GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The NFL Combine provides a heavy dose of headlines in the weeks between February's Super Bowl and April's NFL Draft.
Two UF players who clearly benefited themselves during their time in Indianapolis are offensive lineman
Jawaan Taylor and defensive back
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Taylor's physical nature and quickness during the offensive line drills did nothing to hurt his stock as a likely first-round pick.
Meanwhile, Gardner-Johnson parlayed his Defensive Most Valuable Player Award in Florida's victory over Michigan in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl into an impressive showing in front of NFL personnel in Indianapolis.
Based on pre-combine speculation, Gardner-Johnson seemed a lock to be drafted in the first three rounds as a physical player who spent time at cornerback and safety at UF. He is projected as a safety in the NFL and impressed scouts with his speed-size combination at the combine. Gardner-Johnson appears to have elevated his status into a potential first-round pick in April.
On the flip side, defensive end
Jachai Polite's visit to the combine turned into one of the event's biggest stories when he posted a less-than-stellar time in the 40-yard dash and then blamed a hamstring injury.
Polite also didn't help himself during the interview process
according to various reports.
When I first saw transcripts of Polite's press conference from the combine, the sequence in which he talked about teams "bashing" him did raise an eyebrow. However, after watching the video, it read worse than the actual exchange appeared live.
Bottom line is that while some teams may back off Polite as a first-round pick, others will take more interest if they think they can get a steal. That's the way the draft works. The most important task for Polite at the moment is to get in better physical shape -- it looked as though he has added a few pounds since the bowl game -- and show off at UF's Pro Day later this month.
If he does, his lackluster combine will be old news.
FANATICS AND GATORS
If you shop regularly on
FloridaGators.com for your Gators apparel, you are likely familiar with Fanatics. The company has been connected to the Gators' e-commerce retail efforts for more than a decade.
However, the parties recently signed a deal that makes Fanatics the school's primary apparel partner for licensed merchandise. The 10-year agreement starts in 2020 and includes a signing bonus and annual guarantee.
For more information on the business arrangement,
check out this story via the
Jacksonville Business Journal. Fanatics is based in Jacksonville and recently signed a similar agreement with the University of Oregon.
THE LINKS LIST
The Gators have a lot going on right now and here are some fresh links from around the internet that you might be of interest:
-- The UF men's basketball team hosts LSU on Wednesday night at the O'Dome with a lot at stake.
Same goes for LSU writes
Sheldon Mickles of
The Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate.
-- UF Athletic Director
Scott Stricklin recently spoke with
Kassidy Hill of
InsideTheGators.com about a myriad of topics.
-- Fans are welcome to attend Florida's Pro Day on March 27 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Details here from
Will Pantages of the UAA Communications department.
-- The Miami Dolphins are one of the NFL teams intrigued by
Jawaan Taylor's
physical transformation that allowed him to succeed with Gators writes
Adam Beasley of
The Miami Herald.
-- Much like
Dan Mullen was doing this time a year ago, new Miami coach
Manny Diaz, a former Mullen assistant,
is recharging the Miami program heading into next season's opener against the Gators writes
Tom D'Angelo of
The Palm Beach Post.
-- The HBC is
undefeated in four games as head coach of the Orlando Apollos, including a win in the snow writes
Iliana Limón Romero of
The Orlando Sentinel.
-- The Gators play Ole Miss in the first game of the SEC women's basketball tournament on Wednesday and
Jim Rice of the
Greenville (S.C.) News offers 14 reasons fans should be interested in the tournament.
-- Former Bash Brother
Jose Canseco is sure interested in the swing of Tim Tebow, who got hits this week in Mets spring training writes
Cassandra Negley of
YahooSports.com.
-- How former Gators head coach
Billy Donovan's
move to the NBA helped ex-Florida commit John Mooney land at Notre Dame writes
Mike Berardino of
The Indianapolis Star.
-- The Rams
don't intend to use franchise tag but want to keep former Gators defensive lineman
Dante Folwer Jr. writes
Lindsey Thiry of
ESPN.com.
BIG SOFTBALL WEEKEND
The Gators softball team opens SEC play this weekend at newly renovated Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium as Tennessee comes to town. If you haven't checked out the new ballpark, this weekend is a good opportunity.
Here is info you need:
IN MEMORIAM
Before
Tom Warner became the state of Florida's first solicitor general and one of the state's most beloved public servants of the 1990s, he was a standout tight end at Coral Gables High who signed a football scholarship with the Gators. Warner later attended UF's law school and became a longtime state representative. Warner died at age 70 in January following an extended battle with cancer. To learn more about Warner's decorated life, read
this obituary from
SunshineStateNews.com and
this remembrance from
The Palm Beach Post ... Former UF basketball player
Charles Griffin passed away on Feb. 21 at age 57. A two-time
Fort Myers News-Press Player of the Year at Cypress Lake High School, Griffin is a member of the Lee County Athletic Hall of Fame. Griffin played in 34 games for the Gators from 1982-84 and averaged 5.7 points and 2 rebounds. His best game with UF came in a 70-63 loss at Kentucky on Jan. 17, 1983, when he scored a career-high 23 points.
