.

"We'd love to have a relay team of football players," Meyer said. "I would love to see that."

Dave Curtis can be reached at dcurtis@orlandosentinel.com.

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Familiarity may breed UF success

The Gators say they feel more comfortable as the start of Coach Urban Meyer's 2nd season nears.

Dave Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted July 29 2006

HOOVER, Ala. -- The statistics say everything should get better now, that the woes in Urban Meyer's Florida offense could be cured by the calendar.

In Year No. 2 of the coach's stays at Bowling Green and Utah, a tandem of talented players and the spread option scheme delivered 21 victories in 24 games.

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The 2002 Falcons challenged for a championship, and the 2004 Utes scored one, winning the Mountain West Conference and the Fiesta Bowl in a 12-0 season.

And so, hope lives in Gainesville, where the second year of Meyer's tenure with the Gators kicks off in 35 days. Things will improve this year, a sentiment expressed by the UF representatives Friday here at Southeastern Conference Media Days.

"I have great confidence for the offense," Gators quarterback Chris Leak said. "It is the second year for everybody, and we are all more comfortable."

The Gators lacked that comfort throughout 2005. Meyer had pledged in the preseason that his offense would deliver second-year results a year early.

But he and the offense failed, looking atrocious at Alabama and only a bit better at Louisiana State, both losses. By Halloween, the spread option fans saw at Utah and Bowling Green was shelved in place of running inside behind fullback Billy Latsko.

In a hotel ballroom here, Meyer and Leak rattled off a litany of reasons why 2006 won't be a repeat.

The tailbacks improved their attitudes in the spring and multiplied their efforts in summer workouts. The top wide receivers -- Dallas Baker, Andre Caldwell and Jemalle Cornelius -- all enter the season healthy.

And that, Meyer concedes, isn't even the best part.

"The best advantage I have from Year 1 to Year 2 is knowing the players," Meyer said. "And, I think, them knowing us."

LaRon Landry knows that feeling. After excelling a year under Louisiana State first-year Coach Les Miles, Landry, a preseason first-team All-SEC defensive back, says Year 2 will be even better.

Spring ball and summer workouts went smoother, he said. Instead of learning new principles and plays, Landry and his Tigers teammates spent time honing their skills and perfecting their chemistry.

"Last year, we didn't know what to expect [from Miles]," Landry said. "We know his expectations, so we should be a better team. Everyone is just more relaxed."

Coaches, too, can chill out a little the second time through. Third-year Mississippi State Coach Sylvester Croom, 3-8 in each of his first two SEC seasons, said his effort improved between the first and second years.

Each morning in 2004, Croom would compile a to-do list for the remainder of the day.

"I'd go into the office, I'd be there 18 hours and get home at night," he said. "I'd look at the list, nothing's done."

The precedent for better days in the second season stretches across the country. After spending 2001 adjusting to new Coach Jim Tressel, Ohio State won the 2002 national championship.

Georgia won the SEC in the second year of Mark Richt's reign. Ditto for Louisville in Conference USA under Bobby Petrino. And in Pete Carroll's second season at Southern Cal, his Trojans split the Pac-10 crown with Washington State.

Part of that trend comes from those coaches bringing players they recruited into the program. Spread option-ready signees such as receivers Percy Harvin and Jarred Fayson, running back Mon Williams and quarterback Tim Tebow should contribute in small doses this year as the Gators strive to thrive.

Meyer will spend August getting to know them, and all of his players, a little better. They, in turn, will try to learn the offense a little more. That extra time, it seems, makes all the difference.

"The biggest thing is knowing and understanding what everybody has to do," Leak said. "It takes time for everything to happen, to have all the receivers on the same page. Everybody is more understanding of what [he needs] to do."

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August 04. 2006 5:27PM
USA Today ranks Gators No. 8

By John Patton
Sun sports writer
pattonj@gvillesun.com

Florida found itself eighth, second among SEC schools and first among those in state in the USA Today college football preseason coaches poll released Friday.

For his part second-year Gator coach Urban Meyer was more concerned with things other than the poll.

"Right now our whole focus is trying to become a great team through hard work and developing an unselfish attitude," said Meyer, whose team finished 9-3, winning four of its last five in his inaugural season in Gainesville.

