Last chance for the SEC East's fifth-year seniors

It's your Daily Football Fix! Our staff writers are here to help get you through the long, hot summer with a daily dose of college football.

It's now or never.

There are just a handful of fifth-year seniors still in the Southeastern Conference who were highly touted recruits from the Class of 2007. Here's a rundown of SEC East seniors with one last chance to shine. We'll look at the SEC West on Tuesday.

FLORIDA

John Brantley, ESPN's No. 4 QB: The 2006 Gatorade National Player of the Year was thought to be in perfect position to succeed Tim Tebow but instead suffered a disastrous first season as the Gators' starting quarterback. With Charlie Weis taking over, the hope is that he can work his magic and add Brantley to his list of rehabilitated QBs.

Deonte Thompson, Scout's No. 3 WR: A consensus five-star prospect, Thompson was expected to be a do-it-all receiver for the Gators. He showed up with 4.28 speed and a reputation for being strong and physical. However, unreliable hands have prevented Thompson from being a consistent threat. He'll have one last chance in Weis' pro-style offense.

James Wilson, Rivals' No. 1 OG: Wilson has battled injuries his entire career and has struggled to make an impact on the field with just five career starts. He missed the last 10 games of the 2010 season and had surgery on his left knee. Florida appears desperate for healthy O-linemen in 2011.

Chris Rainey, Scout's No. 5 RB: Rainey has been an impact player throughout his career, but has run into trouble with a couple of key injuries. Rainey received a medical redshirt after his true freshman season was ended by a shoulder injury. He injured a leg during the 2008 BCS National Championship Game. Rainey also was kicked off the team after an aggravated stalking charge during the 2010 season. When he returned to the team late last year, he was its best offensive player.

Jaye Howard, ESPN's No. 9 DE: After redshirting his first season, Howard began to gradually improve and put on enough weight to move to defensive tackle. He now has the size, strength and skill to be an ideal fit for Will Muschamp's multiple-formation defense, as he can play inside and outside in a 4-3 defense as well as at end in a 3-4 defense.

GEORGIA

Aron White, Rivals' No. 1 TE: White has never lived up to his lofty status as a heralded recruit, instead settling in as a solid blocker who can catch the odd pass. He is behind Orson Charles on the depth chart and could lose time to true freshman Jay Rome.

Caleb King, Scout's No. 4 RB: Injuries, inconsistent play and some off-the-field issues have limited King to five starts in each of the last two seasons, but heading into this fall he is atop the depth chart. He'll have to hold off talented true freshman Isaiah Crowell.

Israel Troupe, ESPN's No. 6 WR: Troupe has flirted with pro baseball and the lack of focus on the football field is evidenced by 11 career receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown. Once again he's buried on the depth chart heading into 2011.

Trinton Sturdivant, ESPN's No. 8 OT: We'll give a special asterisk to this unlucky big fella. Sturdivant missed two full seasons with ACL tears in his left knee and will likely miss 2011 with an ACL tear in his right knee. He could apply for a medical hardship and go for a rare sixth season of college football. Stay tuned in 2012!

KENTUCKY

Stuart Hines, Rivals No. 25 OT: The best player in UK's Class of 2007, defensive end D.J. Stafford, didn't qualify or make it Kentucky. Hines has become a solid starter at guard in the last two years (24 starts in 36 games) and will do so again in 2011.

TENNESSEE

Ben Martin, Rivals' No. 2 DE: With a handful of transfers and Eric Berry leaving early for the NFL, Martin is the only player left from a distinguished class of 2007 for the Vols. After a torn left Achilles tendon cost Martin the entire 2010 season, he tore his right Achilles in February but hopes to return in time for the 2011 season.

VANDERBILT

Brandon Barden, Scout's No. 52 TE: The Commodores don't get too many blue-chippers, but Barden has been a solid starter for most of his career. He's started 30 games in three seasons and looks to continue the trend in 2011.

