At first glance, UF's recruiting class is a bit puzzling.
Coming off of a second national title in three seasons, with one of the sport's hottest coaches in Urban Meyer, big-time media attention and a superstar quarterback in Tim Tebow, the Gators would figure to smash their opponents on the recruiting trail.
Instead, UF has the country's No. 9 recruiting class according to Rivals.com and the No. 12 group on Scout.com - one spot behind Stanford. That's a peculiar drop after the Gators hadn't finished out of the top three classes on Rivals.com since 2005.
But the Gators' lower recruiting ranking is more of a quality-over-quantity issue than a dip in the team's ability to attract top talent.
"If you look at that team, almost everyone is returning, so you can only bring in as many kids as you have scholarships for," ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said. "If you're a Florida fan, that's a good sign because your whole team is coming back.
The Scout and Rivals rankings are based on a formula, with teams receiving points for their number of recruits and the ratings of those players. UF has 16 commitments so far, the lowest number of the top 25 on both Web sites, and there's simply no room for a boatload of recruits.
After graduation and a few transfers, the Gators should return 67 scholarship players for next year (barring anyone else leaving the team this off-season), which leaves 18 open slots for incoming recruits.
UF already has six recruits enrolled in school, leaving 12 scholarships to fill by National Signing Day on Feb. 4, and 10 of those spaces are occupied by verbal commitments.
ESPN values UF's recruiting class higher than competing Web sites, ranking it No. 5 in large part because, as Luginbill says, recruiting isn't just a numbers game.
"I actually think the class is really strong," he said. "I think they're doing a great job filling needs, and (highly-touted receiver) Andre Debose was a huge, huge pickup just because of the departure of Percy Harvin. Filling needs, more than anything else, should truly be the factor that people look at when you talk about a recruiting class."
Luginbill lists the nation's top-rated outside linebacker (Maryland native Jelani Jenkins) and cornerback (Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick) as strong possibilities to land in Gainesville.
"I think it's a very strong class, and in fact, I would venture to say that along with Alabama, Florida might have the most to gain in terms of being in on some top prospects going down the stretch here as anybody between now and signing day," Luginbill said.
"I think we could be having this conversation on Feb. 5 and saying, 'Wow.'"