Ohio State was No. 1 in the poll for the first time since the end of its 14-0 2002 national championship season. Defending BCS champ Texas, which hosts the Buckeyes on Sept. 9, opened second.

The highest ranking SEC team was Auburn at No. 6, and LSU gave the conference three top-10 teams with its No. 9 ranking. Florida State and Miami were 10th and 11th, respectively. Those two rivals open against one another on Sept. 4 in Miami.

In addition to Auburn, LSU and FSU, three of UF's other 2006 opponents — Georgia (14), Tennessee (23) and Alabama (24) — had preseason rankings. And Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks, the Gators' Nov. 11 foe, was among those also receiving votes.

Rankings below Ohio State, Texas, and co-third-place teams Notre Dame and Southern California could come with an invisible asterisk, as votes came in before fifth-ranked Oklahoma kicked starting quarterback Rhett Bomar off its team earlier this week. The Sooners actually had the second-most first-place votes (13) of any team, 15 less than the Buckeyes and two more than the Longhorns.

Meyer is not one of the 63 Division I coaches listed as voters in the USA Today poll. Spurrier and Illinois' Ron Zook, also a former Gator coach, are voters.

The preseason Associated Press poll is scheduled to be released Aug. 19. The first BCS poll of the season is set for Oct. 16.

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August 05. 2006 6:01AM

Gator blitz

By ROBBIE ANDREU
Sun sports writer

Florida's long offseason officially gives way to the preseason with the start of practice Sunday afternoon at the practice field.

Many are picking the Gators to win their first Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title since 2000 - and that is certainly a goal for this senior-laden team. For that possibility to become reality in November, much has to be accomplished in August. The next few weeks are crucial for UF, which has some holes to fill at linebacker, cornerback and along the offensive line.

Five things to check out during the first week of practice:

Reggie Nelson at cornerback

Reggie Nelson may very well be UF's best defensive player, but he seemed more natural at safety, where playing closer to the line of scrimmage allowed him to make good use of his play-making skills. With Avery Atkins no longer on the team, and the Gators desperately searching for players on the corners, Nelson will start out two-a-days as the starting cornerback opposite senior Reggie Lewis. He's such a good athlete the coaches are confident he'll be a player at his new position. He's lost weight, down to about 180 pounds, which should help his quickness in man-to-man coverage. If some other corners emerge in the next few weeks, maybe former Utah starter Ryan Smith, there's a chance Nelson could eventually go back to safety. Then again, he might end up being an all-star candidate at corner.

Work ethic of the tailbacks

The tailbacks have been called out so often by coach Urban Meyer that there is a perception out there that the Gators are lacking talent at tailback. That is not the case. DeShawn Wynn, Markus Manson and Kestahn Moore are fast, athletic and talented guys. The problem has been a combination of work ethic and consistency. Those two things have drawn the ire of Meyer for the past year. Will that change? It's up to the tailbacks. If they bust it in two-a-days and show some consistency in all phases of their games (pass blocking, in particular), this actually could be a position of strength. But, here we are talking about potential at tailback again, something Meyer is tired of hearing.

Development of the OL

The coaches are convinced this line will be better than last year's. But, given the lack of experience across the front, you have to wonder about all the optimism. Junior Phil Trautwein enters camp as the starting left tackle, the protector of Chris Leak's blind side, and most of his experience came as a blocking back on the punt team last season. This kind of inexperience is everywhere. Ronnie Wilson is a redshirt freshman who has not played a down at this level. Starting center Steve Rissler and starting right tackle Drew Miller are former guards. Redshirt sophomore Jim Tartt played in only four games last season. This is a line that certainly appears more physical and athletic than last year's, but it has a lot of developing to do before it's SEC-ready. This same line, playing in the spring game, really struggled.

Players on the rise at LB

If the Gators only had to play two linebackers and knew they were going to stay healthy all season, this area would be a huge team strength. Middle linebacker Brandon Siler and outside linebacker Earl Everett are considered two of the better linebackers in the SEC and they have a ton of experience between them. After those two, though, the Gators have some real concerns. On the preseason depth chart in the media guide, there isn't even a backup listed behind Siler. The third starter heading into camp appears to be Brian Crum, a former wide receiver/tight end who has seen little playing time on defense. The Gators need some young guys to emerge in the next few weeks. On the outside, sophomore Jon Demps, coming off a knee injury, and Ryan Stamper have a chance to make a move. A guy to watch on the inside is true freshman Brandon Spikes, who has the size (6-4, 230) and athletic ability to be a factor.

