Class of 1995: Another star-studded affair

This is the fifth installment in our running anthology of posts looking back at past recruiting classes for the Florida Gators. Today's entry highlights the Class of 1995.

Steve Spurrier put the finishing touches on a top-three recruiting class two days after National Signing Day (February 1, 1995) when Reggie McGrew signed with the Gators at Lafayette High School in nearby Mayo, rounding out a 24-man haul for Florida in the Class of 1995:

Ernie Badeaux, Line (6-5, 258), River Ridge, La. (John Curtis)
Tim Beauchamp, Line (6-2, 235), New Smyrna Beach
Cheston Blackshear, Line (6-3, 278), Jacksonville (Ed White)
Pat Browning, Line (6-3, 290), Tampa (Jesuit)
Scott Bryan, Line (6-4, 270), Longwood (Lake Mary)
Zuri Buchanan, Back (6-0, 215), DeSoto, Tex. (DeSoto)
Cooper Carlisle, Line (6-6, 265), McComb, Miss. (McComb)
Reggie Davis, Back (6-0, 175), Bradenton (Southeast)
Damian Hill, Back (6-1, 175), Dallas, Tex. (Carter)
Ryan Kalich, Line (6-3, 276), Houston, Tex. (Spring Woods)
Jevon Kearse, Back (6-5, 220), North Ft. Myers
Keith Kelsey, Back (6-1, 220), Newberry
Erron Kinney, Back (6-6, 256), Ashland, Va. (Patrick Henry)
Demetrius Lewis, Back (6-0, 195), Decatur, Ga. (Southwest Dekalb)
Eugene McCaslin, Back (6-1, 205), Tampa (Chamberlain)
Reggie McGrew, Line (6-2, 279), Mayo (Lafayette)
Anthony Mitchell, Line (6-5, 235), Louisville, Miss. (Louisville)
Dock Pollard, Back (5-8, 170), Bradenton (Manatee)
Jamie Richardson, Back (5-11, 175), Tallahassee (Godby)
Johnny Rutledge, Back (6-2, 225), Belle Glade (Glades Central)
Bobby Sablehaus, Quarterback (6-6, 225), Owings Mills, Md. (McDonogh)
Greg See, Line (6-5, 251), Denon, Pa. (Archbishop Carroll)
Robby Stevenson, Kicker (6-1, 177), Bradenton (Manatee)
Corey Yarborough, Line (6-2, 266), Glen St. Mary (Baker County)

– The Gators landed 12 of the state's top 50 prospects, good for second among the Big Three. Florida State (14) led all teams, while Miami only finished with two. Auburn led all out-of-state programs with four top-50 signees from Florida.

– 15 of the Gators' 24 players (62.5%) in the Class of 1995 hailed from the state of Florida.

– UF landed a pair of USA Today first team All-Americans in Badeaux and Stevenson. Most services regarded Sabelhaus (the #2 QB, behind USA Today Offensive Player of the Year Dan Kendra) as the top recruit in Florida's class.

– Buchanan was the only group from this class who failed to qualify, but he would enroll at Florida as a part of the Class of 1996.

Biggest Hits: Jevon Kearse and Reggie McGrew had celebrated careers in Orange & Blue and would eventually go on to be first-round picks in the NFL Draft as well. Five players from this group (Blackshear, Carlisle, Kearse, McGrew, Rutledge) would go on to win All-SEC honors.

Biggest Misses: There were several, highlighting the Jekell and Hyde nature of this class. But perhaps none was as big as that of Sabelhaus. Touted as the potential successor to Danny Wuerffel, Sabelhaus was gone within 18 months. A disastrous performance in the 1996 spring game proving to be the final nail in the coffin of Sabelhaus' brief UF career.

Badeaux's signing was highly celebrated, but the talented defensive lineman proved to be a handful off the field and was finally dismissed from the team in August of 1997 following a rash of incidents.

Jamie Richardson showed signs of promise early in his tenure at Florida, but was also dismissed following an incident at the Florida Theater in Gainesville back in January of 1998, resulting in Richardson's second battery arrest within a 14-month period.

