With their young nucleus, the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft didn’t look like it would hit the Florida Gators too hard as they prepared for their best-of-3 NCAA Super Regional this weekend at McKethan Stadium against Miami, Fla.

The waiting is over: ESPNU has finally released its preliminary list of the Top 150 prospects in the country for the Class of 2011.

The first shot was fired when the Big 12 announced Colorado had accepted an invitation to join the soon-to-be Pac 16, with Texas, Oklahoma and others expected to follow. Nebraska will officially break off from the Big 12 in favor of the Big 10 on Friday. After that first and second waves, it could become a full-blown tsunami.

EUGENE, Ore. – Talk about a great jump-start.

In almost 45 years of covering college football, I don’t ever remember a wilder ride than we’ve had in the last 72 hours. It all began with the story about Nebraska’s probable choice to flee the Big 12 on a day that blew up the landscape of college football like a shock-and-awe invasion. Now the story has new twists and turns, changing like the weather.

Initially considered one of the top prospects on the board at wide receiver for the Florida Gators in the Class of 2011, Javares McRoy (5-9, 165, Lakeland, Fla.) seemingly came off the board last December when the speedster made the decision to join older brother Ben in making a verbal commitment to play for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The feeling around the Florida baseball facilities this week before hosting the NCAA Super Regional couldn’t be more different from last year.

EUGENE, Ore. – Senior Shara Proctor of Anguilla was third in the women’s triple jump, earning All-America honors, and Florida earned two additional scoring opportunities on the second day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at historic Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.

Fire up the grill! The NCAA is throwing a barbeque on behalf of all the folks in college football who either play by the rules or just haven’t been caught yet. On the menu: sacred cow. Cooking time: three years.

ROYAL PALM BEACH – Starting fullback Heath Evans of the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints has always dreamed big. The prestigious 7-on-7 tournament that bears his name is proof of that when it was asked to partner with the USA Today 7ON7 National Tournament.

Tampa Catholic quarterback Christian Green made a visit to Gainesville last week to attend a camp with Florida’s coaches. While Green was able to showcase his talent in front of coaches and his peers, the camp made an impression on him for how much he was able to learn from the coaches.

WEST PALM BEACH – A lot of teams and high school prospects were showcased Saturday at the King’s Academy in the Heath Evans 7-on-7 Tournament, and it was a heck of a show.

The promises were made 21 years and half a world apart. The first promise was made in The Philippines in late 1986 by a dad praying for a son when he wasn’t even sure his wife was pregnant. The impact of that prayer and promise is still being felt today but never more than it was in the days and weeks that followed September 30, 2008. That’s when the son who was the answer to...

Super-Sophs of ’69 featured on GCTV Show The new version of the Gator Country TV Show on Cox Ch. 15 posted here features a visit with, Mac Steen, a captain of the 1969 Super-Sophs team which jolted the college football world by crushing pre-season No. 1 ranked Houston Cougars and went on to a 9-1-1 dream season. Buddy Martin goes one-on-one with Steen. In the X’s & O’s...

Although three commitments from players on the offensive side of the ball was the big news as Camp Urban Meyer concluded this week, there is still plenty of activity on the defensive board. In Part II of The Briefing Room, Gator Country takes a look at who's moving up and who's moving off the Florida football recruiting board.

Sometimes the loss of one opportunity can lead to one that is bigger and better. Austin Maddox found that out over the past few weeks.

The Roman senator and philosopher observed that “money has never made anyone rich.” Seneca believed that money can be measured but the things that make someone truly rich are so valuable no amount of money could buy them. When Bill Donovan measures the life of his only son, he sees a man blessed with the true riches of life.

It has shaped up to be an incredibly productive week on the recruiting trail for Florida, as the Gators landed their third commitment of the week, giving them 15 total when Travon Van (5-11, 200, San Diego, CA/Helix H.S. and Milford Academy, N.Y.) made it official by giving a verbal pledge to play his college football in Gainesville wearing the Orange & Blue.

It's only mid-week but the Florida Gators have their recruiting machine going full tilt this week. A week that has already produced commitments from wide receivers Solomon Patton (5-10, 170, Mobile, AL Murphy) and Stephen Alli (6-5, 203, Andover, NH Proctor Academy) got even better Wednesday with the commitment of Travon Van (5-11, 190, San Diego, CA Helix), from the same high...

Thursday afternoon, if everything goes to plan, Buddy Alexander will have a chance to walk in the U.S. Open gallery at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y., and beam with pride while cheering for one of his Florida Gators.

When Kyle Koehne and his family leave Indianapolis Sunday to begin their trip to Gainesville and the University of Florida, the Cathedral High School lineman, a member of Florida’s Class of 2009, will see his life forever changed.

Ronald Powell knew he would love his visit to Florida as soon as he stepped into head coach Urban Meyer’s office. The highlight reel was playing and the Florida players were celebrating a national championship on the television screen.

The last full day of Camp Meyer finished up Tuesday as defensive linemen and a number of standouts from Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer made the kind of statements that catch the eye of college football coaches. It has been a very productive week at the University of Florida, the kind of week that has given the Gator coaching staff plenty to think about as numerous prospects have shown their stuff.

An admitted sucker for sad stories and just about anyone down on his luck, Joakim Noah never feels like he’s got a magnet for folks facing adversity. He’d much rather be known for his give-you-the-shirt-off-his-back reputation than someone who lacks compassion for the downtrodden. He knows his heart is in the right place and as Father’s Day approaches, he knows the person most...

When LSU came to The Swamp on October 11, it was billed as an elimination game for the Gators --- win or else they could kiss away whatever title hopes they were holding onto. Starting with a Tim Tebow to Percy Harvin bomb that covered 70 yards, the Gators poured it on in the first quarter to take a 17-0 lead. It was 20-7 at the half, but when LSU scored on its opening possession...