GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The official letters-of-intent
from running back Matt Jones and defensive lineman JaFar Mann had arrived a few
minutes earlier in Florida’s football offices Wednesday afternoon. They were
the last two to check off the list – at least for now – giving Florida head
coach Will Muschamp a chance for a quick breather on the leather sofa in his
office.
A year ago National Signing Day came and went in a blur for
Muschamp, who had about a month after he took over the program to finalize his
first Florida recruiting class. The process went much smoother the second time
around.
As Muschamp reviewed a sheet of paper listing the 17 players
the Gators signed on Wednesday and the six early enrollees that count toward
the 2011 class, he sounded confident that the Gators took a big step toward
being more competitive in the SEC than a year ago.
“I’m really pleased with what we were able to do and adding
the players that we added to our program,’’ Muschamp said. “More than anything,
we needed to address our line of scrimmage, and we signed 14 big-skill and
mid-skill guys as far as offensive/defensive linemen, tight ends and
linebackers.
“That was the biggest need that we needed going into this
class. This is a physical league and we needed to improve our physicality and
our size and our athleticism, and we’ve certainly done that.”
In Muschamp’s first season, the Gators started 4-0 before
running into the heart of their SEC schedule. A four-game losing streak started
with losses to Alabama and LSU, programs that featured rosters much bigger and
stronger than the one Muschamp inherited.
With the addition of players such as 6-foot-3, 263-pound
defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard, 6-3, 261-pound linebacker Dante Fowler,
6-6, 270-pound defensive lineman Dante Phillips and Mann, who is listed at 6-3,
293 pounds, the Gators definitely got bigger on Wednesday.
Florida’s class is currently ranked No. 5 nationally in the
latest Scout.com rankings, providing the program with more momentum after its
win over Ohio State in the Gator Bowl secured a 32nd consecutive non-losing
season last month.
“I think as much as anything, with such a young football
team and most of our guys coming back, it shows having this type of class that
there is some excitement in our program right now,’’ Muschamp said. “It’s
headed in the right direction. I’m really pleased obviously in winning the bowl
game and finishing on a positive note, but also finishing out recruiting this
way.
“We have some outstanding football coaches and men on this
staff, but they are also excellent recruiters. I’m very pleased with the
production today.”
A key addition on offense Wednesday was Jones, who helped
Armwood High near Tampa win a state title last season. Jones is listed at 6-2
and 213 pounds, providing the Gators with a much different option in the
backfield than a year ago when undersized speedsters Chris Rainey and Jeff
Demps were the team’s most dangerous threats.
Jones is versatile enough to play receiver and big enough to
take on a middle linebacker head-to-head.
“We needed to get bigger at the running back position and we
wanted to add Matt from the standpoint of a downhill runner and create the
physicality you need to in the SEC,’’ Muschamp said. “Matt was a guy that we
targeted when we first got here as a guy that was critical in moving forward in
what we want to do offensively in being physical.”
Let’s get physical has been a constant motto around the
program in recent months.
The Gators recruited for size and power. Muschamp also
recently hired new strength-and-conditioning coach Jeff Dillman, who has
implemented an Olympic style lifting program designed to increase power.
Muschamp expects contributions from some of the new recruits
immediately, but only time will tell which ones emerge before the season opener
in September against Bowling Green.
He does believe the team addressed its No. 1 concern.
“The biggest concern as you watched our football team this
year was along the line of scrimmage,’’ Muschamp said. “Going against two of
the more dominant teams in our league, we had trouble.
We’ve got to get better
up front and we’ve got to create more depth up front. We’ll see if some of
these guys can come in and contribute.”
The Gators also made a late push for Pennsylvania prep
quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg that paid off. The interest in Mornhinweg picked
up with the arrival of Brent Pease as offensive coordinator in January.
Mornhinweg had originally committed to Penn State and joins
returning quarterbacks Jeff Driskel, Tyler Murphy and Jacoby Brissett on the
roster.
“He’s a guy we got on late,” Muschamp said. “We really liked
Skyler early in the process. We decided at the end of November, first of
December that we needed to bring another quarterback into the program and he
was what we were looking for as far as a decision-maker and a winner. He also
plays defensive back, so he’s a good athlete and has great toughness.”
The Gators added Fowler, a longtime FSU recruit, to the mix
late as well.
With his second National Signing Day with the Gators in the
books, Muschamp is ready to get back to work at the key to making any class
worth its lofty ranking.
“This class will be determined in two or three years from
now,’’ he said. “It’s not going to be determined today. I said the same thing
last year, and you know what, I’m going to say it again next year. Football is
a developmental game. We’ve got a good young football team, and in my opinion,
we’ve added some really good players in the fold. We’ll know how good these
guys are when they are here for a while.
“I feel very comfortable about the type of young man we’re
bringing into this program. I’m real proud of the staff. There was a lot of
time and effort into this to finish with the type of players we need to have to
win a championship here at Florida.”