Acclaimed as a Parade All-American, with 28 career interceptions at the prep level, Damian Hill was the big corner every major college program craves. He arrived at Florida with considerable fanfare, and the early reports indicated he would live up to the considerable expectations. But his time in Gainesville would prove to be short lived. Hill was ensnared in a textbook-selling scandal which also nailed fellow '95 signee Dock Pollard. Throwing additional academic issues into the mix, Hill was gone from Florida after the spring semester in 1996.

The ones who got away: Despite Florida's best efforts, several top prospects elected to sign elsewhere. The biggest name would prove to be Belle, W.Va. receiver Randy Moss, who elected to go with Notre Dame over Florida and Tennessee.

The other big-time receiver the Gators lost out on was Bradenton Southeast athlete Peter Warrick (6-1, 175), who elected not to follow several teammates (including '95 UF signee Reggie Davis) to Gainesville, and instead would head to Florida State.

The state's top quarterback, Ocala Vanguard passer Daunte Culpepper (6-4, 214), wound up at UCF after academic issues caused the Big Three to back off his recruitment. By the time Culpepper had put himself in a position to qualify, he decided to stick with the Knights, who had supported him through his academic issues.

With a need at the defensive tackle position, missing out on Belle Glade Glades Central lineman Robert Newkirk (6-4, 280) – a one-time UF commitment – to Michigan State was a tough pill to swallow for the Gators. Thankfully for Florida, the late commitment of Badeaux and the addition of Reggie McGrew 48 hours after the faxes had started coming in on National Signing Day filled their quota on the defensive front. Newkirk went on to play three seasons in the NFL.

Tampa Jefferson athlete Keith Newman (6-3, 225), a guy who could have played tight end, defensive end or linebacker at UF, elected to go with Mack Brown and North Carolina instead. Newman went on to play seven productive seasons at the pro level.

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Max Emfinger had the Gators ranked as the top recruiting class in the country as Florida reeled in what was generally considered to be the third best class in the country behind Notre Dame and Florida State.

The Gators had dealt with some issues recruiting the linebacker position in the prior two cycles – especially when going up with the Seminoles – but made up for those losses in 1995 with a haul that included Kearse, Kelsey and Rutledge.

Class of 1994: Loaded to the brim with NFL Talent

This is the fourth installment in our running anthology of posts looking back at past recruiting classes for the Florida Gators. Today's entry highlights the Class of 1994.

Although only one national publication had the Gators ranked among the nation's top ten (Max Emfinger, who slotted Florida in eighth), Steve Spurrier announced an 18-man recruiting class on February 2, 1994 that would prove to be one of the most talented groups ever hauled in by the University of Florida:

Reidel Anthony, Back (5-11, 165), Belle Glade (Glades Central)
Teako Brown, Back (5-11, 185), Miami (Carol City)
Ed Chester, Line (6-4, 270), Spring Hill (Springstead)
Antonio Cochran, Line (6-4, 235), Montezuma, Ga. (Macon County)
Willie Cohens, Line (6-3, 216), Starke (Bradford)
Mo Collins, Line, Charlotte, N.C (6-5, 265), Charlotte, N.C. (West Charlotte)
Tony George, Back (6-0, 180), Cincinnati, Ohio (Winton Woods)
Jacquez Green, Back (5-9, 170), Fort Valley, Ga. (Peach County)
Ike Hilliard, Back (6-0, 175), Patterson, La. (Patterson)
Mike Jackson, Line (6-5, 235), Wrightsville, Ga. (Johnson County)
Terry Jackson, Back (6-0, 200), Gainesville (P.K. Yonge)
Nafis Karim, Back (5-11, 165), Marietta, Ga. (Pope)
Travis McGriff, Back (5-11, 175), Gainesville (P.K. Yonge)
Mike Peterson, Back (6-1, 205), Alachua (Santa Fe)
Jamie Richardson, Back (5-11, 165), Tallhassee (Godby)
Dossy Robbins, Back (6-1, 235), Marathon
Deac Story, Line (6-4, 275), Winter Park
Fred Taylor, Back (6-1, 215), Belle Glades (Glades Central)

– Unlike Spurrier's prior classes, this one had a much stronger out-of-state feel to it. Only 11-of-18 players signed by Florida in 1994 hailed from inside the Sunshine State (61.1%).

