Winners and Losers on National Signing Day

Dec 6, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain is introduced as head coach during a press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Winner

2. Florida Gators

Rivals Class Rank: No. 23

At one point not long ago, the Florida Gators did not just have a bad class. Jim McElwain had a class outside of the Top 100 and the worst class among all of the Power Five football teams. This was bad, and the Gators appeared to be in serious trouble.

A last-minute push got the class to No. 55 before National Signing Day, but even for a first-year coach, that’s not acceptable in Gainesville, particularly when you play in the SEC, where everybody recruits. A Top 30 class was needed, and a huge day would be required to get there.

Things took a worse turn on National Signing Day when Byron Cowart, the top player in the country, committed to Auburn. But everything after that was perfect. The Gators picked up two 5-star recruits in CeCe Jefferson, another defensive end, and Martez Ivey. They also picked up athletes Jordan Cronkite and D’Anfernee McGriff, offensive lineman Nick Buchanan, and defensive end Keivonnis Davis.

All of a sudden, one of the best National Signing Days for a school in history that included two 5-stars, multiple 4-stars, and other players vaulted Florida into a Top 25 recruiting class. That’s not going to be what McElwain wants in the future, but it is a great start.

And given what was facing the Gators, fans in Gainesville can breath a huge sigh of relief.

Next: No. 2 Ranked Loser: Maryland Terrapins