Florida Sends Message to SEC with Impressive National Signing Day Finish

Upon further review, the sky isn't falling at Florida after all.

Head coach Jim McElwain guided the Gators to a strong late surge on national signing day, spearheading a rise in recruiting rankings that should restore a measure of faith in Gainesville.

When the sun rises on Thursday, the program's outlook should seem considerably better than it did at daybreak—or noon, for that matter—on Wednesday.

It was a rough morning for Florida, evolving to a stage where Auburn nearly warranted abuse charges.

Top-rated strong-side defensive end Byron Cowart placed a Tigers cap on his head shortly after 9 a.m. ET, though that letter of intent wouldn't reach head coach Gus Malzahn's hands until hours later. It was a decision that had Will Mushchamp's fingerprints all over it.

You may remember the Auburn defensive coordinator from his previous role as Florida's head coach.

Credit: 247Sports

Linebacker Jeffery Holland, wide receiver Ryan Davis and offensive tackle Mike Horton each followed suit, announcing their intentions to play for the Tigers. Top Florida targets were now headed to the SEC foe that spent its morning jabbing Gators fans in the gut.

Each commitment seemed to stir up a vision of Muschamp high-fiving his new colleagues and counting that $6.3 million buyout. Each sent Florida one step further toward a disastrous signing day.

Things changed dramatically during the hours that followed. Momentum, for the first time in too long, seemed to swing in the Gators' favor.

Florida secured four commitments in less than an hour, headlined by the 5-star tandem of Martez Ivey and CeCe Jefferson. Both standouts listed Auburn among finalists, but the plot twisted this time around.

Ivey, rated second overall nationally by 247Sports' composite rankings, is a plug-and-play talent at offensive tackle:

Jefferson is the No. 2 overall strong-side defensive end behind only Cowart, but don't try to tell him that.

"I do think I’m the best pass-rusher in the class," he told Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel. "That’s the first time I’ve ever said that. They’ve been comparing me and (Florida State signee) Josh Sweat and Byron (Cowart) and all those guys. I feel like I’m the best pass-rusher."

It's the kind of confidence folks have been craving at Florida. Jefferson is the sort of player who could help restore swagger in Gainesville:

Jefferson and Ivey provided McElwain with two of his team's top three targets. Cowart isn't coming to town, but the guys who are can make an instant difference.

"It don’t get much better than that," Jefferson told Thompson. "I feel like I’m the No. 1 defensive end and I know he’s the No. 1 offensive tackle. So us going head-to-head in practice, once game time comes it’s going to feel easy."

Florida also secured pledges from 4-star offensive skill players. Former Auburn running back commit D'Anfernee McGriff (Tallahassee) and wide receiver Antonio Callaway (Miami) opted to join the party, bolstering a Florida haul that added elite Sunshine State rusher Jordan Scarlett on Monday.

Credit: 247Sports

McElwain entered last weekend with the country's 66th-rated recruiting class in 247Sports' composite rankings. The Gators wrapped up signing day with a collection of prospects listed 21st overall.

That's a 45-spot improvement in five days.

Florida failed to find a quarterback despite attempts to flip Deondre Francois (Florida State) and Lamar Jackson (Louisville). However, the Gators signed a pair of passers last February and now hold plenty of ammo in the pursuit of a 2016 passer.

It wasn't a perfect signing day at Florida—Auburn and Muschamp made sure of that—but the outcome is better than most anticipated. In turn, the team's 2015 roster is more talented than most anticipated.

The Gators grabbed some much-needed mojo on Wednesday, and that's a start.

"The momentum that we gained has been fantastic," McElwain said during his press conference, per Thomas Goldkamp of 247Sports. "I think that we answered some things from all kinds of corners of the state and that’s a good thing."

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.