Category Archives: Florida Gators Football

Jeff Choate Named Florida Gators’ New Outside Linebackers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator

  By The Bull Gator | April 17, 2013 - 8:01 pm | Florida Gators Football
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Will Muschamp has filled his staff with the hiring of Jeff Choate. On Wednesday, the Florida Gators announced the hiring of Choate as the new outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. Choate comes to the Gator from UTEP where he spent just the spring season.

Jeff Choate - Florida Gators

Yes, that’s correct. Choate came to the Miners as UTEP’s new defensive coordinator this spring after spending last season coaching linebackers under Mike Leach at Washington State. Despite not coaching with the Miners for even one regular season, Choate mentioned the opportunity to be a part of a program like Florida was just too good to pass up.

Choate has a few connections to the Gators. He visited Florida during spring practice a year ago and spent time with Muschamp while the Gators’ head coach was at Texas. Despite not working on the same staff until now, Muschamp and Choate had shared philosophies on numerous occasions. Choate also spent six years as an assistant coach at Boise State with current Florida offensive coorindator Brent Pease.

Muschamp hopes Choate will bring the same philosophies and intensity to the Gators that the head coach has tried to instill during his stint with the orange and blue.

Defensive Line Coach Bryant Young Resigns, Cites Family

  By The Bull Gator | April 12, 2013 - 1:12 pm | Florida Gators Football
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If it feels like we’ve heard this before, it may be because we have. But this time it feels different, so let’s go ahead and give Bryant Young the benefit of the doubt. Young resigned from his position as the Florida Gators’ defensive line coach earlier this week, citing wanting to spend more time with his family.

Bryant Young - Florida Gators

Young, who has six kids, feels it’s time for him to spend more time with his children and enjoy family life. The now former assistant coach has been coaching in the college ranks since 2009. Before that, Young spent 14 years in the NFL as an All-Pro defensive lineman with the San Francisco 49ers.

Gators’ head coach Will Muschamp praised Young and only had good things to say about his time with Florida. He noted that he respected Young’s decision and will support both him and his family. At the moment, there seems to be no other reason for Young’s departure than a man that wanted to spend more time with his family. And we’ll choose to believe that despite whatever past experiences we as Florida fans may have had.

Orange and Blue Debut Becomes Glorified Practice; Are the Days of a Spring ‘Game’ Gone?

  By The Bull Gator | April 7, 2013 - 3:37 pm | Florida Gators Football
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The Orange and Blue Debut was more spring practice and less spring game this time around, and it may be a sign of things to come.

Jeff Driskel - Florida Gators

Under former head coach Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators’ annual spring game took on a differing look depending on the whim of the coach. In mid-game, if Meyer wanted the field goal unit to keep kicking and kicking and kicking, they did just that. Under current head coach Will Muschamp, not much has changed. Gone may be the days of a true game and here to stay may be a glorified practice designed to end the spring in front of Florida fans in The Swamp.

There were reasons for the altered format and it had mostly to do with injuries. A depleted offensive line only allowed the Gators a practice environment. Without the ability to run out two full units, Florida turned the spring game into a scrimmage at times and a practice session at others. It came down to whatever works and whatever you can do with what you have.

There’s little to take from the Gators’ spring game, and even less so if it truly becomes a practice session like it did on Saturday. For every spring star that doesn’t bring that talent with him to the fall, there is a player that is relatively quiet during the spring semester only to break out when the games that count begin. Feel free to be disappointed now or overly excited at the prospect of a breakout star, but keep most of whatever it is you are thinking bottled up until August 31.

It’s hard to gauge exactly how much quarterback Jeff Driskel has improved. The passing game has to develop; that much we know. Offensive coordinator Brent Pease may find himself looking for work elsewhere if it doesn’t. It starts and ends with Driskel as he will enter the 2013 season as the undisputed leader of the offense. That wasn’t the case before the 2012 season. An 11-2 record may have given the soon-to-be junior some confidence heading into 2013, but now he needs to make the plays to go with it. Driskel can use his running ability to his advantage, but with a talented stable of running backs, he may not need to. He needs to develop as a passer and stretch the field. We’re all waiting for the fireworks to come back to Florida’s offense. And we’re long past waiting patiently.

