National Signing Day: More than 50 sign for college football

More than 50 student-athletes from area high schools signed letters of intent to play college football during National Signing Day on Wednesday.

Plant, Hillsborough and Tampa Bay Tech each saw six players sign, while Tampa Catholic standouts Chaz Green and Christian Green decided to stay in-state by signing with Florida and Florida State, respectively.

First-year USF coach Skip Holtz got a commitment from Hillsborough's Terrence Mitchell, rated as one of the nation's top defensive backs, and Miami penned TBT's Maurice Hagens.

Other notable signees on Wednesday included Gulf's Leon Orr (Florida), Hillsborough's Tarean Austin (New Mexico), Plant's Eric Dungy (Oregon), Jefferson's Fred Overstreet (Rutgers) and Guy Toph Award winner C.J. Bennett of Alonso (South Alabama).

Student-athletes also signed commitments in soccer, baseball and other sports during the first day of the current signing period that students could officially sign formal letters of intent with colleges and universities.

TAMPA CATHOLIC

Crusader Hall was the site of a virtual media frenzy Wednesday as star players Chaz Green and Christian Green made their college choices live on national television.

Because they were among the most highly-recruited players in the nation, the school's most famous unrelated Greens each got their own moment in the spotlights of ESPNU, with Chaz going first. In front of him were caps from Ohio State, Florida, Tennessee and the University of Southern California.

But after the voice in his ear piece asked him which school he was choosing, the 6-foot-5, 295-pound Green picked up a Gators hat as the crowd of more than 100 students, alumni, faculty and coaches roared in approval.

Funny thing is about the Gator Nation, it was only a few minutes before a band of them turned up with posters with Chaz Green's name on it. They posed with him and before long, they were all doing the Gator chomp.

Next up was Christian Green, a 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback who is expected to play receiver in college. He had narrowed his list to Georgia and Florida State. And like Chaz, on queue from the ESPNU director, he told the world he was going to be a Seminole when he placed the FSU cap on his head.

Green said he couldn't sleep last night worrying about the decision. In fact, he said he still wasn't sure this morning. But he said the voice in his head - along with those around him whom he respects the most - said FSU was the right choice.

So there they were, a Gator and a Nole sitting side-by-side on national TV. Despite the polarity of their college picks, the Greens say they will always be friends.

After all that hoopla, TC's other players signing letters of intent joined the Greens on stage. There were defensive backs Jeremi Wilkes and Chris Lundy, who are headed to Syracuse and South Dakota, respectively, lineman Matt Gibbons, who signed with prestigious liberal arts school Franklin and Marshall in Pennsylvania, and another senior standout on that line, Kevin White, who will play for Benedictine College in Kansas.

Earlier in the day, TC held a ceremony for the non-football players signing.

The mood of all three Tampa Catholic boys soccer players was the same: Signing day was a dream come true.

Andrew Buckley, who signed with the University of Tampa, and Brendan McCarron and Jason Getreu, who both signed with Coker College, were thrilled they were going to be playing soccer this fall for their new schools.

"It's a big achievement for me," McCarron said. "Just to be doing this, it's always been my dream to play college soccer, so it's a dream come true."

For McCarron and Buckley, who have played on the same team together since they were under-seven players at Hillsborough County United, not being on the same field will likely be an odd feeling, especially if the Spartans and Cobras, both Division II programs, should meet in the next four years.

McCarron, with Getreu, and Buckley, with Sickles' Gil Davis, will both have current high school or club teammates joining them at their new school in the fall, but it will certainly be different for both not having the other in the same uniform.

"I'm going to be playing with one of my friends who is on my club team," Buckley said, "but I will miss them a lot."

-- Bill Ward and Nicholas Murray

PLANT

TAMPA -- Plant's signing class of 2010 certainly spans the globe. With some football players going out West, way out West, Coach Robert Weiner added up the miles from Tampa to every college destination of his six players that signed letters on Wednesday.

