Redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley, senior center Mike Pouncey and senior linebacker Brandon Hicks answered questions for the media on Monday about a variety of topics concerning the Florida Gators and their loss on Saturday to the South Carolina Gamecocks at home in Gainesville, FL. OGGOA has compiled some of the most important notes and quotes from the event this week.
BRANTLEY: I’M NOT TRANSFERRING
For those of you who hoped thought that Brantley would be transferring at the end of the season, think again. A rumor was started two weeks ago that Brantley would be sitting down after the season with his family and having a serious conversation about whether or not he would remain with Florida next year with the possibility of transferring having already been discussed. But will he?
“[Laughing] Absolutely [I will be here next year]. My dad called me last weekend, right when he landed back from Nashville. He asked me, he didn’t know what was going on. I had no idea either. I haven’t said anything to him about [transferring]. He’s never said anything to me about that. Those are just all rumors,” Brantley said Monday. “I’m a Gator through in and through out. I always will be a Gator. I love this place and have no regrets at all.”
Brantley did admit that his college career has not gone as expected thus far, but he insists that he has no regrets and would have come to play for the Gators even if he knew in advance how things were going to go this year. “I’ve learned so much these past few years, and then this year will definitley help me out later in life,” he said.
As for how next year will go, Brantley said he trusts the coaches and thinks they will do their best to tailor the offense to suit his skill set. “The option deal is not my kind of thing,” he admitted once again, while simultaneously repeating that he is perfectly fine with other players being brought in as substitutions to run those types of plays.
SENIORS LOOKING FORWARD TO THEIR DAY
“I bleed orange and blue,” Pouncey said to open up his media availability on Monday. “I never give up on this program, this team. Obviously I’ll be a pro player one day, but we got two or three more games left and that’s what our main focus is on. We obviously want to send our senior class out on the right note, especially for those guys who gave their lives to this program.”
He said the above while responding to a question about whether or not he was already looking ahead to his NFL future. Asked if he and the senior class think Senior Day next weekend holds less meaning or prestige, Pouncey shook his head no. “It will obviously be an emotional day next weekend. It’s tough for me, because I feel like I gave my all for this program,” he said. “It just sucks to end on a note like this, but I want to finish this season out strong with a couple wins. […] For guys who gave their life to this program, it doesn’t [hold any less meaning]. We obviously accomplished a lot while I was here – our four years. This weekend coming up is going to mean the world to me.”
QUOTES (After the break…)
Brantley on if the team has begun losing confidence: “Yeah, I think so. That’s natural. In the leadership role with myself and Mike and everybody is to try and keep that confidence up, boost everybody up.”
On what head coach Urban Meyer said to him in a personal moment on the sideline Saturday: “You’re going to have a lot of ups and downs in your life and this is just one of those down moments. The way you react from it really shows what your character is. Just keep moving forward.”
Pouncey on the loss of energy on offense: “We have energy-givers on this team, but it’s a collective effort. When you have one or two guys give energy on the field, it turns out like that. […] Obviously when you lose two first rounders on offense, a lot of great players who are playing in the NFL right now, you lose a lot of energy and emotion toward the game. I think that’s what was hurting this year, the whole year, all the energy those guys brought to the team last year.”
Pouncey on the worst part of all this losing: “The toughest part is losing at home because our fan base has been amazing my four-year career here. It just sucks sending them out like that, and I know it’s hard on us going out like that. I think that’s the toughest part – just losing at home, especially for all the fans who stuck behind us for the good and the bad.”
Pouncey on if he will cry Saturday: “I’m definitley going to cry, just because I feel I’ve gave everything to this program and it’s done so much for me.”
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