Jim McElwain will get on the recruiting trail today, and the new coach’s job on the trail just got a little bit more difficult.
Two players decommitted from the University of Florida’s 2015 verbal recruiting class Saturday, giving UF seven total verbal commitments as of publication Sunday night.
Despite the defections, McElwain said Saturday he’s confident the class will take shape.
"We’ll hit the road next week, get to as many places as humanly possible from the recruiting standpoint, because that’s one of those things, ‘recruit daily or die,’" he said during his introductory press conference Saturday.
"We’ve got to make sure we secure a great class. There’s some great commitments right now, there’s some guys that are waiting to see what’s going to happen and what’s going on. That’s the first and foremost for what we do, is go out and do that."
Four-star dual-threat quarterback Sheriron Jones was the first to pull the plug on his verbal pledge to UF.
The Moreno Valley, California, product last visited Gainesville on June 7 and committed the following day.
Ohio offensive lineman George Brown also decommitted, flipping his commitment to LSU.
Brown arrived on campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Friday for a visit, and Saturday evening tweeted a picture of him in an LSU jersey.
Four hours later, he tweeted, "I Have Officially Committed To Louisiana State University," on his Twitter account (@MADDAWG_G).
Brown made headlines committing to UF in July with what appeared at the time to be a live alligator, but later it was found out to be only a dwarf caiman.
McElwain met with the remaining coaching staff Friday night to talk about recruiting.
UF’s current class is 95th nationally according to Rivals.com and only 13 of 128 FBS schools have fewer verbal commitments after Brown and Jones left the class.
With work to do, McElwain is confident the program sells itself.
"Well, No. 1 you’ve got an opportunity to win a national championship. That’s first and foremost," McElwain said. "It’s about what that’s going to do for the rest of your life, about what being a Gator is and adjusting. Look, we’re here to make sure your experience is going to do nothing but set you apart for the rest of your life. And that’s what it is to be a Gator."
Offensive line depth is of dire need for UF as attrition and lack of o-line signees has left a dearth at the position.
In 2011, the Gators signed two offensive linemen, one of which is no longer with the team. It was the same story for UF in 2012, and then in 2013, the Gators signed five.
But attrition and graduation have lessened that class’s impact on the 2015 Florida roster with Trevon Young and Octavius Jackson departing the program and Trenton Brown, who signed from a junior college, has graduated.
In 2014, the Gators signed six offensive linemen, and two of them have left the program in the last week.
Drew Sarvary’s football career came to an end because of concussions and Nolan Kelleher’s career is over because of lingering back issues.
With Tyler Moore’s declaration for the NFL draft in late November and the feeling that D.J. Humphries’ declaration is imminent, UF may be down to only five offensive linemen that have played in a game next season.
When he was at Alabama, McElwain recruited the Central Florida area among others, signing notable recruits in running back Dee Hart and safety HaHa Clinton-Dix.
He says he’s excited to be back recruiting the state because it’s a chance building relationships, something he said is the "number one" thing for him.
"I’m excited to go hit the road on Monday morning," McElwain said. "I’ll be back time unknown, until it becomes dead again next week and probably what I’m most excited about is rekindling the relationships and getting back involved with the players that we had an effect on their lives and that’s what it’s all about."
Follow Richard Johnson on Twitter @RagjUF
New head football coach Jim McElwain following his introductory press conference on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
