How College Football Recruits Are Reacting to the Florida Gators' Struggles

The status of Will Muschamp's job and the climate of the Florida football program hasn't improved during the 2014 season, and the results are having an impact on the recruiting trail.

With the Gators falling to LSU last weekend, the hot-seat talk surrounding Muschamp is starting to cloud the future of the Gators program. 

The primary evidence of that is UF’s efforts on the recruiting trail. The Gators' 2015 recruiting class is ranked 12th, per 247Sports. Not in the country, but in the SEC. Contrast that with the fact the average class rank for Florida in the last decade is sixth nationally, and it begins to shed light on the Gators' struggles this year.

Year	Class Rank
2005	12
2006	2
2007	1
2008	6
2009	7
2010	1
2011	12
2012	4
2013	3
2014	9
2015	32

Florida is ranked behind programs such as Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee and other SEC schools that Florida has made a habit of defeating on and off the field in recent years. The Gators currently have zero 5-star recruits committed. However, three of the nation's top 10 prospects overall are heavily considering Florida.

But why are recruits hesitant in casting their lot with a school that has been a recruiting juggernaut?

Byron Cowart, the nation’s top-ranked defensive end and the No. 4 player overall in the 2015 class, per 247Sports' Composite, has Florida in his lead group along with Florida State, Alabama and Oregon.

He was in attendance for the Gators loss to LSU last weekend, according to GatorBait.net’s Luke Stampini (subscription required). Despite the loss, Cowart is still encouraged by what he sees from the Gators on the field, and he believes they have the tools to finish the season strong. 

“Pretty much, I feel like they have it in the bag,” Cowart told Stampini. “I was talking to coach [Brad] Lawing and he said all their games are winnable. If they win the rest of their games and execute. His thing is don’t let LSU beat you twice, which means don’t go out here and have a bad week of practice. If they move on from this, this will be a lesson.”

Gators 4-star linebacker pledge Adonis Thomas is another player who is critical for Muschamp and his staff to keep. According to Jake Rowe of Dawgs247 (subscription required), Thomas is still considering schools such as Georgia and Alabama, despite his commitment.

“I’m trying to wait right now and see what happens with Florida and the season and the coaching staff,” he said. “That will have a big effect on my decision. I’m going to wait until the end, really.”

Another target who was in attendance at the Swamp for the LSU game was 4-star offensive lineman Jalen Merrick. Per Stampini (subscription required), Merrick stated that he and a few of the Gators' remaining top targets are taking a wait-and-see approach to what will transpire in Gainesville over the next couple of months. 

“I think everybody is taking that into consideration when you talk to Byron Cowart, CeCe [Jefferson] on why they are waiting so long, because they are kind of unsure of their status, if they will be here next year,” Merrick told Stampini.

After seeing Muschamp on the sidelines of his game on Thursday, 4-star linebacker target Jeffrey Holland told GatorBait (subscription required) that he’s been told he has nothing to worry about with regards to the future of the coach and his staff.

“They said everything is going to be alright, they’re going to stay here,” Holland said of Muschamp and his staff. “They are going to stay at Florida. They say everything is going to be alright. I’m waiting to see what happens.”

However, he admits that a potential change in Gainesville would have an impact on his feelings toward Florida.

“It would change a lot, because I don’t know who would come in,” Holland said. “I don’t know who they’re recruiting.”

Even with all of the turmoil surrounding the Gators, most recruits have grown up with memories of the Gators as one of the nation’s premier powerhouses.

Despite their current 3-2 record, the SEC East is still wide open and gives the Gators a chance to make a run toward their first division title since 2009.

A strong finish to the season would likely coincide with a banner finish to the 2015 class on the recruiting trail.

However, if the losses continue to pile up, it’s clear that a coaching change in Gainesville would come with a price of potentially losing out on some of the top players in the 2015 cycle.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani