Once upon a time, Florida football was among the top destinations in the nation for college recruits, regularly bringing in some of the top classes back in the aughts. However, over the past decade since the departure of Urban Meyer, the program has been mired in a streak of mediocrity on the recruiting front that has permitted the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs to seize control of the Southeastern Conference.
Max Olsen at The Athletic recently took a look back at the top 25 recruiting classes of the 2018 cycle to reassess where he went right and wrong in his initial take four years ago. The Gators came in at No. 14 back then and, thanks in part to having the highest-picked tight end in NFL draft history along with some other solid professional talent, were bumped up to No. 13 in the update.
Utilizing a consistent scoring system based on a 0-to-5 scale, Olsen assessed scholarship players and walk-ons who earned scholarships based on their achievements over four years, rather than projecting what they could do in the future. Take a look at how things broke things down below.
Adjusted average: 2.67
Class rank in 2018: 14th
Four-year record: 35-16
Attrition: 50%Top signees: TE [autotag]Kyle Pitts[/autotag], WR [autotag]Van Jefferson[/autotag], OL [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag], K [autotag]Evan McPherson[/autotag], RB [autotag]Dameon Pierce[/autotag]
When Pitts made his decision in the summer of 2017, the four-star recruit announced his Florida pledge on a roller-coaster ride.
Three months later, the head coach to whom he committed was abruptly fired. [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] replaced [autotag]Jim McElwain[/autotag] and Pitts stuck to his pledge. Fortunately, the future All-American and Pro Bowler was able to get off the ride before it got rough.
Mullen inherited Pitts, Gouraige, Pierce and some solid players in the class. He and his staff made some big splashes by flipping quarterback [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag] away from Ohio State and upgrading at wide receiver with [autotag]Jacob Copeland[/autotag] and touted transfers Jefferson and [autotag]Trevon Grimes[/autotag].
They helped the program win a lot of games in their first three seasons together before the Gators slid in 2021. Ten members of the class ended up leaving the program, which is not uncommon for a transition class. But it’s probably worth noting that among the 2018 signees who’ve become full-time starters, only one (cornerback [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag]) plays on defense.
There were a lot of familiar names in that passage, several of whom were significant contributors to the team over the past few seasons. That the program could remain steady amidst the coaching turnover that season is a positive sign for Gators fans this season as their beloved Orange and Blue are currently facing the same challenge. A recruiting class like that in 2018 would be a solid first step for new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his staff.
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