If you have any questions at all about how Florida makes its money, and why it's expensive to buy Gators season tickets not because of the ticket cost but because of the seat license fees, look no further than this graph from Year2's brilliant look at how athletic programs make their money at Team Speed Kills. It's as must-read as anything about college football will be this month.
Chomping At Bits comes stocked with the best Florida Gators links and news we can find. Got a link we should check out? Email us at AlligatorArmy@gmail.com, subject line CAB.
Florida baseball falls 12-7 to Samford, Preston Tucker ties career hit record: Florida, no-hit through four innings, fell behind 7-0 and 10-2 before rallying to make their midweek road game at Samford a bit more respectable, and Tucker went 2-for-3 to tie Mark Ellis' Gators record for career hits with 319. I am putting this in CAB because I do not want to write any more about this game. (GatorZone)
What would college football's realignment divisions look like? Well, Florida Tech, my hometown school of sorts, would have the chance to work its way up to the SEC. There is thorough and then there is this. (Jason Kirk, SB Nation)
Gainesville among nation's most well-read cities: But I know zero students who read outside of classes during classes. (CNBC)
Florida women's hoops to get tallest-ever player: That would be 6'6" center Vicki McIntyre, an Oklahoma State transfer. (Chris Harry, GatorZone)
Joakim Noah, winner: Part of the reason CAB is so late is because I was up late; part of why I was up late was my re-discovery of Basketball-Reference. Did you know Joakim Noah was eighth in the NBA in Win Shares this season? Now you do! (Basketball-Reference)
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Florida redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Leon Orr was cited for knowingly driving without a license on Monday, as first reported by Gator Country's Thomas Goldkamp. The citation is available on the Alachua County Clerk of Courts website.
The citation is Orr's fifth run-in with the law in Alachua County since June 2010: he was cited for operating a vehicle with an expired license in June 2010; cited for operating a vehicle with a suspended license, a second-degree misdemeanor, in February 2011; issued a speeding ticket in November 2011; arrested on two misdemeanor marijuana possession charges in January 2012, and cited for knowingly operating a vehicle without a valid license, a second-degree misdemeanor, on Monday. An arraignment is set for June 6 in Orr's most recent case.
Under the terms of Orr's deferred prosecution agreement, he was bound to either pay a $150 fine or perform 12.5 hours of community service, and also obey all laws for six months. That case remains open in Alachua County, and it is unclear what effect Orr's Monday citation will have on it.
Orr's four misdemeanor charges have come in just 15 months; former Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins' three arrests on four misdemeanor charges, one later dropped, came over the course of 23 months.
Florida's baseball team has grown comfortable with single digits since April, allowing just one double-digit offensive output (North Florida's 10-5 win on April 3) and reaching the 10-run plateau just once (April 25's 10-1 win over Bethune-Cookman after roaring through February and March with a 24-3 record. The Gators have also maintained their status in the single digits of the college baseball polls, and are once again a consensus top-five team this week.
Florida's highest ranking, a No. 2 spot, comes from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association poll, where the Gators come in second to South Carolina and one spot ahead of Florida State, two teams they are a combined 5-1 against this season. Florida's at No. 3 and behind both of those teams in the Baseball America poll and USA Today Coaches Poll, earning six first-place votes in the latter, and No. 5 in the Collegiate Baseball poll that enthrones an Oregon team no other poll has in its top five. (The Collegiate Baseball poll is rather reactionary.)
The Gators don't have a great shot at climbing further in the rankings, with only a road trip to lightly-regarded Auburn and the SEC Tournament left before the NCAA Tournament field is selected. But they are No. 1 in RPI and have been for much of the year, and ESPN's Jeremy Mills has them slated as the No. 5 national seed in his latest NCAA Baseball Tournament bracketology.
The Gators play their last midweek game of the season against Samford tonight at 7:00 p.m., and will meet Auburn in a series from Thursday to Saturday. The game will be available on the Gator Radio Network and via Samford's premium video offering.
ESPN's rolling out more 30 for 30 documentaries, including ones about the 1983 N.C. State team that won the NCAA Tournament; Bo Jackson; Ben Johnson, tainted Olympic gold medalist; and athletes who go broke. What Gators story of the last 30 years would you want to see made into a 30 for 30?
I think the obvious answer is the Oh-Fours, because they did the most singular thing in that period, but the one I really want to see is the documentary about the 2009 football team.
Demarcus Walker is a big-time defensive line recruit from Jacksonville Sandalwood, and a Florida target who named the Gators in his top eight. Ahmad Fulwood is a Florida commit. This is one of my favorite tweets. (HT to @LukeStampini via @htowngator.)
Chomping At Bits comes stocked with the best Florida Gators links and news we can find. Got a link we should check out? Email us at AlligatorArmy@gmail.com, subject line CAB.
Florida baseball does "Call Me Maybe": Not as good as Harvard baseball's initial viral video, and not objectively good — because these choreographed "dance" routines don't impress me much like Shania — but the surprise midway through it is awesome. Hudson Randall on lead lip-sync, front row left-to-right is Casey Turgeon, Nolan Fontana, Vikash Ramjit, Brian Johnson, second row is Preston Tucker and Mike Zunino, Austin Maddox is in the last row, and Keenan Kish ... kinda shows up.
More reason to like Marqui Hawkins: "He is a consensus three-star recruit, but has been heating up of late, with other offers including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and USC. If those offers are legitimate, expect Hawkins to soon be a four-star recruit." (Bud Elliott, SB Nation)
Will Hill signs with Giants: As someone noted to me on Twitter: It only took a year and another guy breaking his leg for Hill to get his NFL shot. (Adam Silverstein, Only Gators)
Did ESPN lose its way? Here is a compelling case in slideshow form. (Sean Evans, Complex)
Greg McGarity, Georgia's Jeremy Foley disciple: The Georgia AD's 18 years under Foley inform his decision-making. (Chip Towers, UGA Sports | Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
The history of West Virginia's logo: Nothing to do with Florida, but this is in an interesting read. (Jake Stump, West Virginia University Alumni Magazine)
As always: Talk about any and all of this and/or anything else you have to say in the comments. Need more Alligator Army in your life? Like AA on Facebook, follow AA on Twitter, and download the SB Nation Android app to take all your favorite Gators content — and the rest of SB Nation — with you on the go.
Florida picked up a commitment from wide receiver Marqui Hawkins (Columbus, Ga.) Monday night, according to Gator Country's Andrew Spivey, bringing the Gators' 2013 class to 16 members.
Hawkins has some size at 6'2", 190, and has offers from the likes of Auburn, Clemson (who was his second choice), Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Cal and Tennessee.
Rivals rates Hawkins as a three-star receiver and is ranked No. 42 at his position nationally.
Hawkins was offered as a corner but will be given the opportunity to play receiver, according to Rivals' Blake Alderman.
Regardless of which position Hawkins plays, it's a surprising pick-up for Will Muschamp. At both receiver and defensive back, there are players believed to be higher on the board still available.
