re: VolNation and GatorSwamp - SEC East talk

quote:

---

Florida’s class this year is very similar to recent Clemson classes, and they’ve put a significantly better product on the field than Georgia has.

---

It isn’t similar to the two best parts of Clemson’s team (QB and DL).

Florida is still 1 more class away from catching UGA iyam. Florida will likely have a top 5 class in 2020, so I do think the gap is closing. I also think Mullen is the better coach between he and Kirby. We will see the next few years though.

quote:

---

2019 should be the most talented UGA team of the modern era by a good bit.

---

Good. No bullshite, when UF beats UGa in Jax, you will have nowhere else to look then squarely at Kirby. All those stars still have to throw on uni’s and go play. UF has beaten more talented Georgia teams before.

UGA may have more raw talent. However, UF is closing on UGA. The year before UF was 4 -7 and UGA was 13- 2. This year UF was 10 -3 and UGA was 11 -3. UGA won the head to head matchup. Close game in the 3rd but UGA closed out strong.

This was year one in Mullen's system and year three in Kirby's. The gap is closing.

If you want to take recruiting websites as fact ask Auburn fans about Bryan Cowart

Byron Cowart 48th All time highest recruit

Clemson has averaged the #11 recruiting class the last 4 years, per 247.

They must have a long way to go to catch up with the mighty pups.

quote:

---

Clemson has averaged the #11 recruiting class the last 4 years, per 247.

They must have a long way to go to catch up with the mighty pups.

---

You’re taking everything I say as an absolute. Obviously that’s not always the case or teams like Boise St wouldn’t exist and Texas would win the Big 12 every year.

But generally speaking, teams that recruit at an elite level put out elite teams. I’m hopeful that’s the case for us going forward.

quote:

---

Only to you mutts who act like y’all are Bama because you’ve competed for a couple of mythical recruiting championships. As if all Saban does to win is recruit good players. There is way more to it my guy.

---

Obviously. We’re not Bama. We haven’t won a National Championship in almost 40 years. I know there’s more to it than just recruiting good players. But it is one of the most important pieces to winning a NC.

I don’t understand what this has to do with our performances against y’all the last two years.

This comes from an informed gator:

Now for some things that concern me:

• For the 4th consecutive recruiting cycle, UF failed to land a 5-star prospect - 28 teams have now signed a 5-star since UF last did in 2015. The only other SEC teams without one during the period are Vanderbilt, UK, and Mizzou. Given that UF’s 5-stars have gone on to AP All-SEC success at a rate of 65%, that’s a real problem. As of 2:24 pm on signing day, SEC teams ranked above UF have signed 13 of them (Alabama 3, Georgia 5, TAMU 2, LSU 3), Tennessee is awaiting word on their 2nd this afternoon, and Auburn has 2 as well. Both Mississippi schools landed one, while even South Carolina conned one of the poor souls into joining their fray. With half of a 4-year roster-building cycle now complete under Coach Mullen, this is a failure that can’t be effectively spun.

• Little to no improvement in the number of top-100s on the roster – UF’s 4 national top-100 prospects (Elam, Bogle, Hopper, & Steele) look like future stars, but this class needed more of them. The total of 4 is 11th best in UF history & tied for last with Mac’s 2016 effort among UF bump-cycle classes. Consider that UF’s 4-year cumulative total of top-100 prospects signed currently sits at 9, the exact same number that preceded the 2018 season. That means that the 2019 class didn’t provide any year over year improvement in this important category. Also consider:

1) Pre-McElwain UF teams signed, on average, 23.2 top-100 prospects in the 4 classes prior to each season.

2) SEC champions since 2005 have signed on average, 28.5 top-100s in their 4 classes preceding title runs. Even when omitting teams from 2011 to present (which removes Alabama’s massive recruiting run), the average still sits at 22.4.

So, with only 9 in the past 4 cycles, UF is nowhere near the historical SEC Championship template for top-end talent. With Alabama, Georgia, and now Texas A&M loading up (and not even counting LSU, who continues to outpace UF in signing elite prospects), the top-end-talent gap appears just as big today as it did on signing day 2018. That’s bad.

• UF is still struggling to land top in-state talent – Even with Diwun Black included, and even with adjustments made for OOS IMG Academy prospects, UF only signed 4 of Florida’s top-25 2019 prospects. That matches the total signed in 3 of the last 4 cycles, and ties with 2 other years (2002 Zook transition and 2011 Muschamp transition) for 11th best at UF in composite history. Discounting Black and putting the total at 3 for 2019 would tie for worst in UF class history. Things are much more average when instead viewing the in-state top-40 however, as UF’s total of 8 ranks 10th over the past 18 cycles. Also, in fairness, some have noted an unfavorable geographic talent distribution that may have been a disadvantage in the state for UF this year.

• UF didn’t make an upward move in the SEC rankings – With acknowledgement of the score cluster that exists among teams 6-10, UF once again finds itself in the middle of the conference recruiting pack. After averaging an SEC class rankings of 2.7 in the years prior to Jim McElwain, the Gators’ last 5 classes have ranked 10, 6, 5, 4, and 5 in the conference. That’s not good. No team has made the playoffs without at least 1 top-3 in-conference class ranking, and in most cases, playoff teams are dominant in-conference recruiters.

You say "informed," I say needlessly negative.

The main takeaway from those stats is that McElwain was a really bad recruiter.