Florida Football Recruiting: 5 Things Missing from the Gators 2012 Class

Will Muschamp and the Florida Gators salvaged the worst Gator football season in 24 years and finished the year narrowly avoiding the school's first losing season since 1979. 

With his first year in the books, Muschamp and staff have turned their attention to recruiting and bringing in the best class possible in their first full year of recruiting. Currently the Gators ranked fourth on Rivals, sixth on Scout and fourth on ESPN. 

With several top-rated recruits still mulling over their choice of college, the Gators could end up with a top 3 recruiting class and potentially the top-rated class for the first time since 2010. 

Let's take a look at five missing pieces that would turn the Gators recruiting class into the best in the nation. 

Stefon Diggs

Stefon Diggs is the second best wide receiver prospect in the nation according to Rivals and also the No. 2 athlete on ESPN. While there seems to be a discrepancy about what position to list Diggs under, there is no question that he is a game-changer.

Diggs played receiver,corner and was a return specialist  for his high school team and could make an instant impact on offense and special teams for Florida. Diggs amassed 1,443 all-purpose yards and accounted for 13 touchdowns. 

Diggs is a special talent that would challenge for starting time the second he stepped on campus. It is no secret that Florida is thin at receiver and has only one other receiver committed to this signing class.

LaTroy Pittman has a head start as he enrolled early and will participate in spring practice, but the lack of depth and the fact that Florida has only one other receiver in the class should excite Diggs who has said that playing time will be a major factor into his final decision. 

The Florida coaching staff has made it clear that Diggs is high on its list and has pulled out all the stops when it comes to his recruitment. Diggs was considered a heavy Gator lean until the departure of Charlie Weis.

After the signing of Brent Pease and finally getting to meet the new offensive coordinator, Diggs was visited on Monday by the entire offensive coaching staff at his home, and that should give Diggs a better idea about the direction Florida wants to go in and how he can help get them there. 

Diggs will wait until after signing day to make his commitment. Look for the decision to come down to Florida and Auburn. 

Nelson Agholor

Nelson Agholor is another player who has been thought to be a heavy Gator lean for a while. Like Diggs, the departure of coach Weis and uncertainty at offensive coordinator has caused Agholor to take a step back and look at other schools; he took an official visit to Florida State last weekend. 

Agholor played mostly safety and running back his senior season, but is being recruited as a receiver by Florida. He totaled 1,850 total yards and 21 touchdowns in his senior year and also plays basketball. 

While Agholor is not a receiver by nature, he is athletically gifted and will make the transition to full-time receiver seamlessly. 

Like Diggs, Agholor would be able to compete for immediate playing time at receiver and also hosted the entire offensive coaching staff at his home on Monday. This was the first time he met coach Pease, and the new coordinator should be able to give Agholor a good description of how he will fit in Florida's offense. 

Expect Agholor to announce his decision on National Signing Day. 

Tracy Howard

Tracy Howard is the best cornerback in the 2012 class and the best defensive back not named Landon Collins. Howard finished his senior campaign with 48 tackles, seven interceptions and scored three touchdowns. Howard has good size and has been compared to former Gator great Joe Haden.  

Howard would not find the same open space on the depth chart as Agholor and Diggs, but Howard is such a talent that he will instantly challenge Cody Riggs, Jaylen Watkins and Marcus Roberson for playing time. Brian Poole is another freshman that could get into the mix. Howard is not afraid to compete and would bring an extra level of intensity to practice with serious competition for playing time. 

Howard has already taken two unofficial visits to Gainesville this year and will make his final official trip to Florida on Jan. 27. 

Howard's mother is a big Gator fan and hopefully he will make his mom happier than Landon Collins did. 

Howard will likely make his decision on National Signing Day. 

Running Back

Watching the Gators in 2011, it was obvious that they leaned on their playmakers at running back. With both Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey out of eligibility, the Gators now have a huge hole at the position. 

Will Muschamp said he did not have the type of running back to run the style of offense he would have liked to. Florida got a bigger body back in recruit Matt Jones. Jones is 6'3'' 225lbs and has the makeup of a bruiser, but has great burst and will compete with Mike Gillislee.

Judging on how sparingly Gillislee was used last season, Jones will get a lot of playing time even if he is not named the starter. 

After Jones and Gillislee, only Mack Brown and Trey Burton are viable options at the position. Florida previously had RB Mike Davis as a verbal commitment but lost Davis when the team continued to pursue Keith Marshall.

Davis will now be attending South Carolina, while Marshall will play at Georgia. Not only did the Gators miss out on two of the best running backs in the nation, but they will have to play them for the next three to four years. 

Only signing one running back when the cupboard is so bare could come back to haunt the Gators if one of the backs were to go down with an injury. Florida is not likely to sign another running back this class, and currently that is the only weakness in it. 

Josh Harvey-Clemons

Josh Harvey-Clemons is the top ranked outside linebacker in the 2012 recruiting class, and Will Muschamp has gone after the Georgia native hard. JHC's grandfather has predicted a photo finish between Florida and Georgia with his announcement coming on National Signing Day. 

JHC is a long, rangy, instinctive and fast linebacker but will need to add size to that frame in order to play linebacker in the SEC. 

Muschamp and the defensive coaches have been pouring it on thick, even attending church with the family. It is always hard for Florida to go into Georgia and pull players aways from the Dawgs, but the lack of depth at OLB for the Gators could be just enough to sway JHC away from Georgia, who is pretty set at linebacker. 

JHC would be able to bring depth to a linebacker position that was thin last season, and will see Lerentee McCray graduate after next season and Jelani Jenkins could decide to test the NFL waters. JHC would be wise to decide Florida based on how quickly he could receive playing time and would benefit from playing in Dan Quinn's system. 

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