The freshmen

Urban Meyer recently said he dreams of having the fastest football team in the nation. This recruiting class would appear to have the Gators headed in that direction. This is a class loaded with speed, the most notable burner being All-America wide receiver Percy Harvin. Harvin may be the fastest player on the team and he figures to see the field early this season as a slot receiver, in the return game and maybe even in the backfield. If Harvin has a strong preseason camp, the coaches will find a way to get the ball in his hands a few times a game. Other speed guys to keep an eye on are wide receiver Riley Cooper, who may get a look at safety, wide receiver Jarred Fayson, running back/return specialist Brandon James, cornerback Wondy Pierre-Louis, linebacker A.J. Jones and tailback Mon Williams. All these guys have the speed to possibly make an immediate impact. One big guy to watch is Brandon Antwine, who might be able to provide depth at nose tackle.

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Five questions facing UF
BY MIKE PHILLIPS
mphillips@MiamiHerald.com

Top five questions for the Gators heading into fall practice. Practice begins Monday.

1. Is there any doubt who will be the Gators' starting quarterback?

Read coach Urban Meyer's lips: It's Chris Leak. The last thing Meyer wants is a quarterback controversy, and as long as Leak wins every game, he might not have one. But the minute the Gators lose (or Tim Tebow has a big night in a relief role), it's going to be a topic that won't go away. Tebow is a much better fit for the spread-option offense, but by the end of last season, Meyer had scaled down his spread offense to take advantage of Leak's skills as a drop-back passer. If Meyer can find a way to protect Leak and give him a chance to do what he does best -- sit back and pick teams apart -- then Leak could throw for more than 3,000 yards, which he did before Meyer became the Gators' coach.

2. Did Leak really say he wants to throw 50 touchdowns?

Yes, the All-Bland Leak said that, and Meyer said, ''It's Florida nonsense.'' It's not nonsense, it's just Leak telling people he wants a chance to throw more TDs after suffering in the spread option offense a year ago. Consider 40 to 45 TDs as a possibility. If he does that and the Gators are in a BCS bowl, he will win the Heisman -- and that's the real message. Leak wants a chance at the Heisman.

3. What about the Gators' young secondary?

UF is young, but cornerback Reggie Nelson could be one of the top defensive backs in the SEC. The Gators got rid of cornerback Avery Atkins after an off-the-field incident, but they expect to add Ryan Smith, a starter at Utah who is coming over on the new graduate-transfer rule. Kyle Jackson looked great at safety as a freshman, then lost his job a year ago. He might start again, giving UF some added experience.

4. Can the Gators win the Southeastern Conference title?

There's no reason for them not to at least get to the SEC title game for the first time since Steve Spurrier left. The front four is the best it has been in years, and Brandon Siler and Earl Everett are two of the best linebackers in the league. The Gators are the overwhelming favorites to win the SEC East, and with a little luck they might even go unbeaten.

5. Can Florida go unbeaten with that schedule?

The Gators face one of the toughest (if not the most difficult) stretches in college football when they meet Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia. But the only road game in that stretch is at Auburn. The Gators have to be better prepared to play on the road -- all three losses were in SEC road games a year ago. Meyer should have his team ready for Auburn. If UF survives that run unbeaten at 8-0, it should be ranked No. 1 in the nation. Then we're talking Fiesta Bowl.

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Originally created Sunday, August 6, 2006

Gators are ready to get up and go

Meyer's goal - "to be a great team" - is a big focus entering the coach's second UF fall practice, scheduled to start today.

By IAN FISHER, Times-Union correspondent

GAINESVILLE - To say that Urban Meyer is excited about the start of fall practice today would be an understatement. Florida's football coach not only has repeated how excited he is, he even described it as the best time of the year.

"I can't tell you how much I can't wait to get into that hotel with those players and spend time with them," Meyer said at the Southeastern Conference media days last month. "Some people dislike training camp. I'm a head football coach who loves training camp because I live with them. That's the greatest time of the year."

Starting today, the Gators will hole up in a hotel together and practice 26 times in 21 days, gearing up for the season opener Sept. 2 against Southern Miss. The goal is to make Florida a great team and return to a championship game.

