When Urban Meyer announced on Dec. 26 he was stepping down, then switched a day later to just taking a leave of absence, it was supposed to negatively affect the Gators’ recruiting efforts.
Since that time, Florida has turned what started out as a good class into arguably the best group of recruits ever.
Meyer added four five-star prospects, including the nation’s top-rated player Moreno Valley (Calif.) Rancho Verde High defensive end Ronald Powell, convinced five-star safety Matt Elam to return to the class after a brief switch to FSU and got five other commitments to round out the class.
Meyer said he was surprised how good of a class he got despite all the coaching turmoil.
“Urban Meyer and his staff deserve the credit for doing this: They got the program to the zenith of college football," ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said. "I think prospective student-athletes are savvy enough to realize a program like the University of Florida has a lot to offer, so that means, the program is bigger than one individual."
With 11 players in Rivals.com’s top 100, including three in the top 10, the Gators topped the rankings of two of the three major recruiting sites – Scout.com and ESPN.com.
UF’s 2006 class earned national praise when Meyer signed former Gators Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes. That year, the Gators only had six in Rivals.com's top 100.
With so much talent coming in, it is easy to see why people are calling this the greatest class ever.
“I completely and utterly agree with that (UF’s class is the best ever), but my warning is recruiting classes are on paper,” Luginbill said.
The players in the 2006 class obviously turned their potential into success on the field, becoming the winningest class in Southeastern Conference history.
Although the top three players from that class — Tebow, Harvin and Spikes — led the way, the rest of the recruits exceeded many’s expectations of them. Something the other 17 players not in the top 100 will have to do if this class is going to have the same type of on-field success in their time at UF.
“They have elite players in this class across the board,” Luginbill said. “The middle third and bottom third of this class is as strong, if not stronger, than any other class in the country. Those are the guys that are going to have to be great because not everyone at the top is going to pan out.
In the past, Meyer has been quick to proclaim one or two of his new signees the next great thing, but he refrained from doing it this year.
But he could not help but gush over the defensive line his coaches have assembled in this class.
The Gators brought in the top defensive end and two four-star prospects at the position. To fill the inside of the line, UF got the top-two defensive tackles and a four star as well.
“I’ve gotten myself in trouble by anointing players before they are deserving of it, but as far as a defensive front, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this,” Meyer said.
