Smart recruiting is the lifeblood of a successful college program. There’s not much more that can be done for the long-term health of a team that experiences near-constant turnover than make it a desirable place to play. The most marketable brands in college football – your assorted Alabamas, Ohio States, and Georgias – have an easier time at reeling in recruits, but it’s not especially easy for anyone to get their guys in-house when there’s a battle for players.
Things became even more complicated when the NCAA shut down in-person recruiting in response to the then-rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic. Termed a recruiting dead period, colleges haven’t been allowed to schedule home visits, campus visits, or private workouts for over a year.
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Thanks to advances in the understanding of the virus and availability of the vaccine, the dead period is about to come to an end. Players and coaches can get together face-to-face starting in June. Before recruiting gets back to normal, let’s take a look at the players who have already committed to play for the Gators. This foundation for their 2022 recruiting class doesn’t constitute their top players, but they’re the ones who got early attention from the team and are confident enough in the team to make their choice relatively quickly.