Is Florida the new Miami?

[lex]

Do you think the Zookster was able to lure players to UF that would have previously and otherwise gone to Miami? Just looking at the draft and can help but notice UFs prospects resembles what Miami's used to in terms of abundence (time will tell on quality).

[BLAFF]

It's true that time will tell, but I am 99% positive Florida's talent doesn't resemble that of Miami's recent past, just because the fact of having all those NFL first rounders (not counting Gore and Portis who were 3rd and 2nd round picks) in so few years is hard to believe, let alone that feat being accomplished again, by a hated rival no less .

But, if the Gator's talent pans out, it would just add to my misery of being a Canes fan.

[broncofan303]

I dont think so... teams like Miami, Florida, Florida State compete for the same guys all the time... And yes I think time will only tell if they have become the new Miami... Miami still has tons of talent in the NFL...look at the RB list... Portis, Mcgahee, Gore..etc..

[lex]

It's true that time will tell, but I am 99% positive Florida's talent doesn't resemble that of Miami's recent past, just because the fact of having all those NFL first rounders (not counting Gore and Portis who were 3rd and 2nd round picks) in so few years is hard to believe, let alone that feat being accomplished again, by a hated rival no less .

But, if the Gator's talent pans out, it would just add to my misery of being a Canes fan.

Im not saying the current Gators are as good as the 2001 Canes, who might have been the most talented team of all time. But what Im saying is Miami's downturn under Coker and FSUs recent struggles coupled with Zooks ability as a recruiter has set UF up very nicely. And now Meyer has parlayed that talent into an NC and even more and better recruits. There is so much talent in Florida that FSU, Miami and UF will always get good talent but Im talking about the best of the best. It seems those guys are going to UF now...and have been.

[ChampWJ]

It pains me to say this, but I think we've just seen the beginning of the Florida NFL talent. The team that won the championship this year was full of Ron Zook's recruits, and Urban Meyer has already pulled in two VERY GOOD recruiting classes since he took over. I think they've set themselves up to have a good team for the next few years, and that talent will transition to the NFL soon.

Its not really just Florida though. The SEC overall is very talented. It seems like each of the top schools (LSU, Tenn, UGA, Auburn, Alabama) and the second tier schools (Arkansas, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Miss St) have all had several big name talents come out in recent years and those schools all keep recruiting very well. The Broncos even have a Vanderbilt QB.

Its by far the toughest conference in college football, and because of that Florida still has their work cut out for them despite having better talent overall than the rest of the SEC.

[silkamilkamonic]

South Carolina will be a top tier school in the SEC by next year.

With the progress they've made over the last 2 seasons, and the best flat out college football "coach", they already have a team this year that's capable of making a run for the SEC championship.

They might not pull in as talented of players as Florida, but they will always be up their in the mix of top SEC teams here on out.

[ChampWJ]

South Carolina will be a top tier school in the SEC by next year.

With the progress they've made over the last 2 seasons, and the best flat out college football "coach", they already have a team this year that's capable of making a run for the SEC championship.

They might not pull in as talented of players as Florida, but they will always be up their in the mix of top SEC teams here on out.

The problem with SC is they play in the wrong division. They have to have an extremely good team to win that division. Every year, they play Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. They usually lose all three games. They're still not on the level talent wise as those teams. Also, they play the half the other division's teams about every other year, so in order for them to have a great year, they have to do well in division, and hope not to draw LSU, Auburn, Alabama, etc from the West. They're on the right track, but things don't really line up in their favor.

South Carolina also struggles with recruiting, despite having Spurrier (who is a recruiting god). As a smaller state without any large cities, their talent pools isn't as large as those in neighboring Georgia, NC, and Fla. They have to work really hard to keep their in state recruits competing with Clemson. Also, they have to go out of state to fill out their roster as well, and are faced with an uphill battle with the other schools that recruit well too. The way its gone lately, UGA, UF, UT usually pull in 5-10 four and five star recruits each, and SC is lucky to get 2-4 of them.

[silkamilkamonic]

The problem with SC is they play in the wrong division. They have to have an extremely good team to win that division. Every year, they play Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. They usually lose all three games. They're still not on the level talent wise as those teams. Also, they play the half the other division's teams about every other year, so in order for them to have a great year, they have to do well in division, and hope not to draw LSU, Auburn, Alabama, etc from the West. They're on the right track, but things don't really line up in their favor.

Remember they did beat both Florida and Tennessee in SPurriers first year. They also should have beat Florida last year if Moss didn't block that field with no time remaining. They outplayed both Tennessee and Florida last year, but did lose them both.

I forgot they do play in the tough division, but last year with the exception of Georgia, they lost by less than 1 TD in all their losses. They will have a stronger team this year than last. If anything, I do think South Carolina significantly elevates the team talent on that side, and makes it miserably harder for all the other teams.