"If you put it all together, it's 12,000 miles," Weiner said.

Wide receivers/defensive backs Allen Sampson (Hawaii) and Eric Dungy (Oregon) are traveling the farthest. Middle linebacker Mike Mirabella signed with Holy Cross (Massachusetts) and offensive lineman Andre Mondor with Liberty (Virginia), while cornerback Javonte Martin (Georgia Southern) and running back T.J. Glover (South Alabama) are staying in the South.

Three girls soccer players also signed to various colleges - Amy Werdine with Appalachian State, Ellen Moore swith Furman and Lauryn Bodden signed with Southern Methodist University.

Werdine's brother Andrew, former standout athlete at Jesuit, provided the emotional highlight of the ceremony by sending a letter to his sister congratulating her that soccer coach Stephen McGill read aloud.

"I had no idea he had done that," Werdine said. "I would always text him after my games, so I was sad that he couldn't be here. And when coach said he had written a letter, it really meant a lot."

-- Katherine Smith

HILLSBOROUGH

At the school's historic and elegant auditorium, coach Earl Garcia held court over his 23rd National Signing Day ceremony at Hillsborough and 36th overall, but this group of players was one of his largest ever. And judging from the number of media there, it was one of the most publicized events Garcia has hosted.

"It (Signing Day) is nothing like it used to be," Garcia said. "In some ways, yes, it has become almost too big of an event. But if we don't do it and another school does, I'm sure there will be some eighth grader out there thinking 'Hmmm, that school had all sorts of players sign scholarships and I didn't see anyone do it at Hillsborough.' "

A total of six Terriers signed Wednesday, with linemen Brandon McFadden, Adolphus Barnes and Dan Ljuna all inking with NAIA school Webber International, running back Rodney Johnson heading to Florida A&M University, quarterback Tarean Austin going to New Mexico and defensive back Terrence "T-Rex" Mitchell signing with the University of South Florida.

Johnson, Austin and Mitchell are all headed to Division-IA programs, but Mitchell's move to USF has garnered the most attention. That's because he initially made a verbal commitment to Florida State, then, two weeks later after the hiring of Skip Holtz, decided to switch to the Bulls.

Mitchell was joined by his parents, as well as his sister, Whitney Mitchell, who is a student at USF. At first, even she was telling her brother no to come to South Florida. But now that he is, she says she likes the idea of her little brother playing in town.

Garcia said he expects other players, including running back Antonio Chow, to sign with schools in the coming days. That could come after the upcoming recruiting fair, where coaches from a variety of colleges come to town in search of players who either did not sign Wednesday or have only recently become academically eligible under NCAA rules.

-- Bill Ward

TAMPA BAY TECH

TAMPA -- Coach C.C. Culpepper is a very passionate, and he's known to display a wide range of emotions on the gridiron.

During the signing ceremony for seniors Maurice Hagens, Jerome Speights (Western Kentucky) , Greg Hickman (Florida International), Sam Jones (Grand Rapids C.C.), Mark Grant (Grand Rapids C.C.) and Derrick McCray, Culpepper's emotions got the best of him as he essentially said goodbye to players who were catalysts in helping turn around a once-struggling Titans program. As he addressed the crowd assembled in the school's auditorium for the event, Culpepper choked up and shed a few tears during the final words he expressed about his players.

"It didn't hit me until right then that these kids weren't going to be with me anymore," Culpepper said.

The Titans' senior class is by far the most successful in program history. The group endured an 0-10 season as freshmen, at the time the second consecutive winless season for the program, but helped Tampa Bay Tech win 25 games over the next three years and make consecutive playoff appearances in 2008 and 2009.

The memories the group made during that time were lasting, which is why Culpepper wasn't the only one who said it was going to be hard to say goodbye.

"We've been here so long and built the program up from nothing," said Hagens, who signed with the University of Miami. "It's going to be hard to leave these guys."