Larry Smith, Rivals' 25th dual-threat QB: The former Mr. Football in the state of Alabama, Smith has started 20 games in the last two seasons with uneven results. He'll have to fend off junior college transfer Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.

Another player transfers from UF

Redshirt freshman tight end Michael McFarland will transfer, Florida coach Will Muschamp announced Friday.

McFarland, a 6-foot-6, 235-pounder from Tampa, dressed for three games last season, but had yet to play. He enrolled at UF in January of 2009. He was ranked a four-star prospect and No. 12 tight end in the country by Scout.com as a prep senior. He chose Florida over Auburn, Boston College and South Carolina.

“Michael and I have come to the conclusion that it is in his best interest to transfer from the University of Florida,” Muschamp said in a release. “We wish him the best as he continues his career somewhere else.”

McFarland is the sixth player to transfer since Muschamp was hired to replace Urban Meyer, who stepped down in December.

Redshirt freshmen defensive end/linebacker Chris Martin, redshirt freshman wide receiver Chris Dunkley, freshmen receiver Javares McRoy and freshman running back Mike Blakely all decided to transfer for various reasons.

Senior cornerback Janoris Jenkins was dismissed from the team in the spring following two marijuana arrests in less than 90 days.

Gators by the numbers

A banner season for the UF athletic program:

13 top-10 national finishes by 2010-11 teams is just one away from the highest in school history.

9 conference titles by the Gators in 2010-11, including 8 Southeastern Conference wins to match league season record

12 Gators picked up conference player of the year/athlete of the year awards, including 11 SEC honors.

5 Gators named Capital One Academic All-Americans.

82 percent Graduation Success Rate for UF, as reported last fall in 2010 NCAA Federal Graduation Rate Data. Of the top 10 programs in the 2010-11 Learfield Sports Director's Cup Standings, Florida is one of five to post a GSR of 82 percent or higher in 2010. All Gator teams are in good academic standing in latest Academic Progress Report released late in May.

$61million contributed since 1990 by the UAA to UF to fund academic endeavors.

More than 1.1 million fans attended 186 2010-11 home events. Five UF teams ranked among the nation's top 10 in attendance.

436 student-athletes participated in 4,880 hours of community service in 2010-11, partnering with 24 local schools, 11 civic organizations and 27 non-profit organizations.

UF athletics program fourth in nation

A total of 13 top-10 finishes in national championships led the Florida athletics program to fourth overall in the 2010-11 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup.

It is Florida's third consecutive top four finish in the rankings. A pair of NCAA titles highlighted Florida's finishes, as eight teams placed among the nation's top five.

"There was much to celebrate this season with so many Gator teams performing so well in NCAA competition - including national titles for the women's tennis and men's indoor track & field teams," Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley said. "Our teams and coaches work very hard to contend for a spot among the nation's best. We certainly enjoy watching them compete as they represent this University very well. It all starts again this August and we look forward to what the next season holds."

Florida is the only program to finish among the nation's top 10 in each of the last 28 national all-sports standings. The Gator program turned in its top finish of second last year.

The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, presented annually by the nation's athletics directors, recognizes the schools with the best overall sports performances in an academic year. Points are awarded based on finishes and participation in 20 NCAA Division I sports. Stanford received its 17th consecutive Directors' Cup at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics convention earlier this month. Ohio State was second and California took third.

Florida's 13 top-10 national team finishes in 2010-11 is the second-highest in school history, just one away from the program's record of 14 set last year. This is the 10th consecutive year that 10 or more Gator athletic teams finished among the nation's top 10.

Two Florida teams earned NCAA titles in 2011 - women's tennis and men's indoor track & field - with both wins coming at the home venue of the runner-up. The win was the second consecutive for the Gator men's indoor track & field team, as UF used a 12-point margin over Texas A&M to take the trophy in College Station, Texas. Florida's women's tennis team claimed their fifth NCAA title with a thrilling 4-3 win over Stanford. The win halted top-seeded Stanford's NCAA-record 184 consecutive home-match win streak and its 47-match overall win streak.