The way its gone lately, UGA, UF, UT usually pull in 5-10 four and five star recruits each, and SC is lucky to get 2-4 of them.

They did finish have a stellar recruiting class this year, and if you have a coach that can develop college talent with the best of them like Spurrier, you don't need 5 star players.

[NickTranOwnz]

Miami doesn't seem like Thug-U anymore.

[D3N7ER 8r0I\I<05]

Miami doesn't seem like Thug-U anymore.

Elaborate please. . .

[lex]

Remember they did beat both Florida and Tennessee in SPurriers first year. They also should have beat Florida last year if Moss didn't block that field with no time remaining. They outplayed both Tennessee and Florida last year, but did lose them both.

I forgot they do play in the tough division, but last year with the exception of Georgia, they lost by less than 1 TD in all their losses. They will have a stronger team this year than last. If anything, I do think South Carolina significantly elevates the team talent on that side, and makes it miserably harder for all the other teams.





They did finish have a stellar recruiting class this year, and if you have a coach that can develop college talent with the best of them like Spurrier, you don't need 5 star players.

One thing youre not considering though. Last year UF played in a lot of close to the vest games because Meyer knew the defense was drastically better than his offense. Leak could make a pass here and there and had some good games but he was far from ideal for that offense. Basically, having a QB who eliminated half of the offense put the Gators in a position where theyd have to win on defense- and they did. You should start seeing an inflow of personnel though that will allow the offense to be a lot better. So basically, because UF was limited on offense the game was managed accordingly and as a result UF was a lot of games with minimal margin for error... games where teams could make it a decent game if they generated a little offense. I also know South Carolina is getting some talent as well and I know Spurrier is a really good coach on offense so Im not ruling out South Carolina...Im just pointing out that UFs offense hasnt been what it could/should be due to personnel.

[kcarr26]

The problem with SC is they play in the wrong division.

The problem with SC is play Georgia!


hohhhhh Sic em Dawgs!!

[ChampWJ]

The problem with SC is play Georgia!


hohhhhh Sic em Dawgs!!

Glorious post right there!! SC and UGA between the hedges this year on 9/8!

[silkamilkamonic]

One thing youre not considering though. Last year UF played in a lot of close to the vest games because Meyer knew the defense was drastically better than his offense. Leak could make a pass here and there and had some good games but he was far from ideal for that offense. Basically, having a QB who eliminated half of the offense put the Gators in a position where theyd have to win on defense- and they did. You should start seeing an inflow of personnel though that will allow the offense to be a lot better. So basically, because UF was limited on offense the game was managed accordingly and as a result UF was a lot of games with minimal margin for error... games where teams could make it a decent game if they generated a little offense. I also know South Carolina is getting some talent as well and I know Spurrier is a really good coach on offense so Im not ruling out South Carolina...Im just pointing out that UFs offense hasnt been what it could/should be due to personnel.

I understand Florida's offense could possibly take off. It's still a verdict to see if Meyer's offense can flourish with the speed of the SEC though. Florida has a lot of talent in the wings, but they lost so much last year I don't consider them to be a top force in the SEC this year. They will take their hits along the way.

South Carolina's defense will be one of the better ones in the nation. A lot of people don't see this. For as good as they were last year they only lose 2 starters. They have depth, and they have some serious talent along the dline, LB, and CB spots.

The only major hit the offense took was Rice, but they still have McKinley who broke out last year, and Chris Culliver who is a Percy Harvin clone will step in nicely.

South Carolina, if not one of the favorites to compete in that division, will be a force to reckon with this year.

Like Urban Meyer getting his guys on the offensive side, the same thing is happening on SPurriers. And Spurriers system has flourished in the SEC.

[lex]

I understand Florida's offense could possibly take off. It's still a verdict to see if Meyer's offense can flourish with the speed of the SEC though. Florida has a lot of talent in the wings, but they lost so much last year I don't consider them to be a top force in the SEC this year. They will take their hits along the way.

South Carolina's defense will be one of the better ones in the nation. A lot of people don't see this. For as good as they were last year they only lose 2 starters. They have depth, and they have some serious talent along the dline, LB, and CB spots.

The only major hit the offense took was Rice, but they still have McKinley who broke out last year, and Chris Culliver who is a Percy Harvin clone will step in nicely.

South Carolina, if not one of the favorites to compete in that division, will be a force to reckon with this year.

Like Urban Meyer getting his guys on the offensive side, the same thing is happening on SPurriers. And Spurriers system has flourished in the SEC.

I already said in this or the other thread that UF might take be suffer with you players this year. I dont deny thats a distinct possibility. I wouldnt assume they will suck either. Its really up in the air right now. When puch comes to shove though, UF fantastic talent and also Meyer has not been averse to going with a more conventional offense. We beat UGa by doing so in 2005.