By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

There are stories out everywhere, on June 1, 2021 the dead-period was lifted.

For those who forgot about COVID-19 already, and all the restrictions around that, it means the return of camps on campus, unofficial/official visits and workouts on campus.

For the first time since January 2020, official visits return to college campuses. For the record, an official visit means the college is able to finance the trip for the recruit. Recruits and their families can take five visits total but only once per school.

The Florida Gators wasted little time getting recruits back in The Swamp, as they had their Summer Kick Off event on June 1st.

With all that pent up recruiting energy ready to be released, the plans for a return to “normal” are anything but, unfortunately. Florida Gators have official visits scheduled for every June weekend. Camps are already planned out and for the first time ever, players can work out for coaches.

Florida coach Dan Mullen said, “it will be waves upon waves upon waves upon waves of kids coming to visit.”

Throw in the transfer portal. And don’t forget the new one-time transfer rule. Did the waves just get larger?

All of it is another example of college football essentially coming down to a simple declarative statement: It’s all about recruiting.

The Gators have camps scheduled the entire month of June: June 7, Skills and Drills Camp; June 9, 16 & 23 7 vs 7 Gator Shootout and OLine/DLine Big man Challenge; June 14 Top Gun QB/WR Camp, In the Trenches Camp and Skills Academy for RB, DB & LB; June 25 Elite Individual Camp.

June 2021 is the biggest recruiting month in the history of recruiting.

Florida administration has been so impressed with the recruiting job; they have given Coach Dan Mullen a three-year contract extension that gives him a significant raise. Under the terms of Mullen’s new contract agreement, he will be the coach at Florida through the 2026 season.

The new extension will also raise Mullen’s annual compensation total to $7.6 million for each year remaining on his deal. With a raise of about $1.5 million per season, the financial breakdown varies by year.

USA Today shows Mullen is now the fourth highest paid coach in 2021.