"We weren't a great team a year ago," Meyer said. "We were a team near the end of the year; I'd put it very close to being a great team. That team in the locker room after the Outback Bowl was close [Florida beat Iowa 31-24 to finish the season 9-3]. All those characteristics, I believe we had that. Middle of the year, I couldn't say that.

"I'm very pleased with the momentum stirred by the bowl game and our last game of the season. I'm also realistic in understanding that our goal is very simple: to be a great team. The University of Florida, at this point, needs to have a great team."

One thing to watch in practice will be the Gators' 26 freshmen, most of whom are practicing with the team for the first time. Although Florida had a highly ranked recruiting class and every player qualified, Meyer wants to see results first.

"Perception is that we had an excellent recruiting class," Meyer said. "I'll let you know that in three years. I think that's very important to understand.

"The great thing that happened a year ago, we signed 26 young men, and all 26 qualified, all 26 are on campus, and all 26, according to our weight staff, are headed in the right directions. That's unusual nowadays."

But the biggest difference in his second year at Florida comes with the players with whom Meyer spent last season. The coach now knows exactly what to expect from them.

"We have a very clear understanding of one another, and that is there's not a player returning on our team who I don't know everything I possibly can about," Meyer said. "I met with them repeatedly.

"We've been through a season, at times a very difficult season, at times a very good season together. That group won't surprise me."


Breaking down the Gators

The University of Florida football team is scheduled to begin fall practice at 2:50 p.m. today, 27 days before its Sept. 2 season opener against Southern Miss. Here's a look at some issues facing the Gators:

AREAS OF CONCERN

Secondary: With the departure of 2005 starters Dee Webb and Vernell Brown, coach Urban Meyer has moved Reggie Nelson back to cornerback. Nelson will be missed at safety. Opposite him, Reggie Lewis is the guy as of now. The Gators should receive some help with incoming freshmen. Also, if former Utah starting cornerback Ryan Smith transfers as expected, Florida might have less of a problem.

Linebacker: There's Earl Everett, Brandon Siler and who? Exactly. Once again, the Gators lack depth at this position.

Offensive line: Although this unit has potential, it's very inexperienced. Four senior linemen, including center and team leader Mike Degory, departed after 2005.

ON THE SPOT

DeShawn Wynn, running back: It seems like every year, Wynn is supposed to break out. Will his senior year finally be the time?

Steven Harris, defensive tackle: Harris has been absent for unknown reasons since spring. Meyer said Harris is only one class away from graduation but has issues to resolve before he rejoins the Gators.

Kyle Jackson and Tony Joiner, safeties: Jackson was benched last year after giving up too many big plays. Joiner replaced him and was burned for a touchdown on his first play. With Nelson moving back to cornerback, these two will need to step up this season.

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Meyer to frosh: '93 class standard

WIRE REPORTS
Posted August 7 2006

GAINESVILLE · Florida coach Urban Meyer handed each freshman a little card with a picture of five rings on it.

The photo contained four Southeastern Conference championship rings and a national title ring -- representing what Florida's 1993 freshman class accomplished. He told the newcomers that no matter how highly regarded they were -- the 2006 class was ranked No. 2 behind USC -- they haven't done anything for the Gators.

At least not yet.

"That's the standard that was set 13 years ago, and we need another one of these classes," Meyer said Sunday after the freshmen completed their first fall practice.

They gave Meyer a glimpse of what to expect.

"I'm not going to give you names, but I can see a couple guys that already I can tell are going to play," Meyer said.

Quarterback Tim Tebow, considered a perfect fit for Meyer's spread-option offense, headed the recruiting class. Tebow enrolled at Florida in January, participated in spring practice and immediately took over the backup job that was vacated by Josh Portis (transferred to Maryland), Gavin Dickey (gave up football for baseball) and Cornelius Ingram (moved to receiver).

The '06 recruiting class also included five highly touted receivers: Riley Cooper, Jarred Fayson, Percy Harvin, Jamar Hornsby and Justin Williams.

Harvin, a Parade All-American who scored 33 touchdowns as a senior at Landstown (Va.) High, was widely considered the top receiver prospect in the country. He showed why Sunday, running the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds.

