Everybody loves the helmet schedule!!! Our friends at The Football Schedule put this one together. Enjoy…

2012 NCAA Football Helmet Schedule

The University of Florida Softball team has made a series of music videos.  This is Gator Baseball’s response. My personal favorite is at the 2:08 mark when I believe I see the “Bernie” being done…awesome!!!

The Gators 2013 recruiting class grew to 16 on May 14, when 3-star wide receiver/ cornerback Marqui Hawkins committed. The 6’2″, 190-pound Columbus, Georgia product will likely play wide receiver and joins Ahmad Fulwood and Rodney Adams, as the third such commitment.

On April 16, Hawkins told Rivals.com Blake Alderman, “”I talk to Florida the most and the defensive backs coach there, Travaris Robinson, he said that I’m a great football player and it’s hard to get a cornerback with arms as long as mine.” However, on May 14, Blake Alderman tweeted, “#Gator commit Marqui Hawkins was offered as a corner before but was told he could also play receiver. That was big in his decision.” Therefore, we will wait and see.

Hawkins held offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Southern California, among many others.

Gator Country’s Andrew Spivey initially broke the news.

As part of a series, Bourbon Meyer will get to know a few of the writers and bloggers who cover Gator athletics. Today, Dan Thompson sat down with Julie Quittner, sports reporter for the Gainesville Television Network to discuss Julie’s thoughts on the upcoming Gators football season, her interview with Chris Rainey and Gators baseball.

DT: Julie, thank you for joining me.

JQ: Thanks for having me…

DT: I am curious, how did you get involved in covering the Gators for the Gainesville Television Network?

JQ: Well, I graduated from the University of Florida last year, was interning at a station in South Florida afterward and the job opened up here in Gainesville. I could not pass up the opportunity to start my career here and cover an athletic program like UF.

DT: What has been your favorite sport to cover? And who are some of your favorite athletes to interact with?

JQ: I played basketball in high school so have always been drawn most to that sport. As a student, the Men’s basketball team was my beat to cover and I enjoyed it so much. As a senior in 2011, I got to travel to New Orleans for the Sweet 16/Elite 8 which was a great experience. I still love covering those guys- I think Patric Young is hilarious so interacting with him is always fun.

DT: The Gators baseball team has had its ups and downs this season. How do you project them to do in the coming weeks and months?

JQ: I feel that great teams play well at the right times (i.e. is this year’s Gator basketball team). I feel the same will happen with the Gator baseball team this season. The SEC has some talented teams so it will be a tight race until the end but I feel that Florida will show up in the post season. Pitching and defense are key and those are two of Florida’s strengths. With its tough schedule they faced all year, they’ll be ready and they’ll go deep.

DT: Switching gears to football, you had the chance to interview Chris Rainey about the Matt Hayes articles about Urban Meyer. What is your take on the situation from information you have collected and gathered?

JQ: I feel that with any interview like the one I did, people are going to take what they want from it (negative or positive). People calling Rainey a “snitch” or whatever is ridiculous. He was being honest and never put down Urban Meyer. Meyer means a lot to him as a former coach and as a person. I do feel that those Gator teams were undisciplined but what does it matter now? They were great teams with great players and they won championships….and now, Florida has a new(ish) coach in Will Muschamp that runs a tight ship. Now Rainey is exactly where he wants to be… In the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

DT: Moving on to this upcoming football season, how do you think the Gators will fare?

JQ: As coach Muschamp said, he is more comfortable than he was at this point last year so I feel the whole team is more comfortable. From 6-6 in the regular season last season, I could see them getting a couple more…I’d say 8-4, 9-3 is a possibility. It’ll be interesting to see how the quarterback battle unfolds because that will determine a lot about the offense which is the question mark going into this season. It’ll obviously be games like home against LSU on October 6th that will show a lot about this year’s team.

DT: Who are some players the Gators should be looking out for that the average fan at home may not know at home?