Speaking of the running backs, the starting job belongs to Matt Jones and that’s a good thing. Jones came on strong in limited action as a freshman, ending the 2012 regular season with his coming out party in the victory over instate rival Florida State. Jones has distanced himself from the pack during spring practice, but there’s still talent behind him. Mack Brown has stuck around and hopes to earn carries and then there’s the player we’ve all been waiting for years to see in a Gators’ uniform. Kelvin Taylor didn’t disappoint on Saturday and we all hope he has many more successful Saturdays in his future.

Like Taylor, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson enrolled early and was able to participate in spring practice. Unfortunately for Robinson, he missed eight practices due to a high-ankle sprain. Despite not being entirely healthy, the freshman was still able to show what he can bring to offense on Saturday. And fans weren’t the only ones impressed by Robinson. Muschamp is ready for Robinson to step in right away and cornerback Jaylen Watkins had the following to say:

“He got an injury and instead of backing down, he took on the challenge to go into the training room and get better and pushed out there while he was hurting. Today he was limping and still making great catches. When you see a guy like that, you know he has something great.” – Jaylen Watkins, Cornerback, Florida Gators

The spring has ended for the Gators and now the true wait begins. We have more than four months before we see the orange and blue in action again and all we have until then are the memories of the spring game that wasn’t a game at all. That leaves us plenty of time to discuss debate the good and the bad we expect to see from the Gators in the fall. It may be premature, but it feels mildly appropriate to break out the first one of these for the 2013 season now–just win.

The Post-Football Hangover

  By The Bull Gator | March 1, 2013 - 10:00 am | Florida Gators Football
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There’s a need for many bloggers to explain why they go through slow periods with few updates. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why they do this and I’m just as guilty as the rest. I could get into the usual suspects and surely bore you with excuses like work or family or even writer’s block. Realistically though, you only come here for one reason–the Florida Gators–so I’ll do my best to keep any explanations of my random disappearances related to the team/program/school we love.

Sad Football

I grew up like many young sports fans. Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer–it was all wonderful. I didn’t have a favorite sport back then. As long as two teams were competing, I was interested. And then I grew up.

As I reached my teenage years, my true loves defined themselves. My baseball career flamed out after one game and one sadistic pitcher determined to test the shock absorbency of my batting helmet. While I played more soccer than anything else, it wasn’t as accessible as it is today. Finding a game on television was an impossibility. My football career wasn’t much better than my baseball one, but I enjoyed every minute of it despite my lack of any real talent.

Over time, I stopped following baseball almost completely. The regular season meant little to me and the postseason was even missed at times. I read everything I could to follow my favorite soccer leagues, but as I mentioned there was no TV. Basketball and hockey had their peaks and valleys, but football never wavered. And that’s where we are today.

We’ve now made it to March and the time when I come out of my post-football hangover. Almost. Until then, we trudge though a stagnant time once the season is over and signing day has passed. For the Florida fan, there are plenty of other options. The men’s basketball team, for example, is having quite the season (despite losing three of their last seven). But, for me, they all fall behind the beloved sport of football. So I and many others experience that hangover and enter a period of rest of sorts.

That rest is coming to an end though. College basketball excitement is reaching its peak and there are always what annually turn out to be successful baseball and softball programs clad in orange and blue. And when all else fails, there’s recruiting. Ah recruiting, the savior of many a quiet time.

So I welcome myself back as I attempt to rejoin the masses. There’s more to Florida Gators life than football. Even if it takes us a month or so every year to realize it.

Florida Gators Arrest Update: Charges Dropped Against Louchiez Purifoy

  By Evandagator | February 22, 2013 - 8:10 am | Florida Gators Football
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After his run-in with the law over two weeks ago, Florida Gators cornerback Louchiez Purifoy’s criminal stretch is no more, as the Gainesville state attorney’s office has decided to drop its case against Purifoy, due to lack of evidence. Purifoy, a fan-favorite for many, was arrested for allegedly being present in a car containing marijuana. Before the case was dropped, Purifoy faced a misdemeanor.

