Riley Cooper, a receiver from Florida, who has made plans to play baseball for the Rangers in Texas has decided to return to the football field for a senior playing season.

Urban Meyer, coach for the Florida Gators, made the announcement regarding Cooper's decision on this past Tuesday.

This was welcomed news for Florida, as their biggest challenge during the fall season is going to be to replace two lost lead receivers, Louis Murphy and Percy Harvin.

According to Urban Meyer, he is going to be relied on heavily as a go-to receiver. Urban Meyer has been long been looking for someone that can step up now that Louis Murphy and Percy Harvin are departing. Nobody has stepped up yet, but it is said that Riley can definitely be someone that can.

Cooper was a starter in 12 games for the Gators, which went on to be national champions during the last football season. He managed to catch 18 passes for a total of 261 yards and a total of three touchdowns. He has had a total of 30 receptions in his career for a total of 535 yards with nine scores. He is also the roommate of quarterback Tim Tebow.

There was a very real chance that Cooper may spurn Florida in favor of a major league baseball career. The Rangers decided to draft him during the 25th round in the amateur baseball draft in June. He spent a good part of the summer playing alongside the McKinney Marshals from the Texas Collegiate League.

Cooper says that the decision was tough for him to make, perhaps one of the hardest he's ever made, but he is excited about both playing as part of the Texas Rangers Organization and also returning to play a senior season with the Florida Gators. Two weeks ago, the personnel with the Rangers gave him a tour of the Arlington ball park.

Cooper had been initially drafted into the 15th round by the Phillies in Philadelphia in 2006. He chose to play with the Florida Gators instead of pursuing his baseball career at that time.

Meyer allowed Cooper to skip out on spring practice this year so that he could join the baseball team. Cooper hit two home runs with .247, eight runs batted in and three bases stolen in a span of thirty games. In 89 at-bats, he struck out 41 times.

Meyers knows that Riley is an extremely talented athlete. He has the speed, size and the strength that are needed to create a rough match up for most defenses. The entire offense for the Gators is going to be predicated on problems with matchups for the defense. Luckily, Riley is going to be able to do this for the team because he is renowned for being a big time playmaker.

The NCAA rules have allowed for student athletes to go professional in a sport while they maintain eligibility in a different sport. Former Florida QB Doug Johnson, for example, spent four years playing for the Gators even after he had signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Tebow is applauding the decision that Cooper has made.

Photo Credits: Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel / April 12, 2008

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There are some very memorable faces that are coming back to the Florida Gators sideline for the upcoming 2009 season as well as a few additional brand new faces. Some of the old faces from the Florida Gators are even moving up into much larger roles during the 2009 season, which is necessary for picking the slack up for those that have departed since the 2008 season.

Here are the 2009 Stars:

Quarterback Tim Tebow is the most accomplished WB in the history of Florida, and he has definitely lived up to all the hype, having lead the gators to a national championship during the last season after having won the Heisman Trophy while playing as a sophomore. What is left for him to prove? Why has he decided to come back to play his senior season with the Gators? Tim Tebow is hoping to Lead Florida to national championships back to back while he improves on his NFL draft stock.

Brandon Spokes passed on the potential for being drafted during the first NFL draft round in order to return to the Gators to play his senior football season. He is going to be anchoring a defense that is returning all 11 of its starters.

Running Back and Kick Returner Brandon James is definitely one of the top threats to be returning in college foot ball right now. He has four total career punt returns with touchdowns, and he is looking to spend his senior season breaking this school record.

Running Back and Wide Receiver Jeff Demps recently emerged as a real home run threat in the spread offense when he was a freshman, and he rushed for 605 yards with 7.8 yards per carry and seven touchdowns. Now that Percy Harvin is out of the picture, Demps is being given a real opportunity to earn even more really big plays during his sophomore year.

Tight End Aaron Hernandez spend his first year as a starter establishing himself as one of the top tight ends for pass catching in the entire country, and he has also established himself as a potential first round NFL draft pick. During his sophomore year, Hernandez caught 34 passes with 381 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns.

Punt Kicker Jonathan Phillips has been allowed a fifth year for eligibility after making 12 out of his 13 field goal attempts during the last season.

2009's Top Stars

Wide Receiver Andre DeBose is a true freshman from outside of Orlando, and he may be able to help fill the role that has been vacated since Percy Harvin entered into the NFL draft. DeBose is a threat that is speedy and versatile enough that he can play receiver and running back in the spread offense for Urban Meyer.

Dee Finley enrolled in the University in January, and is being given a chance to develop a real niche since he has outstanding speed and great playmaking ability.

Finally, Gary Brown is a 6-4 and 275lb Brown that earned a place as the second best defensive tackle in the entire country, according to http://www.scout.com. He may be able to fill a really important role in the defensive tackle rotation for Florida.

Photo Credits: minds-eye

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