Official Florida Gators Thread | Page 78 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Official Florida Gators Thread

Its not over until its over.I am waiting for the signatures on the dotted lines before I celebrate.:cooldude:
 
K, Florida fans. I must say congrats to my second favorite SEC team for getting the #1 recruiting class in the nation.

When you win the national championship, kids will want to go to your school.

But I think it's pretty cool that Scout.com and Fox Sports have my LSU Tigers #2.
Is there any question AT ALL who the two best teams in the SEC are?

I think not. Can't wait till our game in Death Valley this year.
 
I saw in the local paper we signed haden the WR i think he was. was that a good pick up.
 
CrunchTime said:
Its not over until its over.I am waiting for the signatures on the dotted lines before I celebrate.:cooldude:
Click to expand...

You do realize that by the time you posted this our entire class had already signed on the dotted line? :D:tongue::wink:
 
Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators have put together what will likely be the nation's No. 1 recruiting class in the final rankings.

Of the 25 players who were solidly committed to the Gators heading into national signing day Wednesday, all had signed with UF before 2 p.m. A little more than an hour later the class got even stronger when Belle Glade Glades Central wide receiver Deonte Thompson signed with the Gators.

The day got off to a good — and surprising — start when Jerimy Finch, the nation's No. 1 safety, according to Rivals.com, signed with the Gators. Finch visited UF two week ago, but had said he was down to Michigan and Indiana, a team he had previously committed to. But the player of the year in Indiana gave the UF class a nice boost with his signature.

At 2 p.m., UF's class was ranked No. 1 by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

UF recruiting class

As of 4 p.m., the 27 players who have sent in their national letters of intent (with position, height, weight, hometown, high school and Scout.com star rating):

5-Star Players

1. Torrey Davis (DT, 6-4, 285) Seffner (Armwood)

2. Aaron Hernandez (TE, 6-4, 235) Bristol, Conn. (Central)

3. Chris Rainey (RB, 5-9, 163) Lakeland (Lakeland)

4. James Wilson (OL, 6-5, 305) St. Augustine (Nease)

5. Lorenzo Edwards (WLB, 6-2, 225) Orlando (Edgewater

6. Carlos Dunlap (DE, 6-7, 240) North Charleston, S.C. (Dorchester)

7. Justin Trattou (DE, 6-4, 230) Ramsey, N.J. (Don Bosco Prep)

8. Major Wright (S, 6-1, 205) Fort Lauderdale (St. Thomas)

9. John Brown (DT, 6-1, 285) Lakeland (Lakeland)

10. Deonte Thompson (WR, 5-11, 185) Belle Glade (Glades Central)

4-Stars

1. Cameron Newton (QB, 6-5, 225) Atlanta (Westlake)

2. Bo Williams (RB, 6-0, 205) Oakland Park (Northeast)

3. Duke Lemmens (DE, 6-5, 238) Westlake Village, Calif. (Oaks Christian)

4. John Brantley IV (QB, 6-3, 195) Ocala (Trinity Catholic)

5. Joe Haden (WR, 5-11, 195) Fort Washington, Md. (Friendly)

6. Chas Henry (P, 6-4, 200) Dallas, Ga. (East Paulding)

7. Michael Pouncey (OL, 6-4 1/2, 298) Lakeland (Lakeland)

8. Maurkice Pouncey (OL, 6-4 1/2, 283) Lakeland (Lakeland)

9. Ahmad Black (CB, 5-10, 170) Lakeland (Lakeland)

10. Bryan Waggener (QB, 6-4, 226) Glendora, Calif. (Juco)

11. John Jones (MLB, 6-3, 205) Sarasota (Booker)

12. Brandon Hicks (LB, 6-2, 205) Jacksonville (Forrest)

13. Jerimy Finch (S, 6-2, 212) Indianapolis (Warren Central)

3-Stars

1. Jay Howard (DE, 6-5, 230) Orlando (Jones)

2. Steven Wilks (S, 6-2, 195) Lakeland (Lakeland)

3. Paul Wilson (WR, 6-1, 175) Lakeland (Lakeland)

4. Mose Jenkins (CB, 6-2, 175) Lauderdale Lakes (Boyd Anderson)
 
Florida's Class of 2007

Ahmad Black • CB • 5'10" • 170

· Ranking: No. 18 cornerback in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 25 by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Recorded 80 tackles and intercepted six passes his senior season.

· How he fits in: Coming out of one of the nation's premier prep programs at Lakeland, Black is a polished and confident athlete who helps fill a huge need at cornerback.

· Chances of playing early: Black is already enrolled at UF and will begin competing for playing time at the depth-shy cornerback positions in the spring. With starters Ryan Smith and Reggie Lewis gone, both corner positions are wide open and Black has a chance to jump into the playing rotation.

John Brantley • QB • 6'3" • 195

· Ranking: No. 3 quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 7 by Scout.com

· By the numbers: Brantley threw for 82 touchdowns and almost 6,000 yards in his junior and senior seasons combined. He passed for 2,766 yards this past season.

· How he fits in: A Gator legacy and life-long Florida fan, Brantley was a recruiting priority for UF, even after he committed to Texas this past summer. He brings the dropback passing element to the spread offense.

