I saw this headline yesterday. I was not impressed. Will Muschamp had some top 5 ranked classes when he was at UF, too.
So what? Are these players going to fit well together? Does he have a drop back passer with a spread offensive line? These are the kinds of classes he recruited at UF.
The problem with Muschamp is he doesn't know what to do with the players when he gets them.
So, who cares what kind of recruiting class he has?
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Does Will Muschamp really have a better recruiting class than Florida?
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South Carolina coach Will Muschamp, left, and Florida coach Jim McElwain
https://www.seccountry.com/florida/muschamp-recruiting-class-better
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With less than two weeks until National Signing Day, Florida football fans haven't held back their complaints about the 2017 recruiting class.
It appears the Gators won't sign a 5-star prospect, nor will they finish with a top-10 class. Florida is No. 23 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings.
But another frustration for fans is seeing former UF coach Will Muschamp have a higher-ranked class at South Carolina, with the Gamecocks coming in at No. 15.
This begs the question: Does Muschamp really have a better recruiting class than Jim McElwain?
Well, recruiting rankings don't tell the whole story. Every recruit is worth a certain amount of points in the team rankings. The more commitments you have, the higher your class ranking will be.
South Carolina has 23 pledges now, which is eight more than the Gators. Sixteen of the 22 teams ranked ahead of Florida have 19 or more commits.
UF has seven 4-star recruits and eight 3-star prospects. South Carolina has five 4-star recruits and 18 3-star prospects. Florida's average star rating is 88.67, which is higher than the Gamecocks (87.02), Miami (87.75), Tennessee (87.39), Texas A&M (88.14) and three others ranked ahead of the Gators in the team rankings.
Lastly, five of South Carolina's 23 commits had an offer from the Gators. Seven of Florida's 15 commits held one from the Gamecocks.
Muschamp had success in his first season at South Carolina and is doing well on the recruiting trail. However, his 2017 class is not better than Florida's in terms of quality, even if it's ranked higher.
Upcoming facility upgrades appeal to Florida recruits
UAA Communications
Florida facility renderings.
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Welcome to Chomp Chat, SEC Country's daily Florida podcast with Gators beat writer Zach Abolverdi and UF broadcaster Jeff Cardozo.
The University of Florida provided an update Wednesday on the stand-alone football complex.
Construction will begin on the $60 million facility in December 2017 and the final inspection is scheduled for June 2019.
In the latest edition of Chomp Chat, Abolverdi and Cardozo discuss the recruiting impact of the facility upgrades. You can listen to the podcast on iTunes or below on SoundCloud.
Miss a previous edition? Find every episode of SEC Country's daily Florida Gators podcast right here.
Florida coaches visiting their top recruiting targets
Sam Spiegelman/SEC Country
4-star cornerback Brad Stewart.
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As Jim McElwain tries to rebuild Florida football into a championship program, one of his mottos is 'recruit daily or die.' Join us here on SEC Country for a daily recap of the latest UF recruiting news, tales from the trail and perspective on what it all means for the Gators.
UF staff sees priority prospects
The Gators have visited some of their top targets this week, including one recruit who's about to announce his decision.
Florida coach Jim McElwain, defensive coordinator Randy Shannon and secondary coach Torrian Gray conducted an in-home visit Wednesday night with 4-star safety Devon Hunter (Chesapeake, Va.).
Hunter officially visited UF last weekend and will decide between the Gators and Virginia Tech on Friday. The in-state Hokies are the favorite to land the U.S. Army All-American.
Shannon also met with 4-star offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herbert (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) on Wednesday. The Michigan pledge is scheduled to visit Florida on Jan. 27.
A trio of Maryland defensive tackle commits — Cam Spence and twin brothers Brandon and Breyon Gaddy — received visits from UF coaches Wednesday as well as 4-star DT Elijah Conliffe, who will take a trip to Florida this weekend.
McElwain, Gray and running backs Tim Skipper conducted an in-home visit Thursday with 4-star cornerback Brad Stewart (New Orleans). He's visiting Arkansas this weekend and UF on Jan. 27.
Gray and Skipper also saw 4-star cornerback Elijah Blades (Pasadena, Calif.). Nebraska will host the Gators commit on an official visit this weekend.
Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and wide receivers coach Kerry Dixon II spent Thursday visiting top WR target James Robinson (Lakeland, Fla.) and Florida WR pledge Daquon Green (Tampa, Fla.).
Gators also focusing on underclassmen
Not all of Florida's recruiting efforts have been geared toward the Class of 2017.
McElwain and director of player personnel Drew Hughes spent the early part of Thursday visiting several underclassmen in the Sunshine State.
They visited 2018 5-star running back Lorenzo Lingard (Orange City, Fla.), 2018 defensive end Stacy Kirby (Orlando, Fla.), 2019 Gators defensive back commit Jaleel McRae (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) and 2020 athlete Avantae Williams (Deland, Fla.).
McElwain and Hughes also stopped by Cocoa High School.