Purifoy’s case was likely dropped because the young Gator was in the back of the car, while the cannabis was found in the front. The Florida Gators’ MVA (Most Valuable Attorney) Huntley Johnson defended Purifoy.

Purifoy will now moves past his arrest, and Will Muschamp has surely already conversed/scolded/advised Purifoy, so that’s a good thing. We hope Louchiez can learn from the mistake, and hopefully pick his “crowd” more responsibly. The cornerback will actually be playing some wide receiver in Spring practice, according to Coach Muschamp.

On a lighter note, here’s one of our funnier Gators moments, starring Mr. Purifoy and future NFL Draft pick Matt Elam. No Gators were hurt in the making of the video below, though tempers flared.

 

Jelani Jenkins Declares For NFL Draft; LB Becomes Fourth To Leave Florida Gators Early

  By The Bull Gator | January 8, 2013 - 11:05 pm | Florida Gators Football
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In a somewhat surprising move, Florida Gators’ redshirt junior linebacker Jelani Jenkins has declared his intention to enter the 2013 NFL Draft. Jenkins joins fellow early draft entrants safety Matt Elam, defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and tight end Jordan Reed.

Jelani Jenkins - Florida Gators

Though not lacking in potential or talent, Jenkins’ announcement is a bit of a shock because he could be deemed as the one of the four that would most benefit from another season with the Gators. Jenkins career wasn’t derailed by injuries, but they did slow his development at times. He came to the Gators as an all-world recruit, considered one of the better high school defensive players in the nation, but leaves with some feeling of “what if.” What if there hadn’t been a coaching change during his Florida career? What if he had been 100% healthy? What if he had played from day one? And what if he came back for one more season?

Jenkins is likely a mid-round pick as many teams might not believe they’ve seen enough to take him in the early rounds. He could be a sleeper if still available in the later rounds.

We’ll most remember Jenkins for one glorious moment that bailed the Gators out of possible disaster when he returned a block punt against Louisiana-Lafayette, sealing a Florida victory.

Transfer News: Florida Gators Bid Farewell To Jacoby Brissett, Chris Johnson

  By The Bull Gator | January 8, 2013 - 10:43 pm | Florida Gators Football
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We all knew this was coming. As much as we may have wanted a talented, highly-recruited quarterback sitting behind Jeff Driskel for the next two seasons, we knew that QB wouldn’t be Jacoby Brissett. The sophomore quarterback has now made it official, he will leave the Florida Gators, transferring to another school.

Jacoby Brissett - Florida Gators

This really is the best decision for Brissett. The ball had been given to Driskel and he wasn’t losing it any time soon. While Driskel took his lumps during the 2012 season, he also had moments that made us excited for 2013 and beyond. His stats won’t jump out at you, but 10-2 as a starter is something to build on. And because it has become obvious that Will Muschamp and Brent Pease will build behind Driskel, Brissett had to leave.

There are no hard feelings coming from this side at all toward Brissett. He went to battle against Driskel and lost. Now he has decided to move on. There will always be the “what could have been,” but it’s that case with any departing player. We (and by we, I mean me because many are split on this) wanted to see more of Brissett’s arm, but not necessarily at the expense of the overall package Driskel brings. They are two different quarterbacks and the coaches have to build the offense around one. So farewell Jacoby, we truly wish you luck.

Also announcing his intention to leave was one-time defensive back and current running back Chris Johnson. While Johnson was a special teams standout at times, he wasn’t able to crack the lineup on either the defensive or offensive side of the ball. Johnson had a less-than-memorable end to his Gators’ career after being ejected from the Sugar Bowl.

Jordan Reed To Forgo Senior Season; Florida Gators Tight End Will Enter NFL Draft

  By The Bull Gator | January 5, 2013 - 8:19 am | Florida Gators Football
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Florida Gators’ tight end Jordan Reed has joined safety Matt Elam and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd in declaring his intentions to enter the 2013 NFL Draft. Reed–the Gators’ leading pass catcher in 2012–will forgo his senior season for a chance to play at the next level.

