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GATOR • VOL. IV ISS. 21 • FEBRUARY 5, 2009<br />
Football Signees Bios ...<br />
Nick Alajajian<br />
A true freshman who enrolled <strong>at</strong> UF in January of 2009...<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Participant in the U.S. Army<br />
All-American Bowl...Ranked as the fourth-best offensive<br />
tackle in the 2009 class by Rivals.com and ranked as a<br />
five-star recruit by Scout.com...Helped lead Naples High<br />
School to a 16-0 record and 2007 Class 3A St<strong>at</strong>e Championship...Gave<br />
up only one sack in the entire 2007<br />
season...Three-year starter for Naples...Missed six games<br />
in his senior season due to an ankle injury... Received<br />
Marco Island YMCAâ€s Male High School Athlete of<br />
the Year in 2008...Selected to MaxPreps 1st All-American<br />
Team...Claims biggest strengths are his footwork and<br />
agility...Chose Florida over FSU, Miami and Georgia...<br />
Coached by Bill Kramer.<br />
Jon Bostic<br />
A true freshman who enrolled <strong>at</strong> UF in January of 2009...<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Selected to the U.S. Army All-<br />
American Bowl...Ranked as the fifth-best Inside Linebacker<br />
prospect according to Rivals.com...Had over 100<br />
tackles in his junior season...His f<strong>at</strong>her, Jon Bostic Sr.,<br />
played three seasons for the Detroit Lions in the NFL...<br />
Selected UF over Miami, LSU, FSU and Clemson...<br />
Coached by Rodney Harris...In 2008, he rushed the ball<br />
75 times for 458 yards and six touchdowns...Member<br />
of the ESPNU Top 150...Claims gre<strong>at</strong>est strengths are<br />
his speed and aggressiveness... Helped lead Palm Beach<br />
Central to the eighth-best defense in Palm Beach County.<br />
Gary Brown<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A menacing defender who<br />
committed to Florida as a junior... Amassed over 40<br />
sacks over his final two seasons... Selected as an Under<br />
Armour All-American in 2008... Was an FSWA All-St<strong>at</strong>e<br />
First-Team 1A selection as a junior and senior... Ranked<br />
as the second-best defensive tackle in the country by<br />
ESPN.com and Scout.com... Had 26 sacks and 114<br />
tackles (84 solo) with 20 for a loss as a junior... Was a<br />
member of the track & field team while also playing<br />
pitcher and first base for the West Gadsden baseball<br />
team... Coached by Antonio Bradwell... Chose Florida<br />
over Florida St<strong>at</strong>e, Miami, Arkansas and Notre Dame.<br />
Andre Debose<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Led Sanford to the Class 6A title<br />
over Miami-Northwestern by c<strong>at</strong>ching the game-winning<br />
touchdown in the final seconds....Accumul<strong>at</strong>ed more<br />
than 2,000 yards <strong>at</strong> wide receiver, running back and<br />
quarterback...Rushed for 1,332 yards on 117 carries and<br />
scored 12 touchdowns...As a part-time quarterback, he<br />
completed 25 of 44 pass <strong>at</strong>tempts for 353 yards and four<br />
touchdowns...Returned 10 punts for 236 yards and 14<br />
kicks for 497 yards...Caught 27 passes for 664 yards and<br />
six touchdowns...Ranked No. 30 n<strong>at</strong>ionally in the ESPN<br />
150....Played in ESPN/Under Armour All-Star Game,<br />
c<strong>at</strong>ching a 90-yard TD pass... Named First-Team 2008<br />
EA Sports All-America Team...Named to the Orlando<br />
Sentinel’s All-Southern Team...Ranked sixth out of 120<br />
top recruits by Mobile’s Press Register Super Southeast...<br />
Ranked second as a five-star wide receiver and the<br />
top receiver after a c<strong>at</strong>ch by Rivals.com...Finished his<br />
junior season with 712 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing;<br />
204 yards and one touchdown passing; and had 18<br />
c<strong>at</strong>ches for 270 yards receiving... St<strong>at</strong>e track champion<br />
as a member of Sanford Seminole Track & Field team.<br />
Josh Evans<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rushed for 1,403 yards and 14<br />
touchdowns and completed 123 of 190 pass <strong>at</strong>tempts<br />
for 1,856 yards and 18 touchdowns in his career <strong>at</strong><br />
Irvington... Also recorded 78 tackles and seven interceptions<br />
on defense during his senior year... Named the<br />
Star-Ledger Essex County Player of the Year and a was<br />
a first-team all-st<strong>at</strong>e selection as a senior... Led his high<br />
school track team to the Group 3 Track co-st<strong>at</strong>e championship<br />
title competing in hurdles, relay and high jump...<br />
Chose Florida over Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and Purdue...<br />
Coached by Darnell Grant.<br />
6<br />
Dee Finley<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Attended Prep School <strong>at</strong> the Milford<br />
Academy for a year in 2008...Coached by Bill Chaplick <strong>at</strong> Milford...<br />
Participant in the Under Armour High School All-American<br />
Game in 2008... USA Today second-team All-American...<br />