"As long as I work hard, I feel like I can make a contribution to the team," Harvin said. "I've got a lot of things to learn, but I think I can make an immediate impact."

Linebackers Brandon Spikes and Dustin Doe also could contribute, especially given that the Gators are desperately in need of depth at that position.

Offensive linemen Carl Johnson and Maurice Hurt, both of whom enrolled in January, showed up considerably lighter than they were during spring practice.

And running backs Chevon Walker and Mon Williams could get a chance to make an impact given Meyer's desire for more consistency from DeShawn Wynn, Markus Manson and Kestahn Moore.

"Someone said they are the best recruiting class in America," Meyer said. "I haven't bought that one yet."

Safety Bryan Thomas twisted his knee during practice and was carted off the field. He was scheduled to have tests to determine the extent of the injury.

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August 08. 2006 6:01AM
UF NOTEBOOK
Leak leading the way for understudy with his arm

By Robbie Andreu
Sun sports writer
andreur@gvillesun.com

Senior quarterback Chris Leak has been impressing everyone with his passing skills, including his backup, No. 2 quarterback Tim Tebow.
"I was watching Chris throw the ball," said Tebow, the true freshman from St. Augustine Nease. "There aren't many people in the world who can throw a prettier pass than Chris. Every day, it's awesome to come out and work with a quarterback like that. I think since I've been here he's thrown only two balls that weren't spirals. He's impressive throwing the ball."
When asked if Leak throws the best ball he's ever seen, Tebow said, "Definitely."
Tebow said Leak has been a good mentor."Any time you have a question, you can go to him," Tebow said.
Surgery for Thomas True freshman safety Bryan Thomas will be out four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Monday. Thomas was injured in practice Sunday.
"It was not a torn ACL," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "A blood vessel burst near his ACL, so it's very painful. It's four to six weeks, which hurts us a little in the back end."

With starting safety Reggie Nelson moving to cornerback, Thomas was in a position to compete for playing time in the secondary.
Meyer said Monday it has been a smooth transition so far for Nelson at cornerback.
"Reggie is one of our best players," Meyer said. "He had a great day today. Both Reggies (Nelson and cornerback Reggie Lewis) had a really good day today. If those two can hang in there and we get a little help somewhere else, I think corner will be fine."
Baker doesn't practice Meyer said starting wide receiver Dallas Baker missed practice Monday to attend to another matter.
"He had to take care of something," Meyer said. "He's fine. He'll be back here in about 20 minutes and he'll be out (at practice today)."
Praise for Ingram, Nelson Meyer said former quarterback Cornelius Ingram and redshirt freshman David Nelson have made good strides at wide receiver since last spring.
"Ingram is doing really good, so is Jemalle (Cornelius)," Meyer said. "I'm very pleased with that position. I think we'll get two to three freshmen to play. I made the comment we need 12 (wide receivers). We're getting close to 12.
"David Nelson is probably our most improved right now. He's the most improved wide receiver we have. He's come a long way. He was 180 (pounds) last season. I want to say he's 195 now. Ingram has made great strides and he's ready to play. He's pretty close to being game ready."

This and that

Many of the players Monday practiced in white helmets. They are the throwback helmets the Gators will wear in the Alabama game this season to celebrate 100 years of UF football. "Instead of just busting them out the week before the game, we're going to let them practice in them every once in a while just to get used to wearing them," Meyer said. ... Former Utah cornerback Ryan Smith watched Monday's practice and is expected to be cleared to practice today. Smith graduated from Utah this summer and is entering the graduate program at UF. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. ... Outside linebacker Jon Demps, who missed most of last season and the spring with a knee injury, is practicing and pushing for playing time. "His knee locked up a little bit (Sunday), but he's good. I don't want to say he's 100 percent because we have to see how he does when he gets hit," Meyer said.
Contact Robbie Andreu at 374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com.

