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Talent alone doesn't explain Florida Football's struggles over the past decade

Discussion in 'RayGator's Swamp Gas' started by Gatorrick22, Jul 9, 2024.

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  1. Jul 9, 2024 #1
    Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

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    I posted this because I want it to be a reminder of what we need to break away from. This is the past and in a way we are right now on the cusp of getting past this funk that has plagued the Gators football program. It's something that did NOT happen over night but it can be fixed, to some degree, in just one winning year. And this is the unlikely year I think that change for the better happens. This is the last time I post something that appears negative about our favorite football team - The Florida Gators. It was posted just to see our ascension into a better overall program.



    Florida Football: Less With More
    There have been some recruiting classes over the past decade that haven't been the greatest. According to the 247 Composite, the class of 2015 finished 21st, the class of 2022 was 18th, and the highest the Gators have been able to get to over the past ten years was 8th in 2020.

    But in the grand scheme of things, recruiting classes hovering around 12th should make it difficult to top ten or more wins, but still leave the cupboard full enough to at least reach eight or nine wins with consistency.

    Grouped in with FSU, Texas A&M, Texas, Auburn, Tennessee, USC (the one with academics) and Miami, Florida has seemingly underachieved over the past decade given the level of talent they have had.

    Teams like Washington, Utah, Oklahoma State, Iowa, and Wisconsin have all averaged more wins over the past decade than Florida despite having nowhere near the recruiting classes of the Gators.

    Talent alone doesn't explain Florida Football's struggles over the past decade

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2024
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  2. Jul 9, 2024 #2
    WC53

    WC53 GC Hall of Fame

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    Nope, not gonna do it

    but..
     
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  3. Jul 9, 2024 #3
    ThePlayer

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    It happened immediately under Steven Orr Spurrier....and almost immediately under Urban Meyer.
    Innovative minds trump recruiting alone.
     
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  4. Jul 9, 2024 #4
    gatorwalrus

    gatorwalrus GC Hall of Fame

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    Well, seeing as how this is a 10 year average, and the next season that would fall off is Muschamp's last year at 7-5 followed by a 10-4 and 9-4, UF will be in the red zone for quite some time baring a couple SOS or Urban type seasons. Of course, being know here as an eternal optimist :D, there could be some significant progress made after the 2027 season.
     
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  5. Jul 9, 2024 #5
    Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

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    I think these kinds of stories will dwindle in the coming years if we start winning again. Starting this year.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2024
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  6. Jul 9, 2024 #6
    volungator

    volungator All American

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    Show me the dubs.

    I'm so fed up with excuses.
    I'm with theCAW at this point
     
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  7. Jul 9, 2024 #7
    Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

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    The CAW is more about the UAA and the AD hate than anything... But screw him and his bitchazz negativity..
     
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  8. Jul 9, 2024 #8
    gatordavisl

    gatordavisl VIP Member

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    CAW?
     
  9. Jul 10, 2024 #9
    Wanne15

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    Meyer took a very talented Zook roster and won. He didn’t resurrect a roster. Zook had the talent to win and figured out how to not win some big games. Meyer didn’t build shit here, he just led what we already had going on. Big difference from what’s going on here now.
     
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  10. Jul 10, 2024 #10
    Gatorrick22

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    He's the resident clown, pretend Gator fan, on TheRant that makes noise hating on the Gators... especially in football.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2024
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  11. Jul 10, 2024 #11
    volungator

    volungator All American

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    He's completely and totally fed up with losing.
     
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  12. Jul 10, 2024 #12
    gatordavisl

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    "TheRant" - never heard of it, but sounds like CAW is in the right place.
     
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  13. Jul 10, 2024 #13
    Gatorrick22

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    So am I, but I don't illicit comfort from the enemy teams (like he does) when I'm dissatisfied with losing. He's very popular with the Gator hating natives on that site. He's an over-the-top attention whore.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2024
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  14. Jul 10, 2024 #14
    Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

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    It's an SEC sports site/forum (the SECRant) that is more about LSU, and other teams, than it is Gator friendly. There are some interesting links to SEC football stories posted over there. Sometimes it's almost okay... not as bad as other times.
     
  15. Jul 10, 2024 #15
    GatorDoc74

    GatorDoc74 Premium Member

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    Ron Zook went 7-4 in his last season at Florida. It was actually 7-5 counting the bowl loss, which he wasn't allowed to coach. Meyer went 9-3 the next year with Zook's recruits. A 2-game improvement, good but not earth-shattering.

    Meyer then added recruits like Tebow, Harvin, the Pouncy brothers, Aaron Hernandez, Brandon James, Riley Cooper plus a lot of defensive talent like Ryan Smith and Brandon Spikes, and won 2 national championships in the next 3 years. His recruits were absolutely essential to those wins.

    Zook laid the foundation, but I think that Meyer's success in recruiting and coaching (such as his emphasis on special teams) qualifies as much more than “...he just led what we already had going on."
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2024
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  16. Jul 10, 2024 #16
    DieAGator

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    No doubt whatsoever Meyer and his staff recruited well and his recruits were essential. No question. Winning with someone's recruits means you might have inherited a talented roster but also that you know how to coach and win. No shame in that. That Jarvis Moss was a Zook recruit and placed in position to block a FG only means the staff that inherited him knew what to do with personnel.
     
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  17. Jul 10, 2024 #17
    gatorPUNX

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    Never would have thought the day theCAW would be invoked here on GatorCountry
     
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  18. Jul 10, 2024 #18
    gatorPUNX

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    Also the rant is brain rot
     
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  19. Jul 10, 2024 #19
    Skink

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    Consider that those 2 “innovative minds” brought us the only championships of any kind that Florida football has experienced in damn near 90 years. People acting like the next guy is supposed to deliver at that level simply because Spurrier and Meyer did it here are missing the whole point
     
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  20. Jul 10, 2024 #20
    Skink

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    You understand you have zero credibility here right?
     
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