Alligator Army: On Signing Day, The Rich Get Richer

And in this case, the rich is the Florida Gators.

As Spencer Hall noted earlier, Urban Meyer and the Gators got all 28 of the prospects they were recruiting, which is rather amazing. It is no surprise then, really, that Scout, Rivals and ESPN all rank Florida’s 2010 class as the best in the country, which is no small accomplishment, considering Meyer’s flirtation with retirement, something of which SB Nation’s Alligator Army is well aware.

Meyer sold himself as all coaches do. But he had to sell the university, in case he has a serious health issue during that player’s career at UF. The Class of 2010 could be a dud, as is the risk of all classes, but they came for The Glory of The Florida Gators, not Urban. If a kid only wanted to go to Florida because of the coach, or because they wanted a pretty weight room, Meyer did not want them. Give Meyer credit for knowing this. He had to sell the program, more so than himself. The concern of Meyer staying at UF for more than the next five years is legitimate. But, if that happens, he will leave athletes who came to Florida for the program, not the guy in charge.

Meyer is very excited (well, as excited as he gets) about UF’s defensive recruits. UF’s top six guys are all on defense ... Defense wins championships and with Johnny Brantley slinging it, Florida can compete for a National Championship starting in 2011.

Yes, while the rich got richer today, no class is good enough to win immediately. Billy Donovan’s Oh Fours needed two seasons and Urban’s Class of 06 needed three and got an assist as freshmen. But the epicness of this class puts the 2010 SEC East in play. Tennessee did a very good job today, while Georgia got screwed on some battles with FSU. Maybe this is the homer in me, but Florida has to be the division favorite in 2010.