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Florida Football: Why 2019 shouldn’t be College Football Playoff or bust

By Briley Hughes

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson #23 of the Florida Gators celebrates the win with his teammates and fans after the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson #23 of the Florida Gators celebrates the win with his teammates and fans after the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

3. Secure a top-five 2020 recruiting class

Perhaps the final concern left for Mullen to answer is whether he can shrink the talent gap between the Gators and current alpha dog programs by securing top recruiting classes.

Mullen and his staff are bona fide wizards at developing players to punch above their weight. Getting the most out of his players is Mullen’s best characteristic, and his success in 2018 – and his entire career at Mississippi State – speaks to that very fact.

Out of necessity, Mullen learned at Mississippi State to identify and target the right players for his system, even if they weren’t highly touted. This approach led to unprecedented success at a program considered by many to be the toughest place in the SEC to achieve any success. But past accomplishments of squeezing the most out of lower-tier recruits at a smaller program should not become an excuse for average recruiting classes at Florida.

The University of Florida provides certain advantages Mississippi State cannot – the prestige of a powerhouse program with multiple national championships, Heisman winners and tons of NFL-level stars.

The best coaches at the highest levels of college football pair their coaching acumen with unparalleled talent. Whether Mullen can leverage the Gator brand to bring in the talent will determine if the Gators catch the two SEC programs doing it better than almost everyone else – Georgia and Alabama.

Florida already owns a top-five class for 2020, and Mullen must maintain and improve that ranking for success beyond next season.

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