Junior Mikey Meagher was named the site’s Goalie of the Year, and Kitty Cullen, Brittany Dashiell and Shannon Gilroy joined her as All-Americans.

Six Gators were also chosen to IWLCA All-South Region teams earlier this week.

Meager, Dashiell and Cullen were first-team picks by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association and were joined by Sam Farrell. Jamie Reeg and Gabi Wiegand were named to the second team.

Junior Brittany Dashiell is Florida's first ever Tewaaraton Award finalist. (Photo courtesy of UF Communications)

With a program this young, history is easy to make for the Florida lacrosse team. In the Gators’ three seasons, they’ve had plenty of firsts. But even that already impressive list stands to expand.

The top-seeded Gators (19-2) face No. 4 Syracuse in the NCAA Final Four today in Stony Brook, N.Y. The winner advances to face either Northwestern or Maryland in the championship on Sunday.

Florida’s run is its farthest ever for the program, but it doesn’t come as a surprise. The Gators reached plenty of milestones in their second season last year, including winning their first American Lacrosse Tournament regular-season title and becoming the fastest program ever to be ranked in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association top five.

They added to it this year, winning both the ALC regular-season and tournament titles. To do so, they beat then No. 1-ranked Northwestern twice to mark the first time since 2004 that the Wildcats, winners of six of the past seven NCAA titles, lost to the same team twice in a season.

After advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2011, Florida went one step further this year. It beat Albany (6-4) and Penn State (15-2) to make it to the Final Four.

“It is at times very surreal and the more we look back and we sit and say, ‘OK, this is wonderful,’” said UF coach Amanda O’Leary. “And I think we reflect upon that. We still have some work to do and it’s fantastic making it to this point, but we certainly would like to make it farther.”

Leading the way has been a group of juniors that has been the foundation of the program since it started. They took their lumps as freshmen, but developed as sophomores when early success gave them confidence heading into this season.

With the addition of talented freshmen Shannon Gilroy and Nora Barry, among others, Florida has been one of the best teams in the country this season. It has won its past 15 games (not surprisingly, a school record streak) since it lost to Syracuse 12-11 in double overtime in early March.

Florida ranks in the top five nationally in five statistical categories: scoring offense (third, 15.43 goals per game, scoring defense (first, 6.19 gpg), scoring margin (first, 9.24 gpg), points (third, 466) and draw controls (third, 15.43).

That last stat might have the greatest impact on the others. Draw controls were sometimes a struggle for Florida last season, but Gilroy has helped the Gators average increase by more than three per game this season.

“Each player, I think, is extremely familiar with each other and they have great team chemistry, so when they step out on the field, they’ve been doing things for several years together,” said Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, “and then to add in players like Nora Barry and Shannon Gilroy into the mix, I just think that they really maximize every single player that they have on the field.”

So although the Orange beat Florida earlier this season, coach Gary Gait isn’t discounting how dangerous the young program can be. It has not been on this kind of stage before, but the home crowds that have made a Northeastern sport popular in Gainesville should help them there.

If Florida can play the way it has late in the season, it could add to its growing list of accomplishments.

“They’ve got talent everywhere,” said Gait. “Throw in some freshmen that are the top players in the country and they’ve just become stronger than they were last year.”

UF kicker Caleb Sturgis was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award in 2011. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)

Our football position analysis concludes today with the Florida specialists. You can check the previous breakdowns of the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers , tight ends/fullbacks, the offensive and defensive lines, linebackers and the secondary.

Top players: Caleb Sturgis (RSr., 5-11, 187), Andre Debose (RJr., 5-11, 186), Kyle Christy (Soph., 6-3, 200)

Strengths: Heading into his final season, Sturgis gives Florida a big advantage on special teams. A finalist for the Lou Groza Award last season, Sturgis returns as one of the top kickers in the country.