Jordan Reed - Florida Gators

Reed led the Gators with 45 catches for 559 yards and 3 touchdowns during his junior season. Despite being the most reliable receiver on the roster, his orange and blue career ended with a quiet 7 yards on 1 reception in the Sugar Bowl loss to the Louisville Cardinals.

Looking back on Reed’s career will always be enjoyable to say the least. He came to Florida as a quarterback and–though minimal–got his chance to play the position during the 2010 season. Reed’s most memorable performance as a QB came that season in a 55-14 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. Reed was 11-for-19 for 120 yards, 1 passing touchdown and 1 interception while also rushing 16 times for 84 yards and another score.

Reed would only attempt one more pass after the 2010 season as the Florida coaches converted him to tight end full time in 2011. Over his final two seasons, he developed into a dangerous weapon with good speed and surprising power. Reed turned himself into an All-SEC TE and a possible future professional at the position. We should see Reed go in the first half of the 2013 NFL Draft.

The Gators have been building depth at tight end, but will miss Reed in 2013. This team has struggled to find go-to receivers in recent years and Reed clearly would have been the top choice next season.

Matt Elam, Sharrif Floyd Head To NFL; Florida Gators Say Goodbye To Two Stars

  By The Bull Gator | January 4, 2013 - 9:02 am | Florida Gators Football
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Even if we did see this coming, the sting is still real. Florida Gators’ junior safety Matt Elam and junior defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd have both announced they will forgo their senior seasons and enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

Matt Elam - Florida Gators

Eventually, there will be many things to smile about when looking back at the Florida Gators’ season. For the immediate future, we’ll only remember the Sugar Bowl loss, but when we come around and are ready to celebrate the 2012 season for it’s high points, Elam and Floyd will be among them.

Both came to Florida with great expectations and both left fulfilling them, using the hire of head coach Will Muschamp to springboard their success. Elam was an All-American as a junior and Floyd collected All-SEC honors. They both would have surely liked to have ended their Gator careers better, but neither can be blamed for testing the NFL waters either. Both are potential first-round draft picks and it’s hard to imagine either falling past the second round.

Elam was the spark to the defense in both 2012 and 2011. When there was little to celebrate during the 7-6 2011 season, Elam played like he was on fire. He was a vocal leader on the field and, although frustration could be seen rising from time to time, he played as an example to others. Elam’s reckless style earned him some unwanted penalties on occasion, but it also made him the player he was. Just take a look at the 2012 victory over the LSU Tigers as an example.

Floyd could be described as a little bit of a slow starter, but most defensive linemen are (ignore that Jadeveon Clowney character at South Carolina). Playing at one of the most difficult adjustment positions when it comes to learning the game at the college level, Floyd was moved from inside to outside and back again. He improved tremendously over the course of his career and was a dominate player wherever he lined up. We should be watching Floyd for years to come at the next level.

As Elam and Floyd make the next step in their football careers, we wish them the best of luck. Once a Gator…

Darrin Kitchens, Gator Nation Salutes You

  By The Bull Gator | January 3, 2013 - 5:28 pm | Florida Gators Football
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The picture to the right is of Florida Gators’ linebacker Darrin Kitchens. But that’s not the picture of Kitchens you want to see. The picture of Kitchens you should be looking at is here. Go ahead and click that link; you won’t regret it.

Darrin Kitchens - Florida Gators

On Wednesday night, after the Gators suffered a shocking and embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals, Kitchens stood alone. The reserve LB stood and sung the alma mater with the Florida band. He didn’t have to–it’s usually a celebratory moment after victories–but he did anyway.

So today, one day after we watched 60 minutes of ugly, we salute something wonderful. Something profoundly orange and blue. And something–I’ve been told–Kitchens has done before.

There was a lot not to like about the final Gators’ game of the 2012 college football season, but I’ll choose to enjoy this for a long time. It’s hard to find anything wrong with that image and we shouldn’t be trying to. Darrin Kitchens, Gator Nation salutes you.