JQ: I would say any of the wide receivers…because we all know they have been a non factor for a couple of seasons now. New offensive coordinator Brent Pease is definitely trying to get them more involved. So whether it’s freshman Latroy Pittman who fans have already seen stand out (at the Orange and Blue game) or guys who have been here like Andre Debose or Quinton Dunbar. I’d say just look (and hope) for more production from the receivers in general.

DT: If we could play a quick game, who would you choose from these position battles:

DT: Jacoby Brissett or Jeff Driskel?

JQ: Tough call because I really feel Driskel has come a long way but, right now, Brissett…

DT: Chaz Green or Matt Patchan?

JQ: Matt Patchan

DT: Jabari Gorman or Pop Saunders?

JQ: Pop Saunders

DT: Purifoy or Watkins?

JQ: Purifoy

DT: What are you most looking forward to this upcoming season covering the Gators?

JQ: I’m looking forward to seeing who will take that first snap at QB on September 1st. There’s just been so much talk about it and I honestly feel that Muschamp is waiting and couldn’t make the decision right now if he wanted to. Then once the starter is named, I’m curious how much the other will play behind him. I didn’t like the offense with multiple quarterbacks that Meyer used in his last season at Florida…can’t imagine most other fans liked it either.

DT: Thanks for sitting down with me Julie, it has been great!

As part of a new series, Bourbon Meyer will get to know a few of the writers and bloggers who cover Gator athletics. Today, Dan Thompson sat down with Kevin Brockway, staff analyst/reporter from the Gainesville Sun to discuss how Kevin got into journalism, his outlook for the women’s lacrosse team, men’s basketball, and ends with some advice for young journalists.

DT: Kevin, if you explain briefly why you wanted to get into journalism and how you ended up at the Gainesville Sun?

KB: I had a paper route when I was 11 years old. I delivered the Rockland County (N.Y.) Journal News after school and on weekends, sometimes in the snow or sub-freezing temperatures (now you know why I live in Florida). But growing up in suburban New York City, I was a huge sports fans and I read the New York papers voraciously. I looked up to a lot of the writers I read, Mike Lupica, Jimmy Breslin, Dave Anderson, Dick Young. I thought it would be neat job, getting to travel the country and write about what I loved.

I landed in Gainesville in 2003 after spending a decade at other papers in Florida, starting with the Key West Citizen, moving on to the Northwest Florida Daily News and then the Naples Daily News. Arnold Feliciano, the sports editor now in Gainesville, hired me in Northwest Florida and then left the day I got there in 1999 to come to Gainesville. I still joke with him about that. But Arnold was familiar with my work throughout the state and gave me a tremendous opportunity to cover Gator basketball and Gator athletics. I’m thankful to him, to this day.

DT: You have been all over the state of Florida, where has been your favorite place to live?

KB:  Wow, that’s tough. I should probably say Gainesville, right. Key West was zany. It was my first job out of college and I often call it my extended spring break. But I worked hard there, was fortunate enough to win some awards. I worked hard and I played hard. There is great passion for sports on the island and I had a chance to fish with world-class guides covering outdoors sports. Each place stands out. I really like Gainesville as well because of the youth and energy of the town, it being a college town. So I’d probably say a draw betweenKey West and Gainesville.

DT: Obviously having worked in sports for 20 years you have experienced a lot. What are a few of your favorite memories that you have experienced on the job?

KB: My favorite memories are when I can write stories that make a difference and touch people’s lives. Obviously the 2006 and 2007 national championship seasons at Floridawere magical. Not just because of the success that Florida had, but because the players were so open and had so many great stories to tell. Looking back, we were pretty spoiled as reporters to have the chance to interview Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey. Adrian Moss, Walter Hodge and Chris Richard were great, too. There was no pretense about them. They even understood our role, when they were struggling at the end of February and we were questioning things and writing some things that could have been perceived as negative, guys like Noah would say, “you’ve got to take the good with the bad.” They got it, and I think that’s why they are having success at the next level.