· Chances of playing early: Brantley struggled with the speed of the game at the Army All-American Game last month and will continue to adjust at UF. One of three quarterbacks in the class, there's a chance Brantley will redshirt in 2007, putting two years between he and starting quarterback Tim Tebow.

John Brown • DT • 6'1" • 285

· Ranking: No. 5 defensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com; No. 8 by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: In his senior season at Lakeland, Brown recorded 86 tackles (including 18 for losses) and six sacks.

· How he fits in: Brown is one of the nation's best (and strongest) defensive tackle prospects. He is a tenacious defender who bench presses more than 400 pounds and he comes from one of the nation's most successful high school programs. He fills a big need at defensive tackle, where the Gators must replace Steven Harris, Joe Cohen and Ray McDonald.

· Chance of playing early: If Brown rallies down the stretch and qualifies academically, he'll have a chance to work his way into the playing rotation this season at the depth-shy tackle positions.

Torrey Davis • DT • 6'4" • 285

· Ranking: No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com and Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Recorded 72 tackles and 16 sacks his senior season.

· How he fits in: One of the nation's premier defensive tackle prospects, Davis was a huge get for the Gators, who must replace their top three defensive tackles from last season. He's a very seasoned and tenacious player.

· Chances of playing early: If he qualifies academically, Davis, like Brown, should have an immediate impact at the tackle positions. He's capable of playing nose tackle and tackle and could push for a starting role with a strong showing in two-a-days in August.

Carlos Dunlap • DE • 6'6" • 240

· Ranking: No. 1 weakside defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com and Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Dunlap recorded 35 tackles for loss and 24 sacks his senior season.

· How he fits in: Dunlap had a huge senior season that vaulted him to the top of the player rankings at outside linebacker. He's a speed rusher from the edge and very similar (in style and size) to former UF defensive end Jarvis Moss, who is leaving early for the NFL. Dunlap has an excellent frame and a huge upside.

· Chances of playing early: Dunalp is still developing physically and probably would benefit from a redshirt season in 2007. But with the lack of players and depth at defensive end, he figures to challenge for immediate playing time.

Lorenzo Edwards • LB • 6'2" • 221

· Ranking: No. 1 weakside linebacker in the nation by Scout.com; No. 6 by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: A strong safety in high school, Edwards recorded 85 tackles, seven sacks and intercepted two passes his senior season.

· How he fits in: Given his background as a high school safety, Edwards is one of the nation's most athletic linebacker prospects. He runs extremely well (4.6 in the 40) and should fit in nicely at one of the outside linebacker positions, where the Gators must replace starters Earl Everett and Brian Crum.

· Chances of playing early: With the lack of depth at the two outside linebacker positions, Edwards likely will start out two-a-days on the two-deep depth chart, which means the coaches will be getting him ready to play this season. He could be a starter on special teams.

Jerimy Finch • S • 6'1" • 203

· Ranking: No. 1 free safety in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 9 by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Finch intercepted 10 passes as a junior and recorded nine interceptions and 59 tackles as a senior. He is the consensus No. 1 player in the state of Indiana.

· How he fits in: The Gators need immediate help in the depth-shy secondary and Finch is considered one of the nation's top defensive back prospects.

· Chances of playing early: After signing with UF Wednesday morning, Finch said the coaches have told him he will not redshirt in 2007. He can play either safety position and possibly could grow into an outside linebacker.

Joe Haden • ATH • 5'11" • 195

· Ranking: No. 3 athlete in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 22 wide receiver by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: A quarterback in high school, Haden threw for 2,783 yards and 38 touchdowns and rushed for 899 yards and 13 TDs his senior season.

· How he fits in: Haden is a fast and versatile athlete who could play cornerback and slot receiver and also could line up at quarterback. He has the athletic ability to do some of the same things Percy Harvin did in the offense last season as a true freshman.

· Chances of playing early: Haden is a natural offensive player and playmaker and he'll get an early look at wide receiver. He's also athletic enough to play cornerback and possibly could also see playing time on defense in 2007.

Chas Henry • P • 6'4" • 200

· Ranking: No. 1 punter in the nation by Scout.com; No. 5 by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: He averaged 45.1 yards a punt his senior season.

· How he fits in: Henry is an athletic punter who has a very strong leg and is considered one of the nation's elite punting prospects.

· Chances of playing early: The punting position is wide open now that four-year starter Eric Wilbur is gone and the strong-legged Henry will have a chance to compete for the starting role in August.

Aaron Hernandez • TE • 6'4" • 235

· Ranking: No. 1 tight end in the nation by Scout.com; No. 2 by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: Hernandez caught 67 passes for 1,807 yards and 24 touchdowns his senior season. He set a national record with 376 yards receiving in one game.

· How he fits in: Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen are always looking for playmakers and this guy makes plays. Fast and athletic, Hernandez is considered the nation's No. 1 pass-catching tight end prospect. He's similar in size and athletic ability to Cornelius Ingram, who became a major part of the offense in the last four games of the season.

· Chances of playing early: With only two other scholarship tight ends on the roster (Ingram and senior Tate Casey), Hernandez, who is already enrolled in classes, will get plenty of reps in the spring and should have a chance to contribute in the fall.