It was a banner season at UF. As reported by Gatorsports.com on Monday, the UF men's program won the inaugural Capital One Cup and the women finished fourth. The Capital One Cup honors NCAA Division I athletics programs for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple men's and women's sports. The school will be formally honored along with the women's Capital One Cup winner, Stanford, at the ESPY Awards televised by ESPN on July 13, during which the Capital One Cup trophy will be presented along with a $200,000 donation to fund student-athlete graduate-level scholarships.

Florida claimed a total of nine conference titles in 2010-11, including the program's newest sport winning the American Lacrosse Conference crown. In Southeastern Conference action, Florida matched the league's and the program's record with eight team championships in 2010-11 - baseball, men's basketball, women's cross country, men's golf, soccer, women's tennis, men's indoor track & field and volleyball. Those titles helped UF sweep the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group SEC All-Sports titles. It was the 21st overall title for UF, 18th women's and 15th men's.

Individually, eight Gators claimed a total of six NCAA individual titles in 2011. Senior Brett Fraser won the 200 freestyle title and joined Conor Dwyer, Sebastien Rousseau and Jeffrey Raymond on the winning 800-yard freestyle relay. The NCAA triple jump titles went to a pair of Gator juniors, with Will Claye taking the indoor win and Christian Taylor claiming the outdoor crown. Junior Jeff Demps successfully defended his 60 meter dash title at the NCAA Indoor Championships. At the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, sophomore Marissa King became the first Gator since 1998 to win an event title, claiming the vault crown.

Florida was also successful away from the athletic arena in 2010-11. A total of five UF student-athletes earned Capital One Academic All-America honors. Of the top 10 programs in the 2010-11 Learfield Sports Director's Cup Standings, Florida is one of five to post a NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 82 percent or higher in 2010.

Three Gators named to CFPA defensive watch list

Jonathan Bostic, Jeremy Brown and Jaye Howard were named to the College Football Performance Defensive Awards Watch List.


Bostic, who was on the CFPA Linebacker Trophy list, played in all 13 games of his sophomore season and finished tied for third on the team with 57 tackles. Bostic had three interceptions, ranking him eighth nationally among linebackers.

Howard was named to the CFPA Defensive Lineman Trophy list after a strong redshirt junior season in which he appeared in 11 games and tallied 10 tackles for loss.

Brown, a CFPA Defensive Back Trophy nominee, is coming off his first full season in a Gator uniform after dealing with back issues his first two years. The Orlando native appeared in 11 games, with 10 starts, and ranked eighth in the SEC in passes defended with 0.80 per game.

Mike Zunino, Preston Tucker named ABCA All-Americans

Sophomore catcher Mike Zunino and junior outfielder Preston Tucker were named All-Americans by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) on Thursday. Zunino was named to the first team, while Tucker was named for the second team.

It was another All-American selection for Zunino, the SEC Player of the Year, who had already been named an All-American by Baseball America, Perfect Game, Louisville Slugger and National College Baseball Writers Association. It’s the first All-American honor for Tucker.

Both Tucker and Zunino were also named first-team All-South Region by the ABCA, while senior second baseman Josh Adams and sophomore Hudson Randall were second-team recipients.

Zunino led the second-ranked Gators and was among the league leaders in batting average (.371), total bases (178), hits (98), runs (75), doubles (23), homers (19), slugging percentage (.674) and on-base percentage (.442). He registered a .995 fielding percentage, with three errors in 570 chances, and is a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award.

A first-team All-SEC pick and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 NCAA Gainesville Regional, Tucker batted .308 with a team-best 74 RBI, 55 runs, 28 walks and 23 doubles in 72 games. During the Gators’ 11 NCAA Tournament outings, he totaled 20 RBI and had 11 extra-base hits (six doubles and five homers) on his way to a .304 (14-for-46) clip. Tucker hit .311 with 25 runs, 22 RBI, seven doubles and four homers in conference action this spring.

