May 24, 2013

Florida Gators
INSIDE SLANT

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  Florida coach Will Muschamp said the number of stars next to a recruit's name doesn't mean much to him.

"We commit most of our guys before they ever come out," Muschamp said. "Maybe they look at our ratings."

The Gators landed another impressive recruiting class on National Signing Day. Florida brought in 28 signees, including eight already enrolled on campus. The class is highlighted by five-star cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and running back Kelvin Taylor, the son of former Gator and NFL standout running back Fred Taylor.

"We want guys that got a lot of confidence that they can come and play in the SEC and play in The Swamp and play in the University of Florida," Muschamp said. "But this class is very balanced, it's a high-character class with toughness, and all of the position criteria we look for as far as size and speed, and then all of the off the field things we are looking for."

Overall, Florida's 2013 recruiting class was ranked third in the nation by Rivals and eighth by Scout. The Gators addressed some weaknesses at receiver with the addition of four-star signees Demarcus Robinson and Ahmad Fullwood.

"Recruiting is all about building relationships," Muschamp said. "You can pull out your tape recorders from the previous two years and we will know about this class in two or three years. It's a developmental game.

TOP OF THE CLASS

CB Vernon Hargreaves III(Wharton High, Tampa, Florida) A dynamic cover corner with playmaking ability, Hargreaves already projects as a shut-down corner at the college level and will compete for a starting job right away.

RB Kelvin Taylor(Glades Day School, Belle Glade, Florida) The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Taylor has a nice balance of size and speed (4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and strong bloodlines (son of former Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor). He'll figure in the mix as a freshman in Florida's run-first offensive attack.

LB Alex Anzalone (Wyomissing Area JSHS, Wyomissing, Pa.) Anzalone flipped from a prior commitment at Notre Dame to sign with the Gators. At 6-foot-3, 220, Anzalone projects as an edge rusher with some run-stopping ability who should fit in well with UF's mix of 3-4 and 4-3 defensive sets