But I also look back to a story I wrote in 2000 when I was in Naples. It was titled “Why They Called it Staver Field.” I used to jog at the Naples High football field and saw the plaque of Pete Staver, a former Naples High player who died in the last quarter of his last high school football game. He took a blow to the head on a tackle and died of a cerebral hemorrhage. It was the 25^th anniversary of the tragedy and I was able to track down his former high school teammates who lived in Naples, his sister, his parents, his former high school coach, the reporter who covered the game and even his former high school sweetheart. I was able to weave together a story that captured the spirit of Pete Staver and took readers back in time to what Naples was like in 1975. It was a delicate subject, but I tried to be honest with the facts. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, from my bosses, my colleagues the readers and from Pete Staver’s family.

When you can do that, you feel pretty good about the work that you put into it.

DT: Who are some of your journalism inspirations?

KB:  “Guys I look up to in the business include Mike Lupica, Bob Ryan, Dan LeBatard, Gary Smith, Lee Jenkins, Chris Ballard, Pat Forde, Mike Bianchi, Bill Plaschke. All are excellent writers with strong opinions who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is. I’m not a big fan of reporters or columnists who buddy up with coaches and managers all the time just so they can get on their good side to get extra stories. You can be fair without being a sycophant. At the end of the day, I think it’s more important to be honest with your readers.

DT: Switching gears for a moment, you cover quite a few sports for the Gainesville Sun, notably basketball, lacrosse, basketball, olympic athletes, and more. What particular story sticks out and who have been your most favorite interviewees?

KB: In 2004, I wrote a story about former Gator guard Vernon Maxwell and his paternity issues and failing to play child support. I tried to make it as balanced as I could, talking to former high school coaches and even his former agent (who still spoke on his behalf despite the fact he owed him money).  According to the one of the mothers of one of Maxwell’s children (he had seven from six different mothers), he not only financially neglected his son, he emotionally neglected him as well, failing to respond to his calls and letters. I thought it was important to point that out. I’ve been told since that Vernon has at least tried to establish more of a relationship with that son, who still lives in Gainesville.  I gave Vernon every chance to speak for the story, but he declined interview requests though his attorney. Again, you would like to think the story helped make a difference in that situation.

Joakim Noah has to go down as my all-time favorite Gator to cover, though any of the 04s would rival him. Chandler Parsons also was up there, accessible and quotable. David Lee and Matt Walsh in my early years on the beat were both great to deal with in different ways. I think Patric Young has a chance to be that kind of athlete, too. He’s a telecom major and I think he understands the role of the media better than some athletes.

DT: The lacrosse team recently captured the number one seed in the ALC tournament, how do you think they will do and could they be the next sport to capture a National Championship?

KB:  You have to be impressed with what Florida has done with lacrosse. In three years, they’ve proven they belong with the elite programs in the country. Florida made the financial investment by building one of the best lacrosse facilities in the country, and coach Amanda O’Leary has done an excellent job recruiting top-flight talent to a new program. The Gators still may be another year away, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they make to the Final Four or the national title game.

DT: Moving on to basketball, UF has found itself in a position to have to one again replace its best player. How do you think UF will respond with the loss of Bradley Beal to the NBA?

KB: I think it needs to be done collectively. Beal is the kind of player you get once a decade. It’s a shame Billy couldn’t convince him to stick around another year, but being a projected lottery pick, the money is just too much to pass up.

But it was important that Patric Young and Kenny Boynton both stuck around. I think both made smart choices, they need another year. You still have three starters back from an Elite Eight team, which makes this a Sweet 16 caliber team next season. From there, it comes down to breaks. I liked how Erik Murphy progressed at the end of the season, he improved both defensively and rebounding the basketball. Casey Prather finally showed some promise in March. And don’t forget Will Yeguete, who I think could have made a big difference late in the Louisville game because of his defensive ability. You’ve got to keep everyone healthy, but I think they have another chance to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament next season.