-- Adam Adkins

JESUIT

TAMPA -- Like they do every year on National Signing Day, Jesuit began just after sunrise and with a prayer. The Tigers featured three student/athletes who signed their letter of intents - kicker/punter Tyler Feely, defensive end Trace Williams and track standout Evan Rubinson.

Feely's carrying on the family tradition of kicking. His older brother Jay is the kicker for the New York Jets. Feely, who chose to further his football and academic career at Columbia University, said he knew playing college football was a possibility when he could hold his own with his older brothers.

"I had a huge influence from my brothers and we were very competitive," said Feely, who had interest from Georgetown, Air Force and Arkansas. "We always tried to outkick each other. About a year ago, I was able to beat Jay in a punting contest."

Feely's football teammate Williams wasn't too sure Wednesday would ever come because his recruiting process started a little later than others. As a junior playing behind John Plasencia, who plays at Northwestern now, Williams didn't get many chances to show his skills. But this past season, Williams began to flourish in the Tigers defense and led the team with seven sacks.

His play put him on the recruiting radar and allowed him to have some options before he chose Wingate.

"At first, I had nothing," said Williams, who credited his mother for putting together his highlight film. "Honestly, no one knew who I was. But as the season started picking up, I started making plays and getting my name out there. All of sudden, they just started coming."

Rubinson chose Duke over Stanford because he liked the competitive nature of ACC track. But he also liked the chance to see Duke basketball up close and personal.

"I heard you have to start camping out for tickets in January for the game in March," Rubinson said. "The track coach won't actually let us camp out because he said it's too bad for our health and our practices, so I'll have to find tickets some other way."

-- Katherine Smith

JEFFERSON

TAMPA -- Fred Overstreet had such a penchant for punishing opposing tacklers in practice, Jefferson coach Mike Fenton said he and his staff began attributing the phrase "one-a-day" to the Dragons standout linebacker.

"Because he seemed to knock somebody out every practice," Fenton said.

Wednesday was a big day for Overstreet. He signed a National Letter-of-Intent with Rutgers University.

"Rutgers is a great fit for him," Fenton said.

Overstreet, who led the Class 3A state semifinalists with 160 tackles in 2009, was very patient in the recruiting process, and that proved to be somewhat of a crutch. He was extended scholarship offers early from programs like Syracuse, Minnesota and Purdue, but when he didn't jump at the chance to give a verbal commitment those schools began looking elsewhere - and taking back the offers. Rutgers, however, kept with him late, and officially extended the offer when he made an official visit to the campus in Piscataway, N.J., this past weekend.

During the signing ceremony, Fenton raved about Overstreet's character. He said when Rutgers coaches asked specifically about it, he responded by telling them he'd not only put his reputation on the line with Overstreet, but also his job.

Fenton also talked about the signing day festivities. He said many players around the country would bask in the glory of the occasion, but then fall off the radar and never be heard from again. He vowed Overstreet would not be one of those players.

"This is not the last time you'll hear about Fred Overstreet," Fenton said.

-- Adam Adkins

FREEDOM

TAMPA -- Soccer standout Olivia Bloemke had the entire Freedom conference room to herself for the Patriots' National Signing Day ceremony. As the lone Freedom student/athlete signing a letter of intent, Bloemke celebrated signing with Rollins with her parents, coaches and several friends and teammates.

One of her soccer teammates, Leah Wasserman, made the event more memorable by organizing a homemade Rollins T-shirt effort that several of the girls wore.

Bloemke closed out a great high school career on Tuesday night when her Freedom team lost to Venice, 5-1, in the regional semifinals. It was Bloemke that scored the only goal to prevent a shutout.

"I was thinking about how I never understand why people cry out of happiness," Bloemke said. "But when I scored that goal, there were so many emotions. I knew we were losing and it was my last game, so when I scored that goal, it was a relief because I felt like I stepped it up for our team and scoring that was just everything to me."

