If you were expecting UF to pull in yet another top-five recruiting class this year, you may be disappointed.
After three straight years of finishing at or near the top of the recruiting rankings, it seems that UF coach Urban Meyer and his staff could be falling back.
A low number of available scholarships for the 2009 class (20) and increasing competition from non-traditional state powers have led to an uncharacteristic drop for the Gators in national recruiting rankings.
Rivals.com currently lists UF at No. 22.
Though it's a long way from National Signing Day (Feb. 4), don't expect that number to get much higher.
With a full class the Gators certainly have a shot at breaking into the top 10, but that is probably as much as fans should hope for.
According to Rivals.com's Jamie Newberg, a recruiting analyst, the days of UF, or any one school for that matter, dominating the state of Florida in recruiting have come to an end.
With the emergence of up and coming programs such as South Florida and Central Florida, the once endless talent pool in the state is starting to shrink.
"There are five programs in the state that are recruiting at a high level now," he said.
With a wider array of viable options for some of the state's most talented prospects to choose from, it has become increasingly hard for Florida's big three (UF, Florida State and Miami) to close the deal with the same caliber of player that they once took for granted.
"They're not on the same level as the bigger schools, but they're not that far behind," Newberg said.
But it's not just other state schools that are giving UF a run for its money.
In addition to fending off their neighbors, the Gators are forced to deal with competition from the rest of the Southeastern Conference.
Tampa Plant High quarterback Aaron Murray was thought to be UF's main recruiting target for the class of 2009, but he spurned UF for SEC rival Georgia.
Pensacola Escambia High running back Trent Richardson, thought to be one of the best backs to come out of the state in the last 10 years, chose Alabama over UF, despite playing for the same high school as Gators legend Emmitt Smith.
With SEC coaches now laying claim to recruiting areas outside of their traditional borders, Newberg believes it will become increasingly difficult to hold onto coveted in-state prospects.
In a recent interview with the Huntsville Times, Alabama coach Nick Saban explained his philosophy on expanding the Crimson Tide's recruiting territory.
"Our state is very important in recruiting, but we philosophically try to do a good job in looking at the five-hour radius of where we are as places that we should at least start our recruiting base," Saban told the Times.
That five-hour radius just so happens to include Florida.