Sturgis returned from a back injury in 2010 to make 22-of-26 field goals in 2011 with a long of 55 yards. He started the year with 12 consecutive makes before missing one from 52 yards vs. Alabama. With 46 career field goals, Sturgis has a chance to surpass the UF record of 67 set by Jeff Chandler.

On kick returns, Debose returns as one of the most electrifying at the position in the country. He ranked 26^th nationally with an average of 26.05 yards per return last year. His 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Gator Bowl gave him three in his career, setting a UF record.

Weaknesses: Less a weakness and more a question is how Christy will develop in his sophomore season. Former walk-on David Lerner earned the starting punter job following training camp and held it for six weeks before Christy took over. The problem seemed to be getting his operation time down, but coach Will Muschamp has said since the spring that it won’t be a problem. Now the question is how much he can showcase his leg strength and allow the Gators to flip the field.

Punt returns remain a concern for Muschamp, who has tried several at the position. With the Gators ranking 77^th in return average last year (7.12), look for that to be a focus going into 2012.

Outlook: With one of the best kickers in the country and a punter with the potential to make an impact, Muschamp feels comfortable with this unit. If the Gators can improve the punt returns, this should be a strength of the team this season.

The Winter Garden native has started 56 games for the Gators (41-16) and is hitting .280 with a team-high 48 runs, 40 walks and 11 stolen bases. He has 27 RBI to go with nine home runs and nine doubles. Fontana has a fielding percentage of .978 with five errors this season.

Fontana is one of five SEC players on the list. Only the Pac-12 placed as many. The winner will be announced on June 30 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Night of Champions.

The Gators senior has excelled in football and track. He has announced that he’ll pursue a professional career in the latter and try to qualify for the American team competing in the 2012 London Olympics this summer.

The award is given to athletes whose athletic accomplishments demonstrate a dedication to sports nutrition.

Demps is the only athlete in UF history to win national championships in two sports, playing on the 2008 BCS champion football team and competing for the three-time defending NCAA champion indoor track & field team.

He is a five-time NCAA champion on the track, winning the past three titles in the 60 meters in indoor as well as the 2010 outdoor 100 meters and2012 outdoor 4×100-meter relay.

Demps played in 51 football games, starting 27, and ranks eighth all-time at Florida with 2,470 rushing yards on 367 carries with 23 rushing touchdowns.

Demps owns the fastest times in the NCAA both indoors and outdoors this season, as he ran a new personal best of 6.52 in the preliminaries of the men’s 60 meters at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships. Outdoors, the senior sprinter ran 10.01 (+2.9) at the 2012 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in March.

For claiming the award, Demps will receive a plaque and will earn the honor to choose either a school or charitable organization to which he may award a $1,000 donation.

A second-round pick in the NBA Draft, Parsons became a starter for the Rockets this season. The Lake Howell native averaged 9.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.16 steals per game. He played in 63 with 57 starts.

Parsons was one of the statistical leaders among rookies, finishing fourth in steals, tied for sixth in rebounding, ninth in scoring and 10th in assists. He scored in double digits 30 times with five 20-point games.

Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and was joined on the first team by Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio, Denver’s Kenneth Faried, Golden State’s Klay Thompson, New York’s Iman Shumpert, San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard and Detroit’s Brandon Knight.

Joined Parsons on the second team were  Sacramento’s Isaiah Thomas, New Jersey’s MarShon Brooks, Minnesota’s Derrick Williams and Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson.

S Matt Elam tied for the team lead with two interceptions last season, but the Gators need more turnovers in 2012. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)

Our football position analysis continues today with the Florida secondary. You can check the previous breakdowns of the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers , tight ends/fullbacks, the offensive and defensive lines and the linebackers.

Top players: Matt Elam (Jr., 5-10, 210), Marcus Roberson (Soph., 6-0, 180), De’Ante Saunders (Soph., 5-8, 186), Jeremy Brown (RJr., 5-10, 181)

Strengths: Florida returns all of its major contributors after finishing with the seventh-best passing defense. To be sure, young talent on the back end helped. Roberson and Saunders started as freshmen while Elam emerged as the leader of the group in his sophomore season.

