 President Barack Obama welcomed the Florida Gators to the White House and congratulated them on winning a second national championship in football in three years.
Obama on Thursday joked with the 115 players crammed on risers in the East Room while praising them and their coaches. Being a champion doesn't end when the clock runs out, the president said, noting that that the team volunteers 400 hours each year.
Obama said strong leadership formed a team that plays hard and works in the community.
"I want to congratulate everybody who makes this program run -- from the assistants to the trainers, from the students to the ticket takers," he said. "All of you should be very, very proud."
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 Brantley's ready: Any concerns about who would back up Tim Tebow next season were alleviated this spring thanks to the performance of John Brantley. He was the highlight of the spring for the Gators with the way he threw the ball and was good enough that Florida coach Urban Meyer would like to use him some next season in certain situations. Depth on defense: Not only do the Gators have everybody coming back on defense, but they're getting safety Dorian Munroe back after he missed all of last season with a knee injury. There's not a deeper defensive team in the country, and it's always nice to have a veteran like Brandon Spikes to lean on. Greedy Gators: Spikes said this offseason was even more intense than the one last year when the Gators were coming off a 9-4 record. The competition this spring was equally intense. As cornerback Joe Haden said, the Gators have already forgotten about what they did in 2008 and want to add another ring to their collection.
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 The Florida Gators celebrated last season Saturday by getting their national championship rings, then took a look at what's in store for the future.
With 16 starters sitting out, many of them for precautionary reasons, Florida's spring game turned into a showcase for young players who might not even make an impact this fall.
Sophomore John Brantley threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns, ran for two scores and led the Orange team to a 31-21 victory over Tim Tebow's Blue squad.
"He had a great spring," offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said. "You watch his presence in the pocket, his poise. He took a shot under the chin and delivered a strike. All the signs and evidence of a guy that's really developing into one heck of a football player.
"He's a legitimate player, and we have a lot of confidence in him. That was a major deal for the spring, and I think the exclamation point was out there for him today."
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 Florida Gators running back underwent surgery Friday on a fractured bone in his hand, but still might be able to play in next Saturday's Orange & Blue game.
Moody had several pins placed in his hand to stabilize the fracture and is expected to return to practice on Monday. He was hurt during practice Wednesday and did not practice Friday or Saturday.
Moody rushed for 417 yards and one touchdown on 58 carries last season. He missed three games with a left ankle sprain but still finished second on the team in rushing.
The 6-foot, 210-pound redshirt junior sat out the 2007 season after transferring to Florida from Southern California. He rushed for 459 yards (5.8 per carry) and two touchdowns in nine games for the Trojans in 2006.
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Florida
