Florida Football Recruiting: Ranking the Gators' Last 5 Recruiting Classes

The old adage hindsight is 20/20 truly comes into play when it comes to recruiting. 

The reporters and bloggers who cover recruiting have one of the toughest jobs in America, as do the coaches who are recruiting these 16-18-year-old kids. To be able to project what a kid who is 16-18 years old will be in the next four years is immensely difficult. 

There have been plenty of big-time, can't-miss 5-star recruits who never made an impact in college. Likewise, there have been plenty of players who have gone under the radar in high school, only to blossom at the next level and become the hidden gem of a recruiting class. 

You cannot truly judge the merits of a recruiting class until they have been on campus for a couple of years and their on-field production can be measured. Whether a guy is a 5-star or a 2-star doesn't matter once he puts on the pads and players separate themselves on the field. 

Ranking the last five Florida Gators recruiting classes proved to be somewhat difficult. Only five players from the 2012 class have enrolled and begun practicing. And with so much turnover with coaches, many players have transferred, leaving classes with up to nine players missing from national signing day. 

With that being said, the Gators have had some solid classes in the past five years, and this should give you an accurate ranking of how those classes stack up against each other. 

No. 5: 2008

Top-Rated Recruit: Matt Patchan/Will Hill 

Best Player in the Class: Janoris Jenkins 

Diamond in the Rough: Lerentee McCray/Caleb Sturgis

Biggest Disappointment: Dee Finley

The 2008 recruiting class came in highly ranked, but expectations were high after the Gators had recently hauled in probably the two best recruiting classes in team history. 

In 2006, the Gators landed Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes, Percy Harvin, Brandon James, Riley Cooper and Jermaine Cunningham. In 2007, the Gators brought in Major Wright, Aaron Hernandez, Joe Haden, Carlos Dunlap, Ahmad Black, Chris Rainey, the Pouncey twins, John Brantley, Deonte Thompson and Chas Henry. 

The 2008 recruiting class had big shoes to fill and came up short in every way. 

Matt Patchan and Will Hill came into the class as consensus 5-star players who never panned out. Patchan is still on the team and battling for a starting position in spring camp, but has fought the injury bug his entire career. Hill never reached his potential, left school early to go undrafted and now is a free agent in the arena league. Good life choice.

Janoris Jenkins is by far the most talented player from this class, but was dismissed after being arrested twice in three months for drug-related offenses after Will Muschamp became the head coach. Jenkins will likely be a first-round selection in this year's draft.

Lerentee McCray earned a starting job last season and should resume that role once he returns from shoulder surgery. Caleb Sturgis will be a finalist and favorite to win the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best placekicker if he continues on the path he has set for himself.

Dee Finley is the biggest disappointment of the class. Finley was a highly rated 4-star recruit who failed to qualify academically. He would end up at Florida in the next recruiting class, but struggled to make an impact on the field and eventually transferred. 

No. 4: 2011

Top-Rated Recruit: Mike Blakely/Marcus Roberson/Jeff Driskel

Best Player in Class: Marcus Roberson

Diamond in the Rough: Hunter Joyer/Jacoby Brissett 

Biggest Disappointment: Mike Blakely

The 2011 class has had just one season on campus, and they still have done more than the 2008 class. Marcus Roberson became just the third cornerback to start his first game for the Gators, along with Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins. 

The 2011 class also will feature the quarterback of the future in either Jeff Driskel or Jacoby Brissett. The two are currently competing in spring practice to determine who will be QB No. 1 when the season begins. 

Hunter Joyer emerged in his freshman season to be a reliable option at fullback while blocking or carrying the football. He was listed as just a 3-star recruit, but will likely end up being a four-year starter at the position for the Gators. 

De'Ante "Pop" Saunders, A.C. Leonard and Loucheiz Purifoy all showed promise in their rookie campaigns and will be players to watch this coming season. 

Mike Blakely gets the biggest disappointment honors. Blakely was an early enrollee and set to be the incumbent starter after Rainey and Demps graduated. After undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder, which forced him to miss all of spring practice, Blakely decided to transfer closer to home and attend Auburn University. 