Brandon Hicks • LB • 6'2" • 205

· Ranking: No. 8 linebacker in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 15 by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Recorded 77 total tackles and eight sacks his senior season. One of eight linebackers on the Parade All-America team.

· How he fits in: Some recruiting analysts are saying Hicks might be the best defensive player in this class. He's a fast and rangy athlete who helps fill a need at outside linebacker.

· Chances of playing early: Hicks is similar to Everett in that he is not real big (yet), but runs extremely well and makes plays from sideline to sideline. With the lack of depth at linebacker, he'll have a chance to compete for playing time in the fall. He also could be a factor immediately on special teams.

Jay Howard • DE • 6'5" • 230

· Ranking: No. 9 defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 38 by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Howard recorded 80 tackles and 15 sacks his senior season.

· How he fits in: Howard was the first commitment to the class of 2007 and he's considered an excellent prospect at a position of need. He's very competitive and will not shy away from the competition of some higher-ranked defensive ends in this class.

· Chances of playing early: He appears physically ready to play at this level and with the lack of bodies at defensive end he could challenge for playing time in the fall.

Moses Jenkins • CB • 6'2" • 175

· Ranking: No. 47 cornerback in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 54 by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: In his senior season, he recorded more than 30 tackles and intercepted one pass. He's been timed at 4.5 in the 40.

· How he fits in: The Gators got in on Jenkins late and gained a commitment from him earlier this week. He's a key pick up because cornerback is such a position of need. At 6-2, he will be one of UF's tallest cornerbacks.

· Chances of playing early: With so few players at the cornerback positions, Jenkins will have a chance to get in the mix when he arrives this summer.

John Jones • LB • 6'3" • 205

· Ranking: No. 8 middle linebacker in the nation by Scout.com; No. 30 outside linebacker by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: Jones played defensive end and wide receiver in high school and projects as a middle linebacker at Florida.

· How he fits in: Jones is one of the quickest and fastest linebacker prospects in Florida and he has the frame (6-3, 205) to grow into a prototypical middle linebacker. He had 23 sacks his junior season and has a knack for making plays.

· Chances of playing early: Ideally, he probably needs a redshirt year to bulk up in the weight room, but with the lack of depth at the linebacker positions, Jones will have a chance to show his stuff in two-a-days in August. He's another candidate to play special teams immediately.

Duke Lemmens • DE • 6'5" • 238

· Ranking: No. 29 strongside defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 30 by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Lemmens was a four-year starter in high school who recorded 16 sacks his senior season and 10 in his junior year.

· How he fits in: He is a speed pass rusher who plays with great effort and was considered a team leader in high school.

· Chances of playing early: Lemmens will get an early look at Jarvis Moss' old position and will have the chance to compete for possible playing time. At only 238 pounds, though, Lemmens would appear to be a strong redshirt candidate in 2007.

Cameron Newton • QB • 6'5" • 225

· Ranking: No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 13 quarterback by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Newton threw for 1,400 yards and ran for 1,000 his senior season. As a junior, he passed for 2,500 yards and 23 touchdowns.

· How he fits in: Newton is a dual-threat quarterback who seems an ideal fit for Meyer's spread offense. He's very quick and athletic and at 6-5, 225 pounds, he brings great size to the position.

· Chances of playing early: Newton has a very strong arm, but is considered a better runner than passer at this early stage. He is already enrolled in classes and will be only one of three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster this spring, which means he will be battling for the backup role behind starter Tim Tebow.

Maurkice Pouncey • OL • 6'5" • 298

· Ranking: No. 15 offensive guard in the nation by Scout.com; No. 16 by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: He was a three-year starter and an all-state performer his junior and senior seasons at Lakeland High.

· How he fits in: Pouncey helps fill at need on the offensive line, where the Gators lack depth and experience.

· Chances of playing early: With so little experienced depth on the offensive line, Pouncey, an early enrollee, will have a chance to compete for immediate playing time at guard.

Michael Pouncey • OL • 6'5" • 283

· Ranking: No. 7 offensive guard in the nation by Scout.com; No. 15 by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: He was a three-year starter and an all-state performer his final two seasons at Lakeland High.

· How he fits in: He is a tough, hard-nosed competitor who appears physically ready to play. Like his brother, he is a good athlete who moves extremely well.

· Chances of playing early: Like his brother, Pouncey has already enrolled in school and will get plenty of reps at guard this spring.

Chris Rainey • RB • 5'9" • 156

· Ranking: No. 4 all-purpose back in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 5 running back by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Rainey rushed for 2,439 yards and 32 touchdowns his senior season. In his final three games, he rushed for 878 yards and 10 touchdowns.

· How he fits in: He's a fast and elusive playmaker in the mold of Percy Harvin. Although he is running back, he figures to be spending a great deal of time lining up as a slot receiver in Meyer's offense. He also could be another weapon in the return game.

· Chances of playing early: Rainey has the speed and playmaking ability Meyer is looking for on offense. He's probably not big enough to line up at tailback and carry the ball 15 times a game, but he'll have a chance to compete at a position that's been wide open the past two seasons. He figures to have an immediate impact as a slot receiver.