Another player transfers from UF

Redshirt freshman tight end Michael McFarland will transfer, Florida coach Will Muschamp announced Friday.

McFarland, a 6-foot-6, 235-pounder from Tampa, dressed for three games last season, but had yet to play. He enrolled at UF in January of 2009. He was ranked a four-star prospect and No. 12 tight end in the country by Scout.com as a prep senior. He chose Florida over Auburn, Boston College and South Carolina.

“Michael and I have come to the conclusion that it is in his best interest to transfer from the University of Florida,” Muschamp said in a release. “We wish him the best as he continues his career somewhere else.”

McFarland is the sixth player to transfer since Muschamp was hired to replace Urban Meyer, who stepped down in December.

Redshirt freshmen defensive end/linebacker Chris Martin, redshirt freshman wide receiver Chris Dunkley, freshmen receiver Javares McRoy and freshman running back Mike Blakely all decided to transfer for various reasons.

Senior cornerback Janoris Jenkins was dismissed from the team in the spring following two marijuana arrests in less than 90 days.

Previewing the season: UF at South Carolina

With just more than two months until the football season opener, we’re taking a look at the Gators’ 2011 opponents. Today, it’s the defending Eastern Division champion South Carolina Gamecocks.
Nov. 12 – at South Carolina
Last meeting: Nov. 13, 2010 – South Carolina 36, Florida 14
Series record & streak: Florida leads 23-5, with South Carolina winning the last one
Starters lost/returning: 6/7 offense; 7/6 defense
Scouting the Gamecocks: Florida’s loss to the Gamecocks last year let Gators fans know just how poor the state of affairs was. Yes, they had lost three in a row in October for the first time since 1988, but UF entered a home game with South Carolina with an Eastern Division title on the line. Steve Spurrier took it, the first ever for the Gamecocks. It wouldn’t be surprising for this game to have the same implications this year.
South Carolina comes in expected to compete for a division title and features two of the best playmakers in the conference in RB Marcus Lattimore and WR Alshon Jeffery, Plenty depends on the status of redshirt senior QB Stephen Garcia, though. He was suspended this spring for a fifth time at South Carolina. He’s returned to the team with guidelines to follow, and if he plays, he can help the offense be one of the best in the conference. Spurrier has expressed confidence in Connor Shaw. With the caliber of players around the QB, South Carolina should be in a good position on offense whether Garcia stays out of trouble or not.
Defensively, South Carolina adds DE Jadeveon Clowney, the top recruit from the 2011 class and a one-man wrecking crew. He’s expected to make an immediate impact, which should help improve one of the conference’s best rushing defenses from a year ago.
Most interesting storyline: Will it be for a division title or won’t it? Georgia and South Carolina are favored to win the East, but predictions for Florida have been more conservative given that no one knows what the team will look like under Will Muschamp. This game could make a statement for either team, establishing South Carolina as a team to be reckoned with in the East or possibly finishing a better-than-expected season for Florida.
Be sure to check out earlier previews of the Gators’ opponents this season.
Sept. 3 – vs. Florida Atlantic
Sept. 10 – vs. UAB
Sept. 17 – vs. Tennessee
Sept. 24 – at Kentucky
Oct. 1 – vs. Alabama
Oct. 8 – at LSU
Oct. 15 – at Auburn
Oct. 29 – vs. Georgia
Nov. 5 – vs. Vanderbilt

University of Florida Men's Athletics Program Captures Inaugural Capital One Cup Trophy

McLean, Va. (June 30, 2011) – Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF), an official NCAA® Corporate Champion, today announced that the University of Florida men’s athletics program is the winner of the inaugural Capital One Cup. The school will be formally honored along with the women’s Capital One Cup winner, Stanford University, at the ESPY Awards televised by ESPN on July 13, during which the Capital One Cup trophy will be presented along with a $200,000 donation to fund student-athlete graduate-level scholarships. Launched in the fall of 2010, the Capital One Cup honors NCAA Division I athletics programs for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple men’s and women’s sports.

“On behalf of the university, our student athletes and our fans, we are honored to accept the inaugural Capital One Cup trophy and $200,000 scholarship,” said University of Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley. “Our goal is to strive for overall athletic success, and we’re extremely proud of our men’s program winning the Capital One Cup and our women’s program placing fourth. Thank you to Capital One and its affiliated companies for their support of intercollegiate athletics.”

Climbing from the sixth-place position that they held prior to the NCAA Men’s College World Series, the Gators advanced all the way to the championship series at the CWS, finishing second in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches’ baseball poll and securing the necessary points to claim an overall first-place finish in the men’s Capital One Cup standings with a total of 93 points. Like the women’s competition, the winner of the men’s Capital One Cup came down to the final NCAA Division I championship of the year, the NCAA Men’s College World Series, with six out of the eight qualifying teams having the chance to win the inaugural men’s Capital One Cup. The University of Virginia finished second in the final men’s Capital One Cup standings with 82 points, followed by Auburn and Texas A&M, who tied for third place, and Stanford University.

“On behalf of Capital One, we’d like to congratulate the University of Florida for winning the inaugural men’s Capital One Cup,” said Capital One Chief Marketing Officer, Bill McDonald. “It was exciting to see so many programs, including schools like Eastern Washington, stay in contention for the trophy throughout the year. The Gators’ performance at the CWS and at multiple other NCAA Division I championships, including their National Championship at the indoor track and field championship, proves that every game, match and meet counts.”

The Gators rounded out the spring athletics season with Top 10 finishes in outdoor track and field, tennis and baseball. Earlier in the year, Florida made strides in the winter season with Top 10 finishes in basketball, swimming and diving, and an impressive first-place finish at the indoor track and field championship.

The final stretch of the race for the Capital One Cup took place during the spring athletics season with five sports in play to determine the champion. Highlights from the Capital One Cup during the 2010 – 2011 men’s athletics season include:

• Seventy-five men’s programs earned points

• Florida placed in the Top 10 in six championships including basketball, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, tennis, outdoor track and field and baseball

Below are the official men’s Capital One Cup final standings for the 2010 – 2011 athletics season, with only the Top 10 point earners in men’s Division I athletics listed.

Men’s Capital One Cup Final Standings

1 – Florida (93 pts) 2 – Virginia (82 pts) 3 – Auburn (70 pts) 3 – Texas A&M (70 pts) 5 – Stanford (69 pts) 6 – Cal (61 pts) 7 – Connecticut (60 pts) 7 – Eastern Washington (60 pts) 7 – South Carolina (60 pts) 10 – Ohio State (52 pts)

“All the student-athletes in the Gators’ men’s athletics program as well as their fans should be proud of this accomplishment,” said Capital One Cup Advisory Board member and former Oklahoma State baseball player, Robin Ventura. “The Capital One Cup represents commitment, dedication and hard work at all levels of the NCAA Division I competitions. Florida proved that with those three attributes they could overcome all challenges even at the last minute and move their program from sixth place to a well-deserved first place finish. Congratulations to the Florida Gators.”

The Capital One Cup men’s and women’s winners will be formally honored at the ESPY Awards televised by ESPN on July 13. The men’s and women’s final standings can be found at CapitalOneCup.com/standings as well as at Facebook.com/CapitalOneCup.

O'Sullivan: 'We Want to Finish This Thing Off'

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – As fireworks went off and the garnet-and-black streamers littered the field, South Carolina’s players raced to the mound to join the fun.

They formed the traditional dogpile to celebrate their second consecutive national championship on Tuesday night at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.

The Gators leaned on their dugout railing. Barely anyone said a word. They watched the Gamecocks let their emotions run rampant. Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan wanted his team to absorb the scene and remember it.

