Florida should compile another stellar recruiting class

Florida coach Urban Meyer has quickly established himself as one of the top recruiters in college football. AP

By Mike Farrell, Special to SI.com, Rivals.com

Get ready everyone -- the Gators are coming.

When looking at the top of the Rivals.com 2008 team recruiting rankings, Urban Meyer's team is missing.

Slide down a few more slots and still no Gators. In fact, you have to go all the way to 19th in the nation to find the nation's No. 4 team. On the recruiting rankings list, Florida is behind Arkansas and Auburn and just ahead of N.C. State and Maryland. So what's going on here?

Gators fans won't have to wait too long for their team climb up the rankings. Meyer, we all know, can recruit with the best of them. He led the Gators to the No. 1 class in the nation in 2007, a year after finishing No. 2.

Each of those was a full recruiting class, and Florida doesn't have the same flexibility when it comes to scholarship numbers for 2008. That limitation is the only reason Florida isn't near the top of the rankings ... yet.

Because of the lack of scholarships (Florida will bring in between 18 and 20 players in this class), Meyer and his staff are being much more picky this year when it comes to offers. Since Meyer arrived in Gainesville, he has been very aggressive when it comes to offering prospects early and showing initial interest. This year? If you have a Florida offer, you're something special.

Florida has made a little run over the last couple of weeks when it comes to filling the 2008 class. It started with a commitment from Pahokee, Fla., cornerback Janoris Jenkins. He earned his offer after a great camp performance in Gainesville in July. Jenkins is a 5-foot-10, 167-pounder who loves to play press coverage and sticks on receivers like glue. Florida State, Miami and a ton of others offered, but things changed when he earned his offer from the Gators.

Orlando (Fla.) Boone cornerback Jeremy Brown followed suit three days later while on an official visit. Brown, a 5-foot-10, 163-pounder, had a rare early offer from Florida but visited Auburn and Georgia before finalizing his decision to play for the Gators.

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