During a weekend of firings, Loucheiz Purifoy is leaving Gainesville voluntarily.
The junior cornerback told ESPN he would forego his senior season to enter the 2014 NFL Draft. Draft experts are high on Purifoy despite an up-and-down career at Florida.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. lists Purifoy as the No. 26 prospect in this year’s draft. Fellow ESPN analyst Todd McShay pegs Purifoy as the fifth-best cornerback prospect.
Despite the distractions that come with a prospective NFL future, Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin believes Purifoy has successfully dealt with those challenges.
“There’s always teachable moments and things to learn from,” Durkin said. “He’s had a lot of teachable moments this year. As of late, most recently, he’s handling it well.”
Purifoy ends his career at Florida with plenty of prolific highlights.
Perhaps his most famous play was a blocked punt that led to the game-winning touchdown in Florida’s 27-20 win against Louisiana last November. The ball deflected off Purifoy’s hands and fluttered into the outstretched arms of former UF linebacker Jelani Jenkins, who ran in the winning score.
The Pensacola native also made the highlight reel with game-changing hits on defense and special teams. He finishes his Florida career as only the 13th Gator to record five or more forced fumbles in his career.
But every good play he made came with stretches of little involvement. He also struggled with consistency as well as tackling in the open field.
His final game as a Gator featured both the good and the bad.
He recorded an early interception of Heisman Trophy candidate Jameis Winston and downed a Johnny Townsend punt at Florida State’s 4-yard line.
However, he surrendered three touchdown catches to Seminoles wideout Kelvin Benjamin.
Former Gators pay visit: Tim Tebow and Matt Elam visited the team on Saturday.
Tebow is currently a free agent, and Elam was free after the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 22-20 on Thanksgiving Day.
“Great to see those guys,” Muschamp said. “Tim came in and, of course, he commands an audience everywhere he goes.”
Tebow did more than watch the game.
The former Heisman Trophy winner served as a motivational speaker for the Gators prior to Florida’s 37-7 loss to Florida State on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“When I saw him, I could just feel his leadership,” offensive tackle Max Garcia said.
“His presence — it just demanded that. When he spoke to us, everyone could see his passion for the game. I really respect him.”
Tebow tried to light a fire under a team that suffered its seventh straight loss on Saturday. Although his words did not propel the Gators to victory, they could come in handy as Florida prepares to rebound from a 4-8 season.
“Any man that gets down can get back up, but it’s the man that gets up with a change, that who’s we are,” Garcia said Tebow told the team.
“That’s who we need to be, because any man can get back up after they’ve been down. They can get up defeated, they can get up beaten, but it’s the guy who changes that makes a difference after they get up.”
BCS Buster: No. 3 Auburn threw the BCS into chaos with its 34-28 upset victory against formerly top-ranked Alabama on Saturday night. That chaos could potentially make things worse after an already tumultuous season for the Gators.
Florida State and Ohio State — each boasting a 12-0 record — were the top two teams in the Bowl Championship Series standings released Sunday night.
If both schools win out, Florida fans would see a BCS Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 6 between the Seminoles and former Gators coach Urban Meyer.
Next Saturday, the Buckeyes play Michigan State in the Big Ten Conference Championship Game in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., and Florida State plays Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Although Florida is part of a storied rivalry with Florida State, the Gator Nation has a newfound vitriol for Ohio State following Meyer’s unceremonious resignation from UF following the 2010 season. Meyer is 24-0 at OSU since taking over for interim coach Luke Fickell following the 2011 season.
Florida is the most recent team to beat Ohio State, defeating the Buckeyes 31-24 in the 2012 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
Follow Joe Morgan on Twitter @joe_morgan.
Florida cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy gestures to the crowd during the Gators' 30-10 win against the Razorbacks on Oct. 5 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. With Purifoy leaving for the NFL Draft, the Gators have had to try to fill his role in the recruiting class.