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August 08. 2006 6:01AM
UF FOOTBALL
A speedy return

By ROBBIE ANDREU
Sun sports writer

Andre Caldwell is back from injury and faster than ever
The quickness, the sharp cuts, the speed, the confidence. They're all back.
So is the smile - that bright, irrepressible smile that tells you Andre Caldwell is back in his world. Back in the game. Back where he is happiest.
"It's real fun. I haven't been out here like this, 100 percent, in a long time," the junior Florida wide receiver said after Monday's practice. "It's exciting to be out here around the guys and having fun and playing football again."
In his first two preseason practices, Caldwell has looked like his old self again. He's catching short passes and turning them into long gains. He's sprinting behind the secondary. He's running with lots of speed and absolutely no apprehension.
Not that long ago, Caldwell was wondering if he'd ever be able to do this again. Urban Meyer has his doubts, too.
"I had that a lot," Caldwell said. "I didn't know if I'd be as fast as I was or have my ability back."
Said Meyer: "Any time there is a severe injury, you always worry about that. Once you got to know him and his family, I knew he'd be back. I'm awfully pleased."
Caldwell has come a long way since that sticky September night in The Swamp last season, when he lay sprawled on the grass, the femur bone in his right upper leg broken during a collision on his second-half kickoff return against Tennessee.
Surgery was performed to insert a rod in his leg. Not only was he out for the rest of the season, there were concerns he might never be the same player - with the same speed - he was before the injury.
Eleven months and a lot of rehab later, Caldwell is back. And maybe even faster than ever.
"My leg is 100 percent," he said. "When I'm out there playing, I don't feel it at all. After practice, everything is good. I'm just ready to play at 100 percent.
"About a month ago I started feeling I was getting it back and started running full speed."
Caldwell said knew he was all the way back when he and the rest of the players were timed in the 40-yard dash a few weeks ago.
He covered the 40 yards in 4.29 seconds, making him the fastest player on the team. And a faster player than he was before his injury.
"I'm a little faster than before I got hurt," he said. "I raced a lot of these guys and I beat everybody."
Despite Caldwell's 40-time and his strong early showing in practice, Meyer is reluctant to pronounce him 100 percent.
"I'm not going to say that yet," Meyer said. "I know he feels really good about himself, which makes us all feel good. I know one thing, his attitude, he's a different guy. I heard stories about (Caldwell's brother) Reche when he was here. Up there (with the New England Patriots), he's all business. Bubba (Andre) in the last year has become all business. I think Coach G (wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales) has done a great job with him.
"All those knee injuries (on the team) and the femur (to Caldwell), that's all fine and nice out here. It's when will they feel confident with the contact and I can't answer that."
Caldwell said he is not concerned with those first hits when the pads are on in a few days.
"I've been playing football all my life," he said. "That's part of football. It ain't anything I've ever worried about. I'm a football player."
Caldwell was starting to come into his own as a player when he was injured. Being a football player on crutches is a role he does not want to play again.
"It was real frustrating," he said. "I just wanted to help my team, but I couldn't help them. That was the toughest thing about being hurt. It was real tough seeing them struggle knowing I could have contributed and helped them.
"I'm healthy now and I'm going to show why I need to be out on the field."
Caldwell said his family, teammates and coaches helped him get through his tough time, especially older brother Reche, who had recently recovered from a devastating knee injury.
"I talked to him almost every day," Caldwell said. "He said, 'Things like this happen for a reason. Keep faith in God.' He helped me get through all this."
Caldwell has a scar near his hip where the surgery was performed to insert the rod in his leg. He said it's a reminder that fortunes can change in a flash.
"I know mentally that things can change real quickly," he said. "But that's not a problem for me. I'm 100 percent again and I'm ready to play."
The smile confirms it.
Contact Robbie Andreu at 374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com.

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With age comes wisdom: Experience abundant on `06 Florida team
2006-08-08
by Leonard Butts
of The Daily Times Staff

The Florida Gators have something that no other SEC team has this season -- a senior quarterback with three years of starting experience.

That plus 14 returning starters and 20 seniors makes coach Urban Meyer's squad the team to beat in the Eastern Division.

``The teams I've been fortunate enough to be around and that have had great success are driven by seniors,'' Meyer said. ``I'm anxious to get around these guys and see if they can provide the leadership we need.''

At the center of Florida's successful 10-3 season last year was quarterback Chris Leak, who had to adapt to Meyer's style of coaching and offense. Despite the change in offensive philosophy, Leak managed to throw for 2,639 yards and 20 touchdowns, with just six interceptions.

Although Parade All-American, freshman quarterback Tim Tebow is drawing a lot of attention while waiting in the wings, the Gators are still Leak's show.