-- Katherine Smith

HUDSON

HUDSON -- During the summer before his junior year, Hudson quarterback Zack Wynn made unofficial visits to schools like Florida, Florida State, Duke and Harvard.

But when Western Michigan began asking about him, the Broncos peaked his interest. After a visit to the Kalamazoo, Mich. campus, Wynn was hooked.

"I really liked the coaching staff," Wynn said. "For the school to come and find me, it's a honor."

Wynn, who passed for more than 6,500 yards at Hudson, plans to major in biomedical sciences.

-- Rick Harmon

ALONSO

Quarterback C.J. Bennett said he investigated programs that sold their rich tradition in college football.
In the end, though, he wanted to become part of history.

And that's why he chose the University of South Alabama.

South Alabama's start-up program seems just right for Bennett, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound slinger who won the Guy Toph Award, given annually since 1939 to the top senior prep football player in Hillsborough County.

The Jaguars played an abbreviated schedule in 2009. By 2011, they should be in a transition year before entering the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) with a spot in the Sun Belt Conference (or maybe even Conference USA).

Three other Alonso football players - wide receiver Justen Davis (Towson), wide receiver Jameel Gay (Albany) and offensive lineman Alex Harris (Norwich) - also finalized their plans during Wednesday's signing-day ceremony at the school.

Additionally, baseball shortstop Tito Martinez (Polk Community College), softball player Gabby Mangru (U.S. Military Academy) and tennis player Erin Snook (U.S. Naval Academy) announced their future plans.

"I think I can have a role like Marquel Blackwell did at USF, being there from the beginning of the program and being part of all the milestones in the beginning,'' Bennett said. "That's exciting to me. It's an up-and-coming program with great facilities and a great location. I can't wait to get started.''

Bennett was recruited by South Alabama offensive coordinator Greg Gregory, who served in the same role at USF.

Until mid-season, Bennett was orally committed to the University of Wyoming in the Western Athletic Conference. He was attracted by Wyoming's wide-open offense and a head coach who developed Chase Daniel, a Heisman Trophy finalist, at Missouri.

Ultimately, the distance between Tampa and Laramie, Wyo., was too great of an obstacle. Bennett took a late official visit to Wyoming - a bit different than his summertime unofficial trip; this time, there was snowmobiling - but South Alabama's positives grew even stronger.

"It's only seven hours (to Mobile, Ala.) and as a parent, I'm thrilled by that,'' said Bennett's mother, Julia. "Wyoming was a completely different story, an entirely different world. I think C.J. is going somewhere where he will be happy.

"We were up there (for the official visit) and you saw so many people wearing (South Alabama) shirts and hats. They are so ready for that program to take off. Having C.J. as part of that excitement is something we're all really looking forward to.''

-- Joey Johnston

BLAKE

TAMPA - Two 6-foot-6, 235-pound players from Blake -- Mike McFarland and George Taliaferro -- signed national letters of intent with the University of Florida and Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina.

McFarland, one of the area's most highly recruited players, said he never wavered from his decision to attend Florida, the school to which he committed before the 2009 football season.

"Even when coach (Urban Meyer) talked about retiring I still intended to stay with Florida," said McFarland, who is projected to play tight end. "All the recruits to Florida were talking on the internet and we all said we were going to stay committed. We believe (in the whole program) at Florida."

There was talk a few weeks ago that McFarland might get grey shirted, but this week McFarland said that Florida said the grey-shirt option was off the table and that he will join the team as fully enrolled freshman in the fall.

"Either way I was still committed to Florida," McFarland said. "No doubt about that."

-- Scott Purks

MIDDLETON

The school's Student Intervention Specialist, Cathy Waters, gave a moving talk in the Media Center about the importance of making education your top priority - and ahead of playing sports.

"Your athletic ability doesn't last forever," Waters told the six Tigers who were signing football scholarships to various schools. "But your education will."