With Will Muschamp focusing his efforts on the secondary, there’s hope for big improvement from one of the youngest groups in the country last year. The Gators have a wealth of talent and athleticism.

Weaknesses: Tackling. Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn commented throughout the season about the need for improvement in this area as the Gators gave up some big passing plays. Quinn hopes the DBs doing a better job on 50-50 balls will yield more interceptions.

Outlook: Injuries leave Florida with some question marks here. Roberson missed four games with a neck strain, something Muschamp said was serious and required Roberson to be in a brace for weeks. He was not cleared for contact during the spring. Brown, meanwhile, continued to have injury trouble and missed the entire season with a knee problem. He had surgery after the season and is expected to be healthy in the fall.

If he is, that’s a boost for Florida. After missing his first two seasons at Florida with back problems, he had three interceptions in 2010. If he’s unable to contribute, how will players like Louchiez Purifoy, Jaylen Watkins, Cody Riggs and Willie Bailey chip in? Signs from late last season and in the spring are that Florida could be in good shape here.

With the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri to the conference next season, the SEC came up with the 2012 schedule as a stopgap for the season. A permanent format for 2013 has yet to be decided and will be discussed next week at the SEC Spring Meetings.

For his part, Muschamp supports sticking with an eight-game slate and playing the Tigers every season.

“I like the every year playing LSU. I think that’s good. I think that’s good for the league,” he said. “It’s two national programs with the recent success we’ve both had. As far as how they rotate the other Western Division opponent, that’s up to (commissioner) Mike Slive and our athletic directors. I’m just in favor of still playing eight as far as SEC games.”

The SEC currently has a 5-2-1 format, with teams playing every other team in the division, rotating two opponents from the other division and keeping on permanent cross-division opponent. Keeping that format going forward, it would take 12 years to cycle through a home-and-away series with a cross-division opponent that isn’t a permanent rival.

So, for instance, Florida would travel to Alabama and the Crimson Tide would come to Gainesville once every six years. Thus far, there has been little support in the league to move to nine games, which would allow teams to more quickly cycle through the opposite division. Muschamp said he didn’t think playing Alabama twice in 12 years would be a negative thing for the conference.

“I think there’s enough good teams in our league right now,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter. There’s going to be great matchups week in and week out in our league.”

Coach would like change to recruiting rule
Muschamp has been spending the spring speaking to Gator Clubs, planning for next year and playing in some charity golf tournaments. He’d like to be out recruiting.

Head coaches are prohibited from having contact with a recruit during the spring evaluation period. Dubbed the “Saban Rule” when it was created, it’s no surprise that a former Nick Saban assistant would like to see a change.

“You’re asking me to be responsible for 85 scholarship players and whatever walk-ons we allow on the roster, and I can’t evaluate them in the spring?” said Muschamp. “I think it’s a ridiculous rule, but it is what it is, but I don’t think it’ll ever change.”

Odds and ends
A few other small notes from Muschamp:

– Team GPA from the spring was 2.8, he said, joking, “Better than I ever did.” (Coincidentally, it’s better than the 2.08 Tennessee posted in the fall. Asked about that earlier this month, Muschamp said he expected his team’s GPA to be higher.)

– Muschamp said Ronald Powell and Dominique Easley are both recovering well from ACL surgery. Easley tore his in the regular-season finale and had surgery in December. He is expected to be healthy for the fall.

Powell tore his in the spring game and had surgery last month. His recovery was set at 4-6 months.

The loss gave Florida a No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament, which begins Tuesday in Hoover. The Gators (40-16) face a familiar opponent in Auburn (30-26), which received the No. 10 seed.

Game time is 5:30 p.m. and will air on CSS. In Gainesville, it can be heard on Country 103.7 The Gator.

