02/04/2010
The Florida Gators reloaded their already stacked roster by bringing in the second-ranked recruiting class on National Signing Day Wednesday, topped only by a late push from Lane Kiffin and the USC Trojans, according to Rivals.com.
Kiffin, who left Tennessee to become head coach at Southern California just last month, had a terrific opening class for his new team by signing five five-star recruits.
"Obviously, it was a great day for the Trojan family," said Kiffin. "I'm extremely proud of the work done by our staff and everyone involved. To be here for just a couple weeks and to be able to sign so many of the top-ranked high school players in the country speaks volumes about the past and the future of the USC football program."
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One of those star athletes was offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson from St. Paul, Minnesota, whose late pledge pushed the Trojans to the top of the rankings as per Rivals.com, which has been one of the largest and noteworthy sources for college football recruiting for the past decade. USC ended the day with 20 total commitments.
Even though Urban Meyer's status as head coach is not solidified with the Gators next season, Florida secured 28 total commitments. One of the program's four five-star signings was Rivals' No. 1 ranked player, defensive end Ronald Powell from Moreno Valley, California.
That's good news for a Florida program that seemed to be in limbo in December, when Meyer originally announced he was stepping down from his position because of health reasons. The next day Meyer said he would only take a leave of absence and in late January revealed plans to be coaching the Gators for the first day of spring practice.
"The key to recruiting is a lot like the keys to making a great sale," said Meyer. "The first one is having a great product and we obviously have that here at the University of Florida. From our academics to the football program to the success that we've had in the last five years here - it's a product that a lot of guys would like to be a part of"
Between Meyer's return and the recruiting class the Gators have brought in, Florida looks primed for more championship runs in coming years, having won in the 2006 and 2008 seasons.
The only team Florida lost to last season, Alabama, continued to stock its cupboard with 26 commitments and finished in the fifth spot following its BCS national championship.
Although Texas lost the BCS game, the Longhorns were third, signing 25 players, 21 of whom were at least four-star caliber.
Five of the top 10 schools in the rankings were from the SEC, as Auburn landed at No. 4 with 32 commitments, the most for any team in the top 25. LSU was sixth, and Tennessee, despite the sudden departure of Kiffin, brought in the ninth-ranked class.
Oklahoma, UCLA and Florida State were also in the top 10, taking the seventh, eighth and 10th spots, respectively.