In The (Gator) Zone: Leak Back on Sideline, Scouts at McKethan, Super Gators, More Tidbits
Tuesday, February 9, 2016 | General, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – He already sounds like a head coach.
"We're going to be fast, we're going to be fearless and we're going to be physical,'' former Gators quarterback Chris Leak told the Orlando Sentinel Thursday after he was introduced as the new head coach at Edgewater High in Orlando.
A four-year standout at Florida from 2003-06, Leak returned to UF in 2013 to earn his graduate degree and gain coaching experience. A year later he spent the 2014 season on Will Muschamp's staff as receivers coach following the departure of Joker Phillips.
Leak spent last season as a football development and youth outreach coordinator with the Tampa Bay Bucs. However, Leak had an itch to return to the field and an ideal situation presented itself when Edgewater coach Rick Bedesem left after two seasons at Edgewater to take a job at another school.
Not only is the job a good fit for Leak's career, it's a perfect fit for his family.
Leak's wife, Latria, whom he met at Florida, works for the Orlando Magic and Amway Arena is just a short drive from Edgewater High. The couple has two young daughters and has spent much of the last three years living apart as Leak developed a career beyond his playing days.
Edgewater Athletic Director Janet Rasmussen told the Sentinel that Leak's background made him an ideal candidate for the job. The Eagles finished 7-4 last season and lost to Gainesville Buchholz in the playoffs.
"One of the first things out of his mouth when he was talking to the students was, 'I'm going to be here for a long, long time,' '' Rasmussen said. "Then, he said it again, 'I'm going to be here a long time,' and he said it a third time."
Leak continues to adjust in his first few days on the job and texted Tuesday morning to say he'll be in touch to discuss his new path. Look for more on FloridaGators.com later this week.
*****
SCOUTS IN THE HOUSE
The No. 1-ranked Gators baseball team opens the season in 10 days. However, McKethan Stadium has been a popular destination for baseball scouts and personnel officials since practice started.
MLB teams have visited regularly to check out Florida's talent during preseason scrimmages. Florida juniors AJ Puk, Buddy Reed and Logan Shore are ranked among the top 50 college prospects available in the June amateur draft.
Puk, a 6-foot-7 lefty, is a candidate to go No. 1 overall to Philadelphia thanks to his 94-98 mph fastball and sharp-breaking curveball.
You don't think the Phils are dead serious about no. 1 pick? Pat Gillick was at Florida's weekend scrimmage to see AJ Puk.
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) February 8, 2016
Pat Gillick is Philadelphia's former team president who now serves as a senior advisor. A former general manager, Gillick built the Toronto teams that won back-to-back World Series in 1992-93 and was the architect of the 2001 Seattle team that won a record 116 regular-season games.
*****
INSTAGRAM OF WEEK
Max Garcia played his final game at Florida 13 months ago in the Birmingham Bowl. He played the final game of his rookie season in the NFL on Sunday in Super Bowl 50.
An offensive lineman for the Broncos, Garcia played on special teams and three snaps on offense in Denver's 24-10 upset of the Carolina Panthers.
Afterward, like Broncos fans everywhere, Garcia celebrated.
However, he did so with a special guest.
*****
SINGING HOOPSTERS
Gators freshman Eleanna Christinaki has made a significant impact in her first season at UF after arriving from Greece. Christanaki leads the Gators in scoring and assists to help the No. 16 Gators win 19 of 23 games so far.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is having a stellar third season in the NBA. The Greece product is averaging 15.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists as one of the league's most well-rounded players.
As members of the Greece women's and men's national teams, Christinaki and Antetokounmpo are friends. They are also competitors. Check out the video below:
*****
FLORIDA IS HOME
Torrian Gray grew up in Lakeland but left home to play at Virginia Tech. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant on Frank Beamer's staff and remained there until recently accepting an offer to become Florida's new defensive backs coach.
Gray was one of four assistants retained by new Hokies coach Justin Fuente when he was hired to replace Beamer. However, Gray was ready to return to his home state after many years away.
"Virginia Tech made me a very generous offer to stay, but this was simply a career opportunity and a chance to return home to my Florida roots that my family couldn't pass up,'' Gray said in a statement.
The well-respected Gray's departure caught many in the Virginia Tech community by surprise writes Mike Barber of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch.
Gray is considered an excellent coach and strong recruiter.
"Coach Gray is a very likable coach,'' Darryl Robinson, head coach at Stonewall Jackson (Manassas) High, told the Times-Dispatch. "Our kids responded to him very well. We had a great relationship with him. I didn't know it was happening."
*****
THE FLORIDA FILES
Three former Gators earned Super Bowl rings on Sunday when the Broncos defeated the Panthers: receiver Andre Caldwell, linebacker Lerentee McCray and Garcia. All three played in the game, and for Caldwell and McCray, they added a championship ring to the one they won at UF as members of a national championship team.
Caldwell was a member of the 2006 Gators and McCray played on the 2008 team. That got me to wondering how many Gators played in and won a national championship at Florida, and then went on to play in and win a Super Bowl in the NFL.
Well, that number doubled on Sunday night according to our research:
| PLAYER | UF NATIONAL TITLE(S) | SUPER BOWL WIN | SB SNAPS |
| Jeff Mitchell | Starting center, 1996 | Ravens, 2001 | N/A -- Started at center |
| Percy Harvin | Receiver, 2006 and 2008 | Seahawks, 2014 | 28 offense, 2 special teams |
| Andre Caldwell | Receiver, 2006 | Broncos, 2016 | 8 offense, 15 special teams |
| Lerentee McCray | Special teams, 2008 | Broncos, 2016 | 28 special teams |
*****
EXTRA, EXTRA
Former UF receiver Riley Cooper, who has spent his entire NFL career with Philadelphia, was released by the Eagles on Monday. … Baseball America breaks down the top-ranked Gators and the rest of the SEC in its conference preview. … Former Gators catcher Mike Zunino enters his fourth full professional season still in contention to be Seattle's catcher of the future writes Bob Dutton of The Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. … USA Today profiles Gators baseball player JJ Schwarz and sister Taylor Schwarz, a member of UF's softball team. ... ESPN.com writer Edward Aschoff recaps Florida's performance on National Signing Day. ... Former UF basketball standout Mike Miller, a member of the 2016 UF Hall of Fame Class, recently sold his South Florida mansion for $5 million writes TheRealDeal.com.