They should be deep in the frontcourt, with or without Anthony Bennett. And I truly believe you win games at the rim. Perimeter-oriented teams, which Florida was last season, can only make it so far. Florida won national titles 2006 and 2007 because it had the best frontcourt in the country (Noah-Horford-Brewer). Kentucky won this past year because it had the best frontcourt in the country (Davis-Jones-Kidd-Gilchrist).

DT: UF is currently a major player in the Anthony Bennett sweepstakes. Do you think that Billy Donovan will land the coveted big man from Nevada?

KB: Bennett is actually from Toronto, but he played basketball this past season at Findlay Prep in Las Vegas. Findlay is somewhat of a pipeline for UNLV, which puts the Running Rebels in play. Anytime you are recruiting against Kentucky, it’s also tough. Like it or not,Kentucky coach John Calipari has a track record of getting players to the NBA. So does Billy Donovan, but Cal seems to get players to the NBA quicker. It will come down to Florida and Kentucky. But I don’t see a hard lean either way. If Bennett winds up at Kentucky, though, look for the Gators to jump on 6-10 big man Bradley Hayes from Jacksonville. He really wants to be a Gator. Hayes is less polished than Bennett, but has good size (6-10, 245 pounds). You can’t teach 6-10.

DT: Finally, going back full circle. What advice can you provide to aspiring journalists out there?

KB:  Read as much as you can, and set the bar high. Read the classics, like Hemingway and Updike. Love writing as much as you love sports. Invest time in research and coming up with intelligent questions, your credibility is on the line every time you ask one. Get involved with as many platforms as you can, learn to shoot video, WordPress for blogs, HTML coding, learn to link stories and use TinyUrl to link on Twitter. Establish good relationships with sources and let them know you care about them as people. Ask about their families from time to time. Oh, and have an outlet. Mine is karaoke, helps release the stress that comes up after trying to hit a tight deadline.

DT: Thanks for sitting down with me Kevin, it has been great!

 The University of Florida has an amazing opportunity.  The Pride of the Sunshine Marching Band has been invited to help “kickoff” the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. The band is already preparing for the show which will cover classics both from the United States and Great Britain (think Beatles).  The band has had one practice with many more scheduled before departure. But don’t think that the preparation has just started.  Having received the invite last year band leadership knew the largest hurdle to over come for the trip would not be the music but cost. The overall cost of the trip approaches a million dollars and individual band members are being asked to pay just over $4,000 a piece to attend.  Why so costly? Think buses to and from the airport, instrument transportation, multiple planes, hotels, etc.

It’s an enormous opportunity (Hey FSU, what’s your band doing this summer?) but it does have some significant economic cost.

If you want to help you can. Donations can be made via the University’s Website. Here are a few more details about the trip….

• Practicing over 35 musical pieces for the various performances
• The trip will last just over a week from July 23 to 31st; likely with only one free day for sightseeing
• The band will depart from Orlando and land in London

Just to get you into the mood.  Here is the Pride of the Sunshine’s 2012 performance at the Gator Bowl (By the way…We totally own the buckeyes)… GO GATORS!!!

2013 Gator commit, Kasey Hill shows his Gator pride on this dunk. The guard was recently upgraded to a 5-star recruit by a few recruiting services. Kasey is giving Gator Nation just a taste of what they can expect …

I wanted to have fun in college. So rather than focusing and buckling down like a good student, I decided to switch majors when it became obvious I wasn’t going to be able to screw around and maintain my scholarship in engineering. Since I enjoyed writing about sports so much, journalism seemed like a natural fit. So here we are.

DT: What has been your favorite story to cover?

TG: I don’t know that there’s any one story in particular. Because of my background, I like doing any story that involves numbers. I’m big on statistical analysis and finding trends in the stats.