“We needed to show some class,’’ O’Sullivan said afterward. “I know this was hard for them. I didn’t want them to hang their heads. I wanted to them to hold their heads high, and as tough as it was to watch another team to celebrate, that was the right thing to do at that point.’’

O’Sullivan’s orders had added meaning for those Gators who will be back next season. By watching South Carolina celebrate, the younger Gators could carry the images with them back home and into the offseason.

The intended message is clear: that could be you one day.

The Gators won a school-record 53 games in 2011. They made back-to-back trips to Omaha for the first time in school history. And they advanced to the championship series after losing two games and returning home in 2010.

Still, they left with the national runner-up trophy. That’s not the one they wanted.

“It’s nice to make steps, but to be honest with you, the idea is to win this thing,’’ O’Sullivan said. “Our goal year in and year out is going to be to win a national championship. I think we have the pieces in place – the facilities, etc., to be one of those teams. We’re going to be back here.

“We want to finish this thing off.’’

The Gators appeared on the verge of taking a big step toward that goal on Monday night when they loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1. The score was tied 1-1.

All Florida needed to take a 1-0 lead in the series was a fly ball. Instead, South Carolina escaped the trouble with a pair of stellar defensive plays, won the game in 11 innings, and took Game 2 behind a strong outing by starter Michael Roth.

Just like that, the season was over and disappointment settled in.

“It hurts a lot more this year, making it to the finals and getting that much closer,’’ sophomore starting pitcher Hudson Randall said. “It’s definitely heartbreaking.’’

The Gators returned home late Wednesday afternoon knowing that the group of players who walked off the field Tuesday will never play together as a team again.

An emotional Josh Adams took several moments in the postgame press conference to regain his composure when asked to sum up the ride the 2011 Gators enjoyed. This was a team that people expected in Omaha from the season’s first pitch in February.

They didn’t disappointment. Once they got there, the Gators opened with a win over Texas and then back-to-back wins against SEC East rival Vanderbilt to advance to the championship series.

They finally met their match in the Gamecocks, who extended their NCAA-record win streak in the NCAA Tournament with a pair of wins over the Gators.

A senior who arrived at the same time as O’Sullivan in the summer of 2007, Adams is glad he remained committed to Florida once O’Sullivan took over the program after he had already signed. Adams is confident the Gators will someday finish off what the last two Gators teams have started: a tradition of playing in Omaha regularly.

“These coaches are the best coaches in the nation,’’ Adams said. “As a player they help you grow. I think they help you grow even more as a person. They are going to keep grinding. That’s the mentality we have here. That’s definitely what is going to leave with me. These coaches have done great things.’’

This is a team that will have question marks entering next season, most notably how to replace a bullpen loaded with depth. Relievers Nick Maronde, Anthony DeSclafani, Greg Larson and Tommy Toledo were all drafted earlier this month and are considering professional options.

Junior left-hander Alex Panteliodis, who won 11 games as a sophomore and made three clutch starts in the postseason, is likely to turn pro. The Gators also lose Adams and center fielder Bryson Smith from the everyday lineup.

Still, there is ample talent returning that will ensure the Gators of opening next season ranked high in the polls. The starting rotation of Hudson Randall, Brian Johnson and Karsten Whitson returns, as does closer Austin Maddox and left-hander Steven Rodriguez.

SEC Player of the Year Mike Zunino returns behind the plate and Preston Tucker, a junior outfielder/first baseman who led the team with 74 RBI, can return unless he signs with the Colorado Rockies, who drafted him in the 16th round.

The starting rotation alone makes the Gators a strong contender in the SEC once again.

“We’ve got a good group of core guys coming back,’’ Randall said. “We’ve got a lot of players who have played a lot. We understood what it took to get this far and we did it. In the end, we didn’t play well enough to get two more wins.

“Hopefully we’ll be back here next year.’’

That’s the plan. It will remain that way as long as O’Sullivan, who now has two CWS trips in his four seasons, is calling the shots from the dugout.

“On our way home we’ll already be talking about next year,’’ he said.