– The Gators landed eight of the consensus top-50 prospects from inside the state borders in 1994, trailing FSU (9) by one. Miami finished with five. Auburn and Mississippi State led out-of-state programs with three signees each.

– Eventual UF Director of Player Personnel Jon Haskins makes an appearance in the top-50 rankings in 1994, as the 6-3, 228-pound linebacker out of Sarasota Riverview elected to sign with Stanford.

– Two of Florida's '94 signees failed to qualify. Antonio Cochran would later enroll at Georgia in 1997 after going the JUCO route (he started off at Okaloosa-Walton in Niceville before moving on to Middle Georgia College.) Jamie Richardson would eventually get to Florida after deferring his enrollment for a year.

Biggest Hits: Where to start. Ten members of this class went on to play in the NFL (Anthony, Collins, George, Green, Hilliard, T. Jackson, McGriff, Peterson,Taylor and Antonio Cochran, despite the fact he never ended up playing for Florida.) Ed Chester would have made 11, but his career would come to a grinding halt when LSU decided to take out his knees on a fateful night at the Swamp back in 1998. Teako Brown and Willie Cohens were also valued contributors during their time at Florida, despite the fact they never moved on to the next level.

Biggest Misses: Dossy Robbins was touted as the state's No. 1 fullback prospect, a player who even earned comparisons to Jerome Bettis from his high school coach for his combination of size and strength. Alas, Robbins never lettered at Florida. A suspected heart condition ended Mike Jackson's career after he collapsed during a workout in October of 1995.

The ones who got away: Merritt Island defensive lineman Antonio Ham (6-5, 235), went back-and-forth between Florida and Miami before deciding to sign with the Hurricanes on National Singing Day. Lake Worth defensive back Deon Humphrey (6-3, 218) – who converted to linebacker at Florida State – also passed on the Gators despite a spirited recruiting effort from UF. Both Ham and Humphrey would go on to play in the NFL.

Academic issues prevented Sarasota Riverview defensive back Amp Campbell (6-2, 175) from signing with UF. He had a solid, if unspectacular, career at Michigan State. Florida made a run at Ft. Lauderdale Dillard defensive lineman Charles Dorsey (6-2, 255), who elected to stick to school tradition and sign with Auburn. Dorsey was one of seven players from the high school to sign with Auburn over a four-year period.

Although the Gators heavily wooed Peyton Manning (6-5, 202, New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman), the future No. 1 overall pick wound up selecting Tennessee over a short list that included Florida, Ole Miss (where father Archie and brother Eli played) and Michigan. The Gators missed out on another highly-rated Louisiana prospect to Tennessee that year in Marrero offensive lineman Jarvis Reado (6-5, 284).

One guy who got away from Florida on Signing Day, but would eventually come back into the fold was Tallahassee Lincoln offensive lineman Zach Piller (6-5, 265). Piller transferred to UF after spending a year at Georgia Tech.

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Tennessee signed a consensus top-two class (along with Florida State), a 22-man group that included the above-mentioned Manning and Reado, along with DE Johnathan Brown, DT Ron Green, PK Jeff Hall, DB Terry Fair and WR Marcus Nash.

The Seminoles' class included Humphrey, along with USA Today Defensive Player of the Year Lamont Green, who failed to live up to the hype while suiting up for the 'Noles. Other significant contributors included CB Samari Rolle and DT Orpheus Roye in a group that was somewhat underwhelming considering it was considered by some services to be the nation's top class.

