Dan Mullen certainly left his mark on the Gators’ 2022 chances ($$).
How the Gators recruited from 2019 to 2022
Mullen lacked the relationship-building gene necessary to engage elite prospects and wasn’t willing to invest effort in revamping his recruiting infrastructure. The result? A string of lukewarm classes that failed to keep pace in the high-rolling SEC. When Georgia dominated Florida 34-7 last October and Smart chose to emphasize the energy he pours into recruiting, the timing was in no way coincidental.
Florida had only a 12 percent hit rate on signing the top 10 in-state players across the past four years. That became a sore spot as Georgia (22 percent) and Alabama (20 percent) were pulling talent.
Florida still posted the nation’s 10th-best average class ranking over those four years, according to the 247Sports Composite. But with Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and LSU generating the top four averages, the talent gap widened.
The talent gap widened? Inconceivable!
This is a fair assessment:
This is one of those seasons when a lower bar for success is warranted — getting revenge on Kentucky, South Carolina and Missouri would be nice, for starters. Upset Utah in a sweltering opener or beat Tennessee for a sixth consecutive year and there’s a path to a nine-win regular season.
Although Florida embarking on a revenge tour against the likes of South Carolina will never not be funny. Go Gata!
The path to a nine win regular season schedule is pretty much littered with pits filled with punji sticks for a team lacking top-end talent and depth starting over on offense and defense. Sure, the schedule is pretty kind to them with only four true road games (Vandy, FSU, A&M and UT). Georgia and A&M should both be losses. I find it hard to believe that this team in Napier’s first season with the players largely recruited by Mullen can manage to get through a more talented and probably better coached LSU (even at home), a more talented Utah (even at home), UT, UK (even at home), USCe (even at home), Mizzou (even at home), and FSU without more than one loss.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Really? They go to A&M? This is their second trip there already?
LikeLike
Oh, no, I’m sorry, this is Florida’s third trip to College Station since 2012 and their fourth game against the Aggies.
I don’t want to complain, but we have yet to visit College Station and we’ve played A&M once. I get that 2020 was odd, but seriously WTF?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah. It’s weird. They go to College Station the week after Jacksonville.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s going to be a rough season in Hogtown…and I will be glad for it.
FTMFs
LikeLiked by 7 people
It’s not the rough season that you speak of that brings joy to mine “BullDawg soul”, it’s that they’ll suck (Big Time) in the process…#FTMF
LikeLike
FT Sorry Ass MFs
LikeLiked by 3 people
My fuckn Dawg!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You know how much I love making fun of the ‘turds, but I can’t comment on a lame “revenge tour” because our very own 2017 revenge tour included VANDY and the NATS, so… you know… 2016 was especially horrible even for a first season.
LikeLike
The goal is to never need revenge tours, and Smart’s accomplished that.
LikeLike
I mostly agree, however that was not the case in 2017, in which everyone here and everywhere else including the team itself embraced the idea.
LikeLike
“…embarking on a revenge tour against the likes of South Carolina…”
Been there, done that; much less fun than the current hijinks, for sure.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“…there’s a path to a nine-win regular season.”
Man, ‘a path?’. No, not a path to a natty, not a path to an SEC championship, not even a path to an SEC Division championship. This is a path created by a Gator beat writer being optimistic at the beginning of talking season. My how the Gator optimism has fallen. Bwahahahahah!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s fuqqing MAY!!
That path looks like I-75 now.
Come late August early September, that path is gonna look like a mule trail!!
FTMFs!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
F### those dog bitin’ buzzards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LikeLike