Deonte Thompson • WR • 5'11" • 186

· Ranking: No. 5 wide receiver in the nation by Scout.com; No. 8 by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: Thompson is one of the nation's fastest prospects, with a 40 time of 4.3. In his senior season, he caught 30 passes for 600 yards.

· Chances of playing early: With his speed and athletic ability, Thompson likely will see playing time in 2007. He could be an immediate impact player on reverses and screen passes as he learns the rest of the offense over the course of the season.

Justin Trattou • DE • 6'4" • 250

· Ranking: No. 4 defensive end in the nation by Scout.com; No. 17 by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: Trattou recorded 82 tackles and 17 sacks his senior season.

· How he fits in: He seemed a perfect fit before Meyer moved in on this New Jersey prospect and turned him a month ago. Trattou is a fast and physical speed rusher and he was one of the most impressive defensive players at the Army All-American Game. His style seems a perfect fit for what the Gators do with their defensive ends.

· Chances of playing early: Trattou could challenge for immediate playing time at Jarvis Moss' vacant speed-rush end position.

Bryan Waggener • QB • 6'4" • 226

· Ranking: Junior college transfer who is not ranked by the recruiting services.

· By the numbers: He threw for more than 3,000 yards in his two seasons at Citrus College.

· How he fits in: Waggener is more of a dropback passer than Tim Tebow and Cameron Newton, but he's athletic enough to do most of the things required of the quarterback in the spread offense. Like Chris Leak, he brings more of a passing element to the offense.

· Chances of playing early: Waggener is already on campus and will be competing with Newton for the No. 2 role in the spring.

Steven Wilks • LB • 6'2" • 195

· Ranking: No. 58 safety in the nation by Scout.com; not ranked by Rivals.com.

· By the numbers: Wilks recorded 100 tackles and intercepted six passes his senior season.

· How he fits in: Wilks was a hard-hitting safety in high school who is expected to convert to an outside linebacker at Florida. He's a physical player who runs extremely well and brings added speed to the linebacker positions.

· Chances of playing early: Wilks needs time to gain strength and weight and to learn a new position. He figures to redshirt in 2007, then start competing for playing time in the spring of 2008.

Bo Williams • RB • 6' • 205

· Ranking: No. 16 running back in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 19 by Scout.com

· By the numbers: Williams rushed for 1,283 yards and 16 touchdowns his senior season.

· How he fits in: He is an excellent athlete who can run and catch. He's a tough runner between the tackles, but also has the speed to go the distance. He brings some playmaking potential to the tailback position.

· Chances of playing early: Williams recently underwent shoulder surgery and will be out for the next four months, making him a likely redshirt candidate for 2007.

James Wilson • OL • 6'5" • 305

· Ranking: No. 1 offensive guard in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 2 by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Wilson had 69 pancake blocks and 51 downfield blocks his senior season.

· How he fits in: Some recruiting analysts consider him the nation's best overall offensive line prospect. He committed to Southern Cal months ago, but changed his mind and gave UF's class a considerable boost, especially in an area of need.

· Chances of playing early: Wilson still needs to add strength and develop his upper body, but he's a very refined prospect who is expected to push for immediate playing time at guard, and possibly tackle, on a UF offensive front that lacks experience and depth.

Paul Wilson • WR • 6'1" • 175

· Ranking: No. 75 wide receiver in the nation by Rivals.com; unranked by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Averaged 22 yards a reception (on 15 receptions) on a run-oriented team. In his junior season, Wilson caught 72 passes for 1,034 yards.

· How he fits in: He spent most of his senior season as a blocker on a strong running team, but when Lakeland was throwing the ball in his junior season, Wilson was a major weapon as a wide receiver. He has good speed and is considered an excellent route runner.

· Chances of playing early: Wilson still needs to develop some physically (especially the way the UF receivers are asked to block) and is a likely redshirt candidate in 2007.

Major Wright • S • 6'1" • 204

· Ranking: No. 2 safety in the nation by Rivals.com; No. 4 by Scout.com.

· By the numbers: Recorded 72 tackles and intercepted three passes in his senior season.

· How he fits in: Many considered Wright the No. 1 defensive prospect in the state of Florida. He'll likely start out at safety at UF, but he's a physical player who also could play strong safety at the next level. If he continues to grow, there's even a chance he could end up at outside linebacker.

· Chances of playing early: Wright is expected to compete with redshirt freshmen Bryan Thomas and Jamar Hornsby at free safety in two-a-days. Chances are good he'll be playing a role in the secondary (at safety or free safety) in 2007.— Robbie Andreu
 
Damn, that's quality there Motion :up:
Hopefully, I'll get done reading it before the weekend.
 
After hauling in the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the nation by Rivals.com, happy and relieved Florida coach Urban Meyer talked to reporters Wednesday afternoon. He admitted signing day is his most stressful time of the year but lauded everyone involved in UF's recruiting effort for bringing in the second consecutive boffo class.

We've got every question and every answer from his interview.

"Thanks for coming. I'm not going to bore you, but I am going to thank a few people. Bob LaCivita, our director of operations, was very involved in just the organization of recruiting. Emily Heater, Chuck Heater's daughter, was very involved as well. Alecia Pinn, those are the three people that really handle the on-campus phase of it, and obviously they handled an inordinate amount of numbers for the last two years. The last two years we signed (26) and 27. That's a lot of kids to sign in two years. I can't remember ever being part of a staff that signed that many players. It shows the imbalance that we have right now.

