I’m not a recruiting junkie. I do keep up with the big-time commitments and overall rankings, but in football I believe the difference between the top ranked class and the 10th-ranked class is slim enough to be essentially negligible.

That being said, Urban Meyer has raked in another outstanding class and the Gators currently hold the #1 overall ranking per Rivals.com.

Here’s a link to the full list of commits and LOIs. The 5-stars are Carl Moore (WR), Will Hill (listed as ATH but likely safety), Omar Hunter (DT), and Matt Patchan (OL).

It’s important to remember that these commits — other than Troy Epps and Carl Moore — are obviously as of yet unsigned so they’re not a sure bet to appear on campus, but Urban Meyer has been highly effective in his efforts to snag and keep recruits through signing day. I think you’ll see all of these guys show up.

Will Hill, Dee Finley, and Omar Hunter excite me the most. Florida is set offensively for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, but we obviously need big help on the defensive side of the ball. There’s a good chance these three will be prime candidates for a starting job next year.

Scout.com has Florida tied for 5th rather than first. They rank Florida’s overall star rating at 3.73 — which is better than Alabama, Georgia, and Miami, despite being ranked below them — but probably drop us because we have 22 total recruits to Bama’s 26, Georgia’s 24, and Miami’s 25. There’s a big disparity in evaluated 3-star vs. 4-star talent from Scout as well; Florida has 8 4-stars and 10 3-stars vs. Rivals’ 13 4-stars and 3 3-stars.

I remember nervous chatter in November about Florida’s small number of verbals. Since that time, Meyer and staff have been on a recruiting rampage. Signing day is around the corner… let’s finish strong. This is shaping up to be another Top 3 class.

(By the way, a little schadenfreude: try to find South Carolina on anyone’s Top 25. Steve Spurrier really didn’t know what he was getting into up there in Columbia, did he… ?)

A year ago I did a ranking of all the coaches in the SEC. Now that there has been some change and additional accomplishment I think it’s time to update this ranking (which might become an annual occurrence).

1) Urban Meyer (UF) - [Previous ranking = 1] His credentials are impeccable. You can argue with his schemes and his play calling but you can’t argue with his success. And his resume includes doing almost the same thing at THREE consecutive schools. From 7-5 to 13-1 in two years is impressive on its own. When put together with his past accomplishments its hard to argue against his ability to recruit, motivate and blend players. Whether or not Florida had won the title this year, the foundation has been placed for a run that could last quite a while. Meyer might be the best recruiter the SEC has seen since Nick Saban (who coincidentally is now back in the SEC). If that’s the case, the road to the SEC championship could run through Florida on an annual basis.
– UPDATE: What has really changed? Another New Years Day bowl and a Heisman Trophy winner. Expect another top 5 recruiting class in 2008 which will add to a team already stocked with young talent and led by a group of Sophomores and Freshmen . . . Yikes! Although Meyer retains the top spot, expectations will be higher in 2008 and the talent will be better. A disappointing season next fall could cause Meyer to fall out of the top spot. A National Title for Richt (which would also mean winning the SEC East over Florida) could cause a change in the rankings. Should Miles or Saban win their second titles next year with their respective teams (neither of which will have overwhelming talent) they too might force a shakeup at the top. When you are in a conference with so many great coaches the margins between 1st and 5th can be very thin.

2) Mark Richt (UGA) - [Previous ranking = 3] Georgia struggled this year going 8-4 and losing to Vanderbilt and Kentucky. However they did beat Auburn, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech (all ranked teams) to end the year. Its interesting that one of the WORST years under Richt’s tenure would have been one of the BEST during the decade prior to his arrival. While he hasn’t delivered a national title he has won the SEC twice and fielded a team that is an SEC contender every year and an occasional National Title contender. Richt is underrated nationally but knowledgeable SEC fans respect and appreciate his ability. Richt is an excellent recruiter and rarely will you find Bulldog players who lack ability. You may find years where UGA is a young, inexperienced team (like this year) and they may underachieve from time to time but they will never be devoid of talent or coaching while under Richt.
– UPDATE: A very good year for a very young Bulldog team. Richt fell short of winning the East due to the loss against the Vols but has put together the pieces for a team that should be in National Title contention for the next few years. Following losses to South Carolina and Tennessee this team could have tanked but Richt managed to push all the right buttons to right the ship.

