Far too often this recruiting cycle the Gators have had a seat at the table, but never seem to be the hat that’s picked by some of the best talent. To make matters worse, last week, Elijah Blades, a cornerback out of California decommitted from Florida citing a desire to be closer to home. It’s a big blow to the Gators because corner was already a position of need with the departures of Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson among others. Plus, as a 4-star according to 247 Sports, Blades was one of the highest rated recruits on Florida’s board.
Despite head coach Jim McElwain taking Florida to Atlanta as SEC East champions for the past two years grumblings around Gator Nation are starting to get even louder about the staffs inability to recruit, but the Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin doesn’t hear any of the negatives.
“I hear a lot of positive,” Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin said while in Orlando to meet with boosters. “So when you deal with a state of 18 million people and 300,00 alumni, you might have people of varying opinions, but for the most part I sense a lot of positivity, and at the end of the day we need everyone pulling in the same direction for us to be as successful as we want to be.”
Currently the Gators have the 20th best recruiting class in the country and are 7th in the SEC. They’re also behind in-state rivals Miami and Florida State. But Florida could be poised for a strong finish. As of now they have only 17 commits, leaving about 10 spots to fill out their class. Every team in the SEC above the Gators has at least 20 commits, meaning the room for upward mobility for Florida’s class in the rankings is definitely there.
Still on the Gators list of possible gets are twin defensive tackles Brandon and Breyon Gaddy and 5-star defensive end LaBryan Ray. Hold on tight, it’s going to be a wild ride to Wednesday.