"Also (team physician) Dr. Pete (Indelicato), head athletic trainer (Anthony Pass) and our medical staff have been in here every weekend. We've grinded them pretty good. (Director of strength and conditioning) Mickey (Marotti), (assistant director of strength and conditioning) Matt Balis and Mark Campbell did a great job as well. (Associate athletic director for academic affairs) Dr. (Keith) Carodine, (academic advisors) Tony (Meachem) and Jason (Storch) are the best in the business. That's a big reason why we closed some of those recruits.

"And then I'd like to thank (athletic director) Jeremy (Foley) because when I was hired here, we were fairly archaic, I don't want to say archaic, but behind on facilities. The University of Florida really should be at the top of everything. That's kind of our goal. My goal is if someone has a nicer training room, I'd like to know why. If it helps recruiting and it helps our players and helps you win, Florida should have the best, and that's our goal. We're going to move extremely fast and aggressively to reach that goal, which everyone knows never ends because it's a war. We take that war very seriously around here and it's going to even get more aggressive as we move forward.

"To our assistant coaches, to have the recruiting classes like we've had. Our first class if you evaluate it has been very average. Our last two have been very good. This one remains to be seen obviously, but last year we saw a lot of production from those freshmen. We've taken a new attitude. Every freshman in my opinion will play next year. Obviously that won't happen, but we're taking that approach. It used to be more we'd like to save this guy. I've learned my lesson, and that's over. Everybody's playing. We're going to let you go play and we'll worry about your fourth year down the road. If it's in the best interest of the young player, we'll hold him and redshirt him, but we're going to play him. I think you see that trend across the country with the juniors coming out. If you're a premier player in college football, very rarely do you stay past your third year, so we're taking a very aggressive approach to academic success. We're able to do that here because there are so many early entries. We have nine (early-enrolling freshmen) kids on campus that when you go through spring and Summer A and Summer B, in three years you're darn close to a degree at Florida, and if you're a good student, you probably have one, and then you can make that decision to leave or go. That's the approach we've taken. I've never had to do that before. This is the first year we've really aggressively approached in that area to the point where we have it knocked out for them, and that's appealing to a lot of those young guys that are here on campus.

"We're very pleased. The guy that kind of knocked it over the edge right at the end was Deonte Thompson. I'll talk about each guy as you ask. I'm not going to go through the entire names right now, but Deonte came just about an hour-and-a-half ago, and that was a must-have. We got him out of south Florida, which is a tough place to get guys. I'm very pleased with our recruiting class.

"I'll answer any questions."

How did you guys do down in south Florida this year compared with last?

"Every year we do a money cost and time cost (analysis) because we're going to quit going places we're not going to get a player. I took the last 15 years of Florida football, where did they get their players, and Louisiana was not good. For some reason, those kids just end up going somewhere else, and there are other areas that have not been good. South Florida falls into a not-good category at Florida, which should not happen when you look at the quality of player down there. In the NFL, they say that's the No. 1 area where the best athletes in the country are from. With the product we have here, that should not be the case. We have an excellent recruiter who's done it for 250 years or whatever he's been alive down there, Doc (Holliday), and he knows everybody's aunt and everybody's grandfather. He recruited the grandfathers, I think, I mean I've met them all, but it's been very poor. We have not gotten the premier players out of there. We've had some guys like Steve Harris, who's had some great success, but he was not a premier player (recruit). (Co-defensive coordinator) Charlie Strong, Doc and I went through every young man that Florida's taken. Johnny Rutledge, Reidel (Anthony) and Fred Taylor were premier players. Since then we've gotten some good players, but not the premiers. Deonte and Major (Wright) were two of the highest recruited kids down there, and we got them this year. It tells you Doc did a heck of a job closing. We never knew until we knew at the end, so maybe that opens it back up for us. Someone showed me an article where it said Florida's back in Miami a couple of years ago. No we weren't. Those players didn't play very much. It's when you get the big dogs out of south Florida, and on paper, those are two of the big dogs."

How many did you get overall from south Florida? Five?

"Bo Williams, Major, Deonte and (Moses) Jenkins at corner, an excellent player. Those are four."

What does it say about Lakeland that you get seven kids out of one program?

"I would have never done that. I really don't believe in that honestly, until I went to that school, and I've been to that school many, many times, and I saw the way they developed their players. I think it's arguably, with the success they've had, one of the great high school programs in America. When I went and watched them practice on two different occasions, when I watched them play and got to know those kids, they've been up at our campus many times, and I have great respect for their coach, Bill Castle, and we went through each kid, and his word is good with me. He was very honest and sincere. Some of them were very highly recruited guys and some of them were guys that I kind of liked, who could go block punts and run down on kickoff and try to knock the ball out. That's a great mix of people coming from the national champion high school team in the country to the University of Florida."

You have said you were top heavy and bottom heavy before this class. Does this help in terms of getting the depth you want?