Sophomore righty Jonathon Crawford (4-2, 3.67 ERA) will start for Florida, while Auburn will start senior righty Luke Jacobs (5-3, 3.75 ERA).

Jonathan Bostic led Florida and ranked eighth in the SEC with 94 tackles last year. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)

Linebackers are up next as our football position analysis continues today. You can check the previous breakdowns of the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers , tight ends/fullbacks and the offensive and defensive lines.

Top players: Jonathan Bostic (Sr., 6-1, 243), Jelani Jenkins (RJr., 6-0, 233), Lerentee McCray (RSr., 6-2, 247)

Strengths: Bostic and Jenkins have led the group for the past two seasons, ranking first and third, respectively, in tackles last year. They helped Florida rank eighth in total defense. The leaders of a veteran defense were productive in Will Muschamp’s first season and are poised to make a bigger impact this season.

Weaknesses: Depth. After Bostic and Jenkins, the Gators are slim. Lerentee McCray earned the starting spot at strongside linebacker last year but missed time because of a shoulder injury. He’ll be one of the players counted on to replace Ronald Powell at the Buck position while he recovers from ACL surgery. Mike Taylor wasn’t as productive as coaches had hoped for last season, and Graham Stewart transferred this month after one season at Florida.

After that, the group needs to force more turnovers. The Gators gained just 14 last season and ranked 113th in turnover margin. For his part, Jenkins dropped no fewer than five interceptions. The responsibility doesn’t fall solely on the linebackers, but they will be looked to for improvement in this area in 2012.

Outlook: Bostic and Jenkins are the heart of the group and clearly have the coaches’ trust. But who will emerge at the third spot with them? If someone like true freshman Antonio Morrison, who was praised by coaches in the spring, or junior Darrin Kitchens can contribute, UF should feel comfortable at this position.

Florida junior Sharrif Floyd played end last year to help with the team's lack of depth but could have more of an impact with more time at tackle this season. (Photo by Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel)

Our football position analysis continues today with a look at Florida’s defensive line. You can check the previous breakdowns of the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers , tight ends/fullbacks and offensive line.

Top players: Sharrif Floyd (Jr., 6-3, 305), Dominique Easley (Jr., 6-2, 286), Omar Hunter (RSr., 6-1, 314), Ronald Powell (Jr., 6-4, 250)

Strengths: The line returns an experienced group of talented players that helped the defense rank eighth nationally last year. Easley is coming off an ACL tear in the regular-season finale last year, while Powell tore his in the spring game and might not be available when the season starts. Two parts of a trio of top-ranked players in the 2010 recruiting class with Floyd, the two will be valuable if healthy.

Floyd played both end and tackle last season and will likely play more inside this year, a boost for Florida as that’s his natural position. The top-rated tackle in his class coming out of high school, Floyd is due for a breakout season.

Weaknesses: Pass rush. A major concern for defensive coordinator Dan Quinn last season remains so this season. Powell was expected to contribute in this regard after drawing praise all spring, but he was expected to miss 4-6 months after having surgery in April. With or without him, Florida has to find a way to pressure opposing quarterbacks. The Gators were tied for 44^th nationally in sacks a year ago, but it’s hits on the quarterbacks and resets that the coaches would like to see more of as well.

Outlook: Florida lost only DT Jaye Howard to the NFL – with the senior being selected in the fifth round – and returns 10 starters on defense. With six defensive linemen in the freshman class, there will be depth. How much Florida can get from guys like DE Jonathan Bullard and Dante Fowler Jr., who will play the Buck position, combined with the length of Powell’s recovery will help determine how much this group can improve.

Rogers and Moultrie made the team for the second year in a row, with Rogers making the first team last season as a freshman and Moultrie being named to the second team last year as a junior.

All four picked up All-SEC honors last week. Moultrie was named the conference player of the year, while Rogers and Horton were named to the second team and Haeger made the All-Freshman team.