Waters, herself a former cheerleader and alumnus of Bethune-Cookman University, spoke to a crowd of about 75 students, parents, teachers, administrators and visitors. She reminded them there are potential pitfalls ahead of them and cited the situation of former Middleton football and track star O.J. Murdock. Shortly after signing with the University of South Carolina in 2006, Murdock was arrested for alleged theft and was suspended by the Gamecocks.

But Murdock, who was also a state sprint champion in track, turned things around. He wound up transferring to junior college program Pearl River and has recently moved on to Fort Hays University, a Division II school in Kansas, where he is now a junior wide receiver.

Waters also mentioned the shining success of former Middleton football lineman Luis Polanco, who, when he arrived at the school from his native Dominican Republic, spoke virtually no English. By the time he left Middleton in 2009 -- with a football scholarship to Western Kentucky -- Polanco was fluent in English and an honors student.

With those and other examples, Waters, Gaines and Stokes presented this year's Tigers signing class of running back Maurice Campbell, cornerback/running back Ernest Mingo and tackle Wathson Adelson, who are all headed to St. Augustine College in Raleigh, N.C., running back Vasty Paul, who will play for Ed Waters College in Jacksonville, receiver Justin Sanders, who is headed to Webber International in Babson Park, and linebacker Courtney Hunter, who signed with Hampton (Va.) University.

-- Bill Ward

NEWSOME

LITHIA -- Newsome senior defensive lineman Shawn Boone had dreamed of signing a football scholarship since he first watched the sport on television as a child. His dream came true on National Signing Day when he officially inked with Furman University.

"My work is finally paying off," he said.

Boone intends to study business at Furman and is eagerly looking forward to Furman's game against the Florida Gators his sophomore season.

"It'll be good to come home and play in front of my family."

-- Nick Williams

ARMWOOD

SEFFNER -- Armwood senior defensive lineman Theodore Jackson takes pride in the nickname given to him by coaches and teammates. Since he arrived at Armwood, he's been called "Man-Man'' because of his massive size and strength.

Before he signed with Butler Community College (Kansas), Jackson said he told his coaches-to-be to refer to him as 'Man-Man'.

"I told the coach I don't want to be called Theodore," Jackson said. "He said "I'll arrange that".

And if someone slips up and calls him by his birth name?

"I'm going to have to hold my peace," Jackson said.

-- Nick Williams

DURANT

PLANT CITY -- Durant soccer player Billy Fanning first met former Tampa Bay Mutiny player Josh Keller when he was 8 years old.

As a Brandon Flames player, Fanning got to accompany Keller out of the tunnel at a home Mutiny game after his team had won a pregame tournament. Then eight years later, Keller became a coach of Fanning's club team, and in turn became a mentor to Fanning as he went through the recruiting process.

"He's definitely helped me a lot with everything," Fanning said.

As Fanning signed with Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday, Keller was there, along with a number of Fanning's friends and family, to see his protege make the next step in his soccer career.

"It's awesome," Keller said. "This is an exciting time in any soccer player's life, making that final choice for college, and just over the last couple of years I've been working with Billy I've seen a huge improvement, but he already had a ton of talent. I think we're going to see great things from him."

-- Nicholas Murray

PASCO

District championship plaques along with Sunshine Athletic Conference championships surrounded both D.J. Clower and Mitch Wozniak inside the media center. But the most important item sat in front of the two Pasco High football players - their National Letters of Intent.

Clower, who completed 86-of-172 passes for 1,525 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions, will play football for North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C. Meanwhile, Wozniak will play for Florida International University. He had 19 receptions for 352 yards and three TDs, making him the third-leading receiver in the Pirates offense.

"It seems like it took forever, but once it got here, it got here pretty quick, so I'm excited about that," Clower said about his opportunity to play college football.

During his visit to North Carolina A&T, he saw snow for the first time. Clower also had an offer from Florida A&M.

