Could be part position hold, part he feels like it's home. But with the new landscape and NIL deals, someone likely comes in with a better offer... who knows. I'm sort of assuming there's an NIL deal with Louisville, but maybe not? Works for me. The last staff would have insisted they come separately, during spring break, Mullen gone wake boarding, and not say a word to teammates about their visit.
The Gators didn't make the final 6 for 4* WR Hykeem Williams. In a more positive point LB Jordan Hall speaks glowingly of his recruitment to UF following his official visit weekend in Gainesville. One more point, 5* OT Francis Mauigoa reported that his last visit to UF was one of the best visit he has taken and that he likes Napier and OL Coach Sale a lot.
It's not always clear to us from this vantage point when we "don't make the cut" for a recruit that it could be that the player didn't make our staff's cut.
I assumed we were never in it for Williams. IMO, Mauigoa would be the biggest get in this class if he came our way. Getting a 5* prospect from IMG would bust the doors down for the Gators.
IMHO... getting 5 Star Mauigoa would be soooo much more valuable than any number of 5 Star receivers out there. They buy our quarterback a bit more time to find open receivers... open holes for our speedsters to get through, etc. Offensive linemen are the very foundation of any team. I would love it if Mauigoa would come over to the Orange and Blue side!
It's already looking like a great OL class, four star prospects across the board on top of some outstanding and very large transfers.
Jordan Hall, IMG LB off a recent official to UF, while on his official to Michigan state, stated he has an announcement coming tonight. He has 3 more officials scheduled. Wonder if the Spartans blew him away somehow.
Another weekend, another "no one commits". Yes it's early, but, we are seeing other teams signing kids, Clemson recently signed three. MSU just grabs a LB we were very intrerested in. Should we have concerns?
Nobody signed anyone yet. These are verbal commits, not signatures. Not that the signatures mean anything anymore anyway.
Of course, let me change the language: UF is not getting many VERBAL commits, and the few we are getting seem to be trending more toward the three star category. should the fan base be concerned?
Appreciate the feedback. I suppose its best to wait and see come early signing day. The media and the podcasters are reporting many visits, and a very active staff, a good bit of smoke, but no real "fire" to report as of yet. I know some are hoping Rashada or McClain pops and starts the "tsunami". I also realize "verbals" are just that. In other words, meaningless, until the ink drys. I think in any other era UF would be kicking butt with the second year/class "leap" and all the buzz about the new staff, coaches and facilities, but that was in a past age. It's a new paradigm now. It would be encouraging to see some top kids pushing the Gators new class forward but that just has not been the case so far. At least not yet. Lets face it, if UF wants to move up the SEC pecking order, it must be done with #1 recruiting and #2 the transfer portal. CBN may be a fine coach but he will need the talent to compete in the SEC. Finishing 5th or 6th in the SEC, in recruiting, this cycle, would be dissapointing IMO, because the Gators traditional recruiting grounds are LOADED.
It's early. Only 10 of the top 50 kids have committed. 28 of the top 100. 59 of the top 200. There is no doubt that this staff prioritizes recruiting. If we miss on a player it isn't because they are wake surfing on the weekends. A bunch of our targets will announce before their senior year. Until then, just enjoy the banter.
So 59 or right at 30% have signed. How many do we have? No time to panic no doubt but concerned, maybe.
Speculating but maybe we have to go out and win some games this season to impress that the staff can coach and win. I see Miami is ranked below us on rivals. They are not seeing a new coach bump and TBH Mario is more accomplished than CBN. There was a lot of optimism with talk about money and construction. I recall Bobby(?) posting a link and quite a lot of top SFla talent CB'd to them. I hope our staff is talking to those top players. Interesting for sure. 2023 Team Rankings
typically a bump class doesn’t hinge on any on field results. Kirby lost to Vandy in a bump class year and I think was 7-5 and flipped a 5 star qb (Fromm) from Bama even with that loss at home to Vandy. Coaches can explain losses in year one on changing the culture and bringing in their own players. It’s pretty much a free year and used as a selling point.
I love our staff. Trust will come with wins. Obviously money is a factor but all the old stuff still applies and I feel good. Relationships still matter and we're a year behind. Making good ground but still behind which means we'll have misses.