In terms of pure talent, there is little doubt that this is the greatest class Florida has ever signed, pound-for-pound. If you throw in Zach Piller (who signed with GT but ended up at UF a year later), 11 of the 19 players that either signed or played for Florida would up in the NFL. Three of them were first-round draft picks (Anthony, Collins and Taylor). Despite some misses for the Gators on the trail in 1994, particularly on the offensive line and at linebacker, their evaluations turned out to be spot on. Or they just got a little lucky. Either way, it worked out for Spurrier and staff.

Class of 1992: The Foundation for a National Championship

This is the third installment in our running anthology of posts looking back at past recruiting classes for the Florida Gators. Today's entry highlights the Class of 1992.

After falling behind the Seminoles and the Hurricanes in the recruiting wars, the Gators made a loud statement when Steve Spurrier announced a 25-man signing class on Feb. 6, 1992. A group that was considered the consensus-No. 1 group in the country included the following:

David Barnard, Line (6-3, 280), Miami (Miami Senior)

Jim Bates, Jr., Back (6-2, 215), Sevierville, Tenn. (Sevier County)

Johnie Church, Back (6-3, 218), Fort Myers (Cypress Lake)

Cameron Davis, Line (6-4, 230), Lauderhill (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Tony Davis, Back (5-11, 190), Chipley

Dexter Daniels, Back (6-2, 225), Valdosta, Ga. (Valdosta)

Bart Edmiston, Kicker (5-10, 170), Pensacola (Washington)

Jerome Evans, Back (6-2, 222), Arcadia (DeSoto County)

McDonald Ferguson, Line, (6-2, 245), Miami (North Miami)

Reggie Green, Line (6-7, 297), Bradenton (Southeast)

Demetric Jackson, Back (6-1, 180), Lake City (Columbia)

Eric Kresser, Quarterback (6-3, 200), Palm Beach Gardens

Antone Lott, Back, (5-10, 180), Jacksonville (Raines)

Jeff Mitchell, Line (6-4, 240), Clearwater (Countryside)

Dwayne Mobley, Back (6-0, 215), Brooksville (Hernando)

Shawn Nunn, Back (6-3, 230), Ocala (Vanguard)

Jason Odom, Line (6-6, 283), Bartow

Nick Quintana, Line (6-4, 290), Miami (Senior)

Shea Showers, Back (5-11, 170), Alachua (Santa Fe)

Kenny Times, Back (6-1, 218), Winter Park (Lake Howell)

Andre Washington, Back (6-1, 215), Jacksonville (Ribault/Georgia/Florida C.C.)

Shawn Wilson, Back (6-1, 180), Virginia Beach (Bayside)

Lawrence Wright, Back (6-2, 195), Miami (North Miami/Valley Forge)

Danny Wuerffel, Quarterback (6-3, 193), Fort Walton Beach

Donnie Young, Line (6-3, 260), Venice

– Allen Wallace declared this group the top-ranked recruiting class in the country, while Max Emfinger named the Gators “co-champions” with LSU.

– Dexter Daniels earned 1991 USA Today Defensive Player of the Year honors. To date, Daniels remains the only player to win that award and sign with Florida.

– 22 of the 25 members of this signing class were from inside the state of Florida (88%)

– Times did not qualify in 1992 and had to defer his enrollment to the following year.

– Florida closed out with 14 of the state's consensus top-50 recruits, while FSU came in a close second with 13. Miami landed eight. It was a dominant year inside the state borders for the Big Three. Clemson and Michigan were the only out-of-state programs to land more than one top-50 prospect from Florida, but both were only able to grab two.

Biggest Hits: Making a list of who didn't pan out in this class is considerably easier. Wuerffel was the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner. Bates, Daniels, Green, Lott, Odom, Wright and Young all picked up All-SEC honors during their stay in Gainesville as well. In total, this class produced a total of six NFL Draft picks.

It should be noted that Reggie Green had a fine career in Gainesville, despite dealing with knee issues that prevented him from a likely 10-year career at the pro level.

Biggest Misses: Quintana flunked out of UF after the fall semester of '92, and did not return to the squad. A highly-decorated player coming in, a knee injury kept Wilson from contributing at UF.