As for Wozniak, it was important for him to stay in Florida and admits, even that 4-hour drive south is plenty.

"I'm extremely blessed to be in this position," Wozniak said.

-- Eddie Daniels

WHARTON

TAMPA -- As senior offensive lineman Blake Nold was signing his letter-of-intent to attend Division II Assumption College located in Worcester, Mass., the temperature in Worcester rose slightly from 26 to 27 degrees.

While many athletes from Tampa take a leap of faith when signing with a school located in the northeast, Nold was well aware of how cold the winters can be.

"I'm used to it," he said. "I used to live in Indiana so I'm used to the snow."

Nold moved to Tampa after his freshman year in high school.

-- Nick Williams

GAITHER

TAMPA -- It's tough for big linemen to find stylish clothes, but Demetrius Best has always found a way - especially on game days when players dressed up for school.

He didn't disappoint on Wednesday when he showed up for the National Signing Day ceremony dressed in a sharp lime green and yellow suit, worn specifically for the occasion as he signed his letter of intent to play at Hampton University.

"I picked it out this morning," Best said. "It just called me. It was in the back of the closet and it said "come get me" so I had to go get it."

Best's teammates Jamal Allen, second on the team with two interceptions, and Derrick Bavol, the Cowboys second-leading tackler, were wearing various shades of blue as a nod to their college The Citadel.

They will be joining former Gaither teammate Yemi Oyegunle who is going on his second year at The Citadel.

"Having a teammate already there and going up with a teammate helps out big time," Allen said. "Yemi told us he would help us with anything we need. It's just nice."

-- Katherine Smith

LAND O' LAKES

LAND O' LAKES -- When Tyler Peak went to bed Tuesday night, he wasn't exactly sure what was next for him as far as football was concerned. One would presume his collection of 928 rushing and 123 receiving yards and nine scores for the Land O' Lakes football team would be proof of his ability.

His uncertainty was cleared up Wednesday morning when Jacksonville University offered him a scholarship.

Peak joined teammate Patrick Kronk and Gators soccer player Frank Villar in signing National Letters of Intent Wednesday at the school. Kronk will play at American International University in Springfield, Mass, while Villar, still recovering from an ACL repair, will play at Florida Atlantic University.

"I wanted to play, but I wanted to stay close to home," Peak said. "But once I got this opportunity, I decided to go with it. It's the perfect opportunity."

Former VMI safeties coach Danny Verpaele had been watching Peak from Virginia, but when he recently moved on to become the Jacksonville University secondary coach, he kept in contact with Peak.

By his senior season, Kronk expected to play football on the college level and Wednesday afternoon just affirmed his thoughts.

"I put in a lot of hard work over the last four years, so I knew it would pay off eventually," Kronk said.

-- Eddie Daniels

BLOOMINGDALE

LITHIA -- Wearing a bright golden T-shirt with a giant "A" on it, soccer player Kara Buono signed her National Letter of Intent to Appalachian State University alongside her mother Debbie, Bulls coach Sue Peet, Bloomingdale athletic director Danielle Shotwell and fellow members of the Bloomingdale yearbook program.

Buono, a speedy threat for the Bulls for the last four seasons, earned second-team honors in last season's Tribune All-Hillsborough County Team, as well as earning first-team honors on last season's Western Conference soccer team. Buono also plays club soccer for RSL Florida.

Buono said she chose Appalachian State for the school's academic programs and because she has attended a soccer camp at the school since eighth grade.

"Mostly the school was what made me decide to go to Appalachian State," Buono said. "I wanted to leave Florida and I've been going to soccer camp up there since eighth grade and it is just amazing and beautiful up there."

Buono said she hadn't decided on what her major would be, but she is interested in public relations, journalism or economics.

-- Jarrett Guthrie

SICKLES

All-everything football player, Scott O'Donoghue - call him a linebacker, running back and quarterback - doesn't mind the cold weather or the snow. He is excited about his scholarship to Holy Cross.

