"It was several things," Roosevelt Maggitt said. "The No. 1 reason was
we evaluated UF's history. I see guys get up there and then they get
pulled over for nonsense. I didn't want Curt to be involved in that.
>>>> Well clearly he investigated Tenn with the same fervor then...
because they havent exactly kept their noses clean.
On Sep 15, 2011, at 7:47 AM, JunoGator wrote:
FSU preparing for realignment possibilities, such as moving to SEC
or welcoming Texas into ACC
By TOM D'ANGELO Palm Beach Post
Florida State has begun taking forceful steps to prepare itself for
conference realignment, whether that means joining Florida in the
SEC or becoming part of an ACC super conference that may include
Texas.
With recent talk of a possible formation of four super conferences,
Andy Haggard, chairman of FSU's board of trustees, said Tuesday that
his school has begun forming a committee that will explore the
university's options. He says FSU should be prepared for any
scenario, whether it's moving to another conference or staying in
the ACC and having a say in who else may join the league. That could
mean Texas, which will seek to leave the Big 12 if Oklahoma and
Oklahoma State jump to the Pac-12, which is expected.
Texas A&M already is likely to leave the Big 12 for the SEC.
A high-ranking Texas source told the Austin American-Statesman that
the ACC has been in contact with Texas, although the talks have been
preliminary.
Haggard said he believes that if Oklahoma and Texas decide to leave
the Big 12 then "you will see dominoes fall."
Haggard, FSU President Eric Barron and Athletic Director Randy
Spetman have held meetings to determine who the decision-makers will
be when it comes to forming FSU's committee.
"We are going to explore the conferences, what's going on and make
sure if anything does happen at Florida State that we are ready,"
Haggard said from his law firm office in Coral Gables.
Haggard said the university has been discussing realignment
possibilities for some time but just now decided to take the next
step and form a committee. They hope to have that committee in place
by next week.
Haggard is not sure how many people will be on the committee but
speculates it will consist of representatives from the president's
office, the athletic department, Seminole Boosters, Inc., and former
athletes.
"If you are going to four conferences of 16 teams we certainly want
to be ready," Haggard said. "If the ACC is included in that we want
to be sure we are included and have a say so in regard to the teams
that are coming into our conference."
Florida State was rumored to be one of several schools the SEC was
considering for expansion last month. Conference presidents met Aug.
14 and decided it would take no action on expansion at that time.
This month the SEC voted to accept Texas A&M as its 13th member, but
the move stalled last week when one school (reportedly Baylor)
declined to waive its right to file a lawsuit if Texas A&M left the
conference. The SEC's invitation to Texas A&M came with the
stipulation that all Big 12 schools waive their right to sue.
Haggard confirmed that the Seminoles have not been approached by the
SEC and reiterated that FSU "is very happy" in the ACC.
It is unknown if the University of Miami, also a member of the ACC,
has discussed possible options.
The Big 12 and SEC have been at the center of realignment lately,
with the two conferences going in opposite directions.
Texas officials flew to Oklahoma this week to discuss conference
plans. One source told The Statesman that Oklahoma and Oklahoma
State are "set on leaving the Big 12" to become the Pac-12's 13th
and 14th members and that "the Big 12 is done."
The Pac-12 added Colorado and Utah this season.
SEC commissioner Mike Slive said on Monday he remains confident that
Texas A&M would join his league by the 2012 school year.
Coffee table faux pas one reason why star Curt Maggitt chose
Tennessee over Gators, father says
By JASON LIESER Palm Beach Post
GAINESVILLE — The biggest recruiting score in Tennessee coach Derek
Dooley's two years with the program might have been wrestling Curt
Maggitt away from Florida.
Maggitt, formerly a dominant defensive end at Dwyer High School,
looked like he was headed to Gainesville to join four of his former
teammates, but Dooley swayed him to the Volunteers and was rewarded
with instant impact. Maggitt quickly took hold of a starting job and
will open at strong-side linebacker Saturday against No. 16 Florida
(3:30 p.m., CBS).
"It's not shocking to me," said Florida tight end Gerald Christian,
who was a year ahead of Maggitt at Dwyer. "When we were going
through high school, he was always one of the hardest working people
I've known. He's always been that way."
Maggitt, 18, was the first true freshman ever to start at linebacker
in a season opener for Tennessee, a team spokesman said. The
Volunteers worked him at defensive end and linebacker in training
camp, and he beat out red-shirt senior Daryl Vereen to start at
strong-side linebacker.