``He had a very good year in the spread offense,'' Meyer said. ``He won more games that he's ever won. His completion percentage was higher. He threw half as many interceptions.

``The only criticism of Chris Leak right now, in my opinion, is that he has not won a championship.''

Leak says he has become more of a vocal leader after a year in the Meyer system and has confidence that he can captain the team.

``Coach from day one said that he wanted to build this system around me and strong players like me,'' Leak said.

``I just have to go out and think about my teammates and be their leader.''

It will be easier for Leak to lead this season if his receivers stay healthy. Production dropped offensively last year as starters went to the bench with injuries then picked up when they returned.

``He (Leak) had some very good statistics early in the year. Most importantly, I think we won the first four games,'' Meyer said. ``The common denominator is he had a healthy group of receivers on the outside.''

Three of those receivers are back as senior starters. Dallas Baker, the second leading pass catcher last season, anchors the group. He was the MVP of last year's Outback Bowl victory over Iowa. Jamalle Cornelius and Andre Caldwell also return.

In the backfield, starter Deshawn Wynn will try to duplicate last year's feat of leading the ground game with 621 yards. Meyer wasn't all that happy with his running backs, however, and expects more in 2006.

``A group of three running backs was not near what the University of Florida should expect,'' Meyer said. ``Markus Manson and Deshawn Wynn are back. Completely different attitude and work ethic, which is all you really care about.'' Manson rushed for 365 yards last season.

Meyer also singled out Kestahn Moore, a sophomore, as having worked hard to prepare for this season.

Defensively, the Gators will be replacing three of the four starters in the secondary, as well as a defensive end and a linebacker.

Meyer's focus, however, is more on developing a team attitude than on having individual players carry a team.

``Toughness is the number one element,'' he said.

The Gators host Southern Mississippi and Central Florida before opening SEC play in Knoxville against Tennessee on Sept. 16.

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Tuesday, August 8, 2006 12:00 am
Tebow calm with offense, players

By LOUIS ANASTASIS
Alligator Staff Writer

The only thing young about Tim Tebow is his face.

The quarterback spent his second day of fall camp throwing balls with the spunk of a rocket launcher and looking like any other upperclassman on the team.

In case you were wondering, Tebow has not been granted a waiver of his freshman classes.

"I'm comfortable out there, and I'm getting more comfortable as the days go by," Tebow said. "I don't think there's anything that [makes me feel] too uncomfortable."

Of course, the more Tebow proves he has acclimated himself to the spread offense, the more fans will insist he replace entrenched starter and senior Chris Leak. This does not do justice to Leak, whom Tebow is a huge fan of.

"I was watching Chris throw the ball; there's not too many people in the world who can throw a prettier pass than Chris," Tebow said. "Every day, it's awesome to come out here and work with a quarterback like that. He's the best I've ever seen. I think, since I've been here, he's thrown two balls that weren't spirals."

DEFENSIVE TACKLE REINSTATED: After announcing just hours earlier that a decision on reinstating defensive tackle Steven Harris was still a few days away, UF coach Urban Meyer allowed Harris back onto the field Sunday night.

Harris practiced with his teammates during the night session beginning at 8:05. It marked the first time Harris, a starter, had participated in any team-related activities since the start of spring practice. Harris also practiced Monday but declined to speak to the media.

Meyer had dismissed the defensive tackle from spring camp for undisclosed personal issues.

RYAN SMITH SIGHTING: Former Utah cornerback Ryan Smith stopped by UF's practice Monday, all but ensuring he will play for the Gators this season.

"[I can't comment today] but I probably will tomorrow," Meyer said.

Wearing a blue muscle shirt and black mesh shorts, Smith stretched and warmed up along the sidelines as if he was about to practice. However, he only ran a few sprints and then watched the remainder of practice.

Smith was a Freshmen All-American under Meyer in 2004 but played sparingly after the coach's departure. If and when he joins UF, he will also enroll in graduate school.

FRESHMAN HAS SURGERY: Safety Bryan Thomas, a highly touted recruit from Zephyrhills, underwent knee surgery Monday and will miss four to six weeks.

"They said it was very painful," Meyer explained. " ...That hurts us a little bit on the back end [of the safety position]."

Thomas twisted his knee several weeks ago; a recent MRI showed that he burst a blood vessel in the afflicted area.

