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By ANTONYA ENGLISH, ALEX ABRAMS and BRANDON WRIGHT
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 21, 2001
Colon awaits good news
GAINESVILLE -- Offensive lineman Jonathan Colon arrived on Monday evening after ACT testing board officials told him "good news" was in the mail.
"We don't have a score yet, but we got a call from the ACT people and they said they were sending a letter by Fed-Ex and that it was good news," said his mother, Neida Colon, from her home in Miami. "They said we could expect the letter (today)."
Neida Colon said she will drive to Gainesville today to hand deliver the ACT score and the rest of her son's personal belongings.
Rated one of the nation's top 10 offensive linemen by SuperPrep after his senior season in 1999, Colon had been in academic limbo for almost a year. He failed to receive a qualifying score on his first ACT test, then was forced to take it three more times because officials questioned his passing scores.
"It's not official yet, but hopefully he'll be able to practice (today)," Florida coach Steve Spurrier said.
INJURY UPDATE: Senior defensive back Robert Cromartie (shoulder), running back Willie Green (left knee) and defensive tackle Sylvester McGrew had surgery Monday. Cromartie likely is out for the season; Green is out 6-9 weeks; and McGrew will miss 10-12 weeks. Freshman running back Ray Snell of Hillsborough High sustained a slight hamstring pull. -- ANTONYA ENGLISH
TALLAHASSEE -- FSU freshman cornerback Dominic Robinson, nicknamed "Prime Time II," got a surprise when his childhood hero and former Seminoles standout Deion Sanders attended practice dressed in garnet-and-gold shorts.
"That's a dream come true for me," Robinson said. "That's something that you dream about as a kid. I was struck by it. He's a legend. In my mind he's the greatest athlete to ever walk this earth, so everything he said I took in like a sponge."
Sanders, who played for FSU from 1985-1988, spent the practice coaching Robinson and sophomore Stanford Samuels on the proper techniques for a cornerback. Asked whether he would consider returning to coach at FSU, the original Prime Time said, "No, I'm kind of expensive."
POPE PRACTICE: Linebacker Kendyll Pope practiced despite nursing a sprained neck. -- ALEX ABRAMS
TAMPA -- USF resumed two-a-day practices after coach Jim Leavitt gave his team the day off Sunday. Leavitt called the workouts "work-through practices" and stressed the importance of making sure his players' legs remained in shape. "You have to be careful how you go about getting their legs back under them," Leavitt said.
The Bulls will practice in pads today and participate in contact drills before Wednesday's scrimmage.
INJURIES: Freshman quarterback Ronnie Banks, who Leavitt said has earned the backup QB spot, did not practice because of a stomach virus. PROUD PAPA: Leavitt spoke of the three former Bulls taken in this year's NFL draft: kicker Bill Gramatica of Arizona, defensive back Anthony Henry of Cleveland and tackle Kenyatta Jones of New England. Leavitt beamed when asked how he thought Henry played Saturday against the Bucs: "(Henry) was spectacular. He played just like I thought he would. I hear Kenyatta's doing good and Gramatica's doing well, too. We might not only have three draft picks, we might have three starting as rookies." -- BRANDON WRIGHT