Will Muschamp’s imprint is finally on the Gators.
Seven weeks after becoming Florida’s head coach, Muschamp signed his first recruiting class Wednesday. He and his staff hauled in 18 prospects, but Muschamp faced plenty of challenges representing a program in transition.
“Recruiting has changed so much over the years,” he said. “You’re starting to recruit guys when you see guys coming in their sophomore, junior seasons. You’re building that relationship for two and three years. … We had to re-recruit all of those guys.”
After Muschamp came to Gainesville in mid-December, the Gators lost three players who orally committed to former coach Urban Meyer. In the last month, however, Muschamp salvaged the class, holding on to the other 14 Meyer commits and landing four new players.
Most notably, UF picked up Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas four-star cornerback Marcus Roberson, who switched his commitment two times in three days.
With Roberson’s signature, Muschamp’s inaugural class ranks 14th nationally, according to Rivals.com. The recruiting website ranked Meyer’s first class 15th in 2005, and former coach Ron Zook’s first group was ranked 20th in 2002.
Florida’s 2011 class might have cracked the top 10 if not for a couple of commitments who were seemingly decided in the last week.
Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer High four-star linebacker Curt Maggitt announced Tuesday he would sign with Tennessee. Maggitt took an official visit to Gainesville last weekend and was rumored to favor UF before Meyer stepped down.
The Gators also whiffed on Lake City Columbia four-star defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, who grew up a Florida fan but ultimately joined FSU’s No. 3-ranked class.
Other potential blockbuster signings included five-star linebackers Stephone Anthony (Wadesboro (N.C.) Anson High) and Curtis Grant (Richmond (Va.) Hermitage High), who both visited Gainesville in January but signed with Clemson and Ohio State, respectively.
Muschamp admitted he had trouble making up for lost time when he entered players’ living rooms.
“I had a lot of, ‘This school or this person has been recruiting my son for a year now,’” he said. “I have one in-home visit in January, and that’s tough to be able to recruit and sell what we’re trying to do.”
Instability below Muschamp did not help, either. He did not name any assistant coaches until after Florida played in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day, three weeks following his arrival.
Coordinators Charlie Weis and Dan Quinn, meanwhile, could not start recruiting until their NFL teams lost in the playoffs. Weis’ season with the Chiefs did not end until Jan. 9, while Quinn and the Seahawks played until the following week.
“I don’t know how much [recruits] know Charlie Weis and Quinn and all these other guys, and that’s what makes it so tough,” ESPN recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg said. “On the other hand, once they see the product on the field, I think that stuff will sort of even itself out. And when they have a whole year to compete for these kids on a level playing field, and they’ll get to know these guys, I think they’ll be fine.”
Regardless, Muschamp now has his first group of players he can take ownership of. How good this class will be remains a mystery — a problem that plagues any coach, whether he has been at a school for seven weeks or seven seasons.
“In two or three years, we’ll know what kind of class this was,” Muschamp said. “Today is not the day to judge anything we do, and you can put that in your tape recorder because I’m going to say the same thing next year.”