3) Les Miles (LSU) - [Previous ranking = 10] If based strictly on wins at a his current school then Miles would be near the top of this list. He is currently 22-4 at LSU. In his previous coaching stint he took over a sad Oklahoma State team and in his 2nd, 3rd and 4th years won 8, 9 and 7 games respectively. He is best known for his 16-13 upset win against #4 Oklahoma in Norman in his first year and then repeating the feat against a #3 ranked OU team 38-28 the next year in Stillwater. But for all that Miles has accomplished it’s not about what Miles has done but about what he HASN’T done. Namely, he hasn’t won an SEC championship despite having, arguably, the most talented team in the league in his two years in the league. Nick Saban left the cupboard stocked and it will be another banner day for the Tigers in the NFL draft this year. I give him some credit for keeping the Tigers focused despite Hurricane Katrina last year but LSU has still underachieved. Plus next year he will no longer have the gaping talent advantage he has enjoyed early in his tenure. He would probably be the 5th or 6th best coach in the Big 12 or ACC but . . . . this is the SEC baby.
– UPDATE: Talk about improving your stock. No one has experienced a bigger shift in the rankings than Les Miles. This is mainly due to the fact that the jury was out on Miles in my book. While you can say his performance this year shouldn’t have warranted such a change, he has proven that the past two years were not a fluke, he now has a National Championship and has made some of the gutsiest (if risky) calls from the sideline. People may criticize his aggressive play calling but those people who like a coach who’s favorite play on third and long is the fullback dive followed by a punt can go heap loads of creamy love on Frank Beamer. Those who appreciate a guy who isn’t afraid to go with his gut, Miles is your man. (more…)

You may recall that VHT OLB recruit Lerentee McCray soft-verballed to the ever downward-spiraling Miami Hurricanes over the past summer. Fortunately, Lerentee wisely changed his mind and chose to ascend into the light. He’s one of the good guys now. Here’s his announcement on ESPN. (By the way, I think a Miami guy was controlling the video board in the background… )

Right, so we’re back to hoops for the duration now. Other than recruiting news, off-field stuff, and of course schadenfreude we’ll be sticking with basketball from here on out.

The Gators’ predominantly creampuff pre-season schedule is finally over: it’s time for SEC basketball, baby.

Florida is 13-2 coming into tonight’s 9:00PMET game with Alabama. They’ll be playing in Tuscaloosa, so this will be the first SEC road test for our young Gators. Even though they’re not responsible for hanging two title banners in Gainesville’s O’Connell Center, this squad of frosh and sophs — and one junior — will feel the full weight of being defending, two-time national champions.

I expect Alabama’s crowd to be amped up and ready to rumble. The Tide are favored by 2.5 points, which sounds about right to me.

Although a win would be marvelous here, I’m realistic. Florida’s young and not very physical. That being said, the strong need is for the Gators to win most of their home games. (Sorry, I don’t see it happening against Tennessee; Vandy might and Ole Miss could win two as well, although I’d be happy with a home/away split.) Considering this is a hostile road environment and a pretty good opponent, I’m looking for the emergence of a tough-minded team that gets back on defense regardless of what happens during their half-court attack. I want to see a team that plays to their physical limit. And I want to see a team which doesn’t turn the ball over. That team has a pretty good chance to win the game. If we don’t see that team, the Gators will have to go back to the drawing board.

Big picture… big picture. Remember that, Gator fans. This team will be very, very good next season if they focus on developing this year. When you lose five players to the NBA, you’re going to have go through rebuilding years like this one. Again, focus on the positives. And don’t forget we’re starting a bunch of true freshmen, or that the kids rotating in off the pine are frosh, too. Go easy on these kids.

As always, feel free to participate in our gameday open thread. Go Gators.

Fine job, men. Fine job indeed.

Wish you hadn’t allowed that garbage TD to make it a semi-respectable score there at the end, but thank you for defending SEC pride.

SEC bowl record: 7-2. (Can’t believe Florida made up 50% of the ‘2′. Horrifying. But at least the crystal football came back to the right conference.)

I do take some small measure of satisfaction in the fact that Ohio State is now 0-9 against SEC teams in bowl games. Ouch!