Class 6A all-st<strong>at</strong>e selection in Alabama... Amassed 70 tackles<br />
and seven interceptions as a senior for Auburn... Registered<br />
50 tackles, picked off eight passes and returned three back for<br />
touchdowns as junior... Credited with seven pass breakups in<br />
his junior season... Also brought back a punt return for a score...<br />
Reeled in nine passes for 98 yards and touchdown as a receiver...<br />
Hauled in three touchdowns as sophomore on just seven receptions<br />
for 70 yards... Racked up 50 tackles and interception as a<br />
sophomore... Four-star recruit by Rivals.com and r<strong>at</strong>ed as the<br />
fifth-best safety prospect. No. 10 in the ESPN 150 and the top<br />
safety prospect... Coached in high school by Tim Carter.<br />
Mike Gillislee<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rushed for 1,149 yards on 227 carries<br />
for a 5.1-yard average...Ran for over 900 yards as a sophomore<br />
and over 1,200 yards as a junior...Carried 28 times for 200 yards<br />
(7.1 average) and scored the game-winning two-point conversion<br />
in DeLand’s 29-28 win over Mandarin... Considered South<br />
Carolina, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Mississippi St<strong>at</strong>e, among others...<br />
Also played slot receiver <strong>at</strong> DeLand for head coach Kevin<br />
Pettis... Ranked the No. 7 running back by Rivals.com and was<br />
tabbed the No. 8 all-purpose back by the organiz<strong>at</strong>ion.<br />
Jon Halapio<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Played all five positions on the offensive<br />
line... Named First-Team All-Pinellas County as a senior as was<br />
referred to “an immovable object on the line” by the St. Petersburg<br />
Times... Also played on defensive line for St. Petersburg<br />
C<strong>at</strong>holic... Played in the Pinellas County All-Star Game... Aims<br />
to lower his 40-yard dash time from 5.1 to 4.9 before he arrives<br />
in Gainesville... Has a vertical jump of 26-1/2 inches... Bench<br />
presses 340 pounds and squ<strong>at</strong>s 515 pounds... Was named the Offensive<br />
Lineman Most Valuable Player <strong>at</strong> the Gainesville NIKE<br />
Camp... Has a 3.0 GPA... Chose to play for the G<strong>at</strong>ors over<br />
Colorado and Notre Dame...Coached by Tod Creneti.<br />
Jonotthan Harrison<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Particip<strong>at</strong>ed in offense/defense All-<br />
American Bowl... Before choosing Florida, he also considered<br />
Miami, FSU and Boston College... Particip<strong>at</strong>ed in the Offense-<br />
Defense All-American Bowl... High school teamm<strong>at</strong>e of current<br />
G<strong>at</strong>or Jeff Demps... Vers<strong>at</strong>ile <strong>at</strong>hlete th<strong>at</strong> can play any of the five<br />
offensive line positions... Selected as the Offense-Defense All-<br />
American Bowl Offensive Lineman of the Year... Selected to the<br />
Orlando Sentinelâ€s All-Central Florida First Team... R<strong>at</strong>ed as<br />
a Four-Star Offensive Guard Prospect by Rivals.com... Coached<br />
by Walter Banks.<br />
Edwin Herbert<br />
A junior college player who enrolled <strong>at</strong> UF in January of 2009...<br />
Can bench press 465 pounds... A four-star tackle and the No. 26<br />
overall JUCO prospect according to Rivals.com... PRIOR TO<br />
FLORIDA: Competed <strong>at</strong> the City College of San Francisco for<br />
two seasons... Recorded 36 tackles last fall for coach George<br />
Rush... Totaled 48 tackles, three tackles for loss and six sacks<br />
in the 2007 campaign... Chose the G<strong>at</strong>ors over North Carolina<br />
St<strong>at</strong>e, Arkansas and Tennessee... Was originally sl<strong>at</strong>ed to play<br />
for Army coming out of Armijo High School...Coached by Mike<br />
Singer in high school.<br />
Jelani Jenkins<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Earned first-team Washington-Post<br />
All-Met honors and was first-team all-st<strong>at</strong>e in Maryland...Played<br />
in the Under Armour All-America Game...Highest-r<strong>at</strong>ed outside<br />
linebacker by Rivals.com and the 10th-best player overall... Selected<br />
as a first-team 2008 EA Sports All-American...Named the<br />
Maryland G<strong>at</strong>orade Player of the Year in both 2007 and 2008...<br />
Rushed for 22 touchdowns on 87 carries during his senior season<br />
and made 70 tackles on defense...First player in the 71-year history<br />
of the District’s Pigskin Club to earn both Defensive Player<br />
of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors... Will travel<br />
to Los Angeles l<strong>at</strong>er in February as one of five n<strong>at</strong>ional finalists<br />
for the W<strong>at</strong>kins Award, the high school equivalent of the Heisman<br />
Trophy...Registered 60 tackles, four sacks, an interception,<br />
a forced fumble and recovered two fumbles as a junior on defense....Rushed<br />
for 791 yards and 16 touchdowns th<strong>at</strong> season....<br />