"In about two years from now, we'll be smoothed out. If I introduced the senior class to you next year, you'd put your hand over your mouth like I did when I saw them this morning at mat drills. It's not very big, and there's not a whole lot of experience in that group when those four juniors left. As of now we are a mess as far as depth, and it's going to be that way for about a year. But they (the freshmen) are all playing, so you're going to see a bunch of new, fresh faces at the University of Florida."

John Brantley committed to Texas, but you guys kept after him and he's now a Florida Gator. What did you see in him while you were pursuing him that made you want to recruit him?

"Dan Mullen and him became very close. I've made this comment several times; it takes a minute to know Dan. He did a great job. They really never talked about football. They just became not necessarily friends, but they were very close and talked all the time. During the fall they played at Williston and we were playing a home game, so I got in the car and went over and watched him play. I watched him manage and watched him move around in the pocket and come back and throw a dart on a backside post. He reminded me very much of Alex Smith, the quarterback we had (at Utah) a couple years ago. We were just on him as hard as we could. There were no promises. It was more about just getting to know him because he's such a good person from a great family. There was minimal talk about football, and then football at the end we started talking about his plan because there was a guy named (Tim) Tebow here and we wanted to make sure we treat him right because he deserves to be treated right. But very early on it was all just getting to know him, and Dan Mullen did a heck of a job hanging in there with him."

How unique was the situation for you where at the end you were almost telling good players no because there were great players that wanted to come here?

"That's hard because there's the bird in the hand theory. That's the three-hour staff meetings you have, and sometimes you get it and sometimes you don't. We had it both happen this year where we waited and waited. That's the deal with Deonte. We could have gone a couple of other directions several times, and he said he was going to announce on signing day at 3 o'clock. That's a problem. If he announces early in the morning, you can set things up. We had to wait until 3 o'clock today. Every program deals with that. When I was at Utah, it was maybe not the same level of player, but you could have this one but you want to chase this guy when you might lose him. It's a juggling act. That's why teams I think don't fill up all the time."

How big is it that two of the quarterbacks will be here in the spring?

"Last spring we had this discussion because we knew officially after Chris (Leak) threw his last pass that we were down to one scholarship quarterback, and that quarterback likes to run and he was going to take shots and so we were going to have a problem. We knew for a fact I've never gone through spring practice with one quarterback, so how do we manage that? We said we were going to go out and sign a junior college guy, a guy that fits our system. We actually sent Dan out there to watch him practice in the spring. Bryan Waggener came in, he's here, he's practicing, he was at mat drills this morning. And then Cam Newton came and just stole the show at Friday Night Lights. We had him kind of middle of the road, and after Friday Night Lights his stock elevated to we thought one of the best in the country. And then we went after John. When he committed to Texas, we kind of backed off but just stayed low profile for a while, and he came. To have those two guys here for spring (is huge). I'm not sure how you function through a spring practice without blowing a guy's arm out. Our plan is to redshirt one of those quarterbacks, maybe two of them. This spring's going to be critical for Bryan and Cam Newton."

How about cornerback, and are you maybe going to move some guys to that position?

"That's a problem. We want to carry 10 on scholarship, and I believe we're at six after signing day. There is some personnel on our team we'll evaluate, some really fast guys who are athletic and certainly ultimately I hope they say whatever for the team, but you have to treat them the right way. If somebody wants to take a shot at corner and can get on the field, we'd love that to happen. What you find in high school, if you're a great player, you're coach is not going to stick you at corner. He's going to make you a quarterback or a running back and give you the ball. To stick your best player way out there and sometimes teams throw maybe eight passes a game, that's not just unique for Florida, that's everywhere. A lot of your great corners are former quarterbacks, former running backs, former receivers."

Going back to the quarterbacks, with a lot of these guys used to playing, how do you talk to them and make sure they stay mentally OK when they're not playing?

"At the Floridas of the world that's a major, major issue. We dealt with that with a couple of our 06 class. They were the greatest players in the world and come in find out they just have to compete. And then one of their teammates starts getting all of the publicity. Maybe it didn't hit the media, but the middle of the season this year that was a major problem. Some of the 06 class was the SEC Freshman of the Week and some aren't and their parents are wondering why. But they're all good kids and they figured it out. Jarred Fayson is a perfect example. He struggled a little bit, and then he got his hand on that punt against Arkansas and he's been a different person because now he understands he made the impact play to help us win the game. It just takes time and it takes a lot of coaching and a lot of chemistry between the team to understand you might not win the Heisman this year. Maybe next year, the year after, and because of the expectation levels of the dotcoms and the families, it's unbelievable. It takes a minute to develop at Florida."

Connecticut isn't really known as a recruiting hotbed, so what does Aaron Hernandez bring to the table? And have you decided on any position changes for the spring?

"Aaron Hernandez brings that Cornelius Ingram-type player to us, we're hoping, and so far we haven't been disappointed. He's on campus as well and went through a workout today. If you can't run, there's really no place for you here, and he can run. Everybody is looking for that 245-pound guy who can block you and also can run away from a linebacker. Cornelius Ingram can't block you yet – we're working on that – but he can certainly run away. Tate Casey's got to improve a little bit at both, and Aaron Hernandez we're hoping is that 4.55, 4.6 guy that can still block you and handle you and run away.

"Position changes we haven't had time to even think about yet. We've thought about it, but we haven't made any final decisions."