Dwyer will have a noticeable presence at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on
Saturday. In addition to Maggitt and Christian going directly
against each other as linebacker and tight end, sophomore Matt Elam
is Florida's starting safety. Florida receiver Robert Clark could
play, too, though he missed the first two games with a hamstring
injury, and true freshman Jacoby Brissett will be on the sideline as
a reserve quarterback.
When Maggitt was a junior at Dwyer, he grew into one of the most
feared components of a defense that carried the team to the 2009
state championship. He had 11 sacks that year, 2009, and played
through a torn labrum for most of the season.
He was even better last season, picking up 17 sacks, 28 quarterback
hurries and 65 tackles on his way to earning The Post's Defensive
Player of the Year honor. He also was rated the No. 12 player in the
country at his position.
The Volunteers (2-0) fought off Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Miami
and Wisconsin to sign him.
Tennessee's staff was enamored with his physique (Maggitt is 6-
foot-3, 215 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds), his
quick reaction and a mental approach that is uncommon for his age.
"His character, his passion for the game, his level of toughness,
his effort ... Curt is off the charts in that," Dooley said. "So
everything indicated he was going to be a good player for us, and he
has really shown a high level of maturity, a high level of
professionalism and a high level of understanding what we're doing.
We're glad we have him."
Florida (2-0) wanted and needed him; Graham Stewart was the only
linebacker in its signing class.
The Gators entered training camp with an opening at strong-side
linebacker, having already installed Palm Beach Central product Jon
Bostic at middle and had Jelani Jenkins on the weak side. Senior
Lerentee McCray ultimately won the strong-side spot.
Florida coach Will Muschamp said he did not know how close his team
was to pulling in Maggitt and reiterated that he was pleased with
the class he signed. But when he scouted him, he saw the same
qualities that caught Dooley's attention.
"He's got great initial quickness off the ball and natural pass rush
ability," Muschamp said. "He plays hard, comes from a great program
down at Dwyer. It's hard to ever project how a guy's going to do,
but certainly we thought he had good ability and that's why we
recruited him."
Maggitt's father, Roosevelt Maggitt, said there were two main
reasons his son did not sign with Florida: One, the Gators' history
of player arrests (27 players were arrested from 2005-10); the other
was bad vibes Roosevelt Maggitt received from a person he thought
was Gators defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
"It was several things," Roosevelt Maggitt said. "The No. 1 reason
was we evaluated UF's history. I see guys get up there and then they
get pulled over for nonsense. I didn't want Curt to be involved in
that.
"As a father to Curtis, I gave Curt my opinion that Tennessee was
really the right school. After meeting with the head coach and a lot
of coaches, we decided that would be the best thing for Curtis."
Regarding Quinn, his irritation might be misdirected. He said Quinn
bothered him by resting his foot on a coffee table at his home, but
a spokesperson for Florida said Wednesday that Quinn never went to
the Maggitts' residence.
It might have been a different Gators assistant.
"I didn't get good vibes from him," he said. "He kind of
disrespected my house. Any time a man puts his shoe on your table,
that ain't no good. That didn't show respect for my house."
Per Tennessee's rules, Maggitt is not allowed to talk to the media
until later in the season. Speaking on his behalf, Dooley said the
biggest influence on Maggitt choosing the Volunteers was the
connection he made with the coaching staff.
He had three tackles in each of his first two college games, and was
in on a sack against Cincinnati during last week's 45-23 win at
Neyland Stadium.
"You know what it is about him? His football I.Q. is so high," Dwyer
coach Jack Daniels said. "He studies his position. He's a huge kid
and he can change directions. If he stays healthy, he can make a lot
of money someday in the pros."
Tennessee LB Curt Maggitt’s dad says Florida’s history of arrests
deterred him from Gators
by Jason Lieser
—Updated 11:04 a.m.—
A lot of people would like to know how Tennessee was able to come
into South Florida and Curt Maggitt from Dwyer High School, which
recently had strong ties to the Gators. And for a long time, it
looked like Maggitt would join former teammates Matt Elam, Gerald
Christian and Robert Clark in Gainesville.
The one person who could provide the best answer to that is Maggitt,
but the Volunteers won’t let him talk to the media.
So instead, Tennessee coach Derek Dooley spoke for him and said he
won Maggitt over with Tennessee’s culture, resources and coaching
staff.
Maggitt’s father, Roosevelt Maggitt, had a more interesting take.
