By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

I have spent a lot less time writing about recruiting during the college football season.  The season is short and I want to enjoy every Saturday while I have it.

After watching the Georgia-Florida game, I definitely see a talent difference between the two SEC programs.

Georgia has been recruiting at an elite level since Kirby Smart arrived in Athens. Florida’s recruiting classes under Mullen have been good, but not elite. If Mullen wants to compete with Georgia on the field, he must first start winning some battles off the field.

Georgia has four commits from the state of Florida, all five are top 50 players in Florida.

They are four-star QB Carson Beck out of Jacksonville, four-star DT Jalen Carter out of Apopka, four-star OL Joshua Braun out of Live Oak and four-star WR Marcus Rosemy. I do not count 4-star DT Warren Brinson from IMG Academy because he is from Savannah.

Three of the four commits live less than a two hour drive from Gainesville. Coach Mullen must do a better job keeping the in-state talent in state (this goes for Miami, FSU and UCF).

Georgia is currently ranked fifth nationally and third in the SEC with 16 commits. Florida is currently ranked 11th nationally and sixth in the SEC with 19 commits.

Mullen’s current staff does not have an Alpha on the recruiting trail. Mullen must add one or more to his staff and increase staff in the recruiting department.

Florida currently has 19 commits and can take as many as 30 this cycle. I believe the Gators will take right around 27 this cycle.

The Gators’ strong season and HBO special exposure is having a positive impact on recruiting. Also, Willie Taggart’s firing will provide positive ramifications due to lack of competition.

Florida recruiting class has one quarterback, three receivers, four offensive linemen, one tight end, four defensive linemen, one linebacker and five defensive backs. Florida appears to be done adding to this class.

The Gators need to address depth on the offensive line and defensive line. This class should have five or six players in the trenches.

Here are some of the top targets still in the noncommitted group.

St. Thomas Aquinas offensive tackle Marcus Dumervil is the Gators main target. Dumervil is a four star and this is going to be a Florida-LSU battle.

Miami Columbus wide receiver Xzavier Henderson is the top wide receiver on the board. Henderson has offers from Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, ect. This is a three-way battle between Clemson, Georgia and Florida.

Deerfield Beach running back Jaylan Knighton has turned his interest towards the Gators after decommitting from FSU.

This 2020 class is in the same shape as the 2019 class. If fans are relying on on-field performance to provide a significant bump in this class, the loss to Georgia certainly doesn’t help.

The early signing period is December 18th. National Signing Day always brings a few surprises, and this year will be no exception.

Who is flipping and who is delaying their signing until February? Can the Gators close the talent gap with Georgia and the other elite programs?