Andre Washington, who had previously pulled an eleventh-hour switcheroo in 1990 and elected to sign with Georgia instead to Florida, ended up signing with UF as a part of the 1992 class. He left Georgia after his freshman season and transferred to Florida Community College in Jacksonville. However, the long-awaited debut of Washington never took place at UF, as he failed to earn his A.A. Degree and was not able to enroll at Florida.

Tony Davis was never able to make a significant presence in the offensive backfield. After threatening to leave midway through his freshman season, he would eventually be expelled from school in the fall of 1994.

The ones who got away: Even with as good as Florida's offensive line haul was in 1992, the Gators nearly made it that-much-better with the presence of future NFL Hall-of-Famer Jonathan Ogden. The 6-foot-8, 340-pound behemoth from St. Albans School in Washington D.C. was also a highly-regarded shot-putter at the prep level. His short list included the Gators and Notre Dame, but Ogden eventually signed with UCLA.

Aside from that one, there weren't many misses. Although Dexter Daniels had a solid career in Gainesville, he was actually overshadowed in the long run by prep rival Randall Godfrey, who played at Lowndes High School in Valdosta and ended up at Georgia. Godfrey went on to play 12 years in the NFL.

Florida State signed a very good class as well. Although not quite on the level of Florida's, it was rated as a consensus top-five group, led by WR/KR Tamerick Vanover and OL Marcus Long, both named first team All-America by the USA Today. QB Danny Kannell, OL Todd Fordham, P Sean Liss, LB Todd Rebol, DT Connell Spain as well as the Crockett brothers – FB Zack and LB Henri – were major contributors for the 'Noles as well.

SEC recruiting co-champ LSU's crop included highly-regarded TE David LaFleur and WR Eddie Kennison, a pair of first-round NFL draft picks. Two-time All-SEC DE Gabe Northern was also a part of the 1992 class for the Tigers. Otherwise, it was a mostly forgettable group.

Tom Lemming, speaking on National Signing Day in 1992, would do an excellent job looking into the crystal ball many years into the future with this quote:

The SEC is so far ahead of everybody else in the nation,” Lemming said at the time. “It's phenomenal.”

Wise words, to be sure.

The Class of 1991: A D-Line haul for the ages

This is the second installment in our running anthology of posts looking back at past recruiting classes for the Florida Gators. Today's entry highlights the Class of 1991.

The first full recruiting class for Steve Spurrier, he left no stone unturned, and brought in the maximum allowed 25 prospects for a recruiting cycle, plus three junior college transfers. This group was ranked well within the top 10 in the country (Max Emfinger had it as the third-best recruiting class for 1991) and considered the top group in the SEC.

Although many point to the 1992 class as the impetus to the four year reign over the SEC from 1993-96 (as well as the National Championship to cap off that run), this group had a big hand in that succcess as well. In fact, it could be argued that this group is one of the more underrated classes in UF history.

Steve Spurrier announced a batch of 27 new Gators on Feb. 7, 1991. Two signees (Mark Campbell and Mark Grimes) came in after National Signing Day.

Darwin Anderson, Back, (6-0, 197), Winter Park

Jason Bartley, Back (6-0, 208), Jacksonville (Fletcher)

Luke Bencie, Quarterback (6-4, 201), Sarasota (Riverview)

Mark Campbell, Line (6-3, 275), Miami (Sunset)

Kevin Carter, Line (6-5, 235), Tallahassee (Lincoln)

Antwan Chiles, Quarterback (6-3, 235), Lauderdale Lakes (Cardinal Gibbons)

Marion Dixon, Line (6-5, 240), Largo

Shayne Edge, Kicker (6-1, 185), Lake City (Columbia)

McDonald Ferguson, Line (6-2, 235), Miami (North Miami)

Mark Grimes, Line (6-3, 230), Cookeville, Tenn. (Cookeville)

Ben Hanks, Back (6-2, 190), Miami (North Miami)

Lawrence Hatch (6-1, 190), Long Beach, Calif. (Costa Mesa C.C.)