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Urban Meyer's goal is to elevate UF from good to great

Dave Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted August 9 2006

GAINESVILLE -- Urban Meyer peeked at his notes and sighed.

He had repeated this message all spring and summer, to diehards and to donors, from Palm Beach to the Panhandle. But one more repeat, he knew, brought him closer to trying to put the words into action.

"I'll close with this," he said, and an audience of close to 500 tuned him in. "If you've listened to me talk or if you've followed our program at all, our goal is very simple. And that is to become a great football team."

Simple, Meyer says, and for most Florida fans, the thought of the Gators returning to greatness is as simple as breathing. But the journey there, which continues during this opening week of preseason practice, is anything but.

In two stretches last season, Meyer glimpsed a great team. On Thanksgiving weekend, when UF blitzed Florida State, and again Jan. 2, as the players and coaches belted out a celebratory chorus of "The Orange and Blue" after an Outback Bowl victory against Iowa, there were signs: accountability and discipline leading up to the games, unselfish play during them, victory at the end.

The mission, then, is to make every week of 2006 like those that finished the '05 season. And it's up to Meyer, praised for his work ethic and winning at Bowling Green and Utah, to pull it off.

"There's a genuineness about Urban and a passion," former Gators defensive end Jack Youngblood said. "As a player, you can sense whether it's real or contrived.

Later, Youngblood said, "We've all seen that Urban is real, that he's the man for this job."

To further define his job, Meyer stacks the nation's teams into four categories.

At the bottom sit the also-rans, teams full of players who wear their teams' gear, eat free meals and show up Saturdays to play.

Next come the good teams, the level where UF spent much of last season. Great athletes fill those rosters, but distractions off the field and lack of commitment on and around it make consistency and championships impossible.

The descriptions also fit the past few seasons for the Gators.

They have won one Southeastern Conference title since winning the national championship in 1996. They haven't reached the SEC Championship Game since 2000. They have lost at least three games in each of the past four seasons, and only finished one of those seasons with a bowl win.

Above good teams on Meyer's chart are great teams, which eliminate mistakes on and off the field, possess the best players and coaches, and play in prime time come the first week of January.

A string of great teams equals a great program, in Meyer's mind the ultimate in college football. Florida was at that realm in the mid-1990s, making a young assistant in the Midwest take notice.

"I became a fan of Florida football watching those guys," Meyer said at a July Gator Club Gathering in Jacksonville. "Before that, I really didn't know much. But those were great teams."

The good-to-great goal is nothing new in college sports, or even around UF's campus. Basketball coach Billy Donovan's national champions earned the "great team" distinction from Meyer this spring. Women's basketball coach Carolyn Peck mandated her staff read Good to Great by Jim Collins, a book that explores how 11 corporations made such a jump. The phrase became a team motto last season, when the Gators beat two top-five teams and reached the NCAA Tournament.

But Meyer's progress toward "great" has taken a more practical and public path. His first steps dealt with personnel, both in the locker room and the football office. Despite a three-loss 2005 season and criticism of his offense, he kept his position coaches and coordinators and gave almost all of them a salary bump. Then, he and his staff signed 27 players for one of the nation's top-ranked recruiting classes; 26 of them showed up for workouts in July (Derrick Robinson elected to play pro baseball).
Just as important, some of the team's problems have disappeared.

Quarterback Josh Portis, whose attitude at times irritated teammates and whose mother irritated the staff, transferred to Maryland. Cornerback Dee Webb, who owned the guns that nearly got four Gators arrested in February, now is a Jacksonville Jaguar. Cornerback Avery Atkins, whose conduct dented the team's chemistry, left the program last month.

In every case, the players seemed unable to communicate with Meyer, a problem he won't tolerate.

"If you're straight with Coach, he's going to be straight with you," former UF cornerback Vernell Brown said. "That's one of the best things about him. He's a guy who wants to know about you, talk to you, help you out."

Meanwhile, Meyer has tried to immerse the new players and the returnees in a winning atmosphere. The coach's "Champions Club," ballyhooed last season as a novel approach to team bonding and motivation, has returned for an encore. Freshman quarterback Tim Tebow sported a T-shirt Sunday that proved his membership. In the past year, the squad has listened to former players talk about Gator glory days, including players from the 1996 team who'll return for t