By: David Wunderlich -- August 11, 2023 The state of Florida produces speed at the skill positions in abundance, and the whole country recruits the state for that reason. The Gators have an advantage of being the flagship program within the borders, so when UF has been good, it’s always been in part due to having excellence at the receiver position. It’s something of a canary in the coal mine as well. If Florida doesn’t have good receiving options, a fall is coming. Billy Napier’s wide receiver turnaround will power Florida’s 2023 offense | GatorCountry.com
Muschamp's problems with good receivers had NOTHING to do with Meyer's receiver recruiting, or lack there of. It was Mushchamp's fault that he didn't do his own recruiting on the offensive side of the ball. He tried to turn one of the best running backs in college football into a linebacker. Meyer did not leave Muschamp with an empty cupboard, so to speak. He was incompetent... and was never head coach material. However, part of the offensive struggles of the Will Muschamp era came from Meyer not finding any more real stars after 2006 and Muschamp himself mismanaging the recruiting at the position. He loaded up with five wideouts in 2013 to try to compensate, but just one of them, Demarcus Robinson, had a standout career.
Having a QB that can distribute the ball more consistently will help the WR corps immensely, imho. Very much hope that’s the case this season.
To be fair, the 2018 WR room was pretty damn good. Though 2 of them were transfers (Van & Grimes) …but Hammond & Swain easily had their most productive year and Toney was there as well. You could argue that Mullen’s first year was probably the best we saw from the skill positions since he left for MSU 9 years earlier.
As I recall at the time of the dumping of Muschamp (his firing), news was leak that Muschamp was pitting the defense players against the offense players. He created a a house divided. If this is true, I can fully understand how the wheels feel off so badly. Also, Meyer (who I am not a big fan of) had nothing to do with Muschamp woes. Lumpy created those all on his own. The Meyer legacy and the Muschamp tenure at Texas was enough to bring in the recruits. Muschamp's performance as a HBC sealed his fate.
