How many will Florida take in 2014?

I touched on this topic back on Wednesday, but I thought the subject of how many players Florida plans to sign might have gotten buried under the recruiting board that it was posted with. So, let's give this subject its own separate post.

I've long held that I expected Florida to sign a full allotment of about 25 players in this class, as UF currently has room to sign 16 in the 2014 cycle, and attrition of nine players to the NFL Draft, injury and transfer doesn't seem totally out of the question. This could still prove to be the case. But as time goes on, and I watch the board shrink for Will Muschamp and his staff, I'm beginning to change my tune. Now I'm projecting 23 as the target number for Florida in this class.

Tight end is still a major need, and I expect the Gators to grab a second prospect there, in addition to present commitment C'yontai Lewis. There is still a need for skill prospects, and I would expect Florida to grab three more of those types. Again, with so much versatility in the prospects remaining on the board, I think the Gators will simply look to sign the three best they can get and let the positions the skill commitments play at the next level simply sort themselves out later.

Florida currently has a total of six linemen in the fold, and I expect that number to get to 10 when all is said and done. As much importance as Will Muschamp places on the line-of-scrimmage, more than 10 linemen in this cycle would not surprise me. However, 10 is the projection for now, and figures to be a baseline projection for the number of linemen UF will aim for in most recruiting classes.

The numbers don't look bad for UF at linebacker. There is a loss of one scholarship player after this year as Darrin Kitchens exhausts his eligibility. I do ultimately expect Florida to grab a true linebacker in this class, and that is where the ninth signee would come from in my projection.

This, of course, assumes that Florida will hold on to their other 14 commitments in this class to date. Expecting that to happen is always a risky proposition. J.C. Jackson has been a little willy-nilly throughout the entire process. And the Gators will have to continue to recruit Dalvin Cook and Ermon Lane all the way until they sign on the dotted line.  But in lieu of the fact there is no really strong evidence to support any of the current pledges are seriously wavering, we'll just go for now on the notion that UF will keep the guys they have for now, moving forward.

Also, for anyone expecting Andre Debose to return on a medical hardship. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. Only a handful of people can say one way or the other. But for now, there are indications to suggest Debose's career at UF is done. So I don't expect the available number of scholarships (presently at 16) to drop. At this point, it's only going to rise between now and Feb. 5. The only question is, by how much?

Keep one other fact in mind. 2014 has proven to be a somewhat weak cycle for the state of Florida as it relates to recruiting. Next year, on the other hand, is shaping up to be very strong on paper. The Gators are right in the thick of it for many of the state of Florida's best for 2015 as well. UF needs to be wise about filling its needs for this class while leaving as much room as possible for what could be a lights-out class for the Gators next year if things play out according to plan.