The Long Snapper (8/3/10)
• Not good news for those of you hoping to catch a glimpse of Florida in action before the 2010 season-opener. The Gators have decided to close all practices to the media and fans, so reports on some of your favorite players may be hard to come by. The season isn’t that far off now, but this news doesn’t help us get there any faster.
• GatorBait.net gives us 10 predictions for the Gators. It’s hard to disagree on any of them, but I do have a few points:
I’ve said for a while now that I think Mike Gillislee is going to push Emmanuel Moody. Gillislee is more talented than most think and could get a significant number of carries in 2010. Moody is still a more than capable running back, but it’ll be hard to keep Gillislee off the field.
I’m not sure it matters if Lawrence Marsh is a starter or not. The Gators could use a rotation-approach at defensive tackle. Expect to see Marsh, Jaye Howard, Omar Hunter, and Terron Sanders each get plenty of time. As for those five-star DTs Florida added, this is a position where it can take a little longer to develop at the next level. While they both could play in 2010, it’s not a bad thing if they are limited as they adjust to the college game.
And finally, this isn’t a knock on Jelani Jenkins, but I believe Jon Bostic may be better suited to play middle linebacker. Jenkins is a freakish athlete who could play at any LB position, but what’s best for Florida might be to get both on the field at the same time. If that’s the case, I think Bostic may be the good MLB choice with Jenkins utilizing his speed on the outside.
• Sampson Genus. Great name. One of USF’s best players. Genus is dedicated to being a leader on the field and in the locker room.
• USF had a shot at pulling in linebacker Glen Staley. Maybe an outside one, but there were rumors the former USC signee was down to the Bulls and FSU at one point. Unfortunately, Stanley ended up going with the Seminoles. The LB will have two years of eligibility remaining.
• Jeremiah Masoli has found a home at Ole Miss. The former Oregon quarterback was offered a chance to walk on at Ole Miss and will take head coach Houston Nutt up on it (I’ll do my best to never again write the phrase “nut up on it.”).
Masoli has about a month to learn the Rebels system and if he does well in practice could earn the starting job. The quarterback will be eligible to play right away and without a clear leader at the position, Masoli could gain control of the job.
There are people who paint Masoli as the bad guy in this whole process. He was, after all, dismissed from his former program. And then there are those who call Nutt dirty for accepting a player with Masoli’s record. It’s hard to argue with that second group.
I have a feeling Masoli stays out of trouble while a Rebel though. He knows this is his chance to redeem himself and get people to think of him as a football player again.
• The Bryce Brown situation sure is fun to watch unfold. It’s really a matter of who you choose to believe at this point. Did Brown ask for his release at a certain point? Did he text his request to Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley? Did the two meet to discuss it? It’s hard to know what really happened.
Regardless, Brown has not been released from his scholarship. The running back seems to want to transfer to Kansas State, but is having a hard time getting Dooley and Tennessee to cooperate. However, it could be because Brown may not be going about it the right way. Interesting saga involving a former #1 overall recruit.