RG Jon Halapio has been one of the best players on the offensive line the past two seasons. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)

After a great vacation, I’m back with a continued look at Florida’s football team by position following spring practice. Up next is the offensive line. You can check the previous breakdowns of the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and tight ends/fullbacks.

Top players: Xavier Nixon (Sr., 6-6, 309), James Wilson (RSr., 6-4, 327), Jonotthan Harrison (RJr., 6-3, 309), Jon Halapio (RJr., 6-3, 325), Matt Patchan (RJr., 6-6, 279), Chaz Green (RSo., 6-5, 300)

Strengths: Experience. The offensive line struggled last year with depth and a lack of experience. But this season, the Gators return four regular starters – Nixon at left tackle, Harrison at center, Halapio at right guard and Patchan at right tackle. Green got plenty of experience despite an ankle injury and Wilson returns for his sixth season after winning an NCAA appeal. The experience returning doesn’t guarantee the line will be better, but it should be better prepared for an SEC schedule and be more cohesive.

Weaknesses: Numbers and depth. Last season, Florida didn’t have the bodies it needed to compete in practice and games. While that has improved this year, UF is still short of where Will Muschamp would like it to be. Ideally, the second-year coach would like 15-18 players at the position. The Gators currently have 13 on scholarship. Some gained experience last year, but others remain question marks. Redshirt freshmen Trip Thurman and Tommy Jordan didn’t play last year after having shoulder surgery.  True freshmen D.J. Humphries and Jessamen Dunker enrolled early, but can they make contributions at a position that takes a while to develop?

Outlook: With most of the line returning and a new position coach in Tim Davis, there’s plenty of room for improvement here. Increased depth leaves the hope that can happen, and it will need to if the offense will finish better than 105^th, as it did last season.

The UF outfielder tied Mark Ellis’ career mark on Tuesday by going 2-for-3 in a 12-7 loss at Samford. The Gators are on an extended road trip in Alabama, playing in Tuesday’s game, a three-game series vs. the Tigers ending Saturday and starting the SEC Tournament on Tuesday.

Tucker is hitting .304 this season with 13 doubles, 12 home runs and 38 RBI. Barring injury or a long slump, he should break the record some time during the road trip.

After being named the SEC Player of the Year, Zunino has had continued success this season. He leads the third-ranked Gators in RBI (49), doubles (22), home runs (14), total bases (127), sac flies (seven) and slugging percentage (.645). Zunino ranks second on the team with a .320 batting average, 63 hits and stolen bases, getting eight in nine attempts. He is third in runs scored with 40 and has a .379 on-base percentage.

Defensively, he has a .993 fielding percentage with three errors in 411 chances. He has thrown out 14 runners attempting to steal.

Zunino is expected to be a high pick if he leaves Florida early for the Major League Baseball Draft, with Baseball America projecting the catcher to go third overall.

The other semifinalists for the award are: Derrick Chung, Sacramento State; Zachary Fisher, New Mexico State; Tucker Frawley, Coastal Carolina; Mitchell Garver, New Mexico; Tyler Heineman, UCLA; Joe Hudson, Notre Dame; Jeremy Lucas, Indiana State; Josh Ludy, Baylor; Jeff Melillo, Rutgers; Kevin Plawecki, Purdue; Jeremy Schaffer, Tulane.

A national voting panel will narrow the lists to three finalists to be announced on June 4. Those three will be brought to Wichita, Kan., and the winner will be announced at 15th annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 28.

McIntyre averaged 11.2 points and 5.5 rebounds as a freshman. She started 17 of 31 games that year. Last season, she started nine games while averaging four points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Early in the 2011-12 season, Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Mirana Serna were killed in a plane crash in Arkansas. McIntyre was close to both and their deaths helped contribute to her decision to transfer, according to GatorZone.com.

