In the past decade, the state of Florida has produced the most high school football talent. Granted, reputed private academies such as the IMG Academy reside in Florida, but South Florida is generally littered with the best of prospects. Unfortunately, college football powerhouses such as Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M have taken Florida’s talent in recent years. Now, both Florida and Miami have new head coaches, and they will have to battle it out with the top schools to keep recruits in the state. Here’s more on the state of Florida recruiting.
What can Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier do?
Obviously, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide have been the primary season for Florida losing its best recruits. However, Kirby Smart of Georgia has recently taken a similar approach, and he and his staff have been able to get the top talent from Florida.
Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier were both on Saban’s staff in 2015. As head coaches, they have proven themselves to be among the best recruiters, but they will need to be on the recruiting trail more than Manny Diaz and Dan Mullen.
For Florida schools to get back in the national championship conversation, they need to level the playing field with the likes of Alabama and Georgia. Cristobal has already shown that by getting tight end Jaleel Skinner; Florida needs to show improvement by getting more than one recruit from the state of Florida’s top 25.
What Happens to UCF and Florida State?
Mike Norvell and Florida State made a good run for Travis Hunter, but they lost sight at the plethora of talent in Florida. It’s important to remember that one recruit is never more important than a team’s needs. Norvell and his staff must now assess where they need to improve on both sides of the ball and recruit those players. The Seminoles are close to making a run for the ACC Championship.
Gus Malzahn did a decent jobs with the UCF Knights in his first year, but it will be hard to recruit in Florida without being in a Power-5 conference. Malzahn has proven that he can uptake the toughest of challenges in the SEC, but he’s no longer at a school like Auburn that supplies abundant resources. The Knights will have to find a way to make it work with NIL.
Concluding Thoughts
Just over a decade ago, the Florida Gators looked invincible with special talent such as Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Aaron Hernandez, Mike Pouncey, Maurkice Pouncey, etc. All of that success came from Urban Meyer recruiting and locking down the state of Florida, which will need to happen for Florida teams to reach the playoff. If Cristobal, Napier, Norvell, and Malzahn can put more of their attention towards the recruiting trail, their squads will be in the limelight soon.