No. 3: 2012

Top-Rated Recruit: D.J. Humphries

Best Player in Class: D.J. Humphries 

Diamond in the Rough: Latroy Pittman 

Biggest Disappointment: Too soon to pass judgement

The 2012 class is the great unknown. Only five of the 23 players in the class have enrolled and begun team activities. 

The coaching staff has been impressed with the play of Humphries and Jessamen Dunker so far in the spring, and both will be relied upon to make an impact on the offensive line this season. 

Latroy Pittman was a 4-star recruit, but still makes the diamond in the rough cut because of how little noise his recruitment made. When a player picks a school early and sticks with them, they seem to get less press coverage than the players who flip schools until national signing day. Enrolling early will be a big advantage for Pittman, so expect him to make an impact this season. 

The 2012 class missed on a lot of potential commitments who would have turned this class into a potential top-rated class, but it still was a consensus Top Five class when the dust settled. 

As I said in the opening slide, you shouldn't put too much stock in these ratings, though; so much will change in the next 3-5 years when these players are on campus. 

No. 2: 2010

Top-Rated Recruit: Ronald Powell

Best Player in Class: Matt Elam

Diamond in the Rough: Michael Taylor

Biggest Disappointment: Jonathan Dowling

Finally, the "best recruiting class ever" finds its way on to the list.

The nickname they were given after being named the consensus No. 1 overall recruiting class in 2010 has had a rocky first couple of years, to say the least. 

On national signing day in 2010, the Gators inked a class with a total of 27 players in it. As it stands today, only 18 of those recruits are still on campus. The 2010 recruiting class has seen the transfer of Jonathan Dowling, Josh Shaw, Gerald Christian, Chris Dunkley, Chris Martin, Lynden Trail, Robert Clark and Michael McFarland. 

Dowling was dismissed from the team after playing in two games his freshman season for what was later described as a "conflict with his position coach." Dowling was one of the prize recruits in a class that featured the top-rated player (Powell), along with other 5-star recruits Floyd, Elam and Easley. 

While the 2010 class is not as large as it was on national signing day in 2010, the class will represent much of the starting lineup this season. Floyd, Powell, Elam, Chaz Green, Cody Riggs, Jaylen Watkins, Leon Orr, Quinton Dunbar and Trey Burton will all likely start or receive significant playing time this year. 

The 2010 class may have just trimmed the fat from the 27 original members, but they are still a big part of what the Gator football program will be in 2012 and beyond. 

No. 1: 2009

Top-Rated Recruit: Jelani Jenkins 

Best Player in Class: Jelani Jenkins/Jon Bostic

Diamond in the Rough: Jon Halapio  

Biggest Disappointment: Gary Brown

The 2009 class, while not as flashy as 2010, has produced on the field more than the other four classes. Jon Bostic and Jelani Jenkins have become leaders on the field for a very strong defense and will return for another season together. 

The class also features the Gators' only playmaker not named Rainey or Demps from a season ago in Andre Debose. Debose will be counted on heavily this season to become a leader and a consistent playmaker for the Gators offense. 

Jonotthan Harrison, Xavier Nixon, Nick Alajajian and Jon Halapio are all vital elements along the offensive line. Halapio and Harrison were starters all of last year and this year will start at right guard and center, respectively. 

Jordan Reed has been the consummate team player. Recruited as a quarterback, he was asked to move to tight end, then back to quarterback and finally back to tight end. Reed is atop the depth chart at tight end right now and will remain there unless knocked off by one of the two incoming freshmen. 

The class is rounded out with tailback Mike Gillislee (and he is atop the depth chart at running back #FreeGilly), Josh Evans and Stephen Alli who could all play a big role in the team's success this coming season. 

Finally, the biggest disappointment: Gary Brown.

Brown came to Florida as a 5-star, All-American defensive tackle prospect who was supposed to compete for a starting opportunity right away. Brown was arrested for allegedly slapping a woman in the face at an off-campus party his freshman year and was later dismissed from the team for his actions.

Brown is a great example of a 5-star recruit who just didn't pan out as everyone had projected. Once on top of the high school football world, Brown is now out of football.