News & Notes
- Florida RB commit Malik Davis (Tampa, Fla.) won the 77th annual Guy Toph award Thursday, given to Hillsborough County's most outstanding football player.
- UF quarterback Jake Allen (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) released his senior highlights Thursday. He led St. Thomas Aquinas to its third straight Class 7A state championship in 2016.
- The Gators extended offers Thursday to 2018 athlete Sevyn Banks (Orlando, Fla.) and 2020 athlete Dominick Hill (Orlando, Fla.).
Catch up on all of our daily recaps on Florida Gators recruiting right here.
New Alabama AD Greg Byrne: 'I was not offered the Florida job'
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Many have wondered why Greg Byrne chose to become Alabama's new athletic director when he was rumored and reportedly in the mix for the same job at other universities.
Byrne reportedly was the front-runner for the athletic director position at Florida.
Following his introductory news conference, Byrne met with local reporters and gave his side of the story.
"First off all, I want to say that Scott Stricklin — the AD at Florida — is one of my very best friends. When I left Mississippi State, he replaced me," Byrne said. "Sometimes things get out there in the media that gets a life of its own. I was never offered the Florida job. It wasn't like one of those 'wink, wink, I wasn't offered.' I was not offered the Florida job. Scott was and they have a great athletics director at the University of Florida.
RELATED: Nick Saban caused Bill Battle to have sleepless nights?
"That's worked out great for Scott and Florida. It's worked out great for me, and hopefully, you all will say for the University of Alabama."
Byrne emphatically denied ever being "offered" the athletic director job at Florida.
Florida ultimately hired Stricklin away from Mississippi State to replace Jeremy Foley.
Byrne will take over as Alabama's athletic director on March 1, replacing Bill Battle who held the position for four years.
Byrne, 45, currently is vice president for athletics at the University of Arizona.
"I can tell you that — like I talked about when we first came down here — I've admired the University of Alabama really even in my younger years when I had never been here," Byrne said. "We used to watch Keith Jackson call the games and Coach (Frank) Broyles do the color. Even when Coach (Paul "Bear") Bryant was coaching, I remember some of those games.
"Having grown up in college athletics my entire life, you just looked at Alabama as the pinnacle. I just can't believe how fortunate we are to be here and be a part of it."
Coaching rumors: Florida DL coach Chris Rumph turns down Clemson
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Florida DL coach Chris Rumph
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Florida defensive line coach Chris Rumph is reportedly staying in Gainesville, despite being pursued by the national champion Clemson Tigers.
ESPN's Brett McMurphy reported Thursday that Rumph had "received overtures from Clemson" but elected to remain with the Gators.
"He wants to remain at Florida on (head coach) Jim McElwain's staff," a source told McMurphy.
Clemson is looking for an assistant after defensive ends coach Marion Hobby took a job with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
SEC Country's Zach Abolverdi reported Rumph "never entertained an offer" from the Tigers.
Rumph just finished his second season on Florida's staff. He previously coached with McElwain at Alabama. Before that, he was an assistant at Clemson from 2006-10. The defensive line coach helped the Gators rank No. 5 in the country in total defense in 2016.
Luke Del Rio has successful shoulder surgery, will miss spring camp
Miami Herald Writer
UF announced Thursday that quarterback Luke Del Rio underwent successful surgery on his non-throwing shoulder and will miss all of spring camp as a result.
Del Rio, the lone quarterback left on Florida's roster with collegiate experience and has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining, missed the final five games of the season with the injury. Graduate transfer Austin Appleby played the final five games of the year, leading UF to a 3-2 record over that span. Del Rio also missed two games after suffering a knee injury against North Texas.
In six games last season, Del Rio completed 56.7 percent of his passes for 1,358 yards and eight touchdowns. He also threw eight interceptions, six of which came in his final three games after returning from the knee injury.
With Del Rio out of commission for the time being, the bulk of the reps in spring practice will go to Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask, a pair of freshmen who did not see action in their first season at UF.
Franks, a former four-star recruit out of Crawfordville, Florida, served as the Gators' backup quarterback after Del Rio's shoulder injury. Trask, a two-star product from Manvel, Texas, was the third-string signal caller to close out the year.
Florida CBs Teez Tabor, Quincy Wilson separated by slimmest of margins, according to ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.
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Florida CB Teez Tabor
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Florida has been known for putting out first-round caliber defensive backs and this year is no different.
Last year, it was Vernon Hargreaves III and Keanu Neal. This year, corners Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson are both expected to be first round picks. So what is expected to separate the two in the eyes of NFL evaluators who will be tasked with deciding between two guys from the same school at the same position?
Not a whole lot, if you believe ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. In his first mock draft of 2017, Kiper projected Tabor to go at No. 13 to the Arizona Cardinals. Wilson is projected to go the following pick at No. 14 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Didn't try to do this, it just worked that way," Kiper said. "I didn't even notice it until I finished the first round I had Tabor going 13 and then Philadelphia the next pick taking Quincy Wilson."
