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Friday, March 29, 2024
Mullen
Mullen

Coach Dan Mullen has preached to his team and the Florida faithful about living up to the Gator Standard since he set foot in Gainesville.

On the field, the Gator Standard means a national championship.

Mullen and Co. have come a game or two away from earning the opportunity to compete for one the past two seasons.

To take the next step, Florida has to recruit better and close the talent gap between it and the teams that stand in its way.

Mullen has recruited at a solid level since taking over in 2018, finishing with a top-15 class all three years. But, the competition that he has to beat in order to reach his goal is recruiting at an elite level.

Some of those teams include Georgia, Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs are the primary culprit for why Florida has failed to reach Atlanta, knocking off UF the last two years in Jacksonville.

Shrinking the talent gap between the two programs is critical for Mullen to have Florida competing for national championships on a consistent basis.

In the college football world, the Bulldogs are considered a recruiting juggernaut.

Since Mullen’s arrival, UGA has boasted the top class two out of the three years. The year where it didn’t claim the best class it settled for second best in 2019, according to 247 Sports.

It is important Florida closes the talent gap because it plays Georgia annually. And their showdown in Jacksonville has determined who represents the SEC East in Atlanta the past two years.

Then, if the Gators knock off the Bulldogs, they would likely face LSU, Alabama, or Auburn in the SEC Championship game.

All three teams are recruiting at a higher level than the orange and blue.

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Mullen’s best finish was ninth twice in 2019 and 2020.

However, all of his classes have suffered notable attrition, following the conclusion of National Signing Day in February.

Four-star cornerback Chris Steele, from California, was Florida’s highest-ranked recruit in the 2019 class. He failed to play a down for Florida because he transferred to USC after the conclusion of spring practice

Next, in 2019, four-star linebacker Diwun Black and four-star offensive guard Deyavie Hammond failed to make it on campus because they didn’t academically qualify.

Recently, Mullen learned on Monday that four-star offensive tackle Issiah Walker Jr., who is a part of UF’s 2020 class, is transferring.

Finally, in his first class, four-star athlete Justin Watkins left the program before his freshman season due to off-the-field issues.

Mullen can still develop his team into a contender for the national championship, but that will be challenging until he can recruit top-five classes on an annual basis.

Follow Zachary on Twitter @zacharyahuber and contact him at zhuber@alligtor.org

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