UF, FSU and Miami Must Win More In-State Recruiting Battles vs Georgia
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Article cover photo of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart as he stopped by the Benjamin School to continue recruiting running back prospect, and UF commitment, Chauncey Bowens; photo credit to Andres Leiva of the Palm Beach Post
The days of prospects being truly loyal to their home state programs has seemingly passed.
Even a state like Florida, that during the 1980s and 1990s used to see prospects continuously stick with the Big 3 of Florida, Florida State and Miami, has changed dramatically.
According to Rivals top 25 Florida recruits from the class of 2023, 17 of them decided to leave the Sunshine State to play college football.
Further, looking at the teams doing the most damage through the Rivals top 100 in Florida from this past class, there’s one college football program that has absolutely killed it with recruiting prospects inside the Florida borders.
Georgia signed nine Florida recruits this past cycle. Now, each of the Big 3 surpassed that total, just to be clear:
Florida: 14
Florida State: 11
Miami: 16
That was just the beginning of the tale.
From Georgia’s nine signees from Florida, seven of those recruits were ranked inside the top 25 Florida prospects by Rivals. Combining all three of UF, FSU and UM, they totaled eight recruits from inside that same top 25.
Think about that statistic for a moment. One out of state program almost tied the total from all three of UF, FSU and The U for top 25 Florida recruits. For people that watched each of the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes dominate recruiting back in the day, that’s a sobering statistic.
There’s been talk of a revival from the Big 3 in Florida. And yes, each of them have certainly taken steps to improve over the past couple of years.
One could still argue that to truly make it back to the top of the college football mountain, beating Georgia for recruits in their own backyards must be a major priority. There’s still reason to believe that Georgia will continue to be a thorn in the side of the Big 3 though.
So far for the class of 2024, UGA has been at it again. The Dawgs have secured commitments from four of Florida’s top recruits. That list includes elite cornerback Ellis Robinson IV from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, Rivals No. 29 overall prospect and 11th best from Florida.
There’s still a long way to go with the 2024 recruiting cycle. That being said, each of the Big 3 needs to win more in-state recruiting battles against Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs to have a better chance to beat his squad on the gridiron moving forward.
Each of Florida, FSU and Miami will get their chances as official visits begin to take place this weekend and throughout the month of June. Keep a close eye on prospects that UGA covets from Florida and how well the Big 3 do to fend off the Bulldogs.
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