Jack Jackson, Back (5-11, 175), Moss Point, Ms. (Moss Point)

Scott Joslyn, Line (6-4, 295), Orlando (Evans)

Ellis Johnson, Line (6-3, 275), Wildwood

Kevin Johnson, Line (6-3, 250), Vero Beach

Jeremy Kennedy, Back (6-4, 230), Oklahoma City, Okla. (Westmoore)

Larry Kennedy, Back (5-11, 185), Sarasota (Riverview)

Henry McMillian, Line (6-4, 270), Folkston, Ga. (Charlton County)

Jimmy Owens, (5-9, 170), (San Bernandino Valley College)

Sorola Palmer, Back (5-10, 170), Lacome, La. (Manderville)

Carlton Pouncy, Back (5-11, 185), Kissimmee (Osceola)

Matt Pearson, Back (6-1, 223), Mayo (Lafayette)

Anthony Riggins, Line (6-4, 215), Ft. Pierce (Central)

Alfred Smith, Back (6-3, 225), Brandon (Coffeyville C.C.)

Craig Weaver, Line (6-3, 304), Miami (Central)

Ed West, Back (5-10, 178), Miami (Carol City)

– The Gators led all teams with 12 signings among the state's Top 50 prospects. Florida State landed nine, despite being touted as having the better class. Miami nabbed six. Auburn was the most successful out-of-state program, with four top-50 prospects from the state of Florida. The Tigers dipped into their pipeline at Ft. Lauderdale Dillard for three of those players, with running back James Bostic (6-2, 215) and wide receiver Frank Sanders (6-3, 195) carving out big roles during their time on the Plains.

– Although Kevin Carter was generally considered to be the jewel of Florida's 1991 class, it was Scott Joslyn who earned the highest honors by being named first team All-American according to the USA Today.

– Three-quarters of Florida's recruiting class (75%) were native to the state of Florida (21 of 28).

Biggest hits: This was probably the best defensive line class recruited in the history of the University of Florida. Carter lived up to the hype as the top recruit in this class by earning All-SEC and All-American honors and being one of the highest-ever drafted Gators when he went sixth overall to the St. Louis Rams in 1995. Johnson was also an All-SEC honoree and first round NFL Draft pick in 1995 (Indianpolis Colts, 14^th overall). McMillian went in the sixth round to Seattle (180^th overall) that year, and Mark Campbell (78^th overall) would be Florida's top pick a year later by the Denver Broncos after earning All-SEC honors that year as well.

P Shayne Edge, LB Ben Hanks, WR Jack Jackson and DB Larry Kennedy also earned All-SEC honors during their stay in Gainesville, and were key contributors to SEC Championships in 1993 and 1994 (as well as 1995 for Hanks.) Kennedy, it should be noted, originally signed with Ohio State in 1990, but academic issues prevented him from enrolling in Columbus. He eventually ended up in Gainesville, and wound up a major factor in the secondary for the Gators from 1991-94.

Although he didn't sign with Florida in 1991, Chris Doering of P.K. Yonge would walk-on at UF and eventually develop into one of the top receivers in school history.

Biggest misses: Despite coming in with a massive hype, Scott Joslyn turned out to be a huge bust at Florida, making close to no impact on the UF line-up. Antwan Chiles got lost in the shuffle at quarterback, and when he was asked to move to linebacker (the position most recruiting services projected to be his best coming out of the high school ranks) Chiles elected to transfer to Liberty instead.

Derwin Anderson didn't qualify and eventually wound up at Kansas, where knee injuries derailed his career. Luke Bencie transferred to Michigan State after one season in Gainesville. Ed West left football to focus on track. Late signee Mark Grimes lasted one year in the program before moving on. Craig Weaver was an academic casualty and never suited up for the Gators. Owens was expected to have an immediate impact, but was quickly passed over by better players at UF.

The ones who got away: It's not hard to spot the two biggest misses for Florida in the Class of 1991. Derrick Brooks (6-1, 205) and Warren Sapp (6-3, 232) were two highly-regarded prospects who had Florida on their short lists, only to end up at Florida State and Miami, respectively. Brooks was the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year out of Pensacola Washington, and was sold on the idea of playing safety in Tallahassee. Brooks was subsequently moved to linebacker where he excelled at Florida State, and played out a Hall-of-Fame caliber career in Tampa Bay for the Buccaneers as well.

