Urban Meyer cruised across Dwyer's Palm Beach Gardens' campus last Friday afternoon in the passenger seat of a golf cart driven by Dwyer coach Jack Daniels, with Florida wide receivers coach Zach Azzani hanging on the back.
As players milled around outside the gymnasium, preparing for an away game that night, the cart slowed. Meyer saw Dwyer junior defensive tackle Patrick Miller, a 6-foot-6, 260-pounder expected to be one of next year's top recruits, and, with a sunny smile, bumped fists with the player.
Moments like those no doubt leave an impression in the minds of top recruits. But the Gators are 4-3 and on a three-game losing streak, out of the national title hunt, and not in the Top 25 for the first time in the Meyer Era. Despite that, recruiting analysts and top area recruits say Florida shouldn't fall too far in the recruiting race.
Coming off consecutive SEC championships, the Gators signed the top recruiting class in the country last year, according to ESPN, Rivals.com and Scout.com. They did so despite concerns over Urban Meyer's health and his future in Gainesville.
This year, those three outlets have Florida's current stock of 18 commits ranked between No. 7 and 10 nationally. The Gators are behind Florida State, LSU and Alabama in all three rankings.
"It is going to affect us ... but we going to get back on track and have this program looking good again," Gators center Mike Pouncey said of recruiting.
With the Gators off last week, and preparing for Georgia Saturday, Florida coaches visited schools. And the time is ripe to secure commitments, as players who plan to enroll in time for spring practices likely need to decide on a school no later than mid-December.
As part of their trips, Florida coaches tried to mitigate some potential bad feelings about the losing streak. But ESPN college football recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg said he doesn't think Florida will suffer much from an off-year.
"While they have struggled, especially on offense, I am sure Meyer and his staff will use that as a selling point to kids for early opportunity for playing time," Newberg said. "This is still Florida and a down year shouldn't hurt too much."
"Sure, a team's record matters, but it depends on what team you are talking about. In Florida's case, the bar is set high, so a 3-, 4- or 5-loss team and people want to know what the heck is wrong. It's just one of those years in Gainesville and I don't see it affecting UF recruiting that much. They should still have a good class and fill needs," Newberg said.
Dwyer senior defensive end Curt Maggitt and teammates Miller and senior tight end Nick O'Leary briefly spoke with Meyer last Friday afternoon. Maggitt said Florida's underwhelming start hasn't steered him away.
"I know they have good coaches," said Maggitt, who has scholarship offers from Florida, Alabama, LSU and several other BCS heavyweights. "I think they're having trouble finding chemistry. There's a lot of things different and new there. I think they just have to come together and I think they will eventually."
Of Rivals.com's top 100 prospects, 37 remain uncommitted. Florida is in contention for St. Augustine linebacker Tony Steward (No. 2), receiver George Farmer (No. 6) and linebacker Curtis Grant (No. 9).
Last week, UF added Bradenton running back Mike Blakely and Venice defensive end Clay Burton, younger brother of Trey, to their recruiting class.
Many recruits list playing time, comfort with coaches and campuses, and belief in the program's ability to make them NFL-ready as their top reasons for signing with a particular school.
Florida defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said while every teams go through ups and downs, the big picture is what's important.
"Where is the program at? Is it solid? Are you going to get what you need out of the program? Is it the right fit for you?"
"[Florida recruiting is] probably not as hot as it was a few weeks ago, but in another two weeks it could be great again. That's just how it is. It's a long-term thing. I think, really, it will even itself out here toward the end."
Like many high-profile recruits, Glades Central wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who has scholarship offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, looks at the Gators' losing streak from a different perspective.
"If I was on Florida right now, I don't think they'd be 4-3," he said.
