Revisiting College Football Recruiting Rankings: Four Years Later, Florida Gators Drop 6 Spots as COVID-19 and NIL Regulations Impact Class Evaluation

Over the past four years, college football has undergone significant changes, starting with the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak that disrupted sports worldwide. Additionally, the introduction of name, image, and likeness regulations has transformed the landscape of college athletics. These factors have contributed to where we stand in the college football world today.

Recently, Max Olson of The Athletic revisited the recruiting rankings from the 2020 campaign when things were more straightforward. In the re-rank, Florida Gators were placed at No. 21, a drop from their No. 8 ranking at the end of the recruiting cycle four years ago. The grading system used for evaluating these classes is based on players’ accomplishments over four years rather than projecting future success.

Head coach Dan Mullen’s recruiting class brought in multiple future starters but lacked many All-SEC performers. Notable players like Anthony Richardson, Gervon Dexter, and Justin Shorter went on to become NFL draft picks. However, some players transferred out, including Princely Umanmielen and Richie Leonard IV, contributing to a total of 20 departures from the class.

Several other teams that were previously ranked in the top 25 dropped out of revised rankings due to similar reasons as Florida Gators did. Teams such as Texas A&M, Auburn, Oklahoma, Oregon, North Carolina