Sapp took a visit to Florida where he reportedly weighed in at close to 260 pounds, and was already growing out of the tight end position he was projected at by most services. Miami sold him on leaving the central Florida region to play for the 'Canes instead, and the rest is history.

The USA Today Offensive Player of the Year, Marquette Smith, also signed with Florida State out of Lake Howell in Winter Park. Smith got caught in a crowded backfield in Tallahassee and wound up transferring to UCF, where he finished his brief career in Orlando as the third all-time leading rusher in school history. He was a fifth-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 1996, but never saw action in a regular season game as knee injuries prematurely ended his career. Ironically, Florida signed another 2,000-yard rusher from the Winter Park area to replace Smith in Darwin Anderson, but he never suited up for the Gators either.

Finally, the Gators landed a commitment at one point in the process from Jesse Mitchell (6-3, 217) out of Key West, widely regarded as the No. 2 defensive end prospect in-state. However, he elected to sign with Miami on National Signing Day instead. Still UF would seemingly get the last laugh, trading Mitchell for Mark Campbell, a one-time Miami commitment who signed with the Gators nearly a week after National Signing Day.

Michigan and Penn State shared the disputed crown for National Signing Day. Florida State, with a haul of 19 players, also landed a top-five class. DE Derrick Alexander, DB Devin Bush, OL Forrest Conoly (a former Gainesville resident), OL Greg Frey, OL Juan Laureano and OL Clay Shiver were among the major pick-ups for FSU in the 1991 class.

Have some other thoughts on this group? Add them in the comments below.  

1990: Spurrier's First Recruiting Class

This will be the first installment of a running anthology of articles as we look back at how Florida has done on the recruiting trail over the past 25 (or so) years. First up: the recruiting class of 1990.

Duke head coach Steve Spurrier was announced as the new head coach at Florida on Dec. 31, 1989. He had approximately six weeks to put/hold together the Class of 1990 for UF, and by most accounts, he did a solid job of rounding up his first incoming crop of freshmen in Gainesville. The Gators announced an 19-man recruiting class on Feb. 14, 1990:

Pete Archie, Back (6-0, 185), Houston, Tex. (C.E. King)

Jay Austin, Quarterback (6-3, 202), St. Petersburg (Northeast)

Chris Bilkie, Back (6-3, 215), Bradenton (Manatee)

Craig Carey, Line (6-3, 285), Houston, Tex. (Wentworth Military Academy)

Kendall Cook, Kicker (5-10, 170), Lakeland (Lake Gibson)

Zach Crockett, Back (6-3, 215), Pompano Beach (Ely)

Terry Dean, Quarterback (6-2, 180), Naples (Barron Collier)

Kevin Freeman, Back (6-1, 190), Bradenton (Manatee)

Michael Gilmore, Back (6-0, 190), Chipley

Greg Gingeleski, Line (6-8, 270), Sarasota (Riverview)

Dean Golden, Line (6-5, 230), Plantation (South Plantation)

Aubrey Hill, Back (5-11, 175) Miami (Carol City)

Harrison Houston, Back (5-9, 160), Pensacola (Pine Forest)

Eddie Lake, Back (5-11, 175), Tarpon Springs

Kedra Malone, Back (5-9, 175), Niceville

George Rushing, Back (6-4, 225), Miami (American)

David Swain, Line (6-4, 255), Altamonte Springs (Lake Brantley)

Lateef Travis, Back (6-4, 215), Pensacola (Pine Forest)

Scott Travis, Line (6-5, 245), New Rochelle, N.Y. (New Rochelle)

– 10 members of this class were considered to be among the Top 50 prospects in the state of Florida (Austin, Bilkie, Dean, Freeman, Gilmore, Gingelski, Houston, Malone, Swain and Travis.) Florida State would land 12, while Miami was only able to haul in four in 1990. Among out-of-state programs, Notre Dame had the most success in Florida in 1990, grabbing four top-50 prospects, including future starting quarterback Kevin McDougale (6-2, 183) out of Pompano Beach Ely.

