Gators HC Dan Mullen Defines 2021 Recruiting Class by Its Character

With the Florida Gators 2021 recruiting class officially wrapped up, Florida head coach Dan Mullen fielded various questions regarding the class itself, opining on individual players and the class as a whole. One major theme among both individuals and the class was, "character."

“I think our whole staff, recruiting department, personnel department, our coaches, everybody that’s involved in recruiting, there’s so many people that are involved in recruiting, do such a great job," Mullen said on Wednesday.

"It says a lot about the character of the guys we recruit. Character is a big part of what we do and it says a lot about the university as a whole, too. The opportunity to come to the premier academic and athletic school in the country."

The Gators successfully landed a total of 21 signees as part of the national early signing day. Those players, many of which will enroll early to the university, all represent key players for the future of the Gators' program. The character of the class was shown as many of the individuals have remained committed and followed through with their commitment for quite some time.

One of the program's signees, defensive end Tyreak Sapp, out of St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), had been committed to the program since 2018, and while he has taken other visits and considered other schools, he stood true to his word on Wednesday, officially signing with the program.

"Part of it shows the character these guys have, you know, when we're talking about making commitments and being committed, and what it shows in their character," Mullen said when asked about Sapp's longevity in terms of his commitment to the program.

"And certainly with him, he's a guy that early on committed to us. That I know early on, talked about his dream, his love of being a Gator, always wanted to be a Gator and live out his dream. You know, I'm just pleased. I know guys enjoy the recruiting process, and it's a great deal, it's a great experience."

There are other cases of players sticking by their word and remaining part of the process, even while they have had to overcome some obstacles. Linebacker Diwun Black, for example, was originally signed to the program two years ago, but due to eligibility issues, he was forced to take two years at the JUCO level before finally enrolling during this year's cycle.

Black is another player that Mullen gave high-praise to for his character, especially to overcome the obstacles that he did.

"I give him a lot of credit because I've been around it, you see a lot of these guys as it pertains to junior college, you know, that's not an easy route," said Mullen.

"He went there, he did junior college, took care of his business, took care of the things he needed to academically. Started fast, which, the opposite of what happened to him in high school, and able to get his work done. And we're excited, because I know he's a phenomenal athlete, a great leader, a great personality, a guy you want around the program and a guy you want around the team."

While early signing day may not have brought the excitement and intrigue that some recruiting classes can the day-of, Florida was able to land the players they wanted to throughout the process, and few, if any, ever wavered. The Gators built its 2021 foundation on character, that that's exactly what they've got.