Photo by: UPI/Mark Wallheiser
After the Georgia game, Riley Cooper was on ESPN’s First Take to talk about the unbelievable one-handed catch he had for a touchdown. In the interview, he was asked about his baseball career and signing with the Texas Rangers. As he was telling about the the signing process, Cooper said the three weeks he had to wait to hear that he could play this year were the longest 3 weeks of his life.
When I was looking over the 2009 squad in May, the Wide Receiver position was an area of concern. I was looking forward to the summer practices to see which wide-outs would step up. After everything that has transpired leading up to the start of the season, I just don’t see any way that this Wide Receiver group is going to be any where as good as last year’s.
We need to see more of this from Deonte Thompson
Here is some of Percy Harvin old High School highlights. Coach Meyer is good at finding talent, but it was safe to say after watching Percy here he was a very safe recruit. Havrin had 32 touchdowns (19 rushing, 13 receiving) in three seasons, and is the only player in Florida history to have 100 yards rushing and receiving in a game.
Over the weekend Mike Gillislee became the first Gator Freshman to lose his stripe. Jonotthan Harrison also lost his stripe and is running with the first team offense since some players are out with injuries. Gator Freshmen earn their right to be on the team by showing they are ready to play. To signify this Coach Meyer has all Freshmen with a black stripe over their Gator white stripe on their helmet. The last three years we have seen great production out of the players that have lost their stripe first: Jeff Demps, Major Wright, and someone named Percy Harvin.
I’m back from vacation refreshed and ready for the start of the 2009 College Football season. The Gators are set to start practice Thursday August 6th. The first two practices will be open to the public.
Freshman WR Andre Debose is showing he is going to be the replacement for Percy Harvin. He has taken a page out of Percy’s playbook already, with the report that Andre Debose is nursing a hamstring injury. This all-too-familiar situation reminds many Gator fans of the times when Percy was injured and unable to show his abilities to their fullest extent in practice.
Every since Percy announced he was going pro on January 15, the buzz surrounding the Gators has been about who is going to replace Harvin.
I’ve read many different opinions on how to replace Percy, but I would like to put all that to rest. The Gators will not replace Percy Harvin next year, and we may never see an athlete like him lace up the Nikes for the Gators again.
Percy Harvin Will Be Missed
Percy was a one of a kind athlete that is seldom seen in any program. During his career, he averaged more than a first down every time he touched the ball and had 32 touchdowns over three years.
CI Shines at the NFL Combine
The official results from the 2009 NFL Combine for the four Gators invited. We will also get to see these same four at the Gators’ Pro Day on March 18th.
Percy Harvin, WR Height: 5’11″ Weight: 192
40 yard dash: 4.41
Bench Press: 19 reps at 225lbs
Cornelius Ingram, TE Height: 6’4″ Weight: 245
40 yard dash: 4.68
Vertical jump: 33.0″
3 cone drill: 7.12
Louis Murphy, WR Height: 6’2″ Weight: 203
40 yard dash: 4.43
Jason Watkins, OT Height: 6’6″ Weight: 318
No data
With Harvin Gone Who Steps Up?
Heading into the 2009 there is a good chance that 2009 Gators will open as the preseason # 1. The debate will begin with the worthiness of this team to open this high and how Texas, USC, and Oklahoma should be ranked in the useless preseason top spot. If you really consider the situation carefully, this team is going to be improved in just about every way. The defense is going to be two deep in every position, Tebow is back, and the running game is more secure than in the past. However, the one spot that is going to have to improve is the Gators Wide Receiver Position. Right now the roster looks like this:
Percy Leaves Florida after 3 years
So the rumors going around right now are Tim Tebow will make an annoucement as the team and its fans join together for the Gators’ National Championship Celebration Sunday the 11th. The would be a huge annoucement much like the ’04s did when all four of them came back for their Junior year.
Brandon Spikes may not have graded out as a 1st round pick in the upcoming draft. I think for sure he will enter the draft if he got the work he was a 1st round pick, but with the word being 2nd or 3rd round we may see him back for the ’09 season.
Highlights from the 2008 season of the Florida Gators
