GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators didn't get every player they targeted Wednesday on the first day of the Early Signing Period, but for those 22 players who signed in the 2020 cycle, they give Florida a recruiting class that is ranked among the best in the country.
Depending on your preference, Florida's class is currently ranked seventh (ESPN and Rivals) or eighth (247Sports). Regardless, this marks the first time the Gators have assembled back-to-back classes ranked in the top 10 nationally since three in a row from 2012-14.
To get there, they are starting to win some head-to-head battles with programs they have looked up to in the standings prior to head coach
Dan Mullen's arrival.
As recruitniks and the media seemed to fret over the Gators failing to swing a trio of players committed to other schools late in the day – a hot Twitter topic: why was Mullen so mad at his press conference? – Mullen voiced a different tone.
"You look at it, not a lot of shocks. Not a lot of surprises,'' Mullen said. "I think that goes to the character of the players that we recruit and the job, the relationship, our coaches form with these guys and how they work.
"I think [our staff] did a great job and I think we have it headed in the direction we want."
So, let's start with the reason Florida's class is ranked in the top 10.
On Wednesday, that proof rested on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Florida signed four defensive linemen, including former LSU commit Jalen Lee (6-foot-3, 306 pounds) from Watson, La. The Gators also added defensive linemen Gervon Dexter (6-6, 294), Johnnie Brown (6-2, 273) and Lamar Goods (6-3, 303). The foursome gives the Gators one of the top batches of incoming defensive linemen in the country.
On the offensive line, Florida signed 6-foot-6, 356-pound Joshua Braun, Richie Leonard (6-2, 353), Gerald Mincey (6-5, 328) and 6-foot-4, 299-pound Issiah Walker Jr. from Miami Norland High. The foursome is a pace ahead of the offensive linemen added in Mullen's first two recruiting cycles and adds depth at a position of need.
"I'm happy with how we're building it for the future,'' Mullen said.
As the Gators added beef up front, they inked six defensive backs to address another area of need, including Tre'Vez Johnson of Bartram Trail High in Jacksonville and Ethan Pouncey of Winter Park High. The Gators' haul in the secondary features four out-of-state players, including Mordecai McDaniel, who is from Fort Washington, Md., and flipped from Tennessee in recent days.
Florida also picked up 6-foot-3, 244-pound linebacker Antwaun Powell from Portsmouth, Va., and one of the state's top defensive players in linebacker Derek Wingo (6-2, 216) from St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale.
Of the 22 players signed, 14 hail from the Sunshine State, extending the Gators' edge over in-state rivals Miami and Florida State from the field to the recruiting trail.
"That's good,'' Mullen said of the Gators' locking down in-state commits. "We should. I'd be disappointed if we didn't. We are the University of Florida."
On offense, the Gators added receiver Ja'Quavion Fraziars from Dunnellon, quarterback Anthony Richardson of Gainesville Eastside, tight end Jonathan Odom from Tampa Jesuit and receiver Jordan Pouncey, Ethan Pouncey's older brother and a transfer from Texas.
While the Gators didn't close with a flash like in 2019 when they added a couple of late flips – defensive linemen Tim Smith (Alabama) and Donell Harris (Texas A&M) and receiver Sam Brown (West Virginia) opted for other options – Mullen reminded everyone that the recruiting season is not over.
The Gators still have their eyes on adding more offensive skill players leading up to National Signing Day in February, whether via prep signees or the transfer portal, which has yielded some top players in Mullen's first two seasons such as receivers
Van Jefferson and
Trevon Grimes and defensive lineman
Jonathan Greenard.
"This is just the Early Signing Period. I don't expect this to be the end of this recruiting class or new Gators, if you will, coming in here for us,'' he said. "I still think there's going to be some more coming."
Most importantly with any recruiting class is the impact it has on the field.
The Gators are 20-5 under Mullen and face Virginia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 with an opportunity for only the eighth 11-win season in program history. They have made significant strides between the lines and the next step is to unseat Georgia atop the SEC East and play for a conference title.
"We're not very far off," Mullen said. "Let's hope [another top-10 class] translates into continuing being top 10 on the field. I'm more concerned how we finish on the field. These guys are building that foundation for us to be consistent winners.
"We're certainly getting there. We'll see how they develop. I certainly think we expect to go compete for championships and we're building the roster to be able to go do that. And we want to do that on a consistent basis."
The Gators are closer to that mission than for most of the last decade. That is reality.
Whatever the perception is on Twitter, well, it's mostly hot air if you ask me. After all, those recruiting rankings that are supposedly so important tell the story of a program on the rise.
Sure, they don't mean anything on Saturdays, but on the biggest day of the recruiting calendar, they should at least have a voice.Â
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