Experts Weigh in on 2010 College Football Season
Thursday, July 22, 2010 | Football
Experts from across the country weighed in on Florida's 2010 football season, with preseason magazines picking the Gators as high as No. 3 in the country. A host of Gator football players were also recognized Thursday as preseason All-Americans.
In a composite of six preseason publications, the Gators were picked to start the season at No. 6 in the country. The highest ranking Florida achieved was No. 3 by Kickoff Preseason Magazine, while the lowest ranking projected for Florida was No. 7 by Phil Steele's 2010 College Football Preview. The Orange and Blue came in at No. 5 by Lindy's Football Preview and Sporting News, while Athlon Sports and Yahoo.com each ranked Florida as the No. 6 team in the country. All six publications predicted the Gators to win the SEC East and take on Alabama in the 2010 SEC Championship in Atlanta, Ga.
Individually, four different Gator football players were named to preseason All-America lists. Senior center Mike Pouncey (Lakeland, Fla.) led the way with four separate honors, being named a first-team All-America by Sporting News and Lindy's Football Preview. The offensive captain was also named to the second team by Athlon Sports and third team by Phil Steele's 2010 College Football Preview. The center was also named by Sporting News as the No. 24 best overall college football player in the country.
Senior punter Chas Henry (Dallas, Ga.) was the only other Gator with multiple honors, picking up second-team All-America honors by Lindy's Football Preview and fourth-team honors by Phil Steele's 2010 College Football Preview. Steele's magazine also named senior offensive lineman Carl Jonhson (Durham, N.C.) to the third team and junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins (Pahokee, Fla.) to the fourth team.
Additionally, six different Gators were named to the preseason All-SEC first team. Multiple selections went to Pouncey (six publications), Jenkins (three), senior safety Ahmad Black (Lakeland, Fla.) (three), Johnson (two) and junior safety Will Hill (West Orange, N.J.) (two). Senior linebacker A.J. Jones (Tampa, Fla.) was also named to the first team by Rivals.com.
Other accolades include having several top 10 position groups in the country. Phil Steele's 2010 College Football Preview included Florida in the top 10 in defensive backs (No. 3), offensive line (4), defensive line (10) and special teams (10). Athlon Sports listed the Gators in the top 10 in linebackers (6), defensive backs (7), offensive line (7) and defensive line (9). Lindy's Football Preview gave the Gators top-10 accolades in the offensive line (3) and defensive backs (2) unit.
For recruiting, Athlon Sports named Florida the top recruiting class in the country, while Lindy's named the Gators the No. 2 class.
COMPOSITE TOP 25 NATIONAL RANKINGS
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Boise State
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. FLORIDA
7. Texas Christian
8. Virginia Tech
T-9. Oregon
T-9. Southern California
SEC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
Eastern Division
1. FLORIDA
2. Georgia
3. South Carolina
4. Tennessee
5. Kentucky
6. Vanderbilt
Western Division
1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. Auburn
4. LSU
5. Ole Miss
6. Mississippi State
FLORIDA PLAYERS ON ALL-AMERICA LISTS
Sporting News
First Team
OL – Mike Pouncey
Phil Steele
Third Team
C – Mike Pouncey
OG – Carl Johnson
Fourth Team
CB – Janoris Jenkins
P – Chas Henry
Athlon
Second Team
C – Mike Pouncey
Lindy's
First Team
C – Mike Pouncey
Second Team
P – Chas Henry
FLORIDA PLAYERS ON FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC LISTS
SPORTING NEWS
Offense
OL – Mike Pouncey, Florida
Defense
DB – Janoris Jenkins, Florida
DB – Ahmad Black, Florida
RIVALS.com
Offense
C – Mike Pouncey, Florida
OG – Carl Johnson, Florida
Defense
LB – A.J. Jones, Florida
CB – Janoris Jenkins, Florida
FS – Will Hill, Florida
LINDY'S
Offense
C – Mike Pouncey, Florida
Defense
DB – Ahmad Black, Florida
ATHLON
Offense
C – Mike Pouncey, Florida
Defense
SAF – Ahmad Black, Florida
PHIL STEELE
Offense
C – Mike Pouncey, Florida
OG – Carl Johnson, Florida
Defense
SAF – Will Hill, Florida
BLUE RIBBON
Offense
C – Mike Pouncey, Florida
Defense
DB – Janoris Jenkins, Florida
