Coffee is for closers.
It’s an iconic line from an Alec Baldwin monologue in the film adaptation of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” which is about the cutthroat real estate business. The monologue details how the agents need to stick to their ABCs (Always Be Closing) and do one simple thing: Get the clients to sign on the dotted line.
That line, and that basic mantra, also applies to the equally cutthroat business of college football recruiting.
And when it comes to this recruiting cycle, Florida coach Will Muschamp didn’t earn his coffee on National Signing Day. The Gators whiffed on more than a handful of top undecided prospects on Wednesday, including five-star recruits Tracy Howard (Miami), Nelson Agholor (USC) and Josh Harvey-Clemons (Georgia) that would have, in all likelihood, netted Florida the mythical recruiting national title.
But that’s OK, because while Muschamp didn’t close on a lot of sales pitches on National Signing Day and many Gators fans are sure to be disappointed by the players he missed out on, he made waves in his first year recruiting in the Southeastern Conference as a head coach.
Despite a six-loss season that included a winless October, Muschamp brought in quite a haul in 2012.
I know the stars rating system used by recruiting services is a crapshoot, but the raw numbers show Florida tied with Alabama, Stanford and USC for the most five-star signees this cycle. The Gators were hands down the worst of those teams last season, and it wasn’t even close.
Should wide receiver Stefon Diggs sign with Florida in a week when he makes his decision public, he would give Florida more five-stars than any other team in the nation.
Ratings aside, Florida’s coaching staff raided North Carolina for four of the top 14 recruits in the state, including the top two. The Gators addressed their two biggest areas of concern by signing 14 line-of-scrimmage players. They picked up one of the best cornerbacks in the nation to play opposite Marcus Roberson, added another quarterback late in the process and picked up the type of running back UF needs to establish a power running game by signing the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Matt Jones.
Although momentum appeared to slow by a somewhat disappointing closeout on Wednesday, the Gators are still picking up steam on the recruiting trail, adding a pair of 2013 oral commitments Thursday, bringing the next class to four already, with all four on the ESPNU 150 watch list.
As Muschamp posted Thursday morning on Twitter, you have to recruit every day. He has done just that despite Wednesday’s oh-fer on the top uncommitted prospects.
Who cares about being able to close on that one day of the year when you are making your imprint the other 364?
Besides, we have all seen Muschamp on the sidelines; he doesn’t need coffee.
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.org.
