Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Replacing Florida forward Will Yeguete, who is out for the rest of the season with a broken bone in his left foot, will have to be a concerted group effort, coach Billy Donovan said Friday.

Some of the burden will fall to Casey Prather, Bradley Beal and Scottie Wilbekin, but the 11th-ranked Gators (22-6, 10-3 SEC) are also going to need a significant contribution from Cody Larson. Based on what the 6-foot-9 redshirt freshman forward/center has done over the past few weeks, Donovan is confident Larson will be able to help on defense.

"He gave us some good quality minutes at Alabama," Donovan said. "I played him on the road at Arkansas when Erik [Murphy] and Patric [Young] were in foul trouble. One thing I have total trust and confidence in is he knows what he’s doing defensively, and he's pretty good, and he'll physically battle and he'll do some things inside."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Four-star defensive tackle prospect Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County) plans to visit Florida this weekend.

Adams, who has already visited Clemson and Auburn for their junior days, will visit Florida and then Georgia the following weekend.

ESPN.com's Southeast Recruiting Analyst Jamie Newberg talks extensively with Adams about his recruitment in this Friday update.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Four-star quarterback prospect Cooper Bateman (Murray, Utah/Cottonwood) said in this ESPNHS update that he is hoping to visit Florida in the near future. In addition to Florida, Bateman said he is planning to visit Arkansas, Alabama and LSU, but he is unsure of exact dates.

As a junior Bateman threw for 2,484 yards and 25 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. Auburn, Arkansas, Boise State, BYU and Utah are just some of the schools that have already offered Bateman a scholarship.

Now that you've seen what to watch in the SEC Western Division, let's check out the East:

FLORIDA

Spring practice start date: March 14
Spring game: April 7

What to watch:

Finding offensive playmakers: Year 2 of the Will Muschamp era begins with the team trying to find someone who can make a few plays for this fall. New offensive coordinator Brent Pease has a host of unproven offensive talent to work with. Wide receiver Andre Debose was Florida's best deep threat last year, and the coaches raved about receiver Quinton Dunbar's potential, but neither was consistent enough in 2011. Maybe Florida can finally turn to bigger backs Mike Gillislee and Mack Brown in the playmaking department.

Toughening up the offensive line: The Gators' line struggled throughout the 2011 season. It wasn't always at 100 percent, but Florida's line also just wasn't tough enough -- mentally or physically. The Gators couldn't get the tough yards on the ground and didn't exactly protect quarterback John Brantley enough. The line should get a boost with early enrollees D.J. Humphries, who was the top offensive line prospect in the 2012 class, and Jessamen Dunker, but Florida will have to get improvement from players who return to a line that lost just one starter from last season.

Quarterback battle: Brantley is gone, leaving rising sophomores Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel and Tyler Murphy. Brissett replaced Driskel as Florida's No. 2 quarterback last year, while Murphy has yet to take a college snap. Brissett and Driskel had plenty of down moments last fall but should get a chance to reinvent themselves this spring with new leadership and more practice reps. This spring will be extremely important for all three quarterbacks as they try to improve a position that struggled mightily the past two years.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida's Will Yeguete will have surgery Friday to repair a broken bone in his left foot, the school announced Thursday.

Yeguete will have a screw implanted to stabilize the break. The 6-foot-7, 222-pound forward, who is averaging 4.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, suffered the injury during Tuesday's victory over Auburn. Yeguete could have opted to forgo have surgery, but UF coach Billy Donovan said surgery is the best way to ensure that the injury does not linger.

"He could rest it in a boot for six weeks, but there’s a stronger likelihood that thing is going to flair up again," Donovan said on Gatorzone.com, the school's official website. "It could be anything. He could step wrong. Wear and tear. Overuse. But something could happen and that thing could rear itself again."

The University of Florida released coach Will Muschamp's schedule of 2012 Gator Gatherings. Muschamp will speak 10 times between April 24 and May 24. Venues have not been announced.

April 24 -- Daytona Beach, Fla.
April 29 -- Gainesville, Fla.
May 1 -- Jacksonville, Fla.
May 3 -- Sarasota, Fla.
May 8 -- Orlando, Fla.
May 10 -- West Palm Beach, Fla.
May 15 -- Lakeland, Fla.
May 16 -- Atlanta
May 22 -- Tampa, Fla.
May 24 -- Destin, Fla.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Jeff Dillman is the man tasked with fixing what head coach Will Muschamp said was the Florida football team’s lack of physical and mental toughness.

Florida's new director of strength and conditioning believes the best way to do that is by using an Olympic-style program. It was what he used when he played and when he was coaching at Appalachian State, LSU and IMG Academies. It's a change from the philosophy that former coordinator Mickey Marotti used in his six seasons at Florida.

"We do more things that are functional to the sport that I feel have helped me in the past develop explosive, more powerful athletes," Dillman said Thursday during a tour of Florida’s weight room facilities. "That’s what I’m used to. This is what works for me. Mickey has a philosophy that’s worked for him and he’s been very successful at it."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Let's get down to bidness, as in bids to the NCAA Tournament. It's bubble time, although the No. 11 Gators aren't anywhere near the bubble. It's still an exciting time. Let's follow the Worldwide Leader in sports, shall we? But before we delve into the latest rankings, there's a little NBA business to address.

Gottlieb: NBA Draft Board 2.0 (Insider)
Doug Gottlieb gives his second version of his draft board, with Florida freshman Bradley Beal sneaking into the top 5 and some concerns about Patric Young.

The Bilas Index: Gators hovering (Insider)
In Week 10 of Jay Bilas’ top 68 rankings, Florida is ranked No. 11.

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