While the two may be very close in draft stock at the moment, Tabor definitely has the advantage over Wilson.
While Kiper views Wilson as the more "complete" corner, Tabor has a play-making ability that gives him the edge. That ability has Tabor drawing comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, who finished tied for second in the NFL with 6 interceptions this season.
"I think you look at Tabor, I think the big play ability that he provides may give him the slightest of edges," Kiper said. "Wilson may be a little bit more well-rounded. Tabor's the big play guy, Tabor's the guy, kind of like Marcus Peters, that type of play. He's got real good, tremendous ball skills and a nose for the ball, opportunistic."
Maybe the most interesting thing to watch with how close the two end up is the signing bonus. In last year's draft, the No. 13 pick received almost $500,000 more in signing bonus money than the No. 14 pick, which could create a bit of a competition between former teammates.
Feleipe Franks will get full spotlight this spring with Luke Del Rio sidelined
Ryan Young/SEC Country
Florida redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks.
https://www.seccountry.com/florida/gators-young-qbs-get-full-spotlight-spring-luke-del-rio-sidelined
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks was set to get his audition for Florida's starting quarterback job this spring, regardless.
But with the news Thursday that redshirt junior quarterback Luke Del Rio will miss spring practice after undergoing surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, the reps will be even more dedicated now to Franks and fellow untested second-year QB Kyle Trask.
That's as a wide an opening for the 2017 starting job as Franks could hope for in trying to prove he's up to the task.
Franks, a 6-foot-6 4-star recruit from Crawfordville, Fla., has been ahead of Trask on the depth chart, elevating to second-string on the depth chart when Del Rio was injured Nov. 4 at Arkansas. He never got into a game, but the Gators' fan base has rallied around his potential in hoping he could be the long-awaited, much-overdue next quarterback of the future for the program.
Neither Florida head coach Jim McElwain nor offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier have revealed much about their own hopes for the position in 2017. Leading up to the Outback Bowl, Nussmeier emphasized Del Rio was still in the mix while also responding affirmatively that he feels Franks is ready to compete for the job.
But after a lackluster season from Del Rio (when healthy) — one that included 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in 6 starts — the opening was clearly there for Franks to compete for the job.
That opening would seem even wider now, but in reality, this probably doesn't change anything.
With or without a healthy and active Del Rio, Franks' path to playing time rests squarely on his own abilities. He possess the greater upside, and if he can prove he's ready for the job after spending a year in the system, learning the offense and refining his mechanics, there would be no reason to further delay his arrival.
If he stumbled through the spring and summer, looking erratic and giving the coaches concern about throwing him out there against Michigan on Sept. 2, then Del Rio was and remains a fine Plan B.
Franks still has to prove himself, prove that he's ready to run the offense, make decisions at the line of scrimmage, adjust to SEC-caliber defenses and make the necessary throws.
If he doesn't earn that trust from the coaching staff, Del Rio is still there with six career starts and a 320-yard, 4 touchdown performance against Kentucky on his resume.
After two years in the program, he doesn't need a spring practice to know what he's doing. But he may have needed one to convince the coaches he might still be the better option to open the season.
Ultimately, though, just as it was before this news, it comes down to Franks and his performance this spring.
The only difference is he'll now have an almost exclusive share of the spotlight in March.
Everybody will know very soon just how ready he is for that starring role.
Florida QB Luke Del Rio out for spring practice after shoulder surgery
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Florida quarterback Luke Del Rio underwent shoulder surgery and will miss spring practice.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Jim McElwain announced Thursday that redshirt junior quarterback Luke Del Rio will miss spring practice after undergoing surgery on his non-throwing shoulder Wednesday.
Del Rio missed the Gators' final five games, but it was presumed he had injured his throwing shoulder during the team's Nov. 5 loss at Arkansas.
McElwain had later commented that in hindsight he wished he had pulled Del Rio out of that game and that he could see in reviewing the tape how the quarterback looked clearly limited by the injury on a downfield throw to Antonio Callaway that was intercepted.
While meeting with reporters after that game, Del Rio sported a sizable ice pack strapped to his throwing shoulder.
RELATED: QB Feleipe Franks to get full share of spotlight in spring
He made some light throws in pre-game warm-ups late in the season, looking to still be working his way back from the unspecified shoulder injury, and was listed as the team's backup quarterback for the Outback Bowl.
So the direct cause or origin of the issue that required surgery on his non-throwing shoulder this week is not clear. The quarterback also missed two games early in the season with a knee injury.
Overall, he finished with 1,358 passing yards, 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions while making 6 starts in his debut season with the Gators. His best game was a 320-yard, 4-touchdown, 1-interception effort against Kentucky in Week 2.
He never looked the same after the knee injury, throwing 6 interceptions and just 2 touchdown passes over his final three games.
He was expected to compete with redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks for the position heading into the 2017 season.
Franks and fellow untested second-year quarterback Kyle Trask will now get an even larger share of the reps this spring and Del Rio will look to make an impression in fall camp.
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