Few would have thought on New Year's night that January would have turned out like this.
A Big Ten team had just humiliated UF in its home state, halting the momentum gained from a glorious 2007 filled with championship trophies, first-round draft picks and Tim Tebow mania.
But thanks to an against-all-odds month of rabid recruiting, Urban Meyer and his depleted staff begin February with grins similar to those they wore at this time last year.
National Signing Day will be a memorable one for The Gator Nation for the third year in a row.
UF has 22 commitments from the cream of the crop nationally, and Rivals.com and ESPN Scouts Inc. rate it as the best class in the country heading into signing day on Wednesday.
Scout.com slots UF farther down at No. 7 - I'm still scratching my head over that one.
What Urban Meyer and his remaining staff have accomplished since the Capital One Bowl disaster can be summed up simply.
It's amazing.
Usually, teams slip up in recruiting when they lose bowl games, especially ones in their home states with prospects watching intently.
But UF stayed resolute after the ball dropped and brought in nine commits, including five-star linemen, a trio of four-star linebackers and the lone running back commit of the class.
Meanwhile, two of UF's top recruiters bolted for other schools.
Ex-safeties coach John "Doc" Holliday was UF's recruiting coordinator and kept tabs in South Florida, where four- and five-star guys grow on trees.
Running backs coach Stan Drayton, who left amid controversy in a lateral move to rival Tennessee, was also known as a fine recruiter.
But the Gators moved on without them.
Offensive tackle Matt Patchan was the first rebound recruit, a 6-foot-7 early enrollee who committed on Jan. 5.
Then came the Patchan disciples, those who followed the man with the untameable hair.
Shifty running back Jeff Demps, of the Chris Rainey variety, joined the movement four days later.
Then a pair of high school teammates, linebacker T.J. Pridemore and defensive tackle Omar Hunter, nixed commitments to other schools and gave UF their word.
Suddenly, a light class had packed on some substantial weight in a matter of days.
"Everybody else got off to a big start," Scout.com recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg said. "(UF) didn't, and they could have gotten worried. Then they got it all done basically mid-to-late football season through January. They did a nice job."
Surely, some assistants deserve a little more praise than an "atta boy" and a pat on the butt for picking up the slack.
UF is waiting on one more prospect to put a bow on this class - Lakeland Kathleen High wide receiver T.J. Lawrence, who will announce on ESPN on Wednesday.
Many surprises will come on signing day, as always, sliding schools up and down the team rankings, which will all be rendered meaningless in a few months.
UF might not finish No. 1.
But the feeling of falling behind Notre Dame or Alabama on Wednesday won't be nearly as sickening as that loss to Michigan, that's for sure.