Was this kind of an uneventful day where you didn't have to worry about surprises and stuff like that?

"No, it was a mess. Until you get that signature, it's awful. This is the worst day as coach. Everybody says game day, but you have a little bit of control over game day. You call plays. You have no control over what's going on in that high school or in that living room somewhere where those third uncles are helping guys make decisions. It's a bad day."

Do you have someone camped out at the fax machine on signing day?

"Yeah, me. I stand by there. There's a board right next to it, and no one's allowed to write on that board in that staff room. That's my board. Bob LaCivita says, 'I got one,' He'll scream it out, and I'll write the name up there. You said uneventful? What is wrong with you (smiling)? Next year I might invite someone up there to sit and watch the chaos that goes on on signing day. Deonte was wild. We've had some change of hearts down in south Florida."

How new is the ring (Meyer is wearing on his finger), and did that help in any living rooms?

"We just got that. It's the SEC ring. I wanted to try it out, and it looks pretty good. I tried to get that as soon as we could, but I wasn't able to get it in any living rooms because I got it just a few days ago. We'll get (the national championship rings) in about three weeks."

Looking at this class on paper, how do you feel about it?

"When I look at this class, the defensive line is decimated by losing good players. We signed four defensive ends, and a lot of times you can't sign four because they X each other out. If you're a great defensive end, why go play with another great defensive end? We have four guys we love – Carlos Dunlap, Duke Lemmens, Justin Trattou and Jay Howard. Those are four guys that (co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach) Greg Mattison pinpointed and got. They may not get the Chris Rainey attention and Johnny Brantley and that kind of stuff or Deonte, but we obviously won the national championship because our two defensive ends played their tails off in that game. What I like about this class is it has great balance. Once again, our goal is to get every young man qualified. We were 26 for 26 last year. There are a couple guys that have a lot of work to do in the classroom. We're going to assist and monitor it very close like our assistant coaches do."

Are there any players no longer on the roster we don't know about?

"Darryl Gresham and Jon Demps are not with the team at this point."

It seems like you're always trying to find a 1,000-yard rusher. Can you talk about the two guys you got?

"We're hoping Kestahn (Moore) turns into that guy. We have Mon Williams. We have Brandon James. We have some talented guys there. We have Markus Manson. Chris Rainey is going to do a lot of stuff for us. He will play next year. I can't see him not playing because he gives us a little bit of that Percy Harvin dynamic to our offense. Talking to coaches who defended us this year, and Percy only played about half the year because of injuries, if you've got a couple guys like that, it's a hard offense to stop. The negative of Bo Williams is he's not going to make it through spring practice now. He just had shoulder surgery. He's out for about four months. There was significant damage done. He'll be fine for the fall, but we wanted him for spring practice. I think Chris Rainey will play. Bo Williams, I don't know. I have to find out, but Chris Rainey gives you that dynamic on the outside. He might play receiver. We do it with Percy quite often and Bubba (Caldwell). You need as many bodies as you can doing that, especially with a quarterback like Tim. You'll see a little bit more of the spread offense than you did in the past because Tim's more of that kind of player, and the faster the guys you get on the outside, it's hard to defend."

In your experience, was there more switching of commitments this year than usual or was there just more attention? How do you explain the whole process?

"Yeah, it's awful, but how do you defend that – all of a sudden teams are changing style of defenses, coaches are changing, Florida wins a national championship or we sign another guy and this guy decides to go somewhere else. It's always been there. Maybe it gets more publicity now because when one of the top guys in the country does it, that's major news. But it's always been there."

How integral is having these facility upgrades towards making this the program that everyone wants to come to, and also having guys like Percy and Tim show incoming freshmen you'll get a chance a play right away?

"Reality sets in in recruiting. The reality is when you come and spend two-and-a-half hours in academic meetings, the parents love it and the kids, that's why they're kids. When they come they want to see the facility. When they see somewhere else that is much nicer than what you have, they want to know why, so we try to shine it up. There are pictures out there all over about that. I was trying to get Jeremy to just get that crane and park it right there during recruiting. Bo Schembechler, a true story, when he was at Miami of Ohio, every year he would bring in two bulldozers and park it in a grass field next to Miami's facility. They were not building a facility there, but he just parked the two bulldozers and talked about how they were going to enhance their facilities. That's a major influence on signees.

"I'd have to say other than assistant coaches, the number one thing is the players. Our players on Friday night they come in and meet everybody, check into their hotel and then head out to see what campus life is all about. All it takes is you can test a kid thousands of times, you can talk to them on the phone and go visit them, but all one player has to say is I don't like it here, and that kid's gone. I mean gone. That's happened, oh, these coaches aren't giving me a chance to play because I should be winning my Heisman now and it didn't happen. Those are the two major influences. Facilities certainly help, and our players did a great job. Tebow and Harvin and some of those guys did a phenomenal job recruiting for us. Jarred Fayson did a great job.

Would you talk about the nine kids that already are in school and what kind of impact they are going to have on future recruiting classes. Is this going to be something you're looking to do more of in the future?

