Dee Finley's future is not so bright

It has been reported that Florida standout DB recruit Dee Finley failed to qualify academically for the 2008 season.

Here is the story from the Orlando Sentinel.


Florida Gator signee Dee Finley did not academically qualify to play football for the gators this season and will spend the fall at Milford Academy in Connecticut, according to several Internet media reports.

Finley, a highly touted safety out of Auburn High in Alabama, becomes the second signee in Coach Urban Meyer's four recruiting classes to fall short grade-wise. Mainland High tight end Brian Ellis, inked in 2005, was the other to not make grades.

Overall, of the 93 recruits signed by Meyer who wanted to play college football, 91 have qualified and started their careers at Florida, according to data on rivals.com. (2006 signee Derrick Robinson was selected in the baseball draft and elected to pursue a pro career in that sport.)

The UF coaches have worried about Finley's progress, or lack thereof, all spring. Meyer even spoke about Finley's struggles at the Southeastern Conference Spring Meetings last month.
"He's in limbo," Meyer said of Finley. "I still keep hearing there's a chance."

By late last week, though, Florida's coaches knew that chance had expired, and Finley's college football career would be delayed until at least 2009.

Finley probably wouldn't have seen all that much action in the Gator's secondary this season, but this will put him a year behind in terms of his progression. Having a player not qualify is never good news. As you can tell from the article, this is a rare occurrence under Meyer's watch.

I'm sure the Gator bashers will have a field day with this one.