McIntyre, an Omaha, Neb., native will sit out the 2012-13 season per NCAA transfer rules. She has enrolled at Summer A and started classes at UF on Monday.

Muschamp spoke to the media before a Gator Gathering here with the Polk County Gator Club at the Lakeland Center.

“They need to be in shape. They need to get stronger,” he said. “So they understand the things they need to work on and then, obviously, from there, they’ve gotta have ownership within the team to do a great job of making sure each other are working.”

A few other brief updates from tonight’s gathering:

– Muschamp came to Lakeland on his 13th wedding anniversary. He joked that he hasn’t received any grief yet from his wife, Carol, but might when he gets home.

Asked by a fan how long he’d been married, he quipped, “13 years. Believe me, I outkicked my coverage. I can recruit.”

– Florida hasn’t had other roster changes since the transfer of LB Graham Stewart was announced last week, Muschamp said.

Former UF quarterback Danny Wuerffel was on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame for the first time, but he did not make the class. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)

The National Football Foundation announced the College Football Hall of Fame class this morning, and former Florida QB Danny Wuerffel did not make it into the class. The former Heisman Trophy winner was on the ballot for the first time.

BYU’s Ty Detmer was one of four Heisman-winning QBs on the ballot – Miami’s Vinny Testaverde and Nebraska’s Eric Crouch were the others with Wuerffel – and was the only one to be among the 14 player inductees.

In addition to winning a Heisman at Florida, Wuerffel helped the Gators to their first national championship in 1996. Florida went 48-6 with four SEC championships during his time at the school, during which Wuerffel was twice named a first-team All-American in 1995 and 1996.

Wuerffel was twice named the recipient of the O’Brien National Quarterback of the Year Award and finished his career completing 708 of 1,170 passes for 10,875 yards and 114 touchdowns. His touchdown total remains an SEC record.

As one of the school’s three Heisman winners, Wuerffel was honored in the spring of 2011 with a statue outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. He is also on the Ring of Honor there.

Former LSU tailback Charles Alexander and former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer were the SEC’s inductees in the class, which was announced by former UF quarterback and current ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer.

Count Florida’s baseball and softball teams among the latest to join the craze of signing along to the Carly Rae Jepsen video in weird places. (Sadly, yes, this is a craze, as you will see.)

First, the softball team joined in. The Gators do have a history of signing along with music videos.

Not to be outdone, the baseball team joined in on its road trip to Alabama this week.

Some important things we learned from this. First, Nolan Fontana is perfectly prepared for a fist-pump cam. If only the camera operator at UF basketball games would have got him this season, it would have been gold.

Second, road trips must be incredibly boring. Given the number of other teams who have joined in – a quick YouTube search reveals at least a dozen – there is little else to do on the road.

And finally, this might be the song of the summer. But if it’s not, I promise it will be stuck in your head for after you watch these.

I’ll give Ohio Weslyan lacrosse a nod for the best one, incorporating synchronized swimming and the referees.

(Hat tip to GatorCountry’s Thomas Goldkamp for pointing out the baseball team’s video.)

Moultrie was one of seven Florida players named to All-SEC teams this year, marking the fourth consecutive year she’s earned that honor. She was a second-team pick in 2010 and 2011, making the All-Defensive team last year, and was an All-Freshman pick in 2009.

Moultrie ranks second on the team with a .376 average and 10 home runs. She has a team-best .635 slugging percentage and a .481 on-base percentage. On defense, the offense has a perfect fielding percentage with no errors and 66 putouts.

She is the fourth UF athlete to pick up SEC player of the year honors, joining Marcin Cieslak and Elizabeth Beisel in swomming and Lauren Embree in women’s tennis.

Pitcher Hannah Rogers and catcher Kelsey Horton were named to the second team. Four Gators were named to the All-Freshman Team – pitcher Alyssa Bache, first baseman and pitcher Lauren Haeger, third baseman Sami Fagan and left fielder Jess Damico.