– 17 of the Gators' 19 signees (89.4%) hailed from the state of Florida. All 19 players also came directly out of the high school ranks.

– At 6-9, Gingelski is one of the tallest players to ever suit up for the gridiron Gators.

– Travis was named as the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida in 1989. He was a part of back-to-back Class 5A state championship squads at Pine Forest in 1987 and 1988. He was considered by most outlets to be the crown jewel of Florida's recruiting class.

Biggest hits: Although the class was considered strong on paper, it didn't prove to be overly productive in Gainesville. Houston was the only NFL Draft pick out of the bunch (Atlanta, 138^th overall, 1994.) He was a valued member of the receiving corps along with Aubrey Hill. Dean was originally slated to be Shane Matthews' heir apparent, but shared the quarterbacking duties with Danny Wuerffel in 1993 and 1994 before Wuerffel eventually took over full-time midway through the '94 season. Bilkie, Dean, Gilmore and Swain would all be named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll at least once in their careers. Bilkie may be best remembered for his involvement in this "hidden ball" trick play in the 1994 Sugar Bowl against West Virginia:

Biggest misses: Already considered an academic risk when he signed, Travis was officially jettisoned after drug-related arrests in June of 1990. He wound up at Pearl River Community College before transferring to Mississippi State, where he would letter for the Bulldogs in 1992 and 1993. Crockett failed to qualify, and would later sign with Florida State alongside his younger brother Henri in 1992. Crockett would put together an impressive 13-season career in the pros.

The ones who got away: Despite being born in Gainesville and playing at nearby Chiefland, tight end Oscar McBride (6-5, 260) elected to attend Notre Dame. He also played two seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals.

Lake Wales linebacker James Roberson (6-3, 220) decided to sign with Florida State after originally committing to Florida. Roberson grew into a defensive end with the 'Noles and later played four years in the NFL. Roberson would attribute his decision to go with FSU over fear Florida would fall under major NCAA sanctions after being in the governing body's doghouse for most of the 1980's. Florida was eventually put on probation, and did not play in a bowl game following the 1990 season, but avoided any other serious penalties.

Tallahassee Lincoln placekicker Dan Mowery (5-11, 165) also reneged on a pledge to UF to attend FSU. He would later become famous as the victim of “Wide Right II” at the Orange Bowl, as the 'Noles dropped a 19-16 decision to Miami. Following the de-commitment, Florida moved to offer Kendall Cook of Lakeland, who signed with the Gators. Mowery was one of two top-rated placekicking prospects in the state of Florida for 1990, the other being Aaron Mills of Satellite Beach, who inked with Stanford.

Wide receiver Chris T. Jones (6-3, 197, West Palm Beach/Cardinal Newman) was so torn as to his college choice, he elected to wait until after National Signing Day to turn in his letter-of-intent to Miami, this despite the fact he was originally expected to select between Florida, Michigan and Michigan State. Jones was a third-round pick of the Eagles in 1995, but a promising start with Philadelphia was short-circuited in his third season by a knee injury on the notoriously rough Veterans Stadium turf in 1997.

Notre Dame signed what most services considered to be the nation's top class. But Florida State, with a crop of 23 players, was not far behind. The Seminoles landed a pair of USA Today first team All-Americans in Miami Northwestern LB Marvin Jones (6-2, 220) and St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Durham quarterback Chris Weinke (6-5, 205). DB Clifton Abraham, DE Ken Alexander, RB Sean Jackson, TE Lonnie Johnson and DB Corey Sawyer were among the other major contributors from that class.

The top class in the SEC belonged to Georgia, which signed four USA Today All-Americans, headlined by wide receiver Andre Hastings and 6-9 lineman Bernard Williams, who went on to be a first round pick of the Eagles. In-state star Garrison Hearst was also a part of the Bulldogs' haul, which included 27 players in total.

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