According to him, there were two main reasons his son did not come
to Florida: 1. The Gators’ history of player arrests (27 players
were arrested from 2005 through ’10), 2. Bad vibes from a person he
thought was DC Dan Quinn.
“It was several things,” Roosevelt Maggitt said. “The No. 1
reason was we evaluated UF’s history. I see guys get up there and
then they get pulled over for nonsense. I didn’t want Curt to be
involved in that.
“As a father to Curtis, I gave Curt my opinion that Tennessee was
really the right school. After meeting with the head coach and a lot
of coaches, we decided that would be the best thing for Curtis.”
Regarding Quinn, his irritation might be misdirected. He said Quinn
bothered him by resting his foot on a coffee table at his home, but
a spokesperson for Florida said today that Quinn never went to the
Maggitts’ residence.
It might have been a different Gators assistant.
“I didn’t get good vibes from him,” he said. “He kind of
disrespected my house. Any time a man puts his shoe on your table,
that ain’t no good. That didn’t show respect for my house.”
That seems like an unusual reason to rule out Florida. It is
somewhat reminiscent of a Miami signee referring to the UF coaches
as “grimy” last year.
Will Muschamp says Sharrif Floyd cleared to play vs. Tennessee,
won’t discuss Dee Finley arrest
by Jason Lieser
A few quick notes from Florida coach Will Muschamp’s session on
today’s SEC teleconference:
– DE Sharrif Floyd, suspended by the NCAA last week, has made
arrangements for his donation of $2,700 to charity and is eligible
to play vs. Tennessee.
“They’ve handled that,” Muschamp said. “He’s playing.”
Asked what charity Floyd chose, Muschamp said, “I have no idea.
It’ll be a good one though.”
– There is no update on LB Dee Finley’s status following his
Monday arrest for a pair of misdemeanor charges.
“I’m handling that,” Muschamp said. “We’ll work through
that. That’s where we are.”
– RB Jeff Demps left last week’s game with a shoulder injury, but
he is “going to be fine” and has been practicing this week,
Muschamp said.
Indifference helped Mark Calcavecchia finally break through
By EDGAR THOMPSON Palm Beach Post
Tequesta's Mark Calcavecchia had reached the point where he didn't
care whether he won or lost.
The power of indifferent thinking turned out to be the ticket for
the curmudgeonly Calcavecchia.
Two weeks ago, the 51-year-old picked up his first Champions Tour
win in 14 months and 31 starts on the senior circuit, at the Boeing
Classic in Seattle.
"I was going to get one eventually, but as time went on I think
other people were more worried about it than I was," he said. "I
think one of the reasons I finally won is because a few tournaments
ago I said, 'screw it, quit worrying about it.'
"Then, it happened."
Now that he has his first win out of the way, he hopes win No. 2
doesn't take so long.
In fact, he hopes it's this week at the Songdo Championship, held 40
miles west of Seoul, South Korea, where he won the 2004 Maekyung
Open - one of his 27 wins worldwide.
"Every time after you win, it's fresh in your mind and you want to
win again," he said. "It doesn't happen like that very often, but it
may."
No one has back-to-back wins this year on the Champions Tour, but
Calcavecchia, with a tour-leading 10 top-10 finishes, is in the mix
pretty much every week.
But in his first full year with the over-50 set, Calcavecchia has
struggled to close, including the Senior British Open against
Tequesta's Russ Cochran, the 2010 Songdo winner.
At the Boeing Classic, he beat Cochran on the first hole of a playoff.
"The heat is definitely off of me, in terms of getting that first
win," Calcavecchia said. "I think I'll be able to handle the
situations better in the future, like I did in Seattle. At least,
that's the hope."
Booker T. alum struggling to find playing time with Florida Gators
BY MATT WATTS MIAMI HERALD WRITER
GAINESVILLE -- LOOKING FOR MORE
Defensive end Lynden Trail is struggling to get on the field this
season. Trail, a redshirt freshman from Miami Booker T. Washington
High, was in uniform for Florida’s 41-3 win against Florida
Atlantic in Week 1, but he was the only defensive end to not play a
down.
Will Muschamp
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said Wednesday that Trail is still
practicing with the team and is not being disciplined.
SLOW TO ADJUST
Sophomore Ronald Powell, who plays what Muschamp calls the “Buck”
— a hybrid of defensive end and outside linebacker — is still
adjusting to the Gators’ new complicated system.
He has yet to record a sack through Florida’s first two games,
although Quinn said he plays in a featured spot on the defense.
Matt Watts
--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel
(1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