The junior midfielder helped Florida win its second consecutive American Lacrosse Conference regular season title and first ever ALC Tournament title. The Gators (18-2) received the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament and earned a 6-4 win over Albany in the first round on Saturday.

Dashiell has been a catalyst for Florida’s third-ranked offense and top-ranked defense. She ranks third on the team with 37 goals and leads the team with 23 assists. She leads the team with 30 ground balls and is second in draw controls with 42. Dashiell was an All-ALC First-Team pick.

North Carolina’s Becky Lynch, Maryland’s Katie Schwarzmann, Northwestern’s Taylor Thornton and Syracuse’s Michelle Tumolo were also named finalists. The Tewaaraton Award ceremony will be held May 31 at the Smithsonian Institution.

S Will Hill was inconsistent in his junior season but had an interception that helped seal Florida's overtime win over Georgia. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)

A year after he left Florida early with the hopes of being drafted, former Gators safety Will Hill has signed with an NFL team. The New York Giants announced Hill as one of their free-agent signings on Monday.

A New Jersey native, Hill left Florida in 2011 after his junior season in the hopes of being drafted. He wasn’t taken in the 2011 NFL Draft after a college football blog posted some vulgar tweets posted on Hill’s Twitter account. (He said it was hacked.)

At the time, draft analysts agreed Hill would have benefited from another year at Florida. Hill, whom the Giants list at 6-foot-1, 194 pounds, possessed plenty of athleticism but was criticized by UF coaches in his junior season for a lack of consistency.

Hill signed with the AFL’s Arizona Rattlers in September.

At Florida, he finished his career with144 tackles, four interceptions and 1.5 sacks. He played in 38 games with 15 starts.

Tight end Jordan Reed ranked third on the team last year with 307 receiving yards and two touchdowns. (Photo by Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel)

Our position-by-position analysis moves on to tight ends and fullbacks today. If you’d like to look at previous posts, we’ve already covered quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. We’ll finish the offense with the line this week and then move on to defense and special teams.

Top players: Hunter Joyer (Soph., 5-10, 244), A.C. Leonard (Soph., 6-4, 245), Jordan Reed (RJr., 6-3, 239)

Strengths: Reed proved to be one of Florida’s top receiving threats last season thanks his size and athleticism. He improved throughout the year as he continued to pick up blocking schemes. Joyer, meanwhile, invaluable blocking and running the ball in short-yardage situations.

Florida adds two of the top tight ends in the country with Colin Thompson and Kent Taylor in this recruiting class. With more size, Thompson (6-4, 252) has excelled more as a blocker while Taylor (6-5, 225) fits the role of a pass-catching tight end.

Weaknesses: The group will need to make adjustments to new offensive coordinator Brent Pease, but there’s not much to be concerned with from a talent standpoint. Reed has the athleticism to be an All-SEC player at the position and Joyer is strong enough to make an impact at fullback.

Outlook: If Thompson and Taylor can contribute early, that would be a big boost. Leonard will face a game suspension after pleading no contest to a charge of simple domestic battery this spring, although Will Muschamp haven’t determined yet how long that will be. With Clay Burton progressing as a sophomore and Florida looking at the possibility of playing WR/RB Omarius Hines here as well, Florida should be OK from a depth standpoint.

The St. Louis native, who is expected to be a lottery pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, has signed with Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports & Entertainment.

Beal chose to forgo his final three years at Florida to enter this year’s draft. He averaged 14.8 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game earning him a selection on the All-SEC first team.

According to the report, Priority Sports has an extensive client list including five other players in this year’s draft.

Quarterback John Brantley and wide receiver Deonte Thompson were among 19 players the team signed.

Brantley started 15 games at UF, with a 15-8 record. He is expected to compete for the No. 3 quarterback job in Baltimore, and could possibly make the team’s practice squad.

Thompson is expected to compete for a spot on the Ravens’ special teams. At Florida he had 101 career catches.