"Well first, today we had mat drills. They started at 6 a.m. sharp, and one thing we love about the Pounceys (freshman offensive linemen James and LaShawn Pouncey) is they tell you exactly what they're thinking. They said that was one of the hardest things they've ever done in their lives. Their legs were still wobbling. How they adapt, we'll find out how they do the next mat drill. I love the guys that are here. Every kid that's come early has had over a 3.0 (GPA). I'm going to do a study. I haven't had time because I've been busy, but I'm going to do a study of since we've been here, starting with Ronnie Wilson and Eddie Haupt, the two early signees, how they've done as far as academics, and so far I want to say they've been tremendous.

"Spring's not stress. Spring's a great time to be a college student. Fall is hard as a football player. Your day's gone. You're getting into your dorm room after study hall and training table at 9 or 10 o'clock at night. In the spring it's not that time demand, so they get acclimated to college life in the spring and hit the fall running. It's a tremendous advantage. We took nine this year. Four years ago I don't think there were any. I could see that going from 9 to 10 to 12 every year. Kids are already talking about that. We're already starting recruiting juniors, and they are already getting their things in order to graduate early.'

What's your feeling about Rivals.com ranking you No. 1 in recruiting and Scout No. 2 or whatever?

"College football is the greatest sport going, so I don't want to criticize dotcom because I read it, too. I go to Rivals and Scout and want to see where everybody's going, and it's great for college football. It's harder on the kids. Everything is publicized now. Someone was telling me about the amount of people that hit those sites, especially in the south. It's unbelievable. I'm not opposed to that, but it makes it harder when they get here because here's an 18-year old who's been told he's the five-star greatest and some three-star's moved ahead of him because the three-star is actually better, but some recruiting analyst who never really watched tape said he's a five-star. That's the only negative."

This is your third recruiting class, so you're getting your guys in. How much more comfortable are you having your own guys?

"I'm more comfortable just in the system and how to do things. I'm not worried about whose guys they are. I just hope they are great players and good people. We put more emphasis on character and good people than anyone in the country, bar none. Our coaches are directed (to emphasize character), and they do a great job. They are all fathers – they want good people in this program. That's the biggest difference. I don't want to have be dealing with all these issues, and I want good people that want to play football at Florida. But my guys, I don't even think of it that way."

You got Jerimy Finch, and he kind of came out of nowhere. What's his story?

"Great story. I'll share this with you real quick. I'm sitting there after watching Reggie Nelson play and sitting there paging through the top 100 as I do because I'm a dotcom guy now, so I'm going through the top 100 and I notice No. 30 is a pretty good safety. So I want to see where he's going, and I knew (Finch's high school) Warren Central from my days at Notre Dame because it's two hours south, so I called them up, called the coach I knew, and he said, 'Coach, you won't believe this. We just got done talking about Florida. He played in the Orlando all-star game, and the kid loves Florida. He wondered why you guys weren't recruiting him.' We don't recruit Indiana. I said send me a tape and can I talk to him? Within five minutes they called me back and I'm on the phone with him. I found out who was recruiting him and said come on and visit without watching one speck of tape on him. He's a great kid, a good-looking safety, and then we got his tape and that just solidified it. And then (University of Miami assistant coach) Donnie Soldinger, from Miami, he's a friend of mine and he coached the Orlando All-Star Game and had him for four or five days. We got on the phone, and he said he's not a good player, he's a great player. So we offered him, and he decided to come without (Meyer) making a home visit. I did not go to Indiana one time. That's unbelievable."

What areas in this class did you address well and what was an area that you didn't get what you wanted?

"I'd say quarterback and defensive line off the top are outstanding. We have three premier offensive linemen. When James Wilson switched over (from a commitment to USC), we basically got the No. 1 offensive lineman on film in the country, and then the Pouncey twins are already here, and they're going to help us immediately. The area in which we suffered a bit was corner. I'm not sure we answered the complete needs at corner. We're still very short there, but our safety position, if you notice, those safeties (in the signing class) are big. Earl Everett was a safety coming out, so I could see one of those guys stepping in. Maybe Finch could play linebacker. One of those guys could come down and be a box player. I'd say corner is our biggest area that maybe we didn't get.
 
by the way, a friend of mine sent out all the stats on these guys, and you know we had everyone with sub 4.8 speed!!!! except the Pouncy twins who are huge o-linemen who will probably start next season (they are already on campus)
 
did anybody see what DVD said about the gators during his press conference?? I have only heard he had a bunch of negative things to say!
 
In Gainesville, Fla., they say you're either a Gator or Gator bait. That is true this recruiting season.

The Florida Gators have been crowned by Rivals.com as the recruiting national champions for the class of 2007. The Gators finished with an amazing run after their national championship on the field. Coach Urban Meyer and his staff landed four five-star players and 15 four-star recruits.

As of 7 p.m. EST, the Gators were sitting with 2,959 points - just ahead of USC, Tennessee, LSU and Texas. The rest of the Rivals.com top 10 is South Carolina at No. 6, Auburn at No. 7, Notre Dame at No. 8, Georgia at No. 9 and Alabama at No. 10.

Elite recruiting classes are nothing new for the Gators. The 2003 class and the 2006 recruiting class finished at No. 2 in the Rivals.com team rankings. Since Rivals.com has been covering recruiting, the Gators have never finished outside of the top 20.
 
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