TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Steve Spurrier doesn't give many second chances. That's why Gator wide receiver Jabar Gaffney -- no matter how many records he sets -- will continue to make the most of his.

Gaffney, the Gator's top receiver, an emerging star at a position that was supposed to be a weakness for Florida this year, was thrown off the team just under a year ago for theft in the team locker room. It happened during a high school championship game in which Gaffney went into the locker room that was being used by one of the high school teams and stole $245 in cash and a gold watch worth $80.

	Florida WR Jabar Gaffney, left, celebrated 14 TDs last season.

He was charged with grand theft and according to Spurrier, was finished as a Gator.

"He's off the team and it's very doubtful he'll return, that's where it's at," Spurrier said at the time.

But some begging and groveling on Gaffney's part, not to mention a deferred prosecution agreement he signed in April, opened the doors to Gaffney's return on the team. Spurrier refused, however, to give the Jacksonville native his scholarship back.

Now, nearly a year later, Gaffney, the son of former New York Jets receiver Derrick Gaffney, is turning into a star both on and off the field. The redshirt freshman earned SEC Player of the Week honors following his seven-catch, 168-yard performance in last week's 41-21 victory over South Carolina.

He's tied a school record by gaining more than 100 yards in each of the past six games and has caught a touchdown in eight straight games. His 13 TD catches on the season are a Division I freshman record.

"Gosh, what a receiver he's become," Spurrier said. "And he's done everything we've asked him since his problem."

After each Florida game, it's almost becoming old hat to announce what records Gaffney broke that day. Against Florida State Saturday, he needs five catches to break the SEC freshman mark of 64 set last year by LSU's Jerel Myers.

Not bad for someone who was a college football cast-off just a short year ago.

"I've come back from a long way," Gaffney said. "But I've still got a long way to go."

Gaffney's right, as he showed in the Tennessee game earlier this year. It was Gaffney who held on to the controversial game-winning pass against the Volunteers and then marched to the Tennessee bench, where he made the infamous throat-slash gesture banned in the NFL. That move cost Gaffney the first half of the next week's game against Kentucky.

Gaffney is hardly the first Gator football player to break the law, but one of the few who have received a second chance. Former running back Fred Taylor was suspended twice for petty crimes during his college days, eventually growing up and becoming the star running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Gaffney is hoping for an ending like that to his own story. He leads the team in receptions (59), yards (1,005) and touchdown catches, despite playing under the microscope of last year's trouble.

"Fred was given a second chance. Not to many people are (give one) in life," Gaffney said. "And those who are have to come back and make the most of it. I'm just working hard, trying to prove something to myself."

Senior dominance
Florida State's 2000 senior class will play its last regular season game of the year Saturday and with a win, should go down as one of the best groups to ever wear the garnet and gold.

The class has compiled a 55-5 record over the past five seasons, including a perfect record at home. The seniors lost just one of 40 ACC games during the span, winning all five league titles and have appeared in three national championship games, winning once.

"It really has been a special group," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. "They have done this year exactly what you want seniors to do, and that's lead. I can't remember a season where our kids have practiced and cooperated better than this year. And a lot of that goes back to the seniors."

Senior linebacker Tommy Polley, whose come all the way back from reconstructive knee surgery for a last hurrah, is the third leading tackler on the team and semifinalist for the Butkus award.

"It will be very emotional on Saturday," he said. "Walking out there for the last time in such a big game -- it will be great."

Weinke on a strange stage
Florida State senior quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Chris Weinke appeared in a theatrical spin-off of "The Wizard of Oz" Tuesday night.

The play was a fundraiser for a local young actors group in Tallahassee and featured Weinke, as well as a few other well-known people in town.

In one scene, Weinke, who played the role of the talking tree in the haunted forest, showed another tree, played by former Florida Commissioner of Insurance Bill Gunter, how to throw a football. He then spoofed his Heisman critics by saying, "You're never too old to play college football."

Rivalry week
Saturday's football game is one of just many contests between the two schools in what is being promoted as "FSU-Florida Week."

Friday night, the 11th-ranked Gator basketball team will take on Florida State at the Civic Center, with Seminole fans eager for an upset of the defending national champion runner-ups. Earlier Friday, Florida and Florida State met in a swim meet.

Last Sunday, the two teams met in the second round of NCAA soccer championships, with Florida State beating the Gators, 2-1.

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.