"When I visited there, it was the second time I ever saw snow,'' said O'Donoghue, who expects to play weakside linebacker for the Crusaders.

And the first?

"When I visited Benedictine.''

Although Holy Cross is in Worcester, Mass. - a world away in weather conditions and lifestyle - a slice of home awaits O'Donoghue.

He visited Holy Cross along with Plant linebacker Mike Mirabella, an old grade-school pal from Christ The King School in South Tampa. O'Donoghue said they made independent decisions, but both opted for Holy Cross.

"That's nice, having someone you know that well going to the same school,'' O'Donoghue said.

O'Donoghue, offensive lineman Nick Verleni (Jacksonville University) and offensive lineman Jason Cooper (Iowa Western Community College) signed their scholarships during a Wednesday afternoon ceremony at the Sickles media center.

Also signing were boys soccer defender Gil Davis (University of Tampa) and girls soccer defender Sarah Moyer (Florida Gulf Coast University).

Meanwhile, the future of Sickles football wide receiver Chris Nahat remained uncertain. According to Gryphons coach Pat O'Brien, Youngstown State University reduced its initial offer from a full scholarship to partial aid, so Nahat is studying his options.

-- Joey Johnston

BERKELEY PREP

TAMPA -- If Berkeley Prep continues to produce college athletes like they did this year, the school is definitely will need to build an addition.

On Wednesday, the conference room in the school's main office was packed - seven different times.

The Bucs celebrated seven different student-athletes moving on to the next level on college scholarships during an afternoon ceremony. They included girls soccer players Taylor Batye (Navy), Sam Newhaller (Navy) and Amber Famiglietti (Swarthmore), boys soccer player T.J. Roehn (USF), track star Auston Chen (Arkansas), cross country runner Gigi Price (C.W. Post) and swimmer Laura Jordan (Richmond).

-- Adam Adkins

BLAKE

TAMPA -- Two 6-foot-6, 235-pound players from Blake -- Mike McFarland and George Taliaferro -- signed with the University of Florida and Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina, respectively.

McFarland, one of the area's most highly recruited players, said he never wavered from his decision to attend Florida, the school to which he committed before the 2009 football season.

"Even when coach (Urban Meyer) talked about retiring I still intended to stay with Florida," said McFarland, who is projected to play tight end. "All the recruits to Florida were talking on the internet and we all said we were going to stay committed. We believe (in the whole program) at Florida."

There was talk a few weeks ago that McFarland might get grey shirted, but this week McFarland said that Florida said the grey-shirt option was off the table and that he will join the team as fully enrolled freshman in the fall.

"Either way I was still committed to Florida," McFarland said. "No doubt about that."

-- Scott Purks

GULF

NEW PORT RICHEY -- Leon Orr made a return visit to high school Wednesday.

The defensive tackle, ranked 28th at his position by Rivals.com, graduated from Gulf in December and began classes at the University of Florida in January.

He was one of five Buccaneers to sign letters of intent at the school. He was joined by fellow football players Madison Burr (Wofford College) and Will Burbridge (Jacksonville University). Completing the list was softball player Brittney Mayhill (USF) and basketball player Kianna Mills (Coppin State).

"To be honest with you, there's not much difference between going to class at Gulf and at UF," said Orr, who has cut off his high-school trademark long hair. "You get the same classes - just a little bit harder. You just have to learn how to act around certain people. If you do what you are supposed to do, it won't be hard."

Football is a different matter. Orr, who misses most of this season with a broken bone in his ankle and had screws removed two weeks ago, hopes to be running soon.

"High school football and college football is completely different," he said. "The conditioning is harder. The coaching staff is a lot more diverse."

Gulf is not done sending football players to college, Coach Jay Fulmer said. He hope to have a few more signing announcements in the next few weeks.

-- Rick Harmon