When Meyer announced he was leaving Florida because of health concerns Dec. 26, it sent shockwaves through college football and into the living rooms of a number of the nation's top recruits. The Gators already had assembled one of the nation's best recruiting classes, but many prospects feared what a future without Meyer would bring in Gainesville.
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| Urban Meyer hasn't taken a break from recruiting in 2010. |
Meyer is known for pouring his heart and soul into the relationships with his players and recruits. Consequently, he quickly changed his mind and decided he would not retire. Instead, Meyer said he would take a short leave of absence - which hasn't happened yet.
Meyer's change of heart reassured recruits enough to catapult the Gators to the Rivals.com recruiting national championship. This is the second time Florida has had the best class in the nation, both occasions coming with Meyer leading the Gators.
While Florida's 2010 class didn't pass the 2006 USC class that featured stars Taylor Mays, Stanley Havili and five five-star recruits overall, the Gators signed the second-best class in Rivals.com history. With 2,938 points, the class fell 59 points short of USC's total in 2006. Florida did beat its 2007 class, which finished with 2,959 and featured players such as Joe Haden, Carlos Dunlap, Maurkice Pouncey and Michael Pouncey.
The Gators finished just ahead of USC, Texas, Auburn and Alabama. The rest of the top 10: LSU at No. 6, Oklahoma at No. 7, UCLA at No. 8, Tennessee at No. 9 and Florida State at No. 10. There are several uncommitted players who could cause some shifts in the top 10, but nobody has enough left on the board to knock the Gators from the top.
Florida already was in position to have the nation's top class before Meyer's situation developed. The Gators had the No. 3 class after early commitments from Rivals100 prospects Gerald Christian, Jaylen Watkins, Leon Orr and Ian Silberman - all before April 20, 2009.
"When I got here, I spent time with my position coach, Coach Meyer and Coach (Steve) Addazio, and I said that was it," Watkins, the nation's fourth-best corner, said about his commitment to Florida last spring. "It felt like home here. They have great academics. I could get a good education while I become the best athlete I can be. I love the coaches."
Throw in additional pledges from Rivals250 stars Jordan Haden and Jonathan Dowling, and the foundation for an elite class was set.
| THE TOP 10 |
| The nation's top 10 recruiting classes for 2010: |
| 1. Florida |
| 2. USC |
| 3. Texas |
| 4. Auburn |
| 5. Alabama |
| 6. LSU |
| 7. Oklahoma |
| 8. UCLA |
| 9. Tennessee |
| 10. Florida State |
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Then, something special happened Jan. 9. On that day, the Gators landed three-five star commitments on national TVat the U.S Army All-American Bowl.
It started with five-star safety Matt Elam.
Elam originally pledged to the Gators early, then dumped his commitment to Florida on New Year's Eve for Florida State. That FSU pledge was short-lived, and Elam announced his final decision for UF at the Army Bowl.
"I'm happy it's over," Elam said at the time. "I made a commitment my junior year. I committed to Florida and Urban Meyer. I'm going to put my faith and trust in him, and hopefully he stays."
Later in the game, the Gators landed five-star defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and the nation's No. 1 player - Ronald Powell. Floyd, the No. 4 player and top defensive tackle, picked UF over Ohio State and a host of others. Powell, a defensive end, selected Florida over USC.
Floyd and Powell said Meyer's personal relationship with them weighed heavily in their decisions.
"Urban Meyer has been nothing but loyal to me," Powell said when he committed. "The fan support, the city, the players, everything is great. The class coming in with Sharrif Floyd and Matt Elam, we're going to do this thing. We're going to win a title. We're going to come in as freshmen, play as true freshmen and get a chance at that SEC championship. After we win that, you know where we're going."
Big movers on Signing Day
L.A. was ground zero for the day's biggest movers, as USC and UCLA pushed their way into the top 10 in the team recruiting rankings.
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| Seantrel Henderson's commitment pushed USC to No. 2. |
The Trojans did it by landing five-star Markeith Ambles, four-star Glen Stanley, four-star Christian Thomas, four-star Giovanni Di Poaloand four-star Nickell Robey early in the day. Then came the news that the nation's No. 2 player, five-star offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, would be heading to Los Angeles as well.
A majority of the prospects USC landed can point toward a strong bond that was built when Lane Kiffin was coach at Tennessee.
"We were tight even when he wasn't going to be at Tennessee, and I was still committed," Ambles said about Kiffin. "Like I said before, we have a different kind of relationship. I was kind of mad the way he left (Tennessee), but it all worked out. I feel like this is a great staff at a great school. I love L.A., so everything just fit."
UCLA's move up the charts was highlighted by the addition of five-star defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa. He picked the Bruins over Nebraska, Oregon State and a host of other national programs. Throw in National Signing Day decisions from four-stars Anthony Jefferson, Jordan Zumwalt, Dietrich Riley and Josh Shirley, and it was a day that people in Westwood will remember for a long time.
"I really think UCLA has what it takes to turn the program around, and I'm looking forward to being a part of it," Jefferson said. "I like Coach [Rick] Neuheisel a lot, and he was the one personally recruiting me throughout the entire process. I love this recruiting class, and I'm really proud to be a part of it. We're building something special, and today was a day that we'll talk about years later as the first big step for us."
Rebels Surge
Last year, Ole Miss was in a similar position - outside of the top 25 but in great position to land quality kids down the stretch. And again on this National Signing Day, the Rebs scored commitment after commitment and burst into the top 25.
Ole Miss landed Will Denny, Cordell Giles, Tony Grimes, Delvin Jones, Quadarias Miles, Vincent Sanders, Cedric Smith and Ralph Williams all in the final 24 hours, helping push the Rebels to the No. 17 spot.
A big reason for the push? Ole Miss assistant Chris Vaughn cleaned up on recruiting's final day.