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A Few Thursday Notes

By FLATigersFan

● Cornelius Ingram is the "face of Florida football" for 2007 -- but more importantly, he is one of my favorite players out there on the field for his size, explosiveness and overall ridiculous athleticism.  Here's hoping for a huge season for CI.

"He's just a high character guy who is very unselfish, a lot like our basketball team, a lot like our team last year," Meyer said. "C.I. is a guy that would do anything. He's already done some stuff for me behind the scenes. He changes peoples' lives. That's what Jemalle (Cornelius) did and that's what C.I. is going to do."

What's crazy about the above-linked article is the statement that CI had almost transferred to USF before Meyer, Strong and former Gator Vernell Brown talked him into staying with Florida.
"He was gone," Meyer said. "Charlie Strong and I drove at 11 o'clock at night out to Hawthorne. He has a great family. His brother helped save the day and his high school basketball coach and Vernell Brown.

"It's unbelievable that he stayed. Vernell Brown was a Godsend. He sat and talked to C.I. for an hour."


It's so good to see a guy who was just recently (a few years) unclear on his future in college football making such a difference for his team.  There is no doubt in my mind that CI was a huge factor in last year's championship run, and will be right in the middle of one once again in 2007.

● Worried about who will replace Jarvis Moss in 2007?  Sophomore DE Jermaine Cunningham will try to calm any doubts you may have on this issue coming out of Spring practice.

"Those are some big shoes to fill," Cunningham said. "I'm just trying to get better and help the team and try to fill those shoes."

"Being behind Moss, who is such a great player, I was learning the game from him," Cunningham said. "He helped me a lot. If there was stuff I needed help on or didn't know, he'd show me how to do it, so I got better."


There have been a few reports coming from practice that Cunningham has really been doing a great job on the first team and that Coach Meyer and co. are thoroughly impressed by his progress.

● Looks like the Jacksonville Dolphins have a new assistant coach joining Kerwin Bell's staff:  Former Gator QB Shane Matthews.

Matthews' friends envy him. Retired at 36 with an NFL pension, he doesn't need to work. But Matthews is bored. And he's ready to embark on his second career -- which to no one's surprise will be coaching football.

Another former Gator quarterback, Kerwin Bell, has offered Matthews a part-time position with Jacksonville University, and Matthews says he will likely accept the job.

Bell, the former coach at Ocala Trinity Catholic high school, will begin his first season as head coach of the Dolphins this fall. Jacksonville has a Division I-AA non-scholarship program.

Matthews would coach quarterbacks and share play-calling duties with Bell.


Great news for Shane and Kerwin!  Heres hoping we see those two names getting higher-profile jobs in the future.  Hey, Matthews learned from one of the best in Steve Spurrier, and Bell has already proved at Trinity Catholic (Ocala, FL) that he knows how to coach the passing game (the school is responsible for the flourishing career of John Brantley).  Pretty exciting to hear about how they do at JU.
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That's all for now.  Remember to check out the Orange and Blue game on Saturday at BHG Stadium.

Go Gators!