Spring practice starts March 16, closed to public and media; Pro Day is Tuesday
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 | Football, Men's Golf, Scott Carter
The Will Muschamp era at Florida has already begun, but it finally takes the field on March 16 with the start of spring football practice.
The team announced today that spring practices will be closed to the media and public as the new coaching staff gets its first chance to work with the players on the field.
“With a new coaching staff here teaching our system, we feel like minimizing our distractions is important,'' Muschamp said. “We realize that there is high interest from the fans, and we are extremely appreciative of the support that The Gator Nation gives us. We hope that they understand that this decision has been made in the interest of helping our program be successful on Saturdays this fall by allowing our team to learn and develop together in this type of environment.
“We also respect that the media have a job to do and understand that this creates a challenge for them, so we ask for their patience with us as we work through our first spring practice here at Florida.''
The spring game – the Orange and Blue Debut presented by Scotts – is scheduled to kick off at noon on April 9. The game will be shown live on Sun Sports and students, Gator Boosters, Alumni Association members and F Club members all receive free admission.
There is a limited supply of free tickets available at Florida Farm Bureau agents' offices. Tickets are also currently available for $5 in the Gator ticket office at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium or can be ordered online at http://www.gatorzone.com/tickets/.
Meanwhile, UF is holding its annual Pro Day for NFL officials to evaluate players on Tuesday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Former Gators Mike Pouncey, Ahmad Black, Chas Henry and Carl Johnson are some of those expected in attendance as they prepare for the NFL Draft on April 28-30.
The event is closed to the public but open for the media to cover.
“Pro Day is an extremely important day for the career hopes of these players, and they've spent an enormous amount of time and energy preparing for it,” UF Associate Athletics Director for Communications Steve McClain said Wednesday. “We feel that creating a more private environment and minimizing potential distractions will help give them the best chance to perform up to their potential.
“We also feel like it's become more important than ever for us to monitor who is around our team and student-athletes, and taking this step provides us an even greater ability to manage that.”
