MIAMI - A lot has been made of Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks' comments on Sunday that the top three quarterbacks in the country play in the Big 12, referring to his teammate Sam Bradford, Texas' Colt McCoy and Texas Tech's Graham Harrell.
Sooners coach Bob Stoops said Monday that Franks may have been baited into making the statements.
"I know how you guys - the media in general - can lead guys down a path that, as young guys, they're not used to handling," Stoops said at media day. "In the end, we all - Dom and the whole team - we have a great respect for Tim Tebow and a bunch of their players. So in the end, it gets down to experience as a young guy handling questions that led him into something that he really didn't intend to say."
STOOPS' HOMECOMING: The matchup between UF and Oklahoma has led to some trips down memory lane for Stoops.
Stoops was the Gators' defensive coordinator from 1996-98 and was considered for UF's open head coaching position that Urban Meyer eventually accepted.
Now, he's back in Miami, facing his old team for the first time. Stoops said he has heard from numerous old friends and colleagues - including UF athletics director Jeremy Foley and former Gator Allen Trammell (Class of '65).
Stoops knows it must be hard for them to pick their allegiances, forced to decide between their school or their friend.
"The one good thing is that one of us has to win," Stoops said.
BRADFORD ON ICE: Bradford, Oklahoma's star quarterback, almost never even became a football player.
The sophomore recalled a discussion he had with his parents after his eighth grade year. Bradford loved hockey, and his parents offered their support. But to play juniors, the family would have had to move from Oklahoma City, with Dallas a likely destination.
"At the end of the day, I still wanted to play all my other sports," Bradford said. "I wanted to play football, basketball, golf, baseball. I knew if I played hockey, I wasn't going to be able to do that."