But if I had to pick one story I’ve written, it would probably be the feature I did on former walk-on punter David Lerner helping others cope with Crohn’s disease.
DT: I know you are a big fan of using statistics and charts to explain your stories. What has been your toughest story to gather meaningful statistics for to draw conclusions and correlation?

TG: To be honest, as much as I like writing about statistics and crunching numbers, I’m far from an expert. I only have minimal background in actual statistics courses, so I try to steer clear of anything too heavy.

The most interesting piece I’ve ever done was comparing how the major recruiting services did evaluating talent five years after each recruiting class was ranked. It took me 60-plus hours to search through and find out what happened to each player the major services ranked, then attribute points based on five ranking criteria. All in all, it ended up showing that the three major services (Rivals, Scout and ESPN) are all very similar when it comes to whose rankings are the most accurate. If you’ve got 20 minutes or so, you can check out that piece here.

The other fun piece with numbers I do is making a composite recruiting ranking. I input where each recruit is ranked in four of the major recruiting services and run it through a formula to come up with a sort of average ranking of all the top recruits. You can find that one here.

DT: I know you have written both general sports articles and articles focused on recruiting, what is your preference in coverage?

TG: I’m not a huge fan of covering recruiting, because there’s a lot of time spent tracking down kids who, for the most part, would rather do anything than talk to you. It also tends to get a little too generic for me, asking the same kids the same questions over and over again. I much prefer following a team through the ebbs and flows of a season and watching players grow up and mature through their college careers.

DT: Switching gears for a minute, what are your predictions for the Gators football team in the fall?

TG: I see six games on the schedule that Florida probably should win. After that, most of the remaining six games are toss-ups. Right now, I’m leaning toward eight wins in the regular season. There’s certainly a chance the Gators get to nine, but I can’t see anything better than that, realistically. Florida still has some holes on offense, and the injuries up front on defense are a little concerning.

DT: If we could play a quick game, who would you choose from these position battles:

DT: Jacoby Brissett or Jeff Driskel?

TG: Brissett.

DT: Chaz Green or Matt Patchan?

TG: A healthy Patchan, but that’s a tough one.

DT: Jabari Gorman or Pop Saunders?

TG: Saunders.

DT: Purifoy or Watkins?

TG: Watkins.

DT: Who will be the stand out player for the Gators football team this upcoming season

TG: This sounds insane, but I can easily see whoever wins the starting quarterback job doing well this year. It seems like it’s been forever since the Gators had that one guy on offense they could really rely on, and both of these guys are too talented not to make some serious noise after a full year and the experience they got last year. My guess is the starter plays well enough to get the expectations ramped way up for the 2013 season. Aside from that, I feel like Sharrif Floyd is poised for a monster season.

DT: Who is one incoming or redshirt freshmen that may impress the Gators fans this year?

TG: This may seem like taking the easy way out, but it has to be Latroy Pittman. We saw what he could do this spring, and he looked like the best receiver on the roster, in my opinion. A close second would be junior college defensive tackle Damien Jacobs. Of the guys who will get here this summer, I’d keep a close eye on tight end Kent Taylor.

DT: If Will Muschamp goes 6-6/7-5 this season, do you still think he has another season or two of support from Jeremy Foley?

TG: There’s no simple answer to that question. It really depends on how he does it, if you ask me. If there aren’t any major injuries and he goes 6-6, losing to Georgia and Florida State, you can bet there will be a strong contingent wanting him gone. Foley will feel that pressure big-time. But if it unfolds kind of like last year and he’s 7-5 after dealing with a few major injuries (starting quarterback going down), he could survive depending on how certain games break.I think eight wins in the regular season needs to be the benchmark this year for Muschamp. That’s still not up to Florida standards, but it would be a two-game improvement from last year and it’s almost unrealistic to expect much more than that given the problems the team still has.Barring total disaster, I still think he gets a third year from Foley, even with a 6-6 year.

DT: Thanks Thomas, for sitting down with me today.

TG: No problem, enjoyed doing it!