A standout sprinter in track, he has recorded a 4.4 40-yard dash...<br />
Chose Florida over Notre Dame, Penn St<strong>at</strong>e, Southern Cal<br />
and Stanford...Coached by Bob Milloy... His GPA is above<br />
perfect 4.0, owing to extra credit to Advanced Placement<br />
in the classroom... His parents devised a three-page m<strong>at</strong>rix<br />
of their son’s college choices, breaking down schools by<br />
such c<strong>at</strong>egories as world academic ranking, gradu<strong>at</strong>ion<br />
r<strong>at</strong>es, diversity and number of NFL draft picks in the past<br />
five years.<br />
Kedric Johnson<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Recorded 41 tackles, 24.5 sacks, 27<br />
quarterback hurries, four pass breakups and an interception<br />
for a touchdown during his senior season...Finished his<br />
junior season with 40 tackles and 19 sacks, giving him 43.5<br />
sacks his junior and senior seasons combined... Awarded<br />
the Bradenton Herald Co-Player of the Year... A first-team<br />
all-st<strong>at</strong>e selection as a junior...Owns a 4.69 40-yard dash,<br />
bench max is 255 pounds and has a 35-inch vertical...<br />
Coached by Bob Bowling.<br />
Kyle Koehne<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A two-year starter <strong>at</strong> right tackle<br />
who shifted to left tackle his senior year <strong>at</strong> Indianapolis<br />
C<strong>at</strong>hedral... Received first-team all-st<strong>at</strong>e honors by the Associ<strong>at</strong>ed<br />
Press and Indiana high school coaches...Led Indianapolis<br />
C<strong>at</strong>hedral to the 2008 Class 4A st<strong>at</strong>e championship,<br />
its second championship in the last three seasons... Named<br />
the Indiana Player of the Year by the Indianapolis Star...<br />
Graded out <strong>at</strong> 82 percent his senior season... Benches 320<br />
pounds, squ<strong>at</strong>s 420 pounds, has a 24-inch vertical jump and<br />
runs the 40-yard dash in 5.3 seconds... Earned Scout.com<br />
All-Combine honors after a successful performance <strong>at</strong> the<br />
U.S. Army Combine... Named the 2008 Indianapolis Player<br />
of the Year... Garnered 2008 All-City and All-Marion<br />
County high school football honor teams... A Class 4A allst<strong>at</strong>e<br />
selection as a junior... Coached by Rick Streiff.<br />
Xavier Nixon<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Named the High School Maxwell<br />
Award winner among offensive linemen... Named firstteam<br />
all-st<strong>at</strong>e on the offensive line... In addition to his time<br />
on offensive line, collected 50 tackles while playing on<br />
defense... Led Jack Britt to the Class 4-AA st<strong>at</strong>e championship<br />
game... Played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl...<br />
Selected as a First- Team 2008 EA Sports All-American...<br />
Named a U.S. Army All-American Bowl Player of the<br />
Year finalist... Chosen as the Cape Fear Region Player of<br />
the Year... Named to Parade Magazineâ€s High School<br />
All-American team... The North Carolina ESPN Rise<br />
G<strong>at</strong>orade Football Player of the Year... A 2007 AP all-st<strong>at</strong>e<br />
selection... Both parents are in the U.S. Military and have<br />
served in the Middle East... F<strong>at</strong>her has been st<strong>at</strong>ioned in<br />
Afghanistan, but was approved for leave to see Nixon commit<br />
to the G<strong>at</strong>ors <strong>at</strong> the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in<br />
Orlando, Fla...Coached by Richard Bailey.<br />
Desmond Parks<br />
A true freshman who enrolled <strong>at</strong> UF in January of 2009...<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: 2008 second-team all-st<strong>at</strong>e selection...Had<br />
30 c<strong>at</strong>ches for 450 yards and seven touchdowns<br />
as a junior... Recorded 29 c<strong>at</strong>ches for 403 yards and five<br />
touchdowns as a senior... Particip<strong>at</strong>ed in the Offense-<br />
Defense All-American Bowl... Chose Florida over North<br />
Carolina, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Clemson, and Duke...<br />
Member of the ESPNU Top 150... Coached by Will Young.<br />
Jordan Reed<br />
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: As a junior, he completed 122-of-<br />
222 passes for 1,706 yards and 28 touchdowns... Threw<br />
only two interceptions... Also rushed for 370 yards and<br />
eight touchdowns... Three-year starter for the New London<br />
Whalers...Known for his gre<strong>at</strong> size and incredible arm<br />
strength...Led New London to an undefe<strong>at</strong>ed regular season<br />
in 2007...Chose Florida over Connecticut, Oregon, Boston<br />
College and Maryland...Coached by Jack Cochrane...<br />
Ranked by Rivals as the 10th-best dual-thre<strong>at</strong> quarterback<br />
and the second-best prospect from the st<strong>at</strong>e of Connecticut...Member<br />
of the ESPNU Top 150...Finalist for the 2008<br />
Joe Montana High School Quarterback of the Year.
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